As they approached the gates of Elysium Academy, a carriage waited outside.
As they drew closer, Elara spotted Caelin about to step inside.
"Caelin!" she called.
Hearing his name, Caelin turned and saw Elara and Heidi walking toward him.
"Hey?"
Elara hurried over, slightly out of breath.
"You're heading to the palace, right?"
Caelin nodded.
Without waiting for an answer, Elara opened the carriage door.
"Good. I need to speak with the king."
She climbed inside.
Caelin simply shrugged and followed.
Soon, the carriage pulled away.
---
"She didn't even explain anything. She just left like that."
Heidi folded her arms in annoyance.
Then a voice came from behind her.
"You're Heidi from Class Two, right?"
Startled, Heidi turned around.
A boy was leaning against the academy wall, watching her.
"And who are you?" she asked. "I haven't seen you around."
He pushed himself off the wall and stepped forward.
"Arasa. Class Seven. First year. Same as you."
"Hm."
Heidi gave a small nod.
"I watched your duel with Alaric."
A faint smile appeared on Arasa's face.
"You've still got a long way to go."
"Haa? And who are you to tell me that?"
Arasa laughed.
"No one. Just trying to help."
His eyes wandered for a moment before settling back on her.
"Besides, for some reason, I really want you to reach the finals."
He smirked.
Heidi narrowed her eyes.
"Oh? You already think you're making it to the finals?"
"Personally, I don't care much about this tournament."
Arasa shrugged.
"But I do have my own reasons for winning."
A grin slowly spread across his face.
"And honestly, I'm more interested in Alaric. If you make it to the finals, he'll be your partner."
"Oh, is that so?"
Heidi clenched her fists.
"Then now I really want to face you."
Her eyes locked onto his.
"And wipe that stupid smile off your face."
Arasa laughed again.
Then he turned and began walking away.
"Just don't get eliminated before then."
He left without another word.
Heidi stared at his back.
"Wow..."
She clicked her tongue.
"He really knows how to get under someone's skin."
On the other side, inside the carriage...
Elara sat quietly, staring at the driver with a thoughtful expression.
Across from her, Caelin rested his chin on one hand, gazing out the window.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
"So," Caelin finally said without looking at her, "what are you planning to tell the king?"
Elara blinked and turned toward him.
"Oh."
She hesitated for a moment.
"It's about some of the knights in the market. They've been causing trouble for the people."
Caelin slowly looked at her.
"By 'people,' do you mean someone specific?"
A faint smile appeared on Elara's face.
"Seems like you already know who I'm talking about."
Caelin raised an eyebrow.
"Anna and her siblings?"
Elara nodded.
"Were you there?" he asked.
"You suddenly have a lot of questions."
She leaned back slightly.
"And no. We weren't there. Anna told us."
"Ah."
Caelin nodded and looked away.
"I see."
Elara studied him for a moment.
"So? What are you planning to do?"
Caelin's eyes returned to the scenery outside.
"I haven't decided yet."
After a brief pause, he continued.
"But I'm thinking about bringing them to our palace."
Elara tilted her head.
"As servants?"
"Even if it's only as maids or helpers."
Caelin shrugged.
"I think they'd be safer there."
"Hm."
Elara considered it.
"Not a bad idea. But will they agree?"
Caelin thought for a moment.
"After what happened today, maybe."
A small smile appeared on his face.
"We're not selling them or anything. We just need to convince them."
His smile widened slightly.
"If necessary, we can use today's incident to scare them a little."
Elara immediately leaned forward.
"'We?'"
Caelin froze.
"Who's 'we'?"
He turned toward her.
"Aren't you helping?"
"Haaa?"
Elara stared at him.
"When exactly did I agree to that?"
"Come on."
Caelin frowned.
"I just need help convincing them."
A secret smile tugged at Elara's lips.
"Those are your children."
She crossed her arms.
"That's your responsibility."
"Ehhh?"
Elara deliberately looked away.
"Fine."
Caelin sighed dramatically.
"I'll do it myself."
He turned back toward the window.
"That was my plan from the beginning anyway."
For a moment, Elara simply watched him.
Then she leaned back and let out a quiet sigh.
Even if you do nothing...
That idiot Alaric will probably do the same thing anyway.
The thought lingered in her mind as she stared at the ceiling of the carriage.
After a while, the carriage finally arrived at the palace.
As soon as they entered, the guards and maids recognized them and bowed respectfully.
"Where is the king?" Elara asked.
"His Majesty is resting in his chambers," one of the maids replied.
Elara nodded and immediately headed toward his room.
Meanwhile, Caelin turned to another maid.
"I'd like to see my father as well."
"King Conrad is in his chambers too," she replied. "Would you like me to guide you there?"
Caelin nodded.
"Please."
He followed her through the palace halls.
---
Outside King Midus's chambers, a guard knocked on the door.
"What is it?" a voice answered from inside.
"Your Majesty, Princess Elara wishes to see you."
Silence followed for a few moments.
Then:
"Let her in."
The door opened.
Elara stepped inside and gave a small bow.
"Good evening, Father."
King Midus looked up from where he sat.
"Good evening, my daughter."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"What brings you home at this hour?"
Elara's expression became serious.
"Father, I'd like to file a complaint regarding the conduct of some knights."
The smile faded from Midus's face.
He gestured toward a nearby chair.
"Sit."
Elara obeyed.
"Tell me everything."
She explained what had happened in the market and the complaints she had heard from the people.
Midus listened quietly without interrupting.
When she finished, he called for one of the guards outside.
A guard entered and bowed.
"Summon General Derick."
Midus's voice was calm.
"I want him here as soon as possible."
"At once, Your Majesty."
The guard left immediately.
Once the door closed, Midus's expression softened.
"Now then."
He leaned back slightly.
"How is the academy?"
Elara smiled.
"It's going well."
Then she paused.
"Although... this year's Chosen Class is a little strange."
"Oh?"
"They're allowing second-year students to participate."
Midus frowned slightly.
"Yes. I only heard about that recently myself."
His gaze drifted toward the table.
"It was a surprising decision."
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Elara smiled again.
"Father, I'd like to stay at the palace tonight and return tomorrow."
Midus nodded.
"Of course."
A small chuckle escaped him.
"It's already late."
He waved a hand dismissively.
"You can leave tomorrow morning."
"Thank you, Father."
Elara stood and bowed once more.
"Good night."
"Good night, Elara."
She quietly left the room.
After following the maid, Caelin stopped in front of his father's room.
Knock. Knock.
"Who's there?" King Conrad's voice came from inside.
"It's me, Father."
A brief silence followed.
"Come in."
He stepped inside and found his father sitting at the table.
"Ah, Caelin, my son. What important matter brings you here personally?" he asked immediately.
Caelin took a seat.
"I have a favor to ask."
King Conrad nodded, glancing around the table.
"Well, if I can help, then sure."
He gestured for Caelin to continue.
"Well, the thing is, there's a kid I want to send to our palace and let them learn to work as a maid. They don't have parents to take care of them, so I really want to help them."
King Conrad remained silent for a while.
"Well, since I'm in a good mood, I'll allow it," he said before looking at Caelin. "But not at our palace. Maybe at the church near the palace."
Caelin remained silent and watched his father.
King Conrad opened a drawer beside him and took out a glass and a bottle of wine.
"Because like I said, Caelin, people without value to a nation are rarely seen as people."
He poured himself a drink.
"They become tools. Resources. Something to be used."
He took a sip.
"If you fail to understand that, the kingdom will suffer among other nations."
His gaze settled on Caelin.
"And when that happens, the people you care about will suffer as well."
Caelin thought in silence for a moment.
"Thank you, Father."
Caelin sighed in relief.
A faint smile formed on Conrad's face as he gently swirled the wine in his glass.
"But I want you to understand something."
He glanced at Caelin.
"Kindness among people is nice and warm. But kindness inside a system gets used until the giver is exhausted and dead."
He took a small sip.
"Human greed is huge, even in that sense."
His gaze remained on Caelin.
"So in the future, always remember this: either you use the system, or the system uses you."
The room fell silent.
Caelin looked at his father in silence.
"Okay, Father."
He gave a slight nod.
Conrad leaned back in his chair.
"But for this request, I'll accept it."
He poured himself another drink.
"The Chosen Class is coming up, and I don't want you wasting your energy on some random children who don't even have enough to eat."
Caelin nodded and slowly looked away.
"I think you should stay here tonight."
Conrad gently shook the glass in his hand.
"It's already late to head back. Ask a maid for an empty room and rest here for the night."
"Alright then."
Caelin stood up from his seat.
"I'll excuse myself and ask a maid."
As he spoke, he turned and walked toward the door.
The door closed behind him.
For a few moments, he remained standing there, staring at the ceiling.
Then he pushed himself away from the door and quietly walked off.
Knock. Knock.
"Who's there?" King Midus called out.
"Your Majesty, you called for me?" General Derick replied from outside.
"Yes. Come in."
The doors opened, and Derick stepped inside. He found King Midus sitting alone on a sofa.
He bowed.
"What is it, Your Majesty?"
King Midus slowly looked at him.
"General Derick."
"Yes, sir."
"I received a report from my daughter regarding the behavior of our knights toward the public."
Resting his chin on one hand, he continued to stare at Derick.
He explained everything Elara had told him.
"The situation is worse than you think."
His voice grew colder.
"Especially since the prince of Bane witnessed everything and stepped in to help a harmless child your knights were abusing."
He glanced at Derick.
"Do you understand what that means?"
Derick remained silent.
"The king of Bane is our guest. If word of this reaches him and he hears about the condition of our knights, the consequences could be far worse than you imagine."
Derick immediately bowed his head.
"My apologies, Your Majesty. This is my fault."
He lowered his head further.
"I'll make sure those knights are punished for their actions."
King Midus remained silent for a few moments.
Then he slowly nodded.
"Go."
His voice was calm, but firm.
"And don't make a mistake on this matter again."
Derick bowed once more before taking his leave.
Outside, one of his friends was waiting for him.
"Waa, I haven't heard the king shout that much in a long time."
He laughed.
Derick clicked his tongue.
"I mean, why is it always me?"
He shook his head.
"It's not like every knight in the kingdom belongs to my unit."
The two of them walked away down the corridor.
After taking a bath, Elara sat beside her bed in a loose shirt, drying her hair.
She sighed and tossed the towel onto a nearby chair.
Then she jumped onto the bed and rolled around.
Her hand reached for a book she had been reading since childhood.
Resting her chin on a pillow, her legs swung back and forth as she read.
When she reached the word alone on one of the pages, she suddenly closed the book.
"Wait."
She sat up.
"If I stay here, then those two will be alone together tonight."
She rolled around on the bed again.
"I should've gone back, naaa."
Staring at the ceiling, her thoughts drifted to the past.
The image of Alaric buying a necklace suddenly appeared in her mind.
Wait.
Why am I thinking about that?
It's not like I'm expecting him to give it to me.
Wait... am I?
No way.
That's impossible.
Besides, that idiot can't even take a hint.
There's no way he'd think about buying a necklace for a girl.
She buried her face into the pillow.
But...
If he did...
Would I accept it?
Her thoughts continued to argue with each other.
After sitting quietly for a moment, she lay back down.
Hugging her pillow tightly, a small smile slowly formed on her face.
"Maybe."
On the other side, Alaric and Lalanat were walking back after escorting Anna and her siblings home.
Before they reached their residence, a strong gust of wind suddenly hit them.
Alaric quickly held onto Lalanat as she struggled to see the road, her hair blown across her face.
A few seconds later, the wind died down.
"Thanks, Alaric."
Lalanat fixed her hair.
"It's been blowing like that since this afternoon. I wonder what's happening."
"Hmm, Lala."
Alaric stared ahead at their residence.
"Yes, Alaric?"
She looked at him, only to find him standing there dramatically with one hand on his chin.
"Do you know why the wind suddenly blows like that without warning?"
Lalanat blinked.
"Ehh? Why?"
Alaric remained silent for a moment.
"Hmm... you're scaring me. What is it?"
Lalanat slowly moved closer to him.
Without looking at her, Alaric spoke in a low voice.
"It is said that when a wind like that blows twice in a day, it means someone has died somewhere unseen."
He slowly resumed walking.
"And the wind is the soul's way of letting people know."
Lalanat immediately looked around and hurried after him.
"Are you sure about that, Alaric?"
Her eyes scanned every corner of the road.
Alaric suddenly burst out laughing.
Startled, Lalanat grabbed onto his arm.
"I'm joking! It's a joke, Lala!"
He could barely stop laughing.
"I'm just messing with you. Relax."
Lalanat slapped him twice on the shoulder.
"Come on! I was really scared."
She glared at him.
"It's dark, and you're making jokes like that."
"Haha, alright, alright."
Alaric raised both hands in surrender.
"I won't do it again."
He grinned.
"But I wasn't lying about the old saying. I just don't believe it."
Lalanat immediately moved closer to him again.
"Just don't talk about it anymore."
Alaric laughed.
The two continued walking home, side by side.