Alexander took a deep breath as he scanned the room.
The smell of fresh ink filled his nostrils as he chose a seat in the middle of the room, near the left wall.
His reasoning was simple.
Sitting in the far back would make him look suspicious while sitting in the front put him in the spotlight.
Making the middle a perfect equilibrium.
Louise took the seat behind Alexander, which wasn't surprising. If Alexander had to guess, she didn't want to ruin her image by sitting beside him, plus sitting behind him gave her an advantage.
As the remaining students filtered in, Alexander caught a glimpse of a young boy sitting beside him.
He looked quite sophisticated for a ten-year-old.
With long blond hair, light orange eyes, and a stoic expression.
Catching Alexander glancing at him, the boy gave a confident smirk. "Ahh, enraptured by my beauty?" He asked, revealing his pearly whites, "Worry not my friend, I have no interest in stealing your maiden."
Alexander blinked, momentarily caught off guard by the boy's sheer confidence. "What?" He muttered questioningly.
Before the boy could give what would no doubt be a long-winded answer, a commanding voice swept the room.
"Enough chatter, put up your dividers, and begin your tests." It was the professor, standing behind his desk with an hourglass.
"You have two hours."
Gray dividers went up with a rustling sound, followed by the scratching of pens on paper.
Scanning the first page Alexander was met with mathematical equations, geometry, and puzzles.
He worked through the effortlessly, same with the history, language, and scientific questions that followed.
But after that, Alexander was stumped. The following questions were no longer based on facts but on morality.
Questions such as, you've found a thief stealing from the wealthy, your task is to arrest him but you soon find that he's providing for the poor with his spoils.
Do you still arrest him or cover for him? Why?
Alexander gripped his pen tightly as he narrowed his eyes.
You're the commander of an army, deep in enemy territory without a chance of support. The local villages of the enemy have just enough to support you, but innocents will die without food.
Do you still take the food? Why or why not?
Alexander bit his bottom lips as he breathed sharply through his nostrils.
Your mother and spouse are sick, you only have the means to cure one of them.
You and your spouse are to become future parents, but your mother has three younger children.
Who do you save? And why?
Alexander genuinely began to stress as he tapped his forehead with the tip of his thumb.
What kind of questions are these?
Realizing there probably wasn't any way to get out of this, Alexander answered as best he could. Crafting logical arguments that hopefully didn't raise suspicion.
As the test dragged on, Alexander couldn't help but feel someone looking down on him. No doubt it was Louise, who was probably speeding through her test with confidence.
I wonder if she struggled at that part too?
Eventually, after what felt like years, the hourglass dropped its last grain of sand, and the test came to an end.
"Time's up, pen and dividers down." The professor said with the clap of his hands.
Alexander breathed a sigh of relief as he folded his divider and placed down his pen.
As the professor began walking around, collecting the packets, he continued to speak. "These will be graded by the end of the day, by which time it'll be decided if you'll get a dorm room or a ride home."
Once the packets were collected, the professor had the students stand and head outside towards the training grounds.
As the group walked, Louise fell in step beside Alexander.
"How did you perform?" She asked, her voice holding no emotion.
Alexander shrugged. "Fine, I guess, it wasn't too hard."
Louise narrowed her eyes as she pulled her lips back in a frown. "I saw you hesitate, why?"
Alexander tightened his fists as he averted his gaze. "So you were watching me."
Louise gave him a long look, before looking forward. "I wasn't watching you, pervert."
Alexander didn't respond.
Stepping outside, the academy training grounds were sprawled out in all its glory.
A large area filled with training dummies, obstacle courses, exercise equipment, and more.
Alexander felt himself growing anxious, his heart racing as his eyes darted around the field. This is what he had trained for, no, this is what he was built for.
The professor turned to face the students as he walked backward. "Now, here your physical assessment can begin."
He allowed the weight of his words to settle over the crowd, before continuing. "Most importantly this physical assessment will determine your future in the military or police force. However, if you have no intention of joining either you can opt-out, but understand that doing so will lock you out of future opportunities."
Students began shifting cautiously as they glanced at each other.
The majority of the girls and a few boys had relieved expressions. Alexander could instantly tell why, none of them looked to have trained a day in their life.
But Alexander wasn't like them, for him, this is only a small stepping stone forward. A chance to prove himself, and open up opportunities to rebuild his House.
"If you wish to take the test, move to the right, if not move to the left." The professor held out both his hands to form starting points.
Alexander didn't hesitate when stepping to the right, catching a curious glance from the professor.
Students began filtering left and right, and it was quickly evident how the students in this group differed.
Those in the left line looked dressed to impress, with soft hands and relieved expressions.
While those on the right looked ready to kill.
But the were a few notable exceptions, first was Louise, who surprisingly joined the right line, just behind Alexander.
Alexander knew for a fact she wasn't a fighter, she was more of a strategic genius.
Maybe Béatrice forced her to take all the tests?
The second was the boy from earlier, with orange eyes. Alexander was almost certain he'd have been in the left line, but here he stood, with a confident expression and hand to his chest.
Besides those two, there were a few choice girls and boys who looked rugged and confident.
Alexander could immediately tell most of them weren't nobility, but most likely exceptional commoners looking to make a name for themselves.
Those are my competition, the ones who got here on merit.
The professor looked over the two lines with an unreadable expression. "Alright, for the next ten minutes, those in the right line will take the test, while those in the left, sit and watch."