Chapter 13: Voices of Glory (Part 6)

We were back at the assembly hall where three of us; Mike, Ariel and myself were during the morning activities. We decided to stand among ourselves and out of everyone’s way.

As Mike put it earlier,

“Let’s observe everyone else. We might learn something interesting.”

Ariel and I agreed as we stand near a spot where we could see everyone with ease. Captain Rizzou made his way towards the main stage and began to talk. He greeted everyone with his usual calmness and confidence.

“Alright. Looks like we are back here again. Congratulation on getting an 8, everyone.”

The crowd below cheered on.

“It looks like we have lots of Elites this time around, coupled with a dozen or two from other units. Since I’m an Elite, do bear with me for a while, since I am proud of the Elites who have made it here. But honestly, all of you did your units proud. I’m sure your leaders and commanders are very proud of each and every one of you, like how I am to my new Elites. So, let’s get started, shall we?”

He then paced himself across the stage and looked at each and every one of us in the eye. It was not done in overbearing kind, but more to remember our faces. A fact that he duly shared with a laugh to all of us. And as he said, it was his duty after all as our guardian for tomorrow’s event.

“I will be leading all of you tomorrow, so please listen to every instruction I will give from time to time, alright. It is very important that you listen to everything I say, else you will make a fool out of yourself and your units. Since you are new recruits that were given an officers ranking, it is important that you hold yourself to the highest conducts and behaviours. Especially to all the Elites. I’ll have my eyes on each and every one of you. No doubt about that.”

A cold sweat broke on my forehead. Captain Rizzou sure know when to be serious and when to joke around, ain't he?

“On your letters, you will have a number in parentheses. Right? You will be arranged according to the number in parentheses. There will be 13 rows divided into three parts. The numbers between 1 to 20 will have 10 people of each row which will make up to two rows; the numbers 21 to 86 will have 11 people each row which will make up another 6 rows, and the numbers from 87 to 127 will have 8 people each row, making up another 4 rows, with the exception of the 13th row which will have 9 people instead. So, all together, there will be 13 rows. Get that, everyone?”

“Ariel, it seems that you will be directly behind me, and Mike, you will beside me, right? “

I asked both Ariel and Mike. They nodded in acknowledgement.

“Wow, I like this arrangement. I won’t be too far from my friends it seemed.”

Both of them again nodded with an added smile. Seemed they too were satisfied.

“So, to make the arrangement easy, I have drawn up the exact where you will need to be during the parade. Do follow exactly as what has been drawn up. And no, I’ll not entertain any requests for whatsoever changes, especially the first 20 numbers. You can have a look at it after I have finished.”

“Now, a little harsh truth. Even though each and every one of you is ranked officers, however the rank that each and every one of you obtained is by no mean the same. Some of you will be higher than the others.”

The crowd started to murmurs.

Suddenly, someone amidst the crowd challenged Captain Rizzou’s word. He was from a unit that I could not recognize. All the Elites would know fair well not to challenge the captain, especially on an occasion like this.

“Captain Rizzou, what do you mean by that?! We do not understand. I take it that our ranks are not sufficient enough? Isn’t that a little slight on our achievements and our deeds?”

I could hear dozens of yeses coming from a certain section of the crowd. However, Captain Rizzou just smiles.

“Ohhh, is that what you think? A slight on your achievements and your deeds? I see…”

He then began to start his rebuttal.

“So, what medal have you got in your application to the Council?”

Captain Rizzou asked of that man.

“N-None”

“I thought as much. The rest of you? Anyone of you has any medals?”

Everyone else kept quiet. The silence was eerie for them. After a while, without any answers coming from these people, Captain Rizzou began to laugh.

“Hahaha. Without a medal, what do you think I would or could do? Put you in front of those who have medals and has been conferred titles? Aren’t you getting a little out of head here?”

The crowd gasped at the sudden information.

“We have titles officers rank among us?”

“Some of us has been conferred medals?”

A conversation has started among the crowd.

“I’ll tell you a fact of which I will move on to next. Among 127 of you, 3 have been conferred medals and have been given titles.” Captain Rizzou added on like putting oil into the fire.

I gulped and stayed down extremely quiet. I could spot a smile from Mike and Ariel was rather excited... about this. I guess that she was interested to know who was these three fellows.

“Every one of you was recommended by Main Noble houses but not every one of you was given medals. And do you know why? Because only three Main Noble houses able to confer any medals. All the three belongs to the Pure Nobles, the Elmsdor of Elsigardia, the Godfrey and the Byrnhildr.”

The crowd kept on growing louder and louder but it doesn’t stop Captain Rizzou.

“And do you think that all 127 of you could actually have your own procession line just behind the King’s Calvary if it’s not because of these three medal winners? If it’s not because of these three people, all of you, in here and those out there would have their procession at the tail end of the parade, like every year.”

“So, why do you think I was trying to slight your achievements and your deeds? All I said was some are higher ranked than you, that’s all. If your previous achievements and deeds already get into your head and you think you are the whole world, then you have another fact incoming.”

“Among those three, two of them have their medals conferred by Ser Siegmund Godfrey himself, Our Lord General and one of three has been conferred his medal by the King and the Crown Princess. That guy has not one, but two medals of highest order one can receive. Not even I have been conferred any medal from the King and the Crown Princess in 20 years of joining the Elites. And I believe, not many of your leaders and commanders were conferred any medals either. Was I slighting myself or anyone of you when I said what I have said earlier?”

I was a nervous wreck now. Cold sweat broke all over my face. My face was pale as a ghost. My hands were shaking like mad. Mike was calm as usual, a smile spreads across his lips as he gazed towards the stage. Ariel was jumping up and down, giddy like a small kid getting a big present from her father. These two really had the nerve of steels, don’t they?

What Captain Rizzou said has triggered the crowd into much more frenzy and excited. The guy and the rest of the people who challenged him earlier on went into silence, but I could feel that they too wanted to know who were these three person whom mentioned repeatedly by the captain in his briefing.