CHAPTER 62: DEADLY TRIAL

Night had fallen by the time Gramm finished handling the paperwork required for all the candidates’ travel.

He now had to prepare the arrangements for the second trial, but before diving into that task, one matter remained.

To obtain a special authorization, Gramm found himself knocking on one of the Regent’s palace doors.

"Come in."

The butler’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

Crossing the threshold, he saw the Regent seated at a piano, while one of her butlers was preparing tea.

"Your Grace," Gramm greeted.

"A cup of tea?" the Regent offered, walking toward a table in the corner of the room.

Gramm, unable to refuse, took a seat across from her.

After the tea was served and they both had taken a sip, the Regent broke the silence.

"I assume your time is far too valuable for you to be having tea with me without a reason."

Wasting no time, Gramm placed eleven files on the coffee table.

Without even glancing at them, the Regent asked, curious:

"They impressed you that much?"

"Yes, Your Grace. With your permission, I would like them to be exempted from the second trial."

The Regent did not give her approval right away. Instead, she questioned Gramm about his intentions.

"What do you plan to do?"

Gramm explained the strategy he had formed after witnessing the candidates’ performances.

The Regent took her time considering it, but found no reason to oppose.

"Consider them as having passed the exam. I entrust you with the authority to reward them according to tradition."

"Thank you, Your Grace."

"As for the coming changes to the second trial, you have full freedom. Consulting the other directors would only waste time debating what we would all end up agreeing on."

"I won’t disappoint you," Gramm promised, rising to leave, but the Regent stopped him:

"I will add one condition to this favor."

Gramm froze at those words, awaiting the condition.

The Regent stood from her chair, walked up to him, and, looking him in the eyes, gave an order that brooked no refusal:

"Kneel."

Gramm was caught off guard for a moment before dropping to one knee, as protocol demanded.

The Regent gestured to a butler, who disappeared for a moment and returned with a wooden box the length of a scroll about five feet long.

She took the box in her hands before speaking:

"Gramm Sigmund, Director of the Bureau of Archives and Exploration, by this act, I bestow upon you the title of Sealkeeper. Like your predecessors, you will bear the heavy burden this title entails."

Gramm held out his hands to receive the box, solemnly reciting the oath:

"Let this ancestral vow deem me worthy."

As soon as he spoke those words, the box vanished.

The Regent smiled at the sight before dismissing him.

---

When Gramm left the room, the Regent returned to her piano for a moment of peace.

However, before she could play, her butler couldn’t hold back his concern:

"My Lady, isn’t it too soon?"

"No. The wheels of time are already turning. The era of Calamities is drawing to an end."

---

Elsewhere, at the Bureau of Internal Affairs, Sarah Harley was buried under a mountain of paperwork, to the point her desk looked like a trash heap.

She barely spent a second on each report, reading only the conclusions.

Each one was a summary sent by security teams deployed to the examination centers.

Some rejected candidates had nearly caused trouble, but on-site agents had reacted swiftly, nipping it in the bud.

As Sarah finished yet another report, her phone vibrated. A message had just arrived, detailing the revised schedule for the second trial.

"The structure of the second trial?"

Sarah raised an eyebrow at the title, and when she read the proposed changes, she almost shouted:

"Gramm’s lost his mind?!"

Before she could gather her thoughts, a second message arrived, drawing a curse from her lips.

"Those brats..." she sighed, leaning back in her chair, brushing her hair back.

Even though they had exceeded all expectations by passing the exam on the first try, the fact that none of them had applied for her bureau irked her a little.

("If I’d known they were going to betray me, I wouldn’t have given them my credit card.")

"Wow, you’ve got a ton of work. At this rate, you’ll be here all night."

Rioken stood in her doorway, holding a lunch box in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other.

Even though Sarah wanted to scream:

("I’m doing your job!")

Her stomach wasn’t in the mood for arguing.

"I hope you brought my favorite dish," she said.

---

The next day, as Sirius exited the exam room, a proctor approached and guided him along with the other successful candidates toward a waiting bus.

As soon as it was full, the bus departed for a train station, where they were quickly boarded onto a train.

While not as luxurious as the one they had taken when leaving the Empire, this train had all the comforts needed for a long journey.

Around ten people were assigned to each car.

While other candidates chatted about how they had passed the trial, Sirius didn’t bother socializing. He chose to sleep instead.

When he awoke, the train had entered an underground rail network

One of those networks he’d only heard of, supposedly reserved for major crises threatening humanity.

In truth, all candidates were in the same situation: upon exiting their exam rooms, they were immediately transferred onto a train chartered by the Order.

When Sirius finally disembarked, he was stunned by what he saw.

A massive military facility, teeming with activity. The sounds of heavy artillery and constant explosions made it feel like a war zone.

There was only one place where such a base could exist:

The Bindings front lines where the war against the Calamities raged on.

"What kind of trial takes place in a war zone?"

Sirius had to wait to get an answer. Upon arrival, all candidates were taken to various military dorms and confined for two days.

Besides eating, bathing, and sleeping, there was nothing to do.

Three days after the end of the first trial, all successful candidates were summoned to a massive parking lot.

The 97,350 survivors were gathered there.

A makeshift stage and a giant screen had been set up.

As the candidates waited for the second trial to begin, three men stepped onto the stage.

Two were from the Archives, the third from Military Affairs.

The highest-ranking among them stepped forward. His image was broadcast live on the giant screen, visible even to those at the back.

The candidates were first stunned by the Transcendent insignia on his cloak’s shoulder.

But it was his words that nearly made some faint.

"My name is Gramm Sigmund, Director of the Bureau of Archives and Exploration, and I am in charge of this exam."

Gasps erupted throughout the crowd.

Directors were among the most powerful people in the world, wielding absolute authority within their domains.

And for those hoping to pass the exam, they were their potential future superiors.

Gramm quickly silenced the commotion:

"All of you here have, in one way or another, passed the little test I had devised for you.

However, the second trial will put your lives at risk."

Some began to protest, but Gramm simply whispered:

"Silence."

And not a single voice rose again. Only the distant sounds of battle echoed around them.

"The second trial will be a real immersion. You will face the daily reality of a member of the Order.

The risk of death is real.

I therefore ask those who wish to continue to take one step forward."

As soon as he finished speaking, Gramm snapped his fingers.

Golden flames erupted, engulfing the crowd for a brief moment before rising to form walls of fire in front of each candidate.

The crowd was thus divided, each candidate now alone inside a cell of flame.

Yet, despite their appearance, the flames did not burn. They felt unreal.

"All those willing to face the second trial, step through the fire."

Various thoughts surged through the candidates’ minds:

("Am I ready to die for an exam?")

("Will these flames burn me?")

("Are we really being sent to war?")

Amid these doubts, only half the candidates stepped through the fire. The rest gave up.

Gramm snapped his fingers again, and men in green cloaks came to escort those who had renounced.

Once the area was cleared, Gramm addressed the remaining candidates:

"Before I reveal the subject of the second trial, I will call upon eleven individuals... whom I personally endorse."