In the Royal Academy, the students can challenge any of the instructors. An instructor can only be challenged five times per day; this rule was placed in so that one cannot tire out an instructor to claim victory.
In the past, a student used this very tactic to win against an instructor, thus gaining fame far beyond his skill, which ended up killing him instead.
This is why they place the rule of five. This was not only a test for the students but for the instructors as well. If you cannot even defeat five students, then you were not worthy of being an instructor in the first place.
This was the Royal Academy, this was Norvaegard, a kingdom of warriors who valued strength and honor above all else.
That was why the moment Roderick Greymere issued his challenge, no one laughed. No one called him foolish. No one told him to step back. Instead, the courtyard fell into a heavy silence.
