Chương 23: The Graduation Exam (10)

"Laugh while you work, child. The rune does not improve because your face looks miserable." – Wulito Qanza, Rune Master, Patriarch of the Qanza Clan Teacher Daisor arrived after some time, holding some scrolls in one hand and looking as if the exam day was not over for him at all. Classroom One quieted when they saw him approach. Daisor stopped in front of them and looked over the gathered students.

His gaze moved from face to face, pausing briefly on dried bloodstains, tired eyes, rumpled clothes, and the small field bandage tied over Hovaru's shoulder.

"Well?" he asked.

"How did it go?" For a moment, no one answered properly. Then the class gave a scattered wave of mutters.

"Fine, I think."

"It was all right."

"Could've been worse."

"Too many damned vines," Ralovit muttered. Teacher Daisor's mouth twitched, but he did not comment on that. He glanced down at the scrolls in his hand, and Aloric wondered if one of them already held their scores. Or maybe only part of them. The written papers still had to be marked, the practical scores compiled, the examiner comments checked. His stomach tightened again. The tests were over, but the waiting had only begun. Daisor looked back at the class.

"That's it for the graduation exams. Your results should take about a week to be compiled and finalized. Background checks will also be completed where required during that time." Some of the clanless students shifted slightly. Aloric noticed it because he had almost done the same. Teacher Daisor did not look at anyone in particular as he continued.

"You will be informed when to return to the academy for the announcement. Until then, do not assume success or failure. You have worked hard. Trust that you did what you could. So go home, rest, and try not to spend the wait tormenting yourselves over the results." That sounded like good advice. Probably impossible advice, but good anyway. Daisor rolled one of the scrolls tighter and tucked it under his arm.

"You may leave once you have collected your things. If any of you still need treatment, visit the medical tents before going home." A few students nodded. Teacher Daisor gave them one last look, then turned and walked away, already being called over by another examiner. For a moment, no one moved. Then Hovaru's stomach growled loudly enough that several heads turned toward him. Arla stared.

"Are you going to survive until we eat again?" Hovaru rested one hand over his stomach with great dignity.

"That depends on how soon we start." That broke some of the tension. A few students laughed softly. Even Yibleen smiled a little. Sikkar Rumiosi, who had been standing beside Sulia, snorted.

"When are you not hungry?"

"When I'm sleeping," Hovaru said after a moment of thought." Sometimes." Sulia gave a sharp little laugh, more mocking than amused. Sikkar rolled his eyes and adjusted the strap of his bag.

"Come on, sis. Sushi is waiting for us at Rusidora's. I'm not spending the end of exam day sitting on grass like a commoner."

"Careful," Hovaru said mildly.

"Grass might improve your personality." A few nearby students snorted. Sikkar's expression twisted.

"Enjoy your cheap lunchboxes."

"Enjoy paying too much for food with tiny portions," Hovaru said. Sikkar looked as if he had several retorts ready, then decided none of them were worth wasting on Hovaru. The twins walked away, their heads held high as if the entire field had been built beneath them. Sikkar's dog Karro seemed to approve of the decision before anyone else did. It rose from the grass, shook itself once, and trotted after Sikkar as if it had been part of Classroom One all along. Sikkar glanced down at it with exaggerated dignity.

"At least someone here understands priorities." Sulia gave him a flat look.

"Karro follows you because you feed him." Sikkar pointed ahead.

"Exactly. Loyalty built on practical foundations."

"Good riddance," Arla muttered, once they were out of earshot. Hovaru waved after them with one cookie.

"Bring back leftovers!" Sikkar did not turn around. That made Hovaru sigh.

"Worth trying." Velron was already standing. The tall Rudox boy did not say goodbye. He simply picked up his things and walked through the group with a glower sharp enough that even students from other classes shifted out of his path. Ralovit watched him go and clicked his tongue.

"Damned Rudox." Then he sat back down, opened his lunchbox with unnecessary force, and muttered something about stupid exams, useless vines, and the fake forest having no respect for honest fighters. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. A few others began leaving too, drifting away in pairs or small groups. Some looked eager to go home. Others seemed reluctant, as if leaving the field meant finally facing the wait ahead without any distractions.

Arla looked around at the remaining students, then lifted her own lunchbox.

"Most of us didn't finish these earlier, did we?" Yibleen glanced up.

"I barely ate half of mine."

"This is probably the last time we'll eat together like this as academy students." Arla said it casually, but the words made the small group go quiet for a moment.

"So we might as well finish it before going home." Hovaru nodded solemnly and produced another packet of snacks from somewhere. Arla stared at him.

"Didn't you eat your lunch earlier?"

"I did."

"And that is?"

"Emergency food."

"You have emergency food?"

"I live a difficult life." Aloric almost laughed, while Arla just shook her head in exasperation. Yibleen sat down again, folding her legs beneath her.

"I suppose eating here is fine." Nemirie was sitting by herself a little distance away, already eating from her lunchbox while reading another scroll, as if even the end of the graduation exam was not important enough to deserve her full attention. Whether that counted as agreement from her was impossible to tell. Taking Arla's lead, a few of the other clanless students from Classroom One also settled into their own small groups and opened their lunchboxes.

Their part of the field slowly filled with quieter conversations, the clink of forks against lunchboxes, and the tired breathing of students who had finally stopped running from one test to the next. Arla dropped down near Hovaru, and looked at her remaining food. Yibleen glanced at Hovaru, and immediately wrinkled her nose at the greasy packet of fries in his hand.

"You really should stop eating those, you know. That can't possibly be good for your health." Hovaru shrugged.

"I'll be fine." Aloric sat near them and finally opened the lunchbox Perilia had packed for him that morning. The moment he saw the food inside, something in his chest softened. Roasted potatoes. A small portion of vegetables. A few strips of salted meat wrapped carefully so they would not soak everything else. She had been busy with her work. She had woken early anyway. She had packed this for him because she wanted him to have one less thing to worry about today.

He picked up his fork and took a bite before his thoughts could grow too heavy. The food had gone cold, but it still tasted good. Around him, the others began eating too. Not everyone stayed, but enough did that the small patch of flattened grass began to feel less like an after-exam waiting area and more like a final class lunch that no one had properly planned for. Looking at how quickly the clan kids had returned to normal made Aloric feel strange. Before the exams, many of them had looked nervous.

During the tests, even more so. But now that the worst had passed, most of them seemed to be slipping back into their usual selves. Arla was her usual chirpy self, and had joined Yibleen in complaining about Hovaru's snacks. Ralovit was still cursing something nearby. Sikkar and Sulia had left to eat somewhere expensive. Even Yibleen looked steadier now, probably because her coordination test score would help her more than she had expected.

Yibleen was clanless too, but she still had a wealthy mother on the city council and a home to return to where no one would treat her future like a miracle if she passed. Maybe that was confidence. Maybe that was what came from knowing that even if things went badly, there would still be someone behind you, someone with money or a name or a place in the city strong enough to soften the fall. The clanless students without that kind of support did not look like that.

Most of them still seemed quiet and worn down, even now. Some sat with their knees drawn up. Some rubbed at their eyes when they thought no one was looking. A few stared toward the academy as if the result might already be written somewhere on its red brick walls. Aloric understood them too well. He had felt briefly proud after hearing that he and Arla had gathered fifteen scrolls. For a moment, that had seemed like something solid. Something good enough. Then he had heard how well the others had done.

And Classroom One wasn't even his only competition. Well over a thousand students across dozens of final-year classes had been tested today, and the overall results across all of them would decide the graduation ranks. He had seen how many clan students stood in the lower-numbered classes too. Hagnaar. Vayot. Rudox. Farritz. Yaboli. Rumiosi. Qanza. Names with training, money, power, tutors, and expectations behind them. The competition was not going to be kind.

Like the other clanless students, Aloric knew he should be grateful just to graduate. A good squad, a Siurim instructor, and a promising future—those were things clan kids could hope for openly. For someone like him, even hoping too hard felt dangerous. He stabbed his fork into a roasted potato and tried to push the thought away. Hovaru turned toward him, chewing thoughtfully.

"Don't look like that." Aloric blinked.

"Like what?"

"Like someone already told you the result was bad." Aloric forced a smile.

"I'm fine."

"You're not that good at lying." Hovaru reached into his snack packet.

"You probably did well enough to graduate. If someone like me can pass, then you can pass."

"You're hardly bad," Aloric said.

"I didn't say bad. I said hungry." Arla leaned over with her own lunchbox.

"He's right, though. Of course you'll pass too."

"Easy for you to say," Aloric grumbled.

"You probably did great in every test."

"I did well in some tests," Arla corrected, before she gave a quick glance at Nemirie.

"And I refuse to discuss the written one until the results prove I was brilliant." Yibleen gave a weak laugh. Arla picked up a small piece of fish from her lunchbox and held it out toward Aloric.

"Here." Aloric stared.

"What?"

"Eat. You look like you're thinking too much. Eating keeps your mind occupied. Just look at Hovaru." Before he could answer, the Yaboli boy placed a few fries into Aloric's lunchbox as well.

"She's right." Aloric looked down at the fish, then at the fries.

"Is this charity?"

"No," Arla said.

"It's strategy. If you faint from worrying, Teacher Daisor might make us carry you back." Hovaru nodded.

"And I'm tired." Aloric huffed out a small laugh despite himself.

"Thanks, guys."

"You can have something from mine too," he added after a moment, pushing his lunchbox slightly toward them.

"I can't eat this much right now." Hovaru's eyes immediately moved over the food with dangerous focus. Arla waved the offer off.

"I'm fine." Hovaru picked one of the salted meat strips.

"I'll help."

"I knew you would."

"That's what friends are for." The word made Aloric pause for a heartbeat. Friends. Hovaru had said it casually. Probably without thinking. Maybe it did not mean anything serious. Maybe it was just Hovaru being Hovaru. But Aloric found himself looking down at his lunchbox for a moment longer than necessary. Yibleen hesitated, then tilted her own lunchbox toward him.

"Do you want some?" Aloric looked inside. Mostly salad. He smiled gratefully.

"I'll pass, but thanks."

"Chicken!" Arla snorted as she bit into a piece of lettuce from her own lunchbox." Alive chicken," Aloric said with a shrug. That earned a small laugh from Yibleen, and somehow that made the knot in Aloric's chest loosen a little more. They ate slowly after that, talking about small things. Bad targets. Miserable vines. Whether the fake forest had smelled too real. Whether Velron would try to stab the next tree he saw. Whether Hovaru's emergency snacks counted as a valid survival technique.

For a while, Aloric almost forgot about the results. Almost. The worry was still there, waiting at the edge of everything. A week from now, Teacher Daisor would stand in front of them and read out the results. But for now, sitting on the grass with his lunchbox in his lap and familiar voices around him, Aloric let himself believe that everything was right with the world.