Once they settled down in the lounge, Elizabeth calmed down, but she panicked inwardly. How embarrassing was she! To do that in public, it was almost… almost like they were lovers or something! Her cheeks bloomed a deep red while her head shook adamantly. There was no way that could be true! She never once had a single romantic thought towards Benedict. It was not like she hated him or found him ugly. She was just caught up in the moment and acted out of impulse. That was it. She convinced herself of that and drew a deep breath. Whether for better or for worse, Benedict was blissfully unaware of her thoughts.
"How come you're here at Pelangi Fortress?" she asked the most important question. "Shouldn't you be in Algard? This is for the armies meant to be deployed for the Xingyuu Empire…"
"I haven't been in Algard for months now."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
He sighed. "I guess you didn't know, but after we fought against the Second Hand, I tried to rescue you from the Lannisail Household."
"What?" Elizabeth was stunned, as were her aunt and Sir Winstin.
The Lannisail explosion was potent enough to transform the entire property into a smoking crater, send huge shockwaves throughout the capital cities, and be visible from several provinces away. When Sir Winstin faced it directly, it required the combined prowess forty Grand Knights and Royal Guards to overcome. That was forty Perception Realms! And in the end, most of his comrades and allies perished in the explosion, some left without a corpse… Elizabeth was one miracle, but miracles do not happen twice. Therefore, he could not believe that Benedict could survive the Lannisail explosion! He refused to believe that a human could surpass that heavenly power!
Upon seeing everyone's disbelief, Benedict explained, "I was saved by my master, Sword King Sin Quelldown, prior to the Lannisail explosion."
"Who's that?" Elizabeth wondered aloud. Since the Sword King's last public appearance was decades ago, she had no way of knowing who he was.
However, the same could not be said about Sir Winstin, who was shocked. The Sword King! To have the illustrious title of King represented how unimaginably powerful they were! They reigned at the top, unrivaled against all! Decades ago, before his disappearance, the Sword King managed an impossible feat by defeating several Perception Realm Masters simultaneously. Who were Perception Realm Masters? They were the absolute pinnacle of physical prowess, representing the peak of human potential! The Alzar Kingdom's famous 'three strongest knights', Sir Winstin, Sir Sebastian, and Lady Valentina, were at that level too. Together, they could instantly win against the Second Hand's captain and vice-captain. One could argue that almost none were their equal! But Sword King Sin was more than their equal… He could singlehandedly defeat them!
Sir Winstin had personally seen his splendor. The Sword King's last public appearance was during the Royal Tournament. The tournament was, as its name implied, the preeminent stage for all experts in the kingdom and a priceless chance to catch the attention of the Grand Nobility or Royal Family. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to jump straight to the stars! And the most famous story was undoubtedly Zaru, who showcased incredible magical prowess to dominate the arena over sixty years ago. He caught the interest of Queen Bethnal, who chose him to become her Protector. The rest was history, as his accomplishments and feats later allowed him to create the Zino Kingdom! He became the Conquestian!
Conversely, the Sword King's debut was more recent, but it remained fresh on everyone's minds. No one could forget the breathtaking performance of the Sword King's Cloud and Sea Style. Back then, the Cloud Sea Style was still undeveloped, and the building blocks were these two independent styles. However, they remained as superior as ever. The Cloud Style, free and flowing, travelling wherever it pleases, and constantly watching over from above… The Sea Style, bottomless and boundless, calm like the dead, or violent with a million waves… When the Sword King revealed his masterpiece styles, it shocked the audience silly. Comparing it to the other existing styles was like comparing trash to treasure. They were completely incomparable! Every stroke, every slash, and every movement seemed right out of a painting.
Although the Sword King vanished, he remained a symbol, a role model, and a goal for all the Royal Guards, including Sir Winstin, Sir Sebastian, and Lady Valentina. Decades passed without a word, so Sir Winstin believed that the Sword King had died. However, to think that the once legendary Sword King's name would emerge here again… This was one of the rare times that the Protector could not restrain his surprise! After explaining everything to Elizabeth and Lady Christina, they were equally surprised and dumbfounded.
"But I don't understand… Why was he missing for so long, and why did he emerge again?" Elizabeth was confused.
"From what I was told, my master was in seclusion, training in the great wilderness, trying to breakthrough into Instinct Realm."
"Instinct Realm?"
"It's the legendary realm beyond Perception Realm, Your Highness," Sir Winstin chimed in. "I heard that the last person who reached that level died more than a hundred years ago. I thought it was a myth, but… did the Sword King manage to achieve the impossible?"
"Yes, sir…" Benedict felt apprehensive because Sir Winstin was the preeminent 'strongest' knight in the Alzar Kingdom, the Leader of the Royal Guards, and Leader of the Knights overall! In many ways, both the Sword King and Sir Winstin were his ultimate goals. It was one thing to act casual in front of Elizabeth, but for others, it was hard to ignore proper decorum.
"Please stay at ease. I do not mind," the Protector said. "You may continue."
"I don't know what level he's at now, but my master definitely reached Instinct Realm."
"I see…" Sir Winstin was slightly gloomy.
He trained his entire life, aspiring to reach the zenith… but the massive ceiling between Perception Realm Master and Half-Instinct Realm was just too great. He could not bridge that final gap! And then there was the greater divide from Half-step into the full Instinct Realm… There was a reason why Rank 3s were titled Kings! He was about to move on when his eyes widened.
"Did you say 'master'? You're the Sword King's student?"
Benedict nodded slowly. "Yes, I'm currently the Sword King's third student."
"He has three students?" Lady Christina asked. "Who are the other two?" Benedict aside, whoever earned the personal tutelage of the Sword King, a genuine once-in-a-century Instinct Realm martial artist, must be earthshattering themselves. Their names should be known far and wide!
"My senior martial brothers are Hidek and Lanar. However, we spent all our time training, so I don't know much about them."
"This… I haven't heard of them. Do they have another name perhaps? Or a title?"
"I don't know."
"I see…"
"What's the matter, Aunt Christina?"
The woman replied, "You must have heard about the Arcellius Family and Protector Avin in the Zino Kingdom, right? The one rumored to be responsible for the 'heavenly phenomenon'. I was thinking that the times were changing too fast. First, there was Protector Avin, and now the Sword King Sin. I don't know what's happening anymore."
"That's true," Elizabeth frowned. She knew a bit more, thanks to her connection with Rena. Both Protector Avin and the Sword King must be the so-called Early Rank 3 Kings! And a Rank 3 King had the power to throw humanity into chaos! Just like how Queen Bethnal took the threat of the 'super powerful' beings seriously, Elizabeth was equally concerned. "Where is the Sword King?" she asked.
"I don't know that either," Benedict shook his head. "My master said he had business to attend to and that we were supposed to continue training on our own. Once he's done, he would come and find us."
"Either way, news that the Sword King Sin Quelldown reached Instinct Realm is very important. I'll have to report this to the capital afterwards," Sir Winstin said.
With that settled, Lady Christina asked in a cryptic tone, "Benedict, I heard you used your Grand Lord's identity token to enter the camp. Did you receive any news from your family, the Hawken Household, about that?"
"No…" Benedict said with a bad feeling swelling in his stomach.
"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Benedict… Your father, Lord Roland, expelled you from the Hawken Household. You're not a Grand Lord anymore."
"What?" Elizabeth and Benedict shouted in unison.
"This happened prior to the Lannisail explosion during the emergency summons from the Royal Family."
"Wait! How come I didn't know about this?" Elizabeth asked. Any information regarding the Grand Nobility Households passed through her so she could familiarize herself with the ongoings of the realm. Yet, such a 'relevant' piece of information was conveniently missed. She smelled trickery.
"It was my fault," her aunt admitted. "Because I didn't want you to be distracted during your royal training, I decided to omit this from your reports. That, and the fact that Benedict has been recorded as missing for months now." Although Elizabeth understood the reasoning, she could not help but grow upset.
"So, my father finally decided to expel me…" Benedict sighed. "I guess I shouldn't be that surprised. I couldn't even become a High Knight of the Realm."
"But you're the Sword King's student now!" Elizabeth tried to cheer him up. "I think that's a hundred times more impressive than being a High Knight!"
"No, I still have a long way to go. I might have achieved Fundamental Realm Expert and Major Sword Form, but I'm nowhere near my master's level."
Major Sword Form was different to the Realms of Mastery and Core Levels. The Realms and Levels essentially referred to the state of the body. A stronger physical body meant a higher Realm. A stronger magical Core meant a higher Level. Conversely, Major Sword Form or Attainment Stages referred to the mind. These represented the theoretical understanding of the field. Much like the aforementioned systems, the Attainment Stages also had minor and major divisions. The first two major divisions were Form and Intent. For example, the Sword King had Sword Intent, which meant he could grasp the underlying principles behind every sword technique. Finally, the minor divisions were Basic, Minor, Major, Perfect, and Half-step respectively.
"Major Sword Form is very impressive for someone your age. It took me thirty years to reach the same point. You shouldn't underestimate yourself," Sir Winstin added.
"Thank you, sir!" Hearing the compliments of the kingdom's strongest knight made him feel a lot better.