"Greetings to the Great Sun of the Empire."
A man dressed in a white uniform bowed respectfully to the emperor seated upon the throne.
The emperor chuckled slightly, "Speak, Felix," the Emperor replied.
The First Son of the Marquis Tropium family—Felix Tropium was the Emperor's only personal knight capable of matching the strongest Swordsman Mages. The Tropium family was renowned as a family of geniuses: the eldest son chosen as the Emperor's personal knight, the second son gifted with exceptional healing magic. Yet, they had one child born without talent.
"I bring a letter from Callister Academy, Your Majesty"
The Emperor's brows rose slightly, a hint of curiosity in his expression. "Read it."
Felix unrolled the parchment and began reading.
"Greetings, Your Majesty. I am the Headmaster Of Callister Academy, Klaus Sylstallone, deeply apologize for sending this letter so suddenly. My purpose this time is to request Your Majesty's gracious permission to reassign the task of overseeing the Southern Territory to the Crown Prince, Xavier Alexander. You are surely aware that the Empire is currently facing a strange phenomenon. I hope you will cooperate with the Academy. All of this is for the future of the Empire."
Felix rolled the parchment back up and smirked faintly. "What a cunning trick."
The Emperor's lips also curved into a thin smile. "As expected of Yohan's son. He's raised his child to fear nothing, even when facing the Emperor himself."
"Shall I meet him in person?"
"No, Felix. You are my hidden card. You must not reveal yourself yet. Your strength is a double-edged sword for the Empire."
Felix exhaled a short breath, smiling faintly. "I understand, Your Majesty."
"Then prepare the order for the Crown Prince."
"Are you truly assigning the Southern Territory's oversight to the young master?"
"Yes." The Emperor tilted his head slightly to the left, resting his chin on his hand. "Klaus must be planning something. I need to follow his flow so I can strike back in secret."
"It seems the Headmaster is trying to expand his connections," Felix added.
"Yes. Callister Academy was built under the authority of Grand Duke Sylstallone. Thus, all responsibility for the Academy lies in their hands, while the Empire remains its largest sponsor. The reason is the ancient artifact stored in the Academy's museum. At present, the Academy and the Empire share a relationship of mutual benefit. However, the one truly at a disadvantage is the Empire. That is why Klaus can openly threaten us."
"If this continues, the Empire could be pushed down by the Academy's power," Felix remarked.
"That will not happen," the Emperor said with a confident smile.
_
_
"Still too weak!" The grandma shouted as she shoved Zeha's body back with the sheath of her sword. Zeha was thrown several meters and rolled across the floor.
"Ukh!" Zeha struggled to stand. His breathing was ragged, every muscle in his body aching from her strikes.
"What are you doing? Get up!"
The moment he managed to stand, Zeha rushed toward her again, swinging relentlessly, but his attacks were still too slow, too weak to be called a threat.
His stamina was nearly gone, his strikes growing sluggish.
"What are you doing, idiot?! Focus! Increase your speed!" the grandma barked, easily deflecting every attack without taking a single step from her spot.
Zeha's progress was faster than expected; his speed had improved greatly since they began training, though still far from enough. His strikes were getting stronger by the day.
He tried to change the angle of his attacks, but she read them effortlessly.
"Pathetic!"
"Utterly pathetic!"
"Your footwork is stiff!"
"Your strikes are slow!"
The grandma's sharp criticisms never stopped as she blocked every blow. In one swift motion, she pushed Zeha down and pressed her blade to his neck.
"You're dead," she declared.
"Uukh!" Zeha clenched his jaw in frustration. Not once had he landed a single hit on her. That meant he was still pathetically weak.
The next day, Zeha returned to the forest to train his instincts and focus, still using a bow as his weapon. As usual, he hid in the bushes, waiting for his prey to appear.
Before long, a female deer emerged. Zeha quickly nocked an arrow and loosed it, but it only grazed the animal's side.
"Damn it!"
He gave chase, but the deer's speed far outstripped his own. Eventually, he had to give up.
"Too slow! Pathetic!" The grandma's voice rang in his ears again.
On the fourth day of training, Zeha's swordsmanship improved noticeably, both in speed and power, but he was still far from matching her.
On the sixth day, his archery and intuition had grown sharper. No longer hiding in the bushes, he now positioned himself in trees, gaining a wider, clearer vantage point. He could aim more easily and hit his targets with precision.
On the seventh day, Zeha's swordsmanship had improved dramatically. He struck without wasted movement, his attacks faster and stronger than ever. There was no hesitation in his expression as he charged at the grandma.
"Impressive," she said with a proud smile at his progress.
Where once his stamina lasted barely an hour against her, now he could fight for three. In just a week, his growth was enough to make her genuinely impressed.
"Ukh...!" Zeha gasped as the grandma suddenly increased her strength during a counterattack. His hands trembled as he struggled to block.
"Try to withstand this."
She unleashed a flurry of rapid, crushing blows. Zeha barely held until the sixth strike, after which he was struck hard and sent flying backward.
"As I thought, you have great talent." She turned and began walking away. "Follow me."
Zeha hadn't even asked why she'd suddenly attacked him so fiercely, but for now, he stayed silent and followed.
They stopped before a wall. The grandma moved her hands as if tracing a magical circle, and soon a glowing sigil of red and blue light appeared, forming a hidden door.
Zeha's eyes widened in awe. Unable to use magic himself, even such a 'simple' display amazed him.
"Come in."
They stepped inside slowly, greeted by rows of weapons displayed across the room.
"What is all this, grandma?" Zeha asked in curiosity.
"Some of them are rare artifacts."
"A-artifacts?! But aren't artifacts supposed to be stored in the Academy?!" Zeha's eyes went wide in disbelief.
"Yes, but there are exceptions, such as these weapons." She walked toward a chest at the far end of the room. Curious, Zeha followed.
"Zeha, look at this," she said, pointing to a sword inside the chest.
The moment he saw it, Zeha's eyes widened and his mouth fell open in shock, more than at anything before.
"Isn't this—?!"