Connection and Deliberation

Day 74, Year 3000.

Gosse and Han were busy completing their respective assignments in the free period. The rest of the class was either following suit or gossiping about the latest developments in the academy.

"Historical Evidence of Knight Brutalities and Noble Dishonorment."

The topic of today's lecture, conducted by Lars Solargo. Their assignment was also about this topic.

As a paragraph in the book said,

"The first and foremost duty of a knight is to be self-aware of his actions. Any misstep taken can set a bad example for the generations that are to follow. People idolize bad examples just as frequently as good ones. The only real difference is that a bad example is often followed by a connection and not deliberation."

Gosse took this to his heart, while Hann simply kept it in his mind and moved on to the next paragraph.

Both of their lives had been particularly stress-free for the past four days. Ever since the physical examination, Gawain had stopped appearing in normal classes. No one gave it any further thought, except for maybe these two and one other people from their class.

Andria was stuck in a weird place after the examination. She couldn't get Arthur's offer out of her mind.

'I made the right decision.'

Just like his fellow housemate Arnis, she too was given a chance to prepare for Poseidon's trials without any distraction.

"I don't want to participate in Poseidon's trials."

Her answer to the house leader came as a surprise to almost everyone. Even Arnis couldn't comprehend the reason behind this decision.

Arthur didn't like forcing people. In an attempt to persuade her, he said,

"With your potential, you can easily rank in the top 20. Don't make your decision in a hurry. As the house leader, I will be completely supportive, regardless of your choice. But I do want what might be best for your future."

As soon as his eyes matched hers, he could tell,

'She is confident in her choice.'

"I-"

"I understand. I will not pursue this further."

He looked towards his last hope of securing the victory.

"Arnis, do you have any doubts about your participation?"

The blonde-haired boy, with a strong look of determination in his eyes, said,

"No, master."

He looked back at her and said,

"All of you are dismissed. Go back to your dorms."

He was left with a bitter taste in his mouth. First, losing Gawain to Joan, and now, losing a possible contender for the competition.

Three days had passed since that discussion. At first, she was afraid that this decision would make her a target.

'He is a great leader.'

She wanted to apologize to Sir Arthur, but she had a very good reason for not joining the Poseidon trials. Something that was probably more valuable than her life.

'I made the right decision.'

She had to convince herself of this by repeating it twice. Internally, her doubts over this decision couldn't be clearer.

"The execution of an entire village at the orders of a third-tiered red-knight."

Gosse was fuming.

"Noble by birth, Jacques Lorient was an individual responsible for the ritual-based execution of over 700 individuals who were from a village named Rosnark, which came under his jurisdiction. In an attempt to please his patron, Guardian Knight Thanatos, his army butchered through the village in two days, while keeping the event secret from the kingdom and the council. It took two years for one of his men to approach a member of the council in secret and confess to his crimes, after which the council used this accusation to convict and hang the individual within the next week, after having to deal with his army, and a bandit group that was under his payroll."

This incident took place 300 years ago.

"Furthermore, there was additional evidence that he was regularly sacrificing people from his territory after that, as a means to "keep his lord happy." The total death count remains a mystery, but estimates range from 1000 to 2600."

The worst part of this incident was what came next.

"20 years after his execution, the council declared that after conducting a thorough investigation, it was revealed that the man who incriminated Jacques had been a follower who had been ordered to do so. Jacques meant to sacrifice himself, but not for his crimes. It was to spread his name throughout the kingdom in an attempt to carry on his legacy in the form of deranged followers that would commit atrocities under one banner."

His true intention was behind the exposure of his crimes.

"The cult of Lorient is an organization that was the result of this effort, and they have continued to be elusive to the various attempts made by the council to thwart their existence. Their numbers have diminished over the years due to constant operations on their bases, but they continue to thrive as an organization that has been killing innocent people in secret all over the kingdom."

They finished the paragraph. By the end of it, both their eyes were red.