Now the girls find themselves in the great reception hall. They listen to the instructions one last time before the big competition.
The competition lasts one week for the girls, while it's just two days for the boys.
The first day is devoted to a written exam. The participants have eight hours to solve a specific geopolitical problem. Meals are brought at noon. Each candidate has her own subject, so discussing among themselves is not considered a fault. However, every action and gesture is observed and noted throughout the exam.
Several elements are evaluated: noble manners, maintenance of relationships, self-discipline, ability to negotiate, breadth of knowledge, strategic sense…
In short, everything that pertains to political genius.
The most intelligent ones, like Kristel and Sheyes, as well as a few confirmed strategists, don't really need to negotiate. They are competent enough to solve their subject alone. Others seek to monetize their help: they allow themselves to be approached to earn a bit of money, nothing more. For them, this exam is just a bonus. They plan to leave the hall before noon, because speed is also an evaluation criterion.
Some candidates, like Dijiid, who are uncomfortable with numbers, economics, or finance, call upon collaboration. They form alliances based on their respective strengths and tackle problems collectively. This type of group is the majority during this exam. The size of a group can vary from two or three confident candidates to several dozen participants.
While most gather around a charismatic leader like Dijiid, who knows how to lead her troop, Anna spends long minutes reading and rereading her subject in the smallest detail. From what she learned from Rias, good solutions are born above all from a deep understanding of the problem — that is, the ability to grasp all its perspectives.
She takes her time. And even once she has passed this stage, she still feels the need to compare her ideas with others' opinions before proposing her own. Although she has already considered at least seven possible solutions, her perspective remains that of a single person. Anna is, after all, a perfectionist.
She then observes the room, looking for someone to talk to. The nobles seem to have found common ground in the upper part of the hall. The travelers, a minority, gather timidly in groups of about twenty at the back. The individualists, meanwhile, are scattered everywhere. At least, that's what Anna manages to distinguish among this crowd of a thousand people.
The so-called little brother of Zyon, mentioned in the previous chapter, watches her with curiosity. He is among the individualists. For him, his admission is obvious: as a man, this first exam is decisive for the boys. Yet another mission occupies his mind.
"What's happening with Anna? I thought she would be an exceptional strategist. Should I help her or let her manage on her own to observe her initiatives?"
And then, lacking the courage to start a conversation — her introverted nature doesn't help much — Anna sighs, then picks up her pen.
And she writes.
As expected, most of the individualists finish their work before noon. Sheyes and Kristel turn theirs in first, soon followed by many others. The favorites of the competition are already on the verge of concluding. The same boy from earlier has also finished. He stays to help a few nobles in difficulty for a fee, but above all to observe Anna Fort de Rush.
Anna, for her part, continues to write relentlessly, never stopping to think for long.
Only two and a half hours remain when her pen finally stops moving.
She rereads her work.
Surprisingly, a mountain of papers covers her desk. The examiners are surprised. The best candidates usually submit only one work of about twenty to thirty pages. Anna, however, presents three manuscripts: the first is about sixty pages; the second, about twenty; and the third, which she still holds in her hand, about thirty pages.
This is unprecedented.
Everyone wonders what she could have written, and above all why she chose to divide her work into three distinct volumes. The high-ranking members of the academy — tenured professors, sorority heads, and members of the student council — understand the logic. Yet even at their level, producing such work would be difficult. It takes time, references, and a rigorous method.
But we know this: reports, project development, idea conception… all of that is an ordinary Saturday for Anna.
The first volume, about twenty pages, is a general report serving as a guide. This is the type of document most candidates usually submit.
The second is an in-depth version of the solution. Attention to detail is Rias's trademark — and therefore, now, Anna's.
The third explores future hypotheses and the problem's ramifications, complete with an index — a valuable tool for developing long-term strategies.
The boy can no longer contain himself. He approaches Anna.
— "Hello, Lady. Forgive me, but I would like to read your report, if you don't mind. My name is Ash Rosse de Excissil. Make me this offer — I'll pay."
— "You would pay to read my reports? That's not necessary. I would simply like to hear your opinion once you've finished reading… if there's anything to improve, for example."
— "That's very kind, but such work… I…"
— "Please. Your opinion will be my reward. Besides, what makes you think it's good work? It's only a humble report written in haste."
— "… Alright. I'll give you my opinion."
Ash then reads the report.
Meanwhile, Anna observes the room again. Only when she sees nearly sixty percent of the desks empty does she notice several travelers — both girls and boys — left alone, unable to negotiate or form alliances. A girl, a few tables away, seems particularly struggling.
Their eyes meet.
It's complicated.
Travelers have their pride. It is that strength that brought them this far. Although Anna wants to help, she knows they might refuse. Yet it would be a shame to see them leave their villages or towns empty-handed, especially when registration and preparation fees cost a fortune.
So, despite her shyness, Anna approaches the girl. The girl is surprised, embarrassed, awkwardly trying to hide her paper.
— "Hello. My name is Anna. I'm very shy, but I think I need someone to rely on for the final exam. Can you be that person?"
— "Um… I… I don't think I'm very talented… but… alright. If you can help me, even a little, for this exam…"
— "It's settled."
Anna reads the girl's subject in a few minutes, then guides her. She doesn't give the answers directly: she asks questions, explains, helps her find her own words. Watching them, other travelers — and even a few nobles in difficulty — approach to ask for advice.
Strangely, Anna handles the crowd around her very well.
For her, all these subjects are variations of a single problem, expressed in different situations. The answers are therefore methodological rather than purely logical. Conversely, the nobles' problems are often logical but lack method.
What travelers lack is knowledge.
What nobles lack is perspective.
It would be enough for them to exchange… but it's never that simple.
Anna especially understands that the subjects are not distributed randomly. She could ask someone's opinion on hers, but it's likely she is the only one who can truly understand it.
She also understands that some nobles may have rushed their work.
You know how people blinded by appearances are, don't you?
In truth, some nobles risk losing face if a rival family submits their work before them. Although everyone greatly underestimates this discipline, knowledge is the pride of the nobility. So they must finish quickly and put on airs while importing their copies.
Anyway, for them, only the final exam truly matters. It has no point ceiling and can compensate for any previous weakness. And these girls prefer to bet everything on that final exam. This one is just a bonus.
But places are limited, Anna tells herself. She far prefers to stack all the odds in her favor.
So, what should she prioritize submitting?
Two hours is too little time to write ten reliable pages. Anna therefore prioritizes quality over quantity. She has just come out of a time crisis at the imperial palace: she knows that details are not always essential.
Sometimes, a solution is enough.
Meanwhile, Ash rereads Anna's work again and again.
"Am I hallucinating? Her subject is clearly not within just anyone's reach. I now understand her initial hesitation. I also understand this mountain of pages: she had too much to explain.
But these details… this rigor… There are even material and fiscal proposals.
This is worthy of an imperial secretary. No… of a long-term strategic specialist.
And she is only twelve years old. Any reader could understand this report, but no one could have written it like this."
At the end of the day, in front of the academy gates, Ash is about to climb into his carriage when he hears the conversations around him. He turns around and sees Anna, surrounded by the girls and boys she helped.
She smiles. Gentle. Innocent.
And yet, Ash murmurs:
"Anna Fort de Rush…
She's a monster.
I need to win her over before others get ahead of me.
For now, she seems overwhelmed… but I will give her my opinion.
Over tea."