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Chapter 2
Xenon, who had been watching Kata sprint across the ground with remarkable speed, slowly turned his gaze away.
‘She started too fast.’
At that pace, her stamina would obviously burn out quickly.
Of course, whether Kata ended up crying and begging Soram for mercy had nothing to do with him.
Xenon resumed his training in a corner of the training ground.
And exactly thirty minutes later.
Xenon Korer stabbed his longsword into the ground in irritation. He couldn’t focus at all.
It was because of Kata, happily running laps around the training ground.
She moved so cheerfully that, in the bleak training yard, it felt as if she alone were running through a field of blooming flowers.
But it wasn’t just her slightly foolish-looking energy that was distracting.
‘Her stamina is excessive.’
Even Soram, who had been watching leisurely, had already changed his posture and was frowning.
She had already passed fifty laps by a wide margin, yet her pace hadn’t slowed at all. Without properly trained endurance, that would be impossible.
Dawn was breaking in the distance.
Under the reddish sky, every time Kata pushed off the ground, her wheat-colored hair scattered and gathered again in the backlight.
“Soram sir!”
Before long, Kata stood in front of Soram, breathing heavily.
“I’ve completed the training you assigned! Haa…!”
“……”
“Thank you for the lesson!”
“…Hmm.”
Soram looked like he wanted to protest something, but after seeing Kata’s shining face, bright eyes, and Xenon standing in the distance, he pressed his lips shut.
“This training… you’ve somehow managed to endure it. Come again tomorrow at the same time.”
“Yes!”
“You may go.”
Instead of returning to the dormitory, Kata changed direction and walked toward Xenon.
Xenon felt slightly flustered.
Her foot, neatly strapped in leather greaves, stopped in front of him.
“You really train hard. Is that why you’re top of the class?”
“……”
“Let’s both work hard from now on!”
Kata smiled and extended her hand.
He stared at the hand covered in small calluses.
Ripened goodwill. A smile.
In Katarenia Donovan, Xenon saw that stubbornness that kept bouncing back like a ball even after being wounded.
His deep blue eyes darkened.
Without a word, he turned away. Kata quickly withdrew her hand and let out an awkward laugh.
“R-right. Cleaning up after training is more important than handshakes.”
“……”
“See you next time!”
As she hurried away, Xenon dragged the tip of his sword across the ground. A rough scraping sound echoed.
A long-suppressed irritation rose within him.
Dormitory Bathroom
In the dorm bathroom, a basin on the shelf was half-filled with water.
Kata, standing beside it, stared for a few seconds—then confidently plunged her face into it.
One, two, three…
With her eyes closed, she began counting.
Time passed.
“Hey!”
Someone grabbed her hair and yanked her head up. The careless force made her neck crack audibly.
The basin tipped over, spilling water everywhere. Kata coughed and lifted her head.
“What are you doing?”
Her roommate, Luna, frowned deeply. Her honey-colored hair was messy, and her face showed clear fatigue.
“There’s really an idiot trying to drown themselves in a washbasin.”
“It’s a habit. It helps clear my head…”
“Really? So sticking your face in a basin and holding your breath? Why don’t you just go swim outside?”
Kata wiped her face with a towel hanging nearby.
“I’ll take that into account.”
“……”
Luna’s gaze sharpened.
She turned away coldly, rummaged through her things, and suddenly pulled out a cigarette and put it in her mouth.
A cigarette? Kata blinked.
“Rookies in training are prohibited from smoking. They must have inspected your luggage.”
“There are ways to sneak things in. It’s just a habit. It clears my head.”
Kata frowned at her mocking tone.
“Don’t do it.”
“What, you going to report me?”
The moment Luna lit the cigarette, Kata moved in and snatched it away.
“……”
Luna froze, startled. It was too fast to react.
Kata turned away, dealing with the confiscated item.
“…Hey, you went to morning training, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
“They told you to come again tomorrow?”
“Yes.”
“…You’re screwed.”
When their eyes met, Luna shrugged.
“Don’t you get it? No matter what the seniors do to you, the higher-ups don’t care. They like seeing rookies kept on edge.”
“……”
“Who told you to stand so stiff and endure everything during initiation?”
Luna smirked. The smile didn’t match her delicate features.
“If you go tomorrow morning, you should cry and apologize. Beg if you have to. Maybe if you crawl a bit, they’ll go easier on you.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Luna’s expression twisted slightly, a beat too late.
Watching Kata calmly tidy her bedding, she clicked her tongue and crawled into bed, muttering.
Dining Hall
“Thanks be to the Supreme God Semasiar!”
After prayer ended, the trainees began tearing into their bread.
Luna glanced at Kata, who was aggressively eating meat stew.
Despite having gone through ‘training’ at dawn, she was handling the morning schedule without issue.
‘She’s just enduring it out of stubbornness.’
What’s she trying so hard for? Luna suddenly felt tired.
The oil in her spoon shimmered on the surface of the broth. As she stared at it, the noisy dining hall felt increasingly distant.
“Hello, Katarenia Donovan. How was training?”
Then a displeasing voice struck her ear.
Luna slowly raised her head.
A man with bright platinum-blond hair stood there—more radiant than his hair.
He had a youthful face, but a scar crossing his lips and eyes like ripe gooseberries gave him a subtly sinister impression.
Perinem Alcazar.
The seventh prince of the Alcazar Empire, son of Emperor Ricardo III.
His entry into the Knights’ Order had been a major sensation.
Rumors said he was skilled with the sword, though his first training performance had been underwhelming.
Compared to his cousin, Simon, the top-ranking knight, he paled even more.
Still, during initiation, none of the seniors dared touch Perinem. Even though the Arkan Knights technically followed rank by title rather than birth.
Meanwhile, Kata, despite his mocking tone, quickly swallowed her food and responded politely.
“Hello! What’s your name?”
“Cough!”
Luna almost bit her tongue.
Kata turned and pushed a glass of water toward her.
“Eat slowly. You’ll choke.”
