It was finally the day of the Golden Solstice. Several weeks had passed since Shu's return, and he'd completed multiple nearby missions. His efforts would definitely be recognized at the gathering. Rumors among the common folk had gone wild. The young samurai was now known as the sword demon. If anyone in the target cities saw a man with sky blue hair and a scary mana breather, they'd recognize him.

The event was going to be held in the castle. King Solomon would be dining with the Golden Circle, along with the prince and princess. There would be a lot of pleasantries. All in all, it would be a nice exchange for everyone involved. It was a time to honor the new recruits and give advice.

"Ahhhnnn…" A yawn escaped the sleepy man's lips.

The entire team of Silent Night could be seen in front of the castle. All of them wore their combat uniforms. A black haori rustled in the breeze, Shu's appearance garnering several looks. One of the main reasons for the mana breather was intimidation. His attractive features would be toned down a bit, allowing him to have normal interactions.

Some of the other battalions were also there. Iron Mountain and Ravencorpse were at the gate entrance. Etris immediately noticed Shu which caused him to sweatdrop. When the beautiful captain of Ravencorpse saw Aiden, she quickly approached. The dark elf wrapped around the red eyed commander's arm.

"Aiden! I've missed you sooooo much…It's been too long!" She mewled.

"Delia." He responded.

"How about it? Have you given it any thought?"

"Uhh…give me some time."

"Whyyy? Is there someone else? What have I done for you to treat me like this?" She complained.

Aiden gave a sigh of helplessness. It was unknown what they were talking about, but it seemed to be a common occurrence. Delia smiled before whispering in his ear.

"I'd do anything for you…Why haven't you taken advantage? Don't you like information? Well, I have something for you. Lots of 'juicy intel.' What do you think?"

"Calm down…now is not the time for this." He finally said.

"Fufufu! Fine…we'll talk about it after."

Both squads watched the interaction with a deadpan. It was obvious that Ravencorpse and Silent Night had a much closer partnership compared to the others. The two captains traveled up the elegant steps past the gate. They had left their teams in the dust.

After a moment of silence, the two groups traveled together. A member of Ravencorpse smiled toward Shu's group. He had short red hair and a sneaky expression. His eyes were perpetually closed. Everything about him screamed shady.

"Greetings. How have you all been?"

"Yo, Lantz. Looks like you're still one creepy fucker. Same as usual though, just got more rookies." Stark answered while gesturing to Rin and Shu. Muzette and Flynn nodded in greetings.

"How rude. I take pride in my honest disposition." Lantz responded.

"Honest? What a load of crap."

"Your foul mouth is a load of crap. Look at all the profanities you spew! And we have a rookie too." The shady man glanced toward Etris.

The pink haired woman had her eyes trained on Shu. An arrogant expression adorned her face as she bored into him. The sleepy swordsman politely waved.

"...Etris. I haven't seen you since the examination. How's it going?" He spoke.

Etris frowned before approaching. Her bare feet never touched the ground since she walked on the air. The control needed for such a constant action was phenomenal. After placing her hands on her hips, she spoke.

"What makes you think you have the right to greet me?" The lightning maiden quipped.

".........." How was he supposed to respond to that?

"The last time I saw you, an army of Supreme phantoms were chasing us. Phantoms that YOU brought to me!" She continued.

"...Ah, you're still mad about that?"

Hearing his words, the pink haired beauty glared hard. Slight specks of lightning danced around her body. The element was shifting based on her emotions.

"Mad? Someone as great as I cannot hold a grudge against an ant." She concluded before turning around.

'...Did she just call me an ant?' He thought.

"Surely the great Etris of the Xiryu Clan will put aside our differences?" Shu called out.

After hearing his words, the arrogant shrine maiden paused her steps. She looked at him and the two groups with a frown. Why were they just standing there?

"Are we going to enter, or stand here all day?"

Even though her words were directed to both teams, her eyes were focused on Shu. The young samurai sighed before going forward. Rin followed closely, never being more than a few meters away. A common occurrence. He'd gotten used to her presence.

No directions were needed to find the gathering area. All they had to do was follow the crowd of people. Eventually, they made it to the large room. It was filled with big tables. A high chair was in the front of the space, two smaller ones beside it. Obviously for the king and his children.

Upon entering, the other battalions turned toward the commotion. Bloody Thorn, Phoenix Talon, The Windriders, and Tree of Eden were already inside. Shu quickly noticed Eldan and Faye.

The blind fighter was sitting with his team, the white haired girl beside him tying up his hair. It was pretty interesting to see the two white haired people together. One seemed mysterious, while the other looked holy. She matched Etris' aura, resembling a shrine maiden. It wouldn't be surprising if she was also from an esteemed clan.

Faye was standing with her battalion of only women. A confident expression adorned her face. Shu could tell that she'd been training. The timid look was less noticeable. It was still there however.

Upon seeing Shu, her face lit up. A delighted smile graced her lips as she waved. The lazy samurai waved back with a smile. Unfortunately, it couldn't be seen due to his mana breather.

Silent Night and Ravencorpse found their leaders at an empty table. They wasted no time and joined in. A good amount of time passed as everyone got situated. Eventually, the noise died down. Everyone turned toward the entrance.

SWOOSH

A plethora of mana butterflies covered the doorway. The Legendary Merchant King stepped through in all his majesty. He was dressed in royal garbs, his black curly hair rustling due to the mana winds. Behind him was a young girl with long silky, black hair and eyes. A beautiful dress accented her figure.

Beside them was a young man with short black hair. He resembled the king with his calculating expression. Mana butterflies danced around him as well, but at a lesser rate. The royal family had arrived.

"My daughter, Sophia, and my son, Osbern, will be joining us. The time of the Golden Solstice has come upon us once more." Solomon announced.

Everyone nodded in greeting. The captains all gave a friendly salute to the king. There was no animosity between the higher ups. Inner squabbles and such were old occurrences that only happened to the less developed. Kingdoms like The Veldhoven and Laria would be more fitting.

King Solomon clapped his hands together. As if on cue, several workers waltzed into the room. Trays of food and drink were in their hands. They scattered toward each table.

"Pleasantries are for the benign. Shall we eat?"