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Chapter 3
“…My name is Perinem Alcazar. I’ve heard about you for a long time, but meeting you in person is surprisingly interesting.”
“Yeah, I see!”
Despite the prince’s attitude that killed any appetite, Kata’s hands were still busy.
Watching her tear into the bread, Perinem soon let out a contemptuous smile.
“So, how was the training under Sir Soram?”
“Hmm.”
Kata scooped up a spoonful of stew.
“It was fine. We did a hundred laps around the training ground. Basic stamina is important for fighting monsters later…”
“‘Back then,’ I suppose you lacked basic stamina?”
Kata’s spoon froze mid-air. The stew slipped off and dripped back into the bowl.
Luna inwardly admired the seventh prince’s childish provocation.
It was obvious what “back then” referred to.
The day the seal broke, when the child hero fell into disgrace and became a coward.
Perhaps Kata was already used to this kind of provocation.
“Yes, that’s right! I was definitely lacking back then.”
Or maybe… not.
“You can tell just from your vomiting during sparring. Pathetic, hahaha.”
“……”
“I also saw you training yesterday. Your leg strength seems a bit weak. Your grip was excellent though, so if you build lower-body strength, you’ll improve. Let’s train hard together!”
Perinem’s facial muscles twitched.
Before long, the dining hall fell deathly silent.
But Kata was too busy checking whether there were still ingredients left in her stew.
She wasn’t trying to avoid discomfort.
It simply seemed more important to her whether there were undercooked potatoes or soggy onions left in the stew than this conversation.
“Semasiar… is said to not forgive the weak.”
Perinem continued speaking, his voice strained, anger showing on his refined face.
“And I’m not speaking only of physical weakness. I mean the weakness of the heart—the inability to fight when one must.”
His tone was close to scolding someone beneath him.
Luna thought to herself that twenty years of imperial upbringing didn’t disappear easily, and she suddenly wanted to finish her meal and leave.
“Katarenia Donovan. You fainted the moment you saw a monster back then. And yesterday too—you panicked during sparring and vomited disgracefully. Do you even have the qualifications to be a knight?”
At his blunt attack on a sore point, Kata stopped moving her spoon.
By now, the trainees in the dining hall had all perked up, listening in.
Luna could tell many of them agreed with Perinem.
Fear is shameful for a knight. Fear is the weakest emotion.
And if you feared the monsters you were meant to defeat, there was nothing more to say.
“Perinem, I passed the Arkan Knights’ entrance exam.”
But Kata remained astonishingly calm. Her bright, unshaken eyes showed no sign of being intimidated.
“And you’re not even the Commander, so you don’t get to question my qualifications.”
She added,
“More importantly, instead of worrying about my qualifications, why don’t you train your leg strength? Semasiar probably dislikes weak lower bodies just as much as weak hearts!”
Perinem’s face turned cold.
Luna admired how openly she was antagonizing royalty—but Kata, apparently done eating already, stood up without concern.
Then it happened.
Perinem suddenly removed his white glove and threw it. The thin glove struck Kata’s cheek and fell to the floor.
“……”
Kata looked stunned as she caught the falling glove.
“Then I’ll teach you directly.”
“What? How did it become—”
“A duel.”
Kata looked confused.
The dining hall erupted into murmurs.
A duel, already? Just days after joining? Everyone pretended not to stare while watching with interest.
A duel was something used when one’s honor was challenged. Refusing meant being branded a coward.
But in Luna’s view, this time refusal would’ve been wiser.
Perinem was already exceptional among first-awakeners. And with his backing, he wouldn’t go easy on her.
Of course, with a healer and official witnesses present, it wouldn’t turn deadly—but there was no guarantee she wouldn’t suffer lasting consequences…
“Uh, okay then!”
No guarantee…
Luna suddenly felt a cigarette would be very necessary.
The Next Morning
After finishing swimming training, Kata headed back to the dorms. Water dripped steadily from her soaked clothes with every step.
The duel with Perinem had ultimately been set for early morning the next day.
Soram’s squire, Lea, said she would be excused from training that day.
“The duel witnesses will be Sir Simon and me. You’ve only been here a few days, and you’re already dueling. You really do seem to attract trouble.”
The weather was still cold, and Kata shivered slightly. She wrung her collar tightly, squeezing out water that splattered onto the ground.
Then a faint shadow fell over her head.
Looking up, Kata’s face brightened.
“Hi!”
Despite her energetic greeting, Xenon did not respond. He simply scanned her with an indifferent gaze.
“When is the duel?”
A blunt question, no preface.
“Huh? Tomorrow morning. They said I can skip training that day.”
Xenon stared at her for a moment, then asked flatly,
“Why do you keep causing trouble?”
“Huh?”
“Training, and now a duel. You could have avoided both. You could’ve knelt to your seniors and begged. You could’ve ignored the prince.”
“I didn’t want to.”
Xenon’s facial muscles twitched.
“You haven’t changed at all. How long do you think you can keep doing things your way?”
“……”
“You’re not a hero anymore. Don’t assume people will be kind to you. Know your place.”
His tone was as cold as when they first met.
Even though he had grown taller and completed his second awakening, the way Xenon looked down at Kata hadn’t changed at all.
Kata stared at his shadowed face against the backlight.
“Yeah. Thanks for worrying about me.”
“I’m not worrying—”
“During sparring, I could tell how much you’ve improved. You achieved your goal.”
“……”
“Your goal was to enter the Arkan Knights as top recruit, right? I’m glad I got to see you again… I—”
She glanced at him carefully.
“I’m happy. I am. That’s just how I feel.”
Water dripped from the ends of her soaked hair. The stone path beneath them grew darker as it was soaked.
After saying what she wanted, Kata looked refreshed.
She had finished her swim, Xenon had spoken to her first, and she had said what she’d been holding in.
It felt like a good start to the day!
Silence lingered for a moment.
Xenon’s expression didn’t change. He stared at her as though she were something incomprehensible.
“Donovan.”
His tone sharpened.
“You really haven’t changed at all.”
“Haha, you’re pretty much the same too.”
“……You’re going to suffer a lot in the future, but it seems you’re fine with that. Do whatever you want. Vomiting in the prince’s face would be quite a sight.”
His sarcasm was now openly harsh—he was clearly irritated.
“See you at training later!”
Kata called out to his retreating back, but Xenon didn’t respond.
His angular silhouette disappeared beneath the shade of the building.
