Chapter 81   - Meeting

Stirring in his bed, Kai had a moment of confusion looking at the unfamiliar wooden boards of the ceiling. Then he remembered where he was.

It’s almost as comfortable as my bed at the estate.

Long shadows stretched on the ground. The first rays of dawn were blocked by the surrounding buildings. The chattering of people walking down the streets filled the morning.

Is this what living in a proper town feels like?

It roused some old memories, but it was also new.

The old farmer was right, Sylspring is much better than Greenside.

Kai couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened if his family had been relocated here. Instead of a hindrance, the Veeryd jungle was a source of wealth and jobs. Instead of once or twice a year, ships came and went every week, the bustle of seamen crowding the wharves. Even the ever-present stifling humidity of his hometown was absent.

Of course, the tourists were an annoyance, and the presence of the Republic loomed in every corner. But those weren’t insurmountable problems. Just different challenges he could adapt and work around them. If he planned to travel to the mainland, this was easy mode.

The estate was going to be his home for the foreseeable future, but it wouldn’t be a bad thing to gather more information.

I should ask around how much a house costs. Flynn probably knows.

Kai opened the door of his room. A boy almost fell on him.

“Wha—. I’m awake!” Flynn jumped to his feet, looking around confused before realizing what was going on. “Hi, there, mister. Isn’t this a great day?”

“Did you sleep in the hallway?”

“No, I just came here early and took a nap.”

“Don’t you have a house and a bed?”

“Of course, I do. I just—.”

Kai listened to his stammered response with a pang of guilt. If the hard floor was preferable to his home, the situation couldn’t be good.

“Come on, let’s go get breakfast. You can tell me what you know about the selection.”

Flynn might be annoying and nosy, but he was still a kid.

I mean, I spent the last year at the estate. My standards aren’t exactly sky-high. He’s more entertaining than the butler.

Kai liked spending time with Dora, but she could be his great great grandma. And Virya was, well… Virya. His social life on Earth had been pretty limited; reincarnating on Elydes had not helped much in that regard.

If he overlooked the fact Flynn was a pathological liar and thief, well… If Kai had to grow up on the streets, he might not have been much different. Who knew what he went through and the kind of childhood he had.

Flynn wouldn’t be his first, second or third choice… but he was starting to grow on him.

Yep, my standards have hit rock bottom.

In a few days, he would be back at the estate anyway.

“What?” Kai asked, waking his lost gaze from the cup of tea in his hand. It tasted too sweet.

“I asked if you were going to participate in the selection.”

“Probably. What do you get if you pass?”

Flynn looked at him weirdly. “You probably don’t need it either way. From what I heard, they promised money and lessons. But they have been pretty cagey with the exact details.”

Kai would bet there were plenty of details that somehow failed to reach the public. The best way to understand what was going on was to participate. He could always refuse later. He felt in his gut that there was something fishy going on.

The streets were packed. Kai let Flynn guide him through a maze of alleys, just making sure he was leading him in the right direction. A squadron of enforcers blocked the entrance to the main square. Beside them, a line of kids accompanied by their families orderly waited their turn to get the right to pass.

The queue was surprisingly fast, they soon stood in front of a desk with an old clerk. “Names?”

“My name is Flynn, but my little brother forgot to register. I told him a hundred times.” Flynn shook his head disapprovingly at him. “It’s not too late for that, right?”

The man glared at them from behind the pile of papers, muttering some not-very-pleasant words under his breath. “Give me your ID and sign which tests you’d like to take. Be quick.”

A form and a pen were quickly shoved in front of him. With the clerk's gaze bearing down on him, Kai put yes to everything. The glare on him intensified.

“Young man if y—.”

The man stopped talking when Kai took out his ID, sighing deeply. He roughly took the document out of his hand. “Next time, don’t come so late.”

“Can we go?”

“Just one last thing.”

Kai felt a scan going through him. He tensed, but it was just the briefest touch.

The man frowned. A second more forceful probe hit him again. A flabbergasted look appeared on the clerk’s face.

I guess you don’t see an Orange child every day.

“Can we go?”

“Cough… yes.”

Kai took back his ID from the confused man and moved ahead. They easily got lost in the crowd of kids. An empty podium waited on one side of the square.

Looking around, most of them were between seven and ten. None younger than that and a few who looked older. With a quick sweep, Kai noticed the average grade was higher than normal.

No one was lower than Red ★★, with most at Red ★★★. To his surprise there were even a couple kids at Orange ★. They were the oldest of the bunch, looking close to fourteen.

“It wasn’t advertised, but you need to meet the minimum grade requirement for your age to participate,” Flynn explained. “They are pretty harsh for those closer to getting a profession. I barely passed.”

“Why didn’t you tell me you signed up?”

“I thought it was obvious. If the Republic wants to give me some silver, I don’t see why not take the chance.”

Indeed, who would refuse the chance to get free money and an education? It looked like every kid in Sylspring was present in the square. With more coming every second.

There is no free meal. If the Republic is being so generous, they must get something in return.

“Do you know what the tests are?”

“Why? Are you worried you didn’t study enough?”

Kai rolled his eyes. “Wait, is there a written test?”

“Yep, every good citizen should know the story of the glorious Merian Republic. And of how it brought civilization to us poor, ignorant islanders.” Beyond his mocking words, there was a note of real anger.

“Anyway.” A fake grin was back on Flynn’s face. “The tests are to measure skills. Knowledge skills, weapon skills and mana skills, in order of importance. So, I think you are set even if you fail the loyalty check.

“But I don’t think they’ll let you take the money and run. You’ll probably need to move to Sylspring.”

“Was that written anywhere?”

“Just rumors I heard. I told you I was the best guide.” Flynn smirked trying to sound mysterious. “There might be more to it, but even my sources couldn’t find the whole truth.”

Thinking back, Captain Zerith told him the Republic shouted about the program to every corner of the archipelago, and yet no one seemed to know what that entailed.

I’d rather trust old Selly to offer me a fair price.

“Look. I think the little princess is going to make the opening speech.” Flynn pointed to a group of people moving on the podium.

“Who is this princess? Never heard of her.” This was the second time he mentioned her. Clearly, she wasn’t true royalty. From how he spoke the name, her title was just a moniker, and not necessarily a positive one.

“She’s the spoiled daughter of a traitor who sold his soul to the Republic. They love to parade her around at every chance they get. Like she was some model for us to imitate.” Flynn’s voice was full of disgust.

Kai was taken aback. Not for his dislike of the Republic, but because he hadn’t shown any sign of such deep hate yesterday.

As he was about to inquire more, a young girl stepped on stage. Long shiny wavy hair, deep green eyes and an expression in stark contrast with her age.

Curious, Kai activated Mana Sense and froze in shock.

~~~

The ship gently rocked as it got closer to the dock. Leaning on the wooden rail, Val observed the town getting closer. Sylspring looked to have grown again from the last time she visited. There was no denying Lady Cressida's plans brought much-needed money and investment to the archipelago.

“No need to worry, I’m sure you’ll do splendidly, miss,” Nalia said with a reassuring smile. Her maid had always thought she could do no wrong. Val believed it too once, now she wasn’t so sure.

“I’m not nervous. Just thoughtful.” She only needed to do a little speech and a few magic tricks. Sylspring was the biggest town yet, but she had already been through this three times. And it was only the beginning of her tour.

She would have rather stayed in Higharbor to train. Alas, that wasn’t a possibility. ‘Be a symbol of what we can be with the help of the Republic’, that was how her father put it. Once, she had thought he could do no wrong either.

Her hands traveled to her stomach, caressing her scars in what had become a habit. The healers had done a great job. There were just two thin pale lines left, barely visible even in daylight. Tracing them with her fingers, her skin was perfectly smooth.

And yet, she could always tell they were there. No matter what time of day or night. The presence of those two thin lines was as obvious as when they had been inflicted.

“Miss, you need to prepare. The ship is about to drop the anchor.”

Val nodded, letting Nalia fix her dress and hair.

This is as necessary as my personal strength.

For how many times she reminded herself, she couldn’t help but feel a growing dislike of it all. The empty fanfare and fake smiles. But she knew it was necessary, it was her duty. Her father had worked so hard to make this program happen. It was the chance to grow the future elite of the archipelago.

The reception went as expected. All the most important officials of the town were present, waiting for her as soon as she stepped on land. Some looked bored, as if they couldn’t wait to be done with it; many more had fawning expressions.

It wasn’t her favor they were seeking, but her father’s. The most powerful councilor in Higharbor, who was rumored to have the ear of the governor. The actual agreement with Lady Cressida wasn’t so simple, but they didn’t need to know that.

She had just taken a step on the berth when the mayor came to greet her. The expensive blue silks couldn’t hide his pot belly. Val took his sweaty pale hand, hoping the handshake wouldn’t last long.

“The rumors didn’t lie. When they told me an islander managed to achieve the second stage of Orange before the age of ten, I thought they were making fun of me. But you’re even more stunning in person.”

Val suppressed her annoyance at the insulting compliment. “I couldn’t have done it, if it wasn’t for Master Gelia’s help.”

“Of course, the teachings of a Fourth Circle mage are invaluable. But it’s very impressive that Lady Gelia accepted you as her disciple. You are truly a remarkable young lady.”

“Thank you.” Val hid her growing dislike for the man behind a polite smile.

“Come on, Bernard. Let the girl breathe. She hasn’t stepped on true land yet.” A large man in a dark uniform with a silver pin pulled the mayor back. The gesture looked friendly, but she could tell Bernard didn’t have a choice unless he chose to fall.

“Captain Zerith, I presume. The governor spoke highly of you.” Recalling her notes, she remembered they had served together in the army.

The man’s smile looked genuine, but Val had spent too long around politicians to trust it blindly. High-level social skills could do much more than that.

“Yeah, Ervyn and I go way back.” The man laughed. His hands were calloused, but he didn’t prolong the shake more than necessary. “Come, I’m sure you’re eager to get started. People have already gathered and are eager to begin.”

“Wait, I should—.” Val put up a token resistance as she let the captain drag her away. She gave an apologetic look at the other officers still waiting. This probably breached half a dozen protocols.

Nalia and her bodyguards hurried after her. She told them not to intervene with a glance. She had no idea what kind of game Captain Zerith was playing. His manners were rough and he didn’t have the proper demeanor of an officer. But if it saved her from half an hour of tortuous pleasantries, she would play with him.

Most of the social blowback would fall on him, so her father wouldn’t get too upset. Or she could just forget to mention it in her letter. They didn’t need the support of every clerk in the archipelago.

As they passed the first line of houses, Zerith slowed to a more reasonable pace and winked at her.

Closer to the main square, the streets were crowded. Without a word, a trio of enforcers joined their delegation to help them make way.

“I told Bernard it would have been better to host the selection outside the city, but he insisted on using the main square. Obviously, he left the organization to me.”

Val nodded. She couldn’t really place the man. Despite being quite early, the square was already full of young kids looking around with excited expressions. She wanted to see if there was anyone interesting, but she got whisked away into a nearby building.

“I’ll send someone to call you when it’s time for your speech. We’ll take care of the rest.” The captain said, giving her an encouraging smile and disappearing.

What a weird man. What is his play…

She would ask her father when she got back. Right now she had to focus. Val paced back and forth in the empty room, rehearsing the speech in her head. This program was a fundamental piece to achieve her father’s dream. She couldn’t be anything less than perfect today.

“We’re ready for you.”

Assuming a proper demeanor, Val stepped outside and walked on the stage. Right as she was about to utter the first word, her skin tingled. Her eyes met a kid with short light hair and tanned skin.