Chapter 269: A Game of Thirteen

The Thirteenth Society’s first gathering had barely begun, and Garen Vollbrecht was already enjoying himself.

For someone who hadn’t received an invitation, he had adapted remarkably well to the atmosphere.

While the other guests examined their assignments and considered how best to approach the exercise, Garen had wandered toward the refreshment tables and struck up a conversation with several upper-year students.

Ilya initially assumed he was investigating the food.

Then he noticed the fellow exchanging names, discussing departmental activities, and occasionally mentioning the society’s earlier gatherings.

Apparently, Garen’s appetite and curiosity could coexist without interfering with one another.

A rather impressive accomplishment.

Ilya returned his attention to the card he’d received.

*Identify three individuals whose objectives conflict with your own.*

The instruction sounded straightforward until he considered its wording.

Every participant had been given a different task, and revealing the contents of one’s card was prohibited. That meant he couldn’t simply ask other guests what they were attempting to accomplish.

More importantly, the society hadn’t defined what constituted a conflicting objective.

Did it mean identifying someone whose task directly opposed his own? Or would any competing interest qualify?

The distinction mattered.

Ilya wasn’t particularly interested in spending the evening guessing what strangers had written on pieces of paper.

Instead, he decided to examine how the other participants approached the exercise.

The gathering consisted of approximately thirty students, including several current members who wore the society’s silver insignia.

Most appeared comfortable with the arrangement.

Some immediately began conversations, while others remained near the edges of the room, observing the guests.

Ilya suspected the latter group included experienced members tasked with evaluating the newcomers.

However, there was no reason to assume everyone watching him was an examiner.

Some people simply enjoyed observing others.

He approached a group discussing the upcoming research exhibition and joined their conversation.

The students recognized his name, particularly after the interdepartmental demonstration, and seemed interested in his unusual combination of swordsmanship and freezing magic.

Ilya answered their questions without revealing anything particularly sensitive.

In exchange, he learned that two of them were preparing research presentations involving magical materials and historical enchantments.

The third, an upper-year knight, seemed more interested in determining whether Ilya had genuinely defeated Tristan Bellacourt.

"Your match ended in a draw, didn’t it?"

"Our individual matches did. The team demonstration was different."

"So you wouldn’t claim to be stronger?"

"That would be difficult to justify."

The knight seemed satisfied by the response.

Ilya suspected he’d been hoping to provoke a boast.

Unfortunately for him, Ilya had already spent enough time fighting Tristan to understand that defeating the southern nobleman required more than confidence.

Their conversation continued for several minutes before the knight excused himself.

Ilya noticed that the man approached another group and began asking similar questions.

Interesting.

It appeared some participants were attempting to provoke particular statements or reactions.

That suggested the cards might contain assignments involving persuasion.

Elsewhere, Tristan was experiencing his own difficulties.

The southern nobleman had been approached by two students who apparently wanted his opinion on a dispute concerning the privileges of hereditary nobles within the academy.

Tristan possessed strong views on aristocratic responsibility, but he was also experienced enough to recognize when someone was attempting to draw him into an unnecessary argument.

He answered politely, acknowledged the merits of both positions, and declined to endorse either side without further information.

The students seemed disappointed.

Ilya watched them depart.

Apparently, Tristan had recognized the trap.

That was reassuring.

Having a capable rival was useful.

Especially when that rival wasn’t interested in humiliating himself for someone else’s entertainment.

After another half hour, Ilya had gathered enough information to form a preliminary theory.

Several participants appeared to possess tasks involving social influence.

One was attempting to convince others to change tables. Another repeatedly introduced unfamiliar guests to specific individuals, while a third seemed determined to collect written promises concerning future academic cooperation.

The assignments varied, but they shared an important feature.

They required participants to influence other people’s decisions without revealing their intentions.

That gave Ilya an idea.

Rather than identifying three individuals whose objectives conflicted with his own, he could create circumstances that forced such conflicts to become apparent.

He approached Margarethe von Adlerheim, who was supervising the gathering near the central platform.

"May I ask a question about the rules?"

"Certainly."

"Are participants permitted to arrange activities that aren’t explicitly described in their assignments?"

Margarethe considered the question.

"Provided they don’t violate the society’s regulations."

"Then I’d like to organize a small discussion."

She smiled.

"On what subject?"

"Whether the society should admit students who possess unusual talents but lack impressive academic records."

The proposal attracted her attention.

The Thirteenth Society claimed to value exceptional individuals, yet its invitations appeared heavily concentrated among students with established accomplishments.

That created an interesting question.

Could someone with remarkable practical ability but mediocre examination results deserve membership?

Margarethe approved the discussion.

Ilya thanked her and began inviting several guests to participate.

Garen was the first.

Naturally.

"I thought we were supposed to keep our assignments secret," he remarked.

"We are. This is just a discussion."

"You’re planning something."

"Probably."

Garen grinned.

He seemed delighted by the prospect.

Tristan joined shortly afterward, along with several other students who had overheard the invitation.

Within minutes, a small gathering had formed near one of the tables.

Ilya introduced the subject and invited everyone to offer their opinions.

The discussion began reasonably.

Some argued that academic achievement provided the most reliable evidence of talent, while others believed practical accomplishments deserved equal recognition.

Tristan supported the latter position, although he emphasized that exceptional ability should be demonstrated through meaningful results.

Garen naturally agreed.

He possessed enough experience with practical engineering to know that examination rankings didn’t always reflect someone’s usefulness during an actual project.

As the discussion developed, Ilya began introducing hypothetical candidates.

A brilliant researcher with poor attendance.

A talented knight from an impoverished family.

A student who consistently performed well in examinations but contributed little during collaborative work.

Each example encouraged participants to reveal their priorities.

More importantly, several students began attempting to redirect the conversation toward their own interests.

One repeatedly emphasized the importance of noble sponsorship.

Another argued that social connections mattered more than individual achievement.

A third attempted to persuade the group to adopt a formal resolution supporting unrestricted admission.

Ilya listened carefully.

Their behavior wasn’t enough to determine the exact contents of their cards.

However, he could identify several participants whose objectives would conflict with his own if he attempted to establish a particular position.

He selected three.

Then he approached Margarethe again.

"I believe I’ve completed my assignment."

She examined his card before requesting an explanation.

Ilya identified the three participants and described the competing interests he’d observed during their discussion.

Margarethe listened without interruption.

When he finished, she asked one question.

"How do you know their objectives conflict with yours?"

Ilya smiled.

"Because I gave myself an objective."

He explained that his assignment hadn’t specified what his own objective should be.

Therefore, he’d chosen to establish one: persuade the group that society membership should be evaluated primarily through demonstrated individual ability rather than hereditary status or academic rankings alone.

The three participants he’d identified had attempted to influence the discussion in directions incompatible with that position.

Margarethe regarded him thoughtfully.

"An interesting interpretation."

"Is it incorrect?"

"No."

She examined the card once more.

"However, the exercise wasn’t intended to be solved quite so directly."

"Then I apologize for being efficient."

Margarethe laughed.

She recorded his result and informed him that his performance would be evaluated alongside the other participants.

Ilya returned to the gathering.

Tristan was waiting nearby.

"I assume you’ve finished."

"Apparently."

"That quickly?"

"I had a convenient discussion."

Tristan understood immediately.

He looked toward the group Ilya had assembled and seemed mildly irritated.

"You’re the one who organized that?"

"Yes."

"I was wondering why everyone suddenly started arguing about admission standards."

Ilya laughed.

Apparently, Tristan had been attempting to complete his own assignment when the discussion interfered with several conversations he’d been observing.

Fortunately, he hadn’t suffered any serious disadvantage.

The southern nobleman had already identified another approach and seemed confident in his progress.

Garen, meanwhile, appeared to be having an exceptionally successful evening.

By the time the ninth bell approached, he’d become acquainted with more students than either of his companions.

He had also acquired several invitations to ordinary academic gatherings, including a workshop demonstration scheduled for the following week.

Ilya wondered whether he’d forgotten about the exercise entirely.

Then Garen approached them with a satisfied grin.

"Finished."

Tristan regarded him skeptically.

"Your assignment?"

"Of course."

"What was it?"

Garen produced his card.

The instruction read:

*Obtain three favors from individuals who possess greater standing than yourself.*

Ilya examined the card.

Then he considered the invitations Garen had collected.

Apparently, the fellow had interpreted an invitation as a promise of future assistance.

That was a rather generous definition.

However, the society’s rules hadn’t explicitly prohibited it.

"Did Margarethe accept?"

"She said she’d review it."

Tristan sighed.

Ilya found himself laughing.

For all their differences, Garen had demonstrated a particular talent for navigating situations that required approaching strangers without making them uncomfortable.

That was an ability neither Ilya nor Tristan possessed to quite the same degree.

As the ninth bell sounded, the society’s president returned to the central platform.

He thanked the participants for their efforts and announced that their performances would be reviewed before the next gathering.

However, he also revealed something unexpected.

The exercise hadn’t been designed merely to determine who completed their assignments.

The society had been observing how participants influenced one another, handled conflicting interests, and responded when their plans encountered interference.

Several members had received instructions specifically intended to complicate the guests’ objectives.

Ilya found that reasonable.

After all, a test of social judgment would accomplish little if everyone behaved predictably.

The president concluded by announcing that selected participants would receive invitations to a second gathering.

This time, the activities would be considerably more demanding.

Garen seemed excited.

Tristan appeared determined.

Ilya was beginning to understand why the society had survived for so many generations.

Its members knew how to make ambitious students interested in proving themselves.

And judging from the conversations taking place around him, their little exercise had accomplished precisely that.