Registration of Participants

"Arianne, why is this person in my house?" I asked, seeing Nero sitting casually at the dining table, munching on some cookies in the early morning.

Aren't those the cookies I bought yesterday for Lily? How dare he eat my sister's cookies!

"Oi! Do you realize what you're eating, Nero—"

Just as I was about to approach Nero to snatch the precious cookies from his dirty hands, Arianne blocked my way.

"Wait a moment, Miss Ellora. Those aren't the cookies you bought yesterday for Miss Lily," she said.

"Eh, good morning, Ellora. Sorry for coming over so early," Nero said, still chewing the cookies with no sign of remorse.

"These are cookies I tried making this morning, attempting to replicate the ones you bought yesterday. The original cookies are still safely stored, so don't worry," Arianne explained.

"Oh, in that case, it's fine."

"Then, who gave you permission to come in here?" I asked, turning my attention back to Nero.

Just because he prepared the house for me doesn't mean he can come and go as he pleases. I could report him to the authorities if he keeps this up. And why did Arianne allow him to come in so easily?

"I apologize, Miss Ellora. This morning, when I was taking out the trash, I saw Mr. Nero standing at the front door with a pitiful expression. I couldn't bring myself to turn him away, so I let him in," Arianne explained.

Maybe he's been kicked out of his own house or something? Well, it's not really my concern.

"It's fine, Arianne. The problem is with this person," I said, pointing at Nero.

"Eh? Me?"

After taking a deep breath, I continued, "So why are you here, Nero?"

"Of course, to pick you up. Today's the registration day, didn't you remember?" he said.

"I haven't forgotten, but it's still dawn! Have you even checked the time before coming here?!" 

"Oh, right."

Arianne, who was watching us, kept smiling oddly while occasionally covering her mouth to stifle her laughter. I didn't feel like I was in a comedy show or something, so why did she really have to laugh at us?

*** 

*3 hours later*

I was currently in a noble's car owned by Nero. I actually didn't want to ride in such a conspicuous vehicle, but for some reason, Arianne insisted that I go with Nero in this car, and reluctantly, I left Lily at home.

Although she seemed like her usual self, I was still worried about being away from Lily for too long.

Well, there's Arianne looking after her at home, and our house is located near a large wall where many Royal Guards patrol, so I think everything will be alright.

In the worst-case scenario, I have also marked Lily with dimensional magic, so if she's in danger, I can go to her immediately.

"So, where are we going, Nero?"

"We're going to the Regalizen Headquarters."

"In that case, could you explain all the procedures I need to follow there?"

"Hmmm, actually, there are many procedures you need to go through before you can become a candidate for the Regalizen Commander. Normally, you have to be one of the top graduates from the Royal Aurelius Knights Academy."

"Royal Knights Academy?"

"Yes, it's a place where children who want to become Royal Knights of Aurelius learn and train."

"I think I've seen it before."

"Yes, that big building over there is the academy."

"But since I'm one of the Regalizen Commanders recommending you, you don't need to go through all those complicated procedures."

"Regalizen is a flexible unit. Anyone can join and become a member if they are strong enough."

"So, not only graduates from the Academy can become members of Regalizen?"

"Yes, that's right. After you're accepted, you will still attend the Academy, but all expenses will be covered by the kingdom, and your time there will be only one semester, which is 6 months. After that, you will be officially inducted as a Regalizen member."

"Hmmm."

"But don't underestimate all of this, Ellora."

"Why?"

"Just like how you are being recommended by me now, the other Regalizen Commanders are also recommending candidates they believe are strong."

"For example?"

"The descendants of the 7 Ancient Heroic Families."

That's true.

The 7 Ancient Heroic Families, yes. I had previously heard about this from Enigma since he is one of the descendants of the heroic families, specifically the Van Helden family, even though his relationship with the heroic family is somewhat strained.

Descendants of the ancient heroes have their own unique magic, which distinguishes them from other wizards in terms of pronunciation and color of their magic. Since there is no available information about them, I need to be more cautious about my competitors later.

Moreover, in the worst-case scenario, it's likely that I'm the only ordinary civilian participating in the selection, while the rest are descendants of the heroic families.

For now, I still don't have any information about them. It would be very detrimental to me if I were to face one of the ancient heroic families directly later on. I need to prepare thoroughly for this.

Before I knew it, time had passed. During my conversation with Nero in his car, we finally arrived at our destination, the Regalizen Central Headquarters.

The headquarters is enormous and, of course, very tall. I even had to tilt my head up towards the sky to see the top of what seems to be the main building, although there are many smaller buildings surrounding it.

In the midst of the tall buildings in front of me, there is a garden that looks quite beautiful. It features a fountain and many flowers of various colors decorating the garden, making anyone who comes here never get bored with the view. But is this garden a tourist attraction around here? Or just a relaxation spot for the employees?

In the middle of the flower garden, I saw a woman with shoulder-length white hair crouching in front of the flowerbed while holding a white flower in her hand. She was wearing the same uniform as Nero.

Seeing her beautiful hair matching the color of the flower she was holding somehow made me feel calm.

The woman looked at me and smiled warmly afterward, but I hadn't even noticed her presence until I saw her. If I hadn't seen her crouching in front of the flowerbed, I might never have realized she was there.

"Who is she, Nero?"

"Who?"

"That woman," I replied, pointing to the woman from earlier.

"Which woman?" 

"Huh? She disappeared."

Just a few seconds ago, I saw her holding a white flower in front of the flowerbed, and then when I looked away for just a moment, she vanished. What kind of magic was that?

"We'll go up and register you right away, Ellora. Don't linger here."

I nodded slowly toward Nero, and then we continued walking into the tallest building.

As we entered, many office workers were seen moving about with documents in their hands. Some were on the phone, and a few were carrying small cardboard boxes. They all wore dark suits, giving the building a very busy atmosphere.

Among the people in dark suits, a middle-aged man approached us. He was also wearing the same uniform as Nero, but it seemed there was a clear difference in rank displayed on the old man's shoulder.

"Welcome back, Commander 8 Nero Beryl," the man greeted while bowing respectfully toward Nero.

"And this lady?"

"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Ellora Evernoir. I was recommended by Nero to register as a candidate for Commander 9 Regalizen."

"Oh, pleased to meet you, Miss Ellora. My name is Certim Kovtu, Deputy Commander 8 of the Regalizen Forces."

"And, please call the commanders by their titles while in the Regalizen Headquarters area," he continued with a friendly smile toward me.

"By the way, my title is 'The Blazing Chivalry'. Sounds impressive, doesn't it? Hahaha," he said.

"The Blazing Chivalry," huh? It sounds very impressive to my ears, but this person doesn't seem to reflect the qualities of a knight at all. I'm a bit skeptical about it, and how did he even earn that title? Could it be thanks to connections with other noble families? Well, whatever it is, it's not my concern.

Overall, from the appearance of this old man, he must be very strong, even though he doesn't come from a royal noble family. Still, he holds the position of Deputy Commander of Regalizen. I heard from Nero that noble families don't want to be governed by other noble families because of their high egos, so it seems very unlikely that this old man is from a noble family.

"Alright, let's go straight to the meeting room for all the Commander candidates of Regiment 9."

"But first, Miss Ellora must fill out all the required forms. Let me escort you," the old man continued.

I nodded slightly in response to his invitation, and he then guided me toward a desk that seemed to serve as the reception area of this building. I noticed that along the way, which was only about 7 meters from the door to the desk, everyone who saw Nero immediately lowered their heads politely. Some even whispered his title. It seems the influence of the Regalizen commanders here is very strong. Regardless of the situation, they seem like royal generals, so it's no wonder everyone respects a Regalizen Commander.

Eventually, Nero and Certim stopped midway to chat with someone who approached them, leaving me alone to head to the receptionist. I didn't want to linger here any longer, so it was better for me to go on my own.

"Welcome to the main building of the Regalizen headquarters. My name is Vertisen, and I handle public services related to all civilian matters at the Regalizen headquarters. How can I assist you?" greeted a receptionist standing behind the desk.

Without any pleasantries, I took the official invitation letter given to me by Nero and placed it on the reception desk.

Suddenly, after seeing the letter I just placed on the desk, the receptionist's expression changed from being very friendly to serious.

"Please follow me."

After that, the receptionist began walking towards me, and I followed them until we arrived in front of a door after walking for a long time through the corridors of this large building. I followed calmly, and the receptionist did not say a word during our journey to the door.

"Please go in. After this, you will be guided by someone else who will explain everything."

"Alright."

After the receptionist bowed politely towards me, they turned around and walked back to their original place at the reception desk.

But are they really serious about this? Isn't this a bit of an insult?

I mean, the door right in front of me isn't real; it seems like it was created by a visual magic arrangement relying on light refraction to maintain its appearance. This is just child's play. If I turned off all the lights here, this door wouldn't be here.

If I could complain, the first person I'd complain about would be the receptionist. Did they really do their job well? Guiding a Regalizen Commander candidate to this illusionary door—if this is part of the examination, I can't believe how trivial it is.

Of course, the real door is behind me, covered by a wall-thin magic and camouflaged with mirror-like magic atoms directed sideways to blend with the surrounding wall color.

*haaaahhh*

"What is this? Please don't toy with me using such cheap tricks."

Moreover, there's no need to install surveillance cameras; I wouldn't do anything odd. Installing four surveillance cameras in front of this door and then covering them with the same illusionary magic is really petty.

What's the point if you can't erase the traces of magic atoms when casting camouflage magic? Such careless wizards.

Without saying anything, I touched the door covered by the illusionary wall behind me, and it finally revealed itself—a black glass door after the illusionary wall vanished.

I pushed the door slowly and entered.

"Welcome to the special examination room for the Regalizen Commander candidates. Please state your name."

Someone was already standing there waiting by the door to greet whoever entered. It seemed like they were the person mentioned by the receptionist earlier.

"My name is Ellora Evernoir."

"Evernoir?"

"I've never heard that name before."

"Is she from a village or something?"

"Don't joke around. Is she one of my competitors?"

"...."

There were five people who had arrived earlier, and they seemed to be from noble families who looked down on ordinary people like me.

This is going to be a real hassle. I hate this.

"Alright, since all the candidates are present, let me introduce myself. My name is Ausbay Lorelei, and I will be the examiner for this examination."

"I will introduce them to you. Please listen carefully, Miss Ellora, as you will all be competing for the title of commander."

"First, we have Miss Madalyn Naventhius from the Seven Ancient Hero Families, namely the Naventhius family."

A woman with long blonde hair that reached her back, seemingly around my age, looked very arrogant with eyes that I greatly disliked—eyes that looked down on others.

"Next, Miss Charlotte Vermillion Rosenfeld from the Seven Ancient Hero Families, namely the Vermillion Rosenfeld family."

"This girl seems pretty average, but I sense a strong, burning ambition from her. Nevertheless, she manages to control herself. She must be very strong."

"Next, Mr. Gareth Rhanes from the Seven Ancient Hero Families, namely the Rhanes family."

A very tall man, probably around two meters or more, he did not say anything at all when I entered. Does he just not care?

"Next, Miss Cestine Van Helden from the Seven Ancient Hero Families, namely the Van Helden family."

Van Helden? Could she be Enigma's older sister? Her face looks similar, and her hair color is the same. Although she's not as rigid as Enigma, I've heard that Enigma hates her family intensely.

"Then, Mr. Chris Ireshia from the Seven Ancient Hero Families, namely the Ireshia family."

So he was the one who came before me? His expression annoys me. He has the same arrogant look as Madalyn.

"So, which village are you from?"

Suddenly, Madalyn approached me with an arrogant smile still plastered on her face, as if she was deliberately showing it to me.

"Lilac City."

"Pffft—"

"Hahahahaha."

"...."

"Isn't that on the border of the Aurelius Kingdom?"

"I don't even know where that village is."

Even the examiner is silent about this commotion? What was his name again? Oh yes, Ausbay Lorelei. Isn't he also from an ancient hero family? So, he must share the same view as Madalyn towards me.

So that's it.

Not only am I not from a hero family, but I'm not even nobility. It's as if I'm destined for misfortune.

But that doesn't mean I should accept being treated like this with a smile.

"I don't blame you for not knowing about Lilac City. It only indicates your ignorance, which means you need to study more."

"What?"

"Such a country bumpkin!"

"Know your place! You shouldn't speak to Madalyn like that!" Chris retorted.

"Just getting riled up over a comment like that, you're embarrassing the Ancient Hero Families," Charlotte suddenly stepped in to mediate the commotion.

"Hah? Are you siding with this country bumpkin?"

"Who said I'm siding with her? I'm just warning you!"

The big-bodied man named Gareth Rhanes remained silent and merely observed us as if it were of no concern. But am I just imagining it, or has he been staring at me the whole time?

"Stop fighting. As members of the Ancient Hero Families, you shouldn't be speaking like that to Ellora!" 

A woman who had been anxiously watching us argue now moved to defend me. She is Cestine Van Helden.

She seems like a pure-hearted girl with her head full of flowers and peace, but I hope she is indeed like that.

"Hah? Do you even know who you're talking to?" Madalyn responded threateningly.

Cestine, who had only wanted to defend me, now fell silent, frightened by Madalyn's gaze.

"Ugh."

"Always acting like a pure and innocent girl, but you're only ranked 6 Interferer, and you dare to scold me, ranked 2 Synchronizer."

"O-oi Madalyn, it will be bad if you get angry here."

Chris, panicking as he saw Madalyn growing angrier, tried to calm her down, but it seemed Madalyn wasn't listening anymore. Poor Chris.

"Ridiculous."

The large man who had been quietly observing us all finally spoke up, but I don't think this is a good start for him.

"If I were you, I wouldn't bother Ellora."

"Hah?"

"You're still defending this country bumpkin? Don't you value me?!" Madalyn shouted.

"Let's settle this in the arena, shall we?"

"Fine!"

"Again, you're deciding everything on your own! Consider the rules too!" Charlotte retorted, clearly frustrated.

"So, you're opting for a strength-based selection method? Very well, I'll make this an official match!" Ausbay declared enthusiastically.

"Even you, Supervisor Ausbay?"

"Isn't it good? Someone makes a suggestion, and the other participants agree with it."

"Aaaaah! I won't participate if the Regalizen higher-ups find out about this!"

"Don't worry, Miss Charlotte. I am the authority managing this selection. Leave everything to me."

I thought the selection would be managed by the supervisors or at least the higher-ups of Regalizen, but it seems I was wrong. These descendants of the ancient heroes seem to have full power over everything in this kingdom, and worse, they act on their whims.

This is no longer just a selection for commander candidates but rather a conflict between ancient hero families. It's very troublesome, and just thinking about it makes me feel exhausted.

And unfortunately, I, who had nothing to do with this issue, am now dragged into it. It's incredibly draining.

I want to finish this and go home quickly to bury my head in Lily's embrace. Ugh, this is so troublesome.

But I was a bit surprised by Gareth Rhanes's words. What did he mean by saying he wouldn't bother me? Was he trying to mediate this commotion? Or does he dislike Madalyn's attitude? Who knows.

"Alright, the meeting ends here for today. Make sure you come tomorrow morning to start the selection. Dismissed!"

And so, this surprising meeting that turned into a contest between the ancient hero families, which has nothing to do with me, began.

Or more clearly, this is all just a hassle.

***