After the brief conversation with Armand, Elyandra and Celestina followed the professor toward the vast testing field he had shown them the day before. Phase two of the exam, as Armand explained, would be "Concept Analysis and Strategy."
Upon arriving at the location, they were met with a crowd of nobles, including the high-class ones Elyandra already knew. Celestina bid her farewell with a timid wave and headed toward the group she had led the previous day. Elyandra, even finding it surreal to be leading a group again, walked toward the same group she had led before. Soon, the professors approached their respective groups, and Armand Velacroix was once again in charge of hers.
He divided the students into groups of five. Elyandra ended up with four other nobles who, at first glance, seemed well below average. The look of defeat and inferiority on their faces was evident. A drop of sweat ran down Elyandra's temple. Discreetly, she glanced at Armand and noticed the mischievous smile he was directing at her. "That damn guy… is he trying to test me?" she thought, feeling a mix of irritation and reluctant respect.
Armand prepared the fictional magical scenario. To Elyandra's surprise, the scenario given to her group was related to a war, and the battlefield placed them in extreme difficulty. The nobles accompanying her broke into a cold sweat upon seeing the situation. They would have to present written and oral solutions on how they could win that battle. Elyandra immediately realized that the scenario had been chosen specifically to test her. "A war scenario with such a disadvantage… it's almost ridiculous. How do you win a lost war? He must have thought of this for me because I'm from the House responsible for military affairs."
Armand addressed Elyandra's group:
— For the current scenario, you must formalize how the group would react to such a situation, how you would make your choices, and how you would win based on what you've been given. Take into consideration the communication time on a battlefield and the lack of information. — He made it clear that all reasoning should focus on logic and that he would only debate the final result. — Good luck.
While the other nobles broke into a cold sweat, Elyandra analyzed the battlefield, building the scenario in her mind and weighing the possibilities.
She closed her eyes for a moment, mentally visualizing the vast field. The objective was clear: to protect the imperial capital from a full-scale attack. There was no retreat beyond the capital, and the distance was considerable, making the mission even more critical.
The numerical disadvantage was glaring: five units of five thousand men each, totaling twenty-five thousand soldiers. The enemy had fifty thousand — twenty-five thousand more. In terms of magic, superiority belonged to them, but the capital had multiple sides to defend, fragmenting that advantage.
Elyandra sighed, opening her eyes and turning her gaze to her companions. The four young nobles read the test sheets with pale and confused faces, unable to see any solution.
"Let's start with the root of the problem," she thought, a thread of determination emerging amid the perplexity.
She observed the nobles in front of her: only four young people, each exuding tactical inexperience and a clear lack of interest in military matters. A slight air of indecision crossed her face. She tried to figure out what on earth could be done with that group.
It was then that one of the nobles, a young man with an anxious expression, approached.
— Lady Valemortis, what do you think of this test? — he asked, his voice apprehensive.
Elyandra stared at him, noticing the complete absence of answers in his eyes.
— Don't ask silly questions! — intervened a noblewoman with a superior air. — Lady Valemortis is a Saint. There's no way she understands anything about wars!
— But… she is a Valemortis, the House responsible for the Empire's security and militarism, isn't she? — pondered another, confused.
It was then that a noblewoman with voluminous blonde hair, possessing an almost ethereal delicacy, stepped forward.
— We need to calm down. Lady Valemortis should not be overburdened with a collective task. We need to collaborate in some way.
Elyandra noticed that girl, feeling she stood out for her perceptiveness. At that exact moment, with a fluid and noble movement, Elyandra knelt on the ground. Her colleagues watched her with open mouths. That was not the expected posture of a high-class lady, much less of a Saint.
However, she had other reasons for such a gesture. She took the test sheet and carefully placed it on the ground. The nobles approached, some extending their hands to help her up, murmuring that this was not the posture a Saint should show.
Elyandra raised her hand, palm open, asking for silence. Her golden eyes scanned the ground in front of her, as if she saw an invisible map drawn only for her. She looked at them, her voice calm and firm.
— Dear colleagues, we need to think of a solution for our test. Therefore, I ask for everyone's understanding and that we now focus on what matters: the defense of our capital. I am taking this seriously. In a war, social status does not matter.
That caused an astonished silence, followed by murmurs of surprise. The blonde noblewoman looked visibly fascinated. She knelt beside Elyandra, looking at the empty space on the ground that she was observing, burning curiosity in her eyes.
— What are you seeing, Lady Valemortis? — she asked in a whisper.
Without taking her eyes off the floor, Elyandra pointed with her finger, as if drawing invisible outlines.
— Here we have the capital. According to the notes, we are not in irregular terrain, but in flat ground. That is, they didn't detail the location much, which puts us at a disadvantage for not knowing the terrain, but it also allows us to see where the enemies might come from. Having a clear view of every place is the basics of war. Now, we must think of possibilities. In this case, where could they come from?
Elyandra brought her hand to her chin, pondering. The other nobles still didn't understand her reasoning, but the blonde began to stare at the notes and the floor with more attention. Slowly, a mental model of the capital began to form in her mind. Her eyes sparkled, and she felt an aura emanating from Elyandra — an energy of focus and intellect. The other nobles, sensing the intensity, soon sat in a circle around the sheet, trying to follow the reasoning.
The blonde noblewoman asked:
— Lady Valemortis, are we considering a war in established lines or a siege defense?
At that moment, Elyandra paused, her eyes widening slightly.
— That's it! A testudo!
The nobles looked at her, not understanding the strange word.
Elyandra brought her hand to her chin, a flash of frustration on her face. "Damn, did I forget I'm in another world? They probably don't know what a testudo is since it's a Roman tactic from my world."
With a discreet sigh, she reformulated:
— "Testudo"… is a battle tactic I visualized thinking of a turtle. Inside, it is soft and unprotected, easy prey for hunters. But on the outside, it has a hard and resistant shell that protects it from future dangers. So, if we gather our troops and distribute them to form a siege around the capital, we can defend the city at the same time and mobilize support troops in case a specific area is being attacked more heavily. Communication between the cores would be fast and the flow of information more accurate. The capital would be the turtle, and the troops, the shell. I call this a testudo.
The nobles were surprised, some exclaiming in admiration and praising her for her genius. Elyandra, on the other hand, thought: "Are these people idiots by any chance? This is basic logical sense!"
The blonde noblewoman, however, stared at Elyandra with a somewhat strange look, a hint of dangerous suspicion.
— Lady Valemortis, have you perhaps specialized in battle tactics? Even though you are a Saint?
The question, laden with dangerous doubt, hit Elyandra hard. Answering incorrectly would create an unfavorable image. Elyandra smiled sweetly, her voice overflowing with serenity.
— I am not an expert in battle tactics, but I have witnessed my father making preparations for many scenarios, so I understand a little about these things. However, if possible, I would prefer not to participate in these types of scenarios.
The answer could not have been more noble, woven with the finest diplomacy. Those around her saw in her the image of serenity and tranquility, a model of impeccable conduct. The blonde noblewoman caught an almost golden glimpse of the girl, which made her lips tremble in a smile of admiration. Elyandra, internally, thought: "Good… I think that was the best answer. I can't say I played a lot of RTS games, so using my father as an excuse was the best I could come up with."
The blonde girl picked up her sheet and the pencil danced agilely in her hands. She paused for a moment and looked at Elyandra.
— Perhaps this is the kind of description you need?
Elyandra took the paper. On it, the defense strategy she had shared was defined in a precise and detailed manner. It was basically the entire skeleton of the issue. Elyandra smiled, thinking: "This is incredible. How did she manage to develop something like this so quickly?"
She turned to the blonde girl.
— Exactly, this already helps us in many aspects! Now we just need to assign functions to each noble and detail the communication channels, and we'll have a defense strong enough to withstand any attack.
At that moment, one of the nobles caught Elyandra's attention.
— Isn't this wrong? I mean, the test has a clear objective: how we would win this war. How are we going to win anything if we're not even going to face the enemy head-on?
Elyandra looked at him with a somewhat vague expression. She sighed, drawing the attention of the others.
— You don't win a fight just by advancing and striking without plans, dear colleagues. We don't have the strength or information to fight against a larger army. But we have everything we need to defend the capital, which is their objective. If we stand between them and their goal, the math is logical: either they defeat us, or they lose. We don't have the strength to fight them scattered, simply because there is no way to stop an army that is twice our size. But if you are between them and their objective, either they trample over you, or they retreat. That is where we have a chance.
The noble, still frowning, questioned:
— But how would we have a chance if we were facing an enemy with a larger army than ours?
Elyandra pointed at him, her voice firm and didactic.
— With quality instead of quantity. As already specified earlier, we are superior in magical aspects. And their objective is the capital. We don't need to defeat all of them to win this war; we only need to prevent them from reaching their final goal.
Elyandra delved into her thoughts, observing the invisible model. "In games, I would normally want to destroy all the enemies. That makes sense, yes. But in a real world, that need to destroy everyone doesn't exist. It's a real war. So, if we take the idea of war seriously, we only need to protect the capital. That's not difficult if we are superior in magic. We just need to bring them to us and break their momentum."
The blonde-haired girl completed the reasoning, her eyes shining with understanding.
— Exactly! If we make a good defense strategy, we won't need to go to the fight, but rather wait for it to come to us. After all, for us to achieve our objective, they need to want to achieve theirs. If they don't get what they want, then we will succeed one way or another.
Elyandra smiled in a noble manner, realizing that the test was finally progressing. She joined the blonde girl and, together, they shared their points of view with the rest of the group, blending explanations and adapting possible scenarios. It was at this point that they reached the conclusion of the test.
Her eyes watched with some apprehension as Armand Velacroix approached. He stopped in front of the group, noticing that they had already reached a conclusion. The professor stared at the group with his usual smile.
— It seems you have reached a conclusion, haven't you?
Elyandra extended her hands, holding the meticulously prepared paperwork. Armand took the papers and began to read, flipping through each page carefully. His serious face read every line, while Elyandra maintained her noble pose, a serene expression accompanied by a gentle smile. Internally, however, she reviewed every point, searching for possible flaws, which made her anxious.
After finishing reading, Armand organized the papers and stored them securely inside a bag.
— Impressive. I'll see you at tomorrow's test. Until then, you may enjoy the campus.
That left Elyandra surprised. It was not the answer she liked; she wanted something more precise. But there wasn't much she could do without compromising her social image. She thanked everyone for their collaboration and turned to her group.
The nobles thanked her in a formal and graceful tone. Elyandra then began to walk, her eyes scanning the other groups that were still working hard. She was surprised to notice that her group had been one of the first to finish the test.
That made her even more anxious. She didn't like being one of the first to finish, as it made her doubt her own answer. The feeling intensified as she observed that Celestina and Seraphina were still immersed in their tests.
She shook her head, trying to push away the unease, and continued walking. As she walked through the campus garden, a bad feeling invaded her. She stopped for a few seconds and looked back, coming face to face with the blonde-haired girl who was following her.
Elyandra felt a start, but maintained her composure. "Why is she following me?" She turned around, a polite smile on her lips.
— Can I help you, miss?
The girl made a graceful bow.
— Eliora Belladonna. It is a pleasure to be able to speak with you personally, Lady Valemortis.
Elyandra returned the bow with her usual grace.
— The pleasure is mine, Lady Belladonna. Since you would like to talk, how about coming with me to the flowerbed? It's a very calm place. I believe you will appreciate it as much as I do.
Eliora accepted the invitation with a smile, and the two walked together toward the flowerbed. There, they sat on a stone bench, flanked by flowers that further enhanced the noble aura of both. The environment had a singular calmness, and Elyandra felt deeply at peace in that place.
The silence was broken by Eliora, her voice a whisper full of curiosity.
— Lady Valemortis… are you really a Saint?
Elyandra absorbed the question, a slight trace of surprise crossing her face. She fixed her gaze on the field of flowers ahead, her voice soft, almost a whisper.
— Is that how you see me?
— Many say you are a Saint. I wanted to see what the Saint was like in person. Then I saw Celestina, and my first impression of her was of a shy and somewhat lost girl, someone who seems to just follow what others say. But that is different when I look at you.
Elyandra turned to Eliora, her golden eyes fixed on the blonde.
— And what do you see when you look at me, Lady Belladonna?
The question made Eliora reflect for a few moments. Then she looked at Elyandra, her eyes meeting hers.
— You are different. — Eliora began, her voice almost a whisper. — Something in you emanates with a warm and, in a way, attractive glow. I can see a light surrounding you. You don't even seem real. Does that sound strange?
Elyandra heard the words and, internally, thought: "This is bizarre. What the hell is going on in this crazy girl's head?"
With a subtle smile and unshakable calm, she replied:
— People are strange in their own way, Lady Belladonna. In fact, we are not normal; we live in a world that preaches abnormality. But that doesn't mean we are complete strangers. I think we are all the same, at least… that's how my eyes show me.
Eliora continued to stare at the sea of flowers.
— I didn't come here with the intention of joining the Academy, Lady Valemortis. Actually, I belong to the Church.
Elyandra felt a pang of confusion.
— Then what would be your interest in coming to the Academy?
Eliora, without taking her eyes off the flowers, replied:
— Expectation. I wanted to see with my own eyes who the Saints would be. I was somewhat confused when I discovered that the Saints were choosing to participate in the Academy instead of joining the Church.
Eliora's hand extended and touched Elyandra's, a gesture that surprised the Valemortis.
— Tell me, Lady Valemortis, wouldn't you accept joining the Church instead of entering the Academy? — she asked, her eyes conveying a glow and a frightening aura that sent a shiver down Elyandra's spine.
However, Elyandra remained serene on the outside. She placed her other hand over Eliora's.
— That is still not the path the Goddess would like me to follow, at least not yet. I have not received the Goddess's call.
Elyandra looked at the flower garden, her voice calm.
— I believe there is still something the Goddess would like me to see, so I cannot join the Church yet.
Eliora's eyes sparkled.
— So you will join the Church? — Her expression changed for a brief moment, revealing intense expectation.
Elyandra, observing the change, thought: "I need to play along with this crazy girl, or she'll stick to me in worse ways." She turned her eyes back to Eliora.
— The Goddess has something reserved for each of us. I believe that my path, sooner or later, will join the Church. We will all be able to walk together toward a greater destiny.
Elyandra thought: "That's it, I gave her some hope and now she just needs to get off my back." However, she was surprised to notice Eliora's smile, as affectionate as it was bizarre.
— I understand, Lady Valemortis. There's no need to rush. Our doors will always be open for you.
Eliora's words left Elyandra with a trembling smile. Eliora stood up and bowed.
— Farewell.
She turned and began to walk away. Elyandra followed her with her eyes as she distanced herself. "This smells like trouble…" she thought.