Editor : Amethyst00



The week after exams was peaceful.

Some professors even allowed self-study sessions.

Third-year Knight Department practical class.

Since Professor Ain was busy grading exams and handling department matters, today's class was self-study.

The third-year students of the Knight Department were spending their time freely in the training yard.

Some were taking a break, while others gathered for a light ball game.

"Lady Eliana's coming through!"

Eliana, holding the ball at her side, shouted cheerfully as she charged toward the goal.

"Block her!"

The students defended against Eliana.

What the third-years were playing was Bastera, a popular sport in Lumene.

Of course, they were playing purely with physical ability, without using any special powers.

By the third year, even with just physical prowess, the game could be quite fast-paced.

Duran blocked Eliana's way.

Eliana grinned and quickly passed the ball.

"Nice!"

"Go for it!"

Even the students watching were split into teams and cheering enthusiastically.

Overall, it was a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere.

But behind the training yard, in the sparring ground, there were those who were training seriously.

None other than Leo and Celia.

Facing each other with training swords in hand, Celia moved first.

Fwoosh—!

Kicking off the ground, Celia instantly closed the distance between them.

As her sword came rushing in at an incredible speed, Leo swung his sword in response.

Clang—!

Celia's rapier was deflected off its path.

But that wasn't the end.

In her left hand, opposite to the rapier, she held a dagger that immediately targeted Leo's neck.

Leo evaded the attack with a light backward step.

Celia lowered her posture and began swinging her sword at a tremendous speed.

She used the rapier's sharp thrusts to keep Leo in check.

And followed up with additional dagger strikes when Leo stiffened.

Leo murmured to himself:

'Her attack style has changed.'

Celia's main weapon was the rapier.

To make up for its shortcomings, she trained with a dagger as a secondary weapon.

But now, her primary weapon seemed to be the dagger.

The rapier was just for pressure.

Whirr—!

The dagger spun dazzlingly in Celia's hand.

Tak—!

Holding the dagger in a reverse grip like a hook, Celia aimed for Leo's neck.

When Leo dodged, the rapier immediately aimed for his forehead.

Her attack pattern had changed.

'Now the rapier's the main weapon?'

Leo remembered Celia's swordsmanship as a dazzling style that mesmerized the opponent.

When combined with the Zerdinger aura, it transformed into a devastating technique.

But her current swordsmanship, though it looked flashy, was actually simple.

And every single strike was deadly.

A sword style that prioritized efficiency.

Kaang—!

Leo blocked Celia's attack and pushed in.

"Guh!"

Celia gritted her teeth and swung the dagger to keep Leo at bay.

But once Leo went on the offensive, his sword unleashed a flurry of strikes.

Kagagagagagak—!

Sparks flew around Celia.

She blocked Leo's strikes with her rapier and dagger.

But each blow sent shockwaves through her arms, and the weight behind his sword made her feel like her hands were tearing apart.

Celia grit her teeth and tracked the trajectory of Leo's sword with her eyes.

To defend properly, she'd have to discard the dagger and use both hands on the rapier.

But doing so would mean she couldn't keep up with Leo's speed.

'I have to hold out as long as I can!'

Clenching her lips, Celia endured Leo's assault.

Their sparring had always followed the same pattern.

Celia would begin with the initiative.

Then Leo would take over the momentum and endlessly attack until Celia tired out first.

Despite hundreds or thousands of spars since first meeting Leo, the pattern never changed.

The only difference was that Celia could hold out longer now.

Kagakakak—!

Leo's relentless attacks continued.

Each one felt like a finishing blow.

How much longer could she endure?

'No… Will he ever stop?'

Celia didn't know.

How could she turn this around?

Is holding on really the only answer?

Kakakakakakakakak—!

Sparks flew wildly before her eyes.

Leo's strikes grew even faster.

Like a storm.

She was being swept up by Leo's assault.

'This is the end.'

Her countless past sparring experiences told her so.

But Celia gritted her teeth and refused to give up.

The result was already set.

Even so, she didn't break. She didn't give in.

Just like the unchanging result of their matches since first year.

Her determination remained unchanged.

She chased after her cousin's back with steadfast resolve.

Flames of will burned in Celia's crimson eyes.

In that moment—

Kakakakak, Kaahk! Kaaang—! Kaang—!

"…?"

Leo's strikes began to slow.

'Huh?'

Celia felt confusion.

Had Leo finally ended his assault?

But no—it had become too slow.

At that moment, Celia realized she herself was moving faster.

'No. I'm not faster. My perception has heightened.'

Sometimes in battle, the opponent's movements felt exaggerated or their intentions felt transparent.

But that was always just a feeling.

She had never seen her opponent's moves this clearly before.

Though initially confused, Celia soon identified the cause.

'Hyper Sense.'

A technique she learned from Aaron.

Among the various senses, Celia's vision had been awakened.

Even then, it only enhanced her predictive abilities—not slowed time like this.

'Whatever it is—!'

Celia focused on Leo's sword.

She could see the trajectory of his strike with perfect clarity.

And she saw what she never could before.

She couldn't help but be amazed.

Within Leo's sword was a level of skill and mastery beyond comprehension.

Kaak—!

Celia knocked Leo's sword aside.

She caught a twitch in Leo's eyes as he noticed it too.

She had disrupted his attack flow with a single strike.

An unexpected move.

The momentum shifted to Celia.

It was the first time.

That she had ever stopped Leo's sword mid-assault and counterattacked.

Swish—!

Celia's dagger aimed at Leo.

Whoosh—!

Despite the surprise, Leo dodged.

But before Celia could react, Leo's free hand clamped around her throat.

"Khah?!"

Celia gasped hard.

Leo, reacting instinctively, quickly let go.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. Cough, cough. If this were real, my neck would've snapped. You're as ruthless as ever."

"And you're laughing?"

Leo looked dumbfounded at the smiling Celia.

Celia, still beaming, replied brightly.

"Of course I'm laughing! I managed to counterattack you!"

If it had been a spar using aura, Celia wouldn't have gone down so one-sidedly.

Though the power gap remained, things changed in a pure sword duel.

To a knight, swordsmanship is the vessel.

No matter how powerful the aura, if the swordsmanship is lacking, there's a limit.

Celia had learned that from Leo.

And in the last three years, she'd felt the unbridgeable gap.

But now, she had taken one step closer to him.

She had to restrain herself from bouncing in joy.

"That was Hyper Sense, right?"

"Oh? You knew it was, Leo. Everything suddenly looked like it was in slow motion."

"That's amazing."

Leo admired her, and Celia raised her chin, brushing her hair back.

Her expression was composed, but the way her lips kept curling up betrayed her excitement.

Leo chuckled and ruffled her hair.

"Hey! What, do I look like Chelsea to you?!"

"Ah, sorry. You just looked too cute when you were happy."

"I keep telling you, I'm older than you! Stop treating me like a kid!"

Prideful Celia snapped back.

"Yeah, yeah."

Leo nodded and sheathed his sword.

Celia put away her rapier and dagger too.

After placing their equipment back, they headed toward the rest of their classmates.

Even then, Celia kept staring at her trembling hand with a flushed expression.

'Oh, right.'

Leo took a letter from his chest and handed it to Celia.

"Hm? A letter?"

"It's for you."

"Then why do you have it?"

"Because the fastest way to send it was through the student council president. Congrats."

"On what?"

"You're an aunt now."

"What?! Brother Rhyss had a baby?"

"Yep. Yesterday."

Celia opened the letter with a bright smile.

It mentioned the birth and included a small photo.

Rhyss, Torua, and between them—newborn twins.

"Waa! Waa!"

"Twin girls. Identical."

"They're so cute!"

Celia was overjoyed to see her nieces with the signature Zerdinger black hair.

"Since we're headed to the Zerdinger estate anyway for the Great Families Assembly, I arranged it so you can leave early."

"Clean work, as always."

Celia smiled warmly.

The Great Families Assembly even affected Lumene.

Some students had to return home due to their families' involvement.

In Celia's case, as a direct member of House Zerdinger, she had to attend.

"By the way, I heard from Abad…"

Celia frowned.

"There's a rumour that one of the Great Families Assembly topics is about you, Leo."

"So the rumors are already out."

Leo smiled faintly.

Celia folded her arms, staring at him.

"What's going on?"

"Recently, more and more migrants have been moving into the Arhi Kingdom."

A new and young kingdom.

Normally, it wouldn't be noteworthy.

But because Leo was its founding king, people were moving there from all over the world.

The problem was the scale.

The world might look peaceful, but Tartaros was stirring in many regions.

Monster and demon sightings were increasing rapidly.

Some countries were struggling.

There are countless nations.

Some powerful and stable, like Lordren and Xian.

Others small and remote, like Leo's homeland, the Kingdom of Dellad.

And not all of them had heroes—or even hero-like figures.

Heroes change the world.

But no one can protect more than what's within reach.

Stable countries weren't shaken, even with rising monster threats.

They had the strength to protect their citizens.

But nations lulled by peace were in chaos.

Tartaros threatened from the outside.

On the inside, governments used the threat as an excuse to increase taxes.

So people fled in search of safety.

And the most vivid image in people's minds was the Kingdom of Arhi.

'This didn't happen 5,000 years ago.'

Now, the world was much more connected.

News spread fast, and with warp gates, travel across the globe wasn't hard.

That's why people were flooding into a remote nation like Arhi.

There were no monster or demon attacks in Arhi.

And it was seen as a land of opportunity.

Normally, giving up one's roots for migration was unthinkable—but in a world in chaos, it was different.

However, not everyone welcomed this trend.

Especially the rulers of the lands those migrants left.

Migration required resources.

Losing economically capable citizens meant national decline.

"That's weird. Restricting lawful migration violates international law."

"Most in power don't like taking losses."

"Just ignore it. It's a good thing for you, right?"

"I can't ignore it. Having lots of migrants isn't always a good sign."

It wasn't quite like refugees, but it meant the world was unstable.

"So? Are you going to give in to those opposing factions?"

"I never said that."

Leo answered plainly.

"This only happened because people didn't do their jobs right."

"True."

"So they just need to do their jobs properly."

Leo smiled faintly.

Seeing that smile, Celia thought,

'So he's warning them not to mess with him.'

She sighed quietly.

'This Great Families Assembly is going to be lively.'