Aadityapal's concentration was at an unnatural level, and Athena's blessing helped him further his cognitive abilities even more.

He was so devoted to the writing that he didn't notice that he spoke his answers out loud.

"Inform yourself of the magnitude of the disaster that befell the most devastated areas, to immediately act to mediate the catastrophe for the poorest residents."

"A stable food supply is at risk when confronted to natural disasters, and farmers, the backbone of a nation, are also at risk of losing their livelihoods."

"Subsidize farmers and focus all resources on fertile areas that produce essential grains like rice, wheat, and barley."

"Restrict information about the disaster to unaffected areas, to avoid panic and jeopardy."

As Aadityapal was writing, a voice nearby mocked, "Say that even louder, will you?"

The prince raised his face from the paper and glared at the person who broke his flow. It turned out to be Prince Ayush, who was compiling answers from his followers to form his own.

The supervisor of the exam remarked on the situation, "An emperor needs not only knowledge but also charisma to influence his peers."

Aadityapal scoffed and looked around.

He also detected two more familiar faces.

Ranya and Aarush both calmly concentrated on their essays, and they didn't give him any heed.

After ignoring Ayush once again, Aadityapal got back into writing his essay.

Meanwhile, Alex was drinking tea with Ashoka outside.

He lamented, "I hope the prince is doing well...."

"And, when the situation stabilizes, the ruler shall publicize the achievements of the court in order to gain reverence and trust from the people." Aadityapal wrote in a period and wiped off the sweat from his forehead.

Somehow, he had finished before most of the candidates, and almost all of them were still buried in their stash of documents.

'I hope I performed well...'

The prince stood up with his completed essay and walked towards the center of the tent, where the supervisor was onlooking at the exam.

As he walked, he heard a voice flow into his ears, "Fall down."

Prince Ayush didn't bother to conceal his demonic power anymore, and he once again tried to sabotage him.

However, Athena's Essence had improved his mental fortitude, and he easily overcame the effects of the strange power and reached the supervisor's desk.

Aadityapal guessed that Ayush was probably screaming internally right now, but he didn't care.

"Here are my insights, sir." He passed the supervisor the essay.

The latter nodded and stuck the papers with a glue-like substance that was refined from tree sap.

Then, he said to the prince, "The combat assessments shall begin later this afternoon, you can rest now."

The prince nodded and ran out of the tent, in the direction where Alex was.

He found the god sitting inside the carriage and greeted his father too.

Alex smiled and asked, "How did it go?"

"It was a scenario about a great flood, and I think I gave a satisfactory answer," Aadityapal gloated, proud of his work.

"Great, then, have some tea and sit with us in the meantime," Alex served him some of Hermes' scam tea, which was surprisingly aromatic for some reason.

It was soon noon, and the written exam was officially adjourned.

Of the people who left the tent, some had extremely joyful expressions, while others seemed on the verge of crying.

The remarkable exceptions were Ranya and Aarush, who had a distinct poker face, and Ayush, who was smiling from ear to ear.

Aadityapal hatefully glared at the three of them.

"Aadit, chill down, you can increase the tension when you fight them, but don't lose sight of your goals because of some meaningless distractions," Alex advised the anxious prince as he quietly sipped on some of the tea.

After the end of the written exam, the real crowd-pleaser would start.

The combat assessments would be held in a colosseum-like stadium that was not too far away from the square.

The first fight was actually not too long from noon, and the crowds all gathered at the stadium, awaiting the fight with impatience.

Hermes still wasn't here, so the three of them moved on in the carriage and occupied a high seat.

A bearded man then entered the stadium and started shouting in a wooden, megaphone-like, voice amplification device.

"Today, the elite of the elite of our land shall combat each other to find the most worthy of inheriting Lord Ashoka's throne!"

The crowd's eyes all moved to the place where Ashoka and Alex were sat.

Aadityapal, meanwhile, had to seat himself at a slightly lower seat.

"We won't take too long, so the first fight is....

The host did his best to raise the enthusiasm of the crowd, who were already screaming.

"Disciple of Lord Indra, Ranya against Singh!" There was a clear difference between the attention given to each of the contestants.

The host also mockingly exclaimed, "I really wonder who is going to win!"

The spectators all burst into laughter...

'Poor Singh...' Alex couldn't imagine what it would feel like to have your result broadcasted in this way before the fight even started.

The host then left the stadium, and two young royals entered.

One of them was Ranya, always wielding her diamond-like sword.

And the other was an ordinary prince, whom they introduced as Singh.

Alex focused on the former, who was likely to be a threat to Aadityapal.

The host had now taken up a platform of his own, and he proclaimed, "Start!"

Everyone was excited about the fight and looked at the stadium.

However, when they blinked, the prince named Singh was already on the ground, and his clothes and hair were charred and blackened.

No one had even seen what happened, but the standing woman on the other side clearly exhibited the victorious princess.

However, even though it passed by a flash, Alex had clearly observed the happenings.

Cold sweat dripped down his face at the might that this mortal had shown.

In a single millisecond, lightning bolts filled the entire stadium, with the diamond-shaped weapon in the center, and all of those bolts instantly struck down on Singh.

'Aadityapal, you'll have to show all that you have to win...' Alex looked at the prince seated below them, and the previously nonexistent hopelessness, that re-emerged back on his face.