At this moment Conan and Victor look at each other's faces in astonishment.
"Master, did these two do something disrespectful toward you? Just say it, I will punish them right now."
Ardin smiles slightly.
"No, Lorand. On the contrary, I want you to give these two to me."
Lorand frowns in confusion.
"Forgive me, Master, but I cannot understand you."
Ardin answers calmly.
"I saw these two in the side streets. They are the type who constantly get themselves into trouble. That is why I want to personally train them."
Lorand looks at Conan and Victor.
"Master, but instead of training them it would be better to give them a proper punishment."
Ardin smiles.
"Lorand, it seems you have forgotten that my training is harsher than the heaviest punishment."
Lorand scratches his head with his hand and then looks at Conan and Victor again. After that he turns back to Ardin.
"Master, but what will happen to the security here?"
Ardin stares at him seriously.
"So you are saying that I, a former general and your master, will ask you for two useless guards with no profession, and you will refuse me, Lorand?"
Lorand quickly answers.
"Master, you misunderstood me. You know I cannot send them to you the entire day. They must also do their duties here."
Ardin nods.
"Very well. Then let them perform their guard duties here until noon. After noon they will come to me."
Lorand agrees.
"Then we have an agreement, Master. Guards until noon, after that they will be with you."
In this way Ardin and Lorand reach an agreement. Lorand gives Conan and Victor their instructions, mounts his horse, and continues on his way again.
On the road Luis asks Lorand,
"Lorand, who was that old man? Was there some kind of problem?"
Lorand answers calmly.
"He is my master and he used to be the strongest general of the kingdom. He simply had a small request from me. I handled it."
Luis says nothing more and they continue their way.
Meanwhile Ardin approaches Conan and Victor.
"You heard the instructions. I will be waiting for you at Silent Hill after noon."
Victor asks curiously.
"Master, why are we going to Silent Hill?"
Ardin replies.
"Fool. In my house only my room remained intact. And considering the current situation we need a wider place and somewhere away from people." he said, his gaze fixed on Conan.
Conan speaks.
"Master, but why did you come here? You were not forced to train us again."
Ardin answers firmly.
"I don't know how you keep the promises you make. But I keep every promise I give. In that battle you forced my knees to the ground. That is why I will now begin serious training with you. And I must admit something. For the first time in my life I faced such powerful pressure in battle. And that makes my blood boil."
He smiles and begins to walk away. Before leaving he turns his head and shouts "Be there at the appointed time—no excuses!" Conan and Victor look at each other with excitement.
Just as instructed, Conan and Victor handed over their shifts at noon and proceeded to the Silent Hill that Ardin had mentioned. Silent Hill is a forgotten place far outside the city, near the Misty Forest where the Hero and his party go for training. When they arrived there, Ardin was sitting on top of a large rock waiting for them. Ardin looks at them. "You finally managed to arrive."
Victor, breathing heavily from the long walk, speaks.
"Master, I understand that you lost your house and your training hall. But if the reason is Conan's power, shouldn't we actually tell people about it? Why did we come this far?"
Ardin looks seriously at Conan.
"Because the power your friend awakened is not any kind of profession."
Victor is shocked.
"What do you mean not a profession? The three of us witnessed it. He had powers. And they were very strong."
Conan places his right hand on Victor's shoulder.
"Victor, the master is right."
Victor looks confused.
"What do you mean?"
Ardin stands up and looks at Conan.
"So you yourself have realized it as well."
Conan nods.
"Yes, Master."
Victor becomes impatient.
"The two of you, whatever you are talking about, say it openly. I feel like I am being left outside the conversation."
Ardin turns toward Conan.
"Then tell us. What is this power? I have fought many dangerous beings in my life. I have traveled through a large part of the world. But I have never encountered an aura like the one that day. It was neither the aura of a hero nor the aura of a demon. It was very weak, but it felt as if you were using only a small part of your true power."
Conan hesitates.
"Master… I do not feel ready to talk about it."
Ardin responds seriously.
"Boy, I want to help you. That is why we are here today. If I had any ill intentions toward you, I would have handed you over to the palace while you were unconscious. But I do not know who or what you are. I can only help you if I know the truth."
Victor turns to Conan.
"My friend, I understand you are worried. But you are not alone. Trust us. No matter what happens, I will never abandon you."
Conan looks thoughtfully at his friend Victor and his master Ardin. Taking a deep breath, he looks at Ardin.
"Master, give me your word. I want to trust you."
Ardin presses his right hand to his chest.
"I swear upon my name and my honor. Your secret is my secret."
Victor places his hand on Conan's shoulder.
"My friend, I am always with you."
Finally Conan gathers his courage and tells both of them everything exactly as it happened. Ardin strokes his beard with his hand and falls into deep thought. Victor, with wide eyes, asks in shock, "Wait a minute… does that Chaos hear us right now?"
Conan answers calmly.
"Whatever I witness, he witnesses the same things."
After remaining silent for a while Ardin begins speaking again.
"I know almost all of history by heart. I know every creature in history and every myth in legends very well. But this is the first time I have heard the name Kaelhor."
Conan replies,
"According to what he says, his existence was completely erased from this world. Even his name was erased from history."
Victor looks at Conan seriously.
"My friend, that means there is a very serious power inside you. But if he is that powerful, why does he need your permission? Why has someone that powerful not taken control of you?"
Conan answers,
"Because his existence was completely erased, he could only perform his reincarnation in this way."
Ardin continues the explanation.
"More precisely, only his power, his memories, and his soul remained. His will and his existence were completely defeated."
Conan nods.
"Yes, Master. Everything only happens with my will."
Victor thinks about the battle and asks,
"Then what about that day when you fought the master? Were you under his will?"
Conan shakes his head.
"No. That was my will… but at the same time it was also him."
Victor sighs in confusion.
"My friend, this much information is making my head spin."
Ardin grabs Conan by both shoulders firmly.
"Conan, you did the right thing. Never do what he tells you. Never surrender yourself to him. Otherwise you will step onto a path with no return."
Conan answers seriously.
"Master, be sure of it. I will remain loyal to my beliefs. Just do not tell anyone about this."
Ardin straightens his posture.
"Boy, your secret is now my secret. This secret will go to the grave with me."
Conan lowers his head respectfully.
"Thank you, Master."
Ardin sits back down on the large rock again.
"Now we cannot ignore this matter anymore. I will give both of you special and serious combat training. Especially you, Conan. I will train you in the best possible way so that you will never need that power."
Victor,
"Master, I think we should not take this so seriously. There is no war anyway. The biggest battles we have ever entered are street fights. Even if a war happens, we have our Hero. It is enough for us to just defend ourselves."
Ardin answers firmly.
"Victor, believe me, I would also like to agree with what you said. But it seems that a new danger will ignite in the near future."
Conan and Victor look at him in shock.
"Master… are serious things happening?"