Tebe lay down, using his round robe as a pillow, and looked up at the sky.
It was a morning that made him naturally drowsy.
The sun, like a coin made of platinum, shone so brightly that it made his eyes sting, and the air boiled hot from the heat emitted by the sun.
Whenever the lukewarm wind blew into the open tent, his nose reflexively wrinkled.
The air, devoid of humidity and any unpleasant smells, felt refreshingly unfamiliar.
Although it was all part of the same Mundebarde Empire, it was a world apart from his place of work. He knew that comparing a small provincial city to the heart of the empire, “Pabus Bald,” was a laughable comparison in itself.
The words of the soldiers who said to take good care of themselves when they go to the institution were not a joke.
The City of Pabus was like a city of heaven. Everything was big, tall, and clean.
The white walls, like snow, had no traces of urine or scratches from animals or people, and the roofs covered with red tiles rose high without fear of the sky, surrounding it like a pearl necklace.
The scenery of the noble city had a magical power that made even the people living there look special.
It was regrettable that I couldn’t enjoy it to my heart’s content because of the tight schedule.
If I pass this exam, I won’t be able to leave even if I want to, but the probability of that happening was very slim. Tebe looked around. There was no one else sitting leisurely in the shade of the tent.
Other examinees were either warming up with exercises or busy strategizing on how the final exam would be conducted.
The exam to select the swordsmanship instructor of the royal palace consisted of tasks that were not far from expectations.
In the first exam, after the guards and other palace staff watched the applicant’s swordsmanship demonstration, they launched a personal attack through questions.
At this time, there were quite a few people who cried and ran out of the exam room, or vented their anger on delicate objects and were dragged to the underground prison.
The second event was horseback riding, and the third was a large-scale mock battle.
And now, there were only eight candidates left among the over one hundred examinees, waiting for the final exam.
The remaining candidates were exceptional talents who had overcome fierce competition.
Except for the two people who maintained a hostile silence, everyone else willingly talked to Tebe and satisfied his curiosity.
The candidates came from various backgrounds and social statuses.
From the sailors of the maritime City of Galia to the cavalry commander who had received double-digit medals.
The common point was that they were all outstanding warriors.
Compared to them, Tebe’s career was nothing short of pathetic.
It was quite an impressive achievement to be transferred to a field unit composed of skilled 2nd class infantrymen called the Beastia Mercenary Corps, but it didn’t leave a strong impression on the arrogant palace staff.
If it weren’t for the recommendation letter from the commander of the field unit, Yutenia, Tebe wouldn’t have had the courage to cross the high walls of Pabus.
He was the one who recognized Tebe’s skills and personally recruited him into his unit.
However, even he did not readily comply with Tebe’s request for a recommendation letter.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
He advised him not to have any futile dreams because although it was free to apply, the possibility of being selected as an instructor was very slim and it would be better for his mental state.
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The chances of a commoner from another country entering the imperial palace, “Grand Balde,” were very low.
Unless they achieved great accomplishments in history or had innate talent, it was impossible to break free from their predetermined social status, which encompassed the entire continent.
Although there were cases of slaves entering the palace and catching the eye of someone of high status, it was even more difficult to gain attention through fame.
The power to reach the core. That was what Rus Garzen, the man who instructed Tebe to participate in this test, needed.
However, he probably didn’t think Tebe would make it this far. There was no other person besides Tebe who could be considered as an alternative.
Among the infiltrators disguised with a different social status and nationality, there were not many who had established a foothold without arousing suspicion from the imperial family.
In Tebe’s eyes, all of this seemed like an extension of defeat. But what could they do?
Tebe’s life had never belonged to them for a moment.
｡.ﾟ+ ｡.ﾟ+｡.ﾟ+
“Is Lord Liviu still not here?”
The imperial palace guards, who couldn’t bear the wait any longer, asked.
The lower-ranking palace officials gathered at the Eastern Watchtower, observing the candidates lingering outside.
According to the schedule, the test should have started in the morning, but due to the protagonist of the day not yet appearing, the schedule was delayed.
The officials had no choice but to have lunch inside the tower. Slaves busily came and went, carrying trays.
Someone said.
“They received a summons from the main palace. If they’re unlucky, they might have to wait until tomorrow.”
“Well, there’s a mountain of work to be done…”
The guard with a cold tongue quickly emptied the glass of wine. One of the junior supervisors cautiously pointed out that his face had turned red from drinking, only to receive a cold glare.
“Enough with the talk, bring more alcohol.”
The junior secretary sitting next to the guard said. The supervisor tried to order a slave to do the task, but upon hearing a direct order to go himself, he hurriedly descended the tower.
The officials mobilized for this task did not hide their dissatisfaction during the progress of the test.
It was usually common for a martial arts instructor from a moderately prestigious family to select candidates.
Occasionally, the person receiving the instruction would be nominated or the emperor himself would personally intervene.
It was very rare for a test to be conducted as noisily as this one.
The problem was that the young master they served had repeatedly replaced the education officials who had been selected through a rigorous process.
It would have been better if the disgruntled education officials had submitted their resignation letters themselves.
There were numerous cases of permanent injuries, retirement, or even death.
After experiencing such unfortunate incidents repeatedly, there was a situation where there was no suitable person to fill the position.
Even if they managed to find a suitable candidate, they would come up with excuses such as being dispatched to a military unit stationed in a province or going abroad under the pretext of traveling, and reject the offer.
In the end, they had no choice but to find someone outside the system. It was the emperor’s intention to accept applicants and conduct exams.
Foolish outsiders who had not heard the rumors about the cursed education official position flocked like bees attracted to honey.
The official who had gone to get drinks returned. He was breathing heavily. There was nothing in his hands.
Before the bodyguard could start complaining while shaking an empty glass, he spoke.
“Lord Liviu is coming.”
The officials exchanged glances. The faces that had loosened up with alcohol and food were filled with tension, anxiety, and fatigue. Someone who had just stood up muttered.
“You can’t do this twice.”
“I hope it ends quietly. Even without him, this situation is already a mess on a calm day.”
“That’s what I’m saying. It would be nice if he just behaved.”
Although they knew that this unfortunate incident was not caused by the mistake of one person, they shifted all the responsibility to the young master.
It was considered a blasphemy to speak ill of a member of the royal family, but there were exceptions everywhere.
As the officials descended from the tower, a bell rang to summon them. Finally, the castle gate opened, but the applicants could not enter immediately.
They were informed of the rules they had to follow in front of the esteemed person.
They were to keep their gaze down until they were told to raise their heads, not spit on the ground, and not ask any answers or questions other than “yes.”
The listed rules were no different from the scolding given by an authoritative father to a rebellious child.
Tebe listened to them with one ear and his mouth twitched along as other people replied, “Yes, I will remember.”
The examination venue was one of the outer fortresses where the imperial guards and the headquarters building were located.
Granvald boasted a scale comparable to a city. It was divided into five sections, and there were about six hundred people staying in the palace alone.
It was designed to withstand several months even if external communication was cut off, with various facilities such as temples, hospitals, and water sources.
The place where the applicants were located was only on the outskirts of the palace at best.
The candidates were instructed to show respect and all kneeled together.
A boy wearing a thick green coat appeared, which seemed out of place for the hot season.
The boy’s name was Liviu Eudin, and he was the only surviving heir to the emperor in the current royal family.
“Raise your heads.” Liviu said.
His voice, which had not yet gone through puberty, was neutral.
Tebe, who looked up and confirmed Liviu’s appearance, covered his lips to prevent himself from gasping.
Liviu was a beautiful boy.
His golden hair, shining as if surrounded by a halo, and his pure golden eyes added credibility to the ancient legend that the Eudin royal family was descended from a dragon that came down from the sun.
His delicate features were otherworldly, like something out of a painting, and disrupted the sense of reality for those who looked at him.
As he stared blankly at my face and quickly averted his gaze in response to the reactions of those who stared back, Liviu narrowed his eyes.
His already low spirits sank even further at the sight of the dumbfounded expressions on the faces of the candidates.
“Caelup.”
The middle-aged man standing behind Liviu like a shadow took a step forward.
“Yes.”
“Are you ready?”
“The rules of the exam have not been announced yet.”
“I heard that you neglected the most important task you had to do today.”
Caelup was the emperor’s secretary.
He had been appointed as the supervisor of this exam solely because of the emperor’s order to watch over Liviu.
Liviu didn’t like it, so he decided to pick a fight for no reason.
“I apologize.”
“Do I look like someone who would come out here to accept some meaningless apology? Your insight never seems to improve. Or maybe you think you’re someone I don’t need to pay attention to, so you act like this?”
“Let’s proceed quickly.”
Even with the grumbling of a young boy in his twenties, Caelup didn’t bat an eye.
Liviu felt annoyed by his unimpressed reaction and closed his mouth.
At Caelup’s gesture, the slaves quickly moved the weapon display and a small box.
The display had spears, maces, clubs, shields, and even crossbows.
It was obvious that these were not training tools. Meaningful glances were exchanged among the candidates.
Some showed confident expressions, while others showed signs of defeat. Tebe was the latter.
After the candidates finished choosing their weapons, the slaves opened the box.
Inside the box were small cloth bags containing glass balls.
The candidates tied the bags to their belts as instructed.
I already can’t wait to see how things play out. Wishing luck to Tebe lol (*￣∇￣)ノ
Thank you for this chapter!