Chapter 84   - First Impressions

The boy—Kai Tylenn, according to the little information she had time to gather—didn’t step back or break eye contact. He stared back at her, unflinching. A few palms of distance stood between them. Being half a head taller than him didn’t seem to help.

Pushing your target in an unexpected or uncomfortable situation was a tactic as simple as it was effective. She had hoped to make him stumble back, blush or stammer an awkward response. Enough to throw him off balance and get the upper hand in the exchange.

None of that happened. Their gazes crossed without either of them showing any intention of pulling back. His gray eyes had a few hints of steel blue around the pupil and got darker around the edge of the iris.

Two unblinking pairs of eyes continued to stare, looking for any hidden clue in the other’s gaze. Having committed, Val couldn’t back down without looking silly. Finally, the boy took a step back. Maybe he realized how close they were.

Val suppressed a smile of victory.

“How may I help you, Valela?” His tone was calm, with a vague trace of amusement. That wasn’t the response she aimed for.

Is he making fun of me?

After her spectacular blunder in the opening speech, she hoped this would get things back on track, and pull down the mystery of this unknown variable. But nothing seemed to go her way. Coming here had been an impulsive decision to get back some sense of control, but that was only slipping away further.

Calm down. He is just a little boy. No need to get flustered.

He looked calm and collected, but she could see small hints of restlessness. His eyes darting around, his hands fiddling with his shirt.

“I wanted to congratulate you personally for your success in the first test.” That should stroke his ego and make the conversation easier.

The boy frowned. “Weren’t the results just you passed, or you didn't? Is there a ranking? I’m sure I’m not the only one who did well. Did you look at my answers, was it not private?” The flurry of questions flew out of his mouth without pauses in between.

Val took a second look, she might have underestimated him. It was clear Kai had also received social lessons. He was good for his age—she would give him that—but she had been playing this game all her life.

“I overheard two clerks talking about you. They sounded so impressed, I wanted to see for myself. I’m sure, you’ll continue to do well in the next tests.” She smiled in the charming way her etiquette tutor taught her. Not her favorite, but it always worked to make the boys in Higharbor stammer responses.

“Yeah, I’m sure I will.”

His smug grin gave her the sudden impulse to slap his face. Her hands tightened around the silk of her flowing dress. The important thing was that he dropped his questions, so she would consider this a win.

They were in an empty corner, but she could hear an increasing number of children whispering and throwing glances their way.

“I’ll be looking forward to your results.” With a nod, she turned around and walked away. The other kids in the hall made way for her as she marched for the closest exit. A chorus of surprised exclamations resounded behind her as she got recognized.

It was better to reassess the situation with a clear mind and come back with a suitable plan. Clearly, Kai was more than just some kid with a doting parent who fed him resources. She wasn’t sure how much deeper the mystery went, but it was only a question of time before she uncovered it.

~~~

“What was that about?” Flynn asked.

Kai shrugged, “No idea. It was a bit weird.”

“Have you not met her before?”

“Never seen her before in my life.”

Why did she have to come make trouble for him? He could already feel the attention of many kids on him, whispered words and speculations were spreading throughout the crowd.

Just what I needed.

“Yeah, did you see how she walked?” Flynn commented with annoyance. “As if she owned the place. Does she want us to bow or something?”

“She was a bit stuck up.”

One moment she sounded detached, the next put on a sweet smile. Kai would have thought she was a bit unstable, but her mana flow barely made a ripple throughout the whole conversation.

At least she confirmed one of his suspicions. If a random rich girl could get her hands on the results of his test, odds were she wasn’t the only one. He needed to be careful with what he chose to reveal in the examinations.

What a strange little girl.

Opting to ignore their stares until they got bored, Kai spent his time chatting with Flynn. This time he would make sure to shake the little rat until he spilled all the information he knew. There had been enough surprises for this week.

‘I just didn’t want to worry you for the first test. It wasn’t like knowing you had to pass it would have made any difference.’ Yeah, sure. Flynn always had an excuse ready.

Kai took into consideration the possibility that Flynn wanted to sabotage him, but his omissions were just annoyances, not real problems. Kai would bet the boy just thought it would be funny to skip some details. He had not missed the amusement on his face when he told him about his encounter with pigtails.

“I swear that’s all I know.” Flynn raised his hands in surrender with an innocent expression. Kai was skeptical, each time he swore it only made him more suspicious. Apparently, this was the part of the selection he knew less about.

The organizers were as eager to proceed as him. A loud snap brought the hall to silence. It was the same woman in gray.

“Congratulations on passing the first test.” Her voice carried the same emotions as someone reading a grocery list. “We’ll now proceed with the second part: the skill tests. I’m sure you are all eager to showcase your abilities. Do your best, there are only twenty places and a hundred of you.”

Better you tone it down a little. We don’t want to risk anyone having a shred of confidence.

A moment earlier, a hundred cheerful kids were joking and laughing together, now looks of animosity began to appear among them. For every five children only one would get sponsored by the Republic.

Kai felt bad at the idea of stealing their chance when he cared or needed it so little. Another reason to refuse even if they made an exception for his circumstances. That was a thought for later, right now he had more tests to pass.

Oh damn, I registered for all the skill tests, didn’t I?

Names were being called and the participants were divided based on which skills they signed on. Flynn joined the weapon skills group, giving him a wink. Every person was called with the sole exception of him.

A young clerk with gold-rimmed glasses walked up. His blond hair was pulled back, and his chin pointed up in the air, as if he couldn’t bear to look at him. “Kai Tylenn?”

His gaze never left the binder in his hands, even if it was clear he wasn’t reading anything.

“Yes. That’s me.”

Is being highly dislikable a requirement to work for the government? Or is that a skill they teach?

“You are the only person who signed up for every skill type.” It sounded like a statement, but the man paused before proceeding.

“You were advised to only showcase your best skills. Spreading yourself so thin with only seven skill slots is unlikely to produce any satisfactory result the Republic would be interested in.”

Another pause.

Okay, he’s just a moron.

“It appears someone made adjustments to the schedule specifically to fit you in. Come.” The man finished, without ever making eye contact with him.

Kai sighed and followed with a resigned expression.

“Where are we going?”

It took him an embarrassing five seconds to understand he was being ignored. Kai would have liked to know from which type of skill they would start and how the tests were carried out. Thinking again, ignorance was preferable to begging for answers. He probably wouldn’t get them either way.

The blonde man walked faster than was reasonable inside a building. Kai had no problems keeping up, glad he wouldn’t have to enjoy his company longer than necessary.

Opening a door, the clerk stepped aside and made a gesture to enter. Kai barely had time to cross the threshold, when the door closed behind him. As he was about to curse out loud, he noticed he wasn’t the only person in the room.

“Kai Tylenn.” A middle-aged woman with a severe expression said. She didn’t raise her head either.

“Come and sit.” She curtly said, keeping her focus on the pile of papers on her desk.

Yep, they must select for unlikability. At least she doesn’t seem as dense as the other guy.

“What knowledge and related ancillary skills do you possess?”

That answers one question.

“Herbology.”

“That’s it?”

Kai nodded. “What’s the definition of knowledge skill?”

A ripple in mana crackled through the air. “Do you think the Republic is here to waste its time to entertain you?”

Gosh, no need to get so mad. You’ll make me blush. I wasn’t even trying.

A little flex of power wasn’t enough to faze him. Awareness didn’t warn him of any danger, it was only an empty bluff. Two years at the estate desensitized him to this kind of nonsense. He still remembered the sheer terror the first time he faced Virya. If this woman thought she could startle him by pushing her presence down on him, she was dead wrong.

With a glance, Kai noticed the woman before him was yellow grade. And one of the highest he saw today at that. Visiting Sylspring had been full of surprises. Unfortunately, high-level people seemed to notice something was amiss if he tried to study them too closely.

“Wait, does Alchemy also count as a knowledge skill?” He asked, completely ignoring her glares.

Okay, this time I did it on purpose. Guilty as charged.

She was the one who was rude first. And if the clerk spared a minute to give him an explanation, this wouldn’t have been necessary.

“Yes.” Her aura and mana burst forward then suddenly withdrew. Kai felt a scan push against him. “I see. Why wasn’t I informed?”

She flipped through the documents on her desk. After a while, she snorted and jotted down something on a piece of paper.

Looks like somebody is in trouble. I hope it’s the blonde jerk.

“It’s unusual for a child from the archipelago to reach Orange this young.”

Never heard that before.

There was something weird going on. Somebody must have pulled the string to fit him in the schedule. But it was also clear there had been some problem with communication. If she knew about the letter from the governor, he would bet he wouldn’t get treated this way.

Kai had a strange suspicion that Captain Zerith was behind this. It could either be rivalry between different departments or just the man having fun. But he was the only one who knew all the facts for sure.

Maybe it was better this way, fewer people would pay attention to him.

“What levels are your skills?”

Kai stared at her unbelievingly. Did she really expect him to answer that?

“It would be helpful in determining your knowledge level and which questions to ask to confirm it. No one cares about the level of skills of a child.”

Yeah, sure…

“Are you an expert in every subject?” Kai responded with a question of his own.

“Knowledge skills are my specialization. I have mastered dozens of fields, and testing children is a waste of my time. Your skill levels?”

The silence stretched. She seemed to get the message after ten seconds.

“Suit yourself!”

In the blink of an eye, a form and pen were in front of her. “What are the thirteen uses of a night orchid harvested when the sun is at its zenith?” She asked with a smug expression.

It was such an extremely niche question. Night orchids were orange-tier plants that weren’t even found in the archipelago. But they were quite common on the mainland. After he finished studying the flora of the islands, Dora did not let him laze around.

“If harvested during the day, most of the properties of the night orchid will be lost. It has only one use as a weak poison comparable to a strong red-tier plant.”

Dora would have been ashamed of him if he couldn’t answer. The examiner quickly wiped any trace of surprise from her face, but not before Kai took notice.

This is going to be fun.

“What if it’s harvested at midnight?”

“In that case, it has three possible uses, four if it’s harvested during a moonless night…”

The test was easier than he expected. Kai would bet he knew as much as the woman on Herbology. The only questions he failed were about exotic plants that grew outside of both the archipelago and the Merian Republic.

About halfway through, he realized it would have been wise to feign ignorance and to not reveal all his cards. Otherwise, he might as well have told her his skill level. It just felt so good to keep winning and see the woman scramble to come up with harder questions.

My pride isn’t worth the risk, but, damn, is this satisfying.

Opting for safety with reluctance, Kai botched the hardest questions about alchemic theory. That was the most important skill. The woman's gloating expression burned into his soul. He had to constantly remind himself he was going to have the last laugh. Hopefully.

A knock on the door put an end to the test. The blonde clerk entered, looking surprised to find him still there.

“Excuse my intrusion, ma’am. They are requesting your presence to oversee the other candidates.”

The woman glared at the clerk, “I’ll be there in a minute. I’m done here. Wait outside.”

“So did I pass?” Kai asked with the most aggravating grin he could muster.

Her annoyance as she reviewed her notes was almost palpable. “Your results will be divulged at the end of the selection, same as all the other participants.”

He didn’t let that affect his triumphant mood. He could have done even better, but his results must still be off the charts compared to other native children. It was nice to see people in awe of him for a change. At the estate, the standards were constantly increased, so he could never truly reach them. And praise was administered with the same care as lethal poison.

I guess I can ask the little princess how well I did. Something tells me she will know.

Kai realized both the examiner and the clerk had left. He was left standing in the empty hallway alone.

Great. Where is the weapon skill examination?