As the duel began, Liebe was ready to strike. In a nanosecond, Liebe was on the ground—Astreous had already won. Even Licht, someone who could move at 35% the speed of light, didn't know what had happened. Even his eyes couldn't keep up with the battle.
Astreous said, "Well done, young Liebe. Being able to avoid a fatal hit is impressive."
Licht asked, "Sir, what just happened?"
Lilith replied, "Don't you see? Even with no magic or real weapons, he was fast enough to bring Liebe to his knees."
Seeing this, Liebe thought, So this is the power I have to surpass.
Astreous continued, "Remember that well, Liebe. If you truly want to be a hero, that was just a sample of the power you'll have to overcome. If you really want to grow stronger, you can't allow someone like me to stand in your way."
Gelda said, "Lord, show me his wound!"
Astreous replied, "Don't worry. He wasn't hurt much—just enough to end the fight."
Licht said, "Impressive, sir."
Astreous nodded. "Until now, I had my doubts about that incident… interns taking on a devil. But after seeing the strength of young Liebe—who, even after so much battle damage, managed to go up against me—I see now you're more than strong enough to stand before me. I'm proud of you. As for the admission exam for the Knighthood Academy, you four are selected. You may choose any subject of your choice. That's the least I can do for your actions."
Liebe cheered, "Yoo! Licht, did you hear that? I guess we don't need to study so hard. Wanna just mess around for the next four months instead?"
Licht shrugged. "Not like we have anything better to do."
Alysa sighed. "Kinda sad, since I was studying for it."
Liebe smirked. "No need to thank me, nerd."
Licht chuckled. "Well, that was weird."
Alysa smiled. "I don't mind what you say to me. To me, your words are equivalent to the words of Saint Marie herself."
Gelda laughed. "Wow. Young love."
Lilith added, "Too young love. So, when can I expect grandkids?"
Asten muttered, "Ok-ish young love…"
Astreous chimed in, "Young blooming love."
Licht groaned. "For some reason, I feel bad for the adults right now."
Elizabeth said flatly, "That's cringe, alright."
Astreous said, "See you in 48 hours, young Liebe. It's about time for me to get going."
Liebe saluted. "Understood, sir."
Then they returned to their room.
Alysa said, "Well… that was interesting."
Licht said, "No—that was embarrassing."
Alysa turned to Liebe. "I wanted to ask something about the Dark Huntress armor. Why did you give it to me and not someone like Licht? He could've utilized it better than me."
Licht shook his head. "No. I couldn't have."
Liebe explained, "The armor's strength is based on the bond I have with the user. But in order to truly bring out its real power, the user must have an attribute that's compatible with mine—and be weaker than me. So, even though Licht fit the bond requirement, it wouldn't have worked. He and I are on roughly the same level in terms of strength."
He continued, "Here's the issue: his light magic isn't compatible with my dark magic at all. It reacts violently when in contact with my darkness. Sure, we can use that to deliver devastating combo spells, but in this case, it just wouldn't work. Yours, however, was close enough. But the one who can bring out the true potential of the armor is easily Elizabeth—she meets all the necessary requirements."
Licht asked, "So why didn't you just give it to her?"
Liebe replied, "She was in charge of rescue and saving others. The armor is meant strictly for destruction and killing. Even though giving it to her would've made us stronger, it would've also created a huge liability—the civilians."
Licht nodded. "Strictly from a strategist's point of view, I must admit… that was probably the best course of action."