Chapter 423: History

Words : 1264 Updated : Oct 15th, 2025

Chapter 423: History Scratch all of the plans. Apparently, there’s an even bigger crisis to deal with. Quarterly exams. Yep, exams. Right up there with food shortages, the Orc King, the expo, and well, corruption—now they had to survive finals. And this horrifying news came from none other than Theo, who returned from the Academy looking like he’d sprinted through a tornado. See, unlike the rest of them, Theo had actually chosen to attend his classes when possible. Not because he absolutely enjoyed them, but because, unlike everyone else who would receive better training by following the Duchess and training in the hall, Theo still needed to obtain a license after graduation. And while he could seriously learn from the training hall, he’d likely fail the Academy and licensure exams if all he knew were concoctions that sounded like a myth to the people of today. He could train with legends, yes. He had even succeeded in refining pills that would definitely be deemed as ground-breaking by a lot of people. But he couldn’t exactly walk into an exam room and present a healing pill and expect the examiner to nod. Worse, he couldn’t even use the majority of the materials he’d been using daily unless he wanted to plant an even bigger bulls-eye on his back. So, like clockwork, the poor lad would attend classes while internally lamenting all the things people have been missing out on. Then he’d return to the Day Care for his shifts, then proceed to training and learning in the space. All this while ignoring all the stares he’d get the entire day! But today was different. For the boy who usually vanished like the wind the moment the bell rang was asked to stay behind. "Cadet Belgrave?" Theo stiffened at being called out so suddenly. "Yes, Sir?" he replied, already turning over his mind for possible offenses. The instructor tried to give a smile that was comforting, but sadly, it didn’t hit the mark. "I wanted to remind you. Quarterly exams are next week. You might want to consider attending more classes if you want to pass." "...Next week?" Theo repeated, unsure if he heard correctly. "Yes. Just a week left," the instructor confirmed. "Sir, is it a division exam?" "No, this time it’s not just a division exam. Everyone is taking their own tests, plus the centralized one." Theo’s soul briefly left his body. But the instructor, who finally noticed the horror on Theo’s face, frowned. "Are you alright, Cadet?" The poor student actually wanted to scream that he was definitely not alright, but could only muster a few words before bolting out. "Yes, Sir. Thank you for the reminder." He didn’t just leave. He fled. Faster than any recorded movement he’d ever managed during agility training. Which was how the poor boy, who was very much not built for running, arrived at the Day Care panting like a fish out of water. "I...exams...week...whole Academy..." Kyle was going to need medication. No, screw that, he was probably going to need sedation. Because as soon as Theo confirmed that it wasn’t just division tests but the centralized exam as well, Kyle could already feel the stress blooming behind his eyes. And yet... The others took it well. All too well. Which only meant one thing. They likely didn’t know what centralized exams meant. "..." Kyle exhaled slowly. And so he might have to give them the context one way or the other. And what better way to do that than by informing someone who’d likely know what’s up. So he called Ollie. The screen blinked once, then picked up with a flurry of cheerful static. "Hello? Kyle! Oh—oh! I thought you’d forgotten about me! Kyle, can I maybe get an extra helping of food today? I feel like I’m dying. I might faint. I’m fading. This is the end—" "Ollie." "Yes?" he chirped. "Quick question—are you sitting down?" Kyle asked, oddly cheerful. "...No?" "Can you maybe sit somewhere safe? Like...somewhere far from any ledge, maybe?" Ollie blinked at the screen. "Why?" he asked before confirming that he was now seated. "Good." Kyle nodded, tone still far too casual. "So. Exams. Division and centralized. Next week." Silence. Blink. Blink. "...What?" "Division and centralized," Kyle repeated, calm as ever. Ollie opened his mouth. Closed it. Opened it again. Then he let out the most dramatic gasp in history and flopped backwards like a stunned goat. The screen tilted wildly. A second later, his pale, wide-eyed face popped back into view—half under a blanket of his tousled hair, fully in shock. Luca, who had been watching from the side, noticed Ollie’s expression and complexion and began asking earnestly. "Brother?" he asked, frowning. "What’s wrong? You suddenly look sick!" Ollie looked up at him slowly. His voice came out hollow. "Everything." "...Huh?" "Everything is wrong," he whispered, eyes dead. "It’s over. We’re doomed." Luca blinked. "What do you mean—" "Exams," Ollie said, as if the word itself could kill. But for someone who almost died from cramming last time, maybe it was warranted. Luca stared, worried but at the same time now curious about what could’ve spooked everyone like this. "Is there something wrong with this exam in particular?" Kyle sighed. "It’s not just division exams. We all have to take a general knowledge test too. One that includes the history of the Empire, its military structure, and military law." There was a pause. Then Luca blinked. "That sounds like a lot." "It is," Kyle deadpanned. "And why is it so bad?" Luca asked, trying not to sound nervous. Kyle pinched the bridge of his nose. "Because the history of the Empire spans galaxies. Multiple planets. It’s not just ’who founded the capital.’ It’s timelines, treaties, political shifts, and entire wars. And most of it was historical propaganda that’s definitely older than most of us combined." "Wait—then why not just correct it?" "Because that’d confuse trillions of people," Kyle said flatly. "No one’s reacting?" "Well, history is written by the victors. But for people like us, like me, Jax, and the Captain, who would usually know the real version? The one passed down by our families that just so happens to be marked as confidential? It’s twice the work. We can’t unlearn the truth, so now we have to memorize what’s published on top of it." "And don’t get me started on the nobility lists. Jax absolutely hates them." "What? There’s that?! I thought we joined this division because we only have to fight?!" "You resent the test or the truth?" Luca had to ask. "Yes." "???" Uh. Okay. But instead of prodding more, Luca, who noticed that Jax had already started wilting, decided to just talk to Kyle about it. "He’s memorized every vegetable you’ve introduced, but ask him to identify which house governed what territory five hundred years ago, and he might just flip a table." Kyle pointed out, already regretting waking up today. Luca turned to him. "Then how did he pass until now?" "Multiple choice." "Really?" "Certainly. The heavens love him." "And," Kyle added, "during our junior academy days, most instructors were at the frontlines. Classes were sparse. Exams were delayed. We didn’t even have a full semester most years." "Lucky you," Ollie muttered. "But not this time," Kyle said grimly. "Not when the exam’s this close to the expo. My brother mentioned it before—this one always includes an essay component." "..." It was going to be tragic. And the D-Day? Just a week from now. Might as well sentence them to detention then.

Chapter 423: History

Comments (0)