Light returned home.
The moment he stepped through the front door, he saw Karem standing there with his father, King Jugram. Queen Erina, his grandmother Seliora, and his elder sister, Eisa, were there as well.
"Karem! Hi," Light greeted him.
"Hey," Karem replied.
King Jugram looked at Light.
"Where were you?"
Light hesitated.
"Uh... erm... Is everything alright? Why is everyone standing by the door?"
"We were welcoming Karem," King Jugram answered. "He arrived just before you did."
"Oh."
Light turned to Karem.
"Karem, is everything alright?"
Before Karem could answer, Jugram spoke.
"I summoned him to ask about your whereabouts. But since you're here, you shall answer that yourself."
The King's expression remained calm.
"So... where were you?"
Before Light could reply...
"Jugram!" Seliora interrupted. "At least let the children get some rest. They just got home. And is this really the place to have this conversation? Come on, let's sit down somewhere first. They're barely through the front door, and you're already questioning them."
She shook her head.
"Wait, Mother," Jugram said. "You don't know what this 'child' has done."
He looked directly at Light.
"This 'child' brutally killed twenty ordinary humans and six or seven Voltra Beings. That's why I'm questioning him like that."
"What?" Eisa exclaimed. "That can't be! Brother would never hurt an ordinary human."
Light remained silent, regret written across his face.
Seliora looked at him in disbelief.
"What happened? When did this happen? Light... is it true?"
Light nodded.
"Yes, it's true. I did kill ordinary humans. But they were criminals who were about to rape an innocent woman. I saw what was happening... and I lost my temper."
Jugram folded his arms.
"You know why we have a police system? To deal with crimes committed by ordinary humans. We have military soldiers to deal with crimes committed by Voltra Beings. And for Kaijus, we have the Kaiju Combat Teams."
He paused before continuing.
"You are the prince of the Central Kingdom, and you joined the Kaiju Combat Team to gain real battle experience. Your duty is to fight Kaijus—not ordinary humans or Voltra Beings."
Erina crossed her arms.
"I've been hearing him brag about becoming king and protecting the weak. I can't believe he actually did something like this."
Her mocking tone irritated Jugram.
"And what is your son doing?" he shot back.
"I don't know," Erina replied coldly. "And he's not just my son. He's yours too. If you had paid a little more attention to him, you would know what he's been doing."
She glared at Jugram.
"But all you ever seem to notice are Light and Lothar."
With those words, Erina turned around and stormed away in anger.
Light frowned.
"Why are we even having this conversation right now? Father, you already lectured me at the police station two weeks ago."
Jugram looked at him.
"And you were gone for those same two weeks. Would you care to tell me what you've been doing all this time? Hmm? Hunting down more bandits?"
"I was just training."
Jugram turned toward Karem.
"Was he?"
Karem hesitated.
"Um... yeah, that's true. At first, he was training in the garden. But Lady Seliora said he was disturbing the peace of the house and ruining the garden's atmosphere. So... I think he went somewhere else to continue his training. I don't know where, though."
Light let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Thanks, Karem... You saved me.
Jugram looked back at Light.
"Well then... show me what you've got."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Let's have a sparring match," Jugram said. "We'll see what you've learned from your training."
"Here?"
"In the garden."
After hearing that, Seliora let out a long sigh.
"There goes my garden again... They're not going to stop until they've completely destroyed it."
---
A few minutes later...
They arrived at the royal garden.
Karem, Eisa, and Seliora stood nearby, watching as spectators.
Jugram removed his royal cloak.
Wrapped around each of his forearms were five metallic rings—
ten rings in total.
Karem looked at the rings on Jugram's arms.
"What are those rings?"
Eisa smiled.
"My father uses them as his weapons in battle. They're ancient rings. They once belonged to Zerek."
Karem's eyes widened.
"You mean Zerek, the first Voltra Being? I thought he used a sword called Dark Shield. That sword belongs to Light now."
Eisa nodded.
"I said they're one of his weapons, not his only weapon."
"Oh..." Karem said. "So, do those rings have any special powers?"
Eisa shook her head.
"No. They're just weapons. If they suit your fighting style, you can use them."
Light looked at the rings on Jugram's arms.
"So, you're going to use those against me?"
Jugram smiled faintly.
"Are you afraid?"
Light shook his head.
"No. I'm excited to see how you'll use them. I've never seen you fight with those rings in my entire life."
"That's because the kingdoms have been at peace," Jugram replied. "But I used these rings many times during my prime."
Light thought for a moment.
"Thirteen years ago, during the war between the Dreakors and the Western and Eastern Kingdoms, I was with you. In fact, you carried me in your arms while fighting the enemy. But even then, you were using a sword instead of these rings. I've always wondered why."
"There isn't any special reason," Jugram answered calmly. "The attack happened so suddenly that I didn't have them with me."
The moment he finished speaking, Jugram vanished in a flash.
In the next instant, he appeared right in front of Light.
One of the ancient rings was fitted over his fist.
BAM!
His punch landed squarely on Light's face, sending him flying across the garden before crashing into the ground.
Light groaned.
"Ah... what was that? We were just talking! You didn't even say we were starting."
Jugram remained calm.
"You should never let your guard down. An enemy won't ask for your permission before attacking. Now, are you going to get up and fight... or just lie there and cry?"
Light got back to his feet and released Voltra into his legs.
"I ain't crying."
In an instant, he dashed toward Jugram at high speed and threw a punch.
Jugram calmly lowered his head, dodging the attack.
At the same time, he drove his ring-covered fist into Light's stomach.
Bang!
The impact sent Light flying across the garden once again.
Light groaned in pain.
"Ahh... So you use those rings just to make your punches stronger?"
Jugram shook his head.
"No. I can control them. By filling them with my Voltra, I can make them float through the air and even use them for long-range attacks."
While Jugram was explaining, Light quietly got back to his feet.
Without warning, he fired a Voltra Beam straight at him.
The attack was fast enough to hit Jugram before he could move.
The beam wasn't particularly powerful, so it didn't do much damage, but it created a thick cloud of smoke.
In a flash, Light burst through the smoke and appeared directly in front of Jugram.
Gathering Voltra into his fist, he drove a powerful punch into Jugram's chest.
The force of the blow knocked Jugram off his feet.
Light walked over to Jugram and offered him a hand.
"Was that enough to prove that my training is paying off?"
Jugram accepted his hand, and Light helped him back to his feet.
"It was impressive," Jugram said. "You've gained excellent control over your Voltra."
"Yahoo!" Eisa cheered. "That was amazing, Brother!"
"Yeah!" Karem agreed with a grin.
Seliora looked around at the devastated garden and let out a long sigh.
"You've completely ruined my garden again..."
End of Chapter 27