Three weeks passed.
Winter continued to blanket Frostbound Coast beneath endless sheets of silver-white snow.
The roads still glowed through the night.
The trade routes remained busy.
The construction projects continued expanding.
The city continued growing.
And somewhere amidst all that progress...
A certain ancient serpent was suffering.
Or rather...
Training.
Though many knights argued there was little difference.
For three entire weeks.
Lyra had endured Kel's instruction.
Three weeks of basic stances.
Three weeks of posture corrections.
Three weeks of breathing exercises.
Three weeks of footwork.
Three weeks of balance.
Three weeks of being told:
"Wrong."
"Again."
"Too slow."
"Too stiff."
"Relax."
"Focus."
"Again."
At some point.
The word "again" had become her worst enemy.
The ancient serpent who survived centuries of cultivation.
The woman who could endure decades of isolation.
The being who once spent fifty years meditating inside a cave without moving.
Nearly lost her mind from repeating basic sword swings.
Yet...
The results were undeniable.
The training grounds had changed.
Or rather.
Lyra had changed.
Her stance had become natural.
Her balance had become stable.
Her sword movements had become smooth.
Her breathing had synchronized with her actions.
Even Gareth admitted privately that her improvement bordered on terrifying.
Not because she was talented.
Because she learned too quickly.
Every mistake was corrected once.
Maybe twice.
Then never repeated.
It was as though centuries of self-discipline were finally being applied toward swordsmanship.
And today.
Three weeks after beginning.
Lyra finally stood before Kel once more.
The training grounds bustled with activity.
Knights sparred.
Guards trained.
Wooden swords clashed.
Meanwhile.
At the center.
Kel stood calmly with his arms folded.
Lyra stood opposite him.
Wooden sword resting upon her shoulder.
Golden eyes burning with determination.
The serpent woman had reached her limit.
Not physically.
Mentally.
She wanted the reward.
The technique.
The Sovereign's Orbit Sword Arts.
Finally.
She spoke.
"Teach me."
Kel blinked.
"Teach you what?"
Lyra's eye twitched.
"The Sovereign's Orbit Sword Arts."
The surrounding knights immediately stopped training.
Pretending not to listen.
Again.
Very badly.
Kel observed her quietly.
Then asked.
"Why?"
Lyra frowned.
"What do you mean why?"
The Count remained calm.
"Why do you want to learn it?"
The serpent answered instantly.
"Because it's powerful."
Kel shook his head.
"No."
Lyra stared.
"What?"
The Count pointed toward Gareth.
"Gareth wants strength."
Another point.
"Those knights want strength."
Another.
"Most swordsmen want strength."
Then he looked directly into her eyes.
"But that isn't why you want it."
The training grounds gradually grew silent.
Lyra frowned.
Then after several moments...
She answered honestly.
"...Because it fascinates me."
Kel nodded.
Better.
Much better.
The Count remained silent for a moment.
Then finally spoke.
"Very well."
The serpent immediately brightened.
Then Kel continued.
"If you defeat every knight here using only swordsmanship."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Every knight froze.
Lyra blinked.
Kel continued.
"No mana."
Another.
"No aura."
Another.
"No transformations."
Another.
"No serpent abilities."
Another.
"No powers."
Another.
"Only swordsmanship."
The training grounds became extremely quiet.
Then Kel looked toward the knights.
"You may use everything."
Another.
"Aura."
Another.
"Mana."
Another.
"Combat techniques."
Another.
"Whatever tricks you possess."
Another.
"Only swordsmanship is restricted for Lyra."
The knights immediately became excited.
Then nervous.
Then excited again.
Because this sounded fun.
Very fun.
Then they remembered who Lyra was.
And became nervous again.
The serpent woman remained silent.
Then slowly lifted her wooden sword.
And pointed it toward every knight present.
The gesture was simple.
Yet carried immense confidence.
Then she spoke.
"Who first?"
The training grounds exploded.
"ME!"
"I CHALLENGE HER!"
"NO ME!"
"I WAS FIRST!"
Gareth immediately developed a headache.
Meanwhile.
Far beneath Scarder Lake.
Seiren laughed.
"This is going to be entertaining."
Kel internally agreed.
"Very."
The duels began.
The first knight stepped forward.
Intermediate swordsman.
Confident.
Experienced.
The duel lasted twenty-three seconds.
Lyra won.
The knight walked away questioning his life choices.
The second knight appeared.
Expert rank.
Aura enhancement active.
The duel lasted longer.
Three minutes.
Lyra lost.
The serpent woman immediately demanded another opponent.
Then another.
Then another.
The training grounds transformed into a battlefield.
Victory.
Defeat.
Victory.
Defeat.
Victory.
Defeat.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Each battle taught something.
Every loss revealed weakness.
Every victory exposed strength.
Lyra adapted.
Rapidly.
The knights began noticing.
Her mistakes vanished almost immediately.
Strategies that worked once never worked twice.
One knight approached confidently.
Used a feint.
Won.
The next day.
Used the same feint.
Lyra countered perfectly.
The knight nearly cried.
By the end of the week.
Several knights had unofficially declared her terrifying.
Not because she was powerful.
Because she learned.
Too quickly.
At that moment.
While another duel occurred nearby.
Kel sat with Gareth beneath a training pavilion.
The Count calmly sipped tea.
Watching.
Observing.
Calculating.
Nearby.
Lyra defeated another knight.
The crowd cheered.
Then another challenger stepped forward.
Kel ignored it.
Instead.
He turned toward Gareth.
"How many?"
The Captain immediately understood.
He opened several reports.
"Three."
Kel nodded.
"The same three?"
"Yes."
Gareth's expression became serious.
"Very close."
A pause.
"Extremely close."
The veteran knight pointed toward several names.
Expert swordsmen.
Veterans.
Talented.
Standing on the threshold of Master rank.
Yet unable to take the final step.
Kel studied the reports.
Then glanced toward Lyra.
The serpent woman was currently fighting two opponents simultaneously.
Winning.
Barely.
But winning.
A faint smile appeared.
Then the Count looked toward Gareth.
"Bring them."
The Captain blinked.
"The border experts?"
Kel nodded.
"Yes."
Another.
"Recall them temporarily."
Another.
"Have them duel Lyra."
Gareth immediately understood.
Then slowly smiled.
Because the idea was brilliant.
For Lyra.
It would provide stronger opponents.
For the experts.
It would provide fresh perspectives.
Sometimes breakthroughs came from unusual battles.
Unexpected challenges.
Different experiences.
The Captain stood.
"I'll send riders immediately."
Kel nodded.
Then returned his attention toward the battlefield.
At that exact moment.
Lyra won another duel.
The serpent woman stood in the center of the training grounds.
Breathing heavily.
Sweating.
Holding her wooden sword.
The knights surrounding her looked exhausted.
Several sat upon the ground.
Others leaned against walls.
One knight pointed dramatically.
"She's evolving."
Another nodded.
"Every battle."
Another.
"She gets stronger."
The first knight looked horrified.
"Lord Kel created another one."
Silence followed.
Then everyone slowly turned toward Kel.
The Count sat calmly drinking tea.
Completely innocent.
The knights collectively shivered.
Because somehow.
Their Lord kept doing this.
Turning extraordinary people into monsters.
Meanwhile.
Lyra wiped sweat from her forehead.
Then pointed her sword toward the next challenger.
Golden eyes burning.
A smile appearing.
For perhaps the first time in centuries.
The ancient serpent had discovered something new.
Something exciting.
Something addictive.
The path of the sword.
And somewhere deep within her heart...
She already knew.
Soon.
Very soon.
She would be ready to learn the Sovereign's Orbit Sword Arts.