"Hmm..." Rolf hummed in thought after the young prince and his guardian knight vanished from the Sanctum's core region. While stroking his chin, he reflected on his short training session with Reivan.

'Surprising. How truly surprising...'

The boy was more impressive than Rolf could ever imagine. Not in talent or special abilities — although Reivan seemed to have those in spades as well — but in willpower. Rolf believed that it was never a big deal if someone was weak or unskilled since those could be remedied over time, through training and studying. But courage and willpower were hard to acquire.

Of course, there were ways to artificially strengthen people's willpower, but even Aizen — famed for stooping to the lowest of lows if it meant safeguarding the nation — did not practice such methods. They would never purposely inflict trauma on the knights that swore their eternal loyalty to the country.

'I cannot deny its effectiveness though. Seeing as I am the perfect example...'

In any case, the fact that Reivan was so resolute despite the lack of harrowing events in his life meant that the boy's future, as far as the art of combat went, was very bright. It did not matter how talented a prospective fighter was if they faltered under pressure after all. Nor did it matter if they lost motivation to climb to the pinnacle of strength. Reivan's show of willpower had fully convinced Rolf that the young prince would be a powerhouse when nurtured.

'Now... if that young lady from house Mercer showed even half of that, we would have an absolute monster on our hands.'

Helen Mercer's talent was brought to light by Reivan, but even without the information he'd divulged, the young girl's abnormality was apparent. She seemed to learn things much quicker and do them much better than other children, to the point the girl innocently wondered why others were so much worse than her.

The Sword Star stroked his chin in rumination. Perhaps it was prudent to push Helen's baptism forward, even if the girl was a few months away from the age of ten.

'No... that's not being fair to her, I suppose.'

Rolf shook his head, feeling that he shouldn't even think of robbing the girl of her childhood like that. At the very least, she should be offered the choice in a formal manner, just like Reivan was. It was the duty of old people like him to make sure that the younger generation had the time and leeway to make that choice.

Seeking a second opinion on the matters of teaching, Rolf turned toward the direction of a presence that had been watching him and Reivan for a while.

"Donovan. What do you think of young Reivan?"

In response, a white-garbed figure calmly walked out from behind a cherry blossom tree, a neutral expression on his aged face. His hands were behind him as he strolled toward the Sword Star.

"He's alright," Donovan said drolly.

Rolf chuckled, shaking his head in exasperation. "Is that all? Do you not find his resoluteness commendable?"

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"It's the courageous ones that die the fastest, old fool. I would've thought you'd learned that by now." The sharp-tongued man spat, his eyes sharply narrowed as his gaze drifted to where the prince had collapsed earlier. "It remains to be seen whether it truly is courage and resoluteness, or stupidity and recklessness. Whichever it is, it will have to be curbed with cunning. That's what separates men from beasts. Though I suppose the boy's half a beast, which frankly troubles me..."

"But still. You have to admit that he's in a good state to start."

"I won't deny it."

The Sword Star smirked. "You're as stingy with praise as ever."

"Praise goes to their heads. Makes them reckless. Then the next thing you know..." Donovan crossed his arms, his face stern. "You're attending yet another funeral. I'm sick of them by this point. If I have to wear black one more time..."

Rolf said nothing, simply nodding in agreement with his lips pursed into a tight line.

"Better to be cruel to them. I find that a student's longevity grows every time they curse my name. They have to be alive to despise me, and I prefer it that way." The aged instructor slowly walked toward the torii gate while gesturing around them. "Their deaths make more work for me too. It's a pain to take care of all these damn trees all the time. Wish they'd stop planting more of these blasted things..."

The Sword Star smiled warmly as he watched Aizen's best instructor grumble. As Donovan's back grew smaller and smaller, Rolf sunk into his thoughts.

'He still exaggerates the number of people that resent him.'

In truth, Rolf knew that only the young knights, fresh from their training with the man, disliked Donovan. With time and maturity, his former students would realize what lay beyond their prickly teacher's outward nature. More knights respected him than despised him, and yet the stalwart instructor still seemed to think otherwise.

'I suppose the fact that everybody appears to be on edge around him gives him that misconception...'

But that was due to their fear of the man's tongue-lashing skills. After all, nobody wanted to have their feelings hurt, so all that knew of Donovan would carefully choose their words and stay on guard, lest their egos shatter. Most of these people, Rolf thought, did not actually dislike Donovan.

"Hmmm..." Rolf stroked his chin, his eyes staring at the ground. He could easily solve Donovan's misunderstanding but ultimately decided against it. "I suppose I'll just wait for him to find out on his own. This is also for his own growth, in a way."

'Now I have another person's future in mind... and I didn't even get to ask Donovan about Helen...'

Rolf frowned, thinking about calling Donovan back to discuss the girl, but again, decided against it. Helen was yet to reach ten years old. Her future would have to be discussed after she decided on a path to take. Doing so now would serve little purpose.

"Reivan..." Rolf's dark eyes drifted over to the white cherry blossom tree, the first one of its kind. "Is there something wrong with me? Why do these worries fill my heart with joy?"

In the past, the worries that plagued his mind were about his own life, the lives of his comrades, and whether the kingdom would still be standing a few years into the future.

Now? A few children's training curriculums and an old man's misunderstanding.

'We've really gone a long way, my friend.'

It was perhaps a testament to their hard work, that his worries were so... trivial in scale to the problems of his past. He was stronger now. The kingdom was stronger now, no longer having to depend on him for everything. Times were relatively peaceful, food was abundant, and children could enjoy being children.

'It falls upon my shoulder to keep it that way.'

Suddenly, Rolf burst into a fit of chuckles. He recalled what the young prince had said before they parted.

'It falls upon our shoulders, I suppose. I do not fight for this kingdom alone, after all.'

It was a fact that he often forgot.

"Watch over us, my friend." Rolf walked over and sat on the green grass, his back leaning on the tree's trunk. As if in response to his words, a gentle breeze swept past, blowing white petals across the air. He let the wind caress his face for a moment before he closed his eyes, a warm smile on his face.