Three months had passed since the survival test was over. Everyone was busy training individually, Albert, on the other hand, was given special treatment to be trained personally by the head knight and slept in one of the main rooms, this was because he was now famous due to what happened at the survival test where he defeated an Orc - a level b class monster. The head knight called his father to tell him the news and Albert's father was ecstatic that he gave expensive jewelry and silk as presents to the Head Knight for his tutelage.
"Tst, that lazy son of a merchant" Adam scowled as he watches Albert surrounded by official knights.
"If that Orc came in our direction we would have killed him in an instant!"
Ann who was training with him patted his back "Don't mind him, he's not worth it"
Adam, "But he received that special treatment because of one Orc! One Orc! An Orc is not that strong anyway!"
Ann, "Precisely"
"Huh? You agree?"
Ann, "Of course, watching the way he trains for the past three months tells me he could not even defeat a goblin"
Adam, "Then, he killed an Orc out of luck?"
Ann gets a spear and threw it towards a target ring, it hit the bullseye "Maybe, we'll just see it in the exam - and if he did kill the Orc by coincidence then it's worth the fun to watch him humiliate himself on that day, don't you think?" Ann laughed
"Ah! Whatever, that's no fun, where's that Gin anyway? He keeps on disappearing every single day" Adam looks around
"I believe he is with that woman" Lilith appeared holding a yellow stuffed bear
"With her again? They've been hanging around everywhere since the survival test, tst, to be with that murderer..." Adam punched the ground and the soil below him cracked "makes me sick, I want to kill them both"
"I agree, all of us here are born nobles and to think we are taking the Selection Exam together with a murderer, it's sickening" Ann joined in the conversation
"But she is the King's recommendation, don't you think she's special in some way?" Lilith appeared in front of her
"What the -- !?" Surprised, Ann almost threw a spear at her "Lilith! Please, no surprises!"
"I don't care if he's that bastard's recommendation. That King is no good, to begin with, it anyway" Adam griped
Lilith just stared at him as he continued complaining for a while and got bored. She directed her gaze to the forest and hears a scream from far away.
"They must be having fun in there" she uttered
----
"Aaaaaaaaah!!!!" Gin cried as he was being chased by a wild boar
"Catoriiii!!!!!! Help meeee!!!!"
Gin was running around the forest while Catori watched him above a tree.
"You said you'll be the one in charge of dinner today," she said
"Yes! I said that but I was planning to catch a fish, not this big beast!! Pleaase Catori!!" Gin cried
Catori sighed a little and jumped from the tree and did a somersault while she's on the air, Gin looks at her in awe as she slowly falls in front of the wild boar and kicks its forehead. The wild boar went dizzy by the attack and when it realizes he was facing her it ran away.
"Even that boar was scared of you," Gin said while panting heavily
Catori tilted her head "Why would it be? I'm not planning to kill it today"
"Never mind, you won't understand anyway - Now let's catch some fish!" Gin cheerfully said
--
After the survival test, Gin had been training with Catori for the past three months although they were having trouble communicating with each other they still find ways to understand what the other was trying to say but mostly Gin was the one putting effort not Catori.
"Two months left huh" Gin sighed
They went back to the place where Catori stayed since she arrived.
While waiting for their fish to cook, Gin was looking at Catori who was sitting near the stream talking to someone. Ever since he came together with her it was the first thing he noticed, he asked her about it and Catori just simply replied it's Ciar. Gin did not understand who or what is a Ciar but aside from that, her way of training was different from what he was used to. She wakes up early in the morning and runs around the forest for half a day after that she'll do a series of 'he doesn't know what it calls' in one place. She'd jump, she'd stretch, she'd crouch... It was different. After that, at night she'll hunt any monsters she could find in the area for food. Gin followed her including her training regimen and he did not expect that at the end of the day he was dead tired and his body becomes sore.
"Catori, can I ask you something?" he approached her and started a conversation
"Why did the King pardoned you?"
Catori went silent for a while "They say it's because I saved his son from the Goblin's siege but I believe it was never the reason ... So I don't know, I'm sorry"
Gin, "Yeah, I heard about that" he pauses "...but, amazingly, the infamous dragon king did that to someone like you"
Catori looks at Gin "Why is everybody calling him that? Is he a real dragon?"
Gin looks a bit surprised "You don't know?"
Catori shakes her head
"Ah- I see, well... to start with, this Kingdom of Etilania was known across the world because of the Royal family mainly the house of Remiel but after the great war when the current King's grandfather could not uphold his duties due to his old age King Ryu immediately took over the throne. Everyone was happy when he did" Gin stopped
"Was happy?" Catori questioned
Gin gave her a small nod "Yes, was happy, his grandfather King Marcus, there was a time he went missing for days and comes back different - that's why when the duke noticed he couldn't lead the country anymore King Ryu replaced him, it was okay at first, King Ryu was always a happy person and was loved by his people including his brother Prince Suoh. Regardless of what happened to their family the three of them stayed together but that was until the second prince, Prince Suoh caught an incurable illness, everything went downhill for them"
Catori, "So even a prince can get sick huh..."
"They're still humans," said Gin with a sad expression "It wasn't just a simple flu - all the best doctors did their best to find a cure but they failed. That's why the royal family could not help but seek help from other sources" Gin continued and got Catori's full attention
"You see, there are legends in children's books that the country of Etilania before House Remiel was ruled over by two dragons - the white dragon who governed all living creatures and brought peace to the land where fairies, dwarves, humans and other monsters lived together. Then, there's also the black dragon who governed all the malevolence in the land, both are protectors keeping the balance between good and evil"
Catori, "Ah- you mean they're like Gods?"
Gin was once again surprised "Uhm - no, Gods are the most powerful among all creatures here stronger than dragons but we can't see them"
Catori nodded "Ah, I see" and she looks at Ciar "You can't see them"
Ciar shakes his head, Catori did the same "No?" She said
"What?" Gin asked, "Were you asking me something?"
Catori yawned and stretches her arm "Yaaaawn - No, I'm sorry but thank you, that was good information"
With one eyebrow raised Gin questioned "Information? But did you not hear these kinds of stories when you were young?"
Catori stood up, walked towards the fire where their food was cooking "I can't remember my past well" she said "Please continue while we eat, the food might get cold"
Gin stood also and together they sat down the warm fire and started eating the cooked fish.
"Ahem- as I was saying, King Marcus tried summoning the two dragons hoping that they might be able to cure Prince Suoh's illness" he continued
Catori, "Summon? How?"
"That- I don't know but when they did try to do it, it backfired them. King Marcus and Prince Suoh died the night of the summoning, King Ryu was there as well and he was the only one to survive"
Both were silent for a while when Catori breaks it off.
"So instead of saving one life he lost two - the only family he ever had - but what about Prince Aiden?"
"I heard he was born from one his majesty's affair - he appeared months after the incident, the mother? Nobody exactly knows who she was but there were rumors the King killed her after she bore him an heir" Gin answered
Again, they became quiet and this time Gin felt uncomfortable continuing. He can see Catori spaced out when he's done talking. She slowly finished her food "Well, I guess that's enough storytelling for tonight" she said
Gin, "You're right... You go ahead and rest, I'll stay here for a while"
Catori nodded "Thank you for telling me a little bit about them, you know, about the royal family" she turned her back from him and walked inside the cave "Good Night Sir Gin"
Gin gave her a slight wave.
[Just who the hell is she? That she doesn't know the family she'll be serving.] He thought, this was the first time he met someone unique - no, different? - no, special? He can't tell what word fits her but he was interested and he wanted to discover more but for him to do that he must reach her level.
He suddenly froze and remembered how she killed the Orc and the goblins back at the survival test. He laughed at himself for thinking he could reach her level.
"What am I gonna do to be free from this debt?" He uttered to himself as he looked at the ground with a disappointed face. What he didn't know was Catori was also observing him from behind, inside the cave.
---
Knock, knock, knock.
While opening a series of gifts from Albert's father the Head Knight was disturbed in the middle of the night.
"W-who dares to disturb me at this hour?"
"Sorry Sir but this is Albert"
The Head Knight smiled and opened the door. "Whyyy, Albert, why the sudden visit?"
Albert walked inside without asking permission that kind of pissed the Head Knight "I want to talk to you about something"
Grouchy the Head Knight closes the door and the two of them face each other. "What is it that you want to talk about at this time of the night?"
"It's about that slave and murderer"
The Head Knight raised an eyebrow, because of how Albert was treating him in the past few months, showering him with gifts he almost forgot about that woman.
"Okay, please sit down" he offered a seat
Albert, "Is there a way they can't pass the Knight Selections?"
Head Knight, "I can understand why you don't want that murderous bitch to pass but Gin --- Ward?"
Albert showed an angry expression when he heard Gin's last name "That slave doesn't deserve to pass the selections, my father only enrolled him so he could protect me"
"I understand the circumstances between your family and that slave. To be honest, I never liked that boy as well especially that we all know what his father did to this Kingdom, it's just that he's good at controlling his mana. It's a waste of talent when we need knights like him"
Albert, "He's a trickster! He's not that amazing... You don't need someone like him. I can find you someone stronger. You will help me fail both of them right? I know you want to kill that woman, why not kill them both? And if that happens I assure you, you will be well compensated"
The Head Knight smiled and looked at the gifts besides his bed, "Well, there are ways we can but I'll tell you about it on the week of the Knight Selections - I need time to prepare"
Albert stand up and offer a hand to the Head Knight "Then it's settled"
The Head Knight looked at him still smiling "I know you're strong but I can't believe you're also good in scheming things" he grabs Albert's hand and stands up as well
"I can say, I taught you well"
---- end.