Chapter 5: Act 1: Blue Ocean Pavilion – Chapter 5: Frederick Klein

The Trial Master, Robert Levitt, appeared in front of a large building. Its front doors had the carvings of unfurled scrolls and quills. This was the Record Chamber and one of the most important places in the Blue Ocean Pavilion.

It contained all the records of every student and the historical events of the Blue Ocean Pavilion. Thus, it was heavily guarded and closed off to only a few with the privilege.

Two guards were posted at the entrance. They were Greater Knight Exalts and some of the best warriors of the Pavilion. Their body was covered in azure armor from head to toe. Their trident weapons were beautiful with razor-sharp gold tips.

Noticing the newcomer, they approached to block them. However, they halted on seeing it was Robert.

"Great Elder. You grace us with your presence." They bowed and lowered their tridents.

"It's Trial Master right now. I'll return to my duties as Great Elder after it ends." Robert waved the guards to return to their posts.

The guards tapped the door with their tridents, and it began to open as if some invisible force was moving it. Once Robert entered inside, the door closed back shut.

Inside were large shelves stretching far to the other end of the great hall. Unlike regular bookshelves, these shelves were akin to honeycombs with hexagonal holes containing various rolled-up metallic sheets.

Inside were various personages, the Judges at their desks. They worked hard, writing on metal papers and rolling them up. Robert approached one of them.

"I hope I'm not disturbing you." The Judge he coincidentally approached was Ivanka Klein, who admitted Oscar and Isabella back at the port.

Ivanka looked slightly annoyed someone bothered her during her work. She turned to Robert, and her eyes widened so much that they were bulging.

"Gr-Great Elder Robert. Forgive me for not addressing you immediately. What do you need from this lowly Judge." Ivanka immediately knelt and bowed her head; her beautiful green hair was scattered all over her back onto the floor.

Although she was a Judge and enjoyed a high position, it was nothing compared to the Great Elder in front of her. Great Elders were all Greater Marshall Exalts, on the cusp of being King Exalts. She was only a Lower Knight Exalt. He could kill her on a whim, and no one would care.

"No need to be afraid, child." Robert's eyes were still closed. "I need your assistance in finding a record for a child."

"Of course, I can find anything for you, Great Elder!" Ivanka quickly stood up and fixed her hair. She could not make a bad impression on Great Elder Robert.

"He is one of the trial takers. Here is his face." Robert held up his palm, and smoke gathered around to form an image of Oscar's face.

"HUH?" Ivanka stared at the face. She recognized who it was. It was the boy that had come together with the Grade Eight Isabella. She most likely would not have known who he was if not for that.

"You know this child?"

"I do, Great Elder. I was the one who recorded the boy's details when he entered the Pavilion. He came along with a Grade Eight girl."

"Hmmm. Grade Eight?" Robert's ears perked up hearing this.

"Would you like her record as well?" Ivanka added on.

Robert stroked his beard and replied, "No need. I only want the boy's record. I have no interest in the girl."

Ivanka was surprised; she did not expect the Great Elder to disregard a Grade Eight child so nonchalantly. This increased her interest in the boy, Oscar. How did he attract the attention of a high-level figure like Robert?

"Is there a problem?" Robert's solemn voice awoke Ivanka from her thoughts. Her face paled, thinking she had angered him by not responding in time.

"N-None at all, Great Elder. I'll get the boy's record for you." Normally, if a Judge were just given a face, it would take longer to find the record. But Ivanka knew Oscar's name, so it was simpler for her.

After a short time, Ivanka returned to Robert with a scroll in hand. She respectfully presented it to him with trembling hands as her yellow eyes were full of anxiety.

The scroll unfurled in Robert's hands. There was a drawing of Oscar, followed by the information Ivanka had written down earlier.

"Grade Four Exolsia? Kuh." Robert's slight chuckle utterly terrified Ivanka, who lost her last bit of composure. When has a Great Elder ever behaved like this towards a new student?

"My thanks for your time. You can get back to work."

"Yes!" Ivanka bowed her head towards Robert's back.

It was not yet time for the second trial, so Robert took his time returning to the trial grounds.

~Trial Grounds~

"I'm Frederick Klein. Nice to meet you."

The green-haired, yellow-eyed, handsome young boy held his hand towards Oscar.

Oscar stood up and shook Frederick's hand. "I'm Oscar Terr."

Frederick was slightly taller than Oscar, but he had a very open face that drew others in.

"Does one of your relatives work here? I ran into a lady with the same hair and eyes like you."

"Oh, you must be referring to my aunt. She used to be one of the students here until she graduated. She became a Knight Exalt at the age of 27. She's been working as a Judge for the past four years."

Oscar remembered what the book about the Blue Ocean Pavilion said about Judges. They were one of the most important roles in the Pavilion and reserved only for graduates. Proctors like Lewis and Stan were mainly the ones who failed to reach Knight Exalt before 30.

"Your aunt must be an incredible genius." Oscar praised.

"Well, that's a fact. Our Klein family is a small baron family. So her graduation was a big affair that propelled our family's status."

A noble family. The Brilliant Drake Empire was divided into different social classes. At the very top was the Emperor, followed by the Dukes, Counts, Earls, Viscounts, and Barons.

Oscar and Isabella were just the bottom-of-the-barrel commoners with no social standings. They might be higher up on the ladder if they were merchants or in some other specialized trade.

"That's amazing. I'm a commoner, so I wouldn't know how it is."

Frederick sat down and laughed while patting Oscar on the back. Anyone might think they were good friends who had known each other for a while.

"As long as you become a great Exalt, you'll be given lands and a title."

Indeed, Exalts were a precious resource for any group or power. They could be the best soldiers, researchers, and leaders. Empires and nobles would entice powerful Exalts to their fold with promises of great benefits.

Even if someone failed to graduate from Blue Ocean Pavilion, there would most likely be someone wanting to hire or invite them if they were skilled.

"By the way, what Grade Exolsia are you?"

Oscar hesitated. After all, he had seen and experienced the disparity between Exolsia, and he did not like to share it.

"If it makes you uncomfortable, I have Grade Five Exolsia. My aunt, Ivanka, has Grade Seven."

Frederick spoke without shame that Oscar was shocked. He had never met anyone with such honesty and openness.

"Is it tiresome? To be compared to your aunt?" Oscar asked.

Frederick replied, "All the damn time. My family asks why I couldn't have higher Exolsia like her. But that's all hogwash. I can't tell if I don't try first, right?"

The words resonated with Oscar. Yes, no one knows the future, all he had to do was take it one step at a time. Surely, people will begin to acknowledge that.

"Grade Four." Oscar said with a confident smile. "I have Grade Four Exolsia. I'm quite jealous of your Grade Five."

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Frederick was taken aback. He did not expect Oscar to have Grade Four Exolsia, which made it more interesting. His face formed a grin.

"Grade Four? We're just one apart, so we're in the same spot. I would have thought you were higher."

Higher? What made Frederick have such a high opinion of him? Oscar could not recall a moment. This was their first meeting.

Frederick noticed Oscar's confusion and explained.

"I saw you move towards the front. I first thought that was an idiotic thing to do. But when you were blown back and ground your feet on the floor to make you stop, I ate my own words."

Frederick sat down to have more rest while talking.

"You're a crazy guy. You have guts. So I thought you had Grade Six or Seven Exolsia."

"I don't think Exolsia relates to how smart or lucky I am." Indeed, part of it was luck. He would have lost if the winds lasted just a moment longer or if his feet tore off.

"Agreed. So, Oscar, I'm interested in you. Want to be friends?" Frederick reached his hand out again.

Oscar smiled and laughed heartily like Frederick. He accepted Frederick as a friend.

As time passed, they talked in length about their families, their homes, and their stories. Oscar finally got to the part about Isabella and her Grade Eight Exolsia.

"Grade Eight? Holy mother of god. You only see the high kinds of grades in the big noble families. Guess it's true that a genius was come from anywhere."

"Really? How rare are Grade Eight or Nine Exolsias?" Oscar was interested in this. He only knew Isabella and wanted to have an idea of any other rivals.

"Most big noble families have a large tendency for Grade Seven and Sixes. By mixing more and more powerful Exalt bloodlines, they have a higher chance of better Exolsia cores in their children. You can say they are Exalt families."

"My Klein family is a recent addition in the past hundred years. Our ancestor was only a Grade Six but was a powerful Knight."

"So your family was commoners before?"

"Yup, we're known as upstarts, and many despised us. But my aunt becoming a Judge put a damper to their complaints."

Frederick smiled maliciously, thinking about the others who suddenly had to act respectfully to his family. Oscar did not want to know what happened to those offenders.

"I don't know all the Grade Eights because who knows if there are more like your friend, Isabella. The ones I do know of are from terrifying backgrounds." Frederick went back on topic.

"First is Celestina Lovre Dragnar, the princess of our Brilliant Drake Empire. The Royal Family has a King Exalt, so it's not a surprise that they produced such a genius."

"King Exalt!" Oscar lost his breath hearing this. That was a place so far from his reach right now, but he was curious how it felt to be so powerful.

"Second is Aurora Bellwood, and she is not from any noble family but rather the daughter of the branch head of the Alchemist's Guild branch in our Empire. The Alchemist's Guild is the holy ground for alchemists."

"Elixirs? Alchemists?" Oscar did not know what these were.

"There's more to Exalts than just fighting. They can create Elixirs which help speed up the process of training. You'll learn more about it later once we're inside."

Oscar nodded and expressed for Fred to continue.

"Lastly, there is a Grade Nine…."

Oscar unknowingly slammed his hand on the floor, ignoring the slight bleeding it caused.

"A NI-" Oscar almost screamed out in shock before Frederick clamped his mouth shut.

"Don't make too much commotion. You'll attract attention." Frederick was careful and did not want any unwanted attention. Attention bred trouble.

Oscar took deep breaths to calm himself down.

"Grade Nine? Who?"

Frederick responded solemnly, "It would be Gilbert Lockwood from a Baron family."

"Grade Nine, that's crazy. Even more so from a baron family."

"But strange too." Frederick crossed his arms in deep thought.

"Strange?"

"I know Gilbert since our families were barons. He was always pale and sick. He rarely came out unless the family had to bring him out for formal social events. I heard they put him in a shed away from the rest at home."

Frederick remembered his peer with blue hair and blue eyes that tried to hold in his coughs and walk around with shaky legs.

"Then, suddenly, he got healthy and strong. Later, he overpowered his siblings in martial combat. Once they tested his Exolsia when he reached fifteen years of age, it turned bright gold signifying Grade Nine. The news spread like wildfire all over the empire, except remote places like your home."

"That…is odd." Oscar mumbled.

Can a person change that drastically? Even if they recovered from sickness, immediately defeating others in combat was strange.

"I got a weird feeling about all of this. So I'd rather not interact with the guy. You too. Avoid him at all costs. I caught a glimpse of him, and it's a complete difference from his sickly past." Frederick looked slightly angry.

Silence engulfed the two as the air became stuffy with worries.

Oscar stood up and stretched his back, "I don't think we'll have too many chances to see him. After all, if you and I both fail the next trial, then that's something we don't have to worry about."

Gilbert was not even put into Oscar's mind for today. They needed to focus on what lay ahead, the upcoming trial.

What an oddball. Frederick thought Oscar was an interesting person. Completely different from Gilbert.

"Ha? How would I fail the next trial? You should be worrying about yourself." Frederick teased back at Oscar.

"Let's become Exalts."

"Obviously."

At this time, Robert appeared on the podium and addressed the crowd.

"The second trial, The Trial of Heart."

Frederick extended his fist out to Oscar.

"Well, Os. Let's win this."

Oscar bumped fists with Frederick with a chuckle.

"What kind of name is Os? But yea, Fred. We're going to pass."

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