Chapter 291: A Good Idea

"What?" Ned was taken aback by Su'ayun's announcement to the group of 'servant' as what Master Claire declared to himself. "The two of you?"

"Surprised?" Su'aya nodded as she answered Ned while he drunk the last of her orange juice.

There were specific rules to the Hunter's Exam that never changed even with different people organizing the event.

One of which was "No Killing."

During Hunter's Exam, participants were prohibited to kill other participants. By doing so, the accused participant would undergo series of trials until judged by the organization. But most of the time, these accused participants would never reach the third trial since the Hunter's Exam was being watched by high ranking Hunters both on land, sea, and air. Aside from that, Observation Claims were also installed in every part of the exam venue.

The second was "No Outside Weapons Allowed."

This was to limit the strength of any participants that were well funded by their Houses. One of which was a mana stone. Although mana stones were extremely rare, Houses went to an extent to sell their properties, even their family members, to gain a piece of mana stone to fund their heirs to pass the exam.

Then there was an Inheritance Weapons. Not much was known about Inheritance items. The kingdom knew that Inheritance items came from Limbos. But recently, there was the emergence of Inheritance weapons even though there were no Limbos reported to open inside the kingdom's vicinity. Inheritance items were so powerful that Houses tends to hide them and uses them only if necessary. Necessary like the House going to war or Hunter's Exam. In simple words, a twig could become a branch with Inheritance they possessed.

The third was "There is no age limit."

Before, Hunter's Exam was exclusive only to participants with ages ranging from 13 to 19. But after discovering that there were people that ages 30 and above and were too valuable to be skipped, the age limit was abolished.

"... but there is no rule that says about participants needed to finish academy to be able to become a hunter." This time it was Su'aya that started to explain things with her finger pointing upward as she looked at Teklavit, who, for some reason, was interested about her explanations. "Sure, anyone that finishes academy was eligible to join Hunter's Exam and become a Silver Rank Hunter regardless of the result. There were even some, who were too good for the Kingdom to pass on, that were recruited immediately after they graduate in the academy and became Royal Knights."

"Ahh," Su'ayun sang as soon as she heard Su'aya spoke of one becoming a Royal Knight. "How I wish to join the corpse of Royal Knights."

But for Ned, hearing the word Royal Knight was entirely a different thing. Remembering his name, Ned's anger rose. Aside from Master Will, Ned was also waiting for Ser Edwin to recover and to be able to exact his revenge—of what he did to his Master.

"You okay, Ned?" Su'aya asked.

"I'm fine. Yes." Ned cut a chunk from the juicy Lampaca roasted meat and slowly chewed it as the meat melted on his mouth. He began by saying: "So. If you were to join the Hunter's Exam, then, it's either one of you is a graduate of an academy or someone recommended you?"

The twin nodded in unison and one of them declared that it was Master Claire that endorsed the twins to join the Exam even though they were not a graduate from any academy.

"Did he gave you his Token?"

"Yes." Su'ayun pulled a Token inside her white apron since the only thing hidden inside her apron were valuable items. It was Master Claire's Token with indentions around the edges with swords and banners held by a soldier depicting a man going to war.

Ned didn't need to touch the Token to check if it was real or not since there was no reason for the twins to lie to him. He nodded instead and changed his gaze to Teklavit that stopped eating the meat and remained focused as he listened to them.

"And you?" Ned asked. "You're new here, but you must know someone to vouch for you to enter the Hunter's exam."

"As for him." Su'aya pointed at Teklavit. Her yellow dyed hair fluttered after a blow from the outside pushed the double door making a slight creaking sound. "Master Claire didn't vouch for him. But Hunter Quentin instead."

The creaking sound of the door made Teklavit's thin eyebrows jerked as if remembering something.

"Quentin did?" Ned cocked an eyebrow. "That drunkard from House of Soak vouched for him?"

"We were even surprised."

"Yes."

"No wonder that since someone attached to one of the Great House of Soak does bring a lot of benefits."

Without his keen hearing, Ned wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the twins. Not even their hair could be used to distinguish them as they looked exactly the same. Even how they tied their hair like a bun were identical.

But now that Ned sat closer to one of the twins, he got to examine her for a long time, unknowingly making Su'ayun blushed.

"I met Master Quentin." Teklavit broke the long silence with his slow and smooth voice. "He was rather a good man for a drunkard."

Hearing Teklavit's voice made Ned think that no perfect being existed.

In the Bogblot Region, perhaps, the entire continent, Ned was only average looking aside from his dusky blue eyes. But having to look like an elf, thin hair and brows, with high noses, and thin lips wasn't rare at all. But excessively rare sight to behold.

Ned smiled inwardly as he looked at the twins seemed to be not interested in Teklavit.

I guess, they were more focused on becoming a hunter.

"Wait..." The good and elf looking boy beside Ned glared at him. "You've been asking us about the Hunter Exam and little things, are you going to enter the exam as well?"

There were two things Ned hated the most: forcing someone to do their bidding and lying. Neither he was both.

"Yes." Sooner or later, the three would find out that he was to join the Hunter's Exam and Ned got no reason to lie to them.

"So, who endorsed you?" Teklavit held a hand in front of Ned. "Let me see your Token?"

"Token?" Ned asked with a smile. The Token you say? He thought I have four of them here.

Ned reached for the leather pouch hanging his waist and deliberately tagged the remaining gold coins and focused to drew Ser Edwin's Token.

Seeing the Token, the twins couldn't help but open their mouths in unison. They immediately grabbed the Token Ned was showing then opened their mouth even wider.

"T-this." Su'aya, who first grabbed the Token, coughed. Clearing her throat from surprise. "This is a Token from a Diamond Rank Hunter... and... also a Royal Knight of the Kingdom of Griffith."

Su'ayun was silent but never calm. This was the first time that Ned saw one of the twins shaking in delight. Her body trembled with her fingers tapping the table. "Royal Knight..." she murmured to herself. "How I wish... wait... who gave you that Token?"

"Given by a Hunter back at my hometown."

"Where was your hometown again, Ned?" Su'aya leaned back to the chair as he held the Token on her palm for one last time and gave it back to Ned with eyes brimming with admiration and jealousy

"O'rriadt."

CLANK

The cutleries beside Teklavit fell from his hand that involuntarily shook.

"You okay?" The twins asked in unison, surprised by Teklavit's action.

"Y-yes." Teklavit's voice was hinted of surprise and caution at the same time as he tried to suppress it. "Just that O'rriadt was somewhat... very... familiar. No, perhaps I misheard the name to entirely something else."

"Now that you mentioned it... the name does sound familiar..."

Wait, Ned thought and felt that he was left out of the conversation. What happened here when I was out for a couple of months?

"Well, I think the name was sounded to something else... anyway. So we're going to join the Hunter's Exam..."

But Teklavit's face was saying entirely different. Ned even caught him throwing a glimpse at him as though Ned became something of interest.

"How about we do preparations for this upcoming Exam?" Teklavit put the act of trying to be cool as he pointed his fingers upward once again.

"I think that's a good idea."

"The four of us, preparing for Exam."

Ned said nothing but put the Token in his pouch then to his inventory. Ned rather worked alone as he won't have much time to join them since he got another goal to attend to. But, it also made him think that leaving now would be an insult to the three since this was their first time meeting deeply with each other.

"Yes." Teklavit eyed Ned and said, "Then how about we test our magic through mock battles?"