Historia was deeply absorbed in her calculations when she suddenly heard the sharp echo of boots striking the ground beside her. She turned and saw a magnificent woman standing there. The woman was wearing a strict commander-style uniform, and the countless medals shining on her chest were enough to prove that she was no ordinary woman.
The woman stopped near Historia, looked directly into her eyes, and said, "Wow! So you are Historia… I think I may have seen you at the Blackwood Palace party that night."
A question raced through Historia's mind. Who exactly was this woman? Maintaining her politeness, Historia asked, "Yes… may I know who you are?"
The woman replied with a faint smile, "Oh, forgive me, I didn't introduce myself. It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Victoria Dimitri, and I am the Captain of the 'Virangana Vahini' regiment."
Historia introduced herself as well. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Victoria. My name is Historia Chester."
Victoria said calmly, "Yes, I already know your name and quite a lot about you."
Now the situation became a little confusing for Historia. What exactly was this woman saying? When had she seen her at the party? Hesitantly, Historia asked, "Excuse me, Captain Victoria, but did you really see me at the party that night?"
Victoria nodded. "Yes, I saw you for a while, but then my attention shifted elsewhere."
Historia searched her memory and replied, "But I didn't see you."
Victoria laughed lightly. "Sorry, you probably didn't notice me because I was present there in black armor. You might have seen the armor, but not my face."
Suddenly, Historia blurted out, "Oh, I see! So were you the Royal Knight who was causing explosions just by snapping her fingers that night?"
The smile instantly vanished from Victoria's face, and she was completely stunned. A storm of thoughts erupted in her mind. She knew very well that the memories of everyone present at the party that night had been erased by the Church of Void Moon due to the dangerous incident.
Victoria asked in shock, "Wait a second… do you remember everything about that night's incident?"
As soon as she heard this question, Historia realized her mistake. She remembered that she was pretending to be an 'ordinary' girl—and an ordinary girl should not remember that night at all. Trying to manage the situation, Historia hesitantly replied, "No… actually, my memory is very sharp, that's why I remember everything."
But Victoria Dimitri was no amateur. Narrowing her eyes, she said in a stern tone, "You can't fool me. I know very well that the Church of Void Moon used a high-level Paragon to erase the memories of everyone present that night. So what kind of anomaly are you that your memory remained intact?"
That sharp question shook Historia to her core. But just then, a realization struck Victoria. She thought to herself—could it be that the Moon Temple also had its eyes on Historia?
Using her intellect, Victoria reached the conclusion that perhaps the Church had intentionally spared Historia's memories. However, what Victoria believed was not the complete truth. The Church of Void Moon was indeed watching Historia, and they had mentioned Aurum and magic in their letter to spark her curiosity, but they had not deliberately decided to preserve her memory. The one and only real reason Historia's memory was unaffected was because she was not an ordinary human—she was an AI, and magic that affected the human mind simply did not work on her.
Victoria believed she had solved the mystery. She looked at Historia, who was still wondering what excuse to make next. Suddenly, Victoria gestured for Historia to follow her. Seeing this, Historia let out a sigh of relief. She felt like she had narrowly escaped exposure.
Victoria and Historia walked through the corridor and stopped outside a luxurious room. It was the cabin of the Chief of Staff, William Windsor. Victoria knocked on the door.
From inside, William's deep voice responded, "Who is it?"
"It's me, Chief. Captain Victoria," she replied.
"Alright, come in," William permitted.
As soon as they entered, William immediately noticed Historia. He asked Victoria, "Who is this girl?"
Victoria introduced her again. "Chief, this is Historia Chester—the one to whom we sent the Royal Knight invitation yesterday."
Hearing this, William, who had been sitting, immediately stood up. A deep smile appeared on his face as he cheerfully said to Historia, "Ah! So you are Historia. I've heard your bravery praised by my knights so many times that I was certain you must be very beautiful. It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is William Windsor. And since I already know your full name, there's no need for you to introduce yourself."
Without wasting any time, Historia asked directly, "Chief William, for what purpose have I been called here?"
William smiled and replied, "Alright, straight to the point. We want you to join the Royal Knights' 'Virangana Vahini' regiment. If you accept this, it will be very beneficial for your future. You can leave behind the ordinary life of a maid and live a prestigious and respected life."
Saying this, William stepped closer and leaned toward her ear, whispering, "And besides all this, if you protect the Royal Family, it's also possible that a prince might fall in love with you after seeing your beauty. If that happens, you could marry into royalty and become a royal member yourself."
Victoria, who was standing nearby, heard this and immediately interrupted, "Chief! What kind of things are you teaching her?" Then she turned to Historia and said, "Listen, Historia, you don't need to take the Chief's words seriously. Just tell us—do you really want to join the Royal Knights?"
Historia's decision had already been made. She needed to become part of this regiment for Jona. Without any hesitation, she replied firmly, "Yes, I am ready."
William asked again, "Is this your final decision?"
As soon as Historia said "yes" once more, William walked toward his massive oak desk. He picked up a special paper and a quill. As he began writing, a magical sight appeared—the ink flowing from the quill emitted a divine white glow. The words shimmered in the air before settling onto the paper.
After finishing, William handed the document to Historia and said, "Historia, this is your Royal Knight Contract. Once you sign it, you will officially become a Royal Knight."
Historia read the glowing contract carefully:
Oath of Loyalty: The Knight must remain completely loyal to the Empire and the Royal Family. Any betrayal will result in the death penalty.
Secrecy: Any information, technology, or Paragon-related secrets within the headquarters must not be shared with common people.
Hierarchy: Within the Virangana Vahini regiment, Historia will report directly to Captain Victoria.
Training and Aurum: After signing, Historia must undergo the secret stages of Royal Aurum Cultivation to awaken Paragon powers.
Salary and Protection: As agreed, 4 gold coins per month and full royal protection for her family.
After reading everything, only one question remained in Historia's mind. She turned toward William and asked, "Excuse me, Chief William, but can you tell me—what exactly is a Paragon?"
William laughed and replied, "Historia, in this world, Paragons are not ordinary humans. They possess the power to challenge the laws created by nature and the gods. I will give you more information later, but first you must sign the contract so you become eligible to receive that knowledge."
Historia picked up the quill and, without blinking, signed the glowing paper. The moment she finished, a bright light burst forth from the contract, and it split into two parts—one remained with William, and the other vanished completely.
With a satisfied smile, William said, "Welcome to the Royal Knights, Historia. Now we can make you a true Paragon." Then he asked, "So tell me, Historia—which nature of Paragon do you wish to become?"
Historia didn't understand much at first, so William explained the entire Paragon power system—from Sequence 1 to Sequence 7, and what options were available at Sequence 1. After listening and thinking for a while, Historia finally made her decision. She chose to become a Water-nature Paragon.
Hearing this, William gave a silent order to Victoria with his eyes. Victoria nodded in understanding and signaled Historia to follow her.
They left the cabin, crossed long corridors, and arrived at a massive indoor arena. It felt like a blend of a temple and a battlefield. At the center stood a grand statue of a great Royal Knight, proudly holding a sword raised high. Beside him were statues of six or seven other knights, clinging to his armor and reaching up to support or touch the main sword—a symbol of unbreakable unity and strength.
Victoria led Historia into a special chamber connected to the arena. As soon as Historia stepped inside, her eyes scanned the strange patterns engraved on the floor—magic arrays. Victoria guided her to the center of a large array and asked her to sit. Two other Royal Knights were already present. One of them placed a copper cup before Historia, filled with a mysterious dark blue liquid.
Victoria extended her hand, closed her eyes, and began chanting softly. She said to Historia, "Drink this liquid when I tell you."
Historia understood that this was the process to awaken her Paragon powers.
Suddenly, a faint blue light began to emanate from Victoria's hands. As that light touched Historia, images of rain and cloud-covered skies emerged in her mind. Although she was an AI, she felt a strange sense of comfort and calm.
Then Victoria's voice rang out, "Now!"
Without hesitation, Historia drank the bitter blue liquid in one gulp. Instantly, the comfort transformed into an intense burning sensation. It felt as though the liquid dissolved into her blood, sending freezing ice and scorching lava through every circuit and vein of her body at the same time.
"Close your eyes and cultivate it!" Victoria commanded.
Historia immediately shut her eyes. Light pain and anxiety collided within her. For about five minutes, she sat calmly amid that heavy yet subtle storm of pain and energy. When the pain finally faded, she felt her body become calm—like water.
As soon as Historia opened her eyes, she felt an extraordinary peace within. The burning, lava-like sensation had turned into a cool flowing stream. Around her blue pupils, mysterious white fish-like shadows swam—clear signs that she had taken her first step as a Water-nature Paragon.
Just then, Historia's sensors detected something strange. She felt something sticky and crawling above her head. With Paragon-level reflexes, she raised her hand instantly, grabbed it firmly, and hurled it toward the wall with all her strength.