Meanwhile, within the Grand Palace of Light, someone else was facing troubles born from that very secret.
The final day of the Practical Combat round had come to an end. The five judges were now seated in a room thick with the scent of tea. Documents lay spread out across the table before them, yet not a single page had been touched.
Grand Palace Envoy Flinch took a measured sip of tea before speaking in an even, unhurried tone.
“It seems all of us harbor doubts about the outcome of a particular match. Perhaps we should discuss that one first?”
Captain Rambeck remained seated with his arms crossed, his posture distant, his voice cold.
“Isn’t it a little too late for that, Your Excellency? As I see it, there’s no time left to make changes now. You should have taken my opinion into account back then.”
“It appears you misunderstand me, Captain.” Flinch replied calmly. “All four of us, the majority, have already agreed on the result and have no intention of overturning that decision. What I’m referring to is another aspect of candidate number 3271’s match.”
Rambeck’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly, careful not to let too much emotion show. But the minute movement did not escape Flinch’s notice.
“I believe we can all agree that number 3271’s battle deviated significantly from our usual standards. The demonic beast initially assigned to that candidate still fell within an acceptable level of challenge, yet it was replaced after only two bouts. The demonic beast substituted afterward possessed a combat style far removed from the original parameters. It was dangerous, well beyond the intended difficulty of the trial.”
Captain Lunarga, the other judge representing the Realm of Light, picked up a stack of documents and flipped through them briskly.
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“According to the reports here, that demonic beast had already passed inspection but it's on the reserve list.”
Flinch tapped a finger lightly against the tabletop.
“I don’t recall ever approving that list.”
“The authority to approve the reserve list is under the authority of Captain Rambeck.”
A brief silence settled over the room, heavy and unmistakable. After a few seconds, Flinch spoke again, his tone sharpened with quiet scrutiny.
“Captain Rambeck was also the only one who opposed selecting candidate number 3271. Captain, could it be that you have some…”
“That’s enough.”
Another representative of the Grand Palace cut in politely before the conversation could drift any further. His voice was calm, but firm.
“I don’t believe this is the time to place blame on any single individual while the full picture remains unclear. This is a collective failure of the judging panel for allowing the competition to proceed under unfair conditions. The purpose of this discussion is to identify the cause and ensure we learn from it, nothing more.”
The envoy understood all too well that any discord between representatives of the Grand Palace and those of a kingdom was an exceedingly sensitive matter in every Pre-selection. Unless the issue was truly severe, both sides would avoid direct accusations as much as possible.
“Personally, I believe the performance of candidate number 3271 fully deserved to pass this trial. Does anyone here hold a different opinion?”
Four pairs of eyes turned toward Captain Rambeck.
Several seconds passed. The meeting room remained silent.
Flinch offered a graceful smile.
“Then let us move on to the next matter.”
Captain Rambeck clenched his fist, fully aware that he had missed the one and only chance to stop Ferir Hakken from drawing any closer to Monarch Sanguel.
It was not that he regretted what he had done. He had merely tried to prevent the troubles that might arise in the future. Yet if even at this point he could no longer stop it, then it meant that the boy he had once saved long ago was destined to walk this path.
And if this was fate, then all he could do now was watch and see what the true destination of all these arrangements would be.
