When morning came, the pain was still there—deep, stubborn, clinging to my bones—but at least it was bearable. I pushed myself upright, joints cracking, and saw Juno already awake at his desk, buried in a stack of notes. He looked like he hadn't slept at all.
When he heard me shift, he glanced over. His eyes widened, shining with excitement. If I recall we hadn't
"I didn't know you were Sir Zenite's student!"
I froze for a moment, unsure of how to answer, then simply nodded.
Lucky… yeah, I guess I was. My life had twisted sharply the moment I met Sir Zenite. He gave me a direction. A purpose. A fire I didn't know I had.
But I didn't want Juno to think everything was handed to me.
I placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Even without a master—whatever he counts as—I'd still chase the path of a knight."
He looked at me for a long second. No envy. No bitterness. Just… sincerity.
Then he smiled softly.
"You're an interesting guy, you know that?"
I blinked, confused.
He chuckled.
I stood. "I'm heading out to train before the exam. Don't fail."
He snorted. "You either, Rain."
We bumped fists, and I left.
Private Training Grounds – Lesson Two
Sir Zenite had told me about a special training hall only certain people were allowed to enter. When I reached it, he was already there—
not in armor,
not in a cloak,
not even in captain attire.
Just simple clothes. A wooden sword resting against his shoulder.
"About time," he said.
"I'm not even late," I muttered.
He chuckled and tossed me a wooden sword. I caught it awkwardly, still slightly sore.
"Nervous about the exam?"
I nodded.
He jerked his chin. "Look around."
I scanned the hall—wide arena, reinforced walls, strange magic marks engraved into the floor.
"What do you think of this place?"
"…It's cool," I admitted.
"This," he said, tapping his wooden blade on the ground, "is the training grounds for Class S of the academy. If you pass the exam, you'll still need to earn your way up to this level before you get special privileges."
Another step. Another peak.
Another unreachable height to chase.
I nodded.
"Get into stance."
We sparred.
And I got obliterated.
0–10.
I didn't land a single hit. I could barely see some of his movements.
When we finished, I collapsed onto my knees, panting, chest burning.
Sir Zenite grinned.
"Don't look so miserable. I'm one of the top swordsmen in the entire kingdom. Years of training, aura mastery, combat experience… You did well just keeping your guard up."
I forced a nod.
He continued, voice firm.
"Lesson Two: Don't let defeat get into your head. Losing is necessary. Obstacles exist so you can break through them. Understood?"
"…Yes."
"You have two hours left. Rest, then review everything."
He paused at the doorway.
"Also—this year's exam is supposedly the hardest one ever held."
I swallowed.
"I'll be watching," he added, and left.
I lay flat on the cold floor for a long moment, staring at the ceiling as my heartbeat steadied.
I have to do this.
For Rua.
For Flin.
For myself.
For the life I want.
I forced myself up and trained for another hour—stances, footwork, strikes, every lesson burned into my muscles.
The Colosseum
When the bells rang, it was time.
Everything I'd worked for came down to this moment.
I stepped into the massive colosseum, the sunlight pouring down like a spotlight. There were over a hundred contestants—maybe one hundred twenty, maybe more—all of them nervous, confident, or trembling for their own reasons.
And then I saw them.
The Five Prodigies.
They stood together like a wall, separated from the rest without even trying. Their presence radiated natural dominance.
They noticed me first.
Five sets of eyes locked onto me.
Unblinking.
Measuring.
Acknowledging.
A silent declaration:
We see you.
Before I could react, a thunderous voice boomed across the arena.
Director Raymond activated projection magic, his voice echoing across the colosseum.
The exam had begun.