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AFTER 6 months of training in the wild, Solene finally bid goodbye to her family and community in Arandom Village. She took a journey towards the royal capital in which she will take the Magic Knights Entrance Exam—an exam that will determine whether she was strong enough to protect the kingdom, or get accepted to any squad, or just an exam that would make her see the masked captain of the Golden Dawn again.
Nonetheless, as she stood in front of the huge coliseum where the exam will take place, all she could hear was the rapid beating of her chest. She trained day and night alright, but the sight of other candidates entering the coliseum made her nervous, especially since they were dressed elegantly, it was obvious most of them came from the Noble Realm. Solene slapped herself to calm down, ignoring the thought that she was the only ragged-looking person there.
It's okay. Just do your best. You've trained. You can do this. She enchanted over and over.
When she finally entered, she was greeted by nine empty seats on the balcony of the coliseum. These were the seats for the nine captains who will show up later. Solene clutched her chest, realizing that William would show up later. She couldn't resist smiling at the thought that she’d meet him again.
And this time, she had to pass the exam to join the Golden Dawn. Albeit, Solene was thinking of other things: One, it would be a dream come true if two or more squads chose her. Two, if number one didn't happen, she’ll gladly accept whatever squad chose her. Three, she was thinking of choosing the Blue Rose Knights—the special squad consisting of mostly girls—as her second choice. Not that it was easy for it to come true, though.
She was thinking these as she walked, not keenly aware of her surroundings. She tripped on a cloth, making her lose balance. Thankfully, she didn't fall, but the sound of the fabric ripping made her convinced she just made her first enemy of the day.
A girl with light blue dress and turquoise cape made of fur gasped, her eyes and mouth widening as if her world had been destroyed. She glared at Solene, making her drop a sweat.
Uh-oh.
“How. Dare. You! How dare you rip my cape?!” She walked towards Solene with heavy steps, each was like breaking the ground. People gathered to watch the show, yet paving the way for the noblewoman whose eyes threw daggers at the poor hunter.
“I'm sorry! It was an accident, I swear!” Solene explained, taking steps backwards.
“Do you even know who you’re dealing with, huh?!” She said, towering over her. “I am Scarlett Schmitmore, the heiress of the noble House Schmitmore!”
Solene put her hands in front as if to stop her from swallowing her whole. “Look, I am terribly sorry for ripping your cape, Lady Shitmore. I promise I will repair it for you. I sincerely apologize.”
