“Don’t tell me you lost it? Or was it stolen?” asked the captain.

Sebastian lowered his eyes and looked away,

“Actually, there was an urgent need for money and a big lump sum one at that… So I had no choice but to pawn away my enchanted relic.”

The captain got up from his seat in shock,

“What did you just say? Did you pawn away your enchanted relic for some cash? Are you for real?!” asked the surprised captain.

Sebastian lowered his head,

“Well, yes I did,” answered Sebastian with his nervous grin that resurfaced.

“And Sir Darius allowed you to do that?” asked the captain.

Sebastian’s grin widened,

“Actually no, I urgently needed that money. So I didn’t have time to ask for his permission.”

The captain was quite shocked and stood standing there with a perplexed expression,

“Wow! That’s quite ballsy of you. Sir Darius surely would kill you if he comes to know that you pawned away his enchanted relic for money. Not to mention coming here empty-handed to participate in the exam. It’s better if you just return home and ask for forgiveness from your master and buyback his relic. That’s for the best-”

But just when,

“But Sir Darius knows everything,” answered Sebastian quickly.

“Knows what?” asked the captain confusedly.

“Sir Darius already knows that I pawned away the enchanted relic.” answered Sebastian, “He was quite furious and I even told him that I will participate in the next year's exam after buying back that relic. But master still instructed me to participate in the exam anyway.”

The captain face turned pale,

“What? Sir Darius still allowed you to join the exam even after that stunt you pulled? Isn’t it just indirectly him sending you to your death? Participating in the exam without any enchanted relic is just straight out absurd.”

Although, Sebastian just glared back,

“I will manage it somehow. That’s what Sir Darius told me and I’ve faith in him.”

The captain was quite surprised by seeing the determination in Sebastian’s eyes.

‘Sir Darius and this kid, both have lost their marbles. Only some insane people could pull such a feat but after meeting with this kid in person, he matches the criteria to that very category.’

The captain burst into laughter,

“Haha! This is just great! If Sir Darius really thinks that you can pull it off, then maybe you really can. Or that, he really wanted you actually dead. Either way it will be no easy task, that’s for sure.” said the captain.

“I will do my best to get selected as one of the candidates,” said Sebastian with utter confidence.

The Captain stared at Sebastian for a few seconds and let out a sigh,

“It’s not that easy as you think it is. There are other candidates who also trained as hard as you did. But the possibility of owning an enchanted relic in this exam means the matter of life and death. Possessing one such relic means that it gives you an edge in the exam but also a way to survive in the exam. Don’t you get it?”

Sebastian was confused,

“Uh... I see.” still responded as if he understood.

The captain knew that his words went over Sebastian’s head.

“Listen kid, this exam is supposed to gather strong warriors for the magic knight squad but it’s not the entire truth."

Sebastian was rather puzzled,

“What does that suppose to mean?”

The captain once again sat near Sebastian,

“Listen, the main purpose of this exam is not just to collect warriors but also to gather enchanted relics for the kingdom's military.”

Sebastian was horrified,

“What? So they are more interested in the enchanted relic than the participants themselves?”

The captain sat back on the ledge of the wall,

“Well, that’s half the truth. You know that only one user at a time can actually fully utilize the power of an enchanted relic. That’s because of the safety mechanism installed in the relic, which only allows the person that has fully synchronized with the relic to wield its power. No one else can harness the power from that relic other than the user itself. But if the user gives his consent to someone else, then that person can utilize the power of the enchanted relic. It may be temporary or permanent depending on the user’s will.”

Sebastian nodded his head,

“Hmm, so in that sense. Isn’t the user equally important as the enchanted relic?” asked Sebastian curiously.

“Well, that’s true but there’s one way to bypass that safety mechanism. If in a case, where the enchanted relic user dies without choosing an heir. No one else can use that relic, thus making the relic useless. But a skillful mage can however tweak that relic from becoming useless. A mage can clear away the previous user’s ownership and make room for a new user.” answered the captain, “Although, there were a lot of instances where the enchanted relics were taken away from their users forcefully using the same method which is kinda illegal. So you should get an idea, right?”

Sebastian nodded his head,

“I see. But what’s your point in this whole conversation?”

The captain facepalmed with disappointment.

He then placed his hand on Sebastian’s shoulder,

“If what I told you doesn’t make much sense. Then let me explain to you in simpler terms. Imagine, the knight candidate exam is actually a horse racing competition and you, candidates are the participants. Then in that way, an enchanted relic is your horses and you, candidate are their riders. In that manner of speaking, horses are equivalently important as its rider in the horse racing, correct?” asked the captain.

Sebastian scratched his chin,

“Hmm. Yes, indeed.”

“Good”, answered the captain, “Now, with hundreds of horse riders are racing and each and everyone wants to win in the race. And then there’s you, Sebastian Heller, challenging all the horse riders to win that very same race but with your bare feet. That’s not going to be taken very lightly by the fellow horse riders in the least. Because your presence is certainly going to hurt the ego of other horse riders. So now, do you get the picture?” asked the captain.

“Oh I see. I get it. Challenging a horse rider on barefoot is insanity.” answered Sebastian.

“See that! You got it” answered the captain rejoicingly.

“But this isn’t a horse race, right?” asked Sebastian as he glanced at the captain curiously.

Captain sat back on the ledge of the wall,

“Ah! All this talk for nothing. I told you, speaking metaphorically. Nevermind, just forget-”

“Enchanted relic or not, I still have to clear this exam and become a magic knight. Though my opponents are going to be stronger than me so all I need to do is pulverize my opponent and that’s what I intend to do.” replied Sebastian as he glared at the captain with strong determination in his eyes, “At least that’s what Sir Knight Darius instructed me to do before I left for the capital.”

The captain stood up scratching his messy hair and let out a sigh,

“Ah! Yeah that just sounds like him, no doubt about that.”

“But I will keep your warnings in mind, I won’t underestimate my opponents. I am very thankful for everything,” said Sebastian as he got up and bowed his head.

The captain glanced at Sebastian as he thought,

‘This kid here is as stubborn as his godfather. No doubt about it, he is Sir Knight Darius’s pupil. And here I am trying to discourage from his goal. I am the worst.’

The captain let out a sigh,

“Stop with that bowing already. You don’t need to bow every time you need to say sorry or thank you for little things. You are a knight candidate, after all. You should act a little more confident and proud.”

Sebastian nervously grinned,

“Ah! I will keep that in mind.”

“You don’t need to worry. It’s not the first time someone has entered the knight candidate exam without any relic. There were some people who cleared the exam with nothing but skills and raw strength. Not to mention, the last person to pull that stunt was the old hag who also made me the garrison regiment’s captain and ordered to build my cabin on top of the walls." the captain expression changed of that of anger. "Knowing that woman, it’s not surprising she cleared the exams with clear skills and strength alone during her childhood. She's truly a monster through and through.”

Sebastian was still confused,

“Whose the old hag you complain so much about?” asked curious Sebastian.

“It’s better that you don’t know. Also don’t ever tell anyone I called her old hag or I might even get killed on duty without any warnings. Is that clear, Sebastian?” asked the captain as he glared with a forced friendly smile.

“I won’t tell anyone but still who is this old hag? She sounds like an amazing person, although she also sounds like a bully,” asked Sebastian.

“You’ll find it soon enough. Anyway, my point is that this old hag cleared the exam without relying on a relic or mana ability, but she won’t be the last person to do so.” said the captain.

“I see! Thanks for the encouragement” answered Sebastian as he bowed once again.

“I told you to stop with the bowing already. Let’s head back to the cabin.” replied the captain as he smiled, “There’s something I would like to give you.”

Sebastian was a bit puzzled,

“What’s that?”

“Something that might help you a bit in the exam.” replied the captain, “Let’s head back to the cabin.”

"A spare enchanted relic, perhaps?" guessed curious Sebastian.

"Hell no. If I had one of those, I would rather keep it for myself." answered back the captain.