[POV Liselotte]

  The silence in the coliseum was so dense I could feel the weight of every held breath. The frost mist I had created began to slowly dissipate, revealing the technical devastation I had inflicted upon the five “Heroes.” I let my ice mana return to my core, though the air around me still retained that lingering cold that clung to the skin.

  I walked toward the stands, ignoring the looks of terror and astonishment from the nobles. My only goal was the blond figure waiting for me with shining eyes. When I reached her, Leah couldn’t contain herself; she broke protocol and took my hands, ignoring the fact that my fingers were still icy.

  “Lotte… that was simply amazing,” Leah whispered, her voice den with emotion that vibrated in the air. “I knew you were strong, but the way you dismantled them… I have no words. I’m so proud that you’re my—” She stopped for a second, realizing we were in public, and her face flushed a deep crimson. “Well, that you’re my guardian. For what you did today… I’ll give you a special reward when we’re alone in the dorms. I promise.”

  Her gaze drifted away for an instant, and the blush spread all the way to her ears. I felt my own heart skip a beat. Seeing the proud princess of Whirikal so nervous and affectionate after a dispy of violence was a duality that never ceased to fascinate me.

  “I’ll be looking forward to that reward, Leah,” I replied, lowering my voice so only she could hear, enjoying watching her shyness deepen.

  “Ahem!” A dry, authoritative cough interrupted our moment.

  We turned quickly to see King William approaching us. He walked with the elegance of a predator that no longer needs to prove its strength. His red cape fluttered slightly in the cold wind of the arena, and his face—usually a mask of diplomacy—showed a hint of genuine satisfaction.

  “Lotte,” the King said, stopping in front of me. “You did exceptionally well today. The kingdom owes you a debt for defending the honor of our academy against such insolence. And above all… I thank you deeply for holding back so much.”

  I froze. I blinked a couple of times, processing his words.

  “Holding back, Your Majesty? I thought I had used a considerable portion of my abilities to ensure a swift and total victory,” I said, honestly confused. I believed my control over ice and my speed had already demonstrated my current level.

  William let out a short ugh—not mocking, but appreciative on a technical level. “Your eyes give you away, girl. You have the instincts of someone who knows that if they had released all their power, this coliseum would now be a tomb of ice instead of a simple skating rink. I’ve seen many warriors in my life, and you possess a reserve of power you haven’t even begun to touch. I’m gd you didn’t kill those youths; it would have been a diplomatic problem even I couldn’t easily resolve.”

  Leah, seeing my surprised expression, gave my arm a gentle squeeze and smiled with filial pride.

  “Lotte, you shouldn’t be so surprised that my father noticed,” Leah said. “Even if he spends his days on the throne dealing with bored nobles now, before becoming King, my father was recognized as the strongest swordsman in the entire kingdom. In neighboring realms, his name was synonymous with terror on the battlefield. He was the man who unified the rebel factions at the tip of his sword. His eye for combat is infallible.”

  I looked at William with newfound respect. I had always seen him as a wise ruler and a protective father, but sometimes I forgot that Whirikal was a kingdom forged in war, and its lineage was built on strength. The King returned my gaze with a spark of camaraderie that only exists between warriors.

  Our conversation was interrupted by the arrival of High Priest Machias. He walked with clenched fists, his face ashen despite his attempt to maintain an ecclesiastical fa?ade of dignity. His white robes were stained with the frost I had left in the air.

  “Your Majesty,” the priest said, ignoring me completely as if I were a stain on the arena floor. “The joint practice has concluded for today. The Heroes need time to meditate on… the lessons learned. Tomorrow we will return to our kingdom to inform the Pope about the final preparations.”

  Machias stopped before William, his gaze turning shrewd. “Have you thought about what we discussed before this… unfortunate incident? Time is short, and the Goddess will not wait for those who hesitate.”

  William smiled—a smile that didn’t reach his eyes, but conveyed unwavering resolve. “Do not worry, Priest. Whirikal is a kingdom of its word. We will support the siege of the Demonic Kingdom. My troops and supplies will be ready when the signal is given. But, as I told you, my support has a price: I request that a group of your heroes stay here in Whirikal during this time. I want them to get used to fighting alongside my soldiers and to becoming accustomed to a different faction than your isoted churches.”

  The priest nodded quickly, as if he wanted to finalize the deal before William changed his mind after seeing how easily his heroes had fallen.

  “Very well, Your Majesty. I agree. Once we return to Orestia, I will send a group of five heroes to settle here under your command.”

  “Won’t Ulric’s group stay?” I asked, breaking my silence out of curiosity. “I thought they were the ones already here and familiar with the pce.”

  Machias shot me a look of pure, contained hatred. “Ulric and his companions have far more important tasks assigned by the Goddess, Guardian. The thirty heroes under our care are moving across the continent to combat outbreaks of evil. I will send another group that is more… suitable for prolonged residence. With your permission, Your Majesty.”

  The priest gave a stiff bow and hurried out of the arena, followed by his guards carrying the heroes who were still trembling from the cold.

  When we were far enough from prying ears, Leah approached me with a serious expression.

  “Lotte, there’s a reason he didn’t leave Ulric here,” Leah whispered. “Ulric’s group is most likely the strongest among the thirty they summoned. They’re his ‘aces.’ Machias won’t leave his best pieces in my father’s hands, where he can’t control them. The group they send will probably be one they consider expendable or in need of basic training. And be careful… after how you humiliated Ulric today, that boy will seek revenge. His pride is wounded, and in the world of the Church, wounded pride is cured with blood.”

  “Let him try,” I replied with a calm that surprised even me. “But what worries me more is this ‘siege’ they keep talking about. What exactly is it?”

  William gestured for us to follow him into a private room within the coliseum. Once the royal guards sealed the doors, the King turned toward us, his expression turning grim.

  “Listen carefully, because this is high-level cssified information,” William began. “In half a year, Orestia, Whirikal, and three other allied kingdoms will unch a total assault on demonic territory. It won’t be a skirmish. We’ll start slowly, conquering and securing their borders, tightening the noose step by step until they have no way to escape or receive supplies. The objective is total eradication.”

  I froze. A full-scale siege. “Your Majesty, do you believe it’s possible? The demons are strong, and their territory is hostile.”

  “With the Church’s heroes and our heavy cavalry, we have a chance,” William replied. “But that’s why it’s vital you keep this in absolute secrecy. If the information leaks to the demon spies we know are lurking in the capital, we’ll lose the element of surprise—and we’ll be the ones walking into an ambush.”

  Leah looked at her father with clear doubt in her eyes. “Father… will we be part of the attack? Will we go to the front?”

  “No,” William said with a firmness that admitted no argument. “I will not send you to the battlefield. You are too valuable, and the situation is too votile to risk the heiress and her main guardian in a war of attrition.”

  Leah opened her mouth to protest, but William raised a hand, stopping her. Then he fixed his gaze on me.

  “Lotte, I saw your combat techniques today. They are impressive, no doubt. You have natural intuition and power that amazes me. But…” He paused, his gaze turning critical—the gaze of a master evaluating a student. “…you still have a long way to go before becoming a true master of the sword. You rely too much on your ice magic to compensate for openings in your guard. If you faced an enemy who could nullify your mana, you would be in serious trouble.”

  I felt a stab of wounded pride, but I knew he was right. On Terra, I had only practiced movements from series and movies; here, my strength was based on Tiara’s raw power.

  “That’s why,” the King continued, unsheathing his short sword with a speed my eyes could barely follow, “starting today, I will personally teach you my sword style. The Whirikal style is not based on magic, but on absolute efficiency of movement and a will of steel. If you are to protect my daughter in the future that awaits us, you must be more than a mage holding a weapon. You need to become a living sword.”

  I looked at the King, then at Leah, who was watching me with an astonished smile. The strongest man in the kingdom wanted to train me.

  “It will be an honor, Your Majesty,” I said, bowing deeply. “I won’t fail you.”

  “I hope so,” William replied with a fierce smile. “We’ll start tomorrow at dawn. And I assure you, Liselotte, you’ll wish you were back in the coliseum facing those heroes before our first session is over.”

  The sun began to set behind the academy’s towers, painting the world in an intense red. A new stage of my life was beginning: that of the King’s apprentice. And as Leah took my hand, promising with her gaze that she would be there to support me, I knew the winter I carried was about to become much sharper.