“You good?” Kane extended his hand toward Leonard.

Leonard stared at the palm before grabbing it and said, “Yeah, thanks.” He stood up.

Not long after, the crowd applauded until the mysterious woman came forward. Her stare was razor-sharp as if it could cut. She waved her fringing hair before saying, “Congratulations for defeating Leonard. It could have been more… elegant, but it's a win nonetheless.”

“Who are you?” asked Kane. He sensed that the woman was a formidable person based on her aura, though much, much weaker than Maur’s. That didn’t matter too much for him except her uncanny resemblance to someone he used to know.

Leonard shouted, “Kane! Be more polite—”

“It’s fine, Leonard. I’ve already expected this.” She cleared her throat. “Greetings, child, I am Ardera Solaris, one of ten Holy Paladins under the Children of Quillon.”

Ardera Solaris… no wonder she resembled him. Kane reminisced when Aureus had introduced two little girls of his descent to him. One of them was Ardera. She had hid herself during the introduction and took a while before she finally opened up, unlike the other girl.

Same as her grandfather, she currently was a follower of a religion called Children of Quillon. They worshipped Quillon, Lord of Swords. Learning and mastering swordsmanship was their way to praise him. It used to be an unpopular religion, especially for peasants, due to having a sword as a requirement to join, which was expensive.

Until the church bestowed him the title of Paladin.

“Ahem! I’ll take your silence as an admiration of my status. Not every day you can see a Paladin with your eyes.”

“I am Kane Foxsnove, a student of Niflenia Academy. It's my pleasure to meet such an important figure.” He bowed. While she was a descendant of Aureus, it didn't mean Kane should hate her or that she should become his revenge target.

“So, you have some manners, after all. Still, what an unfortunate name you have. To share a name with a despicable backstabber of the great Aureus House and—”

“May I ask what your business with me is?” Kane interrupted, not wanting to hear her rant about and slander his name.

“Very well, I’ll get straight to the point: leave this academy and become my squire,” she said.

The entire room became silent once more, then they began whispering among themselves. However, Kane simply uttered, “Why?”

“Why? Hah, isn't it obvious? Your duel has piqued my interest, and my interest hasn't been piqued by many things lately. I can guarantee your future much better than this small school can.”

“But, I thought Children of Quillon don’t accept demi-humans? Especially a half-blood like me.”

Ardera nodded. “It’s as you said, but I can make exceptions. Besides, a squire doesn’t necessarily need to be human. What do you say?”

“This is very sudden. I have to think about this,” replied Kane. The truth was, he had no slightest intention of joining them, especially as a squire. She would boss him around and treat him like a personal maid.

“Intriguing. In my whole life, anyone else would’ve accepted it right away.” Ardera then turned around. “If you change your mind, you can tell Leonard, and he'll guide you.”

She then disappeared from everyone’s eyes as she left the building. Then, loud cheering from the students erupted. They bombarded Kane with questions, praises, and other things.

“Everyone! Continue your training!” shouted Leonard. His voice dominated everyone, causing them to stop uttering words and return to their previous activities.

Leonard whispered, “Kane, as promised, I won’t tell anyone about our conversation. I swear in the name of the Lords.”

“Mn.” Kane nodded. He already understood that Leonard wouldn’t do that even if he lost. “Why did she come here? And what's your relationship with her?”

“I’m afraid I can’t answer that right now. You can go first because you’ll become a huge distraction for other students.” After saying that, he told everyone not to bother Kane for now.

Kane headed to the changing room. Rows of wooden lockers were placed in a manner similar to the bookshelves in the library. At the far end, he unlocked his locker and started removing his gambeson.

“What's the matter, prince?” he asked the person who followed him.

Gazing at the half-oni, Calypso leaned against the locker and crossed his arms. “How did you become so strong?”

“I… trained with my father, an ex-mercenary.” Kane came up with a vague answer.

Calypso kept staring with squinted eyes, as though he did not believe what Kane just said. He then spoke, “For your information, Leonard is a level 7 warrior who is also somewhat talented with magic. He transferred here from Wellington School of Knights, a famous squire academy, to learn magic since he wanted to become a magic swordsman.”

“And what does that have to do with me?”

“He also caught Ardera’s eyes because of his prowess around two years ago and have been under her since then. Even I, whom my tutor says is gifted with swords, am not a match for him. Do you understand my implication?”

“What you're trying to say is my victory against Leonard is unnatural,” deducted Kane.

“Exactly. Now, answer my question.”

“And why should I do that?” Kane crossed his arms.

Calypso heaved a deep sigh. “I will finish all of your homework in the future. I’m aware that you're struggling with those.”

“Deal,” Kane answered without hesitation. “My eyes can predict incoming attacks, especially when they’re not fast. That’s why I have no trouble dealing with my opponent most of the time.”

“Is that a gift or the result of your hard work?”

“It’s the latter. You can obtain it through training and experience.” He left out the part that it took more than 20 years to learn that.

“Please share it with me.” Calypso bowed deeply.

Kane raised an eyebrow, not believing what he just saw. The prideful prodigious prince had begged his rival to teach him. Did that duel impact him greater than Kane expected? Removing his sweat-stained shirt, Kane said, “Of course. So… you no longer consider me as a rival, then?”

“Don’t misunderstand. It does not take a genius to admit that your melee combat is far beyond that of anyone here. However, I am still confident in defeating you in a pure magic duel.” Calypso turned around. “And I will be patiently waiting for that moment.”

“Ha, I can't wait,” said Kane back. “I like your change in attitude.”

“Hmph! I am the same as always.”

---

In the Vice Headmaster's office, Reynar was pouring hot tea into the porcelain cup. The mint fragrance filled the room, giving the room a relaxed atmosphere. Pouring a second one, he spoke, “It has been a while since the last time we met. You should notify me in the future, so I can be more hospitable.”

Ardera raised both her feet on the table and reclined against the sofa. “That doesn’t concern me the slightest bit. I sometimes wonder how you’re doing since you’ve retired from being a paladin, Reynar, or should I say, Swordmage Reynar Mistfarer?"

“Ah, when was the last time somebody mentioned that title? No matter.” Reynar placed the tray on the guest table before sitting down. “I assume you have business with me other than a mere palaver, yes?”

“Still pretending to be ignorant? You haven’t changed at all. I believe you possess one of the Black Demon Feathers, and the High Cardinal had ordered me to retrieve it. Preferably peacefully, if possible.”

“News travels fast, eh? Albeit not fast enough, since it was stolen by an unknown thief last night.”

“Hah! Good joke, Reynar. Do you realize that we've known each other for more than ten years? I definitely realize that you’re not that careless and dumb. Knowing your information network, you should already understand the importance of the Black Feather.”

Reynar's face was unchanging. His gaze was stern.

“Wait, you’re… serious?" Ardera’s mouth gaped, then curved upward. She exploded with loud laughter. “Hahahahahahaha! How awful security your academy has! It’s so damn lame!”

“Have you finished laughing?" Reynar squinted his eyes.

“Oh, I'm not done yet.” Ardera wiped her tears. “Where did you store it, by the way? Was it in a safe lock? A secret pocket dimension? Seeing your office is lacking a door and any secure place did you… place that priceless item out in the open?”

“Indeed… I placed it on my desk,” said Reynar with a flat tone.

“Pffttt!” Ardera tried to hold in her laughter, but she failed. Banging the table, she continued laughing for half a minute more. “Haa… I take back my previous statement. It seems you've changed much. Have you gone senile early? No wonder the previous Sword Saint didn't select you to—”

In less than a second, a magic circle appeared from Reynar’s palm, and a pale blue longsword with intricate strings of runes on the blade manifested, then he slashed her, splitting the table, sofa, and even the floor. However, Ardera effortlessly stopped the incoming attack with her golden sword.

“You have crossed the line, you wretched woman!” Reynar’s face convulsed, clenching his teeth.

“Ooh, scary,” she mocked. “I can say the same to you, Reynar. Trying to harm a paladin is a serious offense, and hunting a washed-up ex-paladin like you is not that difficult.”

She smirked. “Or do you want a battle to the death, right here, right now? I don’t mind at all.”

“...” Reynar became quiet. He then retracted his sword and made it disappear. “Get out of my sight.”

Ardera stood up and walked toward the door. “My pleasure. I no longer have any business with you anyway. Since I offended you first, I will forget that you've raised your blade against me. Goodbye, and may Lord Quillon sharpen our swords.”

Striding the hallway, Ardera laughed again. “Ahahah! How satisfying to see his true face unveiled like that. His fault for being so incompetent.” Gradually, her previous smile disappeared. Her eyes narrowed. “Then again, knowing his personality, he must’ve schemed something, yet I can’t think of anything. Did he lie about the thievery?”

“No, the academy was certainly breached, based on the mess. There’s also a faint trace of the demon’s aura lingering in his office, so he was telling the truth despite the absurdity. I wonder which faction the thief belongs to?”

“The Demon Hunters would prefer a much subtler method than this, so it's more likely that the thief is from that family. In any case, I should report this finding to the High Cardinal. Seems like I must disappoint him again.” Finished monologuing, she moved on but stopped after a few steps.

“Ah, I forgot to ask about Kane the half-oni.” She shrugged, then walked again. “Whatever. I'm not that curious anyway.”

Meanwhile, Reynar was sitting motionlessly, staring at the entrance with an empty expression. A moment later, Teresa entered the room. She scanned the messy room and said, “You really should learn to control your impulses, Rey.”

“I am not in the mood to listen to your suggestions, Teresa.”

“You do realize that she purposefully angered you, right?”

“I know!” he yelled. “I have been polite to her since the beginning, even though I truly despised her! Yet, she dares to disrespect me! Moreover, she dared to mention! That! Event!” He drove his foot against the table, destroying it even further.

“All I can say is: drink your tea. It will help to calm you down,” said Teresa as she left the room. “I’ll talk to you later.”

“Yes… Yes, of course,” replied Reynar. He remained alone once again. After grabbing the fallen cup, he refilled and drank it all in one sip.

"I hope you’re interested in finding the thief, Kane Foxsnove,” he muttered.