Chapter 83   - Paranoid?

Kai recognized the same woman in a gray uniform as she stepped back on stage.

“Silence.”

The word resounded through the square. The crowd of kids and young teenagers immediately fell quiet. All eyes moved to the speaker.

“Now we’ll proceed with the selection. The first test will be mandatory for all participants. Every citizen worthy of their name is expected to possess basic knowledge of Merian history and law. Please, step forward when your name is called.”

Nervous murmurs and cheers of excitement spread through the participants. The little princess’s spectacle had left a deep impression. Kai could see many children's eyes were lost dreaming of a future after they got selected.

“Scared you didn’t prepare?” Flynn peered at him curiously.

Kai’s face remained indifferent. “No, are you? I can’t really imagine you as the studious type.”

Flynn raised his hand to his face as if he’d been slapped. “You hurt my feelings, mister. Did you forget I have a very good memory? I only needed to read things once or twice to remember them.”

“You seem very well prepared for someone who considered this a chance for some easy money.”

Flynn's smile didn’t falter, but a sudden fluctuation hit his mana flow. “Well, this type of opportunity doesn’t happen every day. It would have been stupid if I didn’t spare a few hours.”

Kai nodded. What Flynn said made perfect sense.

Why does he sound so defensive?

It was just one of many weird things about the boy Kai had met just the day before. He caught a few hints that slipped from their conversations, but he couldn’t say to know him.

I am overthinking things again, aren’t I? Even if he’s hiding something it’s not my place to snoop around.

It was better to focus on someone who Kai knew for certain had ulterior motives - the Republic. Both their names were quickly called. Kai found himself in a line with other kids. Looking around, they were being divided by age. Four groups of forty disappeared inside the buildings. His group was next in line.

Stern enforcers walked between them, and sent cold glares to anyone who raised their voice beyond a whisper. To no one’s surprise, that only worsened the nervousness of the kids. Anyone who complained was quickly sent away.

The girl behind him was inching closer to a nervous breakdown. Her trembling hands alternated between pulling on her pigtails and chewing her nails.

Is she so eager to sell herself to the Republic?

Mhmm… I guess from their perspective this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Like when I went to the estate for the first time and spoke to Virya.

Maybe he was being insensitive. Whether it was a poisoned gift or not, it was likely the only chance most would have to reach beyond their birthplace. The realization only made him madder, the Republic was taking advantage of them. Was it truly a choice if it was the only option?

“It’s going to be fine. I’m sure you are prepared.” Kai doubted those words ever helped anyone, but they were the only thing that came to mind. Pigtails’ restlessness was starting to make him nervous.

She turned to look at him, heavy dark bags under her eyes.

“This is the least important test.” He continued with a reassuring smile.

“Are you stupid!? If we don’t pass this, we won’t get to do any other test. I won’t get to show the skills I trained so hard for. I—“

“Be quiet. The Republic doesn’t need people who can’t even follow simple orders.” An enforcer loomed over them.

The girl froze, tears starting to form in her eyes, but she didn’t let out even a whimper. Kai stood petrified too, but for a different reason.

Damn, Flynn! Why didn’t he tell me I had to pass?

A pinch of tension began to form in his gut. After half an hour, the first kids started to walk out. His group was led inside and welcomed by rows of small desks that gave him unpleasant flashbacks.

I had truly hoped these kinds of exams were a thing of the past.

Three sheets of paper and a pencil were already present.

The same woman in gray—whom Kai was starting to heavily dislike—stood before them with a severe expression.

“Don’t look up from your desk or you’ll be eliminated. Don’t ask questions or you’ll be eliminated. The test will last thirty minutes. For those of you who don’t know how to read, I'll read each question and possible answers out loud once. Pay careful attention because I won’t repeat myself.” Her voice was devoid of any empathy or human emotion.

“Let’s begin. Question one: What year did Meria reject the unfaithful and found…”

His eyes browsed through the first page. Ten questions with three possible answers each. Date of foundation of the Merian Republic? Its most important values? What was its highest political authority?

Virya’s library contained many historical volumes, but it held surprisingly little about the Republic. Kai had often wondered why. Did Virya just prefer ancient history or was she purposely keeping those volumes hidden from him?

Still, those sparing mentions were more than enough to answer these simple questions. Even when he didn’t know, he could guess by exclusion.

The woman was reading the fourth question when Kai turned to the second page. There was a sharp increase in difficulty. With a foreboding feeling, he looked at the final page.

Damn. May the spirits grant me wisdom.

Dates of famous battles, the names of the Republic’s territories and confining kingdoms, laws and punishments for common crimes.

No way an eight-year-old knows all this.

On Elydes, it probably wasn’t impossible with the right skills and preparation. Or there might be a single test and the harder questions were aimed at the older kids.

He might guess half of them if he was lucky—which he was. Passing wasn’t a problem, but it irked him to barely pass the threshold. Virya and Elijah carved in his soul to never accept anything but perfection.

The woman was at the seventh question.

She only said not to move our eyes from the page…

Mana Sense spread like a net over the classroom.

Come here, fishy fishy…

Hiding his amusement, Kai was careful to only touch the children. He didn’t know if the officers had a way to perceive his skill. Better safe than sorry.

Analyzing their mana flow, Kai excluded one child after another till only three remained. They were all following the speaker’s pace, their flow was calm and there was no hesitation in their answers.

Who knew Mana Sense could also double as a cheating tool? I mean, it’s the best skill ever, so I’m not even surprised.

He couldn’t read the page, but he could faintly perceive the paper and their pencils. Confronting the position of the answer on the page for three people simultaneously was anything but easy. Kai would bet Dora would add the exercise to her repertoire. But the satisfaction of cheating the system more than made up for the effort.

There were no problems on the second page. In the final page, there was some hesitation, but by confronting the three and adding his own knowledge, Kai was reasonably certain.

“You have five minutes to check your answers.” The cold voice announced.

He was about to put his pencil down when he noticed there was one more question on the back of the page.

‘What do you aspire to become and/or achieve if you are found worthy of the support of the Merian Republic?’

Should I write that my dream is to conquer the world and become its sole eternal dictator?

Kai couldn’t stop chuckling at the idea of someone reading his answer. Awareness warned him of the gaze of the officer burrowing into his skull.

The temptation to write something outrageous was strong. But if his journey to Sylspring taught him something, it was how big and complicated the archipelago was outside his bubble. Until he learned its rules, he had to step carefully. Who knew where his answer would end up?

His heart wept, but even a great joke wasn’t worth the risk. What should he answer?

Pondering about it, Kai got a less funny but more practical idea. Virya warned him it was only a question of time before people took notice of him. Maybe they already did.

If someone dangerous got their hands on this, why not let them think they knew exactly what he wanted? The unknown was scary. If they thought they knew him, they would likely try to buy or make use of him before resorting to more definitive solutions. Maybe he was being paranoid, but it didn’t hurt to be prudent.

What should a poor kid from the archipelago want, that is of no threat…

Going to the mainland and getting the recognition of the Republic. Maybe by joining the army or something. It shouldn’t sound too ridiculous coming from an eight-year-old of mixed origins. After a brief indecision, he also added money. If someone wanted to offer him a bribe, why not? It would make it look more believable.

Kai thought about how to better package his answers to sound naive and natural. Just like that, the first test was done. Some kids looked relieved, some stressed out. Pigtails continued to chew her nails.

They were sent back to the main square to wait for the results. One group after another disappeared into the buildings and came back. Flynn was one of the last to go since he was in the eleven-years-old group.

By late morning all the five hundred or so participants were done. Judging by their number, the population of Sylspring had to be several times the one of Greenside. Only the first one hundred would be allowed to continue with the selection.

“Worried you didn’t pass?” Flynn asked.

“Just that I won’t get first place.”

“Didn’t you say you hadn’t studied?”

“I have my ways,” Kai smirked, enjoying the boy’s confusion.

I’m so mysterious you can’t even begin to comprehend. You aren’t the only one who likes messing with people.

A bored clerk walked onto the stage and began to announce who passed. “If I read your name, step forward.”

To Kai’s great disappointment, there were no scores. As more and more people were called, barely anyone over ten got called and even those were few. His conspiracy-meter was going off the charts. Was it all in his head?

The younger they are, the easier to manipulate.

Behind his smug look, Kai could tell Flynn was extremely nervous.

He seems to care a lot for someone who said it was just the chance to make some coins. Does he need the money so badly?

“Kai Tylenn.”

He stood up giving an encouraging smile to his annoying companion. “I’m sure you’ll pass.”

It’s not fair, how can I have fun if he is so desperate?

Flynn just kept staring at the announcer without even blinking.

Walking to the podium, he was directed inside a building, where about thirty kids were excitedly mingling. Kai recognized pigtails among them, sporting a smile so large it would hurt to replicate.

He took something to eat from a table of refreshments and looked for an empty corner. He eavesdropped on a few conversations, but he didn’t hear anything interesting.

“Looks like you chose to participate. You didn’t look very interested, but you aced the first test.”

Kai was too used to Elijah’s shenanigans to jolt in surprise. Turning around, Captain Zerith was leaning on a wall. His beard and hair had been trimmed, and his uniform didn’t sport any wrinkles. He looked like a different person, but his casual attitude remained.

Now, here was someone he could mine for information.

“I was curious to see how it was going to be. And there were no rules that forbade me from participating.”

“I’m not sure if your master will let you join the program.”

“Why?” He wanted to ask much more.

Come on, tell me something I don’t know.

“There will be certain… expectations for those who get accepted that might be incompatible with your master’s needs.”

Kai furrowed his brows, being careful to keep his mana in check. “What do you mean?”

“Apart from the monetary aid, you’ll have to attend the classes prepared for you. They can’t send personal teachers to every corner of the archipelago. Well, the ones who get accepted will be gathered in a few major cities.”

Interesting…

“Is Sylspring one of them?” Kai tried his best to keep the eagerness out of his voice.

Zerith maintained a casual smile, but Kai could tell when someone was sizing him up.

“It is.”

Kai took his time as if he was truly considering the situation. “My master won’t mind if I spend a few days here once in a while. I’m sure I can keep up even if I skip some lessons.”

He still had no intention of joining. Beyond the Republic’s hidden agenda, the chances that any teacher they provided could compare to Dora or Elijah were nil. He only wanted to keep the conversation going.

“Probably you could, but the higher-ups decided all the classes will be mandatory, and all students are expected to commit fully to the program. But well…” He scratched his beard with a thoughtful look. “It’s possible they’ll make an exception for you. That is if you continue doing as well in your tests.”

A grin appeared on the captain's face. “I’ll ask around. They hate making exceptions, but maybe they’ll hate letting you go more. It’ll be fun to see.”

Tell me I didn’t just shoot myself in the foot. Well, I can always say Elijah or Virya didn’t agree.

Zerith's gaze moved past him. “Looks like we’re ready to proceed. The better you do, the more those paper pushers will struggle to make a decision. I’ll be watching you, and I think I won’t be the only one.” With a wink, he walked away.

Kai turned to see the last batch of kids had entered, with Flynn present among them.

“You made it!” Kai congratulated him.

“Of course, I did. Never doubted it for a second.”

Kai rolled his eyes. As he was about to poke holes in Flynn’s façade, Awareness alerted of someone staring at him. Turning to see if it was the captain again, he came face to face with a pair of deep green eyes.