A clash between swords blared throughout the clean cut grass and trimmed bushes of the Royal Garden, which would be part of the larger structure that was called the Royal Palace of Albion, not observed by anyone else in particular. A battle, or a spar to be more precise, was currently being held by two people. It was a spar between a woman of emerald eyes and black hair, and of a man with black hair and ruby-red eyes.

It was a spar of finding who would be more skilled in the art of the blade. Helena had increased her speed well enough to the point where even a blur could barely be noticed by the untrained eye. While the man had been keeping up against her with great vigilance and in a graceful fashion that of a skilled swordsman.

However, the speed in which his opponent had accelerated her development throughout this battle was quite worrying. It had the potential of making him vulnerable to an unexpected attack that he would need to cautiously keep an eye on.

Nonetheless, it was overall an equal match.

“Hyah!”

Helena's aggressive pressuring was one that signified her nature of being a warrior. The man in question that would be her opponent however, he would be more of what a knight should be. Graceful and methodical.

In fact, this man in front of her was a senior knight. Prince Cassian Lenore, the eldest of the three and the first heir to the kingdom's throne.

“Hk-!”

Cassian had managed to catch her off-guard, winding her sword up to an uncomfortable position before forcing her far back significantly to the grass. But Helena managed to roll and recover, immediately pouncing back into action.

She was smiling, this was exhilarating. The more their blades clashed, the more they weaved, deflected, parried, and dodged, the more of their Battle Auras became visible.

As it was said beforehand, this was the byproduct of the warrior Path of Essence Magic. It could essentially be deemed as the methodology of weaponising Spirit Cultivation to its limits, essentially one's internal Essence, for more than just strengthening your physical capabilities and senses.

Spirit Cultivation allows to hone their bodies, to the point that their focus sharpened, their bodies tougher and more resistant, their minds steeled from doubt and unnecessary altercations, their perception protected from trickery and illusions, their action and thoughts becoming one of pure instinct with no delay within the mind and body—and so much more.

But the Path of the Warrior took this one step further. As the Path itself focused upon one's Battle Aura, which stems from their soul, there were many ways one could utilise said auras in combat. One could for example tangibly summon varying elements, or perhaps even cut space, through the embodiment of their skill alone.

But the journey of reaching the pinnacle using this Path would be one that was considered arduous, despite its more or less linear progression. Even the standard act of cutting space could not be considered the peak, it would be far from it, and must be built upon endlessly through hard work day and night.

Helena could not be deemed as skilled enough to be called someone that has reached the pinnacle. But, her skill was enough to be deemed as something worthy of the term ‘top-tier’.

“Hrah!”

Their spar was one that could be called a battle happening on an instinctual level. To the point that even their strategies to outdo each other are built upon with no delay with its execution. Like a game of chess happening in the smaller fractions of seconds, that was how their battle felt to them. Everything was instantaneous.

And with a final slash towards the air itself, a precise cut towards the world was produced by Helena. A cut of space that could go through virtually anything, be it the toughest of material or not. It all happened in an instant from the outside view, but this was the culmination of her plan in action. She wanted to see if the man in front of her would dodge or outright—

“How intriguing indeed!”

He had slashed through that cut space, dispelling it entirely. He was blown back by the shockwave of the invisible attack, but it was something that did not harm him. It did not even cause him to fall down.

Simply put, their spar was over. No one had won. No victory was achieved.

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Slightly exhausted from the spar, Helena breathed heavily. Still, she was all fired up from that session.

“That…was…awesome!” She exclaimed, sweating for a bit as she stood up straight again, sheathing her sword back to its scabbard as she did.

“You were definitely quite impressive yourself, Helena.” Cassian said also, grabbing a napkin he had pocketed to wipe off his sweat.

“Is that so? Glad to gain a compliment from the commander of the royal knights himself!” She said, smiling wide.

Helena, who would currently be counted as a junior knight, had quite the already interesting career. She entered the royal order during her late third year, and had since proved herself to actually be inaugurated as an official knight, not just a squire. As it was said, she was ceremonially accepted into the order a few months ago, so once she graduated she would certainly have a solid future already set for her.

“I am glad that you appreciated my comment.” He said, “Say, from what I have seen, you are quite…casual, to put it softly.”

“Huh? Oh right, I still passed my manners and conduct class though!” She responded, “I’m just the type of gal to socialise this way, I was born a rural girl after all!”

“Hmm, I see.” He nodded, “Well, as a fellow knight that behaviour would be allowed. But when it comes to your current assignment in the Royal Palace, please do mind your mannerisms, Helena. Especially when I would eventually adorn the identity of the prince again.”

“Hehh…? You talk like your job as a knight is some kind of secret that your family shouldn't know about.” Helena chuckled a little.

The two would now be walking towards the terrace present near the garden. It's a beautiful sight, as expected of the royal family, only the best could be considered for them.

“I feel as if this passion of mine shouldn't exactly intermingle with my role as a prince. While the skills are useful, it's somewhat…”

“Lower for you to be a knight? Man, you royals are quite the bunch.” She commented, her hands wrapped around her neck.

“Not exactly, but the sentiment would essentially be the same, yes.” He responded, sighing.

Helena clicked her tongue. This man was a prime example of someone who desperately wanted to act freely, but hesitated, unsure if it would reflect well on him. "You should relax, honestly! Your youngest sister is training to be a Pathfinder, and that's a far dirtier job than being a knight!"

“Cecilia?” He raised an eyebrow.

She nodded, “Yep. She was a bit of a stuck-up a year ago, but I guess her time in the academy softened her up a little! She's quite the good friend to Marilyn, quite the passionate person too, very prideful of herself to be that way.”

He blinked, and smiled, “I guess so. She's certainly one of the best people I’ve grown up with.”

“Yet you don't take a few pages out of her book. You really shouldn't worry too much about the mixing of your status, you have years ahead of you to explore your passions before becoming king.” She said, “You studied in the academy, right?”

“For law, yes. Not for being a Pathfinder.”

“Still, with your expanded worldview and all, maybe try to reach out to whatever you want to do. You could also learn how the common people live through that experience too! I’d say that's useful for a future heir to the throne.” She said, "You don't have to be a Pathfinder, but not being stuck in one place all the time seems to be quite a good idea for someone like you."

“Hmm…” He hummed, “Perhaps the path of a journeyman could fit easily into my bill, I do have the opportunity to do so.”

He would be reminded of what the founding king was like during his time being alive. Records of him being a legendary adventurer, with a thunder gryphon as a loyal companion, the same animal that would now be in the kingdom's banner and coat of arms.

He could perhaps become someone like him, if the opportunity does indeed arose.

“Yeah…I guess that would be quite an interesting idea…”

Helena just kept up her easy-going smile as the two of them were on the verge of entering the palace proper. She could definitely get used to living in a higher class residence like this. While not as large as the Royal Academy, the palace and its supporting buildings were very much something of higher class.

However, the two of them would encounter another person along their path, just as they were about to turn around the corner.

It was—

“A messenger?” The prince would stand by attention, the two of them halting their walk as he spoke up again, “State your purpose here.”

The man was of unremarkable features, but he was well-dressed. Any person could definitely guess he represented the royal family specifically. “Your Highness, your immediate presence is required, there are visitors who are requesting for the entire family’s audience,” The man said.

“Right now…?” Helena said to herself.

The current time as of now would be around several to ten hours away from the beginning of this year’s session at the royal council. It wouldn't exactly be the appropriate time to visit the royal family, who would be preparing for that urgent matter at hand. Therefore—

Cassian’s expression became more stern. “Understood, lead me to them.”

Whatever that may lay ahead, it could certainly be considered as a matter of utmost importance to them as a whole.