The training ground was no longer bustling with hundreds of people, but it had become calm and orderly.
After five uneventful days of training, the chief instructor announced that in two days, special guests would be invited to demonstrate sword and spear techniques.
When Victor Wang saw them the next day, the three invited guests were none other than the Honorary Knight Lumine, the Knights of Favonius' "Maid" Noelle from the logistics department, and Rosaria from the Favonius Cathedral.
Expected and within reason.
Among the three, only Noelle was meeting Victor Wang for the first time.
The classic black-white-red maid uniform matched seamlessly with her silver and gold-tinged armor—it was both dashing and beautiful.
Combined with Noelle's well-developed figure, adorable face, and silvery-white hair, she was simply stunning—and adorable.
Getting a close look at Noelle, Victor Wang couldn't help but admire: This rose, this ribbon, this little shield... Who would believe such dashing gauntlets are worn on the arms of a cute girl? Who would believe such bold leg guards cover black stockings?
Victor Wang didn't know whether to thank the costume designer's creativity or Noelle's impeccable taste in fashion.
If it weren't for the equally cute blonde girl beside her and a nun in fishnet stockings with a white thorn accessory, all the guys on the training field might have fallen for Noelle.
Victor Wang shifted his gaze away from Noelle and looked toward Lumine, whom he hadn't seen in days.
Hmm, even without the dashing armor or alluring black stockings, Lumine is still super cute. That's undeniable.
Lumine noticed Victor Wang as well, but since the chief instructor was introducing them, she merely winked at him.
Their time was "precious" (not really), so there was no physical training that morning. Naturally, Lumine was in charge of guiding the one-handed sword group, which included Victor Wang.
Though Lumine didn't practice Favonius Bladework, she had a personal style from her memories known as "Past Memories." When fused with Anemo, it became "Foreign Ironwind."
As the chief instructor put it: "After practicing Favonius Bladework for so long, seeing a foreign sword style helps broaden your perspective."
Every time Lumine swung her sword, Sword Aura followed naturally. The full set of Foreign Ironwind flowed like water.
Though different from Favonius Bladework, all sword arts shared some foundational moves. The recruits who had passed the selection could discern key insights.
For the remaining two and a half hours of the morning, Lumine patiently and thoroughly explained her sword style, even choosing Victor Wang to spar with her and demonstrate the differences between the two styles.
Naturally, Victor Wang was no match for her.
So Lumine used Victor Wang as a counter-example, dissecting each move and pointing out his flaws and weaknesses.
At lunch, Lumine, Paimon, Noelle, and Rosaria sat together at a long table, with four empty seats beside them.
Despite the cafeteria being spacious, and despite there being over eighty recruits, most chose to sit near Lumine and the others—yet no one dared to sit with them.
Victor Wang boldly carried his tray and sat right beside Lumine.
"I was wondering why I hadn't seen you at the Good Hunter these past few days. So, you've been here eating free lunches all along," Paimon teased, wagging her finger beside Victor Wang with a classic 'you little rascal' expression.
Victor Wang replied, "Hey hey, I am training properly, thank you very much."
Rosaria asked lazily, "You're already an Honorary Knight, aren't you? Why bother coming here?"
"I originally came to learn the Gale Blade, but realized my fundamentals were too weak, so I stayed here to train."
"Oh!" Paimon exclaimed in surprise. "So, you're the new Honorary Knight!"
"Mm-hmm. What, did you think it was someone else?"
"Not really. Your name is as unique as Lumine's. I guessed it was you just from that."
Honorary Knight?
A moment ago, everyone had been wondering how Victor Wang dared to sit with the special guests—now they'd caught a key detail: this "Dust" was actually the newly appointed Honorary Knight!
Sidney, sitting a bit farther away at his own table, also heard the whispers drifting over. He gave a self-deprecating smile. No surprise, no resentment.
This "Dust" had defeated him in swordplay within seven days, had several times his elemental reserves, learned Sword Aura faster than him, and even picked up the Gale Blade quicker. Whatever path led him to become an Honorary Knight, he was simply far stronger than Sidney. What more was there to say?
Sharon, on the other hand, showed no reaction, as if she had known all along.
After some brief conversation, Victor Wang didn't choose to eat with his back to Lumine and the others. Instead, he took off his cloak's hood.
Paimon and Lumine exchanged glances and saw a trace of surprise in each other's eyes. Paimon floated over and asked, "Is your illness cured?"
"Partially. But I don't know how long it'll take before I can take off this mask."
He had short, gray-white hair—a hairstyle common in the modern world. A red-and-white fox-shaped mask covered the upper half of his face, with a pair of jet-black eyes peeking through. That was Victor Wang's current appearance.
He remembered seeing his reflection on the shore:
Between his normal left and right eyes, five extra eyes had sprouted. Together, the seven eyes formed an arch across his forehead—three and a half on each side. His short, flat nose and pitch-black skin gave him a bestial look. His teeth had become sharp, with four tusks protruding from his lips. The rest of his face, apart from the features, was covered in fur, blending his nose, eyes, and mouth into a giant furball.
Most bizarre were the five extra eyes. Unlike the original two, they were completely black, with no whites—only a deep purple dot in the center as a pupil.
Victor Wang couldn't control these extra eyes. They couldn't move or provide vision. They were like decorations embedded in his forehead.
But he knew these very eyes allowed Hilichurls to see through their masks.
Even Victor Wang, who had seen countless "Old God" visages, found this face hard to bear. Only after gaining the Anemo element had his appearance mostly returned to normal.
But not the seven eyes.
The five additional ones still occupied his forehead—jet black, with violet pupils. His face wasn't as terrifying as before, but it remained eerie and unnatural.
So, he bought a mask to hide the upper half of his face.
Without the extra eyes, his face looked exactly like his pre-reincarnation self. This made Victor Wang question the nature of his rebirth...
Beyond the face, his skin darkened gradually from his neck to his collarbone—below that, he still retained the form of a Hilichurl.
To fully recover, he would need divine assistance.
"This illness is actually treatable?" Lumine stared at Victor Wang's face with interest, finally offering a kind wish: "I hope you recover soon. I'd like to see what you really look like."
Hearing that Victor Wang was ill, Noelle, though a stranger, immediately showed compassion. "You're training under such intense conditions while sick? Shouldn't you get some rest?"
"My illness is... unusual. I'm allergic to sunlight. But with the cloak, I can move around normally."
Hearing this, Rosaria sneered.
"I see... But not being able to bask in the sun... I didn't know such an illness existed."
Noelle took it completely seriously. Her eyes lowered in concern, sadness briefly flickering across her face—though she quickly masked it, fearing Victor Wang would think she pitied him.
But Victor Wang saw it all. "I've already found a way to treat it. Someday I'll be fully cured."
Noelle instantly brightened with genuine joy. "Is there anything I can do to help?"
Sharing in others' joy, sorrowing for others' pain—that was Noelle in a nutshell.
"This is something I must face alone." Victor Wang shook his head solemnly. "But if we can become friends, I'd be very happy."
"Really?"
"Yes. Because I don't have many friends."
"Then from now on, I'm your friend!"
Rosaria sighed. Noelle was as gullible as Barbara.
…
By observing the recruits practice Favonius Bladework in the morning, Lumine had fully grasped it by the afternoon. She began using it to teach the others.
Partway through her lecture, Victor Wang was called up again to serve as a sparring partner.
He had corrected all the easier mistakes Lumine had pointed out that morning. The harder ones, however, led to pauses and errors as he tried to fix them.
But Lumine recognized the reason and slowed her attack pace to give him time.
The observing recruits had mixed impressions. At first, Victor Wang seemed to perform worse than he had in the morning, but as the duel went on, his improvement became clear. They all began to marvel at his learning speed.
In the end, Victor Wang still lost.
But Lumine praised him in front of everyone: "Well done. You've made fast progress."
Victor Wang grinned. "It's because Teacher Lumine is such a good instructor."
The recruits had discovered another juicy bit of gossip. The new Honorary Knight was a student of the previous one? A real student? Or just in the broadest sense?
Sharon frowned—then relaxed again.