Gamble

General Lancelot was walking casually across the fortress. It had been some hours since he interrupted the brawl that was happening in the cafeteria of the trainees.

'I didn't mind coming to see the trainees of this year. None of the higher-ups nor other generals thought that they were so good like this. They even said that only Amelia, Ray, and Arwin would become decent novices, while the others would never go up in the rankings.

'I couldn't agree with them at that time because I didn't know the strength of the trainees, but it was the first time that I saw almost all my division complaining about how weak they are in comparison to the other generations. Anyway, seeing the energy of those four young soldiers fighting against each other, I can assume that the exam will be interesting, at the very least. It's not always that you get to see people like that.'

Lancelot was no fool. He could recognize a good battle when he saw it and read the fighter's movements as if they were open books.

Just those few actions were sufficient for him to measure the raw power of those four trainees and even tell which one would win that battle.

'Well, it's safe to say that Ares stood no chance against those three. All he did was delay that battle more and more. He was aware that the rules of the trainees say that they can't have that type of brawl, so he was expecting that they would be interrupted. Anyhow, I need to compliment him for being so clever. He just set a mood among the trainees that will make him untouchable among them until the day of the exam.

'It's just a pity that he isn't powerful enough to compete with his intelligence. He has the potential but lacks in progression. If he had come here some years early train with us, he would surely be one of the strongest trainees.'

The general walked to the headquarters of Stokil Fortress, a huge building that was placed on the most chaotic part of Stokil Fortress, which was the north gate. The northern region of the fortress was where the real action happened.

When he entered the building, he didn't waste time paying attention to the other Guardians talking with each other and trying to solve problems, set strategies, or plan their next missions. Instead, he went by that place quickly and headed to the room where the Colonel of the First Division was.

"Excuse me, Colonel," he politely said while opening the door. He knew that it was ok to enter at that moment since she probably wasn't focused on her work.

Just as the old man supposed, Colonel Hera gave a pause to eat something.

He was fully aware of her routine since he worked for her for a long time. Also, she generally was in a good mood while in her break, so it was the best time to talk with her.

Hera was a woman with short brown hair. Her eyes had the same color, but one of them was light brown, while the other was way darker. She used round glasses, which was something that everyone found strange at first glance since she was a fighter.

The Colonel had a very proportional body, without exaggerations. She had the perfect balance to have good mobility and to wield her sword properly. Her posture was that of someone who trained regularly for years and naturally maintained her spine straight.

Her thin eyebrows and long eyelashes gave her a sharp and elegant look. Her diamond shaped and skinny face was angelical.

Nobody could deny that she was a gorgeous woman, even though she had some scars on her face and the intensive training gave her a body constitution that was less feminine than what was normal for other people.

The general himself always gave a look or two across her figure when he entered that place and it made the Colonel very mad every time.

"Instead of analyzing my body like you always do, why don't you say once and for all why are you here?" Her cold voice crossed the room and reached his ears, who got real right after and pretended that he wasn't doing anything wrong.

"W-well, I just came to talk a little bit about a certain subject, hehehe...", the man said, chuckling and scratching his head.

The Colonel just raised one brow and let her food on the side, paying attention to what the man wanted to say to her.

"I think that you heard about someone very curious among the trainees this year," the general commented, taking a chair and sitting in front of her.

The woman didn't show any change in her expression, even though deep inside she was quite interested in any subject related to Ares.

"Yes. I was the one who agreed with this crazy idea of letting him participate in the exams of this year," she crossed her arms while raising her chin.

"That's right. I am aware of your decisions and the special circumstances that Ares is in right now. However, I think I should mention that he caused a fuss on his very first day at the dormitory."

The woman wasn't dumb. She predicted that someone as short-tempered and pretentious as Ares would cause trouble earlier than usual, particularly when dealing with boys like the trainees of that year. What the general said wasn't a surprise at all.

"I am aware of the situation as well. News spread fast in a fortress. It isn't as big as a city, you know?"

The general smiled once he heard that.

"Do you think that a boy like him will be able to win against the other trainees?"

She reasoned about that question for a while.

"Since most of them already Awakened, I am not sure whether he will be able to compete against them or not. I would bet that he won't pull through, though."

The general giggled.

"I know that your favorite trainee of this year is Arwin Whitehorse. You show it in your face whenever you get to see the trainees doing their everyday exercises and showing off their abilities. Since that's the case, what do you think about making a gamble with me?" The man had a malicious gleam in his eyes again as he leaned on the table slightly.

"And what kind of bet will it be?"

"If Ares becomes a Novice, then you will do something that I think it's necessary for you to do. I will order you like a superior for once. If Arwin wins, you can think about a condition that is proportional to my request. How about it?"

The lady was a bit wary of that old man. He was a pervert after all, and not only that but a good gambler as well. However, she could notice that he wasn't trying to do something mean to her.

"If that's the case, then I accept it. I will think about a reward when Arwin wins."

"Hehe, keep confident like this. It will be better when I see your shocked face after your loss," the old general mocked her.

The two of them gave a handshake and ended their conversation right there.