Kendrick looked back at the fight, excited at the battle between the two individuals. A shieldbearer who made a name for himself in the Kingdom's forces. The head of the 'Stout' division, the role model and leader of the many protectors of the Kingdom who have chosen the path of the shield.
The Archmage himself, a man who has lived many years and had many experiences leading to his ascendance to the strongest of all mages. The man who reached the 8th circle and proved his worth and power by tackling all forms of challenges to gain everyone's respect.
These were the people who were fighting.
'Though... he never cared about gaining fame, respect, or acknowledgment', Kendrick thought.
But even still, it was true that everyone respected him. He has a reputation, but it was hardly anything as it stood adjacent to his overwhelming strength.
His achievements spoke for themselves, the very act that put him in the position of the Archmage was the most significant...
*CRASH*
A sudden noise followed a slight vibration of the ground, it wasn't particularly loud, but it was impactful. It signified an attack with an actual result.
The result itself? Ruk was lying on the ground, his eyes wide in shock. In front of his pathetic state was Regal who was breathing heavily.
"...where the hell did you learn to do that?", Ruk asked without moving from his spot.
Regal spent another few seconds catching his breath before once again moving into his stance. But before taking any further action, he replied.
"I told you... some bald dude I met a while back taught me"
Ruk looked at him for a moment, but soon realising that Regal was getting ready to attack once more he made his final decision for the battle.
"...I surrender", Ruk sighed.
He picked himself back up from his temporary bed and wiped himself off.
Regal looked confused at the man who barely seemed fazed by any of the previous attacks.
"You look like you could fight a little more", Regal commented.
Ruk moved his eyes and locked them with Regal's.
"And you look like you could fight forever. That gasping isn't fooling anyone", Ruk affirmed before walking away to where Ellis and Kendrick were standing.
Regal watched him walk away and shrugged, he similarly wiped off his clothing and looked at his palm. He clenched it into a fist a few times and sighed.
'A mage isn't suited for close combat', he declared to himself.
He turned his head to the heroes who were standing in awe... and clearly not doing their construction work!
Their tools were all over the floor, random blocks of wood scattered around them, and a few particular stacks remained directly beside the heroes as if they were dropped there.
They truly were random parts of machinery, it was impossible to tell what belonged to what. Like wooden puzzle pieces.
"What are you lot gawking at!? Go! Construct! Build something!", Regal shouted, breaking the heroes out of their trance.
They panicked as they picked up a few unidentifiable scraps of wood and rushed off with it to their construction site. Following their lead, Regal walked away to the group of teachers.
"So then Sir Loser, I'll be enjoying your assistance later", Regal said as he joined the group.
"Indeed...", Ruk replied with a hint of annoyance.
"Regal... how... no, why do you know how to fight like that? You're a mage aren't you?", Ellis questioned with evident curiosity.
It didn't take Regal long to answer.
"I just figured I'd learn how to fight while the opportunity was presented to me. The man who taught me said he figured it would be interesting, but in the end, he got annoyed with me for some reason and told me to leave"
Kendrick nodded as he felt he understood to some extent why it occurred.
'I'd get angry too if someone could learn my swordsmanship so quickly...'
But then he saw William in the distance and realised that something similar was already happening.
He shook his head.
'Was there a need to summon four monsters?', Kendrick wondered.
"Sir Regal", a voice appeared from in front of them, almost magically out of nowhere.
Regal turned to the individual in servant's clothing, a butler holding a cup of water. It was Pamel.
"What?", Regal asked.
He gave Regal the cup of water, Regal naturally accepted it after the fight he just had and decided to take a sip.
'Nothing strange with it...', he thought.
He then took another sip, but this time taking in far more than his earlier suspicious sips.
"The King and his son Prince Alba are here"
Regal jolted with widened eyes as he spat out his water in an almost comedic manner, specifically all over the other teachers next to him. And while they were both annoyed and disgusted, they were in similar shock.
"What!? Is that bastard positioned outside my estate!? The carriage of Royalty!?", Regal shouted with strangely desperate questions.
"No, he is here discreetly", Pamel responded.
Regal gave out a sigh of relief.
'I don't need all that attention again... anywhere that damned carriage goes becomes a big deal. Nobody cared when I was leaving the palace, but when a big shiny box gets carried around by some fancy horses, everyone goes crazy'
"Where are they right now?", Kendrick asked.
"They are currently in the reception room waiting for Sir Regal"
Ruk suddenly started to become restless.
"Lord Riverwood, you must go meet His Majesty immediately! You cannot keep the King waiting!", Ruk exclaimed.
Regal pulled an annoyed face.
"Says who? I don't remember receiving a letter of his arrival, he can either wait or leave"
"Lor-!", Ruk was about to shout once more but Kendrick placed his arm in front of him.
"We should leave Regal and the King to their own methods, the King is specifically here to see Regal so I'm sure he was prepared for this much.", Kendrick explained.
"Besides, I have much to tell you about the Majin that appeared, you didn't make an agreement with me after all"
Ruk paused for a moment, but his attention was quickly directed to Kendrick. Kendrick threw a thumbs up toward Regal.
Regal laughed silently.
'The one who cares most about me meeting the King was half the reason it was about to take so long'
He walked off with Pamel to his estate, everything in the training ground proceeding normally as it should be. He took another look at the teacher's talking and the heroes doing their own thing. The warm sun covered them, and a few blocks of shade were scattered across the floor from the clouds. A slight breeze flew over the blades and grass... it was quiet and peaceful.
'Haha... what a nice day...'
He continued walking into the estate and made his way through the corridors to the reception room. Despite who he was meeting, he didn't get changed nor did he wash up or anything of the sort. He went to meet the King straight out of the fight with Ruk, his clothes dirty and hardly fit to meet royalty in the first place.
He reached the doors and opened them without much hesitation.
'...but, it's also boring'
As the doors opened, the figure of the King was sitting with a very dignified aura on his furniture. The King was here discreetly so he wasn't wearing clothes of royal standard, but still fancy enough that it would belong to a noble.
Beside him was a child dressed in a similarly noble manner, he had a much less dignified air about him, but there was still a certain aura that suggested he was of a high status. That individual was none other than Prince Alba, and he didn't seem to have the most pleased look.
Regal looked around the room, the only ones present were some servants and guards that accompanied the King. He then turned to face the King himself. He was seated and remained seated even as Regal walked in, royalty would never greet someone of lower rank after all.
"What do you want?", Regal asked.
If there was ever any sort of tension from the meeting of the two high-ranked individuals, it was now gone thanks to Regal and his ever-casual speech. The guards and servants looking nervous and unsure of how to act.
The King sighed.
"Lord Riverwood... How I ever enjoy your presence.", the King commented with jest.
He then cleared his throat.
"I suppose there is no need for small talk between us... I am here regarding the matter of the Lucus forest, as well as the matter of my son"
Regal tilted his head.
'I can understand about the demonic forest, but what's this about his son?'
His son in question, was currently admiring Regal's surprising muscles under his training shirt. His previous unhappy expression was distracted, but not completely gone.
Regal took a seat and folded his arms, at the same time he placed one leg over the other and let out a relaxed sigh.
"Why don't we start with the less important matter", Regal suggested.
The King nodded.
"I've heard of what happened in the Lucus forest, I'm here to-"
"Not that! I mean about your son!", Regal interrupted.
"Oh... In that case, about my son Alba becoming your disciple"
'Who the hell treats the matter of a disciple as more important than the possible impending doom of the Kingdom', Regal thought.
"Ahem, I'm afraid it cannot be done", the King stated.
Regal looked at the Prince who was back to his bad mood as he sat cross-armed just like himself. It seemed to be a case that was against his will, but the Prince certainly preferred to be under the Archmage.
"Is that all? I guess we should move on to the next matter then", Regal said in a monotone voice.
The King frowned.
"Do you not care for having my son as your disciple?", he asked with a speck of annoyance.
But then it was Regal's turn to get annoyed, or at least seem as much.
"Let's get this straight, I was only planning to train him temporarily. He was going to become my disciple if he beat An- Uh... my current disciple in a month's time", Regal averted his eyes for a moment in thought but shook his head and returned to the conversation.
"Besides, whether Alba wants to become my disciple or not shouldn't be an issue for the King or the Prince to handle. What you say goes", Regal affirmed.
The King agreed with his statement. If he really wanted to, then this matter would be handled in a matter of seconds. But while it was within his power, there are political issues in doing so, especially when taking into account who they're dealing with.
"It is not that simple, the mage who is currently designated as Alba's teacher is from the Regivald Duke family", the King explained.
'That sounds familiar', Regal thought, though he couldn't pinpoint exactly where he heard the name.
It should be obvious that any individual belonging to the Kingdom would know of the Duke families, at least their name would suffice for even commoners. But Regal wasn't raised in the Kingdom so he never learnt about it during his childhood. Or at least not about nobility and such things.
The majority of his time traveling was spent training, and while he should learn a few things along the way, he typically avoided invitations from nobles after a while since he realised he wouldn't get along with them.
He was well-known as a strong mage before he became the Archmage, but it wasn't until he became the Archmage that he would be involved with the biggest powers in the Kingdom.
It's not that he never met a Duke before, it's just that he doesn't care to remember the names of people, even if they're important.
"Even so, there is still a simple solution. I promised that if Alba could defeat my disciple within a month he could become my disciple as well... so if he does that, then I will handle the matter with Duke Regivald.", Regal suggested.
"...I doubt it will be that easy", the King retorted.
"Like I said, there is a simple solution. If I beat them in a fight, I can designate a reward on both sides and prove that I'm the better-suited master for the Prince. As a member of the Duke family and the Prince's master, he can't exactly decline", he elaborated.
The King was in thought for a moment. It didn't seem like a plausible option since it was unlikely that Regal would go out of his way to do such a thing, but if the man himself suggested the idea, then who in their right mind would refuse?
Regal then frowned, a sudden realization hit him.
"Wait a minute, are you saying that you told his current teacher that I might be taking over as the Prince's master, me, the Archmage, and he seriously challenged that?", Regal questioned with suspicion.
The King averted his eyes.
"Ahem... the moment we mention it, it would already become an issue that we can't afford to deal with right now... so they don't know"
Regal heard this usual nonsense and couldn't help but think, 'How bothersome...'