Chương 40: Chapter 38: Team Assignments (3)

Teacher Daisor entered with the scroll still in his hand. His expression was composed now, though the unease had not entirely left it. He returned to the lectern and placed the scroll before him.

"I checked the list with the headteacher," he said.

"There is no mistake." Every eye remained on Daisor as he reopened the scroll.

"Team 20 will consist of Velron Rudox, Nemirie Qanza, and... Aloric Sigast." Aloric stared at him. For a moment, the words meant nothing. Then the entire class seemed to turn toward him.

"What?" he muttered. A small laugh escaped him. That had to be wrong. He must have heard another name. There was no possible reason for him to be placed beside the top two graduates of the academy. Nemirie possessed exceptional talent with runes and had scored perfectly on the written examination. Velron had defeated every student who faced him in direct combat. Aloric had just... passed. That was his greatest achievement so far. He raised one hand.

"Teacher Daisor?"

"Yes?"

"I think you read the wrong line." Aloric forced an uneasy smile.

"You said my name with Team 20."

"I am aware." The room remained silent. Sikkar twisted around in his seat.

"There's no way an average clanless student belongs with the top two graduates in the academy. It has to be a mistake." Sulia narrowed her eyes.

"Maybe he switched the names somehow." Several students looked at Aloric. His face heated.

"How exactly would I do that?"

"Enough," Teacher Daisor said. The twins fell silent. Daisor glanced down at the scroll once more.

"I left the room because the assignment surprised me as well." That did not make Aloric feel better.

"A few days ago, the class instructors met with the headteacher to prepare our recommended squad combinations. Based on your scores, Aloric, we had placed you with two graduates from another classroom under a Tarim instructor." Aloric understood what that meant. The other two would probably have been civilian-born students with results similar to his own. An average squad from one of the lower-numbered classes. But it would still have been a squad. He would not have gone to the reserve force.

The teacher confirmed that he was assigned to a real squad based on his own scores. Until a few moments ago, that result would have felt like an enormous victory. Now, all he could feel was confusion. Teacher Daisor continued.

"Team 20 was originally intended to consist of Velron Rudox, Nemirie Qanza, and Dorrak Hagnaar, the highest-ranked graduate of Classroom Two." A murmur moved through the room.

"Our intention was to create a heavy-assault squad with that combination," Teacher Daisor explained.

"Velron is already the strongest close-range fighter in this graduating class. Once trained in the Rudox clan's mana-reinforced strikes after graduation, he would have become the squad's main close-range fighter, preventing enemies from reaching the others."

"Nemirie's exceptional academic ability and knowledge of runes made her the obvious choice to support the squad from long range, raise mana barriers when the others needed time to recover or reposition, and analyze unfamiliar threats."

"Dorrak Hagnaar would have used powerful fire techniques to attack from medium range. Together, they would have formed one of the strongest offensive squads this academy has produced in at least a decade." Aloric's stomach tightened. And now he had replaced Dorrak. A Hagnaar. A top-ranked graduate who was all but guaranteed to awaken a fire affinity, given the Hagnaar clan's long history of producing manaweavers with that affinity. Nemirie raised her hand. Teacher Daisor nodded to her.

"Then what role is Aloric supposed to fill in this team?" she asked. Her tone was controlled rather than insulting, but her confusion was obvious.

"His academic scores were average, and his combat results do not show the offensive ability Dorrak would have brought. If Team 20 was designed as a heavy-assault squad, what exactly is Aloric meant to contribute?" Nemirie paused.

"Are you sure there's no error?" Aloric looked away. She had said exactly what he was thinking. Teacher Daisor took a slow breath.

"I collected the final sealed list for this class from the headteacher before coming here. The wax was unbroken when I opened the scroll in front of you, and it bears both the Vazaag's seal and his signature." The room grew quieter.

"After seeing Aloric's name in Team 20, I returned to ask whether there had been an error. But the headteacher compared the scroll with the academy's retained copy of the approved list and confirmed that the name was correct." He rested one hand beside the parchment.

"The academy's proposed combination was Velron, Nemirie, and Dorrak. But our recommendations are not binding. Every squad arrangement goes to the Vazaag for final approval." Teacher Daisor looked directly at Aloric.

"That means Sir Ganisaar changed the members of Team 20 himself." Aloric's mouth went dry.

"I cannot claim to understand his reasoning," Teacher Daisor continued.

"But there is no mistake. Team 20 will consist of Velron Rudox, Nemirie Qanza, and Aloric Sigast." The words felt even stranger the second time. Velron finally looked toward Aloric. He considered him for a moment, then gave a single nod. Aloric returned it automatically. It was not friendly, exactly. But from Velron, it was probably more acknowledgement than most people received. Nemirie still looked troubled.

Her gaze moved between Aloric and the scroll in the teacher's hands, as though she expected the logic to reveal itself if she stared long enough. Teacher Daisor opened the class register on his desk and began searching through its pages. A moment later, he crossed out something and started writing beside it. Aloric assumed he was correcting whatever had been prepared before the Vazaag changed Team 20's assignment. While the teacher was occupied, Arla turned around in her seat and grinned.

"I have no idea how this happened, but I'm happy for you." Aloric could only stare back.

"Those two might be painful to work with," she continued, "but you're joining an incredibly strong squad. And you're almost certainly going to get a good instructor. It'll be a Siurim for sure."

"Velron and Nemirie will still be easier than the twins," Yibleen said.

"I got trapped with both of them. Good for you, Aloric." Hovaru nodded enthusiastically, despite having a mouth full of cookies.

"I want another mock fight once you've had time to train with your instructor."

"Finish eating before you speak!" Arla groaned as she slapped the back of his head. Hovaru swallowed, shrugged, and immediately put another cookie into his mouth. Ralovit paused in polishing one of his swords and raised a fist from his desk behind Aloric.

"That's one hell of a team." Coming from him, it sounded like heartfelt support. But Aloric could not share their excitement. Not yet. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

"I don't understand," he said.

"How can I be part of a team with the top two students in the academy? What was the Vazaag even thinking?"

"No idea," Arla admitted.

"But Sir Ganisaar has been making decisions like this longer than any of us have been alive. He must know something we don't." Something shifted in Aloric's memory. Sir Ganisaar ruffling his hair. The Vazaag speaking Perilia's name as if he knew her personally. His last words before Aloric had left the stage. Your parents would have been proud of you. Sir Ganisaar seemed to know far more about Aloric than the ruler of a city as vast as Korsivir should have known about one ordinary clanless orphan.

And now he had personally removed a graduate from the mighty Hagnaar clan from Team 20 and written Aloric's name in his place. Why? What did Sir Ganisaar believe Aloric could do? Dorrak Hagnaar had been chosen to provide the squad with overwhelming power from medium range. Aloric did not even know what his own affinity would be. Fire? Air? Water? Something with no obvious offensive use at all? He did not know whether he could learn quickly enough to keep pace with Nemirie and Velron.

He did not know what role he could possibly fill in a heavy-assault squad. The decision made no sense. But Sir Ganisaar was the one who had made it. The Vazaag had looked Aloric in the eyes, spoken of his parents, and treated him as though he was not merely another name on a graduation list. For some reason, Sir Ganisaar believed Aloric belonged in Team 20. Even if Aloric had no reason to believe it himself. Hovaru scratched his cheek.

"So Team 18 finds the enemy, Team 20 overwhelms them, and Team 19 makes sure nobody gets away." Arla looked at him.

"That is an idiotic oversimplification." Hovaru waited. She sighed.

"But basically correct." A few students laughed, easing some of the tension in the room. Once he had finished correcting the register, Teacher Daisor looked back at the scroll and continued.

"Team 20's instructor will be Dasten Dagwel, a Siurim-ranked manaweaver." Dasten Dagwel. Aloric repeated the name silently. He had never heard it before. He leaned toward his friends.

"Do any of you know who Dasten is?" Yibleen shook her head. Hovaru did the same. Arla frowned, searching her memory.

"I don't think I've heard the name." Sikkar looked back at them with a smirk.

"Do you really need to think about it? This Dasten has to be useless if he's being assigned to someone like Aloric." Aloric's hands tightened against the edge of his desk.

"What did you say?" Sulia laughed.

"Oh, now I understand... Aloric wasn't assigned to a great team. Velron and Nemirie were dragged into a terrible one because of the clanless weakling!" Aloric pushed himself to his feet. Teacher Daisor struck the lectern with his fist.

"Sit down, Aloric." Aloric remained standing for half a heartbeat before forcing himself back into his seat. Damn those bastards! Teacher Daisor turned toward the twins.

"And you two—stop provoking every person in this room the moment you see an opportunity!" Sikkar opened his mouth.

"Not one word." The Rumiosi closed it again. Teacher Daisor looked between them with open exhaustion.

"You both have been a menace to this class for four years. I cannot believe I am saying this as your teacher, but I am genuinely relieved that I will no longer have to teach either of you after today." Laughter broke out across the classroom. Sikkar merely crossed his arms and turned back toward the front of the classroom. The grin on his face looked almost identical to his sister's. Teacher Daisor's words had not affected either of them in the slightest.

Aloric clenched his fists beneath the desk and forced himself to calm down. He continued glaring at the twins, who never seemed to miss an opportunity to insult someone. At least he would not have to see them every day after this.

"Leave them alone, Aloric," Hovaru called from nearby.

"They're the idiots. They'll learn eventually, probably when they're pinned down by an enemy A-ranker and nobody comes to help them." Aloric drew in a slow breath. Then another. He finally nodded, not trusting himself to speak without starting another argument. Instead, he silently thanked whatever gods might be listening that he had not been assigned to the same squad as either twin. Teacher Daisor ignored her and returned to the scroll. He began announcing Team 21.

Aloric heard the words but barely understood them. His thoughts remained fixed on the three names announced before it. Velron Rudox. Nemirie Qanza. Aloric Sigast. Team 20. A heavy-assault squad personally changed by the Vazaag. And an unknown Siurim named Dasten Dagwel waiting to become their instructor.

"Dasten Dagwel..." Arla murmured. Aloric turned toward her. The short redhead had one finger pressed against her cheek as she searched her memory.

"I don't think I've ever heard that name," she said.

"Most Siurim are B-rankers, but if he was chosen to lead a heavy-assault squad, he's probably stronger than the average Siurim. He might even be an A-ranker." Aloric's earlier anger against the twins gave way to curiosity.

"A-rank?"

"Possibly." Arla shrugged.

"A-rankers aren't nearly as famous or powerful as S-rankers, whose names are usually known across the continent because they can singlehandedly change the outcome of wars or reshape a country's politics, just as artifact bearers can. But A-ranked manaweavers are rare in their own right. Most people could spend their entire careers without ever working directly under an A-ranker." She frowned.

"Dagwel isn't the name of any clan I recognize, though. So I'm only guessing." Aloric nodded slowly. An A-ranker. Only a week ago, he had not even known whether he would pass the graduation exams. Now he had been assigned to one of the strongest squads in the graduating class and might receive personal instruction from an A-ranked manaweaver. The possibility made him feel almost light-headed. Teacher Daisor continued announcing the remaining squads.

A few more groups were formed, all led by Tarim instructors, and the newly named teammates gathered around one another. Eventually, Teacher Daisor reached the bottom of the scroll.

"That was the final squad to include students from Classroom One." Several clanless graduates seated near the side of the room exchanged startled looks. Their names had not been called. Teacher Daisor waited a moment before addressing them.

"Those of you who have not received a squad assignment will enter the Nourim reserve force for now."

"You will still be registered as manaweavers of Korsivir," he continued.

"You will have access to the Central Manaweaver Library, public training facilities, and any instruction made available to members of the reserve force. But much of your continued training will be your own responsibility." One of the boys lowered his gaze to his desk. Teacher Daisor's expression softened as he looked over the unassigned graduates.

"Permanent squads occasionally develop openings because a member retires, transfers, suffers a serious injury, or dies in service. When that happens, reserve force Nourim may apply for the vacant position." The room had grown completely quiet.

"The squad instructor will decide which applicant is accepted. Your academy scores may help you receive consideration, but they will not be enough by themselves. So don't stop training. Learn new techniques. Improve the skills that held you back during these examinations." A girl near the window raised her hand hesitantly.

"What if no squad chooses us?"

"You still have other options," Teacher Daisor said.

"The Research and Applied Manaworks Division accepts manaweavers with useful technical or academic abilities." He paused and looked at the reserve students.

"Although the RAM Division places considerable weight on academy scores, and I suspect most of you would have shown more interest in your studies if that kind of work appealed to you." A few students laughed awkwardly. The teacher continued, "The City Police regularly recruits newly registered manaweavers. So does the medical division, although medical work requires its own training and a high degree of mana control." He rolled the lower edge of the scroll between his fingers.

"But if you genuinely believe your examination results do not represent your actual ability—because you were ill, injured, or dealing with circumstances that affected your performance—you may voluntarily repeat the final year." Several of the reserve students looked up.

"You would compete against next year's graduating class and receive a new chance at earning a squad position. Anyone considering that option must report to the headteacher's office within two weeks." The unassigned graduates nodded with subdued expressions. None of the choices sounded easy, but at least they had not been left with nothing. Teacher Daisor studied them for another moment before looking across the entire classroom.

"Well," he said, setting the scroll down on his lectern.

"That concludes the squad assignments for Classroom One's graduating class of Year 98 of the Third Era." For once, no one interrupted him. The teacher had a wistful smile on his face.

"I can hardly believe four years have passed since all of you first walked into this room." His gaze traveled across the desks.

"You were all shorter then. Louder too, somehow. Even months after we started working on forming stable mana spheres, half of you could barely hold one, and the other half were already convinced you knew more than your instructors." Quiet laughter spread through the class.

"You have grown a lot since then. You learned how to control your mana, make it through survival exercises, work beside people you did not always like, and continue even after failure."

"For most of you, those were the lessons the academy intended to teach." His eyes shifted toward the Rumiosi twins.

"Others spent four years mastering increasingly creative ways to irritate everyone around them." The classroom erupted into laughter. Sulia muttered something under her breath. Sikkar folded his arms again, clearly deciding that everyone else lacked the refinement necessary to appreciate their pranks. Karro barked once, probably agreeing with his owner. Or maybe not. Teacher Daisor waited for the laughter to fade.

"Whatever squad you received—or did not receive—your education does not end today. The academy gave you a foundation. Your squad instructors will build upon it, but eventually, the responsibility for your progress will belong to you." His expression grew more serious.

"Keep improving your skills. Learn from every mission and every mistake. Do not assume that graduation made you invincible, and do not decide that one failure means you have reached the limit of what you can become." He paused.

"And never forget what we taught you here." Several students straightened.

"As manaweavers of Korsivir, we never give up."

"We never give up!" the class shouted back. The words filled the classroom one final time. Aloric had repeated them countless times during his years at the academy. Sometimes seriously. Sometimes while exhausted. Occasionally while wondering whether Teacher Daisor intended to drive them all mad with another surprise test. This time felt different. There would not be another normal classroom lesson after this. Teacher Daisor raised one hand, and the class gradually quieted again.

"Those assigned to squads should remain here. Your instructors should be arriving soon to meet you." He looked toward the reserve students.

"The rest of you are free to leave. Take some time to consider the options I gave you, and speak to the academy staff if you need more information or guidance before making a decision." A few students began gathering their belongings. Teacher Daisor gave the classroom one final look. His gaze lingered briefly on the rows of desks, the windows, and the students he had taught for the last four years. Then he lifted one hand in farewell and smiled.

"Take care of yourselves." The class began clapping. The sound started unevenly, then spread until nearly everyone had joined in. Even the Rumiosi twins offered a few reluctant claps. Teacher Daisor inclined his head, picked up the squad-assignment scroll, and headed toward the door. The applause continued until he stepped out into the corridor. The door closed behind him.