The sun rose early over the Clover Kingdom's central examination grounds,
The same hallowed arena where generations of Magic Knights had once fought for their place in history.
But today, the battleground was silence, intellect, and discipline.
Large banners bearing the sigil of the kingdom flapped in the wind as hundreds of chairs and desks had been arranged across the stone-tiled arena floor.
each occupied by an applicant—
Over 400 individuals had gathered, all wearing their respective squad insignias or civilian uniforms.
The air was thick with tension, ambition, and curiosity.
What made it even more intense was the presence of all the Magic Knight captains, except the Green Mantis captain, who was occupied with urgent border matters.
The rest stood in observation balconies or walked down the rows with piercing eyes, acting as invigilators, much to the applicants' nerves.
"____"
"So these are the ones trying to run the kingdom from behind the curtains now, huh?"
Yami commented with a puff of smoke, arms folded, scanning the crowd from the side.
Charlotte, hands behind her back, murmured,
"Ben's not playing around. This exam's going to be harder than most think. It's not just paperwork anymore."
At the heart of the arena,
A raised platform had been set up where Harry, in royal blue robes, unrolled the scroll containing the King's command and addressed the crowd.
"By the direct order of His Majesty King Benjamin Salvador Kira, the following test will determine the first formation of the Ministry of Home Affairs, a task force that will serve as the administrative backbone of our kingdom."
"This will not be a test of combat… but of your mind, your decisions, and your loyalty to order."
Phase One: Written Test...
The applicants were handed thick scrolls sealed with the royal emblem.
When the signal was given, they opened them to reveal five sections:
--> Decision-Making Scenarios
Hypothetical situations involving natural disasters, border skirmishes, or sudden collapse in census numbers.
Applicants had to prioritise, allocate resources, and justify their plans in written form.
--> Problem Solving & Critical Thinking
Complex puzzles involving resource distribution, inter-region transport routes, and timing delays.
Applicants had to present charts or flow logic diagrams to explain their strategies.
Before this section's questions, there is a detailed explanation of what a chart is and a flow logic diagram.
So they could draw not accurate but presentable.
--> Kingdom's Administrative Structure
Questions about the roles of regional administrators, noble oversight, royal decrees, and magic knight squad reporting chains.
--> Calculation & Budget Management
Applicants were given numbers from simulated census and expenditure reports and were asked to produce summaries, detect fraud, and balance budgets.
--> History & Law
Questions about the founding of the Clover Kingdom, previous political crises, the roles of the Magic Parliament, and key legislative codes still in use.
When the test started, every participant started writing answers immediately.
As quills scribbled furiously and brows furrowed across the arena, the captains quietly assessed the applicants from afar.
Fuegoleon whispered to Nozel,
"I expected fewer… but this turnout shows Ben has earned the people's faith."
Nozel nodded,
Nod~
"Let's see how many have the mind for policy, not just spells."
Above them all,
Ben watched silently from his seat, arms folded, his eyes sharp, scanning the arena.
He wasn't just looking for loyalty alone.
He was also looking for those who could become pillars of stability, even in the shadows of war.
And as the Royal Knights stood guard all around the venue, ensuring order and fairness, the Clover Kingdom took its first steps toward reshaping its very foundation.
As the last echoes of scribbling quills faded from the examination grounds, Harry raised his hand and called out,
"Time's up. Submit your answer scrolls."
One by one, the examinees stood and walked to the assigned drop points, carefully handing over their scrolls.
The Magic Knight Captains—
some stern, some amused—
Oversaw the process personally, each gathering scrolls with their squad's signature precision.
Even Yami, with his casual attitude, helped without complaint, muttering something about "paper hell."
After all scrolls were collected, the arena was emptied for a scheduled one-hour break.
Examinees moved to the shaded refreshment tents set up outside the arena, sipping cool drinks and nervously discussing their answers.
The anticipation of results buzzed through the air.
Meanwhile, in a massive white tent erected just behind the arena, a different kind of magic was unfolding.
At the centre, a long table held rows of enchanted quills, each hovering above a stack of scrolls.
Their feathers shimmered faintly with enchanted ink and anticipation.
Standing proudly beside the setup,
Wizard King Julius Novachrono grinned ear to ear, clearly excited.
"Ben is full of curious ideas. This enchanted quill system is brilliant! I just had to bring it to life."
Harry stood beside him, holding a sealed scroll in his hand.
With great care, he placed it into a small stone brazier.
As it burned to ash, the residue flowed like sand into a glass compartment at the base of the first enchanted quill.
Instantly, all the quills on the table trembled and came to life—
Golden runes flickered along their shafts.
Shhhkk!
The first quill zipped over to a scroll, unrolled it mid-air, and started swiftly marking answers.
Green checkmarks for correct answers, red for wrong—
elegantly written by the quill's own magic.
A nearby Royal Knight officer, impressed, muttered,
"It's like the thing's alive…"
Julius chuckled,
Chuckle~
"Well, don't give it a grimoire yet. It might start applying for citizenship."
In less than an hour, over 400 scrolls were flying through and reviewed and recorded into magical ledgers that auto-calculated total marks.
Applicants returned to their seats after the break, noticing a glowing scoreboard now installed at the front of the arena.
A projection crystal had been placed overhead, and slowly, the top-scoring names started appearing—
one by one—
alongside the logos of their current magic knight squads or backgrounds.
Cheers erupted from some corners, sighs from others.
Ben, watching from above, remained calm and composed.
But inside, he was carefully observing not only who scored highest, but also who handled both failure and success with grace.
Second Test –
The Critical Thinking Challenge...
The magic scoreboard shimmered as it updated the results.
From over 400 applicants, only 190 names glowed bright, indicating successful clearance of the first written phase.
The rest looked on with mixed expressions—
Some disheartened, others respectfully accepting defeat.
A moment later, Harry's voice echoed through the arena, enhanced by a Sound Amplification Spell:
"Congratulations to the 190 applicants who have cleared the first phase. Please proceed to the inner testing grounds for the second phase—The Critical Thinking Challenge."
The selected examinees stood with nervous anticipation.
As they were guided into a more enclosed part of the arena, the ambience changed.
It felt more sombre—
less about knowledge, and more about wisdom, morals, and pressure.
The examinees found themselves in a large hall with circular seating, each assigned to an isolated seat with a crystal orb hovering in front of them.
A calm, yet firm voice echoed—
this time,
It was Ben's, transmitted via magical communication.
"You now face the hardest part of this examination. True administration isn't about power or intelligence alone—it's about making decisions that could affect thousands… sometimes without a perfect answer."
"Your test will present complex scenarios—some moral, some tactical, some political. There are no objectively right or wrong answers. We're judging your judgment, not your obedience."
Each examinee's crystal orb lit up, and scenes began to play out within each, has a different scenario:
Scenario 1:
You are in charge of food distribution in a war-torn village.
You only have enough for half the population, and no reinforcements are guaranteed.
How do you allocate the supplies?
Scenario 2:
You discover a Magic Knight Captain is embezzling funds, but is beloved by the people and brings results.
Reporting them may cause public outrage and unrest. What do you do?
Scenario 3:
You are escorting a royal envoy through enemy territory.
You must choose between saving a group of children trapped in a collapsing village or protecting the envoy who holds vital intelligence for national defence.
Each choice had multiple paths and reactions—
tracked through the judgment crystal, which glowed based on emotion, logic, and clarity of thought..
The Magic Knight Captains watched each examinee's decisions unfold.
Some leaned forward with interest.
Charlotte, arms folded, remarked,
"This is far more insightful than combat trials."
Yami, chewing a blade of grass, added,
"Finally, something that ain't just about punching harder."
Fuegoleon nodded solemnly,
"Leadership begins in the mind."
Even Wizard King Julius peeked in, thoroughly satisfied by the things he had created being praised.
As the last scenario faded from the crystals,
Harry appeared again to announce:
"Phase Two is complete. Your responses will now be reviewed. Those who pass will proceed to the final practical task tomorrow."
As the 190 sat in quiet reflection, some looking shaken by the choices they had to make, it was clear—
This wasn't just another promotion test.
Ben, watching everything through a magical scrying device, whispered to himself:
"Let's see who has the heart… not just the mind."
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(Author's POV)
(A/N): Thanks for reading the chapter!
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