Soon enough, Blaze was out of the fields and found the chief and two more people waiting for him.

“Sorry to disturb you when you’re hard at work Blaze.” Chief Jacob said as soon as he saw the boy.

“Not at all Grandpa,” Blaze said as he approached them.

“Lady Erica, may I?” Kalius asked in a low tone such that only she could hear and the girl nodded.

“Blaze Fellis, I presume,” He said as he walked up to the boy, holding out his hand…or rather, his armored gauntlet, “My name is Kalius Vons, I’m here with Lady Erica Caster, we are royal knights in service to the King of Erice.”

Blaze ignored Kalius’ attempt at a handshake, his face showing clear disinterest as he stared back with disinterest painted on his face. He then glanced at Erica, who appeared genuinely confused. Then back at Kalius, still without shaking his hand.

“Are handshakes not customary in this part of the county?” Kalius asked with a frown, starting to get annoyed.

"No, they are, I just find it a hassle to oblige you with one," he said flatly to Kalius, clearly causing frustration.

The man’s outstretched hand was immediately collected into a fist as he drew it back.

“Maybe I didn’t make myself clear,” Kalius said brandishing the emblem on his armor, “We are…”

“Geez! I’m not deaf, you are a royal knight big whoop! Trust me, I know fully well that you’re here to drag me back to the capital. Well, that’s not happening. So just turn around and go tell that blockhead Eugen that I refuse!”

Within seconds, two robes got flung into the air and in the blink of an eye, the blade of a large broadsword was at Blaze’s throat and the extremely sharp tip of a metal spear was inches away from his face, surging with lightning.

It was only after the robes finally touched the ground that the chief and the rest of the villagers working nearby realized what had just happened. Gasps escaped their lips as they froze in fear and shock at the sight before them. Kalius, clad in heavy red armor from neck to toe, held out a large broadsword.

Opposite to him, Erica stood with her spear, her body encased in a sleek armor of thick blue fabric. The armor was adorned with light metal plating on the shoulder, chest, torso, and knee guards, creating a striking and ornate detailing. The only other metallic elements were the gauntlets and the boots, which extended up to near her elbows and ankles respectively.

“How dare you speak so ill of your own King!” Erica’s charming demeanor vanished, replaced by a frighteningly serious expression as she gave Blaze a fierce glare.

“Maybe we should properly introduce ourselves,” Kalius said to Blaze with a spiteful look, “My name is Kalius Vons, third major general of the Erice Royal Knights...”

“Erica Caster, the Lightning Princess of the Erice Elites.”

“What…!?” The chief’s eyes widened as his mouth gaped.

The Erice Royal Knights were the Erice army's strongest troops. It was surprising enough that Kalius was one of their major generals. But what truly stunned them was Erica’s title; she belonged to the Erice Elites, a select group of five knights considered the most powerful in the entire kingdom, serving directly under the King. These knights rarely appeared in public, and the missions they undertook were of the highest importance or extreme danger.

The silence was all that dominated after those bold introductions. The only sound was the autumn wind gently rustling the leaves as it drifted between the three of them.

“Am I supposed to be intimidated?” Blaze spoke without so much as a hint of fear or even surprise to that matter, as he eyed the two, his body still and unshaken.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

“Why you…!” Kalius began.

“Big brother!” The soft voice of a young girl echoed from the fields catching all of their attention. It was Anna who came running towards the scene and the moment she saw Blaze surrounded by weapons she froze in fear.

But despite the fear she managed to pull out her strength and speak out.

“You bullies, Let my big brother go!” Anna shouted with all her might, her terrified voice squeaking as she charged at them.

“Anna, don’t run…” Milka had just arrived at the scene as she was chasing after Anna, again, and could only manage a gasp as she caught sight of what was going on.

Anna didn’t stop however, she kept on running and tried to hit Kalius but ended up getting pushed back by his armored foot, making her stumble onto the ground.

Blaze was composed the whole time until Anna arrived at the scene and the moment Kalius’ mistake was made, his body finally moved.

“I’m so…” Kalius began to apologize. But before he could finish, a heavy force slammed into his chest. Blaze had thrust his arm forward, shoving Kalius back, and before he could even process what had happened, a rising kick struck him squarely on the chin. The impact and speed of the consecutive attacks were anything but normal. Not only did the first strike pierce through Kalius’ thick armor, but the second also sent the fully armored knight, despite his large build, flying backward and crashing to the ground.

What!?

Erica’s eyes widened in shock as she watched one of her most capable comrades fall in a split second. Questions raced through her head, not of what had just happened, no. The Lightning Princess was fast and well-trained enough to see what had ensued. But how it happened was her questions mostly. Before she could comprehend any answer, however, Blaze parried her spear by striking its shaft with the back of his left hand and struck Erica with a right-handed palm strike to her stomach. Although it was not as heavy as the one Kalius got, it was enough to send stumbling back.

Erica flinched as she regained her ground. She rose in a fighting stance and was about to charge at the boy when she noticed something was missing.

Looking at Blaze, Erica saw the boy was now holding her spear which he had snatched from her when she stumbled back. It worried her greatly that he was so subtle that she hadn’t even noticed for a moment there, or maybe it was her desperation that was making her irrational. The thought of the latter left a bad taste in her mouth and she was honestly appalled by it. Swiftly, she decided to focus her attention back on the boy, looking at him with an unimpressed scowl.

She would have normally acknowledged most enemies as worthy adversaries at this point but not in the case of the crimson-eyed boy. Her pride just wouldn’t let her.

"With a snap of her fingers, the spear crackled with lightning, forcing Blaze to drop it instantly. She extended her hand, and the spear lifted from the ground, flying back into her grasp.

She twirled it before slamming its shaft's end onto the ground, causing the entire spear and her whole body to surge with lightning. Assuming a battle stance with her right foot forward, she leveled the spear toward the boy. At the same time, Kalius also got up and held out his sword towards Blaze, growling furiously with his body radiating a daunting red aura.

Blaze stood still, his menacing crimson eyes keeping a close gaze on both of the two as he two readied himself for the attacks that were about to come at him.

“Enough!” Jacob shouted from the top of his lungs, making all of them freeze in their tracks.

Erica turned to look at the chief, who appeared thoroughly displeased. He slowly let out a few coughs, clearly having strained his throat. She went on to look around at the crowd they had uneventfully attracted. She sighed, easing up.

“Sorry about that, are you alright?” Blaze said after quickly heading over to Chief Jacob who was still coughing up, only to get bonked on the head by the grumbling old man’s cane.

“Sorry.” Blaze apologized again.

Seeing this made Erica a bit confused, up to the moment her image of Blaze was very unpleasant. She didn’t think he had any form of decency in him.

“Our apologies as well Chief Jacob; that was…uncalled for,” she said as the lightning coursing through her body faded. Her spear seemingly turned into lightning before transforming into a bluish-white bracelet that swiftly attached itself to her wrist.",

“But this fool….!”

“That’s enough general!” Erica sternly spoke out, startling Kalius.

“Ye…yes, Lady Erica. My apologies.” He said obediently as he sheathed his sword.

Jacob cleared his throat. "Good. Since things have gotten a bit out of hand, how about we take a break and continue later when we’re all refreshed? Lady Erica, Sir Kalius, I’m sure you’ve had a long journey. Why don’t we head back to my home so you can both rest for a while?"

Erica nodded, “That would be nice. Thank you so much for your invitation, Chief Jacob.”

As they were talking, Blaze went over to see if Anna was alright and it turns out, it was just an overreaction on his part since the little girl was just pushed back a bit but after confirming that she was well, he started heading back to the fields.

“Make sure you come home early today for our guests too Blaze,” Jacob called out to the boy smiling.

“Sure,” Blaze replied with a wave without turning back.

As he was heading back, he took a look at his palm where Erica’s lightning had left a slight burn.

“The nerve of that woman.”

His brown eyes briefly glowed with a bright crimson before returning to their normal state. As they did, the wound healed instantly, and he continued on his way, visibly annoyed and angered.