'I thought it through and concluded it was not the worst decision to make, at my level. What say you, Gabranth?'

I faked astonishment when Vitu announced his decision to take the judge examination, and encouraged him with a smile:

'That is indeed relevant. Remember to not think about what you had been told about the major position, as this one is going to be very different.'

'Do you believe I can succeed?'

I took a moment to think before answering – I had to find the right balance between friendliness and honesty.

'I believe you have fair chances. The judge examination consists in a long-term fighting test and a law double paper. Since you never stopped studying and you made it to the upper quarter of the division combat-wise… you will theoretically make it.'

I used 'upper quarter' as these were Vitu's words when he had proudly described his latest feedback, but his comrades at lunch plainly stated – in his absence – that the only people in the Ninth that he couldn't beat at that point were the Zodiac Sisters and Judge Zargabaath himself. His strength had become higher than that of an average general.

'Alright', Vitu announced while thumping the table. 'I will register for the next judge examination session, that will be closed mid-Leo, just before my birthday. Nothing shall stop my dream!'

'Good luck, Vitu', I said.

That same cold week of Gemini 695, two months before Vitu's examination, my head was still full of questions.

It seemed that martial skills mattered much more than law knowledge in order to attain the rank of Judge of the Order – which meant I could not apply anytime soon. As for the title I had never heard about, the dömavän, the Judge Magister's personal view on the candidate was more likely the sole key. However, the latter did not seem to be a position one could request – its fate was completely left at the Magister's discretion. Hence, Vitu never voiced any vague hopes for it; his goal was utterly focused on the judge position. Since the very day he had sent his application, he never sat at our usual lunch table, preferring to dedicate every free minute he had to law revisions. Therefore, I was left alone with his Ninth Division comrades, who confirmed what the Zodiac Sisters had told me: the only person in the division unaware of Judge Zargabaath's plans for Vitu Palnissen was probably Vitu himself.

During a free hour of mine, waiting for General Cinna to finish preparing a meeting for the end of the day, I was strolling at the Palace second floor's library. What kind of law questions could be asked to a potential judge? I only knew the law examination was made of a written dissertation that the candidate had to prepare for weeks, prior to an oral interview. This combination was called the 'double paper'. The final application result was given to the candidate the same day as the interview.

I had just noticed a new book about trade legislation in Archadia and was about to pick it from its shelf, when a clear familiar voice rose from behind:

'Ahem! Gabranth?'

I turned and noticed the blushing figure of Nastia, the floor's maid, standing rigid behind me.

'Good afternoon, Nastia', I said.

'G… Good afternoon, Gabranth. I… I was hoping to see you here for a long time.'

'Since I became a soldier and officer, I have had very few assignments in the Second', I explained.

'You… you're an officer cadet? Congratulations', she said without looking at me.

Her little feet were turned inwards, her voice shaking, and her stress level looked higher than ever. Did I scare her to that extent?

'You… you can still come to the Second whenever you want', she added in the same tone. 'I absolutely did not warn my mother that a handsome gentleman was coming here regularly to read the Solidor guest library's books, absolutely not!'

I could not hold back an amused smile.

'Oh, it matters little anyway', Nastia continued, 'because almost no guest has been received here since Her Highness's passing. As I got bored, I asked my mother if I could help in the Thirteenth, but she rejected me every time, claiming I did not prove myself worthy enough yet. Being allowed in the Thirteenth is much harder than working at His Excellency's Thirtieth floor!'

She was smiling too and fleetingly raised gentle eyes towards me.

'I regret not being allowed at Lord Larsa's side', she pursued in a sigh.

'Is Lord Larsa a cousin of Lord Vayne's?' I asked, certain that Lord Vayne was the only son left to Emperor Gramis.

'Oh no – Lord Vayne does not get along with any of his father's cousins', Nastia replied with another smile. 'Lord Larsa is his little brother! He was born four days before his mother's fatal accident. I had the honor to meet him once. It's the cutest creature on Ivalice, if you ask me!'

She looked unusually excited. There was some spark in her eyes that visibly made her overjoyed.

'So, Nastia, could you please tell me the reason you were looking for me for a long time?'

The young woman instantly turned to her embarrassed quaking self.

'Uh, oh…' she uttered in a low voice. 'It was to… err… I was thinking that…'

I crossed my arms in surprise. What could she possibly ask me?

'I was hoping', she replied after a whole minute of discomfort, 'that maybe… you and I could have a tryst in town someday.'

A tryst?

'When is your next free day?' she inquired while blinking as fast as a fan.

'It is the last day of this week. What about you?'

'I… I am free three days a week at the moment, and the last one works for me. Do… do you have a preference for a restaurant?'

How could I explain?

'I… I do not go to restaurants often.'

'Very well', she said. 'We can… we can go to The Quiet Paradise at lunch time that day. It is a big restaurant located at the first floor of the Grand Arcade. Does… does that suit you?'

I blinked and, worried at her terrorized stature, simply answered:

'Yes, of course.'

Her big smile before she disappeared finished lifting my mood for the rest of that day.

The Quiet Paradise was less obvious to find than what Anastasia thought.

Beyond the Tsenoble neighborhood, high terraces spread under a corner of light that looked closer than ever to the sun of the almighty. All that area was strictly forbidden to citizens deprived of the Sandalwood Chop, a token of recognition among the upper Archadian spheres of nobility. However, as a member of the Imperial Army, I could bypass this rule easily, for the sake of "protecting the elite of the Empire".

The looks of people around me at that place were quite different from the regular gentry found in town. More than their looks, it was their smell that was taken to another level – a blend of cold dew, dried daffodil, and alcoholic ashes. All sorts of colors were revolving around a core of ancient chimeras relying on arbitrariness to behold them. The voices I could hear from each side of the first floor were not marked by the typical Archades accent – most of them gave away origins from the Eastern parts of the Empire, if not from outside Archadia.

Most of the floor's buildings were hosting small luxury shops, selling – or more importantly, displaying – various kinds of wrist or pocket watches, jewelry, business attire, and defense equipment I had never seen before, which seemed more suitable for a ballroom than a battlefield.

After walking past each one of them, I eventually found a bigger area at the end of the hall, with the name of the restaurant inscribed on its pediment: "The Quiet Paradise".

I set foot in the opulent-looking building and raised my eyes to the beige ceiling. It was studded with stucco decorations and heavy chandeliers. Back to the ground, I noticed several tables – probably too many – fully dressed with shining silverware and silky cloth. A few couples, businesspeople and families were sitting around some of them, but Nastia was nowhere to be found. I thought of waiting for her outside – if she was still coming – but, as soon as rainfall started, decided to choose a table instead.

From the moment I sat on the chair, at least eight waiters came to inquire either about my order or the person I was expecting. For the latter, they were visibly required a name, so since I ignored Nastia's surname, I simply said:

'Miss Anastasia.'

After half an hour, during which I was constantly wondering how much longer I should wait, Nastia finally appeared. I did not recognize at first the swift person who entered the restaurant, but when she stopped at my table, slightly raised each side of her long blue frill dress, and looked at me with her timid concealed smile, I understood that the woman in front of me in glamorous makeup was the young maid herself.

I was about to comment on her lateness but refrained at the last moment.

'Good afternoon, Nastia', I simply said instead.

I raised my eyes towards hers but she did not seem to have heard, despite my voice being loud and clear. Was she doing it on purpose? I supposed not, as she was distractedly hanging her coat and handbag on the nearby chair. I decided not to reiterate my words nevertheless.

'Does Your Lordship require the menu?'

Really, those waiters were as discreet as mouses in a tunnel.

'Aye ; please bring two of them.'

A minute later, a different staff – a stern waitress – came back and dropped a copy of the document in front of Nastia first, then of myself.

I raised again different kinds of looks towards my dining companion, but she did not meet any of them, nor did she utter a syllable. Feeling awkward, I eventually read the menu and set my mind on a seaweed soup and a roasted cockatrice wing with vegetables.

'Did you find something to your liking, Nastia?' I asked.

But the maid stayed still as a stone. Even her shaking eyes did not dare to search for mine. I waited several seconds for her answer with no result.

'Did you two choose?'

The stern waitress was back and visibly in a hurry. I told her my pick, then turned to Nastia anxiously. When she realized Nastia would not speak, the waitress approached her and received her order in the form of a gloved finger on the menu.

'Very well', the waitress said before disappearing.

Nastia was joining her hands, her head determined to stay down. Maybe the waitress believed she was deaf?

After more minutes of silent staring, the first waiter eventually brought the dishes – putting first Nastia's noodles on the table. We ate with even more quietness, only disturbed by the joyful sound of the couples and friends conversing around us. When I suggested wine to the young maid, she did not react, but I could see a tiny smile twisting the corner of her lips. Therefore, I turned my head around, looking for staff and hoping the nice waiter would come, but of course it was the harsh lady who appeared at once. She brought the wine with a sigh and both Nastia and I had a sip, still without exchanging a single word.

When we were both done with our lunch and I offered to pay, she swayed on her feet and I took that as approbation. Finally outside, I asked:

'Thank you for coming. Should I accompany you home?'

Who knew; maybe she was living in a dangerous area and needed to feel safe. But to my surprise, she opened her mouth this time, trying to utter words... however, none came out. She swayed once more a little, then turned back and simply waved at me, with her eyes on the other side to the horizon.

'See you soon, then!' I said.

The month of Leo came with more tediousness than I had thought. Nothing much had changed on my side – and Vitu was still nowhere to be found at free hours or days, completely drown into his studies.

'Ha! It's tomorrow!'

A fellow officer cadet from the Ninth was exclaiming as I was calmly finishing my lunch plate.

'Tomorrow?' said another. 'It was to be on the 24th.'

'Nay! It got brought forward to tomorrow.'

'But tomorrow is the 13th! It is way too early!'

If the 24th of Leo 695 was mentioned, it could be only one thing:

'Are you talking about Vitu's examination?' I asked.

'For sure we are!' the first officer said. 'We should soon be prepared to consider him as Judge Palnissen and refer to him only as "My Lord"!'

'That will be such a change!' exclaimed the other with a dreamy voice.

'Is the dömavän title that special?' I inquired.

'Oh, vänner are only second to Judge Magisters in terms of might in this Empire. Look at Lady Goldan! Isn't she terrifyingly powerful?'

'She is', I confirmed.

The dömavän of the Sixth Division was an unfriendly lady who nevertheless turned out to be an astonishing leader. Just like Irmhild, she was a prodigious green mage who was rather solitary, but able to motivate a crowd with unsettling easiness. I could notice it during formal meetings of Sixth soldiers, made of ranks similar to mine or higher. However, I did not appreciate the coldness with which she spoke to General Cinna when he tried to ask for information.

'Can you imagine addressing Lady Goldan in an improper manner?' the first man insisted.

'Not at all', I admitted.

'But to imagine Vitu in this position… the Vitu we all know!'

'That would be remarkable for sure.'

At the end of the afternoon activities, before heading home, I made sure to pass by the Ninth Division's training area.

'Vitu!'

The poor man was sitting on a lone chair, his mind having completely left his head.

'Greetings, Vitu! Vitu, can you hear me?'

'Oh, Gabranth…'

His voice was emotionless, and his eyes did not even dare to rise to my level.

'I'm sorry. I will not make it, Gabranth. I am a failure.'

That was the frustrating friend I knew. Somewhat bewildered, but still himself.

'You will not fail, Vitu. Please do not decide on a battle's outcome before having even held your weapons.'

'It is easy for you to speak, Gabranth…. Because you know all these books by heart and haven't mistaken the second legal reform with the third in your revisions!'

I thought of referring to a manual that explained the difference between the two reforms he mentioned and that was located in the Palace's second floor, then my mouth opened to suggest helping him myself in his revisions instead, but eventually I realized that his studying time was over and any last minute revision would make him even more nervous than he already was.

I sighed.

'You shall make it, Vitu', I repeated.

'Why are you so confident?'

Finally, he raised his eyes to meet mine. Worried brown eyes that were scintillating with doubt. Of course, I could not speak about all his comrades' global feeling, so I said instead:

'Because you are my friend, and that I know you worked hard to achieve this goal. We do not always get what we are determined to obtain, but your effort was steady and you never let go of anything. You may have the feeling that law subjects are your weakness, but you managed to make up for it incredibly fast, and have all the knowledge you need for the examination in your mind. From what I have heard, you need only to pick the right answer at the right moment. This may sound silly, yet it is the truth. You have it all, Vitu Palnissen. You will produce a great result. And Judge Zargabaath… Judge Zargabaath will see your worth.'

Upon hearing that name, Vitu stood and took my right hand between both of his.

'You have my thanks. You are the most valuable friend I've ever had. I admire your progress so much, yet I am the one who chooses to jump the hurdle today. Be assured that you will find me once you're in my stead. You will come tomorrow, of course…?'

'Of course', I answered with a smile. 'You insisted that I come one hour before the oral interview. Once you're inside the room, I will wait for you outside.'

'I… I did not tell you everything, Gabranth', Vitu said, looking away again. 'You will not wait outside. You will come with me. Each candidate is allowed to bring two persons of his choice. Usually, people bring family members, but I chose to bring you, and only you. I know you will understand how much this moment means to me and I will feel more reassured by your side. Can I count on your presence?'

'Of course', I repeated – and repeated the smile as well, which Vitu returned this time.

'Thank you. You should go to your home, Gabranth. I wish to stay alone for a while.'

'Is he around?'

I looked a bit around me, but we seemed to be the only souls in the Akademy's outer gathering area.

'I do not know', Vitu simply answered.

He looked like he was about to cry, but he held on. The strength of the lion ran in his veins – he could not break down. Not at that moment. It was with regained confidence that he looked at me right in the eyes and waved goodbye.