「BASTION OF PHALANX — TRAINING ARENA」
Not long after breakfast, the young heirs departed for the Royal Collegium. They had agreed to gather before noon to welcome the new recruits and oversee their first day inside the Bastion.
G6 had heard the plan. She simply had no intention of participating when there were already enough nobles available to smile at strangers and explain regulations. Her time was better spent elsewhere.
By midmorning, she and Edmund stood several paces apart near the center of the Training Arena, while Tina and Lilia occupied their usual place on the lower stone seating.
"So, tell me," G6 began, both hands tucked inside her pockets. "What did she want?"
Edmund had promised to deliver the rest of Queen Euphelia's message after breakfast. With Tina and Lilia far enough away not to overhear, he could finally do so.
"Her Majesty wished to confirm the arrangements regarding your three-day allocation. How your movements are to be handled, what explanation should be maintained, and what information she expects from us."
G6's expression remained unchanged.
"And?"
"There was one other matter."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"Her Majesty said she intends to introduce someone to you soon."
"Introduce someone?"
G6 tilted her head before scoffing.
"So she plans to leash one of her dogs to watch us."
"I had a similar impression."
"Of course."
She glanced toward the far end of the arena.
"If she thinks I'm letting some royal watchdog follow me around and interfere with what I'm doing, she can forget it."
"She did not tell me who it was," Edmund added. "Nor did she explain precisely what role this person is expected to play."
"Even better."
Her tone made it clear she meant the opposite. Edmund folded his hands behind his back.
"Other than that, Her Majesty asked no further questions concerning Oak Village."
G6 looked back at him. The Queen had asked nothing about the black paper and made no attempt to bypass her by interrogating Edmund separately.
"She shouldn't need to. My word is all she gets."
Edmund nodded, apparently settling the matter as far as G6 was concerned.
Several meters away, Tina and Lilia could see them talking but had no hope of hearing the conversation. Lilia swung her feet beneath the stone bench.
"I wonder what they are discussing. They have been standing there for a while."
"They are clearly discussing something we are not meant to hear," Tina replied, watching G6 turn away from Edmund.
Lilia sighed.
"They are with us every morning, yet it feels as though they are not."
"What do you mean?"
"I do not know."
The child offered a sheepish smile.
"I just missed watching Lady Reise train."
"You said it. Lady Reise is truly… someone you end up missing. The villa feels strange when she is not around."
Tina smiled as well, prompting an immediate declaration.
"I love Lady Reise!"
Lilia said it with such happiness that Tina laughed beneath her breath. Neither noticed G6 move several steps farther away from Edmund.
"I was thinking," G6 said.
Edmund became suspicious immediately. Her voice had acquired the particular calmness he had begun associating with impending trouble.
"Let's try something new."
"What exactly do you mean, Lady Reise?"
Keeping one hand inside her pocket, G6 raised the other. A faint smirk touched her lips.
"You know… After I spoke with Tina last night, I had a very short time to read something interesting."
Edmund examined her raised hand before looking back at her face. He did not like that expression at all.
G6 focused. The Cryomancy text was frustratingly old, densely written, and filled with concepts she had barely begun to understand.
Most of what she had read consisted of theory rather than instructions, but one of the earliest recorded techniques had been simple enough to remember, at least in principle.
She drew mana from her core. Compared with Wind, the sensation immediately felt wrong—not resistant or heavy, but distinctly different.
Mana gathered through her arm. Instead of visualizing motion, pressure, or an edge cutting through air, G6 focused on the strange cold described by the text.
It went beyond ordinary winter cold or frozen water, approaching a stillness so complete that it seemed to erase heat rather than merely overcome it.
"Rime Point."
The words left her quietly as a pale trace of mana gathered near her fingertips.
Edmund frowned. The air immediately around her hand changed without any dramatic swirl of frost or sudden cloud of frozen mist. Only a sharp drop in temperature made the hairs along his arms rise.
G6 flicked her wrist toward the ground beside him. Something struck the sand, making Edmund step back.
A needle-thin shard of pristine ice stood embedded near his boot. Barely larger than a splinter, it was clean, almost colorless, and unnaturally cold.
Neither spoke for a second before pain seized G6's chest.
Her breath caught, and one hand flew over her heart as the sudden contraction tore through her hard enough to buckle her knees.
"Lady Reise!"
Edmund moved immediately. G6 stumbled, one knee striking the sand as Tina and Lilia jumped from the bench.
"Lady Reise!" Tina shouted.
"Stay there!"
Edmund raised one hand toward them, stopping both before they could rush onto the arena floor. Then he dropped to one knee beside G6.
"What happened?"
She kept her hand pressed against her chest. The pain had been vicious enough to lock her entire body, yet almost as quickly as it appeared, it began to fade.
Her breathing steadied, and a grin followed.
"That was awesome."
Edmund stared in disbelief.
"The feeling is different, Edmund."
G6 looked toward the tiny spike of ice.
"It uses a tremendous amount of mana. I need to study the manual more."
"Lady Reise, Her Majesty specifically advised you not to experiment recklessly with it."
She turned toward him.
"No one alive appears to properly understand this affinity," Edmund continued, his worry overriding his usual restraint. "The surviving texts themselves are inconsistent. You have read the book for less than a night."
"It was one spell."
"You collapsed."
"I knelt."
"You nearly collapsed."
"Technicality."
Edmund closed his eyes briefly. G6 pushed his hand away from her shoulder and shifted until she sat cross-legged in the sand.
"You'll never discover anything strange if you don't seek it out yourself. That's how it works."
"The Queen warned you for a reason."
"The Queen warns me about everything."
"This time, I agree with her."
"Tsk."
G6 pressed her fingers lightly against her chest. The pain had already disappeared, which was precisely what bothered her.
No lingering strain or soreness followed, nothing resembling the muscular exhaustion caused by abusing Wind or repeatedly overloading Reise's underconditioned body.
"It's weird. Unlike my other spells that batter my body, this one hit my chest and stopped immediately. Like opening a window for a single quick glance."
Edmund looked at the shard still embedded in the sand.
"That alone should be reason enough not to repeat it until you understand more."
"Maybe."
"Lady Reise."
"I said maybe."
Their stares held. Edmund recognized her expression well enough to know the discussion had ended.
G6 planted one hand against the ground and stood.
"Let's scrap it for now. Why don't we start with sword practice? We'll be busy next week."
"Right. I meant to ask what other conditions Her Majesty imposed."
Edmund rose more slowly while G6 dusted sand from one knee.
"Report everything that concerns her kingdom. Ah, she wants a bunch of other things, but most are cringe-worthy requests. I don't really plan to stick to them."
"Well, if we played by the rules, we wouldn't be G6 and Eddie."
Edmund sighed, earning a sideways look.
"Because of damn Eddie, we're the Queen's dogs now."
"I will fetch the practice swords."
He looked away and headed toward the equipment storage.
"Coward."
"I heard nothing."
G6 rolled her shoulders and stretched her neck from side to side while she waited. There was nothing graceful or traditionally ladylike about the movements; she was simply loosening the joints she expected to use.
By the time Edmund returned with two wooden practice swords, she was ready. She accepted one and tested its weight with two slow rotations of her wrist.
Fine. Balanced. Safe.
Her brows drew together.
"I need something. Something that has… more."
"What exactly do you mean?"
Edmund passed his own sword from one palm to the other.
"Well, I want the swordplay of Keith and Dio. But it's lacking."
G6 made an experimental swing, stopping the blade exactly where she intended.
"It's all showy moves and safe strikes. Where's the grit? The unpredictability?"
"What you have seen from Prince Dio and Lord Keith has mostly been restrained combat," Edmund replied after considering the complaint. "Neither has shown you the full extent of what he can do."
She looked toward him.
"Why do you think Her Majesty kept both of them here at the Bastion?"
"Because Dio is her son and he's good at sword fighting. Keith is…"
She paused.
"The other idiot."
Edmund's mouth twitched.
"An unexpectedly accurate summary, but no."
He adjusted his grip.
"Prince Dio is considered among the finest swordsmen of his generation. His Fire affinity recently reached S-Rank, but his swordsmanship was already highly developed before that."
G6's interest sharpened.
"As for Lord Keith, he is also skilled with a blade, but that is not where he becomes most dangerous. His strength is his ability to read a fight and combine strategy with his Water affinity."
"That's it?"
"No."
Edmund gave her a look before hesitating briefly.
"During their three-year absence, Prince Dio, Lord Keith, and Lord Earl spent part of their training in Vester."
G6's sword stopped moving.
"Vester?"
"Yes."
That was new.
"Their approach to combat is considerably harsher than what is usually practiced here. Prince Dio's swordsmanship developed greatly there."
"And Keith?"
"Survived."
G6 snorted, and Edmund allowed himself a small smile.
"Captain Kepler also made a habit of taking them away from controlled palace exercises whenever circumstances permitted. Field training. Rough terrain. Villages farther from the Capital. Places where technique had to work outside a prepared arena."
"A real training montage location."
G6's eyes lit with immediate interest. Edmund blinked.
"Bring me there."
"That is what you understood from everything I just said?"
"Yes."
"Some of those places would take days to reach by ordinary travel."
"Teleport."
"It is not that simple."
G6 frowned as he continued.
"The kingdom's teleportation network is regulated. Authorized town devices are not intended for casual excursions simply because you wish to find somewhere more dangerous to train."
"So get authorization."
"From whom?"
They stared at each other, both thinking of Queen Euphelia.
"Tsk."
"Precisely."
G6 lowered her sword.
"Well, I know I can find my way."
Edmund had just enough time to become suspicious before she closed the distance. Her left foot planted, her body rotated, and a sharp kick rose toward his jaw.
He instinctively brought the wooden sword across his body. Her shin struck the flat of the blade with a hard THUD, forcing him to absorb the impact and shift one foot back.
G6 landed already balanced.
"Not bad."
A feral grin touched her mouth as she stepped back once, deliberately creating enough distance to attack again.
Then she lunged, bringing her sword horizontally toward his ribs.
Edmund turned his blade vertically and caught the strike. Wood cracked against wood, but G6 changed her grip the instant the weapons met and drove forward with her shoulder. He adjusted his footing under the pressure just as she twisted away.
"Too slow."
His brows lifted, and she came again.
This time, her sword rose for a high strike. Edmund raised his guard, but the blade never arrived. G6 changed direction midway through the motion and drove a kick toward his thigh instead.
He withdrew his leg, avoiding her foot by inches, then parried the wooden sword immediately following toward his exposed side.
CLACK!
G6 withdrew while Edmund reset his stance, only to attack again before he could settle.
Her fighting bore little resemblance to noble sword instruction. She had no interest in maintaining a beautiful guard or exchanging clean strikes when her hands, elbows, knees, and feet were equally available. The sword and its pommel were simply additional weapons alongside her body.
Edmund adapted quickly. His movements became smaller and more efficient as he realized that following the sword alone was a mistake.
G6 feinted toward his shoulder. When he refused to take the bait, she shifted low, but his blade intercepted hers before she completed the angle.
Good.
He redirected her weapon downward and stepped forward, exploiting the opening with a controlled thrust toward her shoulder.
Instead of resisting the deflection, G6 followed it. Her body rotated with the force he supplied as she dropped low and swept one leg toward his ankles. Edmund jumped backward, his thrust passing harmlessly over her shoulder.
He landed with a quiet chuckle.
"Unconventional."
"Effective."
G6 rose and pursued him immediately. He parried her high strike, then shifted against a low feint just as her pommel darted toward his ribs.
Edmund caught her wrist before impact. She twisted her arm, stepped inside his space, and drove one knee upward, forcing him to release her and retreat.
They separated, and G6 examined him. Something was wrong with his intention rather than his technique.
She attacked again, then repeated the attempt. Edmund defended cleanly, but his counters stopped short. His blade repeatedly approached openings he could have punished before redirecting at the last moment.
Her amusement disappeared.
During the next exchange, G6 turned abruptly and kicked the flat of his sword hard enough to knock it aside. Before he could reset, she spun back and pressed the tip of her wooden blade against his forehead.
Edmund went still.
"I'm not enjoying this."
She lowered the sword, and his expression changed.
"I know you respect me, but if you keep that in this arena, it's disrespectful to me."
"Forgive me, my lady."
His gaze dropped.
"I am afraid of hurting you."
G6's face flattened.
"I am not in the least deserving to even touch you," he added.
"Cut that crap."
He looked up.
"The Hobgoblin gave me a good run. It's an order, or else we're both going to be compromised out there."
G6 stepped back until several paces separated them again. Edmund remained still for a moment.
"Are you trying to strengthen us more?"
"Why? Can you finish a new-type alone?"
"I have fought powerful demons before," Edmund answered after considering the question. "A new-type would take longer depending upon its traits, but I am confident I could defeat one."
"The one at Oak Village wasn't normal."
G6 looked down at her practice sword.
"No."
"And before you say it—the attack that looked like a Wind Blade is still not confirmed."
Edmund nodded.
"One attack is insufficient evidence. It may have been elemental magic, a skill, or something specific to that creature."
"Exactly."
Her eyes lifted.
"It's not just the new-type you used to know."
She rolled the wooden sword once in her hand.
"It's more for me. But I don't want any person of mine dying. You heard what Liam said."
Edmund's expression softened slightly, prompting G6 to continue before he could comment.
"If ordinary adventurers need a party to deal with one and veteran combatants are expected to handle them alone, I'd rather you be able to finish one without needing me to save your ass."
"I understand."
"Good. Let's not use magic yet. Pure physical strength."
She raised the sword and shifted her feet into position.
"If we run into another place where natural mana disappears, I don't want either of us depending on the environment to save us."
Edmund regarded her for several seconds before his shoulders settled and his grip adjusted. The excessive politeness disappeared from his stance, a change G6 noticed immediately.
Finally.
He moved first with a committed thrust rather than a probing attack. The wooden blade drove toward her upper chest, forcing G6 to step off-line and bring her sword across to redirect it.
The impact jolted through her wrist.
Stronger. Much stronger.
Edmund recovered before she could enter his guard. His sword reversed direction and swept horizontally toward her ribs, passing just above her shoulder as she ducked.
G6 tried to rise inside his range, but his knee came forward. She twisted away before it caught her center, the movement forcing her backward.
He followed without hesitation.
A diagonal strike came from her right. She blocked, her arms jolting under the impact, but Edmund changed angle before she could reset and struck again from the opposite side.
G6 yielded ground twice, expecting a third strike. Instead, Edmund closed the distance she expected him to maintain and drove his shoulder against her, disrupting her balance.
She stumbled half a step. His sword stopped beside her neck without touching it, close enough to make the result clear.
Edmund raised an eyebrow. G6 examined the blade before looking at him, a grin slowly returning.
"Better."
He withdrew while she rolled one shoulder. Now that Edmund had stopped treating her like porcelain, his decades of conditioning were obvious. He possessed greater strength and reach, and his body recovered from committed movements far faster than Reise's.
Trying to beat him through a clean exchange would be stupid. Fortunately, she had never cared about clean exchanges.
They moved again.
G6 allowed Edmund to press forward. His first strike forced her left, while the second cut off the space she would normally use to escape. She recognized the attempt to herd her and let him believe it was working.
When another strike came, she deliberately blocked late. The impact knocked her blade outward, exposing an opening Edmund immediately advanced to exploit.
There it is.
G6 shifted her weight. Her shoulders suggested she intended to recover high, but her hips moved differently. She dropped beneath his line, touching one hand to the ground as her leg swept toward the ankle supporting most of his weight.
Edmund reacted quickly enough to avoid the full sweep, though not quickly enough to keep his footing entirely stable. His balance broke for a fraction of a second.
G6 rose inside his guard before he could restore the distance and brought her wooden blade against his throat.
Both stopped.
Edmund looked down at the sword. Their breathing had grown heavier, but she had not overwhelmed him. She had baited a committed response and stolen the opening it produced.
That was enough to bring a sharp, genuine smile to her face.
"Better."
G6 lowered the blade.
"Now, again."
"As you command."
Edmund laughed quietly as they resumed.
On the lower stone seating, Lilia watched for a while before glancing toward the basket Alistair had packed.
"Miss Tina."
"Yes?"
"Lady Reise has not touched the sandwich."
Tina followed her gaze to the untouched food, then looked toward the center of the arena. G6 had just ducked beneath another of Edmund's strikes.
"Just look at them. They are in their own world."
"Is Lady Reise not supposed to go to the Utility Magic Department?"
"Not yet."
Tina adjusted her glasses.
"The Prince and the Pillars are welcoming the recruits today."
"But Lady Reise is supposed to meet them too, is she not?"
Concern entered Lilia's face.
"She was."
"And she is not ready."
Tina looked at G6 again. Her mistress had clearly forgotten the appointment's existence.
"I expect the others have already realized she is not coming."
"They are very accommodating with Lady Reise."
Lilia smiled.
"That is one way to put it."
"I had heard Prince Dio disliked her."
Tina's expression changed slightly. Lilia noticed.
"But now he does not seem to."
"Things have changed," Tina answered carefully. "For all of them."
The child accepted that explanation and returned her attention to the basket.
"Should we prepare lunch instead? They will be hungry when they finally stop."
Tina removed a pocket watch from her skirt and raised her brows.
"It is already half past ten."
"They have been fighting that long?"
"Apparently."
Tina stood.
"Let us check the cafeteria kitchen."
Lilia happily followed. Before leaving, they both glanced toward G6 and Edmund, neither of whom had noticed them rise. Tina shook her head, then led the child quietly away.
「OUTSIDE THE BASTION」
Lord Zen waited near the entrance with Lady Brenda and Lord Keith while several Bastion staff finished checking preparations for the arriving recruits.
"Where is Prince Dio?" Lady Brenda asked, crossing her arms.
"Do not forget to address him properly, Lady Brenda."
"Hmph. He deserves no such respect from me today."
She was apparently still angry about the morning. Lord Earl emerged through the Bastion doors carrying a slim folder beneath one arm.
"Well, I suppose Lady Reise is not joining us."
"Why?"
Lady Brenda turned immediately.
"I encountered Tina and Lilia earlier. Lady Reise is occupied with training."
"Again?"
Her groan earned a grin from Lord Keith, who had been idly sending tiny droplets of water onto the grass beside his boot.
"It is nothing new. That is simply how my Reise is."
"What are you, a toddler?"
Lord Earl examined the spreading damp patch. Lord Keith stopped.
"I am bored."
"That does not improve the explanation."
"Why is everyone abandoning me today?" Lady Brenda asked.
"No one is abandoning you."
"Lady Reise did."
"She is training."
"Exactly."
Lord Zen chose not to involve himself. The Bastion doors opened again, and Miss Eliza emerged carrying a bundle of freshly copied papers against her chest.
"Good morning."
"Are those the regulations for the new recruits?" Lord Zen asked.
"Yes. Lady Brenda asked me to finish the remaining copies this morning."
Miss Eliza smiled as he thanked her.
"It was no trouble."
"Where are they?" Lord Keith interrupted, looking toward the path. "I am bored."
"You have mentioned that," Lord Earl replied with a sigh.
"I am emphasizing it."
"The group is already on its way through the Collegium entrance. The final Guild registration checks concluded earlier than expected."
"How long does it take them to reach the Bastion from the outer entrance?" Miss Eliza asked.
"By carriage from the outer halls, roughly half an hour, depending upon traffic inside the grounds."
"If they walk, we are going to die here."
Lord Keith groaned dramatically.
"No," Lady Brenda replied. "You are merely going to complain until everyone else wishes you had."
"Creepy woman."
He pointed at her, and her eyes narrowed. Before she could respond, Prince Dio stepped outside.
He looked considerably better than he had at breakfast, though Lord Keith immediately noticed his expression stiffen when everyone turned toward him. Prince Dio ignored the attention.
"I received word that the group is nearly here. We should move toward the Training Arena gate."
"We have to walk around as well?" Lady Brenda asked.
"Yes."
"What a pain."
"Firstly, you do not have the right to complain after forcing everyone to listen to you threaten my life throughout breakfast."
Prince Dio looked directly at her.
"I had good reason."
"And secondly, if you continue, I will personally escort you back to the library and leave you there."
Lady Brenda squinted at him while Miss Eliza turned to Lord Zen.
"Are we taking the recruits through Omnia and Sanctum afterward?"
"No. Their temporary access authorizes them only for the Collegium entrance routes and designated Bastion facilities. Omnia and Sanctum remain restricted."
His calm explanation finally interrupted the bickering.
"That makes sense."
Miss Eliza nodded.
"Were you not listening yesterday?" Lord Keith asked.
"I was transcribing five different documents while all of you argued over dormitory assignments."
He paused.
"Fair."
"Enough. Let us move."
Prince Dio turned toward the rear path and took the lead.
"Such a jerk, and he was the last to arrive," Lord Keith muttered.
"Just walk, Keith."
Lord Earl passed him.
"Why do you two keep barking at me?"
"Because you deserve it," Lady Brenda answered as she followed.
"Three! Why are there three of you now?"
Miss Eliza laughed quietly, and Lord Zen merely shook his head.
They took the path around the Bastion's rear, where the grounds opened toward two enormous iron doors leading into the Training Arena. The gate remained closed while they waited for the recruits.
Lord Keith leaned against the stone wall.
"How much longer?"
"Perhaps if you were not so whiny, you would have turned out more like your brother," Lady Brenda said.
"I heard that."
He straightened.
"I intended you to."
"Maybe if you stopped burying yourself in books and finally got over the Worthon brothers, you would have something else to talk about."
Her expression changed instantly.
"I am not crazy over Lord Ray and Lord Ron!"
"Of course you're not."
Lord Keith grinned and deliberately waited.
"Anymore."
"Shut your mouth!"
"Enough."
Lord Earl stepped between them before Lady Brenda could decide whether violence was worth the paperwork. His voice was quiet but sufficient.
"Get a hold of yourselves. We are about to receive recruits. Stop behaving like children."
"You never get used to them," Lord Zen remarked from nearby.
"They have always been like this?" Miss Eliza asked, looking between the pair.
"Unfortunately."
Prince Dio stood slightly apart, his arms crossed as he watched the path. He had little interest in joining the argument.
Several minutes later, Lord Zen straightened.
"They are here."
Everyone turned. Two Bastion staff members approached with a large group behind them. Newly accepted recruits mingled with experienced adventurers approved for temporary on-call training and supervision.
Prince Dio stepped away from the wall as the first employee stopped before them and bowed.
"Your Highness. Lords. Lady Brenda."
He turned toward the newcomers.
"You met most of them yesterday, but I will remind you once more. Until Captain Kepler returns, they will be overseeing your orientation and immediate Bastion arrangements."
"Thank you, Mike."
Lord Zen stepped forward and examined the assembled group.
"Is everyone present?"
"Yes, Lord Zen. The recruits and the adventurers assigned for on-call participation have all arrived."
"Good. We will take over from here."
The two employees bowed and stepped aside. Lord Zen addressed the newcomers.
"Before we enter, one reminder. The identification issued to you grants access only to approved Collegium routes and Bastion facilities. Do not attempt to enter Omnia, Sanctum, or any other restricted department simply because you are now permitted inside the outer barrier."
Several recruits nodded immediately; others murmured their understanding.
"These lead directly into the Training Arena," Lord Zen continued, indicating the iron doors. "There is an internal route through the Bastion as well, but this entrance is more practical for larger groups."
Prince Dio approached the access mechanism and pressed his card against it. Quiet clicks sounded within the locking structure before the doors began opening.
"Follow us," Lord Zen instructed.
Prince Dio entered first, leading the group along the stone passage beneath the outer structure. The nobles remained near the front while the Guild party predictably began talking at the rear.
Riza looked around as though she had forgotten any expectation of dignity.
"I never knew the Royal Collegium was this incredible."
Her whistle drew Captain Sebastian's attention.
"Keep your voice down."
"But look at this place!"
She gestured toward the gardens visible through the passage's open sections.
"The walls, the grounds, the magic barriers—everything!"
"She is right, Captain Riz," Rich agreed, equally impressed. "If we have no Guild tasks, training here would not be bad."
"I agree," Xena added.
"So you are glad I allowed all of you to come?" Captain Sebastian asked, shaking his head.
"I originally came because of you. But yes."
Riza looked toward the nobles ahead.
"And the Second Prince is ridiculously handsome."
"Riza."
Captain Sebastian closed his eyes.
"What? I am only observing."
"I prefer Lord Earl," Xena said, leaning toward her.
"Really?"
"He is tall, handsome, and obviously intelligent."
"I like the teal-haired one," Mary contributed from beside them.
"Lord Keith?" Rich asked.
"The one with the baby face."
"That is him."
"He looks approachable," Riza told Mary with a grin. "Should I find a way to introduce you?"
"No."
Captain Sebastian turned immediately.
"I have not even done anything."
"That sentence alone means you were about to."
"This is the Royal Collegium, not a festival," Dante added with a sigh.
Riza rolled her eyes. Beside Rich, Nick glanced toward the front.
"I wonder if that grumpy Worthon lady is here."
"Lady Reise?"
Rich's interest returned immediately. Nick nodded, and Rich smiled.
"I must admit, the rumors about her appearance were not exaggerating. I was too nervous to say anything yesterday."
"Because I made an idiot of myself."
Riza looked away.
"That too."
"Give me a break. I thought she was someone else."
"The adventurer?" Nick asked, lowering his voice.
Riza kicked his boot before he could continue.
"Shut up."
"What are you whispering about?" Captain Sebastian asked over his shoulder.
"Nothing."
He narrowed his eyes at her immediate answer.
"Children," Dante muttered.
"I am older than you."
"That does not help your case."
Light appeared at the end of the passage, and the group emerged into the enormous Training Arena. Several recruits immediately stopped talking.
A wide expanse of pale sand stretched before them, enclosed by stone architecture and tiered viewing areas. Equipment lined the edges, and marked sections divided the grounds for different forms of combat instruction.
Prince Dio entered first, his gaze moving automatically across the arena before stopping.
G6 sat at a small table near one side of the grounds, eating lunch with Tina and Lilia. Her rose-gold hair had been pulled into a messy bun, and she still wore her black training clothes.
He looked around again. Edmund was nowhere beside her.
"It is odd," Lord Earl observed. "Edmund is not there."
Prince Dio glanced at him.
"So you accept that Lady Reise and Edmund are usually inseparable?" Lord Earl added, adjusting his glasses.
"Do not make that sound strange."
"I did not."
"You were thinking it."
Lord Keith laughed. Prince Dio ignored both men and turned toward the recruits.
For the next several minutes, he remained where he was supposed to be. Lord Zen explained the arena rules while Lady Brenda and Miss Eliza distributed the copied regulations. Lord Earl organized the initial squad columns, and Prince Dio delivered the formal instructions expected of the Bastion's acting head, answering questions about training schedules and conduct.
Only after they reached the assignment stage did he turn toward Lord Zen.
"You can continue from here."
Lord Zen nodded, and Prince Dio stepped away.
"Prince Dio."
Lady Brenda noticed immediately.
"Where are you going?"
"I have completed my part."
Her gaze moved to the far side of the arena before returning to him.
"Oh."
He ignored her tone. Lord Keith began moving as well.
"I am also finished."
"No."
Lord Earl caught him by the back of his collar.
"Why does Dio get to leave?"
"Because he actually completed his responsibilities."
"That sounds discriminatory."
"That word does not mean what you think it means."
Lord Keith struggled free while Lady Brenda sighed.
"Why did Lady Reise not call me?"
"Read."
Lord Earl handed Lord Keith a list.
"I hate you."
"Start with the first name."
Lord Keith stared at the page.
Across the arena, Tina noticed Prince Dio approaching and straightened. Lilia followed her gaze, and both offered polite bows.
G6 kept eating.
"So, you're having lunch."
"Stating the obvious?"
Prince Dio's mouth twitched.
"Apparently."
He pulled an empty chair away from the table without immediately sitting, his attention settling on the untouched plate beside G6.
"Edmund?"
"Edmund said he had something to do for Lady Reise, Your Highness," Lilia answered before G6 bothered.
"I see."
He finally sat. G6 continued eating as though he were part of the furniture, an indifference he found less offensive than he once would have.
That realization was irritating in itself.
"Miss Tina," Lilia whispered, leaning toward her. "Is His Highness acting strange again?"
Prince Dio heard her, his brow twitching.
"A little," Tina replied in a lowered voice.
"I can still hear both of you."
"Forgive me, Your Highness."
Lilia straightened at once. G6 finished chewing and looked toward the recruit columns.
"I'm done. So, a bunch of newbies, huh?"
"Yes. Lord Earl and the others are sorting the first assignments."
"You're just passing off your responsibility?"
"I already completed the formal orientation."
"That fast?"
"My presence is efficient."
G6 stared.
"Your presence is annoying me. I'd pay for it to cease existing."
A quiet laugh escaped him before he could stop it. Her eyes narrowed while both maids turned toward him, prompting Prince Dio to clear his throat.
"What are you laughing for, you sicko?"
G6 put down her napkin and stood. He wisely offered no answer.
She stepped away from the table and examined the recruit group. Lord Keith stood near Lord Earl, reluctantly reading from the list he had been forced to hold.
Perfect.
G6 raised one hand slightly. She could have sent the message instantly, but with so many trained observers in the arena, she deliberately allowed the spell to form at an ordinary pace.
"Whisper of the Gale."
Her lips moved quietly as mana gathered and compressed air curled around her hand. Several seconds later, the spell carried her voice across the arena.
"Keith, come over here. I need you for something."
Lord Keith's head snapped up.
"What do you need him for?" Prince Dio asked with a frown. "I'm here."
"Shut up."
G6 continued watching Lord Keith as a faint spiral of wind dissipated beside his ear. His face brightened immediately, and he shoved the list toward Lord Earl.
"You're not going against Reise, are you?"
"Keith."
Lord Earl looked at the papers now pressed against his chest.
"See ya."
Lord Keith grinned and escaped before anyone could stop him.
"That is so unfair!" Lady Brenda complained. "Why did Lady Reise not call me?"
"We have work."
Lord Earl passed the list to her, earning a pout.
Several recruits had noticed the exchange.
"Where did Lord Keith go?" Nick asked.
"There."
Dante indicated the far side of the arena. Rich followed his gesture.
"The Worthon Lady?"
"Yes," Captain Sebastian answered, his eyes narrowing slightly.
He had already recognized her from the previous day.
"Captain, please do not start staring again," Xena said, folding her arms.
"I am not staring."
"You are."
"I want to see her up close," Rich admitted, leaning for a better view.
"You will piss yourself," Mary replied with a snort.
"Shut up. Your crush just ran to her."
Mary's expression changed, making Riza laugh.
"Focus."
Lord Earl's reprimand turned every adventurer forward immediately.
Lord Keith reached G6 with an enthusiastic smile.
"Reise! What is it?"
Prince Dio watched from the table, his expression souring for reasons he preferred not to examine too closely.
G6 raised her hands.
"Ah. Nothing serious. My hands are just greasy."
Tina stared at her. Lord Keith blinked.
"Huh?"
"I need to wash my hands."
G6 moved toward the edge of the table, then looked back when he failed to follow.
"What are you standing there for? Come on. I need your water."
"You called me because you need to wash your hands?"
"Of course, why else would I need you?"
She held both hands out.
"Come on, I'm actually curious how you can produce a continuous stream of water like a faucet. Is there a trick?"
"Oh! That?"
His confusion disappeared.
"There is a trick."
Lord Keith approached immediately while Tina slowly lowered her face into one hand. G6 had successfully converted one of the kingdom's young Pillars into plumbing.
He stood opposite her and began a short Water invocation under his breath. Mana gathered between his palms, and after the brief shaping interval, a controlled stream flowed downward.
G6 placed her hands beneath it.
"There."
Lord Keith adjusted the flow.
"If you keep the output low and maintain the shaping point instead of releasing everything at once, you can keep it continuous."
"So you maintain the spell instead of producing separate casts."
She watched closely while washing the grease from her fingers.
"Exactly. See? It is useful."
"Yeah, yeah."
Tina recognized the faint satisfaction in her mistress's expression. G6 had obtained exactly what she wanted.
Prince Dio noticed as well. He looked at the pitcher directly in front of him, then toward Lord Keith and back again.
She had summoned his cousin across half the arena rather than use the perfectly ordinary water already on the table.
Ridiculous, Prince Dio thought.
Why it bothered him was another question. He stood while Lord Keith continued talking.
"I could also show you how to shape the flow into a—"
Prince Dio stepped between them and nudged him aside with one shoulder. Lord Keith stumbled half a step.
"What the hell?"
"She said enough."
The Prince examined G6's wet hands and began a quiet Fire invocation.
"I'll cut your hands if you touch me."
Her eyes narrowed immediately.
"I am not touching you."
Two seconds later, controlled heat gathered around his palms. He maintained a careful gap between his hands and hers, allowing warmth to pass over her skin without contact.
The water evaporated quickly.
"Are you kidding me?"
G6 stared at him while he maintained the low heat until her hands were dry.
"Now they're dry."
He lowered his hands, looking faintly pleased.
"See? You need me too."
"A napkin could do that."
"Right," Lord Keith agreed, crossing his arms behind G6.
"So could the water in the pitcher."
Prince Dio pointed toward the table.
"Then why did you interfere?"
"Why were you so enthusiastic about becoming a faucet?"
"Because Reise asked me!"
"Exactly."
Lord Keith frowned.
"That answer makes no sense."
"It makes perfect sense."
"No, it does not."
"Can you two give me space?" G6 demanded, stepping away from both. "You're suffocating me."
She walked off.
"See what you did?" Lord Keith said, turning toward Prince Dio. "Just when Reise finally wanted something from me."
"You washed her hands."
"She called me."
"So?"
Prince Dio's jaw tightened. Lord Keith grinned, worsening his cousin's expression, then immediately followed G6.
Prince Dio followed too.
She ignored both while examining the recruit columns from a distance.
"Who are you looking for?" Prince Dio asked.
"That kid."
Pete.
Prince Dio understood immediately.
"He is there."
G6 followed his gaze. Pete stood among one of the smaller provisional groups near the lower training section. Two older recruits had been placed with him, along with several younger trainees closer to his age.
"I arranged him with people who will not treat his age as an excuse to isolate him," Prince Dio explained. "Two adults are attached to the group for supervision."
"I'm not worried."
He looked at her, but she continued watching Pete. Lord Keith smirked without commenting.
G6 eventually turned away.
"Aren't you going to greet them too?" Lord Keith asked, indicating the larger crowd.
"Come on, I barely give a care about all of you. Why would I bother with complete strangers?"
"Makes sense."
He nodded thoughtfully before smiling at her. Prince Dio noticed again.
"Stop smiling, you fool."
"What's your problem, you jerky fireball?"
Lord Keith turned toward him.
"Fireball?"
"Yes."
"Take that back."
"No."
His grin widened.
"Fireball."
Prince Dio's expression flattened. The entire morning's irritation, Lord Keith's constant needling, G6's dismissals, and his cousin's increasingly stupid smile combined into one thoroughly immature decision.
He raised a hand.
"Fireball."
"Oh, you bastard."
Lord Keith's eyes widened as mana gathered around the Prince's palm. The spell did not appear instantly, giving him enough time to recognize the forming flame and move.
Two seconds later, the Fireball launched.
Lord Keith threw himself sideways. It struck the sand where he had stood and burst apart in a controlled explosion of heat and grit.
He rolled once, regained his feet, and pointed at Prince Dio.
"That's it!"
Lord Keith began his own invocation. Water gathered while Prince Dio watched with narrowed eyes, and as soon as the spell finished taking shape, Lord Keith launched a dense Water Ball.
Prince Dio stepped aside. The projectile passed close enough to splash his sleeve when it struck the ground.
G6 moved farther away and folded her arms.
Are they kidding me?
Lord Keith began another cast, and Prince Dio did the same.
I didn't know this 'all act cold and distant' stupid Prince was just as childish as this stupid one.
Tina followed G6 from the table and stopped beside her.
"Lady Reise…"
Another Fire spell tore across the arena. Lord Keith countered with Water, sending steam bursting upward.
G6's mouth twitched.
"This is entertaining."
"It is not."
Tina looked horrified. Lilia hurried to her other side.
"Are they really fighting?"
"Yes," Tina answered.
"No," G6 said at the same time.
Tina turned toward her.
"If they were actually trying to kill each other, this place would look worse."
G6's shrug did nothing to reassure Lilia.
Across the arena, every recruit had stopped listening to the assignments.
"Are they fighting?" Lord Zen asked, examining the disturbance.
"It is Prince Dio and Keith."
Lady Brenda groaned.
"Oh, come on. They are such children."
"Should someone stop them?" Miss Eliza asked.
"It is just them being cousins."
Lord Earl continued scanning the list. Another burst of water struck the sand, making his eyebrow twitch.
"Now, where was I?"
The recruits looked at him as though he had lost his mind.
"Are they going to be okay?" a teenage boy near the front asked.
"Are you kidding? Fire and Water!"
Another looked delighted.
"I've never seen nobles at that level cast this close before!"
"I wonder who will win," a third recruit said, leaning around him.
More heads turned, and Lord Earl finally stopped reading.
"Oh."
Lady Brenda noticed immediately.
"They have finally annoyed him," Lord Zen said with a sigh.
"Hold this."
Lord Earl handed him the list, stepped away from the group, and planted one hand against the ground.
Unlike Prince Dio and Lord Keith, who were already prepared for each other's attacks, he had no need to hurry.
"Earthen Wall."
The invocation sounded clearly. Mana flowed downward, and the ground trembled.
Both cousins noticed too late. A thick wall of packed earth and stone surged between them, catching Prince Dio's Fire spell on one side and Lord Keith's Water spell on the other.
Both attacks disappeared against the barrier.
Silence followed as the two examined the wall before looking toward Lord Earl. He stood near the recruits with one hand still lowered, his perfectly calm expression making the warning more effective than shouting would have.
They were to stop, or the next wall would probably be less polite.
Lord Keith clicked his tongue. Prince Dio dismissed the mana remaining around his hand.
Behind Lord Earl, the recruits continued staring.
"That was Earth too," one teenage boy whispered.
"We just saw Fire, Water, and Earth," his friend replied enthusiastically.
"Then I wonder what the Guardian of the Sky looks like when she fights."
Another boy looked toward the far side of the arena, drawing a frown from the recruit beside him.
"Guardian of the Sky?"
"Are you serious?"
"What?"
"Wind affinity, dumbass."
"Oh."
G6 heard enough of the exchange to understand what had happened. Her attention moved from Lord Earl's wall to Prince Dio and Lord Keith on opposite sides, then toward the recruits who had completely forgotten their orientation.
Tina and Lilia remained beside her. Edmund was still away, Pete appeared settled, and lunch was finished.
Two supposed future leaders of the kingdom had just thrown elemental magic at each other because neither knew when to stop talking.
G6 surveyed the arena. She had spent the morning testing Cryomancy, forcing Edmund to stop treating her like glass, extracting a useful Water technique from Lord Keith, and watching three different affinities disrupt what should have been an orderly recruitment day.
Not bad.
Perhaps the Training Arena was not completely useless after all.
A faint smirk touched her lips. This place had possibilities.
—To Be Continued…—