The Crimes of A Demon

The Assessment

"...his skill is undoubtedly that of one of the best." The Princess said as she wiped her forehead. The General gave her a cup of water as he thought deliberately. After the fight, Malphas was given water and dismissed to his barracks. The Princess now sat at a table with The General. "Yes, from what I hear he was quite the formidable opponent." The General said stroking his beard. "Not only was he formidable, I actually wondered if he could best me! Has he met any of the other Top 5 yet?" The Princess asked "Yes and no." The General answered "He hold the number 3 spot, we know that. He has met and befriended Anton, who holds the number 4 spot. Malphas has met and been challenged by Lisk, the number 5 Cadet. I do not know if they have sparred yet but I will tell you when I find out. The odd thing is that Malphas has refused to meet the number 2 and 1 Cadets." Ushar, the number 2 Cadet was an immigrant boy. His family came from the extreme north, where is almost inhabitable. He was a strong boy with extreme skill in the combat field, but lacked in his studies. The number 1 Cadet's name was Arthur. Named after a great king from history, Arthur was considered the "model boy". His father is a Queen's Guardsmen and his mother owns the biggest tavern on the Merchant's Road. Arthur excelled at anything and everything the Army could throw at him, and has challenged the Princess many times. Of course she never acted upon them. Arthur was good, that was true, but his biggest flaw was his ego. Arthur was the most stuck up boy in the Castle Town, he was spoiled from the day he was born, given everything he wanted, and it made him a rotten kid. Arthur insisted on seeing Malphas, but the Guard always stopped him. "I can understand why he would not want to meet Arthur," said the Princess "But why Ushar? He may not be as smart, but at least Ushar knows where he stands." "I do not know, Romedia." The General said as he looked down at his cup "But I know that Malphas can best either of them easily. From what I have seen and what you tell me, he could easily be a member of the Queen's Guard." "But talent like that should not go to waste, should it?" The Princess asked, placing her hand on The General's arm "What if he wants to be in the Army, among the regular soldiers?" "Then he will be. We will not force Malphas to do something he does not wish to do, but that boy will do whatever is needed." The General replied "Tell Malphas that due to his excelling performance, he will be granted an extended Holiday Leave, starting tomorrow." "Yes, General" the Princess said as they both walked out.