At the Town Hall, Fessen was busy leading the teachers as they hurried to finish grading the exam papers.
Because the first half of this exam consisted entirely of multiple-choice questions, with the final section being an attribute-matchup table, grading them turned out to be relatively easy.
Meanwhile, Kirlia could be seen sitting in the main hall of the Town Hall, its gaze sweeping repeatedly over the teachers who were marking the papers.
Knowing that Kirlia possessed the ability to see through a person's heart, every teacher present graded with extreme caution. Even when they came across the name of a familiar person, none of them dared to show the slightest hint of favoritism.
Before long, one paper after another was graded. Once all the papers were finished, the teachers even exchanged papers among themselves for cross-checking.
"Your Highness Aven, the first batch of exam results has come out," Fessen reported as he found Aven in the study on the top floor of the Town Hall.
"Oh? They're out already?" Aven narrowed his eyes slightly. He noticed immediately that Fessen's expression did not seem very positive.
Taking the result sheet, he skimmed through it quickly—only to discover that scores above sixty were shockingly rare. Most candidates only scored between thirty and forty.
"These results truly aren't ideal."
Upon hearing Aven's evaluation, Fessen sighed and replied, "Among the candidates, the knights performed the best."
"Most of them learned to read and write as children, and they were also the most serious in preparing for the exam. I think at least a good portion of them will pass."
"Next would be the rangers. Many of them can barely read, but they have extensive experience surviving in the wilderness and a deep understanding of Pokémon. With a multiple-choice format, they hold a significant advantage."
"The biggest problem is still the patrol guards. Many of them can hardly read at all. Memorizing the handbook entries is difficult for them, and so their results are generally poor."
Aven fully agreed with Fessen's assessment. Thinking for a moment, he said, "In a way, this is good. What matters most now is letting them realize how important cultural education truly is."
The effort to promote universal education throughout the Pokémon Domain had already begun. Most children were already enrolled in school. However, it was the adults who were presenting a much more troublesome challenge.
After all, these adults needed to work and earn a living. They were unwilling to spend their limited free time on studying, and Aven honestly had no good solution to force this to change.
Still, while he could not interfere much in the lives of ordinary commoners, he believed it was necessary to intervene in the educational level of the trainer population, raising their cultural knowledge and literacy.
After all, adequate education was a symbol of societal progress. With knowledge, people would be more capable of obeying the laws established in the territory and properly exercising the authority entrusted to them.
This official trainer exam was a perfect example. It would make trainers realize that reading and writing were indispensable—there was no way around it if they wished to be promoted to full-fledged trainers!
Of course, this applied to trainers. For ordinary civilians, the upcoming civil service exam system was the real attraction. As long as one could read and write, one could become an official in the territory—people would probably go mad for such an opportunity!
"Fessen, moving forward, you must continue pushing for universal education across the territory," Aven instructed.
"In the autumn of the second half of the year, we'll hold the second round of the Official Trainer Qualification exam. I hope that by then, many more people will be able to pass the written test."
Fessen immediately acknowledged the order. He deeply understood how crucial universal education was for cultivating new talent.
Especially after Aven had lifted the restriction that only nobles could work in the Town Hall, allowing knowledgeable commoners to join as well which cause the Town Hall to gained a huge influx of capable people.
Without these newly recruited civilian officials, this year's workload would have been nearly impossible to finish. As the domain developed, Fessen had long since started feeling overwhelmed.
"Your Highness Aven, the second batch of results is out," Principal Sieg announced as he entered from the doorway.
Fessen hurried forward, received the result sheet, and passed it to Aven. His eyes casually skimmed over the list—and suddenly froze as he spotted a perfect score.
"Hm? Someone actually scored full marks!" Aven let out a soft sound of surprise.
His gaze swept across the sheet, soon locking onto the name. To his surprise, it belonged to someone he knew—the former captian of the Ironblood Knights, Bloodhowl!
"Darius… I never expected him to get a perfect score," Fessen murmured.
"Yes. After I pardoned him last time, it seems he immediately joined the patrol guards," Aven nodded.
"And judging by this exam, Darius has turned out to be an exceptional trainer candidate."
A smile formed on Aven's face. He had personally written the exam. In order to conduct a large-scale screening, the questions were intentionally difficult.
For someone to achieve a flawless score meant that Darius had truly mastered the contents of the Trainer Handbook, far exceeding Aven's expectations.
"Once all the results are released, call Darius over," Aven instructed.
"I've been thinking about who should run the trainer academy once it's established, and now it seems Darius might be the perfect choice."
Fessen's eyes flickered. He still remembered very clearly that when he had previously requested troops from the Ironblood Knights, Darius had immediately responded without hesitation, gathering his men and marching straight to the front-line fortress.
Truth be told, Fessen held a favorable impression of the man.
"I understand, Your Highness," he said respectfully.
"Also, pay attention to whether any of the current teachers might be interested in joining the trainer academy," Aven continued.
"Since the academy is being established, it naturally cannot lack instructors. However, these instructors must possess proper trainer knowledge."
At the moment, the Pokémon Domain suffered from an extreme shortage of teachers—whether general academics or skill-based instructors. Even though Aven had already assigned many craftsmen to teach in schools, the overall number was still lacking.
And the requirements for trainer academy instructors would be even higher. Only trainers themselves could truly understand the profession and teach future trainers properly.
Since the academy was still in its early stages, Aven's plan was to focus first on literacy and Pokémon knowledge. More advanced courses would have to be developed later.
"Yes, Your Highness Aven. I will begin preparations immediately," Fessen said as he bowed and exited.
Aven then continued reviewing the written exam results before planning for the practical combat test that would follow.
He intended to hold this portion of the exam directly in the Pokémon Battle Arena, allowing all citizens to watch the combat assessments of the official trainer candidates.
This would help civilians gain a better understanding of the trainer profession, and at the same time, it would serve as a form of entertainment, further spreading the popularity of Pokémon battles.
"That's right—there's also the Pokémon League Conference. When the time comes, we can even use the practical combat exam as a feature event."
"The visiting lords will gain a deeper understanding of the trainer profession, and once the Pokémon League begins its cooperative projects, the official trainer exam will be open to all of Aspiration City."
Once the idea formed, Aven immediately acted. The League Conference he had scheduled was set for half a month from now, so the practical combat exam date would naturally be the same.
Soon, the results of all thousand-plus candidates across the territory were fully compiled. Fessen carried the final report to the study.
From the statistics, around two hundred apprentice trainers successfully passed the written test—a number slightly lower than Aven had originally hoped for.
However, considering the short amount of time they had had to study the Trainer Handbook, the results were understandable. With further education and deeper research into the Trainer Handbook, the next batch would definitely see a higher pass rate.
And without a doubt, the top scorer of this exam was Darius. His academic ability was extremely high, and having grown up in the Ironblood Fortress, he had extensive real-life experience dealing with Pokémon.
Most importantly—he was truly interested in the Trainer Handbook, studying it day and night until he had practically memorized the entire thing.
Knock knock knock—
Just as Aven was lost in thought, a series of knocks sounded at the door.
Fessen returned and reported, "Lord Aven, Darius has arrived."
This was Darius's first time in the Town Hall. Upon seeing Aven inside the room, he immediately dropped to one knee and performed a standard knight's salute.
Even though he was no longer officially a knight, greeting the lord he deeply respected triggered a response born of habit.
"Rise, Darius," Aven said, helping him up.
Darius's expression fell slightly—this gentle reminder made him recall once again that he was no longer a knight.
But seeing that Aven held no resentment toward him brought him relief. Still, he couldn't help but wonder why he had been summoned.
"Darius, I called you because I have something to discuss." Aven handed him the score sheet with a smile.
Darius looked down—and froze. His name was listed at the very top, with a score of 100, a perfect mark.
His heart surged with excitement, but confusion lingered. Was this why Aven had summoned him? Was something wrong with his score?
"Darius, congratulations on passing the written exam with full marks."
"I want to hear your evaluation of the Trainer Handbook."
Aven returned to his desk, took a sip of tea, and looked at Darius calmly.
Darius hesitated for a moment before responding, "The Trainer Handbook's documentation of Pokémon is extremely thorough. It is, without a doubt, a masterpiece."
"However… I feel that it may not be completely comprehensive. There seem to be many details still missing." He chose his words carefully.
Based on his experience, he felt that the Trainer Handbook still had plenty of room for added information. The Gilded Fang Merchant Guild had possessed a similar book that was more detailed in some areas.
However, in terms of type matchups and attribute explanations, the Trainer Handbook far surpassed the old magic beast manuals. Many of the concepts within it were groundbreaking.
Aven's eyes gleamed with approval. "You see things very clearly. The version we distributed was indeed a simplified edition."
Because this world lacked modern printing technology, everything had to be copied by hand. To reduce workload, he had cut out a large amount of nonessential content, leaving only the basics.
The attribute relationships and matchup chart formed the core of the exam, and this knowledge was crucial for improving a trainer's strength. It was the foundation of Pokémon studies.
The fact that Darius had instantly identified the missing portions proved just how deeply he understood Pokémon.
Aven then reached into his pocket and pulled out another book called the Pokédex—a much thicker and more complete version of the Trainer Handbook.
This was the full edition he had compiled from memory, supplemented with information seized from the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild. It was the single most comprehensive Pokémon reference in this world.
"Take a look at this," Aven said, handing the thick Pokédex handbook to him.
Darius immediately opened it—and was instantly absorbed.
This book not only included attributes, but also behavior patterns and lists of moves each Pokémon could learn.
Every entry the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild possessed was also included—and in greater detail than before.
"This… this is an even better handbook than before!" Darius murmured, barely able to tear his eyes away.
But Aven gave a light cough, and Darius snapped back to attention, reluctantly returning the book.
"I called you here because I truly have something important to discuss," Aven continued.
"You saw the exam results. I am not satisfied with them."
"So, I intend to establish a Trainer Academy—an institution dedicated to teaching proper trainer knowledge."
"Given your performance and your ability, I would like to appoint you as the principal of the Trainer Academy. I'd like to know whether you are interested."
Aven did not beat around the bush. Darius was a straightforward man; subtlety was unnecessary.
"Principal… of the Trainer Academy?" Darius was completely stunned.
He instantly understood how important such an academy would be. It would become the center of trainer education.
And yet Aven wanted to entrust this crucial position to him?
A surge of emotion filled Darius's heart. He could feel the trust Aven placed in him.
But… could he really live up to such a responsibility?
His eyes drifted to the Pokédex in his hands. The content of the book surfaced in his mind again.
He knew how precious it was. And his duty, as principal, would be to teach everything in this book to others.
Images of himself teaching the patrol squads suddenly resurfaced in his mind. He realized he didn't dislike teaching others about Pokémon at all.
Though part of him still longed to be a knight… being a teacher shaping the next generation of trainers—future knights who would all become trainers—was also a path of honor.
"Lord Aven, thank you deeply for your trust." Darius knelt on one knee again.
"But… may I give you my answer after the practical exam?"
"At this moment, I am not sure whether I am qualified. I wish to wait until after the combat examination."
Aven readily agreed. After all, he had already returned everyone's Pokémon after the front-line battle.
Darius should currently have an advanced-level Rhydon, an intermediate-level armored Rhyhorn, and an intermediate-level Golbat.
With such a lineup, passing the practical combat test would be no challenge at all. Even the Gym-level assessment shouldn't pose much difficulty.
In other words, Darius had practically already secured the title of official trainer. The preparations for the Trainer Academy could begin at once.
After Darius left, Aven immediately summoned Fessen and ordered him to release the written exam results to the public, as well as announce the date of the practical combat exam—exactly half a month from now.
(End of Chapter)
TN: Guys, I'm sorry, I think I put Pokédex before but that was the trainer handbook. This time the handbooks are now called Pokédex so that I won't confused myself anymore.