"Follow me, kid. I'll take you to where the test is held," the man said.
Adrian followed the knight, analyzing him as they walked
"Hmm... it seems he is sent by the captain to escort me.
He doesn't seem to be a high ranking knight considering his age and the task he was assigned with in middle of his training.
I would guess that he is a normal knight with only his weapon mastery and is unable to use aura." Adrian thought while following the knight.
Eventually, they reached the test area, where a man in his early forties was waiting.
He had scarlet red hair, brown eyes, a muscular build, and stood at 178cm (5'10") tall.
A scar marred his right cheek, and he exuded an air of experience and power. It was clear that he was not to be underestimated.
"State your name and age, young man," the captain requested in a deep and heavy voice after thoroughly examining Adrian.
"My name is Adrian, sir, and I am 15 years old," Adrian replied, fibbing about his age.
Hiding his real age served many purposes such as he would be seen as someone more reliable and not some inexperienced snotty child.
Additionally, a 12-year-old kid using aura and being as powerful as Adrian would turn him into the greatest genius ever seen in the history of the kingdom.
Too much attention would make achieving his goal in coming here rather difficult.
He would also be pestered by the imperial family as an unprecedented genius and would make moving around difficult for him.
Although a 15-year-old is considered as an adult and is the minimum requirement to join the knights, but using aura and that too, as efficiently as him would make him rival many other great shining geniuses, but it would not put all the focus on him and also news about him will not spread as fast as someone would think.
"Hello, Adrian. I am the captain of the Nardino knights – Tauras.
Which rank are you interested in taking the test for?" Tauras inquired, shaking Adrian's hand.
"No, sir. I think there's been a misunderstanding. I'm not here to join the regular knights; I'm here to join the Aura Knights," Adrian replied politely.
"Wha… What? You can use aura at the age of 15 and already want take the test for the aura knights" The captain expressed his astonishment, a sentiment mirrored by the knight who had escorted Adrian.
"Sir Adrian, which level of star knight test would you like to take?" After digesting the information, Tauras Asked politely with an excited expression on his face.
"Sir Captain, if I may ask, what is your own level?" Adrian queried, bowing slightly to avoid sounding disrespectful.
"Oh, me? I'm a 4-star Knight. Most captains of the knight order of a county are 4-stars" the captain replied, not taking any offence.
"Hmm so the highest level here is 4-star. Considering the level of the mission in a month, mostly 2 stars and 3-stars will be selected.
But if I only display skills at the level of a 2-star, they might think I'm inexperienced and the mission could be too dangerous. Thus, let's go with 3-star," Adrian thought before giving his answer.
"Sir captain, I would like to take the 3-star knight test."
"Huh? Are you sure? A 3-star at your age is almost unheard of. Most people only start sensing aura at your age," The captain expressed his concern and surprise while considering his next course of action. Letting an overconfident child get hurt was not something he desired.
"Yes, sir, I am sure of it, and I will take responsibility if I get hurt. You don't need to worry about me," Adrian assured him before retrieving his bident from his back and starting to unwrap the cloth covering it.
"Go to the Aura Knights training hall and ask for Viren to come to the testing ground for the 3-star knights," the captain ordered the knight who had escorted Adrian.
"Sir Adrian we need to go to a different test area, as this is for non-aura users. Aura users have a different test area. Please follow me" After the guard left, the captain instructed Adrian.
A while later, they arrived at their destination: a spacious, magically-enhanced ground with impact-absorbing tiles.
The walls were colored in red, and seats encircled the test area, reminiscent of a stadium. Numerous weapons were available on the side for selection.
"Sir Adrian, I presume you plan to use the weapon you're holding in you hand," the captain inquired, pointing to the bident in Adrian's hand.
"Yes," Adrian confirmed.
"You cannot use your own weapon during the test; you must choose one from those available on the side of the arena," the captain explained, gesturing toward the weapons displayed there.
"Alright, then. I'll go choose a weapon," Adrian said, heading toward the weapons.
After inspecting all the weapons and failing to find a trident or bident among them, he decided to inform the captain of the issue.
However, when he turned around, he saw the captain engrossed in conversation with a knight.
This knight appeared to be in his twenties, with handsome features, long blonde hair tied in a ponytail, a muscular build, and a height of 180cm (5'11").
He had brown eyes and projected an air of confidence.
"Viren, I called for you because you are the most skilled knight after me in the knight order of Count Nardino.
I don't want to see a child get hurt because his opponent couldn't control his strength and You can defeat him without causing serious harm," the captain instructed Viren.
"Don't worry, Sir. I'll defeat him and show him the gap between a 3-star knight and any random kid who thinks he can achieve it.
I'll try to win without causing severe injuries," Viren assured the captain, pride evident in his eyes.
"Sigh, I only ask that you don't go all out against a kid and hold back to some extent," the captain said.
"Rest assured, Si—," Viren was cut off by Adrian's voice..
"Sir Captain, I couldn't find a trident or bident among the weapons.
You instructed me to choose a weapon from there, but my primary weapon is not present," Adrian informed the captain, pointing in the direction of the weapon stand.
"Ah, Sir Adrian, actually, no one uses those weapons anymore, so we don't keep them there.
But don't worry; I'll have someone fetch a trident for you immediately," the captain assured him before walking toward a nearby guard.
"So, this is the kid who wants to take the 3-star knight test.
He doesn't look like much to me; I'd wager I can defeat him in less than 10 moves," Viren thought as he assessed Adrian.
"Hehe, I'm sure he's underestimating me, thinking he can defeat me with one hand or in less than five moves.
Well, what can I blame him for? Anyone who hears about a 15-year-old attempting the 3-star knight test would assume he's either over-confident or insane.
Let's give him a little surprise," Adrian thought with a chuckle.
About five minutes later, the captain returned with seven or eight tridents and bidents crafted from silver steel, intended for training purposes.
After placing them with the other weapons, he signaled to Adrian to select his weapon of choice.
After a careful examination, Adrian realized that these weapons were not well-maintained and appeared to be poorly crafted, with one exception – a trident that had managed to avoid the wear and tear.
Adrian chose that trident and entered the arena.
Following Adrian, Viren entered from the opposite side of the arena and positioned himself in front of his opponent.
"Hmm, considering the fact that the captain was quite concerned for me and thinks that I am not at the level of the 3-star Knight.
He must have chosen the weakest knight among the 3-stars as my opponent.
I should defeat him in less than a minute or two to be considered at a level of an average 3-star" Adrian contemplated.
"Okay, get ready, both of you. The match will start at the count of three," the captain announced.
"One"
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(A/N - thanks for reading. ^..^)