Kady's Journey -Freesia-

Chapter 5: The Hierophant

"If you want a military career and don't want to go through such extreme vetting and screening process, the Brawl Club is the best place to start planning ahead of your martial aspirations while you're still at school," Kiel continued as he showed me the desk I saw yesterday full of paperwork and a black laptop hiding behind the tower of folders, "If you are a full member of this club by the time you graduate, you will be more or less assured that there will be a slot for waiting for you at the military department of your respective countries."

I nodded as he leaned at the edge of the table and looked at me from head to toe, appreciatively, "You remind me a lot of my mom. She looks like a wimp, but even my father, who is a high-ranking general at the Imperial Armed Forces knows better than to make her angry. My most vivid memory of my childhood is when she suplex him in front of his soldiers because he made a dumb joke about her."

"Must be a fun mom..."

"Oh, she is. Anyways, you don't like you are someone who will be interested in a military career in the future?"

I shook my head as I deftly avoided a club member that Lexei sent flying, "Never dreamt of it."

"A pity. With your brains and fighting art, you can just be as great as promising as that skinny noble classmate of yours," Kiel said as he sat at the comfortable-looking gaming chair and looked up at me expectantly, "I've never seen that kind of style before in my life. I've seen a lot of fighting arts because of my dad. Don't you know the name? Care to share?"

"Honestly speaking, I don't even know it's a fighting art. My late father taught me that as a means of final resort self-defence only to be used if running is not an option," I said curtly making clear in my tone of voice that I wish for a change of topic.

Father was clear that I should not use that in the open and he is adamant about it.

Kiel raised both his hands as a sign of defeat, "Fine, I will stop. I'm not as dumb as most of the gits here who don't know how to take a cue. Anyways, that's only one of the reasons why I so readily accepted you in my club even if you look like the last person who would want to be here in the first place. The other reason is I want to take advantage of your brains."

"Let me guess, and you want me to help you with the paperwork, right?" I asked tentatively, and he gave me a thumbs up and smiled sweetly at me.

He might not be as handsome as Galion or Lexei, but I can appreciate the feral and wild charm he is exuding. Together with his impressive build and height, I bet he can get anyone he wants.

"Spot on. My predecessor left me a bunch of applications that I am still labouring to submit. Time is running out, and some of the boys here needed it if they want good employment after graduating," he said quietly as he eyed the club members who are now cheering as Galion is sparring with two guys at once, "You know the situation of Galion?"

I nodded and glimpsed at my classmate who is blowing off his steam by beating up his opponents with impunity, "I do. Here I thought nobles have it easy."

"Oh, that's just a common misconception, Kady. I swear to you. My father is just like Galion, so I understand his drive. He is the youngest of one of the most prominent nobility of the Empire and will get kicked out after he turned eighteen since he is seventh in the line of succession. He has to make a name for himself if he wants to eat three times a day," Kiel said sadly as he looked at me pleadingly, "Help me help them, Kady. I can't supervise their training properly while buried in this mountain range of papers. Countries won't just accept these boys just because they're from this club. There will be a physical examination, so I need to keep them active and effective."

I raised my eyebrow in return and folded my arms, "And what is in it for me?"

"Well, you can have me and my body," Kiel said jokingly while pointing at his washboard abs.

"The hell will I do with your sweaty torso? I want something substantial, Kiel. I'm a practical commoner girl, not a social climber one in heat. Offer something of value to me, not a body to offer clothes to," I said testily.

I heard that the twins who are standing behind me the whole time burst out in laughter by my retort. Even the other members laughed when they listened to my disgruntled answer. Galion himself managed to smile a little bit at my direction while Lexei is grinning from ear to ear."

"Ouch. That hurts me greatly. I took pride in my rock-hard body and then you just have to say something like that. Merciless," he said in a whimper as he stood up and offered his seat like a throne, "Kidding aside. I can offer you the whole Brawl Club in exchange. It's no secret that there are many people here at the academy who wants you to go down hard. Jealous, impertinent, and sometimes violent people. Not counting the lecherous pigs that want you in their bed. You know I'm not exaggerating, right?"

I blinked at what he said, and he just confirmed my suspicions. I can sense hostility from other students whenever I walk in the hallways. I am a thorn in their sides, and they want me down and out.

"All you need to do is sign these papers, and I swear you will not worry about those inconsequential things anymore," Kiel said smoothly as he pushed folder in front of me and threw a pen with it, "You take care of our backs, we guard yours. Not a bad deal if you ask me."

I took a deep breath and nodded before unceremoniously signing the papers without reading them at all, which proves to be a big mistake. Maybe.

"Ok boys, we have a new Club President! Bow before our Lady Kady!" Kiel announced gleefully to my horror. 

I looked back and saw the boys bowing deeply in front of me, "Wait, you never mentioned anything about being the Club President!"

"Too late, Kady. The paper has been inked and signed. Unless you're the kind of despicable person who goes back on her own words?" he asked quietly in a harsh voice.

He is far more dangerous than I realized. He manipulated me to do his bidding without me, even noticing. 

"Aww, don't look at me like I'm sort of a villain. I will uphold my end of the bargain. Yuro and Yugo here really took a shine on you. They will be your insurance that you can do your job for us at peace and safety. I'm sure anyone who wishes you badly will think twice or thrice before they make their move against you now that you have the Brawl Club members at your disposal."

I just heaved a sigh and nodded as he stepped aside and let me sit at the chair in front of the messy desk, "Where do I begin?"

"Excellent," Kiel exclaimed as he nodded at the twins, "You two, assist her the best you can. I will supervise the sparring of others. No more fisticuffs sissies, let's do it the old fashioned way."

What did I get myself into?

-0-

"Daryl, please pay attention. You're not listening. Stop messing around with your dynamo there and focus on the topic at hand," Mr Ruiz, our Tactical Intelligence said sternly to the Riksentian Crown Count who is absentmindedly toying with something in his hand, "I never wished to stay in a teaching position long enough to get Dylan's son showing up in my class. Ugh, I should've taken the early retirement offer a year ago."

Kyrus chuckled as he glanced at his Riksentian counterpart amusingly, "Why sir? Did you teach the reigning Baron of Colte before?"

"I did. Exactly the same attitude as his son here. Truly, their span of attention when it comes to subjects not related in the field of engineering and machinery is horribly short. Regardless, I will be sending a note to your mother if you don't stop tinkering in my class, Daryl."

That got my seatmate's attention because he immediately dropped what he is doing and gave the teacher his full and undivided attention for the first time since the class started, "I am listening carefully, Mr Ruiz."

"Make sure it stays that way then, or Baroness Cecilia will surely hear about this," the irritated professor warned as he returned to his teaching materials, "As I was saying, everything from troop transports to massive military engagements relies solely on the accuracy of the Tactical Intelligence your army can muster. Leaders can plan all they want, but everything they prepared for will fall apart in an instant if the information they have at hand is faulty. Denal, can you share your thoughts about this matter with the class?"

The young Imperial stood up quickly and recited as if a grade-schooler being asked to speak about the multiplication table, "It is not an exaggeration to say that the outcome of operation relies solely on the hands of those who do recons, scouting, and planning. Military commanders should not belittle the relevance of information gathering since lives are at stake and reducing the casualties while maximizing tactical advantage is key to the success of an operation bot great and small."

"Perfect answer. I am glad that we have such bright-minded commoners in our academy this year," our professor said happily at the young boy who returned to his seat and continued writing notes in his notebook with superheroes cover, "Pray tell, Denal, how did you manage to land a spot here in Gearth Academy? We all know that Kady here performed extremely well during the scholarship examinations, but it is unheard that a commoner can get in other than the scholarship program."

The cute boy smiled, and it made him, even more, younger than his already fresh face suggests, "I am also wondering about that, sir. It just happened so fast I didn't even get the chance to ask my mother for more information on the morning she is quickly packing my things and telling me that I have to go to Maharlika and study here."

"Color me surprised, Denal. You are the only commoner in this year's batch of Imperial students. You told me that your mother is a regular single-mother doing several jobs at Nordia a day to support you. There's no way she can afford to send you her on her capacity, but here you are. Interesting," Kyrus said courteously while eyeing the boy carefully with utmost interest.

"I don't give much thought about it though. I don't care how it happened, but I won't squander the opportunity to study in a prestigious academy like this. I want to help my mother after we graduate. I will learn and excel as much as I can so that I can get a high-paying job in Nordia so she can have a chance to rest after years of work," Denal answered earnestly that made the Imperial Crown Prince give him a respectful bow.

"What a noble undertaking. You have my word that after we finished our studies here, I will personally make sure that you will get good employment within the Imperial Army. Remember that oath. I don't break my promises," he said in a stern voice that made Denal smile sweetly.

"Wow, thank you, Kyrus. I will make sure I will meet your expectations quickly."

Kyrus laughed and shook his head, "There's no need. You already did."

"Now that young Denal's future employment is secured, may I ask you, Kady, what would possibly be your plan after your time here?" Mr Ruiz asked that caught me off-guard.

All my goals are short-term, and I didn't give much of a thought. As long as there's food in my plate, the bills are getting paid, and there's money entering my accounts, I can't say I can complain nor wish for anything more in life.

I tried to smile and hide my embarrassment as I try to collect myself and answer the somewhat surprising question thrown at me out of the blue, "I never gave it much thought. I went to this school, expecting to be interviewed and land a job if lucky. Never did I expected I would be a student here instead. I can eat three times a day at least, and I can pay my expenses and have money coming in my bank account then I will not care much of the future."

"You are a rather simple person when it all comes down to it, huh?" Daryl asked quietly, but I didn't feel that he is making fun of me or anything.

"Maybe..."

Kyrus looked at me carefully and smiled a bit, "How about a job as a Military Adviser at the Imperial Strategic Command? I heard that you and Lexei are getting along quite nicely. It will work out well because it's his tsardom who heads that department."

"A generous offer but I have to refuse. I don't think military or government careers will be my cup of tea, thank you."

Our professor chuckled and shook his head at me, "If Kady is the military tactician of an army, I will find it hard to predict her strategy. You are very hard to read, young one. One time, you act the way people expects you to do. The next, you will do something completely out of character."

"Maybe because I am such a mess myself, Mr Ruiz," I just said casually as I retook my seat as our professor beamed at me.

"I have high hopes for you four when the time comes for Mr Andrade's practical examination. But for the meantime, I want you all to do some advance reading regarding the practical usage of technological prowess to strategy-making. That will be all."

We said our thanks and goodbyes to our professor as he stepped out of the room. Denal quickly bolted out after him saying he had to be in the library for a bit of light reading.

"What are your plans this afternoon, Kady?" Kyrus asked as he stands beside Daryl who is trying futilely to remove the grease that blotted his bag.

"I will be going to Aerith. I need to ask for some advice regarding some paperwork problems I am currently facing back at the club," I said as Daryl heaved a sigh and just gave up trying to clean his grimy backpack, " Do you know where she is, Daryl?"

He nodded and smiled at me, "At her room. Probably watching some soapy Maharlikan teledramas, she is so crazy about. Want to walk with me?"

"Sure," I answered quickly before looking back at Kyrus, "How about you? Want to join us?"

"As much as I want to, I can't. We have a meeting at the club. See you two around," he then left quickly leaving the two of us walking behind him.

"I think he wants to talk to you about something but he can't find the perfect opportunity to start a conversation with you," Daryl said as we walk down the hall.

I just blinked and fixed my glasses as my red scarf bellows behind me, "I wonder what does he want to talk about?"

"Beats me. Anyways, I heard from the grapevine that you are now the Club President of the Brawl Club. They didn't waste any time making use of you, huh?" Daryl asked half-jokingly as I just laughed a little.

"Indeed. That's the main reason why I am seeking Aerith now. The towers of stacks of papers are too much to bear. I didn't even know where to start. Just looking at them is very painful," I said truthfully as we stepped out of the school building and onto the courtyard where several students are enjoying the breezy afternoon.

"Our president was in disbelief when he heard that not just the Brawl Club managed to get you, they made you their leader immediately the next day."

I sighed as we waved at the group of Lenneth, Ren, and Alumina who is now on their way to their next class, "So it's not a lie that other clubs want me in on them, huh?"

"Yep. You are this big, shiny, trophy that can boost their importance, prestige, and maybe fame. Personally speaking, I just find it odd that you landed at that club when you clearly don't look like an aggressive person or a meathead at all. Never would have guessed. Freaky."

"Freaky indeed. What floor is the room of Aerith?" I asked as we entered the elevator of our dormitory.

"Fifth one. Just three floors above your room," Daryl answered as he extracted another mechanism or gear of sorts from his bag and began tinkering it, "I will go with you there. I don't have anything else to do anyway. You wouldn't mind, won't you Kady?"

I shook my head and smiled at this weird guy standing next to me and busily poking and prodding the gear in his hands, "Not in the slightest. After all, I have to be respectful and courteous towards the future Grand Duke of the Aristocratic Dukedom of Riksent."

"I highly doubt that. If judging the lifespan of Hrist, Selmeria, and Lenneth's sponsor, the reigning Grand Duke may live up until I have my grandson and possibly even more. It is not a rare occurrence that Riksentians have very long life spans," Daryl said as he continued messing with his toy.

I fell silent for a bit as I remembered the three commoner Riksentian girls in our class that is almost always together whenever they can, "Those three's sponsor? It's the Baroness of Menardi, right?"

"The one and only. She is way past her retirement age and she saw potential from those three so she sent them here to further hone their skills. By the end of our two years here, the old lady will choose who among them will be fitting to inherit her noble title since she doesn't have any remaining blood heir."

"Who do you think will be chosen? Do you have a wild guess?"

He stopped his tinkering and blinked at me before smiling as we stepped out of the elevator, "Well, Hrist already said that she has no time for such nonsense while Lenneth just wants a normal family life, I couldn't agree more by the way. So it's Selmeria who is the only candidate worthy and a good choice if you're gonna ask me. She is very patriotic and cunning to boot. Reminds me a lot of the old woman."

"I agree, she is really so sure of herself and knows what she is talking about. I envy her confidence and grace. I wish I have those," I said truthfully after I knocked at Aerith's door where we can hear a loud screaming and crying from the television.

"You have something different but I can't exactly put my finger on it," Daryl said as Aerith opened her door and was surprised to see me standing there.

"Oh my, Kady! To what do I owe this pleasure of having you here? Please do come in!" she said as she grabbed my hand and unceremoniously dragged me towards her couch that she is using as a bed while watching, "Just sit right there and make yourself comfortable. Close the door, Daryl. I will just get some food and tea in the kitchen. Wait."

Daryl sat down beside me as we both look around the countess' personalized room in great amazement. It is decorated with flowers, stuff toys, and knitted rugs of different shapes, sizes, and colors. It made the boring looking dorm room into a homey place that is comfortable and relaxing to stay in.

"I'm suddenly feeling jealous," I said absentmindedly that made Daryl laugh, "I wish my room is this lively. I'm never the one who has the patience to beautify my room but gets so envious when I saw another person's house like this."

Aerith returned with a tray of biscuits and a pot of smoking tea that smells really nice as she put it on the end table beside us, "If you want, I can give your room a make-over. I still have boxes of unused decorations and stuff at my bedroom so just say the word and I will get it done as fast as I can."

"Really? How much will you charge?" I asked as I sipped from the cup she filled for me.

"No worries. I don't charge the person who will save me from boredom rest assured," she said happily as she gave Daryl his tea, "But why are you here? Did you need something aside from interior design tips?"

I nodded after drinking the savory tea, "Yes. I need help on how to sort out mountain ranges of paperwork in the most efficient, sanest, and easiest way possible. Please help me, Aerith. I heard from Hrist that when it comes to dealing with tons of documents, your family is the one I should beg for help. Just looking at the stacks of papers back at the club makes me want to roll over and cry."

"Oh dear, that does sound rather painful especially for someone who doesn't have an experience dealing with it in the first place," she said thoughtfully then shook her head, "Don't worry, Kady. I will give you several tips to make sure you will eat through that paperwork as fast as you eat donuts."

"Thank you very much, Aerith. I swear I will return the favor whenever I can," I promised as she pulled out a notebook and pen from her drawer and proceeded to write something there.

"I will wait for that. But for now, let me write you a few pointers that you need to take note of. But the most important thing is not to panic. You will waste precious time you can use to sort papers out when you just stare and moan your way through it. Let's see. I guess this is all the tips I can give for starters. I hope this will help you a lot."

I took the piece of paper she gave me and was surprised by what I read. These are rather basic and simple pointers. So simple that I didn't even manage to think about it. The others are rather unorthodox but probably effective. 

I smiled thankfully at her as she pours more tea into Daryl's cup, "I really appreciate this, Aerith. I can't wait to get back there and finish them once and for all!"

"Go, go, go! Tell me what happened next Monday. Always remember okay? Be calm, don't panic. Deal with it in a well-systematized manner and the next thing you know, you're finished."

I nodded and carefully folded the paper she gave me and put it safely in my bag as I let her regale me with her interesting stories and gossips.

-0-

"Can we just have my corner cleaned and always tidy? Also, I want you all to avoid crashing, barging, and flying towards my working space as much as humanely possible, okay? I really want to finish all these documents and sift through the reports that need to be done. I know it's impossible to ask you all to be quiet while I'm working but if you can minimize your voices while sparring then I will be eternally grateful," I said in a commanding voice when I entered our clubroom the next day after classes with Galion and Lexei only to find Kiel and the boys fighting to their hearts' content with chairs, tables, bags, and fists flying in the air, "Also, the air is stuffy, don't you all think? How about we do some general cleaning and clear out the specks of dust and cobwebs at the corner. It's bad for the health if you keep on training here with all these grime. With all those muscles you have, I'm sure we can do everything quickly. If it's okay with you all, of course."

I didn't need to tell them twice because they immediately executed my orders the moment I finished speaking. Yugo and Yuro began cleaning and tidying up my workplace while Kiel and the rest of the club members are bringing out the cleaning materials and have started scrubbing and sweeping the room in earnest.

"Nice one, Kady. You managed to do what Kyrus tries the hardest to achieve. To give an order so ironclad,  there will be no room for errant thoughts," Lexei said happily as he wipes the windows clean.

Galion grunted beside me as he began to sort out the messy stacks of gloves at the corner, "Hmph. If only Trevor is that good at constructing his orders to sound as if it is being asked nicely instead of a threat."

"It is for the benefit of us all. I can finish all the paperwork while you will all have a nice, clean, and breathable sparring space. It's a win-win, right?"

"It's a stroke of genius that I decided to hand over the leadership to you," Kiel said as he just walked back inside the room after dumping the trash outside, "The other clubs are so green with envy when they learned about me getting you. I fended off their plans to poach you when I made you our Club President. Heck, I wouldn't waste the opportunity to get the prized scholar of the academy in my fists."

I sighed and shrugged as I proceed to go through my corner and was pleasantly surprised to find that it is thoroughly cleaned and even the paperwork are stacked neatly beside it, "Thank you very much you two. I couldn't have done it better myself."

"Need anything else, Lady Kady?" Yuro asked as he pulled the chair for me.

Yuro is the mellow one of the two and what differentiated him from the other who is opening the computer for me is that he always has this serious facial expression in his face.

"Drop the Lady, will you? I think I should start calling you Lords now that I think about it. The twin heirs of the branch family of House Hausen of Riksent if I'm not mistaken?" I asked while remembering the piece of member's information paper I read the other day.

Yugo shook his head fervently, "No need, we are from an obscure minor noble family of the dukedom anyways. Tea or Coffee?"

"And I'm just a random Maharlikan street girl who got lucky. No need to call me Lady," I said to Yugo who always has this small smile in his cute face, "I will take a coffee though."

The two shook their head before Yuro heading to the pantry to make some coffee for me, "No. We will still call you Lady because that's who you are two us. I will just buy something outside for you. I'll be right back, my Lady."

I just sighed as he turned his back on me after bowing deeply and heading straight for the door.

"I told you those two took a real shine on you, Kady," Kiel said as he was dusting off the shelves behind me, "Normally they are cynical and hotheaded. That's why I put them on the door to act as bouncers. They can scare anyone with their sharp tongues and overbearing attitudes. Now I guess they have a better thing to do. Making sure you are fine and well-taken care of."

I just nodded at him and proceed to start reading and filing the documents that are waiting to be sorted out. 

Following Aerith's advice, I divided the files into three separate categories. The urgent, important, regular. My priority, of course, is urgent, like those with deadlines coming soon and the already passed deadline papers.

Then after that, I will go next to important and lastly, the regular, which doesn't need my immediate attention.

I felt a sudden blow of wind the room suddenly felt as if the air is circulating again doesn't smell funny anymore. It got a bit colder since someone turned on the air conditioner again when I looked up, the place look a whole lot cleaner and brighter. 

"Now isn't that nicer, huh?" I asked the club members that gave me a shy smile as if they are ashamed of their clubroom themselves, "Thank you for the cup of coffee Yugo. It's excellent."

I said at the twin who positioned himself beside me as if waiting for my further orders, "Why don't you help me sort out the papers from the most important?"

"Of course, my Lady," he said respectfully and he proceeded to take several stacks of paper and sit down on the floor beside my chair and started sorting it out in earnest.

The club members were finished with cleaning and Kiel is now assigning cleaners for each day to keep our room tidy. I was about to start typing when Yuro returned with a box in his hands.

"Where did you came from?" I asked him as he hands over the box he is holding, "What's this?"

"For you, my Lady. So you can do your job without disturbance," he answered happily before joining his brother at sorting the papers at the floor.

I looked at the label outside of the box and saw that it is a gaming headphone with noise-cancelling features. It's coloured black with red lining and looks very comfortable.

"How much is this?" I asked curiously as I opened the box and took out the headphone and tried it on, "Wow, the label wasn't lying when it says you would not hear even your own voice."

I took it off and looked down at the two who looked at each other happily, "It's a gift. Take it," Yugo answered quickly.

"Well, I won't say no to something this useful. I appreciated it, thank you," I looked at the other club members who are waiting for my orders, "You did great. You can go ahead and fight to your heart's content. Just don't get near our corner and we're good."

They all grinned and nodded at each other before pairing up and started to spar once again.