The King gestured to the soldiers and ordered them to take the boy and lock him up.
After some time, when the rain stopped, the King ordered the conference to end, and everyone began leaving the castle one by one—except Zena, Beloka, the Lord Commander, the King, the Princess, and all the ministers and nobles gathered there.
The elder asked the Lord Commander to let Zena join the Sun Knights, but the Lord Commander rejected the request, saying he would only allow her to join once she proved herself.
Many hours passed, and when the water had completely soaked into the land, everyone moved out into the castle garden to test Zena. Everyone was present—from the ministers to the four nobles who governed the four regions of the kingdom. Even the King and his other children joined to witness Zena's trial to become a Sun Knight.
The King's other children included one princess and two princes. Including Princess Simina, there were four children in total.
Among them, one prince was watching Beloka with an intense gaze, but Princess Simina broke his focus by saying teasingly,
"Yes, he is the second-youngest Sun Knight—and the one who shattered your dream of becoming the second-youngest Sun Knight."
With a mocking voice, she added,
"Oh, great Prince Rogan Kingsblood."
She giggled and turned her eyes to Zena.
There, standing in the middle of the garden, were Zena and a soldier—neither broad nor lean—wearing black armor from head to toe. No part of his body was visible; even his eyes were hidden by the darkness within his helmet. Both held swords in their right hands.
The Lord Commander ordered them to fight.
The soldier attacked Zena with full intensity, thrusting his sword toward her belly.
Zena deflected the attack with equal speed, rotating her sword from right to left as she spun her body the same way. Completing the full turn, she slashed at the soldier's neck with a horizontal strike.
The soldier blocked the attack by placing his sword vertically against hers. It all happened so fast that he barely had time to react. Instantly, Zena kicked him in the chest.
The soldier was pushed back and lost his balance.
Without wasting a second, Zena followed up, attacking him from above with a vertical strike aimed at his head.
The soldier blocked it, but because he was still unbalanced, he dropped to one knee under the sheer force of the blow.
Everyone—including the Lord Commander—was shocked by her swordsmanship.
With overwhelming power, Zena pressed down with her sword. The soldier tried to push her back but failed. He began channeling Mano energy into his weapon.
Sensing this, Zena also channeled her mano energy into her sword.
The soldier increased the flow of mano energy. Zena responded by raising hers even higher.
The intensity created a swirling wind throughout the garden, so strong that everyone's clothes—including Beloka's—flapped wildly.
Then, Zena unleashed an overwhelming surge of mano energy. The soldier's sword began to crack, and his armor trembled under the pressure.
Zena's sword began to cut through his, reaching halfway through.
Seeing this, the Lord Commander stopped the fight.
Everyone had been so focused that they hadn't noticed the Lord Commander signaling them to halt.
When Zena withdrew her sword, everyone realized the fight was over.
Princess Simina glanced at Prince Rogan and teased him again,
"Oooh, the great prince falling in love with a commoner—an outskirt girl, no less! The same one who used to badmouth commoners all the time."
Prince Rogan, with a slight anger on his face, then calmed himself and said,
"Oh look, someone's jealous."
Then he walked up to the Lord Commander and said,
"If her test is over, then I want to duel the boy you recruited as a Sun Knight."
The Lord Commander looked at the King. The King nodded, and the Commander sighed.
"Fine."
The Lord gestured to Beloka to step forward.
Beloka came running and stopped near him.
The Lord then told both of them that whoever loses their weapon first will be considered defeated.
Rogan didn't know much about Beloka's ability. He only knew that Beloka had become a Sun Knight.
Both of them walked to the spot where Zena and the soldier had fought earlier.
Zena and the soldier crossed paths with them on the way back and bowed to the King and the Lord Commander.
The King praised Zena and congratulated her on her swordsmanship and for becoming a Sun Knight.
The Lord Commander said firmly,
"Your swordsmanship is exceptionally beautiful and breathtaking. I will no longer question your past or your family."
He patted her on the shoulder and made her an official member of the Sun Knights. Zena was now the third-youngest to ever achieve that rank under the age of 20.
Then the King called his daughter Simina and introduced her to Zena.
Zena bowed respectfully, but the King stopped her, saying she was her knight-mate.
Yes, Princess Simina was the youngest Sun Knight under twenty.
Simina and Zena stepped aside from the others, and the Princess joked,
"Poor brother. Now the third seat is taken too."
Zena, confused, asked, "Should I be worried?"
"No, no," Simina laughed, "I was joking."
There was a short, awkward silence before Zena smiled and said sweetly,
"It's nice to meet you, Princess Simina."
The Princess waved her hand.
"No, you should call me Simina. We are both knights now—of the same status. You should no longer feel small. You're no longer just a normal girl. Being a Sun Knight is equal to being a prince. In grave circumstances, your status will even take priority."
Zena hadn't known this before. She smiled.
"Okay, prin... Simina."
Then both of them turned their eyes toward Rogan and Beloka.
Simina whispered,
"I think Beloka will easily win this."
Zena replied softly,
"Isn't that obvious?"
Simina giggled while watching Prince Rogan.
Rogan noticed her watching and laughing at him. His expression hardened, and he stared intensely at her.
Then Rogan asked the Lord,
"Where's his weapon?"
"He doesn't need one."
The Lord gestured for the fight to begin.
Rogan immediately charged, thrusting his sword at Beloka's belly. The sword shattered the moment it touched him.
Rogan stood in shock, but then, enraged, he lifted his leg to kick Beloka's chest.
Everyone, including the Lord, screamed—
"Prince, no!"
As the Prince's leg struck Beloka's chest, it burst up to his knee. Blood and flesh scattered.
At first, Rogan was confused. Then the pain struck, and he screamed so loudly that the sound echoed into the sky.
Beloka had tried to withdraw his energy back into his heart core when he saw the prince lifting his leg—but he failed to do it completely. Some energy remained in his chest, which limited the damage to the prince's leg. Otherwise, his entire body would have burst.
Princess Simina ran to the prince, followed by others—including Zena and the King.
She reached him, lifted her hand in the air, and began murmuring an incantation. A glow of light appeared on her hand, slowly healing the Prince's leg. In time, the leg was as good as new, and the pain was gone.
Still, it took some time for the Prince to feel his leg again.
Beloka's first thought was why he hadn't suppressed his energy completely.
Then, he instantly knelt down, placing his forehead to the grass.
"I am sorry, Prince. I didn't mean to hurt you."
The Lord quickly ordered Beloka to stand.
"You don't have to feel sorry. He challenged you. You bear no responsibility."
Still confused, the Prince held his father's hand and asked,
"What just happened?"
The Lord Commander replied,
"Prince, you heard that a boy became a Sun Knight, but not how he became one, right?"
The Prince fell silent. Then he slowly stood up, glanced at Beloka, then at Zena—and walked away without saying another word.
Beloka stood silently, watching the Prince walk back into the castle.
Then, the Lord Commander gestured to a soldier to bring something.
The soldier returned carrying two chain lockets. Each locket was made of a metal chain with a coin-shaped pendant attached to it, bearing the sigil of a sword in the center.
One locket was given to each of them, and they immediately wore them around their necks.
The Lord Commander then led them back inside the castle. They eventually reached a room where many swords were embedded in the ground.
He asked Zena to channel her mano energy into the floor.
Beloka and the Lord Commander stood behind her, silently observing. Zena knelt, placed her hand on the ground, and began channeling her energy into it.
Suddenly, the floor shimmered with white light. Then, just as quickly, the light vanished.
In a far corner of the room, one sword began glowing brightly.
Zena looked back at the Lord Commander, who silently gestured for her to retrieve it.
She began walking toward the glowing sword. As she reached it, she bent down slightly and grasped the hilt.
The moment her fingers touched it, memories began flooding her mind.
In an instant, she was transported to another realm.
A old man stood before her.
He was so lean that his bones were clearly visible. He wore nothing but a loose cloth wrapped around his waist, falling to his knees. His long hair also reached down to his knees.
Without warning, he attacked—splitting her in half.