I demanded to take the test as soon as possible, I still have a war to fight after all. So the leprechauns scurry around, preparing the festival.

Apparently, there is always a festival held when someone takes the test, with only two things different from their new moon festival: One empty chair and one empty plate.

The meaning of the chair was obvious, if I passed it was mine. The plate was... More unsettling. It wasn't explained for me any further than: 'If you pass another way, you get on that plate.'

I suppose passing means dying in that scenario, but I don't plan to be eaten, or whatever else they plan to do.

Days passed, but preparations were still incomplete. More tables, more chairs more food. The small town was entirely filled with seats and food - I doubt there are even enough inhabitants here to occupy half. That means the others come out of their tunnels to see me take the test?

Around two weeks later, yes other species take long with their stuff, the preparations are done. The test consists of three bigger stages, each having their own categories with different tasks.

Each stage is allowed to take one day, if I take less I can add the time to another stage. The first stage was the most simple and brute one, physical abilities. Not only pure strength, but also technique and flexibility are asked here.

The motto of their tests was - the one closest to metal pass to be our kin. I didn't yet get any information about the next stages yet, but they are probably bound to smithing or metal aswell.

Task one was... Patheticly easy. Bending an iron rod to a circle. Man, I didn't even take seconds! The next tasks were all similar. Bend that, split that throw that one away. After half of the tasks I understand the real task. It wasn't to bend the metal, but to do so with care and elegance. To make the result as good as I can.

I go back to the tasks I've already done, and redo them. This time way more careful. The crooked and unstable circle from the first task, now a wonderful circuit. The tasks take way longer now, but I invest the time I have.

The last task was harder. Unexpectedly harder. It was a metal, way stronger and heavier than the ones before. I try to bend it using every bit of strength I have, until I have to take a pause to wipe my sweat. How was I supposed to make a circle out of it?

I know! Using gravity, my own weight, my muscles and the things from the earlier stages, I built a construct enabling me to leverage the metal. I succeed, I don't even need to use much strength.

God, these tasks weren't easy at all. Laurin applauds me, while I go and take the rest given to me inbetween stages. I used up twenty two hours for this one. My muscles will die in agony tomorrow, for sure.

My rest was roughly interrupted by a certain nurse coming into my room. I stay still, to see what he will do. He goes towards my bed and... kneels? He prays for forgiveness, loudly. Were these prayers for me, or for some leprechaun god? Either way, this seems to be a good turn of events.

No, no it wasn't. He didn't pray for poisoning my beer, but actually for what he was about to do. He pulls out a long, jagged knife and holds it up in both hands. He still wavers, so I wait, I can't just kill him. Suddenly he rushes down the knife, but my instincts don't alarm me at all.

It took me a few seconds to notice why. I wasn't the one being stabbed, he was. He stabbed himself several times, making more and more blood paint my bed red. Dude I wanted to sleep here!

Wait, wasn't this bad? If he was found like this in my room Laurin will surely think I killed him!

I don't try to clean up, it would've no use anyway. What I do though, is calling the king and telling him what happened. Laurin knew that I wasn't lying, he was a very competent leader.

After only a few seconds of thought he analysed my entire possible reasoning for killing Bjorn, concludes I'm not at fault and denies Bjorn his funeral.

His judgement was even quicker than mine was, I really had no reason to kill him like this. I could've just asked - and I already had the allowance to do so. Why would I kill him underhandedly like this?

This moron didn't even think about this first, why didn't he just try to kill me?

In the typical succesion of events, my thought was immediately falsified by Laurin, who is explaining what happened.

Seemingly Lauring feigned his distrust towards me and gave him that knife, with the secret enchantment to kill the wielder if he tries to kill someone else. Leprechauns smithing is insanely useful, no wonder criminality isn't a thing here.