the one who remembers

A short time later, after Cale had accompanied the dragon to her new school the next morning, he found himself among dozens of young soldiers. They were all standing in rows and had to register with their names before receiving their numbers and being directed to one of the two entrances. With a polite thank you, Cale accepted his information and followed the instructions. About 100 people had already arrived before him and were chatting excitedly about the upcoming events. He overheard a few conversations as he walked by, but this time he had a clear goal.

With a broad smile on his face, he raised his hand and greeted Kasim Deure, who was standing far ahead, looking around searchingly.

"Good morning."

"Morning. You're late."

"I took my daughter to school before coming here. Has Sir Tanneur arrived yet?"

"He must be hiding somewhere around here. I saw him a few minutes ago", confirmed the young man with lots of freckles on his face as he looked around searchingly.

Cale followed suit, despite already knowing his location. With a quick gesture, he pointed to Cedrik Tanneur, who was standing a few meters away from them, talking to other candidates. Before he could say anything, he suddenly sensed a familiar source of mana.

Jarle von Mornet appeared at Cedrik's side and joined the conversation.

Following yesterday's incident, Cale had offered a prompt apology for his behavior before leaving the beach with Fengari. He was now a little cautious toward the nobleman who had witnessed the situation. Not because he thought he was a bad person, but because he knew his family. His father, Duke Juan von Mornet, had married into the noble family over 25 years ago, but was originally from abroad. The matter had sparked such intense disputes in the southern province of Sylve that the king himself was forced to step in to restore order. That, however, was not why he chose to keep his distance.

His father was formerly known as Juan Paseru and was the younger brother of the swordmaster Jonat Paseru. The same swordmaster who had taught Miguel and Cale in his past lives.

"I found him!", Kasim exclaimed euphorically, patting Cale on the shoulder as he passed by. It was an unspoken invitation to follow, one that Cale accepted with some reluctance. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of soldiers from the second and third companies as he trailed after his new friend in silence. "Good morning, everyone."

"Good morning, Sir Deure", the three other men greeted him in unison, except for the duke's son.

"Morning Kasim. Good morning, Sir Adenia", Cedrik greeted him politely, which Cale returned. "Pardon me. Allow me to introduce my acquaintances. This is Olar Nostur, Laurenzo Kamers, Zolian Dres, and Jarle von Mornet."

"We already know each other", Jarle replied with a grim look. Cale suspected he had left a poor impression -likely due to his comment the day before, or perhaps because he had so obviously fled once Cale had learned his name.

"You know each other?", Kasim asked in surprise, his gaze flicking between the two in question. He seemed to recall that Cale was new to town.

"If I remember correctly, we met yesterday afternoon, Sir Adenia."

"That was the case", Cale affirmed with formality, offering a slight bow.

Cale surmised that, aside from Cedric, he was likely the only commoner in the small group, and he had no wish to appear disrespectful to any of the others. Cedric seemed on the verge of saying more, but a loud interruption cut him off.

"Now that everyone is present, we shall commence," announced a soldier clad in the ornate armor of the royal family, his voice carrying clearly. "We are most grateful for your attendance in such great numbers. I shall be brief - each of the 266 estates represented here has successfully passed the test."

An uneasy silence followed, and Cale found himself just as startled as the rest. By the fourth sentence, the speaker had already declared he was successful? Was this another test or simply a statement? Cale had imagined something akin to Fengari's school, with a proper ceremony to mark the occasion - but this was nothing of the sort. So why had they even been summoned here?

"Judging by the silence, I suspect you are questioning whether you heard correctly. Yes - rest assured, you have all passed. The examination you undertook a few weeks ago was, in fact, a test within a test", the man explained calmly. The first murmurs of reaction began to ripple through the crowd, while the others - Cale among them - were left pondering the true purpose of the exams. "The written examination, along with the subsequent training, serves as a means to better evaluate your abilities and to assemble the group accordingly. So long as you take part in the exam and demonstrate the will to prepare for what lies ahead, we will welcome all into the academy."

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"What?", Cale said incredulously.

All the excitement, fear for his future, and plans for emergencies had been completely unnecessary? As long as you had patience and perseverance, it was easy to become a soldier? Was it like the requirement that you had to be a 3rd stage mage to become a High-Magician? It was the same within the magistrate: every applicant had been accepted thus far, with only their knowledge and skills assessed in advance. The Eldest's true intent had been to keep watch over all Apostles and relay certain matters to them when the time was right. Was it the same here?

"We passed!", Kasim exclaimed with childlike glee, bouncing on his feet and clapping his hands. He was not the only one celebrating, but his exuberance drew enough attention that Cedrik stepped in, silencing him with a firm intervention.

The high-ranking soldier before them continued speaking on the matter, but Cale let the words wash over him, no longer listening. With one hand resting against his head, he sighed and quietly relayed the good news to Fengari and the Eldest.

<"I'm in.">

<"Congratulations!">, Fengari exclaimed euphorically, so loudly that he almost thought she was standing next to him.

<"Good work, one step closer to the goal">, the Eldest said calmly, as if he had expected nothing else.

<"Will there be cake again today?">, the dragon asked, prompting a grin from Cale.

<"I'll think about it. I just wanted to let you know.">

<"Thank you">, the two replied in unison, and Cale severed the connection. Lifting his gaze, he watched as the soldier outlined the criteria for their classification and explained what would follow from this point onward.

"From today onward, you will be divided into groups of three or four, which you will remain in until the end of the year. Therefore, make an effort to get along with one another, as changes will only be made if a member withdraws. Each group will be assigned a mentor, who will assist you and also be present in some of your classes. You will receive your schedule later, along with your examination results. We shall now proceed with the assignments."

With that, a long recitation of names and numbers began, as the groups slowly formed and the soldiers of the 3rd Company were assigned to them. About halfway through, the representatives of the 2nd Company were assigned, which led Cale to suspect that these groups were worthy of their attention. This thought unintentionally pleased him, because he had not yet been called. Kasim, on the other hand, ended up in a group of three with two complete strangers and a female soldier from the 3rd Company who was about 10 years older than the newcomers.

"Zod Adenia."

Cale promptly looked up, raised his hand, and stepped forward.

"Jarle von Mornet."

Cale's expression clouded over in an instant.

What were the chances that he, out of more than a hundred people, would be placed on the same team as this nobleman - the very person he most wished to avoid? Had he somehow been cursed in the past few days?

"It seems we are comrades from this day forward", the brown-haired man said politely, appearing beside Cale as they moved ahead.

"Looks like..."

"Cedrik Tanneur."

Both Cale and Jarle turned in surprise. Cedric raised his hand, glancing toward the two men he had just been speaking with. Relief washed over Cale's features, and a grin tugged at his lips. At least there was one advantage to this group - he would have the chance to work alongside Cedric and perhaps use that connection to gain entry into the royal family's inner circles. As for Jarle, he could set that problem aside for now, though he would need to take care not to let it show that he regretted the man's presence.

"The gods are smiling on us", Cedric declared as he strode toward the two waiting men, and together the three made their way to their new instructor. A man with reddish hair and an ugly scar across his neck began to move as well, stepping down from the podium.

"Nice, that looks like a descent group", the man muttered to himself, stopping and holding his hip with one hand as if to impress someone with his position. "My name is Mamoru Meyrl, I am an officer in the 2nd Company and, as of today, your group leader. Call me Mamoru."

"Nice to meet you, my name is Cedrik Tanneur, Cedrik or Ced for short."

"I'm Jarle von Mornet, I'd be happy if you just called me Jarles."

"It is an honor. Zod Adenia, at your service. Address me as you please", Cale also introduced himself politely, shaking hands with the large man while trying to recall where he had heard that name before.

"Cedrik, you are personally acquainted with Sir Freigoud, if I remember correctly", said the red-haired man, leading the group a little to the side.

"That's right. The Duke of Freigoud is an old friend of my father's."

"A good man through and through," their new teacher affirmed, then turned to the unassuming nobleman. "You are the son of the Duke of Mornet, correct?"

"I am his second son, yes."

"Two individuals with ties to the high nobility - how intriguing. Ah, do forgive me, Zod. I didn't mean to offend you."

"You didn't. I am well aware of my position and my good fortune", Cale replied politely.

He was right to say so, for it was hardly common for a commoner - let alone a former foreigner - to find himself grouped with high-ranking nobles. Cale suspected that his placement was no accident. It would strike him as highly unusual if no thorough background check had been conducted beforehand.

"Luck didn't play much of a role. I've been told that you passed the exams with the highest results."

Cedrik and Jarle turned abruptly toward Cale.

"Really?"

"You will see your results for yourselves later, but I can assure you of one thing. You were the only one who answered all the questions and received almost all the points."

"You made it to the end?", Cedric asked in astonishment. Cale merely nodded in reply.

"The exams were structured so that it was nearly impossible to read all the questions, let alone answer them in the brief time given. You should have seen the examiners' faces - your results have become the talk of the entire palace."

Cale's face remained impassive, while inside he had to start smiling. The same thing had happened to him as to Fengari a few days ago. He completely underestimated his own abilities and expected that they would never be enough. But here he was, apparently the best candidate, reaping the rewards.

Even if the Elders had contributed their fair share to this result.

"To be honest, I'm... a little surprised. I assumed that my background would put me at a disadvantage. When... will we receive the results?"