It wasn't rare to have anyone older than 18 take the test, but it was a culture in knighthood that one should try it immediately after turning 18. But being knighted at 18 is an honor, praised left and right. I may be one year late but of course, that won't stop me from trying.
I wish I don't care about how other people see me, but having a good relationship with the other knights is something that is a need. They need to be able to trust one another without any prejudice or hesitation.
"Ahh... What if they say something like 'She only passed because she's backed up by Marquess Ponterise.' Right?" I mumble inside my room.
"Wait, no." I cross my arms.
I can just prove it to their faces!
That's right! I am Nera!
Someone deserving of being a knight not because of my last name, but because of my own abilities!
I'll take the highest grade there is! Hahahaha!
I praise myself in my mind while raising my arms and circling around my room.
"But how..." I pause and cross my arms again. "Get perfect scores on every test...?"
Impossible.
Not even my brother Noel finished the test with perfect scores. Although, I have to take into consideration that he was 16 at that time.
Noah had amazing grades, but they weren't perfect only because he leisurely took the test. He does hate losing but it was fine if it was 'just enough'. If that was him not seriously trying, I can't imagine if he did...
Ugh... Why are my brothers so useless- No!
I flick my head for that comment. They may be annoying but they're not useless.
They're perfect targets for sparring after all!
"...I'm getting nowhere." I cover my face with my hands and crash my body on the bed.
The tests are held every December and the month now is January. I have a year to get my body back in shape and improve it even more.
I'll show them. I'll show them I'm fit to be a knight. Not just some kid from the Ponterise family, but because our household has an important duty to this land, just like the other founding families. Our bloodline always had its descendants have natural fighting instincts and strength.
But every child of the family, man or woman, must become a knight. To uphold our family honor.
In the Quintesse Empire, it wasn't weird for women to become knights, it's often praised as well.
Fortunately, women have as many rights as men, but there are still unwritten societal laws that are unconsciously followed by everyone.
Smartness is sought in women. Strength for men. Better if one excelled in both, regardless of gender.
In this world, physical appearance can tell anyone how 'smart' a person is.
One's natural smartness is measured by the length of their hair. To be more specific, how long their hair can grow until it stops, unlike in Jessica's world where hair naturally grows.
The standard hair length of an average person is beyond the shoulder. Any longer than that will deem you as someone smart, and so, any shorter than that would deem you... dumb, to put it lightly.
Hair can only grow a specific length which is why it's quite rare for people to cut their hair. People style it but still maintain some parts of its original length. They can cut it off, but it's just going to make you look stupid because the longer the hair of a person is, the smarter they are proclaimed to be.
But the definition of smart here is different as well. Smartness is measured by the certain amount of knowledge and details one can store in their head, in short, memory storage.
The female lead, Jasmine, has hair that reaches beyond her waist which is considered as uncommon. While the male lead, Marin, has hair that reaches his waist.
While the proclaimed Bastard of the Century... I mean, Genius of the Century, Jamie de Vanderwale has the current longest hair length of any Quintessian. As I heard from Jasmine recently, I didn't really care for him that I'd at least acknowledge him having something going for him.
But unlike my treatment on Jamie, I know that people with long hair are well-respected in this society, nobility or commoner, especially women. Women who have lengthy hair and are proven to be wise would get marriage proposals left and right, desired by men and their families.
"That's why I haven't had a suitor, or arranged marriage despite turning 16 a long time ago."
My mother, Peryani cu Ponterise, has a hair length that is one hand away from her waist, still considered extremely desirable. And the fact that Mother's elegance and personality are perfect for high society.
Unfortunately, her nor my father's hair genes did not pass on to me since my hair doesn't even reach my shoulders, despite never being cut for 18 years. On the other hand, Noah, my second brother's hair is longer than mine.
But Noel, my eldest brother, is like me. His hair is short that it never grew beyond his neck and barely reached his ears, but his amazing instincts and talent in aura are more than enough to cover up for his 'lack of hair'. It's not directly correlated, it's purely a coincidence for him.
My father, Namilde, however, is a combination of both. He is smart and strong at the same time which makes him one of the best people to ever hold the Marquess Ponterise title.
Usually, women would prefer to work in offices, in government, or in their homes, helping their husbands with their territory. Most women do genuinely like doing it in this society but there are others who like fighting.
I was born in the Ponterise family so my body is naturally strong but regrettably, it was the exact opposite of my 'smartness' or memory. Noah got all the smarts in the siblings, after all.
This is what drove away potential suitors. Being the daughter of Marquess Ponterise is good, but my smarts weren't there.
Not that I care about getting married since I'm gunning for a position in the royal castle but I'm still a bit disappointed.
If I show them my abilities, I'm sure knights and nobles will come to respect me. Sure, they'll say it's because of my bloodline but so what? It's still my ability.
After making myself calm down by reassuring myself of my capabilities, I think my way through the tests.
First, the proctors of the test will be the knights from the First and Second Divisions of Knights. In short, the strongest in the Empire. They will oversee all the test takers.
Second, there are three major tests in the Knight's Exam held in three days. The Body, Aura, and Mental tests, one day each.
The Body test will prove one's strength and agility.
This is a basic physical test, in other words, the natural abilities of the body. In this test, there will be rocks with different weights and the examinee's heaviest rock that they are able to carry without the help of magic will be the score for their strength.
There will also be a course with a few obstacles to test the examinee's agility. The time they get to the finish line will be their score for agility.
The Aura test will prove one's capacity in using mana with the body, weapon, and abilities.
The examinee will be sparring with another examinee while using their preferred weapon and activated abilities. They should use their aura to shield their body, enhance their muscles and weapon, and use their abilities accordingly during the battle.
The Mental test will prove one's adaptability in difficult situations.
The examinee will be placed on an obstacle course made by mages specializing in illusion magic and have the same affinity as the examinee. The course will always be changing, unexpected obstacles will be added every time depending on the mana alignment and known skill set of the examinee. They should be able to use their body and aura accordingly while passing through the course.
Although there are these three tests, there is one that examinees and proctors don't care too much about.
The Body test.
This test is normally the one looked down on because aura is much more useful. Aura can enhance the body anyways so natural strength and agility don't matter.
That's how they see it though. That's also how I saw it so I only practiced my aura most of the time.
But now that I have the memories of a mana-less human, I have realized much more.
If you have amazing strength and it's enhanced by aura, wouldn't the knight be much stronger in that sense?
It's easy multiplication that even I can do. Why haven't people here thought of it?
It's most likely because we have the privilege of having magic. Unlike on my previous world where humans had nothing but their bodies and brains, they used it to their utmost capacity.
And now that I have both perspectives, I'll easily ace this test. Hahahaha!