The cosy, yellow light of the professor’s office washed over Nero, infecting the serious atmosphere with a hint of a warmth. Or maybe it was just how the office was decorated, filled with personal items and cute decorations, that created a comfortable atmosphere.
Nero thought about Isabella’s words, and admitted that they made sense. Generally speaking, it was a lot more practical and effective to use greater numbers to tackle a problem. The effort and resources required to train a large number of average soldiers would probably be less than training just a few elite soldiers, not to mention that the success rate would also be higher.
Moreover, the effectiveness of a large number of average soldiers against a small number of elite soldiers would favour the greater numbers. Overall, it was just more efficient and effective to train the masses.
Yet, it also made sense that there would be circumstances where it was impossible to deploy a large number of troops.
"But training soldiers is not enough," Isabella continued as she leaned back in her chair. "The army also needs officers. It needs those who can make critical but beneficial judgments in situations where they are entirely cut off from communication.
"While generally speaking all officers are trained to have such levels of competence, not all officers can be sent to missions without a team to lead and without backup. Not to mention, some missions require a level of secrecy and discretion that can only be trusted to those specifically nurtured for such a role
"Thus, the army has several programs in place to train and nurture suitable assets. The Valkan legion is one of them. To even get a recommendation for the legion, you must first display exemplary skills, competence, awareness and a satisfactory level of decision making ability. In all of these areas, you have already proven yourself, both in and out of the academy."
Isabella’s words seemed to suggest that getting the recommendation should not be a problem for him, and yet... the solemn expression on her face did not match the content of her speech.
"So where’s the hiccup?" Nero asked directly, not a fan of unnecessary suspense.
Isabella sighed, and shook her head.
"The ’hiccup’, as you put it, is in your background check. Having adequate skills is far from enough to enter the legion. Your background needs to be clean as well, to make sure that you are reliable. Well, your family is ridiculously problematic, going back several generations!"
Nero was taken aback by that news. He knew for a fact that his family might have a complicated file, owing to what happened with his brother, and his mothers rather troublesome job. But going back several generations?
The only thing he could think of was his uncle, who apparently ran away because he was being chased by someone.
Seeing the genuinely confused expression on Nero’s face, Isabella sighed. Nero may be excellent at controlling his expressions and body language, but in front of an Ascendant like Isabella, he was an open book. He could keep no secrets from her, so she knew the full extent of his surprise.
"Your fathers side of the family, as far back as we can trace it, is fine," she continued, opening the folder to a picture of Edward, followed by a family tree that Nero had never seen. "In fact, believe it or not, his admission into Whisper Guard is actually a very good sign for you.
"Whisper Guard have their own, stringent background checks that don’t end solely with admission. They last a lifetime, so at first glance, it seemed like you would pass the background check with no issues. Sure, there are some who look down on the Whisper Guard for various reasons, but KMA does not care about any kind of politics. We look solely at the facts.
"The actual issue starts with your mother, and her family. Did you know that, in her military file, your mother once beat up a superior officer? That part of her file was later sealed because a military court found that the senior tried to harass your mother, but it’s not a good precedent to set."
Nero was stunned - he’d never heard of this before. To be fair, the fact that she hadn’t crippled him showed how much restraint she had shown, but he felt like saying that wouldn’t really help his case.
"Due to our special status, certain KMA staff members have the highest levels of security clearance, which is why I was able to pull out a comprehensive family history. Your mothers misdemeanors are... minor, however there is an extensive history of criminal behaviour in your family. From your uncle, to your grandfather, and further back as well, they have various levels of criminal history, and that paints a bad picture for you."
Nero furrowed his brows as he heard all of this.
"This is all news to me," he stated, even though he had a feeling that this would not really be able to defend him. "I’ve never even met them, let alone be influenced by them. My family has never mentioned them either."
Isabella shook her head reluctantly.
"It does not matter. I am not even going into all the details I’ve uncovered. Multiple powerful figures have, on record, made statements against your family, and they do not even start recently. Although the biased statements of others do not affect the decisions made by KMA, I am only saying this to inform you how difficult it will be for you regardless of what career path you pick.
"Any promotions you desire will have to be earned many times over to go against the odds stacked against you, regardless of where you end up in the army. But by joining the Valkan Legion, you would enter a career track that cannot be influenced easily by others, which is why many people are already doing their best to ensure you cannot enter."
Nero frowned, suppressing his growing anger.
"You just said yourself that the KMA does not care about external influences, so that shouldn’t matter at all. Moreover, while I’m sure there are many speaking out against me, I also know for a fact that there should be many people speaking in my favour as well. My family and I may not enjoy the privilege of having a Sage or Ascendant looking out for us, but we are also not without our merits.
"I’m not sure of what other things my family’s files reveal, but I know for a fact that the service we have rendered cannot be overlooked. Heck, my own contributions to Kolar cannot be scoffed at! Even before receiving any official training, I have rendered merit to the country. Are those things that can be overlooked so easily?"
Since Nero’s father had told him to join the Valkan legion, he was certain that there shouldn’t be any major issue with him joining, or else his father would never have recommended it.
"Well, there’s no official record of what your father has done, even for us to see, but your mothers record is impressive. Moreover, just as you said, you have also earned some merits. The fact that the military courts found you innocent after such a strong accusation is also in your favour. However, ultimately, I still cannot recommend you to the Valkan Legion."
Nero did not express any discontent, though his mind began to work, trying to figure out what had actually prevented him from getting this recommendation. He didn’t believe that his family history would be such a road block.
"You don’t look too disappointed," Isabella said, studying his expression.
Nero returned his focus to his professor, calming his mind and focusing on what was next.
"I came to KMA with a purpose. I am here to become the best soldier and officer I can become. I don’t need to be handed anything, I’ll take everything this academy has to offer on my own. This road block will not stop my path."
Isabella smirked, and then chuckled.
"So serious. Nero, while I was doing your background check to ensure you were fit for my recommendation, the thing that I encountered that prevented me from submitting a recommendation wasn’t your family history - although that didn’t exactly help.
"No, the thing that stopped me was a document stating that a recommendation for you has already been submitted. To be more specific, it was submitted on the day you entered the academy by Dr. Iris, who has recently joined the academy and has taken a role in training medical officers."
Isabella leaned back, and watched in amusement as Nero’s emotions suddenly swayed to surprise. Despite his best efforts to keep his emotions hidden, and his Aetheric Halo under control, it was all too easy for her to see through them.
"In fact, the reason I called you here is because there has been an update on your recommendation. I thought it would be better if I informed you rather than Iris. She... tends to get sidetracked all too easily."
Nero raised a single eyebrow, but did not comment. Why would he bring up that Isabella seemed to have worse habits? What was even the point of making him think he couldn’t get the recommendation if not so that Isabella could enjoy his reaction? But that hardly mattered.