"Is that him?"
"Yes, it's him."
"But are you sure you heard right?"
"I didn't hear, I simply saw. He went from the third to the fifth stance in two days."
"Two!? That's impossible."
"I wouldn't believe it either, but I saw with my own eyes how tutor Nilon carried out his test to the fifth stance, and just two days ago he was with me in the group."
"How did he do it?"
"I have no idea, I only know that for half a year he stood somewhere in the corner of the training ground and trained day in and day out by himself."
"Maybe he's a noble, and they let him through faster, or he has connections?"
"I doubt it, I talked to Daren what's in the room with him, and from what he told me, he came from an orphanage like most of us. Anyway, somewhere since the end of spring, he has been winning almost all the sparring matches day after day, although lately I haven't seen him fight anyone."
Such rumors and conversations could be heard late in the evening, when it was already dark outside and the dining hall was lit by the flames of candlesticks. The news of Kane's accomplishment stirred confused feelings of admiration and discontent among the recruits, creating new rumors and theories, including among the Lower Knights present.
Sitting in a corner of the dining hall was Jin, along with those he had managed to recruit into the group. With steel swords at their waists, causing concern among nearby recruits, they watched Kane sip from wooden mugs.
"Jin, do you know him?"
Asked a new member of his group, Renard, the second person to receive the rank of Lower Knight in Byrock.
"Yes, the last time I fought him was in the spring, and then he wasn't something special, but now he's worth attention."
"Then why didn't you offer him to join us?"
"I offered, he refused."
"Really?"
"Really"
"First Lores, now him, I don't know why they don't want to join."
"I don't know either, I thought I made them realize that leaving Byrock alone is stupid."
"Maybe he needs to be pressed?"
"There's no time, there are other recruits or tutors around all the time, and after supper they make sure no one leaves the rooms."
"Ehh... we could use two more people, so that we have at least five."
"We have time, we still have three and a half months until the tests on Knight"
Despite all the confusion, Kane tried to ignore the rumors, whether negative or positive.
His eating was interrupted by the voice of tutor Lorenz.
"Attention everyone!
We have received information from Royal General Nikolas Ronest himself from the capital about sudden changes in plans. Due to the approaching winter, resulting in a temporary withdrawal of Imperial forces and a reduction in the intensity of attacks, we have received orders to take all Lower Knights from Byrock to help the Forsteck kingdom's army help civilians and minimize losses at the border.
We plan to leave Byrock within two weeks, as soon as the temperature drops and the forces reduce the intensity of their operations.
That's all."
Despite such unheard of news, there was a deafening silence among the recruits after tutor Lorenz left. After more than half a year of training, it was only after this speech that they realized they were really in the army, and would someday fight on the front lines.
No excitement, just a bitter silence exposing the sad reality of what they were heading for with their training - a painful death on the front lines.
Hearing the orders the tutors had received, Kane realized that his entire plan had come to nothing.
"Well great... And so much for planning. If I become a Lower Knight in a few days like I planned, they'll send me to the front for the winter, and I won't be able to spend three months training.
But if I stay in the fifth group until spring, so that I can miss it, I won't get used to steel weapons."
He sighed with apparent dissatisfaction, staring blankly at the plate, having to plan anew for the next few months.
"But on the other hand, a little experience will come in handy, from what the tutor said, they send us out in the winter specifically so that we don't run into anyone, meaning collecting civilians and distributing them from under the border to cities like recruits from orphanages.
Are they short of people? All in all, they don't give us information from the front, what the situation is like, everyone in confinement forgets that there is a war going on."
"Kane? What are you thinking about?"
Asked a concerned Auren, seeing that the boy had been staring at his plate for a few minutes without blinking.
"I'm just thinking about what the tutor said, I don't know if it's worth it for me to become a Lower Knight and leave for the winter."
"As far as I'm concerned, it's not worth it, to risk your life on the front lines. Besides, we are 11 years old, and compared to the Knights, we are small, I don't know if they will even have equipment for our height."
After hearing his roommate's opinion, Kane, feeling tired from just thinking about it, started rocking in his chair, staring at the ceiling, feeling as if he was getting more and more tired, physically and mentally, with every breath.
Sitting like this, he drowned in his own thoughts, closing his eyes. Slowly, the surrounding conversations began to quiet down, and his musings began to enter his head.
"Ehh... Why all these wars, the ever-present death ravaging villages and towns, no good reason, and then we have to die in the fields with spears stuck in our hearts..."
Kane's musings were only interrupted a moment later by Daren, catching him by the arm.
"Kane, supper is over, we have to leave."
"Oh right, thanks."
They all left the dining hall, going to their rooms to sleep, in silence, unsure if they wanted to become Lower Knight this winter.
Only returning to the room, brought Kane back to consciousness and reminded him of what awaits him tomorrow.
"Oh right, the fifth stance, I'd already forgotten. Only is it worth it for me to become a lower knight over the winter?"
He wondered, lying in bed. Only the next day during training, when he could be alone with himself, without listening to the conversations of his roommates, would he be able to think in peace, he decided.
"Okay, I'll lose out on training, but I'll be there in a group with Lower Knight, at most, I'll only do sparring during the winter, unless there's time to train.
Only the tutor said that the intensity of army attacks will decrease, but they will still be there....
Can I survive?"
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