Klaus and Alex were both taken aback, their surprise echoing in unison as if a sudden message notification had jolted them.
'Greed, what's this Apostle thing about?'
{HAHAHA HAHAHA Two Apostles in the same bloodline, how terrifying!} Greed's laughter continued, indifferent to Klaus's inquiry.
Sensing Klaus's unease, Alex locked eyes with him, and together, they silently regained their composure. Alex shifted his gaze to the two collateral children on the brink of a brawl, then to the boy still retching on the ground.
"Drawing your swords against an unarmed man is the greatest dishonor a swordsman can face; you two tarnish the Lionhart name," Alex declared with an icy tone, sending shivers down the spines of the two boys.
"We are sorry!" the two boys muttered in unison, bowing their heads to Alex.
"Take this garbage and scram," Alex commanded, casting a disgusted look at the boy on the ground. Incompetence was his ultimate pet peeve.
The two boys hastily carried their fallen companion away, vanishing from the scene with all possible speed.
He sighed and redirected his attention to Klaus.
'So what if he's an Apostle? Unlike him, I was chosen when I was just eight,' Alex thought, assuming that Klaus had become an Apostle just a month ago. It was the only explanation he could find for Klaus's remarkable transformation.
"And you!" Alex said, striding toward Klaus.
"Don't think you're a big shot just because you took down a weakling like Myre. I still remember how arrogant you were talking to the head of the house. If you think training will be a cakewalk, you're in for a rude awakening."
The fool in front of him had garnered the undivided attention of the head of the house a month prior, capitalizing on circumstances rather than his own merit.
Incompetence was Alex's utmost abhorrence, and arrogance without a sense of place came in at a close second.
And for Alex, Klaus Lionhart embodied both.
A loser destined to drop out of training, Klaus had the audacity to draw the head of the house's attention, leaving Alex thoroughly irritated.
"Now scram!" Alex added, waving his hand dismissively.
As Alex rebuked him, the collaterals sneered. Just as they were about to revel in their perceived victory, Klaus took a bold step forward.
"Are you all just skilled at flapping your mouths?" Klaus taunted, tilting his chin defiantly. With a gaze aslant, he stared directly at Alex, setting the stage for a confrontation.
"How dare you, collateral…"
A burst of red flames wrapped around Alex's fist as he advanced towards Klaus, his eyes ablaze with a predatory thirst. Simultaneously, the heavy door to the training ground groaned open, revealing a lady in her late fifties, her eyes hidden beneath a bandage. Beside her, a hulking, imposing figure walked, the door still vibrating from their entrance.
"Oh, did we interrupt something interesting?" the lady inquired casually.
"No, just two maggots quarreling," replied the man with an air of nonchalance.
'That woman.'
Klaus narrowed his eyes. 'The Blind Blade'—there was no way he wouldn't recognize her. In his past life, Klaus had nearly lost his life fighting against her.
'I heard she died,' Klaus mused, watching her stride past them.
She cast a brief glance at Klaus and Alex before ascending to the platform, affording her a commanding view of the entire training ground.
"Ahem…"
Alex bit his lips and pivoted around. His expression seemed to convey a warning to Klaus—forgiveness this time, but a cautious be wary for next time.
"Nice to meet you all," Erina declared with a smile from the elevated platform.
"I'm Erina Davoss, the new head instructor overseeing your training," she announced, her tone contradicting her appearance. At 1.70 meters tall(5'5), with long brown hair cascading down her back, the only blemishes on her otherwise beautiful face were the markings of time and the bandage concealing her eyes.
Maintaining a laid-back demeanor, Erina continued.
"There are four hundred and one trainees, but only two instructors," she gestured to herself and the towering man at her side.
"As you must also be thinking that there are too many trainees, let's reduce that number. What do you think, Rick?"
"Yeah, I think a hundred will be enough," Rick replied, his towering presence and muscular physique making him a formidable figure. With short blue hair, grey eyes, and a well-trimmed beard, he exuded an air of experience, appearing to be in his late thirties.
Erina's laid-back smile took on a slightly mischievous edge.
"Good! A hundred is indeed a good number," she concluded, setting the stage for the upcoming trials.
"Wa-ait, what?"
"Re-Reduce?"
"100?"
"What are they talking about…?"
A sudden hush fell over the gathered trainees, their faces turning ashy pale. The concept of being weeded out before basic training was foreign to them, injecting an air of uncertainty and tension into the atmosphere.
"We will distinguish between gems and pebbles, quite literally. I'd rather train some quality swordsmen over quantity," Erina proclaimed, waving her finger at the children as if she were perusing a selection of products.
"I'm a Lionhart collateral! It's nonsense to weed me out; we have been training here for three years already!"
"That's true! We were all ordered to participate by the family!"
"I'm not a Lionhart, so I don't know about the direct line or collateral lines," Erina said, a twisted smile playing on her lips.
"I'm the law on this training ground. If you aren't happy about it, complain to the lord who made me the law."
'Interesting.'
Klaus scratched his chin, contemplating the unexpected turn of events. Erina was blind but her ability to perceive life force and mana made her a formidable opponent for any mage, adding a layer of complexity to the challenge ahead.
"Some of you have already learned martial arts, and others haven't. As such, I'm going to use the simplest, yet the most certain, method to evaluate you," Erina announced.
Erina's finger, previously pointed at the children, now directed their attention towards the outdoor gymnasium.
"Run laps in the gymnasium until I tell you to stop. At full speed!"
As her words echoed through the training ground, two figures sprang into action—Klaus and Alex.
"Eek!"
"Sh*t."
"Let… Let's go!"
"Run!"
The collective pounding of footsteps filled the air as the other children hastily followed Klaus and Alex, commencing the intense sprint within the gymnasium.
Klaus and Alex surged ahead, their seemingly casual pace revealing an untouchable speed. Three others trailed closely, their determination evident.
'Greed, what's his core color?' Klaus inquired.
{Light Green.}
'So, he is close to a breakthrough.'
{Not quite, but he will surely reach a cyan core in a few months.}
'How about them?' Klaus asked, casting a sidelong glance at the three kids trailing behind him and Alex.
{The boy with red hair also has a light Green core, the girl has a light yellow core, and the demi-human kid a dark red core.}
'Interesting.'
Klaus shifted his gaze to Erina, observing her keenly watching from the elevated platform. The visible attributes were only part of the evaluation; the probing of life force and mana added an extra layer of scrutiny.
Klaus exhaled, his eyes gleaming with determination.
'The winner of this test is whoever lasts the longest.' He thought as he deliberately eased his pace, allowing the three trailing kids to overtake him. Many more followed suit.
Alex grinned, convinced that Klaus couldn't keep up.
'I knew it, he is just a weakling,' he thought, relishing the unfolding competition.