"That wasn't what I expected", Cale muttered after leaving the palace.

He definitely hadn't planned on getting into a fight with Duke Loys von Freigoud. But apart from that, things had gone quite well. Cale had received special permission for his sword and was allowed to carry it with him at all times from now on. However, what made this conversation so successful was something Cale hadn't anticipated.

Loys von Freigoud had offered him the opportunity to join the training sessions of the higher units.

Several times a week, the swordmasters of Sylve, all of whom were high-ranking and well-known personalities, dueled each other. Duke of Freigoud thus provided Cale with the best opportunity to increase his fame, as if on a silver platter. What made it even better was the fact that Loys of Freigoud and Julius Venlan also participated in these training sessions - which Cale would deliberately misuse.

What could be better than developing friendships when spending time together regularly?

"I couldn't agree more", Mamoru replied, glancing briefly at the royal palace. "Was there a reason you never told me you were a swordmaster?"

"I didn't think it was relevant."

"Not relevant?", Mamoru replied in astonishment and stopped in his tracks. "You just proved yourself against none other than Loys of Freigoud. By the gods... if you are even remotely as strong as the Duke of Freigoud, then you are stronger than any officer at the palace - myself included."

"You're exaggerating."

"I'm serious. You souldn't keep something like that a secret, especially not infront of the royal palace."

"Sorry...", Cale said meekly, though he wouldn't have acted any differently.

"I hope you mean it", Mamoru replied and continued on his way. "You're lucky that Duke of Freigoud confronted you."

"How come?"

"Because he's known for being happy about every new swordmaster he can duel."

"Ah", Cale replied. "That explains his behavior."

"His test, rather", Mamoru corrected. "Actually, I should have realized that from the start. Duke of Freigoud doesn't concern himself with such trifles... he wanted to get to know you."

"That was my impression as well", Cale confirmed with a satisfied grin on his face. "Duke of Freigoud was anything but serious today, quite the opposite. He was very... personal."

"Well, I hope I don't have to remind you to always remain polite."

"I'm aware of that", Cale replied as he spotted some soldiers in the distance. "He's far from the first high-noble I've met."

"What kind of life did you have before Bellator?"

"I studied creatures."

Mamoru looked at Cale in surprise.

"Studied?", Mamoru asked, confused. "Are you tired of living?"

"Not alone", Cale defended himself immediately. "I was part of an Anuxer group for a long time, and there... I just slipped into the subject at some point. It's a long story."

"I buy that immediately", Mamoru replied. "A 25-year-old swordmaster who studied creatures. We live in a strange world. Weren't your parents worried about you?"

Cale flinched.

"It's complicated...", he said hesitantly, looking down at the ground. "My mother..."

Children's laughter interrupted Cale. They had arrived at the gates of the palace when a small group of students ran down the street. All five of them wore the same school uniform that Fengari had. Cale knew immediately that they were on their way to the institute. But two of those faces caught his attention.

An Penedran and Christopher Nolan.

For a few moments, he stared after the group as he remembered his conversation with the red-haired An. He had never told her that Nolan had died in the second wave of attacks - which he definitely should have done. After all, Cale would also be resentful if someone had kept such information from him.

"Is something wrong?", Mamoru asked.

"Ah, nothing. I just thought I recognized someone."

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"Are you referring to the children?"

"Yes", Cale confirmed, turning away. "It happens to me a lot."

"Can't you remember faces?"

"Quite the opposite. It's precisely because I remember them that I get confused", Cale confessed. "But in most cases, I remember them later on."

"Good. It would be problematic if you had difficulties with that", Mamoru replied and stopped. "I had been thinking about assigning the three of you to patrol duty."

"Really?"

"Although I'm not so sure Cedrik is ready yet", Mamoru added in the same breath. "But it would be good experience for Jarle and you."

"But why so early?", Cale asked, confused. "I think I recall that we aren't allowed to..."

A sudden realization dawned on Cale.

"Is it because of the missing children?"

"Yes", Mamoru confirmed. "The royal family is increasing the number of patrols through the city, and we need more people for that - especially at night."

"And you want to appoint us?"

"It was worth considering. As I said, you both seem to be relatively reliable."

"I'm not sure", Cale said. "In my opinion, it's too soon. Not for me - for Jarle. He's never been in a real fight, and that's a problem in itself. Not to mention that our schedule is pretty full and we have to sleep sometime."

"That's true", Mamoru replied thoughtfully. "I hadn't thought of that."

Cale, on the other hand, was thinking about what he could do. If he joined the swordmasters' training, he would inevitably have to get up earlier every other day. He would spend about three hours with them and then, with a slight delay, follow the new soldiers' morning training. At noon, they had an hour break before afternoon classes began, which usually ended around four in the afternoon. This meant he would be busy with work for 12 hours a day and would have to leave Ahri alone - which shouldn't be a issue for the two of them, but would look bad to outsiders. However, Cale didn't want to miss the opportunity to start working as a soldier earlier. In connection with Sir Freigoud's offer, it was a chance to quickly become well-known and recognized for his abilities.

"If you could excuse me from some classes...", Cale began, causing Mamoru to look up. "...then you're welcome to put me to work."

"Just you?"

"Why not? I'd be overqualified for the position anyway, don't you think?", Cale replied.

"Are you sure about that? It's going to be quite a lot of work for you over the next few weeks, and you won't have time for other things."

"Yes - as long as I get paid for it."

"Of course" Mamoru confirmed immediately. "If it's okay with you, then... I'll pass that on."

"Do so", Cale confirmed. "And forgive me for rushing you like this... but I should get back to the training ground."

Cale pointed to the entrance behind him, and Mamoru nodded.

"Of course. I'll be in touch with you in the next few days."

"Okay" Cale replied and said goodbye to his supervisor.

As Cale turned the corner, he used his mana to check if there were any people nearby before letting his bag appear and walking across the green courtyard toward his destination. He paused for a few moments on the raised terrace and watched the young soldiers diligently dueling each other. He spotted Jarle and Cedrik at the other end and was impressed to see that Cedrik was using the wall behind him to push himself off and shoot towards Jarle.

<Ingenuity, that's good.>

He quietly walked down the steps and looked for his instructor, who was a few meters away from him. Their eyes met for a moment, but both nodded wordlessly and went about their work. The officer must have been informed why he had arrived late for class today.

"Zod!", his two new colleagues called out to him from a distance, and with a polite smile on his face, he waved and approached them.

"Good morning."

"Where were you? We thought something had happened", Jarle announced immediately as he ran towards him.

"I had a meeting about my sword and got the permission."

"Oh, is that your sword?", Cedrik interjected.

"Congratulations", Jarle replied.

"Thanks", Cale replied. "Yes, that's my sword. Starting today, I'll often be arriving late for class, about an hour late. I've been offered the chance to train with the higher classes, and that conflicts a bit with our current schedule."

"Higher classes?", the two men asked in surprise as Cale dropped his bag on the edge and walked back with them to the empty seat.

"Yes. To be honest, the classes here are too easy for me, and if I don't train regularly with people of the same strength, I'll probably get rusty."

"What do you mean, the classes here are too easy for you?", Cedrik asked snidely. He seemed a little offended by the statement, as he had difficulty making progress, while Cale had no problems at all.

"I've been fighting my whole life, Cedrik. My knowledge exceeds what we'll learn this year."

"No wonder you're pretty much the only one who isn't out of breath after our training", Jarle remarked thoughtfully. Cale, on the other hand, remained standing in the open space and ran his fingers through his blond hair, which he had painstakingly styled that morning.

"I'll still participate every day, don't worry."

"Oh, good. For a moment there, I thought you were going to leave us."

"I can't just skip my apprenticeship ", Cale replied amusedly, although he definitely would if he could. However, Cale doubted that was even possible. "Well, how about we stop wasting time and get some practice in instead?"

"Someone's getting cocky", Cedrik said defiantly, grinning and drawing his sword. "Let's fight."

"How about you two attack me together?"

"Together?", Jarle and Cedrik said in surprise, exchanging puzzled looks.

"Yes, together."

"Are you sure about that? Can you handle two opponents at once?", Jarle asked, somewhat concerned, but he stood next to Cedrik and drew his weapon as if he already knew the answer.

"Yes, I can. You two will probably have the bigger problem. Cedrik because he has difficulty handling his weapon, and you because you're not used to fighting. So be careful not to kill each other."

The two young men looked at each other suspiciously, as if weighing how much truth there was in Cale's statement. In the end, however, neither of them said anything and simply nodded, so Cale also drew his weapon and took up his usual starting position.

He smiled as the scene suddenly seemed strangely familiar. He couldn't help but think of how he had fought William and Ben in the creature planes. At the time, however, the two were much better than Cedrik and Jarle. They knew each other well and, like Jarle, had started sword training as children. They therefore had a clear advantage, and if the two groups ever fought each other, which was impossible, William and Ben would certainly win.

"Well, shall we begin? I will not use mana and will only block your attacks with my sword. You, on the other hand, can and should use everything you have against me."

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