Serenna squinted her eyes at Lucian.

"Are you sure about this, Lucian? You know he's a level 6 aura user, right?" There was a serious warning in her voice.

Lucian nodded, smiling slightly.

"I know."

Serenna took a deep breath and clenched her hands.

"Then you have a plan, right?" She looked at him with expectant eyes.

Lucian, on the other hand, stuck out his tongue and laughed playfully.

"No, I don't."

Serenna's face began to flush, her anger growing by the second. She was so angry that Lucian felt her intense aura for a brief moment. A nervous smile appeared on his face as he scanned the surroundings with his eyes.

"W-Wait, I was just kidding! Of course, I have a plan," Lucian said, trying to pull himself together, hesitating.

Serenna glared at him, but in the end, she took a deep breath.

"Alright, I trust you." These words, spoken with seriousness, added another weight to Lucian's shoulders.

Lily, standing in the corner with a smile, gently nodded her head.

"I'll be there to watch, Master Lucian. I wish you success," she said, leaving the room.

Lucian turned to Serenna and furrowed his brows.

"Did you notice that man?"

Serenna quickly shifted her gaze and nodded.

"Yes, he's been watching you from the beginning, even though he's far away."

Lucian's eyebrows raised slightly.

"Who is he?"

Serenna's voice was deeper this time.

"Noah Wintergate from the Black Snowflake. The strongest of the young Wintergates; a 7-star aura user."

Lucian recoiled in surprise.

"7-star? No wonder I couldn’t sense his aura level. He must be hiding his power," he muttered. He thought to himself, "Is Serenna strong enough to sense his power? And is that man even stronger than Serenna... things are getting more complicated."

Serenna added with a slight smile,

"It seems like he's interested in you. You’d better be careful."

Lucian nodded and smiled slightly.

"Thanks, sis, I’ll be careful."

Serenna leaned forward a bit, squinting her eyes and speaking in a distant tone.

"The youngest Wintergate, the Dragon Slayer, an odd magician, a little genius. It's hard for someone like him not to attract attention, isn’t it?" She began to laugh to herself.

Lucian laughed too.

"I wish I were the one who actually defeated that dragon. Then I wouldn't have to deal with anyone, and I’d destroy them all in one blow!" Then, in a mocking tone, he deepened his voice, saying, "Troops! I’m going to destroy a dragon in one strike, come and watch!" imitating Marquess Arthur.

Serenna, struggling to hold back her laughter, said,

"Careful, Marquess Arthur is still around."

Lucian laughed dismissively.

"He’s not going to hear us."

Serenna's eyes suddenly widened.

"L-Lucian..."

Lucian suddenly felt a massive shadow behind him. As he slowly turned around, he saw Marquess Arthur standing with his arms crossed, glaring at him angrily.

Marquess Arthur leaned forward, his anger clear,

"Your imitation skills are really good, Lucian. I hope you’ll show them off in the duel as well," he said before walking away.

Lucian, frozen in place, muttered,

"Did he hear us? Of course, he heard us. This was all part of his plan from the beginning, like he’s been playing with me like a puppet!"

He suddenly felt a headache. Holding his forehead, he sighed.

"These events are really tiring me out. Sis, I’ll leave the rest to you. I’m out of here."

Serenna sensed that he was trying to escape and smiled slightly.

"Are you sure you want to leave? There are a few more people here who want to meet you."

Lucian flinched and looked around.

"More?"

When he turned around, he saw a group of girls his age looking at him excitedly.

The girls began to shout all at once.

"M-Master Lucian!"

"Would you like to have tea with me?"

"I heard you defeated a dragon!"

Lucian rolled his eyes and muttered in disbelief.

"These girls are at most ten years old, right? Well, in this country, you're considered an adult at thirteen, but..."

While Lucian was searching for a way to escape, he spotted Alice over by the food table, stuffing cookies into her mouth. He quickly ran to her, grabbed her arm, and dragged her along.

"Come on, Alice, we’re leaving!" he said.

Alice, her mouth full, tried to shout in a muffled voice,

"W-Wait! The cookies!" but her words were nearly unintelligible. As Lucian pulled her along, she stuffed all the cookies in her mouth at once and almost choked.

Behind them, the girls began to murmur jealously.

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"Who is that girl?"

"Where is she taking Master Lucian?"

Alice shook her head and sighed.

"Why do I feel like I’ve just gotten myself into big trouble..." she muttered.

While the two were trying to hide, Alice's father, Hugo, approached them, his eyes sparkling with joy.

"You seem to be getting along quite well," Hugo said with a slight smile.

At his words, Alice quickly turned to her father.

"W-What?!" Her cheeks turned bright red. Her father gave her a knowing look, noticing that the two were arm in arm, and Alice quickly let go of Lucian’s arm, stepping back a few paces.

Lucian chuckled softly.

"Sorry, Mr. Atkins. I had to use your daughter to escape from the other girls."

Hugo laughed heartily.

"Hahaha, no problem. It makes me happy to see young Master Lucian showing interest in my daughter. Besides, it seems my daughter isn’t indifferent to you either," he said with a wink.

Alice, blushing furiously, shouted,

"D-Dad!"

Lucian smiled and nodded.

"Thank you, Mr. Atkins, but since I'm not of age yet, I'll consider your offer later."

They both started laughing, and then Lucian said,

"Well, if you’ll excuse us," bidding farewell.

Hugo bowed his head.

"Take care, Master Lucian."

When Lucian returned to his room, he opened the door and saw Cynthia asleep on his bed. With a soft smile, he approached her.

"We haven't slept together since I was seven," he murmured, changing his clothes.

He continued talking softly.

"Sometimes I try to hug you in my sleep. When I don't find you next to me, I have nightmares..." Then he started to change out of his uncomfortable clothes.

"I hate these stuffy outfits, but you always say they look good on me." Smiling to himself, he added,

"Thank you for always being by my side, Cynthia."

At that moment, Cynthia opened her eyes slightly. Seeing Lucian half-naked, she jumped up in surprise.

"M-Master Lucian! I’m so happy that you think that way, but... you’re still so young!" she shouted, throwing a pillow at him before running out of the room.

Lucian stared blankly at the ceiling.

"Maybe I spoke a little too soon..." he muttered with a deep sigh.

...

The next morning, Lucian headed to the training grounds early. When he saw the soldiers working out in the training area, he approached the unit leader, Instructor Thors. Thors was a broad-shouldered man with a stern look. His face bore the marks of years of battle experience.

Lucian approached him and gently spoke.

"Good morning, Instructor Thors. Is it alright if I train with you today?"

Thors frowned at Lucian but couldn't help but smile. "Good morning, Master Lucian. I’ve heard that in two days you’ll have a duel with Arslan Wintergate of the Red Snowflake. I assume you're here to prepare."

Lucian smiled and replied, "Just as you thought, I figured a bit of training wouldn’t hurt."

Trainer Thors looked Lucian up and down. "Of course, you're free to join," he said. "I noticed you’re an agile mage while watching you during the dragon hunt, but our training is designed for swordmasters. Are you sure your body can handle it?"

Lucian squinted confidently, "I think I can keep up," he said, a faint smile crossing his face.

Thors nodded sternly. "Then line up with the troops. When training begins, I will treat you just like any other soldier. Understood?"

Lucian nodded seriously and joined the troops, changing his clothes before starting his stretches.

Thors called out loudly, "Attention! Line up! Today, Master Lucian will be joining our training. Show him how tough you are!"

The troops shouted in unison, "SIR, YES SIR!"

Thors commanded, "Let’s start with 100 laps!"

As the troops began running in formation, Lucian joined them. As the run continued, the soldiers started whispering among themselves.

“He’s keeping up pretty well,” one of them said.

“Surprisingly good for a mage!” another confirmed.

“Well, he’s the one who took down the dragon,” another soldier remarked, impressed.

By the thirtieth lap, some of the soldiers were struggling and continued murmuring.

"Is it normal for a mage to have this much endurance?" one asked, out of breath.

“He’s only seven years old!” another added in astonishment.

“He’s from the Wintergate line, but he’ll tire soon,” another soldier said, trying to reassure himself.

By the sixtieth lap, the soldiers were gasping for breath.

“Is... is this normal?” one asked in a strained voice.

“He hasn’t even started sweating yet!” added another.

“Don’t give up, boys! Hang in there!” shouted yet another soldier.

At the ninety-ninth lap, with many soldiers barely hanging on, someone shouted, “Look, Lucian stopped!”

“Did he quit? Finally!” another soldier said, relieved.

“He didn’t complete all 100 laps?” asked another soldier, shaking his head in disbelief.

Lucian had stopped running and grabbed a water bottle. Trainer Thors narrowed his eyes, looking at Lucian thoughtfully. "He stopped at the 99th lap? He still seems full of energy. Even the six-star soldiers here are out of breath, yet this boy is still so fresh. I think he stopped to avoid embarrassing the others... Master Lucian, you truly are the brightest of the Wintergate line," Thors muttered, not hiding his respect.

Meanwhile, Lucian was thinking, "Never, ever complete 100 laps... or you'll go bald..."

The troops finished their run and gathered around Lucian.

“You held up pretty well, Master Lucian!” said one.

“Yeah, you almost made it to 100 laps,” another teased lightly.

Lucian smiled and responded, “Haha, thank you.”

Trainer Thors, in a commanding voice, ordered, “Now that everyone’s warmed up, we’ll start the one-on-one duels. Those paired with Master Lucian, don’t hold back. He’s just like any other soldier right now!”

The troops shouted in unison, "SIR, YES SIR!"

For the first duel, a brown-haired, hazel-eyed young boy stepped forward. He appeared a few years older than Lucian, probably around 15 or 16. His opponent was a muscular, experienced soldier in his mid-twenties.

Thors came over to Lucian and said, "These two are the strongest here. The younger one is Fred, a five-star aura user and a skilled fighter. His battle instincts make him better than most six-stars. The other is Kethem, a six-star warrior who’s been with us for years. The winner will face you."

Lucian blinked at Thors and nodded. "Thank you. It’ll be good practice before I fight Arslan."

At Thors’ signal, the fight began. Fred launched forward energetically, attacking quickly. Kethem, on the other hand, remained calm and composed, using his experience to defend, carefully observing the young warrior’s moves. Fred used his aura to increase his speed, while Kethem’s years of experience allowed him to parry the attacks smoothly.

Fred attacked with determination. “You’re fast, but that won’t stop me!” he said, pushing harder.

Kethem coolly replied, “Let me teach you some tactics, boy,” and suddenly went on the offensive.

Fred’s various attempts to break through Kethem’s defense were thwarted by the experienced soldier. But Fred didn’t give up. In a moment of clarity, he spotted a small opening in Kethem’s defense.

"This is my chance!" Fred shouted, speeding up even more. After disarming Kethem’s sword, he gently pressed his training blade against the man's neck.

Trainer Thors shouted, “The match is over! The winner is Fred!”

Lucian nodded in satisfaction, having watched the fight closely. "Quick and agile... His strikes are strong too. His battle instincts are as sharp as Thors said. He’s going to be a challenge... I hope he will be," he thought.