Chapter 43

Desinia Territory.

The selection of mayors and other officials had to be conducted in Visas.

Moreover, Cyrus had already set the detailed registration and examination dates, examination venues, and so on. Anyone who wished to participate only needed to arrive in Visas before the specified date.

To that end, he had specially planned and arranged an examination hall within Visas.

Afterward, they began counting the number of applicants, dividing examination rooms according to the numbers, and making specific arrangements...

Judas organized the list and said, "My lord, more than three hundred people from fifteen cities, including Visas, have registered for the examination."

"More than half of them want to run for mayor, while the rest chose other official positions."

Cyrus nodded, then recalled something. "What about Nat?"

Judas said, "I conveyed your suggestion to Young Master Nat, and he accepted it."

"He has indeed been studying as you instructed. When registering, he applied for the position of diplomat."

Cyrus gave a sound of acknowledgment. After asking a few more questions about Nat, he turned and said, "How are the examination papers Grove and the others are preparing?"

"Only the last small section remains before they are finished."

Cyrus said, "Judas, tell them to hurry. The papers must be printed before the examination begins... Also, during this period, they are not allowed to go anywhere or contact outsiders, lest the questions be leaked."

"Yes, my lord."

Vina Lauren was the young master of a viscount's family that had already fallen into decline.

The Lauren Family was now so poor that it only had one estate left, relying on the meager profits from farming to sustain itself.

Vina's father, Viscount Lauren, had hoped that he could become a knight.

However, Vina was rather frail and simply could not endure a knight's intense training. Compared to becoming a knight, he preferred sitting quietly indoors and reading.

In order not to disappoint his father.

Vina had tried participating in knight training, but the results had been far from ideal.

In the end, Viscount Lauren also gave up on making Vina a knight. After all, he only had this one son and could not train him to death.

When news of the mayoral selection spread, Vina suddenly approached him and said that he wanted to take the examination. "Father, I want to go to Visas to register."

Viscount Lauren was surprised. "Vina, my son, are you sure?"

Vina nodded. "Yes, I am sure, Father."

Viscount Lauren pondered for a while before saying, "Since you have made up your mind, then go ahead."

"However, there is also a registration site in our city. There is no need for you to go all the way to Visas..."

Vina chose his words carefully. "Father, after registering in Visas, I want to stay there directly... and return after the examination is over. Do you... do you agree?"

Viscount Lauren froze for a moment. After a while, he somehow understood on his own. "Do you want me to accompany you for the examination?"

In any case, there was not much on the estate that required his attention.

Vina said, "...No, there is no need to trouble yourself, Father."

Viscount Lauren ultimately agreed.

Vina took two servants with him to Visas. After registering, he found a place in the city and settled down.

Shortly before the examination.

Vina wanted to go out for some fresh air and happened to run into his neighbor next door.

Seeing him walk home with a vacant expression and unfocused eyes, Vina could not help calling out, "Nat, stop walking. There's a wall in front of you..."

However, his warning came neither too early nor too late. It was perfectly timed.

When Nat instinctively raised his head, he immediately slammed into the wall beside the door with a bang. He then clutched his head and crouched down with a pained grimace. "That hurts like hell."

Vina hurried over. "Are you all right? What were you thinking about just now?"

Nat looked miserable and sighed. "I was thinking about the examination."

"I haven't slept well for two nights already. Even in my dreams, I'm memorizing questions. What if I fail? What if I... mmph?"

Vina could not help reaching out to cover his mouth, saying with a headache, "Don't overthink it."

The two were neighbors, and after getting to know each other, they became friends.

Seeing that Nat was still frowning.

Vina thought for a moment, then crouched beside Nat in the same posture. "I'm scared too."

"What are you afraid of?" Nat asked doubtfully.

Vina said, "I'm afraid that nothing I memorized will be tested, and everything that is tested will be something I don't know."

"..."

That hit right in the heart!

Vina said, "Why not think of it this way—you have to do well, or all the hair you lose every day will have fallen out for nothing."

"..."

Vina was about to continue.

Nat could no longer bear it and clutched his chest to stop him. "Enough. Please, just shut up already."

Your comfort was both heart-piercing and another knife in the wound!

Vina gave an uncomprehending "oh" and stopped talking.

At last, the day of the examination arrived.

A large crowd poured into Visas.

However, people unrelated to the examination were not allowed near the examination grounds. Soldiers had placed the examination site under martial guard, and the atmosphere instantly became solemn and tense.

Even the residents of Visas could not help coming over to watch the excitement.

"The lord is really placing extraordinary importance on this examination. They search everyone one by one before letting them in. I heard they aren't allowed to bring anything inside, and even the paper and pens for the examination are handed out..."

"They are selecting administrators for entire cities, after all. It seems there are even nobles participating. If I could read and write, I would definitely give it a try. Maybe I could..."

Before he could finish, others interrupted him with laughter.

"Even if you could read and write, there are more than three hundred people taking the examination, and only a few dozen will be selected. The gap is too great. You have no hope."

"And in the end, you still have to withstand the lord's test—oh, no, the interview. You should practice your courage first."

No matter what the people outside were saying, Nat and Vina could not hear it.

However, they saw a person ahead of them searched by the soldiers, who found quite a few items on him. After inspection, those things indeed proved to be tools for cheating.

The man was immediately seized by two other soldiers and dragged away by the arms despite his pleas for mercy.

Grove had been appointed by Cyrus as the chief proctor.

He addressed the silent examinees behind him, who had been stunned by the incident. "Once you are discovered cheating, your examination qualifications will be revoked. Serious offenders will never be employed again."

"You may still enter the examination if you hand over all prohibited items on you now. Or, if you believe you cannot pass, you may leave immediately before entering the examination hall."

Nat turned to look around.

He discovered that quite a few people really did leave the line, while others took out the things on them and threw them away...

After entering the examination hall, the examinees were assigned to different rooms.

The desks where each person sat were more than a meter apart. Soldiers frequently patrolled outside the doors, while two guards were stationed inside each room... And the examination papers had all been sealed in advance.

Before the examination began, three hourglasses were placed on the desk at the front...

Nat involuntarily swallowed. He was somewhat frightened by the display. This was way too strict.

Not only that.

A small problem arose midway through the examination.

Someone had actually copied parts of books onto the inside of his clothes and secretly looked at them while answering questions. However, he was caught red-handed by the proctors and was immediately dragged out by soldiers, his mouth covered.

Only after leaving the examination hall did Nat relax.

The examination for selecting mayors and other officials lasted a total of three days.

After all the examinations ended, Vina found him and said, "I should leave too."

All examinees had left their respective cities and detailed addresses on their papers. The results would not be released until half a month later, and soldiers would naturally go notify those who passed the written examination.

Vina had been away from home for too long and also needed to return to wait for news.

Nat nodded and bid him farewell.

All the examination papers were delivered to the castle.

Cyrus had the priests grade and score the papers in the same room.

He set a passing standard. The priests would sort the papers according to their scores, organize them, and then submit them to him for review.

Five days passed.

The number of people who had reached the passing mark was counted.

—More than three hundred people had taken the examination, but fewer than a hundred had passed the written test.

That proportion was far too small when placed against the total population of fifteen cities.

However, it was also normal.

The educational level of this era was inherently backward. The environment and various conditions imposed limitations, with paper, printing, and the spread of books being one aspect.

Most importantly, on the Western Continent, education was not a necessity.

Nobles pursued pleasure, while commoners and slaves had almost no opportunity to learn any knowledge. After all, literacy could not fill their stomachs.

Cyrus thought that not only Visas and Komoy Fort, but once the mayors of each city had been selected, he also needed to comprehensively promote construction and establish some new regulations.

For example, the establishment of schools and sanitation issues within the cities.

After confirming the candidates who had passed the written examination, Cyrus dispatched soldiers to notify them.

Cyrus then made time to summon Ferdinand and ask about Gaina's current situation.

After Gaina's old king and eldest prince died, its royal city had fallen into chaos. Bruno Green would surely take the opportunity to plot something.

At a time like this, it was most suitable for them to fish in troubled waters, disrupt Bruno's plans, and create trouble to hinder his ambitions.

Ferdinand was familiar with Gaina, so he had been responsible for matters there ever since.

Cyrus asked, "Has Gaina chosen an heir to the throne?"

After Gaina's old king died, the princes had been first in line to inherit.

However, all of his sons, from the eldest prince to the third prince, had also died. The right to inherit the throne thus passed to the second line, namely the old king's grandsons, including Bruno Green.

Ferdinand said, "Originally, the eldest prince's eldest son should have inherited the throne. But Bruno Green has won over quite a few people in the royal city, and on top of that, rumors have spread..."

"What rumors?" Cyrus asked doubtfully.

Ferdinand said, "Rumors have spread through Gaina's royal city... that the eldest prince's eldest son likes men."

"This is a serious sin under the Holy See. It is considered immoral conduct and requires punishment."

Cyrus was stunned for a moment upon hearing this.

He had nearly forgotten that, on the Western Continent, men being together with men would be condemned by the world.

Same-sex love was disrespectful to the Creator God and was also a grave crime. Once discovered, it would be met with cruel punishment.

For example, the original owner of this body's fate in the book—he had ultimately been convicted of sodomy and painfully died by hanging.

Of course, it depended on one's social status. Being discovered was one matter; not being discovered was another.

The eldest prince's eldest son of Gaina... setting aside whether he actually liked men or not.

As one of the heirs to the throne, once he had this stain on his reputation, he would inevitably face opposition from some people.

After all, the old king did not have only one grandson.

What was more, if Bruno Green handled things properly.

All he needed to do was bring in clergy from the Holy See to investigate the eldest prince's eldest son, then secretly bribe them... In that case, it would become difficult for that eldest son to inherit the throne.

Cyrus nodded. "No wonder no one in Gaina has ascended the throne yet."

Even an unverified rumor that he liked men could become an obstacle that this eldest son could not overcome...

It seemed he should focus on his career from now on.

But since such a rumor could arise, this eldest son's dealings with other men must have been rather "close." Otherwise, Bruno Green would not have made an issue of it.

Cyrus secretly reminded himself that he had to be a well-behaved "straight man" from now on and work hard to avoid the path of fate.

Career came first!

Ferdinand went on to describe Gaina's other circumstances. "Previously, a group of people attempted an assassination while the eldest prince's eldest son was outside. Our people secretly helped him... That eldest son has likely already realized who wants him dead."

Cyrus said, "Have our people remain in Gaina. We cannot allow Bruno Green's plan to succeed."

"Yes, my lord."

"Also, I..."

Just as Cyrus was about to say something, the system interface suddenly stirred. An adorable little matchstick figure abruptly poked its head out from the cosmic mailbox and waved hello.

[Host, Host, 098 is back. I brought you a gift.]

Cyrus was delighted.

He controlled his expression and asked inwardly, "You came back so quickly this time. What gift is it?"

098: [It's a Gyrfalcon egg.]

Cyrus said, "A Gyrfalcon?"

In his previous life, he had worked as a director recording wilderness survival documentary videos. By coincidence, he had filmed a documentary about eagles and traveled to many places for it, specifically consulting local eagle keepers.

The documentary had covered and included many species of eagles.

The one that left the deepest impression on him was the Gyrfalcon—hailed as the "god of ten thousand eagles."

Legend had it that only one Gyrfalcon emerged among one hundred thousand divine eagles.

Many legends about them had existed throughout history, but they had become exceptionally rare in modern times.

Cyrus asked, "Did you go to the modern era?"

098 shook its little matchstick head. [This time, 098 traveled to the world where the Chuunibyou System is. That world is rather fantastical and dangerous.]

[This Gyrfalcon has a tiny bit of divine eagle bloodline. It can understand human speech, has a long lifespan, and will grow very large.]

[But don't worry, Host. It only has the abilities of an ordinary eagle—though it flies faster and has sharper claws.]

Cyrus said, "...The gifts you give me are never simple. Thank you, 098."

[You're welcome. Sending hearts to Host.]

Seeing Cyrus begin to space out, Ferdinand could not help asking, "My lord, what did you want to say?"

Cyrus looked up. "I wonder how the castle by Par Lake is coming along. I want to go take a look, Ferdinand."

Ferdinand's expression softened. "I'll make arrangements right away. Shall we leave tomorrow and I'll take you there?"

"Mm, all right." Cyrus nodded, his big caramel-colored eyes curving into crescents.