Spirit Soul

Being asked to hand out the golden seal of chivalry was not bothersome at all.

She had no attachment to that piece of metal, so Selene had done so willfully.

There was no need for her to keep it as it was of no use to her, either way.

The Lahin kingdom's soldiers had already accepted her as nobility, just like the other Lohars.

It was both good and bothersome.

When they arrived at the Jars' house, Kyle couldn't help but look at Selene with a proud expression.

Despite her initial nervousness, she had stood her ground and spoken her mind.

He was happy with her progress though he knew she still lacked confidence.

At the same time, he knew that she must be burdened by everything.

This made him feel a little bit bad.

While they entered the house, Mell and Gard eyed them intently.

Because only a short amount of time had passed since Kyle and Selene had left, not much should have happened.

But neither realized that, they had perceived the torment energy waves radiating from the town gate's direction.

This made them uncomfortable, and they felt that something had happened.

As such, the moment Kyle and Selene returned, the two were asked questions about it.

Owing to the fact that most things were about Selene, she took the lead in explaining everything.

As the two listened carefully, she launched into a detailed recital of the events that had happened after she left the house.

Through this, Kyle got to know what exactly happened too.

Even if he knew what had happened to some extent, he was astonished to hear her.

But her teachers were shell-shocked about everything that happened.

"All of that happened in just an hour?" Mell mumbled.

Meanwhile, Gard only shook his head subconsciously.

He took a moment to process what they had just heard.

They looked at each other, and both of them had the same realization as Kyle.

As realization sunk in, they understood how dangerous it was for Selene to continue living in the Sadorla Forest.

She wasn't safe in a place where Lohars were not adored.

Kyle thought that it was even worse now that they were facing an unknown enemy.

He had openly attacked Selene once.

So he could very well do that again. This only meant that there was nowhere safe around.

This caused him to say something he initially didn't want to.

"Maybe, you should consider the invitation of the Lahin kingdom, Selene!"

Hearing this made Selene freeze in place as she mumbled, "Not without you…"

Suddenly, Gard stood up as his hands hit the table around which they had been sitting to talk.

"If I understood correctly, it might be possible for a few individuals or to be precise subordinates of nobles to enter the Lahin kingdom.

Other than that, the kingdom only accepts the Lohar races.

Even Variants are sometimes exiled from their lands.

However, the biggest question is if the kingdom is safe for Selene, and you, Kyle. I can tell that it won't be easy for you two to live comfortably in the Lahin kingdom.

At least not with the information I have about the Lahin kingdom.

They seem to have prejudices against unique nobles like Selene.

Additionally, their confusing traditional standards make matters worse!

Furthermore, if you were to stay inside the Lahin kingdom, you two won't be eligible to reap the benefits of receiving the Guild's funds for your apprenticeships throughout the year!"

Sometimes, Gard seemed slow-witted and dense.

But right now, Kyle couldn't help but feel that his teacher was quick in accepting the given situation.

This allowed him to adapt relatively fast, preventing him from being distracted by unnecessary thoughts.

Kyle knew that he would have to learn to achieve the same. He had a bad habit of overthinking everything. Meanwhile, Mell, who had also adjusted to the situation, added,

"If possible, you two should only enter the Lahin kingdom after becoming a little bit stronger. This is easier said than done.

But as a recently promoted noble at the Fortification stage, you will suffer if you have to face other nobles.

I heard that the Lahin kingdom's competition is fierce.

The Vitae stage should be the bare minimum of combat prowess the two of you should have obtained before going there!

But in that case, you two would have to stay here. Even this option doesn't seem to be safe anymore…"

Both Kyle and Selene were astonished about how quickly the Jars had accepted the fact that their students couldn't stay with them anymore.

They didn't seem to be as bothered by the fact that Dirk was dead as well.

The only thing they had in mind was Selene's well-being and safety.

This caused Selene to regain her lost smile.

After Kyle, it was the Jars she felt comfortable with, after all

Kyle was curious to know how the Jars had digested the news so quickly.

He knew how happy Gard had been to have him as a student.

"If we stay in Vila town, we would have to travel through the entire Sadorla forest once we are strong enough. This is extremely dangerous, and probably what you two wanted to speak about, right?"

Right now, Kyle felt that something huge was brewing up.

The Jars had quickly changed from being shocked to revealing traces of excitement.

Selene didn't notice it but he had picked up the subtle changes.

Oblivious to Kyle's observation, Gard nodded his head as he further added.

"To be honest, our hometown is only a two weeks trip from the Lahin kingdom's border.

As such, once we have traveled through the vast majority of the Sadorla forest, we would like to return.

Initially, we had planned to teach the two of you until you both would part ways with us.

After that, we wanted to return, and reunite with our families, who we haven't met in a long time.

But, we might as well return to our hometown Niro, sooner than expected!"

Hearing this, Kyle's face brightened up.

A thought popped up in his head as he immediately exclaimed,

"With that in mind, we could all travel with the Lahin kingdom's soldiers which is much safer.

After that, we can stay inside your hometown to continue learning from you….or is that not possible?"

Hearing the excitement in Kyle's voice, Mell nodded.

But, Selene had a different reaction than Kyle.

She only mumbled in hesitation.

"Is that really fine...wouldn't it be burdensome for you to let me stay with you two…?"

After having survived two assassination attempts in the same day, Selene was a little shaken.

She realized how dangerous it was for a Lohar noble to stay in the Sadorla forest.

Nevertheless, Mell immediately shook her head as she replied,

"Don't think like that, sweetheart! You're not a burden, but a treasure.

And, I'm selfish in my desire because I want to teach you how to inscribe runes properly!

I would be happy if you and Kyle were to come with us to our hometown, instead of directly visiting the Lahin kingdom.

Even if it would be just for a few months to help you prepare to enter the lion's den, we would be happy to spend more time with the two of you!"

Mell's tone was serious, and Kyle couldn't help but smile at her.

He realized that the Jars had become attached to him and Selene during the last few weeks.

This felt good and similar to the time in his past life when both of his parents had still been alive.

His life had been simple, but it was a happy time.

Recalling the pleasant memories of his past life, Kyle smiled brightly.

And seeing him happy made her think he loved the idea.

Selene thought that Kyle was imagining how it would be to live with the Jars for a little bit longer.

This caused her to nod her head without hesitation.

"That would be wonderful!"

Smiling dryly at Selene's behavior, Kyle simply added,

"If there is a Guild branch in your hometown, it would be even better.

We should even be able to reap the rewards of Selene's mission without issues!"

The moment he said this, Kyle remembered that Selene had yet to receive the promised cultivation technique and the other rewards related to their promised funds.

The funds were not the most important anymore.

But the cultivation technique which could be used to cultivate both the path of Pryr and Maest at the same time had become essential for Selene.

She felt extremely weak and tense owing to the events of the entire day.

Selene had even been forced to rely on Gaby's protection and Kyle's gut feeling that had saved her life. This made her recall yet again how weak she was compared to the others.

The first demand Kyle had put forward to the Guild seemed to have been fulfilled.

The Lahin kingdom was now fully educated about Selene's existence and her contribution to the Lohars' rescue!

As such, they only required an official certificate about the funds in addition to the cultivation technique, or news about it.

This made Selene get up from her chair too as she excitedly asked,

"Shouldn't we visit the Guild now, in that case? Otherwise, we might be too late to make preparations in order to depart with the Soldiers tomorrow!"

When everyone saw how Selene reacted, they couldn't help but smile.

All of them realized that the biggest hurdle of the young Lohar would be to learn the attitude and behavior of a true noble. She was too jumpy and bubbling with excitement.

As such, she had yet to learn the poise and grace of a noble.

The sole thought of how she would fare in front of the court ladies caused Kyle to chuckle. Meanwhile, Mell suddenly asked them both,

"So...we have reached a consensus, right? We will depart together, and you two will stay with us in Niro for a few months…?"

At this moment, Kyle and Selene looked at each other for just a second.

Their eyes were glistening with interest as they averted their gaze to Mell and nodded their heads in unison.