“The match is over.”
Cedric’s voice broke the frozen silence on the training ground, pulling everyone’s thoughts back to reality.
His voice was as steady as ever, yet it could not hide a faint ripple of emotion.
Hearing this, Gavi flicked her wrist slightly and returned the longsword to Ray. The entire movement was fluid and natural, without a hint of hesitation.
Ray took the sword in silence, giving Gavi a complex look. Ultimately, he performed a Knight Salute toward her before turning to retreat to the side.
The spectating Saint Knights finally woke as if from a dream, erupting into a fit of irrepressible marvel and hushed discussion.
Cedric ignored the commotion around them. His sharp gaze swept over the three figures still standing in shock. “Helos, Julius, and Gavi. The three of you, follow me,” he said in a deep voice.
With that, he turned and walked toward his private quarters.
Helos and Julius exchanged a look, both seeing the same shock and confusion in each other’s eyes. Helos hurried to catch up with a small trot, while Gavi followed behind like a silent shadow.
Along the way, Helos’s mind was practically boiling over.
‘What’s the situation now? How did Gavi suddenly become so good at fighting? What was that last move? An illusion? No, it felt more like some kind of interference?’
She stole a glance at the silent Gavi beside her, her mind filled with countless question marks.
Cedric’s room remained simple and solemn, the weapons hanging on the walls glinting with a cold light under the sun. He did not sit down. Instead, he turned around and stared at Helos with eyes like burning torches.
“Now, can you explain, Miss Helos?” His voice wasn’t loud, but it was brimming with authority. “Explain everything regarding Gavi.”
Helos’s heart tightened, feeling like a student caught red-handed by a teacher. She took a deep breath and decided to tell the truth.
“Teacher, actually… I’m not entirely sure myself,” she began cautiously.
She recounted everything—how she obtained the golem remains, how she repaired them, and how she had unintentionally placed the ruby necklace found in the tomb around Gavi’s neck. Of course, she did not mention the specifics of her alchemy.
“Ever since she put on that necklace, she seemed to gain her own consciousness,” Helos’s voice grew smaller and smaller. “As for the combat techniques from just now, this is the first time I’ve seen them too.”
Cedric fell into a long silence after listening. His fingers unconsciously gripped the hilt of the sword at his waist, his brow furrowed as if he were pondering something of extreme importance.
After a long while, he finally looked up, his gaze shifting to Gavi, who had remained silent the entire time.
“Gavi,” he called out gravely.
Gavi took a step forward, the points of light in her eyes flickering slightly.
“Where did you learn those combat techniques? Or rather, do you remember anything?”
Gavi first looked at Helos. Only after receiving an affirming nod from her master did she slowly shake her head. Her movements were still somewhat stiff, but her intent was clear. Evidently, she had no prior memories.
Then, looking at Cedric, she raised her hand and performed an extremely standard opening stance for a sword strike.
Cedric’s eyes suddenly narrowed.
“Just as I thought,” he muttered to himself, as if confirming a suspicion in his heart. “Helos, it seems you have unintentionally awakened a formidable ‘inheritance.'”
He looked at Helos, his voice becoming incredibly serious. “The soul fragment remaining in that necklace must have belonged to a warrior when they were alive.”
“Although she left no memories behind, that bone-deep combat instinct was inherited after merging with Gavi’s core through the necklace.”
“Everything Gavi displayed isn’t the result of learning, but rather an existence equivalent to instinct.”
Helos and Julius listened, dumbfounded. This explanation was far beyond their imagination.
“This…” Helos opened her mouth, not knowing what to say.
“This is an opportunity, but it is also a danger,” Cedric continued. “Gavi possesses unparalleled talent for combat, but she is like a peerless sword that hasn’t been polished. she has the sharpness, but lacks the control.”
His sharp gaze swept over the three of them before he finally made a decision. “From today onward, Gavi will officially join your special training.”
“Eh?!” Helos cried out in surprise. “Really?”
“Her combat instincts need guidance and tempering to teach her how to control her own power. This way, when you challenge Werner, she can become your most reliable combat force instead of an unstable variable.” Cedric’s voice was resolute. “I will personally instruct her.”
“That’s great!” Helos was so excited she almost jumped.
With a super combat maid as a teammate, wouldn’t their chances of challenging Werner be even higher now? The young girl could almost see the dawn of victory.
However, amidst the joyful atmosphere, Julius silently clenched his fists. He watched the excitement and trust in Helos’s eyes as she looked at Gavi, and a complex emotion welled up in his heart.
There was the relief of being happy for her, but more than that, there was an indescribable competitive spirit.
He looked at his still somewhat immature palms, then at the distant longsword belonging to a Saint Knight.
‘I can do it too…’ he muttered in a voice only he could hear. ‘I can be your strength as well.’
“Hmm? What are you muttering about!”
Helos’s ears caught the whisper. She whipped her head around, meeting Julius’s somewhat flustered gaze. A flush of red spread across the boy’s cheeks at a visible speed.
“N-nothing!” Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, he immediately turned around and grabbed a training longsword, practically fleeing toward a corner of the training ground.
“I-I need to continue my special training! I haven’t finished today’s training quota yet!”
As he shouted, he swung the sword with more force than ever before, as if trying to vent all the inexplicable emotions in his heart.
Helos stared blankly at his retreating, slightly disheveled back. Her own cheeks began to feel warm for no reason. She raised a hand to touch her face, her heart skipping a beat.
‘What is this guy… doing?’
‘He’s so competitive at such a young age; what will he be like when he grows up?’ she grumbled under her breath, yet the corners of her mouth curled up uncontrollably.
Still, if this gave him more motivation, it wasn’t a bad thing.
Thinking of this, she intentionally shouted toward the figure across the training ground, “Hey! You idiot, Julius! Is that all you’ve got? If you lose to Gavi, you’ll be completely humiliated!”
“Shut up! How could I possibly lose to a golem!” Julius’s roar drifted back the moment the girl finished speaking.
Helos shook her head with feigned helplessness, looked at Gavi beside her, and sighed. “Sigh, Gavi, you really are a troublemaker.”
“Hehe, look at how anxious you’ve made the boy the moment you arrived.”
“We can’t lose to that kid, Gavi!”