Word of Alex's unprecedented achievement spread across the Rikxia Empire with unnatural speed. Messengers dispatched from Éclair headquarters reached the Lionhart Estate before nightfall, their ceremonial blue cloaks still damp from riding through the lingering storm. They carried formal documentation of the day's events—five consecutive victories, culminating in swordmaster recognition by Éclair's Senior Commander Varek himself.
Roman Lionhart received the news in his private study, frost crystals forming unconsciously at his fingertips as he read the detailed account. Outside, darkness had fallen completely, rain still pattering against ancient windowpanes in rhythmic counterpoint to the crackling hearth. The flames cast elongated shadows across walls lined with tomes of imperial history, many documenting the Lionhart family's contributions over centuries.
