Early morning sunlight spilled down from the dome of the Cathedral. Soft light filtered through the high windows, falling onto the stone-paved floor and reflecting a faint golden glow.
The air was filled with the scent of holy oil and incense, solemn and quiet.
Helos pushed open the heavy doors. Her silver hair was illuminated by the light, and two figures followed behind her. One was Julius, who carried a sword on his back, and the other was the silent Puppet Golem, Gavi.
Gavi was dressed in a maid uniform, her movements efficient and her steps light.
On the half of her face covered by a mask, the painted makeup made her appear a bit gentler, yet she still possessed a quiet and eerie beauty that commanded respect.
As the three of them entered the training ground, Cedric, who was leading the training session, looked up.
Sunlight hit his metallic armor, reflecting a blinding light.
“Is the business finished?”
His tone was steady, but his brow twitched slightly when he saw the unfamiliar figure behind Helos.
He stared at Gavi.
A flickering, unnatural light shone within her eye sockets. Although there was no emotional fluctuation, it carried a heart-palpitating sensation.
“Yes, it’s finished,” Helos nodded.
“Who is she?” Cedric asked, looking at Gavi behind her.
The young girl smiled with a hint of smugness, her tone carrying an unmistakable pride.
“This is my Golem. Her name is Gavi.”
“She is now my personal maid.”
Cedric was stunned for a moment and scrutinized the Golem before him once more.
“A maid?”
“Yes, a maid.”
Helos arched an eyebrow. “Don’t be fooled by her appearance; she’s very smart.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Cedric’s gaze deepened.
The Holy Knight Captain stared into Gavi’s eyes, and she seemed to be looking back at him.
His intuition told him — this Puppet Golem was not as simple as Helos claimed.
However, he did not press for answers immediately. He simply said, “I see. Then hurry up and get to training.”
“You’ll have to make up for all the training you’ve missed these past few days!”
“Eh — no way!”
Helos wailed, but she still dutifully drew her thin sword and resumed her training.
Cedric himself quietly stepped aside, silently observing every one of Gavi’s moves.
Throughout the entire day, aside from handing water, bringing food, and wiping sweat for Helos, Gavi stayed quietly in the corner of the training ground. Her gaze followed Helos at all times.
She did not speak, nor did she make any sound. However, whenever Helos paused in her movements or her posture deviated, Gavi would subconsciously adjust her own body, as if she were imitating her.
Cedric watched this, and an unspeakable feeling gradually grew in his heart.
That was not a reaction that could be explained by mere ‘imitation.’
It was more like… learning?
No, it wasn’t just simple learning.
Her movements were not the same as what Helos was practicing.
When Helos finished her training and walked over with a tired face, he finally spoke.
“Helos.”
The girl turned and replied briskly, “I’m here, Teacher.”
“That Golem — Gavi —” Cedric pointed at Gavi, who was not far away. His tone was very calm, yet it carried a hint of inquiry. “Have you taught her any combat-related techniques?”
Helos was taken aback and blinked.
“Combat? Not yet.”
She scratched her cheek and answered hesitantly, “I was planning to wait until she was more stable before teaching her how to fight.”
“After all, I don’t know what she’s good at yet, so I haven’t decided how to teach her.”
Cedric nodded slightly and fell silent for a moment.
His gaze fell upon Gavi’s calm eye sockets, as if he were contemplating or perhaps confirming his own suspicions.
“Then how about this?” he suddenly said, his tone carrying more of a calculating weight. “Let her have a match with one of my Saint Knights.”
“Eh —?”
Helos froze on the spot, almost thinking she had misheard. “You mean… let Gavi fight a Saint Knight?”
“Yes,” Cedric’s expression was as steady as ever. “Since you say she hasn’t received any combat instruction, I want to see if she has a talent for fighting.”
Helos subconsciously turned her head to look at Gavi.
Gavi stood quietly, her hands hanging at her sides. In those slightly flickering eyes, there seemed to be some kind of ripple.
“Gavi…” Helos spoke hesitantly. “Do you want to try?”
After a moment of silence, Gavi slowly nodded.
“You agreed?” Helos’s eyes widened in surprise.
“It seems she wants to try as well. Wait here for a moment.”
Cedric gave a light chuckle, turned around, and walked into the distance. “Let her spar with Ray and see how it goes.”
Watching her teacher’s receding figure, Helos turned to Julius, who had walked over to her side, and asked curiously in a low voice, “Who is Ray?”
“A newly promoted Saint Knight. You could say he’s my senior,” Julius answered in a whisper. “Like Mr. Kyle, he is skilled with the spear and sword. In addition to Divine Magic, he has also mastered a certain amount of Lightning Magic.”
“His strength is among the upper-middle tier of the new Saint Knights.”
“Eh… Gavi, can you handle it?”
Hearing Julius’s words, Helos could not help but feel a bit worried.
But Gavi only glanced at her and nodded gently once more.
It was as if she were telling her not to worry.
***
A moment later, on the training ground.
Ray — a young Saint Knight wearing half-plate armor — stood with his sword in hand.
The sunlight hit his pauldron, reflecting a dazzling light.
Standing opposite him was Gavi.
Her hands were empty, and she wore no sidearm sword. Only the half of her painted face shimmered slightly under the sun.
Helos bit her lip nervously, her fingers tightly clutching her sleeves.
“Teacher, do you really want her to fight? She… she hasn’t learned combat yet —”
“Observe quietly,” Cedric said in a deep voice. “Since you plan to have her learn combat anyway, you might as well take a good look at what kind of fighting style suits her.”
“The match ends immediately once either side loses the ability to fight! Neither side is allowed to harm the other’s life! Stop at the point of contact! Do you understand?”
Seeing both individuals on the field nod, Cedric waved his hand and shouted, “Begin the match!”
Following his words, Helos stopped speaking and focused her attention on the two people in the arena.
Ray stepped forward slowly, and his longsword traced a silver arc.
“Pardon me — er, Young Lady.”
Gavi did not move.
In the next second —
Ray lunged forward, his blade slashing with lightning speed.
The sound of metal tearing through the air suddenly erupted!
Helos’s heart nearly leapt into her throat —
But in that instant, Gavi actually shifted her body slightly. Her movements were clean and efficient, without any unnecessary swaying.
The blade grazed past her shoulder, only tearing the fabric of her maid dress.
‘This kind of reaction speed?’ Ray was startled.
A red light suddenly flickered within Gavi’s eye sockets.
In the next moment, she raised her arm and threw a punch.
*Clang —!*
The sound of metal clashing exploded in the air.
She was empty-handed, yet she blocked the knight’s sword strike at an almost perfect angle.
At that moment, the entire training ground fell into a dead silence.
Cedric’s pupils contracted slightly, and for the first time, a look of astonishment appeared on his face.
Ray was pushed back half a step by the counter-force, and a hint of disbelief flashed in his eyes.
“This… It seems I underestimated you, Miss.”
A trace of seriousness appeared in the young man’s brown eyes. A series of electric sparks flickered on the longsword in his hand as he said in a deep voice, “Next, please be careful!”