The academy scheduled my public Silver test for the next morning.
Naturally.
Safety had excellent marketing, but bureaucracy had better stamina.
The announcement appeared on the ranking board at seventh bell, between a dining hall menu correction and a reminder that unauthorized duels in the east fountain counted as property damage.
[Provisional Silver Tactical Access Review]
[Student: Cedric Valdrake Arkhen]
[Format: Controlled Tactical Proxy Scenario]
[Objective: Validate command classification under medical restriction]
[Direct combat: prohibited]
[Public observation: limited]
[Failure condition: tactical incompetence, anomaly instability, witness interference]
Witness interference.
I stared at the final line.
The board had learned new insults.
Liora read it over my shoulder and smiled.
"Limited public observation means everyone important will be there."
"Yes."
"Failure condition means they choose after you act."
"Yes."
