It’s been just 2-3 minutes since Sebastian has left Martha and Ivan in the cabin. Although, Sebastian did instruct Martha to keep an eye on Ivan until they return but she was rather occupied at the moment.

Little Martha was seated on the captain’s chair and reading books and files that she took out of the shelf nearby. The books contained about code of conduct, detailed mapping of Rublor kingdom’s terrains, also some autobiography of famous soldiers and knights that once protected Rublor kingdom. But Little Martha was more interested in the files that were stashed beside those books.

The files contained a detailed journal about people who enter and leave the city. These records were actually classified information that wasn’t allowed to be read by common citizens.

Martha sat on the captain’s seat and went through those classified records.

“Eh? Who wrote this? I can’t even make anything out of this terrible handwriting.” complained Martha to herself, “Even grade school kids have better handwriting then this. What a waste of good paper.”

Although, she continued to go through other files and journals.

Meanwhile, little Ivan was in a serious mood for some reason.

He was standing on the captain's bed wearing an old rusty metal helmet that he took out from the shelf. The helmet was a showpiece trophy and it was certainly too big for Ivan's little head. Although Martha made sure that he removed his shoes so that the captain's bedsheets won’t get ruined.

“So you will be my next opponent,” said little Ivan with a serious tone as he glared at deer head mounted on the wall, “I might look like a kid, but I am not an adult actually.”

Ivan then pointed the cleaning duster at the deer. He found that duster laying around the corner of the room.

“You have lived enough, as it is. I shall now end your suffering.” yelled out Ivan as he held the cleaning duster like some kinda sword.

At Heller's village, every year there used to be a play. The play was about a hero defeating demons and sending them back to the underworld. Ivan was rather fascinated by the story and hence, by hearted the play lines.

He continued,

“Let me tell the name of the person whose going to end your miserable life. You at least deserve to know that.” shouted out loud Ivan, “I am Ivan Heller! King of all knights and a hero of humanity. I am-”

“Shut up! Ivan!” complained Martha, “I am trying to read here.”

Ivan noticed Martha had a wide grin once again,

“Sister, you are smiling again!” Ivan pointed out.

“Whose fault is it?” asks Martha angrily as she glares at Ivan.

Ivan while balancing the big helmet on his head glanced at the deer head.

“Is it his fault?” asked Ivan as he points at the deer with the dusting broom.

Martha just looks away,

“Ugh, nevermind. Just be a little quiet.”

Just when the cabin door swung open and on the doorstep stood the fat man with a bushy mustache.

It was none other than the senior guard who came to the cabin under the captain's order.

He glanced at the Heller younglings and his brows twitched with rage.

“What are you kids doing!” screamed out the senior guard at Martha, “That’s the captain’s seat! Even I haven’t sat it on it yet.”

His eyes then fall on the table and noticed the books and the files.

His eyebrows twitched even more,

“What are you doing with those files, you little brat! These are confidential records, managed by the garrison regiment. It's not a kids plaything.”

The senior guard rushed towards the table and snatched all the files and journals away from Martha.

“I wasn’t doing anything." replied Martha smugly, "I was just looking for some picture books, that’s all,”

“We don’t keep children’s picture book here! This place is not meant for children in the first place!” then he noticed Ivan standing on the bed with the helmet on his head.

His face becomes red with rage.

“You runt! You are standing on the captain’s bed and carefully handover that Helmet at once. Do you even know anything about that significance of that helmet? Do you know who actually owned this helmet?" asked the senior guard angrily.

Ivan just thought for a few seconds,

"I did. This helmet's mine."

"As if we can just hand that to a brat like you! That helmet might look like an old ordinary helmet but it was once by the legendary Sir Almond Brook. His deeds rose all over the country and he used this very helmet while serving as the captain of the garrison regiment during his time. Now that very same helmet is handed out to the next captain as a keepsake and to remember Sir Almond and his heroic deeds. That thing gives every city guard a sense of inspiration for us to become the same as Sir Almond. And now a runt like you playing with that very same helmet. This is an insult to every city guard. Give it back, right now" rambled angry senior guard.

The senior guard tried to snatch the helmet but Ivan dodged and moved away from his clutches,

“Haha! You wanna capture me, if so then you must have to fight me to a battle of death,” said Ivan playfully.

“You brat!” scowled the angry senior guard, he then turned to Martha, "Could you help me out here. Your brother's being a pain."

Although, the senior guard noticed that Martha was once again snooping through other documents that she took out from the shelves.

"You damn little runts!" screamed the senior guard.

****

The captain Julius and Sebastian were strolling on the top of the walls. The walls of Abros city were quite broad and tall, it provided a good view of both the sides inside and the outside of the city. On top of the walls, there were a lot of guard archers stationed every few meters away. They were glancing at Sebastian who was walking along with the captain.

Sebastian noticed that many guards were glaring at him and he felt a bit nervous.

“Umm, sir captain?” said Sebastian, “I think we should go back to the cabin. I think, your men don’t like my presence here.”

The captain noticed the guard soldiers glancing at Sebastian,

“No worries, they are just cautious. You are walking with me with that grinning nervous smile of yours. You look like some vicious fiend that’s plotting something evil. Hahaha!” answered the captain jokingly.

“Sir, that’s not funny.” replied agitated Sebastian.

“Sorry, sorry. That was just my dark humor like always.” said the captain.

“I am actually more worried about Martha and Armin. That’s why I am insisting that we should go back to the cabin.” restated Sebastian.

“You needn’t worry about them. The senior guard, Gregor might be a little handful but he’s one of most capable men. You needn’t worry about them, trust me.” reassured the captain.

Sebastian glanced at the captain for a second,

“If you say so, then I will take you for your word.”

“That’s more like it.” said the captain, “I would rather prefer to sit in my comfy chair and speak with you in the cabin but it was a little bit noisy.”

Sebastian bowed his head,

“I am really sorry for my siblings being a nuisance to you. I-”

“No, no. It’s fine. It’s children’s nature to create a ruckus. You have no need to apologize for that.” replied the captain.

“Thank you.” replied Sebastian, “So what is that you wanted to talk about?”

The captain glanced at Sebastian.

“You are quite strong, lugging that heavy luggage on your own. Now I see why you were chosen to be a knight candidate by Sir Knight Darius.”

Sebastian blushed,

“Oh I am not that strong-” but then Sebastian stopped and got perplexed, “You know Sir Knight Darius?” asked Sebastian with curious eyes.

The captain stopped on his tracks and scratched his head and let out a sigh,

“Well, yeah I know him. I used to work under him this one time.”

Sebastian’s eyes lit up and a genuine smile appeared unlike his normal nervous grin,

“Are you guys friends? And what do you mean work with him, are you also a magic knight?”

“Oi, slowdown. We were not like friends, I just happen to work under him. And no, I am not a magic knight.” replied the captain.

“Uhh... I see” answered Sebastian with a sense of disappointment in his voice.

“Sorry to disappoint you.” replied the captain.

“Oh you don’t need to.” answered Sebastian quickly, “I didn’t mean to be rude.”

The captain then loosened his shoulders,

“No worries, I am not cut out to be one of the magic knights. It was too much hassle anyway. Not to mention Sir Darius himself was quite hard to deal with. Oh, I don’t mean any disrespect-”

“I know right!” answered Sebastian cheerfully, “I trained under him, so I know what you mean. During the training, he also used to work me to the bone. I had to basically fight with him on a one on one duel but he always used to pulverize me to a pulp. During these duels, sometimes I even lose my consciousness, don’t remember anything that happened. Sir Darius would sometimes make me go empty stomach whenever I made any mistakes. So in that way, I can empathize with you.” said Sebastian as he nodded his head.

“Wow! You suffered quite a lot there. I know Sir Darius was strict but that sounds just downright, cruel. He wasn’t that intense when I worked under him.” replied the captain with a worried look.

Although Sebastian had a genuine happy face,

“But he was strict for my sake." replied Sebastian, "Sir Darius might be strict and grumpy but he’s a kind person. I wanna become a magic knight just like him.”

The captain was a bit surprised to see Sebastian’s reaction.

‘Never thought there would be someone that would actually come to like that old man,’ thought the captain as he smiled to himself.

“The way you’re saying, that means that old geezer must be doing well. That’s a relief.” said the captain with a smile.

“Yup, he’s doing great,” answered Sebastian as he nodded his head.

“But its quite surprising that he chose a godson after such a long time. I never thought he would ever pick one again.” said the Captain.

Sebastian was a bit confused.

“God? What?” asked Sebastian.

The captain was a bit surprised,

“I said ‘godson’. You know what I mean, right?”

“Umm?” mumbled Sebastian as he had no clue.

The captain took a sigh and sat on one of the ledges of the wall.

“Don’t tell me. He just trained and sent you to the city to attend the exam, just like that? He didn’t tell you anything else?”

To that Sebastian just smiled nervously and scratched his head.

“I shall take that as a yes.” answered the captain, “Here have a seat.”

Sebastian then sat beside the captain on the ledge of the walls.

“Listen, a high-class magic knight that chooses a candidate for the magic knight exam. That candidate becomes that knight's godson/goddaughter, meanwhile, the knight becomes the candidate's godfather/godmother. In that manner, Sir Darius is your godfather and you, his godson. The strange thing is that Sir Darius hadn’t appointed any godchild in the last 15 years until now. I was certain he would never choose one after what happened with his last godson.” said the captain.

Sebastian was quite shocked.

“Huh? Who and what happened to the last godson?” asked Sebastian curiously.

The captain was surprised.

“What? He hasn’t told you yet?” asked the captain.

“No! Please tell me.”

The captain scratched his head,

“Oh damn, I should have kept my big mouth shut. If sir Darius, himself hasn’t yet decided to tell you, then that’s what’s better for you.”

Sebastian became agitated,

“Please just tell me already. What happened?”

The captain placed his hand on Sebastian’s shoulder,

“It’s better that you hear the whole thing from his mouth than mine, his your godfather after all. I am just an outsider and what I heard were just rumors and tales that I heard from someone else. So it’s better than Sir Darius himself decides to tell you the whole story.”

Sebastian lowered his head,

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“Anyway, changing the topic. I heard you will be attending the exam without an enchanted relic. Is that true?” asked the captain.

Sebastian had a perplexed expression,

“Eh… that... That’s actually true.” answered Sebastian.

The captain was quite shocked,

“What really? I know Sir Darius hadn’t chosen any godson for some time but this is really crazy, even for him. I knew you were strong but to participate in the exam without any relic. Are you perhaps have the ability to manipulate mana too? Are you a third or maybe second-generation mage as well?” asked the captain curiously.

Sebastian was quite startled,

“No! No! I don’t have any magic ability at all. All I have just is my brute strength and the combat skills taught by Sir Darius.”

The captain was a little disappointed,

“But just brute strength won’t cut it. Even if you were trained by Sir Darius, there are some limits. Why did Sir Darius did not lend you any enchanted relic? Sending you empty-handed is just outright madness.”

Sebastian started sweating profusely,

“The thing is, I was given an enchanted relic by Sir Darius but I don’t have that, at the moment.”

The captain was quite startled,

“Don’t tell me you lost it? Or was it stolen?” asked the captain.

Sebastian lowered his eyes and looked away,

“Actually, there was an urgent need for money and a big lump sum one at that… So I had no choice but to pawn away my enchanted relic.”

The captain got up from his seat in shock,

“What did you just say? Did you pawn away your enchanted relic for some cash? Are you for real?!” asked the surprised captain.

Sebastian lowered his head,

“Well, yes I did,” answered Sebastian with his nervous grin that resurfaced.

“And Sir Darius allowed you to do that?” asked the captain.

Sebastian’s grin widened,

“Actually no, I urgently needed that money. So I didn’t have time to ask for his permission.”

The captain was quite shocked and stood standing there with a perplexed expression,

“Wow! That’s quite ballsy of you. Sir Darius surely would kill you if he comes to know that you pawned away his enchanted relic for money. Not to mention coming here empty-handed to participate in the exam. It’s better if you just return home and ask for forgiveness from your master and buyback his relic. That’s for the best-”

But just when,

“But Sir Darius knows everything,” answered Sebastian quickly.

“Knows what?” asked the captain confusedly.

“Sir Darius already knows that I pawned away the enchanted relic.” answered Sebastian, “He was quite furious and I even told him that I will participate in the next year's exam after buying back that relic. But master still instructed me to participate in the exam anyway.”

The captain face turned pale,

“What? Sir Darius still allowed you to join the exam even after that stunt you pulled? Isn’t it just indirectly him sending you to your death? Participating in the exam without any enchanted relic is just straight out absurd.”

Although, Sebastian just glared back,

“I will manage it somehow. That’s what Sir Darius told me and I’ve faith in him.”

The captain was quite surprised by seeing the determination in Sebastian’s eyes.

‘Sir Darius and this kid, both have lost their marbles. Only some insane people could pull such a feat but after meeting with this kid in person, he matches the criteria to that very category.’

The captain burst into laughter,

“Haha! This is just great! If Sir Darius really thinks that you can pull it off, then maybe you really can. Or that, he really wanted you actually dead. Either way it will be no easy task, that’s for sure.” said the captain.

“I will do my best to get selected as one of the candidates,” said Sebastian with utter confidence.

The Captain stared at Sebastian for a few seconds and let out a sigh,

“It’s not that easy as you think it is. There are other candidates who also trained as hard as you did. But the possibility of owning an enchanted relic in this exam means the matter of life and death. Possessing one such relic means that it gives you an edge in the exam but also a way to survive in the exam. Don’t you get it?”

Sebastian was confused,

“Uh... I see.” still responded as if he understood.

The captain knew that his words went over Sebastian’s head.

“Listen kid, this exam is supposed to gather strong warriors for the magic knight squad but it’s not the entire truth."

Sebastian was rather puzzled,

“What does that suppose to mean?”

The captain once again sat near Sebastian,

“Listen, the main purpose of this exam is not just to collect warriors but also to gather enchanted relics for the kingdom's military.”

Sebastian was horrified,

“What? So they are more interested in the enchanted relic than the participants themselves?”

The captain sat back on the ledge of the wall,

“Well, that’s half the truth. You know that only one user at a time can actually fully utilize the power of an enchanted relic. That’s because of the safety mechanism installed in the relic, which only allows the person that has fully synchronized with the relic to wield its power. No one else can harness the power from that relic other than the user itself. But if the user gives his consent to someone else, then that person can utilize the power of the enchanted relic. It may be temporary or permanent depending on the user’s will.”

Sebastian nodded his head,

“Hmm, so in that sense. Isn’t the user equally important as the enchanted relic?” asked Sebastian curiously.

“Well, that’s true but there’s one way to bypass that safety mechanism. If in a case, where the enchanted relic user dies without choosing an heir. No one else can use that relic, thus making the relic useless. But a skillful mage can however tweak that relic from becoming useless. A mage can clear away the previous user’s ownership and make room for a new user.” answered the captain, “Although, there were a lot of instances where the enchanted relics were taken away from their users forcefully using the same method which is kinda illegal. So you should get an idea, right?”

Sebastian nodded his head,

“I see. But what’s your point in this whole conversation?”

The captain facepalmed with disappointment.

He then placed his hand on Sebastian’s shoulder,

“If what I told you doesn’t make much sense. Then let me explain to you in simpler terms. Imagine, the knight candidate exam is actually a horse racing competition and you, candidates are the participants. Then in that way, an enchanted relic is your horses and you, candidate are their riders. In that manner of speaking, horses are equivalently important as its rider in the horse racing, correct?” asked the captain.

Sebastian scratched his chin,

“Hmm. Yes, indeed.”

“Good”, answered the captain, “Now, with hundreds of horse riders are racing and each and everyone wants to win in the race. And then there’s you, Sebastian Heller, challenging all the horse riders to win that very same race but with your bare feet. That’s not going to be taken very lightly by the fellow horse riders in the least. Because your presence is certainly going to hurt the ego of other horse riders. So now, do you get the picture?” asked the captain.

“Oh I see. I get it. Challenging a horse rider on barefoot is insanity.” answered Sebastian.

“See that! You got it” answered the captain rejoicingly.

“But this isn’t a horse race, right?” asked Sebastian as he glanced at the captain curiously.

Captain sat back on the ledge of the wall,

“Ah! All this talk for nothing. I told you, speaking metaphorically. Nevermind, just forget-”

“Enchanted relic or not, I still have to clear this exam and become a magic knight. Though my opponents are going to be stronger than me so all I need to do is pulverize my opponent and that’s what I intend to do.” replied Sebastian as he glared at the captain with strong determination in his eyes, “At least that’s what Sir Knight Darius instructed me to do before I left for the capital.”

The captain stood up scratching his messy hair and let out a sigh,

“Ah! Yeah that just sounds like him, no doubt about that.”

“But I will keep your warnings in mind, I won’t underestimate my opponents. I am very thankful for everything,” said Sebastian as he got up and bowed his head.

The captain glanced at Sebastian as he thought,

‘This kid here is as stubborn as his godfather. No doubt about it, he is Sir Knight Darius’s pupil. And here I am trying to discourage from his goal. I am the worst.’

The captain let out a sigh,

“Stop with that bowing already. You don’t need to bow every time you need to say sorry or thank you for little things. You are a knight candidate, after all. You should act a little more confident and proud.”

Sebastian nervously grinned,

“Ah! I will keep that in mind.”

“You don’t need to worry. It’s not the first time someone has entered the knight candidate exam without any relic. There were some people who cleared the exam with nothing but skills and raw strength. Not to mention, the last person to pull that stunt was the old hag who also made me the garrison regiment’s captain and ordered to build my cabin on top of the walls." the captain expression changed of that of anger. "Knowing that woman, it’s not surprising she cleared the exams with clear skills and strength alone during her childhood. She's truly a monster through and through.”

Sebastian was still confused,

“Whose the old hag you complain so much about?” asked curious Sebastian.

“It’s better that you don’t know. Also don’t ever tell anyone I called her old hag or I might even get killed on duty without any warnings. Is that clear, Sebastian?” asked the captain as he glared with a forced friendly smile.

“I won’t tell anyone but still who is this old hag? She sounds like an amazing person, although she also sounds like a bully,” asked Sebastian.

“You’ll find it soon enough. Anyway, my point is that this old hag cleared the exam without relying on a relic or mana ability, but she won’t be the last person to do so.” said the captain.

“I see! Thanks for the encouragement” answered Sebastian as he bowed once again.

“I told you to stop with the bowing already. Let’s head back to the cabin.” replied the captain as he smiled, “There’s something I would like to give you.”

Sebastian was a bit puzzled,

“What’s that?”

“Something that might help you a bit in the exam.” replied the captain, “Let’s head back to the cabin.”

"A spare enchanted relic, perhaps?" guessed curious Sebastian.

"Hell no. If I had one of those, I would rather keep it for myself." answered back the captain.