"Well..." Sol smiled shyly.
"Actually, I am—" Before he could finish, the carriage stopped, and a young man opened the door.
The man had a menacing look, standing tall with golden hair and piercing blue eyes. His sharp jawline clenched in a stern expression, emanating an aura of danger from his very presence.
"Hmm? This is the squad Father was talking about?" he muttered, glancing at everyone. "Rather than heroes, they look like a bunch of stray, naive, kids. How disappointing."
"Brother, is this how you welcome someone? Do you have no manners?" the princess retorted.
"Oh please, do I really need to show manners in front of these commoners?" the prince scoffed. "Although they've been recruited by the king, they still have no noble blood."
"You—!" the princess began.
"Well, it's no matter. I hope you follow orders like good little dogs," the prince said before turning his back and walking out of the castle gates with his butler.
"What the hell is wrong with that guy?" Josh asked.
"He's my second elder brother, but don't mind him. He's troublesome if you get in his way," the princess replied.
"Well, now that our trip is done, should we head back to the estate?" Simon suggested.
"I agree. It's getting late, and we should prepare for training tomorrow," sol agreed, yawning.
"Alright then. I guess we should get going, Princess," Felix bid farewell.
The four decided to walk to the estate. As they walked, Josh and the others teased Felix.
"Were you that happy to see your fiancée, Felix?"
"Your ears were red the whole time, haha," Sol added.
"I saw him smiling while riding in the carriage beside her," Simon said.
"Shut up..." Felix blushed.
"Well, as long as you're happy, we're happy for you," Josh said.
"That was cringe," Felix replied.
"What?!" Josh shouted.
The four reached the estate, where Ragnar and the butler welcomed them enthusiastically. They then retreated to their separate rooms and slept.
In their rooms, each of them reflected on the day.
Josh contemplated, "A hero, huh? I guess that's not bad at all." He closed his eyes, smiling.
Simon looked at the moon from his window. "A life of fantasy with my best buddies—hah! Who would've thought I'd be granted such a life?"
Felix rolled in his bed excitedly, biting the pillow he was hugging. His thoughts were consumed by the princess—her face, her body, her personality. He blushed all night.
Sol lay still, reaching his hands toward the ceiling.
Thankfully, that prince prevented me from telling the others about myself. I would've died of embarrassment if I had revealed my past. It seems my maxed-out luck is really taking effect.
He slept.
The Next Day
The four were called to the castle's training grounds to hone their combat abilities.
"Those are the four the king selected? They look like they've never faced hardship in their lives," some soldiers and mages whispered.
That's because we haven't.
"Right? I don't understand why the king would choose someone like them. Aren't we—those who've actually experienced battle—more capable?" another muttered.
While the others chattered, a man in the corner with folded arms and a brown ponytail remained silent, observing the four with eagle-like eyes.
"What do you think of them?" A girl beside him asked, pausing her sword practice. Her tanned skin and sturdy muscles spoke of relentless training under the sun. Her silky black hair carried the scent of roses, which the man noticed before replying.
"They have potential... but nothing special. They'll soon hit a wall they can't climb," he said coldly.
"Wow! I've never seen you observe someone this closely before. Have you taken an interest in them?" the girl exclaimed.
The man stood, picked up his wooden sword, and resumed training, ignoring her.
"Haah... You're no fun. Oh? What's this?" the girl said, turning her attention back to the four.
On the other side of the training grounds, a noble confronted the four. He wore expensive training clothes, his wooden sword resting on his shoulders, chest puffed with pride. His face was shaped like a mango, with two large buck teeth protruding from his mouth. Behind him stood two other nobles who resembled twin frogs.
"Why are you here? Go to the other side—this area is for nobles in training," he barked, pointing with his sword.
Ah, the typical noble bully. The squad's thoughts aligned.
"We were told by the king to train here," Felix retorted.
"The king? Ha! How dare you use His Majesty's name for your lies?" the noble shouted. "He is far above interacting with peasants like you!"
"What? You better shu—" Sol covered Simon's mouth.
"Um, sir, we really are telling the truth. Let's just go about our day, haha," Sol said nervously.
We don't know how to fight properly yet. Best to avoid trouble if we can.
"You still insist to continue your lies? Have you no shame?" the noble spat. "You!" He pointed at Simon. "Are you a swordsman? If so, pick up your sword. I'll use you as an example!"
Sol shot Simon a look of disagreement, but Simon stepped forward anyway.
"I can't let him disrespect us. Even if we don't know magic, we should at least put up a fight," he whispered to Sol.
"Haah... Alright, but don't die," Sol relented.
Simon picked up a wooden sword from the armory, testing its grip and weight. Satisfied, he took his stance—left hand behind his back, standing straight, sword pointed at the noble. His expression was calm.
"Ho? That's a unique stance," the girl observed.
Fencing? Sol recognized it immediately.
"You might not know this, but Simon practiced fencing in middle school," Felix explained.
After a tense moment, the noble and Simon clashed.
The noble struck first—a heavy slash. Simon parried, but his eyes widened.
It's very strong!
At the same time, the noble was shocked. "He parried that? How?"
They continued exchanging blows, Simon deflecting each heavy strike rather than blocking directly—he couldn't match the noble's raw strength. The noble grew increasingly frustrated by Simon's unorthodox techniques. It's from another world after all.
Then, the noble overextended, leaving himself wide open. Simon seized the opportunity, aiming for his neck—
"Stop!" A deep, commanding voice boomed across the training grounds.