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Chapter 934: Enlistment Center (2)

As the lady spoke with fervor, her eyes gleaming with zeal, Erik couldn\'t help but feel a sense of unease creeping over him. He maintained a composed face, concealing the perplexity swirling within him.

Observing her fired-up demeanor, he couldn\'t shake off the nagging thought that she should have been aware of the true nature of the Blackguards.

Erik found it puzzling, even disconcerting, that someone could be so enthusiastic about an organization he knew harbored dark goals.

Yet, he kept his thoughts to himself, offering only a neutral nod in response. In the end, he had no proof she knew what he knew.

"There is a lot to sign; I\'m warning you." A smile, bright with enthusiasm, spread across her face.

Erik nodded at her. "Thanks," he said, grossed out by the situation, and then entered the office.

He walked into the spacious room, lined with floor-to-ceiling windows that offered a magnificent view of the city.

There was a holographic computer on a wooden desk, projecting colorful, three-dimensional graphs and diagrams that a serious-looking man in a military uniform was studying.

There were also lists of names, and other information Erik didn\'t really care about since it was for sure about other under scrutiny candidates.

When Erik approached, the man raised his head. "You must be our recruit," he said, gesturing to a chair opposite him. "Have a seat."

He sat down while the gentleman consulted a tablet on his desk.

"Let\'s get the enlisting process started, shall we? I\'m Marshall Caldwell, head of recruiting. We can begin with some paperwork. I need your full name, date of birth, and previous military experience."

It wasn\'t like they didn\'t already have this information. But they wanted to see what "Ben Fink" was going to say. Was he going to lie? Was he going to overestimate or underestimate himself?

From Erik\'s answer, a lot of things might change.

Erik took a moment to plan a response. His only thoughts were about the fact that the man in front of him was a Marshall from New Alexandria\'s army.

This man, a Marshall, served as a deskman for the blackguards. It made little sense, and how could he accept that degrading role? He was a fucking Marshall!

"Ben Fink, sir," he said.

"Well, private Fink, this is the situation."

The Marshall began explaining the various forms Erik would need to fill out regarding duties, payroll, and administrative details.

He listened while also studying the Marshall\'s demeanor. He was having trouble understanding how such a high-ranking person within a nation\'s army could do administrative work for the blackguards.

Of course, with duty came different kinds of jobs, yet the situation didn\'t sit well with Erik, as it only showed the power that the scoundrels had over this country.

<Motherfuckers...>

Caldwell\'s tone was firm, yet not unkind, as he addressed Erik. "All right, Ben," he began, his voice carrying a sense of authority tempered with a hint of reassurance. "As a potential new Initiate, you are now in a probationary period during which you\'ll be evaluated."

Erik observed a slight furrow forming between Caldwell\'s brows, indicating a seriousness underlying his words. It was evident that Caldwell took his role seriously, his demeanor reflecting a sense of duty to uphold the standards of the Blackguards.

"A veteran blackguard will mentor you," Caldwell continued, his expression softening slightly with a hint of encouragement, "ensuring you understand our procedures and show potential for advancement, but you will also be required to study independently."

Erik noticed a subtle shift in Caldwell\'s demeanor, a faint tightening of his jaw suggesting a measure of expectation placed upon Erik.

<Oh... fuck. This man is another fanatic...>

"The mentor\'s task is not only to evaluate you," Caldwell added, his voice taking on a more contemplative tone, "but also to give you hints and tips. However, keep in mind that depends on the mentor."

"What you are going to do depends on your mentor. He will assign you duties depending on what he or she wants to evaluate. So you might end up on guarding shifts, patrols, investigations. Whatever the situation needs. But you will have a Blackguards\' armor on. Mind this, it is an Initiate uniform, but you will have to give it back if you don\'t pass the evaluation period and the test you will have to take here." Erik nodded, trying to look enthusiastic about the situation.

Of course he was, but for an alternative reason. By assuming the role of Ben Fink, he might gain a wealth of inside knowledge about the Blackguards. Maybe finding the team that was creating so many troubles for Major Fischer wouldn\'t be so hard anymore.

The situation was good for two reasons: one was that he will get in contact with people that might know things he needed. His instability brain crystal power was bound to play a crucial role here.

The other reason was that, if problems arose, Erik could steal the identity of a high-ranking blackguards\' officer.

But he didn\'t plan on resorting to this. While this might have looked like the best situation for him, it wasn\'t because if Ben Fink disappeared, it would be an enormous problem.

The blackguards might search for him, and since they knew he, Erik Romano, could shapeshift, the first thing they would think about is that Ben Fink was, in fact, Erik Romano.

This would put everyone on alert, and he couldn\'t allow that. Based on Erik\'s estimations, the only way to clear someone\'s name was to find a body. But Ben Fink\'s body was already rotting from some time. So, he couldn\'t use it.

Erik could have stolen someone else\'s identity instead of that of Ben Fink. But spying the blackguards wasn\'t really what he was aiming at the beginning.

What he needed were information about Volkov, about the state of his military, because that was the rebels\' major enemy. The blackguards were devastating, that was for sure, but they weren\'t the greatest problem. A war couldn\'t be won without people, and most of them were

from Frant.

Besides, the blackguards employed many tactics to avoid having their identities stolen. Most of the times they were in a group. If Erik killed one, he had to kill all of them. If he did so, the blackguards were going to search for multiple people, not one.

Until the clones hatched and became operative, there was no way for Erik spying the blackguards. But Ben Fink\'s situation changed everything, because now he was inside, and even if he didn\'t have access to information, he could still meet people who had them. Another goal Erik was trying to achieve was to find Dark Tendrils\' group, but they were like ghosts. Not only was there not a single file online that discussed them, but even local servers provided no information about them.

They received their missions either through oral orders or written documents.

Those were the only cases in which the biological supercomputer was useless. Even though

these were rare.

Caldwell pulled up a document on the tablet. "This outlines our rules and code of conduct. I recommend familiarizing yourself with it."

Erik nodded.

"You\'ll report directly to Advocate Silent Scream for duty assignments. He will be your

mentor, so be respectful to him, as your recruitment depends on the man." Caldwell

continued. "Any questions so far?"

"No, it all sounds straightforward."

"Good." Caldwell typed a few notes into the system. "Once you\'ve settled in, if you have

questions, your mentor can assist you."

After a few more minutes of paperwork and explanations, the Marshall closed Erik\'s file.

The man gave Erik some documents to read and sign. He did, under Ben Fink\'s alias, of course.

"That covers the basics," he said, standing up and extending his hand. "Welcome to the blackguards, soldier. Report to barracks A3 tomorrow at 0600. You will meet with your mentor, so do not be late. He doesn\'t like people who don\'t value time, and don\'t forget to

study hard for the test."

Erik rose and shook the Marshall\'s hand. "Thank you, sir. I won\'t let you down."

"Best of luck."

With that, Erik left the office, his mind racing with what he had gleaned from the man\'s mind.

These guys did next to nothing. The only things he was aware of were procedures and information about some of the mentors. Mainly what they liked, how they were, how they

carried themselves.

From what Erik saw, the blackguards enforced very strict measure to make it so that no one could reveal anything worthwhile. Only the higher ups and the strongest among the blackguards were going to have more information.

Ben Fink\'s identity suddenly became too significant to ignore. He needed to get a respectable

rank within the organization and do it fast if he wanted to find what he was searching for.

When Erik left, he found again the woman who had let him in.

"Have you finished with the enlisting process?"

"Yes, I was just talking to Marshall Caldwell."

The woman looked pleased. "That\'s wonderful news! I\'m so happy for you. The Marshall only

meets with the most promising new recruits."

Erik fought back a scowl. "Thank you. Did you perhaps have been waiting here this whole

time?"

The woman nodded. "It\'s my responsibility to assist any new members. The Blackguards take such exceptional care of their members, right? They truly value each individual and want to

provide the support needed for all to succeed."

Erik held back a derisive laugh. The effects of propaganda were strong on this woman.

"That\'s good to hear."

"It is, right? Well, let me know if you have any questions," the woman told him. "I\'m happy

to help."

"Thank you; I appreciate it."

"This way now..." Erik started following the woman. He didn\'t know where she was bringing him. In the meantime, he thought about her words and gave a slight shake of his head.

The nonsense the woman spouted about the Blackguards made him cringing. Though he

supposed it was expected from someone so deeply under their spell.

"Where are we going, exactly?"

"I need to show you where you will take your assessment."

"Ah... Thanks, I guess." After some time, the two arrived in a small room. There was a single desk with a chair and a

computer.

"That\'s the device you will need to use to pass the test. Whenever you feel ready to take the

test, come here, find me, and let me know."

"Understood."