Early in the morning, with birds singing, Grey woke up and decided to go back. However, when he went to have breakfast, he was surprised by an unexpected guest waiting for him at the dining hall. Across the table sat someone who stood out immediately—Prince Spance. His bright golden hair was as radiant as the sun. He didn't say a word or even glance at Grey.
After Grey sat down, Spance finally spoke, "You're Grey, right?"Grey replied, "Yes, Prince."Spance smiled slightly, "You don't have to be so formal. Just call me by my name."Without hesitation, Grey said, "Spance, did you need something?"With a straight face, Spance responded, "I just want to spar with you. I want to see how strong a hero is."Grey hesitated, "I'm weak. I don't think you'll gain anything from sparring with me."Spance laughed, his serious expression fading. "You're funny. I don't want to bully someone who's weak. I just want a light sparring session."Grey hesitated before agreeing.Spance nodded, "Alright, after eating, we'll rest for a while, then meet at the training hall."
After breakfast, Grey returned to his room to rest. He muttered to himself, "I was planning to leave, but it seems I'll have to stay a bit longer. I don't think he'll let me go after just a light spar. Is he trying to get something from me? Could it be support for claiming the throne? But he doesn't seem like that kind of person... Whatever. I should relax for now and hope nothing happens later."
A few hours later, a knight came to call him, saying the prince was waiting. When Grey arrived at the training ground, he saw Spance in his training attire and was shocked. "He's muscular. In his royal robes at breakfast, he seemed small, but he's no joke. Did I offend him somehow? I can't remember doing anything..."
Spance called out, "You're here."
They started dueling. Spance's swordsmanship was similar to Arthur's but faster and deadlier. Thankfully, Spance kept his promise and held back, making it a light spar. After the match, Spance said, "You're good, but you can improve more. Don't slack off." His words felt encouraging.
Grey asked, "How many aura cores do you have?"Spance replied, "Five."Grey was impressed. Reaching five as a spirit swordsman at such a young age was incredible.
After that, Spance invited Grey to go hunting. Grey agreed, and they hunted until dawn. It was exhausting. Spance could easily kill the mystic lion without effort, but Grey struggled, using all his aura to defeat one. Exhausted, he fell asleep as soon as he reached his bed.
The next day, Grey woke up late in the afternoon, realizing he was behind schedule. He went to the training ground and found Spance already there. They trained together, and Grey learned a lot from him. "He's a great person," Grey thought, "I admire him."
After training, Grey went to take a bath and then wandered around the castle. He encountered Queen Lageria, who invited him for tea. She was both beautiful and intimidating.The Queen asked, "How is the training going?"Grey replied, "It's going well. I'm improving."She then asked, "I saw you with Spance. Are you two close?"Grey explained how they met the day before. After a few minutes of conversation, she asked, "Have you met Wisteria? How is she doing?"
Grey was confused, "Isn't she, her daughter? Wouldn't she know better than me?" But before he could ask, a maid interrupted, whispering something to the Queen. Her expression changed. She said, "Grey, you should come to the audience hall too."
Grey was confused but sensed something serious had happened. As they walked towards the hall, he wondered about Arthur and his other friends. "Should I bring souvenirs for them? I hope they're okay..."
When they reached the hall, the atmosphere was tense. Faces were filled with panic, but everyone was silent. Spance and Lira were also present, along with the King. After a few moments, the King spoke, "This is the second time this has happened. It could be Altania's doing."
Grey was confused. The King noticed and explained, "Three months ago, at the Swo border, beasts from the forest went on a rampage, attacking villages. Many soldiers and villagers died. Now, it's happening again at the Altania border, but this time it's worse. Reports from the Sun Fortress say that three villages have already been destroyed within a day. There are countless monsters, and a Heran is leading them. A Heran coming out of the deep forest is not normal... Something serious must have happened. Over ten thousand lives have been lost, including soldiers and villagers. The Sun Fortress is struggling to hold them off. We must send reinforcements before more lives are lost."
The King continued, "We're deploying the Phantom knights led by Prince Spance. Prepare to leave within an hour. You must reach there as fast as possible."
Grey's heart sank. He thought of Arthur and his friends in the castle. "Are they alright? I can only hope..." He comforted himself, "They'll be fine. Commander Arthur is with them."
An hour later, the Phantom Knights, led by Commander Crinx and Prince Spance, departed with five thousand soldiers. The atmosphere was tense, and Grey couldn't bring himself to ask about the situation.
As they traveled, they saw people migrating with their belongings. Some were crying, others were badly injured. They passed by the village where Grey had celebrated the festival. It was completely destroyed, with smoke rising in the distance. Grey's heart ached as they reached the village. It was once full of life, but now it was abandoned, with only soldiers stationed there.
Spance spoke with the soldiers, learning that the monsters had retreated three hours ago but could attack again at any moment. The soldiers reported that around 1200 were still stationed, while 1600 had died and 200 were injured. Spance decided to leave 2000 soldiers to defend the village and moved forward with the remaining 3000.
After an hour of travel, they arrived at the Sun Fortress. Signs of a great battle were everywhere—blood on the walls, injured soldiers with missing limbs, and exhausted faces. Grey's heart raced as he looked around for Arthur. When he finally saw him, Grey rushed over, "Are you alright?"Arthur smiled, "You came back. Don't worry about me. But... you should go talk to him."
Arthur pointed to someone nearby. It was Ash, crying. Grey ran to him, "Ash! What happened? Where are the others? Are they safe?"
Ash looked up, his eyes red with tears. "I'm sorry... I was a coward... I couldn't protect them... I ran away... I was selfish."Grey panicked, "What do you mean? Where are Levy and Baran?"
Ash's face was pale as he pointed to two bodies covered in white sheets. Grey's heart stopped as he slowly lifted the sheets. He saw the lifeless bodies of Baran and Levy, their limbs missing, bite marks and sword wounds covering them. Grey collapsed, turning to Ash in desperation, "This is a joke, right? Tell me you're joking! "Ash's voice was hollow, "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."
He could only repeat those words as Grey's world shattered.