While Elliot and Rael were heading to the first floor to join the trainees, Rael asked, "Mr. Elliot, you mentioned earlier that the situation in the vampire kingdom is quite unstable. Is there a war with another race?"
Elliot sighed when he heard Rael's question and replied with a slightly sad voice, "It's not an external problem; it's an internal conflict. In the royal family, the most talented and capable individual inherits the throne. In case there are multiple heirs, they compete under the king's supervision. The previous king, Lady Lina's father, was the most talented prince. Additionally, he married the daughter of the second-largest family after the royal family and married a lady from the royal family, securing his position as king."
"After ruling for a few years, during one of his journeys he returned with a human and he announced that he would marry her. This decision faced strong opposition as many vampires believed themselves superior to humans and half blood even though there's no discrimination against them. His enemies accused him of tainting the purity of royal blood. The situation worsened as the woman wasn't a powerful magus but a mere human."
"Moreover, the former king after hearing about the situation summoned them . But the weird thing is afterspeaking with them, the former king announced his support for the marriage. With the support of both the previous and current kings, they married, and the woman gave birth to a highly talented daughter, surpassing her siblings significantly. There were rumors that she might become the next queen."
"Years passed, and this girl entered the academy, securing the first place, and her fame spread. Many nobles began to consider supporting her. However, a tragic incident occurred when the king and his third wife left on a journey. They were attacked and despite having several attendants, both the king and his wife were killed. It was a well-prepared trap, and we were surrounded, unable to do anything. After killing the king, they left us alive and left his body as well."
"Wait, Elliot, were you with them?" Rael asked, his face expressing shock.
"Yes, I was with the king. I failed to protect him, and that's why I vowed to serve his daughter until the end of my life," replied Elliot, interrupting Rael's question.
"Are you serious you mean Li—?" Rael said, taken aback.
"Yes, the king's and the third wife daughter is now Miss Lina, a half-vampire with royal blood just like you," Elliot explained, cutting off Rael's question.
"Tell me, what happened after you returned to the kingdom?" Rael asked.
After pausing for a moment as if recalling old memories, Elliot continued, "When news of the king's death spread, chaos engulfed the kingdom. It was the first time the king had been assassinated since the signing of the Great Treaty. Signs of rebellion emerged in many noble families until the former king was forced to come out of seclusion to restore stability. He also took the third princess under his wing, as many people were displeased that the kingdom's top genius was a half-human. They would have exploited this chaos for their benefit."
"But what no one expected was that, after a period of the king's death, the first and second wives' children began to vie for the throne and isolate the third princess. With the support of many noble families, and even some members of the royal family, the former king had no choice but to announce that there would be a competition when he reached the end of his life. Unfortunately, he doesn't have much time left. He was expected to live around 60 years, but it has been already ten years since that time, and fifty years are not enough for the princess to fully demonstrate her abilities. As a result, the competition has intensified since the former king's announcement."
When they finished talking, they had already arrived at the first floor, where many trainees and trainers had already started their exercises. Seeing the scene before him, Rael decided to bury his questions for now and think about them later in the night when he finished his training.
When they entered the arena, a shirtless trainer with a muscular body and bronze skin, bearing many scars that indicated he was a seasoned warrior, approached them. He greeted Elliott warmly and asked, "Elliott, what are you doing here?"
"Hello Jonathan, I'm here to assign a personal trainee for you. You'll be training them for the next six months at the request of the princess," Elliott replied.
Then Elliott turned to Rail and introduced, "Allow me to present Jonathan Icebridge. He's my old companion, and we fought side by side in the service of the king. After the previous king's death , he came with me to serve the princess, and he is now the head trainer of all warriors in the princess's faction."
"Nice to meet you, Sir Jonathan. My name is Rael and I'll be under your supervision for the next six months," Rail said.
Jonathan smiled and replied, "Hmm, pleased to meet you too. You can go and choose a weapon that suits you from the equipment room on the side."
Upon hearing his words, Rail headed towards the equipment room. It was apparent that Elliott and Jonathan were old friends who hadn't met for some time, and Rail didn't want to be an annoying third party.
The equipment room was about a hundred meters away and filled with various types of weapons such as swords, sabers, bows, spears, and many others. After some searching, Rael chose a pair of long daggers. These weapons were familiar to Rael due to his family's art that aligned with their usage.
As Rael exited the equipment room, he discovered that Elliott had already returned to the castle, and Jonathan was waiting for him there. When Rael approached Jonathan, he said, "Elliott already informed me about your situation. During these six months, we'll focus on improving and strengthening your body, and I'll assign another trainer to teach you the art of daggers, as it's not my specialty."
Later in the night, Rael returned feeling exhausted. He had trained for several hours, and his body felt like it was on the verge of collapse. The thought of spending six months in this condition made him feel even more tired, so he decided to sleep.
As Rael lay on the bed, he felt that he had forgotten something, but before he could dwell on it, he slipped into the realm of dreams.