Scholars Day in Sklaviunt and all other vassal states of Scholastica was celebrated in the same way.
A grand event was usually held in the Academy where people would gather in a grand gymnasium to witness students compete in not only intellectual challenges but physical as well.
The Bookkeeper selected for each city would naturally be present, occupying the highest seat in the gymnasium while members of the council would be seated beneath him.
The winners of the intellectual and physical challenges would be put to the test by the Bookkeeper and if they managed to succeed, then they would be considered worthy to return with the Bookkeeper to Scholastica to begin training to become a TruthSeeker, which was regarded as the greatest honor that a man under the rule of Scholastica could have.
Unfortunately, this year’s Scholar’s Day in Sklaviunt turned out to be nothing short of a disaster as fighting broke out in the street between the task force and people of the lower districts with those of the middle districts forced to choose sides or perish.
Buildings went up in flames as blood covered the streets, plunging the entire city into chaos and amidst it all, those that were supposed to keep the peace, the council, were gathered in the council hall, dressed in yellow robes while waiting in silence.
What they were waiting for, though, remained to be seen.
In the basement of Theoren’s home, the owner of the house, along with his granddaughter, was hiding along with the man they called John Smith, a foreigner with perhaps the best reputation in Sklaviunt.
The one they referred to as John Smith was, of course, Alexander Regulus, and currently, the young man who appeared to have just woken up from a terrible nightmare, took a deep breath in a bid to calm his nerves.
"Are you alright?" Melita worriedly asked as she rushed over to calm him, breaking the silence in the process.
Alex nodded, feigning a weak smile as he inquired. "Where’s Arwen?"
"She said she had to return home for something important."
’She went back for Douglas.’ Alex thought to himself.
Letting out a sigh, he tried to get on his feet only for Melita to hurry to his aid as he stumbled back onto the ground, his expression twisted in agony.
"Sir Smith, are you alright?" Melita asked worriedly as she helped him lay back down on the ground.
Alex let out a groan, unsure of how to respond to her question.
There was no way he could lie and say he was fine because he clearly was not.
The damage to his pneuma was not only extensive but ensured that his Soma was affected as well.
In his current state, he doubted he would be able to make use of his Domain or Authority, which meant he was already on the losing end in the fight against Councilwoman Thera.
Was there a chance that she was in a similar condition to him?
Perhaps, but Alex doubted this.
If he were in her shoes, he would have surely considered a plan that not only ensured the death or at least weakening of his opponent but also his survival.
In such a scenario, he would also target anyone that could potentially help his opponent recover or that would threaten his plans which meant...
"... Arwen is in danger." He managed through gritted teeth, barely able to hold back the pain tearing through the entirety of his being.
Just then, there was a loud bang causing the building to tremble, almost like it had been hit by a minor earthquake.
"The fighting must have extended to this district," Theoren remarked with a grimace. "We might have to leave soon."
"Fighting?" Alex glanced at Theoren with the latter replying.
"You don’t really think denizens of the lower districts would take the oppression of the upper districts lying down, right?"
"... Damn." Alex breathed out, realizing just how bad the situation was.
He was weak, Arwen was MIA and Sklaviunt was in the midst of a civil war... the right conditions for Thera to complete the sacrifice and summon the Timeless Serpent into Eventide.
He had to admit, the bitch was smart, too smart.
Clicking his tongue, he decided not to focus on the negatives and instead try to figure out the positives, of which, unfortunately, there were none.
In that case, he had to make some.
"Is there a way to rally the lower districts?... Get them to come together to fight the upper districts?" Alex asked.
Theoren pursed his lips, pondering for a moment before he replied. "Perhaps, but it would be difficult and as it is, there’s no chance that you would be able to rally them while they are already fighting."
Alex let out a sigh. "That is correct. She made it quite difficult to counter her."
The Bookkeeper of Sklaviunt was a middle-aged scholar born and bred in Henos who majored in the Humanities branch of Truth.
His name was Eubulus and though he appeared small, he had quite the commanding presence that ensured respect whenever people laid eyes on him.
As a representative of Scholastica, he was sworn to ensure that he never disgraced the Cult of David and he made sure to follow that path religiously.
Currently, he was in a caravan scheduled to have already entered Sklaviunt the day before but due to bandits and other unfortunate incidents, they ended up arriving at the gates of Sklaviunt on Scholar’s Day.
Unfortunate, but regardless, the event must be held.
Alas, even as his subordinates, trained individuals who were employed by Scholastica to protect the Bookkeeper, knocked on the gates, and no one answered, leaving them unsure of what to do next.
That is until plumes of thick dark smoke began to cover the skies over Sklaviunt, while explosive noises echoed from afar and then, they realized just what was happening within the city.
"Break down those gates!" Eubulus decidedly said, not leaving any space for argument.
Nodding in response, they prepared to scale the walls only for a woman to suddenly appear at the top of the wall, her eyes focused on the caravan, Eubulus in particular.