Morning sunlight gradually spread across Frostbound Coast.
Golden rays reflected from snow-covered rooftops.
The glowing roads that had illuminated the city throughout the night slowly lost their prominence beneath the rising sun.
Merchants opened their shops.
Workers began their shifts.
Travelers resumed their journeys.
And within the Count's mansion...
A certain ancient serpent slowly opened her eyes.
Lyra sat upright upon the large bed.
For several moments she remained motionless.
The soft blankets.
The warm room.
The peaceful silence.
Everything still felt strange.
For centuries she had slept in caves.
Stone chambers.
Mana-rich caverns.
Hidden valleys.
Now she woke up inside a noble mansion.
The thought itself felt absurd.
The serpent woman rubbed her forehead.
Then stood.
A servant had already left breakfast outside her room.
The smell of fresh bread and warm tea lingered pleasantly in the air.
After eating.
Lyra walked toward the balcony attached to her room.
The moment she stepped outside...
Cold morning air greeted her.
Her golden eyes slowly moved across Frostbound Coast.
The city looked beautiful from above.
Smoke rose from chimneys.
Caravans moved across roads.
The ocean sparkled in the distance.
Snow-covered forests stretched toward the horizon.
Then...
Her gaze shifted.
Toward the training grounds.
And immediately stopped.
Kel.
The Count stood at the center of the training field.
Six aura swords floated around him.
Silver blades revolved slowly through the air.
Like stars orbiting their center.
Like loyal retainers surrounding their sovereign.
Lyra leaned against the balcony railing.
Her golden eyes narrowed.
Interest appeared.
Not ordinary interest.
Genuine fascination.
Because unlike the nobles last night...
Unlike the merchants.
Unlike the investors.
Lyra understood power.
She had cultivated for centuries.
She understood mana.
She understood battle.
She understood danger.
And what she saw before her...
Was dangerous.
Very dangerous.
The Sovereign's Orbit Sword Arts.
She had already witnessed it once.
Back when Kel casually killed a giant monster during their journey.
Yet seeing it calmly in daylight...
Seeing the six floating swords move with such precision...
The technique appeared even more terrifying.
One sword moved slightly.
Another adjusted position.
Another changed its angle.
Every blade reacted independently.
Yet all remained perfectly synchronized.
The sight resembled a living constellation.
Lyra watched.
Five minutes.
Ten minutes.
Twenty minutes.
The serpent woman remained there.
Observing.
Analyzing.
Studying.
Then she realized something.
She wanted to learn it.
The realization arrived unexpectedly.
Yet once it appeared...
It refused to leave.
The floating swords.
The control.
The flexibility.
The endless possibilities.
A technique like this suited almost anyone.
Especially someone like her.
A being with enormous mana reserves.
Eventually.
Lyra left the balcony.
The serpent woman descended the mansion stairs.
Passed through hallways.
Walked across courtyards.
And headed directly toward the training grounds.
Meanwhile.
The knights had already begun training.
The atmosphere remained lively.
Wooden swords clashed.
Armor rattled.
Commands echoed.
And at the center...
Kel continued instructing several knights.
The moment Lyra entered...
Many knights noticed her.
Several immediately straightened their posture.
Others greeted respectfully.
The Guardian of Frostbound Coast.
That title had already spread throughout the territory.
Lyra ignored most of it.
Her attention remained fixed on one thing.
The six floating swords.
Eventually.
She arrived before Kel.
The Count turned.
Seeing her.
He nodded.
"Good morning."
"Good morning."
A brief silence followed.
Then Lyra spoke directly.
"I want to learn it."
Kel blinked.
"Learn what?"
Lyra pointed.
Toward the floating swords.
"The Sovereign's Orbit Sword Arts."
Several nearby knights immediately stopped listening.
Then pretended they weren't listening.
Very badly.
Kel glanced toward them.
Every knight suddenly resumed training.
The acting was terrible.
The Count sighed internally.
Then returned his attention toward Lyra.
"You want to learn it?"
She nodded.
"Yes."
A pause.
"I've watched it."
Another.
"Studied it."
Another.
"The more I observe it..."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"The more I want to understand it."
Kel remained silent.
The floating swords slowly circled behind him.
The Count considered her request.
Truthfully.
He had no problem teaching her.
The Sovereign's Orbit Sword Arts wasn't something he hoarded.
Reina had already spread it throughout the Empire.
Countless people studied it.
Countless people practiced it.
Teaching Lyra wasn't the issue.
The issue was something else.
Eventually.
Kel asked calmly.
"Does it suit you?"
The question caught Lyra off guard.
"What?"
Kel repeated.
"Does it suit you?"
The serpent frowned.
"The technique is powerful."
"It is."
"Then why ask?"
Kel slowly folded his arms.
The floating swords paused behind him.
Then the Count answered.
"Because power alone means nothing."
The training grounds gradually became quieter.
Even the knights unconsciously listened.
Kel continued.
"The strongest sword art in existence can become worthless if it doesn't suit the person using it."
Another.
"The greatest weapon can become a burden."
Another.
"The most powerful path can become a prison."
The Count looked directly into Lyra's eyes.
"Compatibility matters."
The serpent woman listened carefully.
Kel continued.
"Swordsmanship isn't about collecting techniques."
Another.
"It's about finding yourself."
The knights remained silent.
Because every word carried weight.
Kel pointed toward Gareth.
"Would Sovereign's Orbit improve Gareth?"
The veteran knight immediately froze.
Then thought.
A moment later.
He shook his head.
"Not much."
Kel nodded.
"Why?"
Gareth answered honestly.
"My strength comes from direct combat."
Another.
"Heavy strikes."
Another.
"Frontline fighting."
Another.
"My instincts are straightforward."
Kel nodded again.
Then looked toward Lyra.
"Exactly."
The Count continued.
"Gareth could learn it."
Another.
"He could master it."
Another.
"But his own sword path would remain stronger."
Lyra slowly understood.
The issue wasn't learning.
The issue was whether she should.
The serpent woman crossed her arms.
Then asked.
"What about your sword art?"
A pause.
"You just said compatibility matters."
Another.
"Yet this technique has endless variations."
Another.
"It changes depending on the user."
Kel smiled slightly.
Because she had noticed.
"Correct."
The Count nodded.
"The Sovereign's Orbit Sword Arts aren't a complete sword style."
Several knights immediately looked confused.
Kel continued.
"It is a framework."
Another.
"A philosophy."
Another.
"A method."
Another.
"It adapts to the person."
The floating swords rotated slowly.
"That's why the Empire fears it."
A brief silence followed.
Then Kel looked toward Lyra.
"You are a serpent."
The statement sounded strange.
Yet Lyra nodded.
"I am."
Kel continued.
"You spent centuries cultivating."
Another.
"You observe."
Another.
"You wait."
Another.
"You strike at opportunities."
Another.
"You control territory."
Another.
"You command lesser serpents."
The Count pointed toward the floating swords.
"Doesn't that already sound familiar?"
Lyra froze.
Then slowly realized something.
The floating swords.
They weren't merely weapons.
They were extensions.
Like controlling territory.
Like commanding serpents.
Like directing multiple threats simultaneously.
Her eyes widened slightly.
Kel smiled.
"You aren't attracted to the sword art."
A pause.
"You recognize yourself inside it."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Even Gareth looked impressed.
Because somehow...
The Count had described both the sword art and Lyra's nature in a few sentences.
The serpent woman lowered her gaze.
Thinking.
For several moments.
Then she finally nodded.
Slowly.
Firmly.
"I want to learn."
This time her voice carried certainty.
Not fascination.
Not curiosity.
Conviction.
Kel observed her.
Then smiled.
A faint smile.
The smile of a teacher.
"Good."
The floating swords slowly dissolved into light.
One after another.
The training ground suddenly felt emptier.
Then Kel walked toward a weapon rack.
He picked up a wooden sword.
And tossed it toward her.
Lyra caught it.
Instinctively.
The wooden blade felt unfamiliar in her hands.
The serpent woman stared at it.
Then at Kel.
The Count folded his arms.
And spoke words that immediately shattered her expectations.
"Forget the Sovereign's Orbit Sword Arts."
Lyra blinked.
"What?"
Kel pointed toward the sword.
"First."
A pause.
"Show me how you hold it."
The serpent woman froze.
Nearby knights immediately smiled.
Because now they understood.
The lesson had officially begun.
And every knight present knew exactly what came next.
The same suffering they all experienced.
The same endless foundations.
The same brutal basics.
Because no matter how extraordinary the technique.
No matter how talented the student.
No matter how powerful the person.
Kel Rosenfeld always began from the beginning.
And thus.
Under the rising morning sun.
The Guardian of Frostbound Coast took her first step upon the path of the sword.
While countless knights silently enjoyed the fact that someone else would finally suffer through Kel's training methods.