3 months have passed ever since the deadly incident starting from the ambush of the lycanthropes, Lisa, and her father's case, and the attack of the vampires from the Viara forest have happened.
Aran was able to adapt to the new environment quickly with the help of Nash explaining to him various etiquettes and workplaces inside the capital.
In addition to that, Aran made an effort to study the whole place while actively training with Nash to improve his condition and become strong.
News about the ruined village circulated throughout the whole kingdom after a few weeks and many were grieving about it. The fact that the Moriville village didn't get to survive marks another failed attempt to defend the kingdom and it alerted some of the upper-division members that they tried to ask the knights for compensation.
Of course, Aran and the other commoners who lived their lives in that village were not happy either. The knights failed to predict where the next attack would happen and a lot of things inside the constitute changed during the hearings.
A new graveyard was constructed near the hill on that very place and Aran decided to come alongside Lisa and Nash.
He didn't get to see his father's remains, but the gravestone with his name marked on it brought so many seething emotions to Aran.
He placed a flower near the stone and made his resolve that he would continue living and moving forward and find his mother. The one thing that his father didn't want him to do was to give up on life. That's why he pledged to himself that he would get strong and leave the kingdom in order for him to find more about the outside world.
A while later, Lisa and her father have been discharged from the sanitorium.
They went to thank Nash for all of the support and money he gave them in order for them to have the treatment.
Vritta Alliere, also known as Lisa's father thanked Aran for saving her as well. Despite being a commoner, Aran received money from one of the most important people in the whole kingdom and he didn't hesitate to give it to him. It shows that Lisa's father was very different from those other nobles living inside the capital.
Aran tried to deny it first but Vritta insisted and that he should use it for his everyday use. He also told Aran that he could bring Lisa out to the field near the farmhouse to play and spend some time together in which Lisa got flustered after hearing it.
She tried to reject what her father said but got scolded for doing all of the work without following his direction. Eventually, she made up her mind and she decided to spend some time regularly at Aran's place.
In reality, Lisa really wanted to spend some time with him. She couldn't help but feel anxious whenever she cannot see Aran on the same day and that lead to her helping him with the farm as they grew up.
She was the only noble in this place that acts and does work like a commoner and Aran was really thankful for her bubbly attitude.
While walking back, Aran noticed something.
He gazed in the sky for a few seconds but he couldn't exactly identify the reason why. After that, he consulted Lisa about what is bothering him.
"Umm... Lisa?" He asked in a soft yet hesitating manner. Lisa noticed his call and she stared at him with a smile on her face.
"Yes?"
"Umm... If you don't mind me asking, what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be with your father?" He asked as she scratches his head. Lisa chuckled at his question.
"Huh? What? Why are you laughing?"
"You mean to tell me that you still don't know? Wait, I mean technically you should already know that but you're busy reading your book and doing farm work all the time that you haven't been paying attention to what I've said for the last few months, Aran." She said while giggling.
"Did I miss some important information or what?" Aran tilted his head.
"Well, let me recap it. My father owns the farmland that you and Nash are staying with." She said calmly as she stopped in her tracks while looking at Aran.
After hearing this, Aran's jaw dropped.
He realized that he didn't hear anything about this either when he talked to Nash. The fact that they were staying together all the time was pretty weird for him since he pictures Lisa living somewhere really nice and modernly beautiful but he didn't know that Vritta actually owns a domain in this area.
"EHHHHHHH??!" He screamed.
Lisa's father was a merchant from the Alliere house who originally lived inside the capital.
Unfortunately, he fell in love with someone from the court as he travels everywhere throughout the kingdom and that noble really wanted him as well. He showed various gentleman acts and he has shown remarkable skills when it comes to handling finances, incomes, and taxes inside the capital. He was also good at making potions for battle and missions.
Lisa's mother named 'Alice Vietne', ultimately become Vritta's first choice because they share the same skills and mindset. Marrying a merchant wasn't really acceptable to most noble houses but Vritta was an exception to that because he surpasses almost everyone else inside the kingdom when it comes to handling business and trades.
Alice became interested in him from when she met him during his visit to the Vietne's house when he helped her family with thieves. Vietne's fortune and treasures were common knowledge among the other counts but they are also prone to crimes like this in which served as a double-edged sword.
Apparently, Vritta was actually really strong in his prime, and Alice's father incited a political marriage between the two. Unbeknownst to them, the two already loved each other from the start and so it was decided that their future would progress in that manner.
The fruit of their love blossomed and Lisa was their first-ever daughter.
Ever since then, Vritta continued his business and trading jobs and he became rich to the point that he also controls the Vietne's fortunes in which both houses gave their approval as he handles them pretty much precisely and carefully.
Vritta was able to buy domains inside the capital and he uses those to establish a business. The school for learning the Alliere's Sunflower Sword Technique was the first one he built in consideration of Master Himawari's will to let their technique spread throughout the region.
Going back, Nash found the farmland but he also didn't know that it was owned by Alliere's family so he just strolled inside to make it his home. Vritta was able to hand the house for him as payment for all of the treatment. The case of him going outside of the capital without any prior permission was also resolved and Nash ultimately covered it up.
But now that the Moriville village has been destroyed, a lot of people including her father was devastated by this news. But all they can do is accept the reality that there is no longer anything there in that place. The memories and traditions that they have built will remain stronger, but not forever.
"I'm really sorry about that. I didn't listen but I am glad that you guys actually own this. If it were a different noble then we might've faced discrimination." Aran smiled widely as he confronted Lisa.
She is surprised that she unintentionally stepped closer to him to grab his cheeks with both of her palms.
"W-Wha! L-Lisa?"
"Heh, so you can also smile like this." She muttered softly while burning Aran's face to her mind. It was the first time that she saw Aran being overjoyed after all of that happened.
Lisa was keen enough to see through the boy she spent time with almost every day. She knew that Aran would be feeling lonely and that he would not show it to the others. That's just how strong his opposition to becoming depressed but it was actually eating him. And for him to consider his resolve, he felt like he didn't want anyone to stay with him as he was about to do something in the future.
After she lets go of Aran's cheeks, she instantly embraced him. Aran got startled for a moment but then he eventually embraced her tightly as well.
"It is hard isn't it?" She asked in a soft voice. Aran couldn't give any answer.
"It must have been so difficult for you to remain fine after all of that happened. You were depriving yourself of living normal and giving your life another chance to experience happiness. You were afraid of being lonely again, right? That's why you couldn't let me get attached to you." Her words are on point and Aran immediately realized what she was talking about.
"I... I am afraid." He embraced Lisa tightly.
"I already know that reality but it is still hard to accept. I am afraid that if I dragged you guys into my life, you and Nash would disappear as well. T-That's why—"
"We're not going to disappear."
"—!"
"If you attempt to stay away from us again, I would bring you over and over until you give up. If you try to distance yourself, I would pull you back until you get closer. If you have decided to do something with your resolve to move forward, then I would respect that and be there to walk with you. I'm not letting you go anymore. You saved me even after losing everything. You were there for me when I was struggling."
"B-But, I can't do that... I know for myself that I'm going to cause more trouble and then you will... you will leave me..."
"Then I would take that trouble as well and solve it together with you." Lisa made her own decision.
"I won't leave you. Just being with you doesn't make me question the things that will happen. I will walk with you forever, solve and discover things together. Being with you puts my heart at ease that's why..." she stopped for a second and then she stared deeply through Aran.
"Please do not leave me as well..."
It was an effective promise.
The boy who lost everything and was trying to find his own path would stray even further without anyone beside him.
And in order to avoid that route, Lisa resolved herself that she would walk alongside him until they fulfill their own goals.
She wouldn't let Aran walk alone and just die like his existence was nothing. Even after countless trouble, she would be there for him. It shows that she truly cares for him. And that Aran respected her as well as she was the one who opened the door for him when he was alone as well.
The same equation would happen but this time, they would be closer than ever.
Aran felt relieved after hearing this. He returned back the smile that Lisa gave.
--
Meanwhile, back in the capital.
Nash and the commander along with board members of different divisions and the king of the Ruth Kingdom King Xavier Earlshied Ruth decided to propose a new formation of teams that will be accompanied by several kinds of knights and they will be deployed on all parts of the kingdom in order to lessen the casualties from an ongoing attack and in order to display a quick response if there is a problem or a potential ambush.
This idea was carefully thought of by Commander Henry. Because of what happened to the Moriville Village, he realized that having to deploy multiple teams and generating a division for every council and town will create a boundary for the number of responses. The scouts agreed with this idea and the other board members were in favor of it.
Because of the implementation of the new plan, Henry formed seven divisions inside and outside the kingdom. The first division up to the fourth one was assigned to continue their scouting and defending the nearby villages at Ziduec. The forest of Viara was most likely the place that they are going to watch out for because of its constant threat to the other towns.
These seven divisions are ranked from 1 to 7:
They were named Jue, Rhan, Lou, Xen, Zild, Astar, Lotus.
The Lotus division is the most powerful division among the rest and is also ranked one, consisting of many powerful knights and heroes as well as expedition masters and slayers.
Aside from forming different kinds of divisions, they have implemented a lot of new roles in order to balance the grouping and team cooperation.
One of which is what they call, Slayer.
A slayer is an all-around kind of warrior that deals with the monsters constantly in the frontline.
They are similar to vanguard knights but instead of prioritizing team management and cooperation, they are heavily reliant on being a Solo Exterminator.
Meaning that their role is to continue killing Dhekaids and exterminate them. The commander of the knights would have no authority for Solo Exterminators since they are only a commissioned part of the 7 formed divisions. The only leader they can follow is the captain of each division and that they can be assigned to a different group depending on the situation.
In order to become a Slayer, the individual must possess extraordinary skills, magical abilities, techniques, and a high-level spiritual form.
They should be also knowledgeable about different kinds of martial arts and fighting techniques. Must be intelligent and clever.
The individual must also be good at using a particular weapon with an insight of their own power that is attached to its core.
Among the kingdoms, only a selected few were able to meet the requirements imposed by the higher board members. Because of this slow production of qualifiers, and the number of unskilled knights and warriors, they have to build a place that focuses on training new warriors and knights in order to become a Slayer. They are governed by numerous grandmasters that teach weapon techniques, martial arts, magic, spiritual abilities, and forms.
Every division must have a slayer on the house but a crucial role can be implemented as well. They have created a ranking system wherein they monitor the skills of an individual and put them in a high-ranking position if they have proven themselves to be stronger than the rest. The opposite can be described in those who are Slayer candidates but don't exceed in any of the skills that they have.
Needless to say, they are still a slayer candidate. But the high rankers will have a much bigger opportunity on becoming an official slayer than those who are below them. That's the reason why warriors should be trained under the supervision of different skilled knights and grandmasters in the kingdom.
The place for all of this event is held within the central capital's newly built place called. The Fosier Academy.
Introducing all different kinds of warriors among different regions from inside and outside the kingdom. Everyone is applicable to apply and join the academy, all they need to do is to have a 3-year practice with the style they want to propose for a battle. This can be many things like swordsmanship, spears, bows, a fighter or a berserker, a mage, a strategist, and many more that are unique from the catalog.
The Fosier Academy is run by Henry and the President of the Extermination Division board council named Ahmed Gerjial. They are the ones responsible for anything inside the academy. All of the places and things including the materials, rooms, and weapons are funded by the capital's income as well.
Most people disagreed with the idea of having an academy built for fighting the Dhekaids but they soon realized that without this academy and plan, it will only increase the chances of being attacked everywhere inside the kingdom. This is backed up with a lot of support coming from the other villages who struggle outside the Ziduec because they are more prone to getting attacked by numerous creatures.
This is especially true with a lot of people including those who reside with the old Moriville Village. Those who are outside the capital tend to struggle with their survivability because they are not in the protected area of the kingdom. There are many provinces but most of them are not entirely placed within the walls so the backup claims are most likely to be prioritized than those who are living peacefully inside the capital.
Divisions are placed under the order of the Extermination Captains. All of them have a stationed base through the Ziduec area.
The Jue Division inhabits the land of Comera. It is located in the Southwest part of the kingdom. Comera has a lot of villages but they are prone to Dhekaids and supernaturals. The Jue Division is tasked to defend the villages and aid them from sudden attacks. Aside from that, they are also assigned to scout the other parts of Comera and investigate.
The Rhan Division is located in the west part of the kingdom. They are tasked to investigate the west and defend Veen Island, an island that is a little bit far from the kingdom. It has a large ocean surrounding the town but they can still visit the central place.
The Lou Division is assigned to defend the South. They are currently based around Lireo which is a big town that is popular for producing high-quality weapons. Lireo is surrounded by a big forest so they are also prone to Dhekaids and it is up to the Lou Division to take care of it.
The rest of the divisions are heavily guarding the current capital including the forest of Viara in which is more dangerous because it is near the capital.
Those who are enrolled inside the Fosier academy will have at least 1 to 2-years of training with the grandmasters and they will be placed under a division as soon as they graduated or if they get high remarkable scores that exceed the minimum requirement.
There are also events wherein the President would decide if the current generation of Slayers is stronger than the others and that they would receive an immediate certificate granting them the ability to join various missions under the division that they are stationed in. These events are often conducted at the end of the year and they would let students fight each other and determine which branch of a class is stronger.
Those who are in the high-ranking spot are commonly placed under the first division, while the rest of the candidates are placed in the 2nd up to the 7th division.
--
5 years later.
Aran and Lisa are now 17 years old.
Aran decided that he wanted to be a slayer candidate for the sake of revenge and for saving the people who are outside the capital. He said that he didn't want the other generation to experience what they have experienced back in the days when they were still a kid.
Lisa also thought the same. Given that they are both survivors of that particular incident, they know what it feels like to lose someone and to lose a 'home' that is especially important for them. They knew that better than everyone.
Though another part of the reason is that Lisa promised Aran that she would be with him.
"Lisa, I know what you are feeling, but please, I don't want you to go and risk your life for us. It is important for me to keep you safe and I mean, you can just go around here and help me with our business and–" Vritta was cut by Lisa.
"No, I don't want to father. I know that it is hard for you to accept my decision. But I just can't let it go you know? I don't want to spend my life living like how a normal noble should be. I want my life to have value and I can only do that by becoming a slayer. I don't want the other kids to experience what we have gone through for so many years and please, Father, please believe in me..." She stopped for a second. Lisa approached her father and then she hugged him.
"I am not in the state of being protected anymore, I need your support. So please, Father, can you try and trust your daughter for once?" She asked. Vritta shed some tears as he consented. He didn't want to do this but he also didn't want his daughter to sway him because of his continuous protection.
After getting consent from her father, Lisa walked through the hill and she saw Aran reading his book while sitting down below the large oak tree.
Remembering what happened, Lisa realized that seeing Aran sitting on the tree brings back so many memories before the incident happened. She smiled as she slowly approached the new good-looking Aran.
5 years have passed and that he undergo a lot of changes when it comes to his physique and manliness. His skills are not that refined according to Nash but he saw a promising potential to his growth. That's why he consented to let Aran join the Fosier Academy for the sake of improving his abilities even further.
As a grown-up teen, Aran wears a dark blue shirt with a brown belt on his waist. He also has gauze clothing that is tied on his left arm and grey leather pants with black boots, apart from that, he also has a holster on his back.
On the other hand, Lisa is now wearing a long white crop top with a light-blue leather coat on top and a black skirt. She also has a black leather strap belt with a holster connected to the waistline on her left thigh and long brown boots.
As they grow up, Aran and Lisa spent at least 5 years maintaining their physical fitness by doing some strenuous exercises and running every single day.
Since they have decided to become a slayer candidate, they must increase their physical strength and agility. But even with the excessive exercise, they are still not skilled with using weapons.
Though Aran has a small knife that he uses for hunting deers and bores for their food. On the other hand, Lisa has been practicing her katana, and that she also spent her time learning Alliere's Sunflower Sword Techniques.
Nash did a great job at raising Aran. And the same could be explained by Lisa's father. The two of them are like partners and both of them have the same mindset and goals for their life.
Aran finally noticed Lisa approaching him.
It was early morning and the sun was rising pretty calmly. The slow breeze in the air resonated around the field causing their hairs to sway back and forth. The day for enrollment inside the Fosier Academy to become a slayer is finally starting.
He closed his book and placed it inside his leather bag. After that, he stood up from his place and stretched his arms. He opened his crimson-red eyes and stared at Lisa with a gentle smile.
"You ready?" Lisa smiled at him as well.
"Compare to you, I don't turn my back." She teased him.
They both chuckled as soon as they walked. Many things have changed throughout the years, and the day is finally here where they start their new journey to save humanity and to know the truth about what happened years ago.
"Now then! Let's go!" Aran shouted.
The Fosier Academy, will now start.