Dreams and Assessments

[The ashen-gray sky]

[The ocher earth]

[The wind blowing over the wild grass carried the rusty tang of blood]

[An endless wilderness stretched to the horizon where heaven and earth met. There were no buildings, no signs of human habitation—nothing but sky, earth, and wind]

[Where was this?]

[What time was it now?]

[Why was she here?]

[What was she doing?]

[All manner of questions coiled through Hilde's mind, but no one was destined to answer them]

[She wandered through that wilderness, sometimes walking toward the setting sun, sometimes circling in place, as if she had no purpose at all and nowhere to go]

Just how long did she have to keep walking...

The moment she thought that, she woke from the dream.

Hilde pulled open the curtains and took a look.

The sun had yet to rise, and the sky was still completely dark.

Wasn't it a little early to get up at this hour...

No, it was just right.

Hilde pushed that baffling dream to the back of her mind, quickly got ready, and immediately set out for the dojo.

She had thought she would be the first to arrive.

But when she reached the dojo, she found that the main gate was already open. A boy who looked to be in his teens was sweeping by the entrance with a broom taller than he was.

This was bad.

She had actually arrived later than the cleaner sweeping the place.

At first, when she had heard that many of the dojo students here in the royal capital were of noble birth and not especially serious about sword training, Hilde had assumed they were all spoiled young masters and had not taken it to heart.

She had not expected to be proven wrong so quickly.

"Hmm?"

Just as Hilde noticed him, he noticed Hilde as well.

"I haven't seen you around the dojo before... Need something?"

"The Water God told me to come here this morning. She said she would judge whether I could stay at the dojo through an assessment."

"An assessment? Haven't heard anything about that. Grandmother, honestly..."

The boy muttered a couple of complaints under his breath.

Hilde's ears twitched slightly.

Grandmother?

Could this boy be related to Leda, the Water God?

"You're a little early."

The boy looked up at the sky.

"There's still about an hour before morning practice officially starts, but you can go in and find a place to rest first. When the time comes, I'll tell Teacher Linus to come find you."

"Thank you."

Hilde gave him a slight nod. Her impression of the boy was rather good.

After entering the dojo along the familiar route, Hilde suddenly remembered that she had forgotten to ask where she was supposed to wait. The front hall's doors had not opened yet, and she seemed to have nowhere to go.

Forget it. She might as well walk around the courtyard.

She would count it as getting familiar with the surroundings in advance.

Hilde followed the wooden-floor corridor to the rear courtyard. An old tree grew there with gnarled, tangled roots, its branches thick with blossoms and leaves.

Swish, swish, swish—

The sound of sword swings, like a clear babbling stream, came from around the corner of the dojo, crisp and unbroken.

Someone was practicing swordsmanship there.

And from the sound alone, she could tell they were highly skilled.

Hilde instinctively wanted to go over and see what was going on, but she quickly stopped herself.

"So there are swordsmen in the royal capital this diligent too," Hilde thought to herself. "If I go watch now, I'd be putting myself in an inferior position, and there's no point. Since I have nothing to do anyway, I might as well train too."

She set aside the sword she had brought with her, took a wooden sword from the weapon rack by the dojo door, assumed her stance in the open space outside the courtyard wall, and likewise began to swing.

Swish, swish, swish—

At the corner outside the dojo, the two sets of sword swings were uneven at first.

At some point, the two sounds gradually began to overlap, as if locked in some silent contest, rising and falling without end, neither willing to fall even half a beat behind. Sweat soon soaked the hair on Hilde's forehead, but her expression remained steady as she kept going.

Before she knew it, the horizon had turned pale with dawn.

Voices and footsteps began to sound near the dojo. Figures moved through the front hall, and when people saw Hilde swinging her sword outside, they stopped one after another and began murmuring among themselves.

Feeling that it was about time, Hilde slowly stopped swinging her sword.

Almost at the same moment, the sound from inside the wall stopped too.

Hilde wiped her face with her sleeve.

Just as she lowered her wooden sword, a figure on the other side of the corner came into view.

Isolte wore a light-gray training outfit, her black hair threaded with hints of blue tied into a ponytail, fine beads of sweat clinging to her temples.

When she saw Hilde, she froze for a moment, then gave a very faint smile.

"It's you. I remember your name is... Hilde, right?"

Hilde nodded.

"Thanks for the bread yesterday."

"You're welcome."

Isolte's gaze fell on the wooden sword in Hilde's hand.

"So... are you a student of the dojo now?"

"Not yet. They said they'd decide whether to let me stay after I pass an assessment."

"An assessment?"

Isolte looked completely confused.

There shouldn't have been any rule like that in the dojo, right?

While the two of them were talking, another figure walked over. Isolte glanced at him, then immediately stepped forward to greet him. "Good morning, Master Linus."

"Good morning, Isolte."

Linus glanced at the wooden sword in Isolte's hand, a smile tugging at his lips.

Then he looked at Hilde.

"Come with me. The grounds are ready. Isolte, you come too."

"Me?"

Isolte was at a loss.

The two followed Linus into the dojo, crossed a corridor paved with wooden flooring, and finally arrived at the front hall.

The front hall now was the exact opposite of the empty silence from an hour ago. It was packed with men and women dressed in the dojo's training clothes. The instant the two stepped into the hall, everyone's eyes fell on them at once...

No, to be precise, they fell on Hilde alone.

Especially when they saw that Hilde was only such a young child, they inevitably began whispering among themselves.

"Isolte, you go over first."

Linus spoke softly.

Isolte nodded, walked two steps, then looked back at Hilde again.

There was no particular expression on the latter's face, as if she had already anticipated what was about to happen.

It was nothing more than a show of force.

"In accordance with the Water God's request."

Linus spoke, suppressing the somewhat noisy murmurs in the hall.

"This is an assessment. Miss Hilde, if you cannot pass it, you will not be allowed to remain in this dojo."

"Fine. Come at me."

Hilde did not shrink back in the slightest and took a step forward.

There was no need to question whether such a decision was fair or just.

In any case, all she had to do was smash every obstacle in front of her to pieces.

The people standing in the dojo looked at one another. This was the first time they had heard of such a rule, and more than that...

It had actually been arranged personally by the Water God?

"Don't worry. Though it is an assessment, we won't deliberately make things hard for you."

Linus said.

In the recommendation letter from yesterday, Hilde's talent for swordsmanship had been positively evaluated, but it still expressed the hope that the dojo would examine her seriously. If she did not possess the corresponding ability, then refusing her would be fine as well.

After all...

Even if it was his daughter's request, she was still that Paul's child.

"As long as you can defeat three opponents, you'll be considered to have passed the assessment. Grot, you start."

"Good!"

Linus turned his head and gave a signal. A boy immediately stepped out from the crowd with a smile at the corner of his mouth, his curly hair a brownish yellow, a few freckles on his face. Holding a wooden sword, he stood in front of Hilde.

Hilde raised her head slightly.

This guy was almost two heads taller than her, and looked about twelve or thirteen.

"Teacher Linus, this kid only looks about seven or eight, right? How far should I go?" Grot asked.

"Until she can't fight anymore," Linus said.

"Ha, are you serious? A kid this small..."

As Grot spoke, he suddenly met Hilde's gaze, and swallowed the rest of his sentence without thinking.

Her clear, watery blue eyes reflected his own image like a water mirror, still as an ancient well, without the slightest ripple at his words.

Even with a wooden sword pointed at her, she still stood where she was, as if she was completely and utterly ignoring him.

This girl...

She was way too arrogant.

Grot moved a little closer and lowered his voice, speaking so only Hilde could hear.

"Don't get too cocky, brat. Maybe you've got a little talent, but before you learn swordsmanship, you'd better learn how to respect your seniors first!"

The instant the words left his mouth, Grot stepped forward and swung his sword, chopping toward Hilde's shoulder.

Hilde couldn't help sighing.

This was...

Way too weak, wasn't it?

Probably only beginner level.

Was this so-called assessment really only this much?

Hilde swayed lightly, dodging the slash as if it were nothing.

Before Grot could reset his stance, she rushed forward, closing the distance in a flash, and slammed her head into Grot's chest...

Bam—

With a heavy, muffled sound, Grot went flying like a cannonball.