Arman entered the main hall and looked at everyone gathered around Lisa.
Arman: "Hey, guys. What are you talking about without me?"
He walked over and sat beside them on the couch.
Herald looked at him.
Herald: "I thought you were supposed to be getting some rest."
Arman smiled.
Arman: "It's fine. I thought, why not spend my last night here talking with you guys?"
Lisa immediately looked at him.
Lisa: "Last night?"
Arman nodded.
Arman: "Tomorrow, we're going to the Dragon Squad barracks. After that, you'll go back to where your friends are."
Lisa's expression immediately became sad.
Lisa: "Please! Let me stay for a few more days. Pleeease!"
Arman shook his head.
Arman: "No. I have work to do."
Lisa lowered her head sadly.
Herald, who had been watching them, looked at Lisa.
Herald: "Do you want to stay, my granddaughter?"
Lisa immediately nodded.
Herald then looked at Arman.
Herald: "If you want to go, you can go. But my granddaughter stays until she wants to."
Arman looked at Herald.
Just as he was about to say something, the twins interrupted.
Ron: "Yes! Please let her stay. We just got to know her."
Arman looked at them.
Arman: "You two were just appointed as Intermediate Knights. Don't you have to train or something?"
Dion calmly answered.
Dion: "Our official posting starts after a week. Until then, we can hang out with her."
Martha nodded.
Martha: "Yes, Arman. Let her stay. I haven't even had a proper conversation with my niece yet."
Arman looked toward Audrey, waiting for his opinion.
Audrey looked back at him.
Audrey: "As the Head of the Family, I don't permit you to take my niece with you. She will stay until she wants to ."
Arman looked around at everyone.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
Arman: "Fine. She can stay."
Lisa and Ron immediately cheered.
Lisa & Ron: "YES!"
Arman looked around.
Arman: "Where's Reina?"
Martha answered.
Martha: "She's in the garden. Wait, I'll send someone to call her."
Arman shook his head.
Arman: "No. You guys get to know each other. I'll go and fetch her."
Arman stood up and left the room.
Meanwhile, Lisa continued talking with her family.
Dion looked at her.
Dion: "So, what were you asking earlier?"
Lisa thought for a moment.
Lisa: "Oh, I was just curious about this Knight thing. My brother called you an Intermediate Knight. What does that mean?"
Ron immediately answered.
Ron: "It's just a rank given to a Knight."
Lisa tilted her head.
Lisa: "Rank?"
Dion sighed.
Dion: "You idiot. She's new here. How would she know about the ranks? Let me explain it properly."
Ron frowned.
Dion continued.
Dion: "There are five types of Knights. First is the Rookie Knight. Above them is the Intermediate Knight. Then comes the Advanced Knight, followed by the Superior Knight."
He paused.
Dion: "And the final and greatest honor for a Knight is becoming a Guardian Knight."
Lisa became curious.
Lisa: "What does a Guardian Knight do?"
Dion: "Every Knight follows the chain of command. But Guardian Knights are where the command begins."
He continued.
Dion: "They only take orders from the Head of the Family."
Lisa's eyes widened.
Lisa: "Then they must be super strong."
Ron laughed.
Ron: "Strong is a small word for them."
Lisa thought for a moment.
Lisa: "Are they stronger than my brother?"
The twins' expressions suddenly changed.
Ron placed a hand on Lisa's shoulder.
Ron: "Listen, cousin. If a Berserker like our older cousin wants to, he could decimate a planet in an instant."
He shook his head.
Ron: "No Guardian Knight could do anything against him."
Lisa's eyes widened.
Lisa: "I thought that jerk was strong... but he's that strong?"
Ganther approached and served them some juice.
Lisa picked up her glass.
Lisa: "Ah, here it is. Thank you, Ganther."
Ganther smiled.
Ganther: "My pleasure, young miss."
Lisa took a sip.
Then she looked toward Herald.
Lisa: "My brother doesn't seem like the type who gets attached to anyone. But if he cares about you, he'll go to any length to help you."
Herald smiled proudly.
Herald: "Yes, we know."
He looked toward the direction Arman had gone.
Herald: "He doesn't seem to realize it yet, but he has a special power."
Lisa looked at him curiously.
Herald: "The power to draw people toward him."
Herald's expression became proud as he spoke about his grandson.
Lisa suddenly looked toward the twins with a mischievous smile.
Lisa: "So, who's stronger between the two of you?"
The twins looked at each other.
Then, at exactly the same time, they answered:
Ron & Dion: "Obviously, me!"
They immediately grabbed each other's hair and began arguing.
Lisa burst out laughing as she continued drinking her juice.
AT THE GARDEN
Arman found Reina sitting beneath the night sky.
She was staring at the stars.
Arman walked over and sat beside her.
Arman: "Watching the stars, are we?"
Reina glanced at him.
Reina: "A star just fell out of its axis."
She looked back toward the sky.
Reina: "It was a dead star. People were evacuated before it fell."
Arman looked toward the sky.
Arman: "Well, that's not something you see often in this vast space."
Reina remained silent for a moment.
Reina: "Do you know that the last time a star fell out of its axis, many people died?"
Arman nodded.
Arman: "Yeah. I know."
Reina's expression became heavy.
Reina: "Day by day, the whole of Gap Space is becoming unstable because of Dagon's return."
She looked toward the sky.
Reina: "The Abyss is consuming Heaven's Light."
Arman remained quiet.
Arman: "I know."
Reina clenched her hands.
Reina: "The moment we rest, another innocent person dies."
Her voice trembled slightly.
Reina: "And I..."
She couldn't finish the sentence.
Arman noticed her trembling hand.
He gently grabbed it.
Arman: "Listen, Reina."
Reina looked at him.
Arman: "We're human. We're creations of God. It's obvious that we can't save everyone, even if we want to."
His voice remained calm.
Arman: "The only thing we can do is save the people in front of us and make sure they don't lose hope."
Reina looked at him.
Reina: "Hope?"
Arman: "Yes. Hope gives us the strength to dream about the future."
He smiled faintly.
Arman: "And it gives us the strength to fight for what's right."
He looked at her seriously.
Arman: "And if we don't give ourselves the rest we need, we'll be unable to save the people who need us."
Reina smiled faintly.
Reina: "You always have a way with words, don't you?"
Arman: "Well, that's my specialty."
Arman: "Tomorrow, you and I will go to our squad barracks."
Reina looked at him.
Reina: "What about Lisa?"
Arman: "Everyone wanted her to stay, so she'll remain here for a few days. After that, she'll go back to her friends."
Reina nodded.
Reina: "Yeah. It's the right thing to do. This is an unfamiliar world for her. She'll need some company."
Arman: "Exactly."
He paused.
Then something came to his mind.
Arman: "By the way, I wanted to ask you something."
Reina looked at him.
Arman: "Where is Nina?"
He smiled.
Arman: "She always used to tell me that when she retired, she would open an orphanage and help children."
Arman: "I bet she's helping those kids right now. I wanted to surprise her. She'll be shocked to see me this early."
Reina suddenly became silent.
Arman noticed.
His smile disappeared.
Arman: "Did something happen to her, Reina?"
Reina lowered her gaze.
Reina: "Actually..."
She took a breath.
Reina: "About a year ago, she coughed up blood. When we heard the news, we rushed to see her."
Arman's expression became serious.
Reina: "She was suffering from Mana poisoning."
She continued.
Reina: "We called the greatest physicians in Heaven's Light to treat her, but they could only slow the poisoning. They couldn't completely cure her."
Arman's eyes widened.
He immediately blamed himself.
Mana poisoning primarily affected those whose bodies didn't naturally possess Mana.
Arman: "How is she? And where is she?"
Reina: "She's currently being treated at the Main Hospital on Planet Terra."
Planet Terra is a planet located within the Alan Family's sector. It is covered with natural herbs and medicinal plants known for their powerful healing properties. It is also home to the largest hospital in all of Heaven's Light.
Arman immediately stood up.
He was ready to fly to Terra.
Arman: "I'm going to see her."
Reina quickly stood up as well.
Reina: "Wait! Don't go there right now."
Arman looked at her.
Reina: "She's currently being treated. If she sees you, she'll become emotional."
She paused.
Reina: "She might even stop her treatment just to talk with you."
Arman stopped.
He looked toward Lisa through the window.
Then his expression became serious.
Arman: "You don't understand."
He clenched his fist.
Arman: "I'm the reason she's suffering right now."
Reina looked at him.
She then reached for the orb beside her.
It was the same orb she had been using to observe the star that had fallen from its axis.
Reina: "Look."
The image on the orb changed.
Arman saw Nina lying on a hospital bed while physicians treated her.
His eyes widened.
He slowly touched the orb.
Arman: "I'm sorry, Nina..."
His voice became quiet.
Arman: "Because of me..."
Reina immediately interrupted him.
Reina: "No. Don't blame yourself."
Arman looked at her.
Reina continued.
Reina: "About a year ago, a child from Nina's orphanage was admitted to the Main Hospital."
She looked at the image of Nina.
Reina: "The child was suffering from Mana poisoning."
Arman's expression changed.
Reina: "To save the child, Nina used Black Magic."
Arman's eyes widened.
Arman: "Black Magic?!"
Reina: "She used Black Magic to transfer the Mana poisoning from the child into herself."
Reina :"Black magic doesn't consume casters Mana it consumes their lifespan that's why it is forbidden to use in heaven's light"
Arman's eyes widened.
Reina: "When we asked her why she did it..."
Reina paused.
Then she repeated Nina's words.
Reina: "She said..."
"I couldn't watch a child cry in agony."
Arman froze.
A memory suddenly returned to him.
Nina standing beside him.
Ready to sacrifice herself for him.
The same woman who had once been willing to risk her life for him was now suffering because she had done the same thing for another child.
Arman clenched his fist.
He looked at Nina's image on the orb.
His expression was gloomy.
Arman: "Why are you so reckless...?"