"Where have you been?" In a slightly high pitched tone of voice, Kirara asked Jun and the other two slaves. Kirara wrinkled her face knowing they had returned too late to the palace. "Psychopathic Doctor! Answer me, it's too late. What if something happens to them!?"
Jun covered his ears with both palms.
He knew that he would be taught a lesson by Kirara if they returned late at night, hence why before entering the palace earlier, Jun told Tendou to enter the palace quietly.
Unfortunately, Jun's plan failed to be completed perfectly when Kyosuke who was still fast asleep on Tendou's back, suddenly woke up and shouted echoing throughout the palace, "GET OFF ME! DO YOU WANT TO DIE?"
And that led to their current fate.
"Sigh, are you underestimating me? I'm there with them, and anyway this is a direct order from His Majesty Meika, just because he doesn't trust you to train them doesn't mean you can scold me all you want, Bitefrost."
Yes, that's right. Jun and Kirara's relationship had never gotten along and they were always arguing.
But why did they not get along?
The answer was only one.
Kirara then adjusted her glasses with her middle finger, her facial expression turned frightening and the atmosphere around them became eerily cold.
"Please do not utter any presumptuous words, psychopathic doctor. I am the chief secretary of His Majesty Meika, Kirara Zuvarist Ilion. He entrusted me to accompany his at the Meeting of the Five Great Nations- The Ultimatum."
Hearing Kirara's provocation, Jun naturally did not want to remain silent.
"What are you saying, Bitefrost? Even the people know who to fear and that is, Jun Zuvarist Ilion, His Majesty Meika's main shield. The Meeting is only a meeting, nothing special about it and for me, these Slaves' future is on my palm"
People thought Jun and Kirara were very intimidating and should be feared, but in reality they were very childish when it came to the King, Meika.
"Right, right, Your Majesty Meika?" Jun and Kirara asked with their faces directed at Meika who was standing right behind Meika, observing the atmosphere that suddenly became tense due to Jun and Kirara's rivalry.
Wanting to be recognized by Meika was what was expected, hence they always boasted about things related to Meika himself even trivial things.
Meika sighed when seeing them arguing endlessly, because he knew they wouldn't stop if they started once. That was exactly why Jun and Kirara had never been put on the same mission before.
Imagining them always competing to only get praise from him, Meika knew it was a bad decision if it would happen. In any case, the mission they were on would not go well even though it would end up being successful in the end.
Only, wouldn't it look very satisfactory if all their plans and missions were carried out perfectly without the slightest mistake.
And if they were already in their child mode -and by that term, what was meant was that they did not want to give in and would keep arguing until one of them won- there was only one thing the king himself could do.
"Jun, Kirara. Halt."
The atmosphere suddenly turned more tense as Meika's voice echoed in the room, making not only Tendou and Kyosuke who were still mentally and physically weak, but also Jun and Kirara who were known to be the king's right hand and left hand tame easily.
"Didn't I tell you to behave in front of my two new slaves?" said Meika.
As Jun and Kirara broke out in cold sweat, their hands did not stop shaking at the intimidating gaze which eventually made them apologize for their impudence.
"M-My apologies, Your Majesty." said Kirara and Jun nervously.
Was it that easy to subdue the person who had previously made Kyosuke unable to move with just a glare from Kirara, and also the person who had even injured Tendou's body mercilessly?
Even Tendou himself was astonished and curious as to how strong Meika really was.
Meika let out a long sigh and greeted Kyosuke and Tendou, "Welcome, and also sorry for their rudeness. Jun and Kirara, don't repeat it again."
"Very well understood Your Highness!"
Meika chose to ignore Jun's mistake this time because it was his direct duty, but that was not commendable because it was true that if anything happened to the two slaves, Meika would be the one burdened with thoughts.
"Report?" Meika asked Jun.
Jun then knelt down to lower himself before giving a report to Meika, "They have yet to master and understand the concept of Phase Power, it may take some time for them to understand it. And my advice as their mentor is that they should learn Pionese because it will make their lives easier in the future. Report completed."
Meika closed his eyes to think about what he should do. It was true, there were some books on Phase Power in Pionese and that would make it easier for them to understand the concept of power.
But...
If they don't have the will, what's the point?
One's knowledge is useless if they don't apply it in real life, and all their time will be wasted.
But immediately, Tendou interrupted the King who was deep in thought, "I, for one, am willing to learn the language."
Meika then opened his eyes, giving him a meaningful look as if proud of him though it was only temporary before he showed his expressionless face to Tendou again.
"Are you sure?"
"Completely," Tendou said.
The king then smiled, "Alright, do as you wish."
However, on the other hand, Kyosuke rejected it. He did not want to expend energy that he would not necessarily need in this world, and he thought that he would rather spend his time in that beautiful room.
"Tch, I'm not going to take that stupid lesson!" he said indifferently. And of course, Kyosuke's actions triggered the anger of Kirara and Jun, who were already clenching their fists and ready to punish him for his rudeness.
Meika did not care about Kyosuke's decision, because he knew it was his choice. "As I said, do what you want too."
Jun and Kirara were shocked, they had never seen the king nurture someone so much. Because given their past, the king would not even let them rest for the night unless they completed their training.
But they knew, they could not question the king's straightforward decision.
"However, I just want you to know, Slave 2. This world, is not a place for you to have fun."
"Like I care!"
Kyosuke's departure to his room was a sign that their gathering was dismissed and just like that, Meika let Tendou return to his room directly and he did.
On the way back, Tendou was on his deep thought, though he should not care what Kyosuke's decision was, all he should be concerned about was himself and his future in that world.
Therefore when he entered the room, he then took off his clothes, and put both hands on the floor. "O-One..." He himself didn't even know whether the push-ups he did were correct or not. The most important thing was the intention of change, that way he would definitely get significant progress.
Because effort never betrays results.
The next day, Tendou arrived at the training ground with the other royal guards on time. He tried to find Kyosuke there, but it seemed he would not be coming anytime soon.
"That's Slave 1" came the sound of several royal guards talking about him from behind. But Tendou ignored that and chose to remain silent, awkwardly on the field alone.
Until finally, "UAGH!" The sound of someone groaning from the palace rang out onto the field and was followed by his body being thrown towards the field as well.
And of course, it was Kyosuke.
Jun came after he threw Kyosuke directly from the palace and broke Kyosuke's back due to the impact Kyosuke received with the ground of the field.
"I don't care if you don't take language lessons because it's optional. But practicing with me is an absolute decision from the king, I won't let you live as you please in this world."
However, even though Kyosuke was dragged and forced to attend training, he still didn't care about it. He let Jun beat him over and over again. He still wouldn't care about it.
Because to him, there was no point in him living in that world when he realized that the beginning would definitely have an end, and happiness would end in sadness.
He would not feel any loss, if he did not have anything.
"Well done, Slave 1. You are showing a great development." Jun praised.
"Thank you, Sir Jun!"
He just stayed in the center of the field while he witnessed Tendou showing enthusiasm and self-development. But it all had nothing to do with Kyosuke.
It was just that he was curious, what had driven him to change in just one day?
"F-Fifty, Fif...ty-one..."
Even after training, Tendou continued to practice. Practicing. And practicing.
After training, Tendou attended Pionese class diligently. Reading the dictionary in his spare time, even when Gavius had set and night had fallen, Tendou returned to the field with the one sword provided there, gripping it tightly to start practicing sword swinging.
"Twenty-five, twenty-six."
"Hey dummy,"
"Ah, Slave 2, Dva hadu ju svaska?"
"Hey, I can't speak that language"
"Ah, I'm sorry. I just wanted to practice my language so I wouldn't forget it. What I want to say is, you haven't fallen asleep yet? What's wrong?"
Kyosuke was at a loss as to where to start, because if he asked him straight out, he was afraid of prying into Tendou's privacy.
Kyosuke then walked over and picked up another sword and pointed it at Tendou. Taking a stance, Kyosuke said, "Fight me, Slave 1"
"Oh, you want to practice too? Why not, let's do it."
Within a day, Tendou had already mastered very agile and elite-looking moves. He seemed very fluid and professional in swinging his sword.
How could he master it in just a day, it made Kyosuke annoyed.
Since long ago, it had always been... he was left behind.
'That's not fair. Someone with talent like you is just cheating. Whereas someone like me has to work hard, and in the end... I'll be left behind...'
Tendou pinned him down with the sword was next to his head. He had been heavily defeated by Tendou in the friendly spar.
"I... won" said Tendou.
Kyosuke looked at Tendou closely, seeing his sweaty face. His sweat was dropping and wetting Kyosuke's own face which did not have the slightest sweat on it. Tendou's hands were clearly visible in Kyosuke's eyes, having so called scars.
'No...' Kyosuke actually knew but he was just trying to find the excuse of his defeat and the reason why he didn't want to deal with this world.
He was tired of being left behind by everyone close to him. His family, rivals and friends.
He no longer wanted to...
"What... drives you to keep going, Slave 1?"
The piling up of curiosity was expressed just from those words, no matter what the answer was.
On the other hand, Tendou also answered while catching his breath, "Myself."
The ambiguous words made Kyosuke wonder. What did he mean by himself?
'Ah...' He then understood it. Kyosuke did not know what past Tendou had, but he still chose to grow. For himself.
Kyosuke, on the other hand, only blamed others for his failures. He should, instead, focus on himself.
In point of fact, the loser always tries to find an excuse when they lost. People said, the winner focused on winning while the loser focused on the winner.
"Hey, do you think... Do I deserve to be someone this kingdom can rely on?"
Tendou then stood up and pulled his sword from the ground, "I don't know. I have the same question for myself too, but I won't lose, I don't want to... lose anything else!"
Kyosuke could not hold back his tears. It was like he was seeing himself from a different universe, where he was eager and training much harder and not blaming the others.
"Heh. You're right." He then wiped away his tears. "I don't want to lose anything either! I, for one, will try to protect what I still have!"
Tendou then pulled Kyosuke who was still lying on the ground. Perhaps that was the beginning of their friendship.
And as the scene was observed by someone, he proudly smiled. He then chuckled, "Looks like, everything went well and I didn't need to intervene."
It was the king, Meika.