Surrounded by a glacial land, Himo couldn’t refrain from staring at the shattered jellyfalls lying on the once green grass. This… He found himself speechless, awed by the possibilities of magic. He had formerly daydreamed about the collaboration of lots of people chanting the same spell, but even the power of hundreds didn't reach such a scale.

He spent a long while stuck in his imagination, when suddenly, he widened his eyes. Is this power on par with the combination of two thousand people?!

[How did the user even reach that conclusion? Besides, it was a relatively weak attack.]

For you, everything's weak. Himo rolled his eyes.

“Himo.” Eitha looked at him. For the first time, he showed a smile to his little brother. “I know the principal of a special academy.”

Himo blinked. “What are you implying?”

“Are you interested in entering the Celestial Trinity Academy?”

“What kind of academy is it?”

“In there attend countless geniuses in hope of growing stronger. The academy teaches numerous fields: cultivation techniques, magic spells, smithing, formations, and many more.” As he spoke, Eitha glanced at a dull, brittle stone in his hand and threw it on the ground. For reasons unknown to Himo, that stone shattered into dust-like particles and vanished amidst the ground. “Contrary to how it works in sects, entering the academy does not bind you to it. You’re free to leave whenever you wish.”

Himo crouched and extended a hand toward the crystallized grass. As he expected, it was cool to the touch. Its sides were also surprisingly sharp—he nearly slit the skin of his finger. He poked a stalk, and it shattered in tens of pieces. After taking a last glance at the frozen landscape, he said, “If I enter, will Phylia be able to follow me?”

“There is no problem with bringing tamed monsters as long as you prove their loyalty.” Eitha glanced at Phylia before adding, “There is an artifact in there to check that, so there’s no problem.”

Those words rang an alarm bell in Himo’s mind. How did he notice? His heart skipped a beat and his limbs grew heavy. Did someone else notice it?

Seeing his frown, Eitha said, “While extremely rare, there are intelligent shape-shifting monsters hidden somewhere. I know that she’s one because of her resilience, her behavior, her fighting style, and, especially, the fact that you brought her back like that. You shouldn’t worry about it too much, I doubt others will realize it.” He pondered for a moment and added, “Unless their cultivation has reached a very high realm.”

“I see.” Himo sighed in relief. It looks like he hasn’t noticed that she’s a slime. As long as they think that she’s just a common shape-shifter there’s no problem.

[Shape-shifters are rarer than the user might think.]

Really?

[Absolutely. In the current planet, the total number of shape-shifter monsters can be counted with two hands.]

I see. Himo raised his sight to the sky and fell in thought. After a short pause, he turned to look at his brother. “I will give a try to the academy.”

Eitha smiled. He snapped his fingers, and a sword darted out of his storage ring. It floated in front of him—it was a flying sword. With its length of two meters and its broad surface, it could house multiple passengers. Eitha jumped over it and stood on its front. “Come up.”

Himo eyed the sword. Aside from its golden handle and an emerald gem nestled in the middle of the blade, it looked like a regular greatsword.

“It’s an artifact I found time ago in some ruins.” Eitha raised his eyes to the sky. “If I remember right, I couldn’t get to the end of it. Maybe I’ll bring you there when you’re stronger.”

Himo’s eyes lit up. “Okay! Let’s go!” He jumped on the sword and held his brother’s waist to balance himself. Phylia jumped behind him.

The sword sped up, turning the trio into a blur that flew over the plains. Soon enough, they darted over the forest, flying closer and closer to the capital.

“Himo.” When the outer walls entered their sights, Eitha commanded the sword to descend and stepped on the ground. Then, he stared at his little brother. “What happened today is a secret between us. If others find out about it, the consequences could be disastrous.”

“Disastrous?”

“Don’t worry about it. Just don’t tell anyone.” Eitha shook his head. “Let’s return home by walking. I’d rather not show the sword to greedy eyes.”

Himo nodded, but his mind was somewhere else. He reminisced about the strength of his brother and the happenings of a few days before. Surely, Eitha could’ve dealt with the Valhannas. But he didn’t do so. But why? He wondered about it but didn’t ask anything. “Ah!” Just as they reached the gate, the usual guard entered his sight. Himo walked to him and grinned. “I’m back! Did you wait for long?”

“Your Highness!” The guard straightened his back.

“If you’re interested in the reward I’ve spoken about, follow me to the palace.”

“Yes!”

Eitha glanced at the guard but didn’t say anything.

After a small stopover at the market to buy some street food, the group strode toward the palace.

For each step they took, the elation of the guard increased. Shivers and goosebumps traveled his body as he walked through the inner gates. He feared that he'd wake up at any moment. Waking up and finding out it was all a dream. But despite those fears, he didn't stop. He followed the trio and soon lost track of time. The mansions at each side of the road blurred together, turning into a single long streak of unimportant colors. All he could see were the three backs in front of him. And, following those backs in a long, timeless walk, he reached the royal courtyard. A place he had only seen in dreams.

His eyes caught the white walls of the palace. The four towers that towered against the sky. The four mysterious black rods on the top. The palace was before him. Was it real or not? He couldn't tell anymore. Filled with incredulity and excitement, the guard followed the three in silence.

“Now I have some things to do,” Eitha said as they walked through the front door. “Himo, you have a few weeks before I’ll bring you there.” He then walked up a staircase at the side of the entrance.

“See you later!” Himo waved at him. Followed by Phylia and the guard, he made his way through the hallways and reached the inner courtyard. He glanced at the four flowers-filled squares and the fountain in the center, then looked at the two who sat on a wooden bench. “Father! Mother!”

“You’re back!” Mo rose to his feet. “Didn’t you say that you were taking a walk? How come you took two days?”

“Ha ha ha…” Himo scratched his nape. “It took longer than I thought. Sorry.”

Mo and Ashey both sighed aloud. She said, “The next time, at least tell us where you’re going.”

Himo nodded.

“So… who is he?” Mo asked, glancing at the guard behind his son.

“Greetings, Your Majesty!” The guard knelt. A tingling surge expanded from his head and pervaded his body. Despite his best efforts, he couldn't stop his quivering hands and surging tears. His mind went back to all he had done, to the meetings with the child, and to all the events that led him there. Is this really happening? I-I'm not dreaming, am I?

Himo patted him on the shoulder. “He is a guard from the north gate. When the coup happened, he informed me about it—without him, I might’ve been caught by the trap laid by the Valhannas. If it’s fine with you, I’d like to reward him with the position of a royal guard.”

“That's fine. Rather, I'll consider adding some additional rewards as thanks."

Himo smiled and gave a thumbs up to the guard. "Good luck!"

“Thank you for giving me this precious chance!” the guard said in a trembling tone as he bowed. A wave of dizziness drowsed him, but he managed to stand still, albeit clumsily.

“From today, you’re the first royal guard of the Shus. Straighten your back and be proud of it.” Himo grinned and turned to walk away, but he stopped after taking a step. “Ah! Before I forget…” He grabbed a notebook from his storage and passed it to his father. “This is the list of village lords that needs to be changed. Also, I’d like to introduce the rule that villagers can choose their own lord as long as they pledge allegiance to the kingdom. Hmm… I guess we’ll have to hire someone to announce and apply the new rules…” Himo frowned.

Mo took the notebook and opened it. He skimmed through it from start to end, and then, he closed it. He looked at his child. "Himo... based on what have you made this decision?"

“I’ve compared the riches of the lords and the riches of the villagers. I’ve primarily checked the difference between their homes.”

Mo crossed his arms. “Wouldn’t that risk to dethrone some lord that was actually doing their job?”

“Since villagers can elect their lord, they can just nominate that person again, so it’s fine.” Himo shrugged. "Also, we need to take some precautions to make sure the nominations won't be rigged."

“Very well then.” Mo held the notebook close to his chest and smiled. Looking at Himo, he could only feel proud. My cute child… He’s grown so much!