[Leon's POV]
Five months had passed since I returned to the Solaris House and entered the Knight's Academy. I had mostly learned the ropes from my grandfather and my precious friends for the past five months. They taught me everything I needed to know about the Solaris House and inducted me as if I were any regular Solaris descendant.
Yes, there were a few hiccups here and there, but my return to the Solaris House has been smooth sailing. I went to class diligently, made new friends, and gradually elevated my status in the House.
My talent blossomed with all the mentorship I was given, and I could feel my individual skills rising daily. And it wasn't just the Solaris Mystic Arts. My skills with the sword have improved drastically, my mana pool deepened, and my knowledge base has been broadened beyond anything I could have anticipated.
It wasn't an exaggeration to say I was twice the Knight now.
And it showed.
Metal clanked as my sword flowed through the air in a blade dance. Without using mana or special abilities, I moved my body effortlessly like a fish in water. Sometimes, my swordplay was quick and decisive, but others were slow and reserved. In no time, my opponent felt the pressure and crumbled against my distinct swordsmanship.
Falling to her knees, the young girl dropped her sword with pure exhaustion written on her face. Her cat-like features snarled as she attempted to catch her breath. His white complexion blushed completely red as sweat drenched her entire training gear. She sat on the training grounds' floor while breathing heavily, letting loose her ponytail and allowing her silky black hair to flow down.
"God damn it, I can't even land a hit now!"
"You improved tremendously though. I'm surprised at how fast your last sequence was."
"There's no point in being fast if I can't land a single hit, right?"
"Haha, you don't have to be that frustrated. Probably only five people in the Academy could hit me in a sparring match."
"That doesn't make it any better!"
The girl brushed the dust off her clothes and got to her feet. Her captivating golden eyes stared straight at me as she cursed:
"And I thought my brother was the only monster I had to deal with. Curse you, Leon. I hope you slip and fall, breaking your perfect nose."
"Your words cut deep… Arya."
In the five months since I returned, I have made several friends. There was Sister Lydia, my cousin and loving guide. There was Gale and Adelia, the pair of childhood friends who only know how to bicker. There was Rufus, the gentle giant. And finally… the sister of the infamous Amon Solaris.
Arya Solaris.
"Did you train with your brother too?" I asked with a raised eyebrow, trying desperately to hide my interest.
"Yeah," Arya replied with exhaustion. "Whenever he was free, he would force me to be his sparring partner. Though, it was more of a beating than a sparring session. He would criticise my swordplay, mana control, and overall combat ability. It's so irritating!"
The girl started to rant about her older brother with an exasperated tone. However, I could see that within her insults lay a profound amount of affection and respect. Especially since her lips kept rising into a smile as she recollected her time with her brother.
"You may be a monster, Leon. But my brother is on a whole other level. There was a time when he gave me a handicap and only used one finger to parry my attacks. I was completely defeated that day. Just imagining his finger thrusting into my stomach gives me nightmares."
Arya grabbed onto her elbows and shivered like a leaf in the autumn breeze. Evidently, her memories of that sparring session weren't all that pleasant.
"That's amazing… I can't wait to meet him."
"Why would you want to meet up with that monster who stabs innocent young girls," Arya scoffed and folded her arms in akimbo. "Hah, unfortunately, even if you wanted to meet him, you can't. He's still in the middle of his escapade with his fiancée. Seriously, can't he even make a call? My mom has been worried sick about him."
Five months had passed since I returned, and five months had passed since the loving pair eloped.
They say it takes a hundred days of rumours to die out. However, Amon and Yue's elopement had been the talking point in the Knight's Academy the entire time. In some sense, I was grateful to the joyous couple. Their elopement had taken the heat off my return, and most gossip was about their current status.
Were they unable to take it anymore and eloped far away from the prying eyes of the two mighty Houses? Did they have a kid and were raising it in secrecy? There was no shortage of rumours flying around.
Unfortunately, the pair didn't make any public announcement. It didn't help that neither the Solaris nor the Elune House were willing to share any information about their whereabouts, adding to the mystique of their elopement.
"What about you? Aren't you worried about your brother?"
"Hah? About that stone-faced bastard? No way! He's more than capable of taking care of himself. If anything, I'm more worried about Sister Yue. Seriously, why did a girl like her fall for him? She's wasted on that bastard."
Arya cursed to the heavens, likely to spite her missing brother. But from how her face dropped when she cursed about him and how she anxiously stomped her feet, I could tell there was genuine concern for her sibling.
"Hah… But they sure are taking a long time this time… They would usually be back in less than a month."
"Do you have any idea where they might have gone?"
"Vaguely," Arya rolled her eyes but didn't answer the full question. "Although they have eloped, Sister Yue and I keep in touch. At the very least, my stupid brother hasn't died in a ditch yet."
Ah, now it made sense. If they kept in touch with each other, there was no need for Arya to be too worried.
"If he doesn't bring souvenirs this time, I will bite his head off."
"Haha, you have such a good relationship with your brother."
"Hargh?! In what universe?"
The young girl was pissed off and attempted to lunge at me. Fortunately, the earlier sparring session had drained her energy, and she could barely step forward. Collapsing on the floor once again, she spat angrily and said:
"I'm spent, so I'll let you off the hook this time."
"Haha, lucky me."
I was about to help Arya get to her feet before spotting someone entering the training room from the corner of my eye. I glanced over my shoulder and saw a young beauty stride confidently into the chamber, sashaying her hips from side to side. Taller than most women, she moved her long legs like a model, and her spectacular body shape complemented her moves.
With long black hair and rich golden eyes, there was no doubt about her heritage. Her face was one I'd seen many times before since returning to the Solaris House. It was none other than Sister Lydia, the cousin who helped me a bunch since my return.
The young woman smiled as she approached me but froze when she realized I had company—or, to be more specific, she froze when she saw Arya.
"Sister Lydia? What brings you here?"
"Ah… Senior Lydia…"
Arya let out an awkward laugh and scratched her cheek. Sister Lydia did something similar; her earlier bravado was broken, and she shifted her eyes around like a nervous wreck.
"Leon, I came to find you and… Arya. I didn't expect you to be here…"
"Leon and I do some swordsmanship training on the side. You know, since my brother isn't here."
"Right… Right…"
The two young women coughed awkwardly, increasing the tension even further. They couldn't meet each other's eyes, creating the amusing situation where one was looking at the ceiling, the other at the ground. Unable to bear the awkwardness anymore, Sister Lydia looked to me for help, and I sighed.
"Arya, if there's nothing else, would you please vacate the room? It seems that Sister Lydia has business with me."
"Y-yeah!" Thankful that she could escape the uncomfortable situation, Arya quickly gathered her things and made a beeline to the exit. Before she left, she waved her hands goodbye and said: "Then, I'll see you next week, Leon!"
"Alright, see you!"
And with that, Arya was gone.
Only after a few moments, when Arya's presence couldn't be felt anymore, Sister Lydia finally relaxed and dropped her tense shoulders.
"I didn't know you were close with Arya?" Sister Lydia shot me a begrudging stare.
Unaware of what I did wrong, I shrugged and replied: "We are just training partners. Few people can match my swordplay, so I invited her to train with me. I do the same with others, too. It just so happened that the others couldn't make it today, so I trained alone with Arya."
To hone our skills and digest the knowledge we gained, I hosted a weekly training session and gathered Knights I was friendly with to spar. Gale and Adelia were naturally invited. And Rufus, a friend I made during my other classes, was also a regular in this training session.
Arya was one of the many Knights in my cohort with whom I had friendly relations, so it was no surprise that she would join my session, too.
"But why are you on bad terms with her?"
"Well, we aren't on bad terms per se… It's just that… there were some circumstances in the past that made it awkward for me to face her."
"Circumstances? What kind?"
"Mind your own business."
For the first time in my life, I made Sister Lydia snap. She curtly cut off my question and didn't take no for an answer. She coughed twice, likely to signal that she was done talking about this subject and continued with her own statement:
"Rather than prying into my personal matters, I'd thought you would be more interested in hearing something that involves you."
"Hmmm? What are you talking about?"
"Don't tell anyone I told you, but…" Sister Lydia's voice grew softer, and it became a silent whisper. I strained my ears and listened carefully as her expression looked grim.
"I heard from my mother that you will participate in the upcoming Demonic Beast Purge."
"What?"
To understand the significance of the Demonic Beast Purge, one had to understand the customs of the Solaris House. Being a monolithic organisation, the Solaris House has accomplished many milestones after existing for thousands of years. Hence, rather than celebrate them on individual days scattered across the year, the Solaris House condensed all the festivities into one month of observance.
Aptly named after the Solaris Founder, Idrytis Solaris, "Idrytis August" was one month commemorating all the major events of the Solaris House. The founder's festival, the day the Saint repelled the Demons for good, remembering the fallen… They were all condensed into one month.
Within that month, there were many vital holidays and activities that anyone in Solfea could enjoy. Be it festivals with carnival food or holiday inns opening so anyone could enjoy their hot springs. However, for members of the Solaris House, only a few festivities mattered.
For me, the only event that mattered during "Idrytis August" was the Sword Bestowment Ceremony. It was a coming-of-age event where all Solaris descendants who became Knights were allowed to enter the most sacred place in the Solaris House to be bestowed a weapon.
Some may pull a legendary weapon held by past heroes, weapons that could define the rest of their lives. Even those who couldn't be bestowed such a grand honour would walk away with a top-of-the-line weapon that other Knights would spend a fortune on. Not to mention, the Sword Bestowment Ceremony doesn't happen every year. It only occurs once every five years; if someone misses it, they would have to wait half a decade more to get their next shot.
So, it was an event that I must attend.
As for the Demonic Beast Purge, I had no intention; rather, I didn't have the right to participate.
Active Knights of all ages would gather together and partake in a competition to purge all the Demonic Beasts in Solfea. However, it was more of a showcase rather than an actual competition. Solaris members would display their strength and improvement by hunting as many Demonic Beasts as they could, and at the same time, their purge would make Solfea a safer place for the coming year.
And… the critical word was all ACTIVE Knights.
I was still an Apprentice Knight in the Academy. There was no reason for me to participate in this event, and I had no intention to. But…
"There has been noise from the Elders that you shouldn't be granted the right for the Sword Bestowment Ceremony." Sister Lydia clarified with a solemn tone.
"... can they even do that?"
"I'm not sure," the young beauty shook her head. "Grandpa Alrock was mad about it, and they reached a stalemate during their meeting. They said that it would be a bad precedent to let a deserter's child participate in the ceremony and potentially claim a prized weapon. If the sinner didn't repent, they wouldn't relent. That's what I heard."
"My father… Didn't sin against the family."
"We know that," Sister Lydia gently rubbed my shoulders to calm me down. "But, from their perspective, what your father did was inexcusable. And while they agreed that the father's sins shouldn't affect the child, they said the optics of your return are bad in the first place."
… it was hard to refute that point.
I did return with the intention of participating in the Sword Bestowment Ceremony. For someone who didn't grow up in the Solaris House to suddenly show up six months before the Sword Bestowment Ceremony and claim that he has a right to participate…
I could see the Elder's misgivings.
"So, Grandpa Alrock and the Elders made a compromise."
"Let me guess. The compromise is for me to join the Demonic Beast Purge?"
"That's right," Sister Lydia smiled. "Their only objection is that they question your loyalty to the Solaris House. So, if you put your body on the line and stack accomplishments by killing Demonic Beasts…"
I see… Then, it's a suitable compromise.
I could feel my blood boiling at the new challenge. If the Elders wanted me to prove my worth… Then, I'll prove it beyond their wildest imaginations.