Chapter 204: Anvil
ATTN: INSTRUCTORS AND TEACHING STAFF
Training is individual.
That is the stance we’ve taken historically, especially in context when moving onto the rank of Knight Errant. That stance is appropriate at that rank. There, the mentor of the Knight will set the schedule, determine the strengths and weaknesses of their Knight Errant, and develop them on an individual basis.
However, the path towards that individual training should not be based on individuality... There are standards that must be met; the truth is that some Knights fail the academy. As a general rule, we don’t like to speak of it to the Initiates. Yet, it does happen. The best method to get our initiates through the Academy is to teach to a standard and train to a standard.
Anyone accepted to the Academy is seen as a promising candidate and has a perceived future as a Knight. This is reflected by the fact that becoming an Initiate grants a rank of nobility in its own right.
The tragic truth is that people fail. If, within two years, an Initiate doesn’t meet or exceed standard metrics determined by a panel of qualified Knights of their Order, they will be honorably discharged from their order. From there, of course, they will retain this granted status of nobility, retain their Armor after it is stripped of affiliation, and then be given a written recommendation to the rank of officer in the military.
Sure, the number of Knights who fail is few. Only an average of ten percent of Initiates fail, with some years seeing more or fewer, but this is due to rigorous academic standards. That does not count those who choose to go no further in their Order after two years.
We must be aware of and work to counteract this reality, the chance of failure.
Every potential Knight represents yet another golden opportunity for humankind to thrive on the surface as we were meant to. Even if they don’t begin to shine in their career in the Academy, they may go on to become bastions of glory and save many in the future. It is our duty to give them this opportunity to benefit the individual, their Order, and the Kingdom as a whole.