The Black Stone of Egad slowly left the forest before the sun completely sets. Lo was at the center under the stone, forced to carry most of the weight. When they got to the courtyard, only ten nobles were present. Some of the others were disqualified, while the rest were still looking for this relic. Sun can't help but be thankful that the stone was so large and visible.
Borvo was among the ten that arrived. They sat the stone next to the large gem and presented it to the proctor. Then they returned to their original spot. Layla and Shuja locked arms with Kee and escorted her to the bleachers while grinning. "Best friend?" Layla asked.
"Bestest of friends!" Shuja answered.
"I hate both of you!" Kee shouted.
Everyone waited till night. Only half of the exam takers that left returned. Once everyone was accounted for, the demon in charge of the exam appeared above the gem. "Congratulations to those that found their item, but we don't have time to reward you for your efforts. It is nearly time for the Crystal Baptismal, and as tradition, we will be giving you half an hour to reveal your inner self." The paladins distributed papers and a tag with a question on it.
This part of the exam was simple to understand. The church will ask each heir for their plans as rulers, and to pass, the church must approve these future plans. Most if not all exam takers pass this test because they would write whatever they believe the church will want for their nation. By simply reiterating the church's teachings and referencing Mahalia as a model ruler, most pass with flying colors.
But the church found ways to circumnavigate these lazy attempts to appease them. The tag has a question that challenges the exam taker's personal beliefs and style of rulership. And through these tags, the church managed to designate rulers into four categories.
The first is the stewardly leaders. Those that focused on economic development and foreign trade. They're the church's least concern. They demand from them charity work and for their churches to receive priority during realm construction. But on rare occasions, during times of war or crusades, these rulers' main contribution is to feed the war machine. And depending on the country's level of production, they can prove to be the most important chess piece. Thus, it is equally important to ensnare these rulers to the church's side. Another hidden trait these types carry is their ability to carry their nation to a better tomorrow. Although rare, there were times when kingdoms rise to challenge the world's superpowers not through war but by the sheer size of the country's economy. Borvo is of this type, and worst, by the church's calculations, could potentially bring his rundown kingdom into a great power.
The next type of leader is considered the most problematic of the three. The sharp tongue rulers, often born among the countries near the sea. They are deceitful, cunning, and cynical. Their arbitrary nature combined with their ambition often results in a vile villain, and worst, a maniac possessed by their inner demons and pushed to war and murder. At least, that's what the church sees them. Indeed, these types are often mischievous tricksters and individualistic, stringing the hearts of men to achieve their goals. But they are also the voice of the people. Some of them, born as a serf, only to take the top after leading a peasant revolt. Do they win? Not often, but it has happened. And the levels of diplomatic skills between leaders vary wildly for each individual. Lo and Kee are of these types of rulers, and their competency in deceit is average all things considered.
And the third, the favorite of the church. Nobles raised for war. These types of kings and queens prioritize their warring lineage. Nobles and aristocrats were raised from birth to be the leading knights for professional soldiers while the majority of the population are stuck picking the wheat from the ground. These warrior kings are truly the master of warfare. They are giants of the battlefield, but they are mice in the court. They can easily be swayed by the more eloquent courtiers, making them easy to manipulate. But be wary, because they are universally vengeful to those that wronged them. They also lack the discipline to run an economy. After all, they are warriors, not bankers.
Borvo was confidently writing his plans for his kingdom and seemed to enjoy explaining every step. Meanwhile, Mark struggled to put his thoughts into words. At one point he smacked his head on the dirt and yelled 'think' to himself repeatedly.
And then there's Sun. His question was odd because it was not written for a specific type of ruler. That's because the church doesn't know what type of ruler Sun would be. At least, not entirely. Sun's question prompt was more intrusive than he was expecting. Would you sacrifice your kingdom to save the life of an orphan?
This stumped Sun. It was an expected question with an obvious answer, but he couldn't help but feel that there was a catch. He pondered for some time, waiting for the muse to give him an idea. Nothing came to his head. Ideas don't come to those that wait, you'll have to work for it. Sun scratched his head and hyped himself up. He jotted down what's important to him; his family, friends, the goblins that look up to him, the mentor that he considered as his father in this life. There were so many of them and they were all tied to his kingdom.
Sun did not want to sacrifice everything for an orphan and a stranger at that but maybe his past life could give him an answer. He closed his eyes and traveled back to his murky past, where there was no winter snow but hot sand. The walls covered the horizon and the buildings were tall. His memory was not clear. It was confusing, mixing with his new experiences as a goblin.
But deep in his consciousness, he found the answer to his question. His friend in the past once broke a house window. The authorities arrived after getting a call from the people living inside the home. They thought it was a bomb thrown by a gang terrorizing the local neighborhood, but it was a just rock his friend threw out of frustration.
They handcuffed his friend and took him away. His parents rushed out the street pleading for them to let their child go with a warning. Even his younger brother ran out and blocked the jeep carrying his brother. But they were weak and their colonizer was stronger. Sun wrote his questionable memory down the paper. He wrote down every detail he could piece together such as the harsh light of the state jeep and the sound of the street. And he spun it as a made-up story with a sad ending.
But it was the epilogue that mattered. He wrote down the lesson he learned from this memory. The home with the broken window belonged to his friend's family. But despite building it, they had lost their ownership over them. It was stolen by the state. So he wrote something that the church might not have predicted. Yes, he would sacrifice it to save a life. But its new owners better be prepared, because he will not stop until he gets it back.