The travel pace with Sion's soldiers was unacceptable. They barely covered half of the distance that Val'narii predicted they would on the first day. They set up camp in the proximity of some wide boulders. Arthur decided to simply let it go. He knew that Arcadian discipline was superior to that of militaries of other countries but, so far, the differences hadn’t been so glaringly obvious. Or maybe there was something else at play? Metaka, Iceleon, Ebrus, and Aclium militaries were desperately trying to match Arcadian acumen. Perhaps, in their commendable effort to improve, they may have made leaps and bounds over what was already considered good? After all, during joint training and operations, he often heard many complaints between their allies, but they never voiced them to the Arcadians.

  Arthur really couldn't tell. He wasn't always a soldier...

  Before the arrival of Lord Theon Avalon, he was just the son of a lumberjack. He’d lived his entire life in a Gods-forsaken village in the middle of the forest. He wasn't even a lumberjack himself. He was classless, and the only thing he was good at was hunting small game with his bow. However, once the Eagles of Lord Theon arrived with the promise of a better life, he, along with all youth from his village, had embarked on their journey to Avalon. The Capital of Arcadia was even more awe-inspiring than the legends of the cities founded by the ancient Heroes. There, Arthur had joined the Guardsmen Corps. Then, after months of gruelling training, he was poached by Empress Luna herself. Without hesitation, he pledged himself to protect Arcadia from the horrors of the Enemies and became an Inquisitor. His training was even harder, but he’d devoted himself to it. When he left the Academy, he was one of the most elite warriors of Arcadia. He commanded Guardsmen and Immortal Legions alike and saw them in their glory.

  But this... This hurt to watch...

  Arthur glanced at the soldiers in the nearby camp and wondered if Saftia had ever been at war. They were sloppy, careless, and worst of all, neglectful. The camp had no sentries, the tents were set up without any order, and the campfires were left unattended. This wasn't a proper military operation. This was a fucking disaster in the making. Even kids back home had better survival instincts than this supposedly elite formation of the Howthorns City Guard. The men were carelessly talking in small groups, or playing various games. What was worse, a clearly happy Amos was approaching him. He expected he would ask Arthur how he likes the camp or something similarly outrageous, and the Inquisitor would fall into a dark pit of despair trying not to interfere.

  "Lord Ives!" Amos's wide smile slowly died as the soldier finally realised how unhappy the Inquisitor was. "I see that you are in a bad mood... I wanted to discuss some details with you, but..."

  His gaze went towards Ben, who was drilling a single sword form as instructed by Arthur, and had been practicing for the last three hours. The boy was swinging his sword in what seemed to be pointless cuts. His face was covered in sweat, his eyes were red, and his hands were slowly bleeding, but he was swinging his sword as if his life depended on it. Near him, Val'narii was doing the same, but she was looking slightly better for wear than the lower-level Human. Silfa was standing aside from the two and was firing arrow after arrow into a large and thick straw target. Her fingers were bleeding on her bowstring, but her face was scrunched in an unbelievable narrow focus. Catherine was kneeling on the sand close to Arthur. Her eyes were closed and her hands were extended slightly in front of her. She was covered in sweat, and she breathed in deeply, only to keep the air in her chest and then exhale it, followed up with a series of short and laboured breaths.

  "Yes?" Arthur looked at the Captain. His voice was calm and neutral, on the surface.

  "What are your companions doing?" He asked with a puzzled expression.

  Behind him were standing a few soldiers who unconvincingly pretended not to listen. They exchanged unsavoury comments and discreetly sneered at Arthur’s companions.

  "Training, Captain Amos..." Arthur said with a voice so displeased that it momentarily silenced the men. "This is something that would certainly have helped your soldiers."

  "Training?" Amos laughed and put his arms on his hips. "You certainly jest, my Lord! What is the reason for training?"

  Arthur looked at the man in silence disrupted only by his confused blinking. He slowly stood up and walked a few steps towards the open space. He raised the stick he used to poke the flames in a vain attempt to entertain himself. He felt everyone's eyes on his back, except for Cate, Ben, Silfa, and Val'narii who were continuing their training. After all, they saw the very same thing long before Amos's company joined the campsite. The soldiers had to send one of their fastest scouts to beg Arthur to wait for them. Arthur raised the stick.

  "Power Strike." He said with a bored and yet disappointed voice, swung down his stick, and unleashed a skill that nearly every warrior had.

  The bright blade of pure mana mercilessly rent the sand and sent it flying to the sides in a massive wake. The power of the attack was enough to cleave a human-sized boulder in two and leave a nearly ten metre long mark on the sand. Arthur heard the excited and amazed voices, but Amos looked at him without a shred of understanding. Arthur grabbed the man's wrist and placed the stick in the Captain's hand.

  "Training is very important, Captain Amos," Arthur said and returned to the fire. "Never neglect it."

  Amos was standing right outside the camp, staring at the boulder cleanly cut in two. Arthur decided that he wouldn't explain anything, he wouldn't give them any pointers, but he wouldn't forbid them from watching. However, he needed to make sure they would listen to his orders when the time came. He loudly clapped his hands, and his four companions dropped to the ground where they stood or sat. All of them were exhausted but all of them were smiling.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  "Ben?" Arthur asked with a soft voice. He already confirmed with his Appraisal skill that all of them had progressed, but the soldiers around had to hear it as well.

  "I made it! You were right, my Lord!" The boy laughed despite his bloodied hands. "My skill improved considerably!"

  "Val'narii?"

  "This is impossible..." She muttered and shook her head as she started giggling. "I wish I hadn't made a vow..."

  "Have you made it?" He asked with a slight frown.

  "Of course! Of course, I made it!" She dropped to her back and raised her trembling hands towards the darkening sky and started loudly laughing.

  "Silfa?"

  "I... I feel it's very close but I'm not there yet, my Lord." She sadly shook her head but then she smiled widely. "However, my other skill improved as you promised!"

  "I would be shocked if you managed to get it so soon. Good work." He smiled and looked at Catherine who was breathing heavily.

  "What about you, Catherine?"

  She raised her incredibly trembling hand and pointed a single finger towards the sky.

  "Fire Bullet!" A tiny orb of fire launched into the sky and faded out of existence, just about two dozen metres above her, with an audible pop.

  "Excellent! Excellent!" He clapped his hands and sat next to the fire. He looked over his shoulder at the dumbfounded Amos and sighed. "I would be incredibly grateful if you would be so kind as to satisfy my curiosity, Captain."

  "Ummm... Yes? How may I help?" Amos approached them closer, but his steps were far less confident than a few moments ago.

  "When was the last time Saftia was at war?" Arthur asked with a voice he hoped hadn't betrayed any emotions.

  "At war?" The man furrowed his brows. "I believe it was nearly eight hundred years ago, Lord Ives..."

  "Ahhh... That must be nice." Arthur smiled with a soft smile. "It's something I envy..."

  He helped Catherine to stand up, but she trembled so much that she was unable to support herself. He kept her upright but needed to constantly hold her. While Ben had managed to approach the fire on his own, Val'narii and Silfa were walking together, leaning heavily on each other for support.

  "What about your country, Lord Ives?" Amos asked with a slight irritation.

  "Arcadia was at war from the moment it rose. My Emperor is fighting against Mortal Countries, Gods, and Dungeons alike. Peace is something we crave and dream of, Captain Amos." Arthur said with a sad voice as he scooped Catherine up and headed towards one of his tents with his companions slowly following him. He stopped in front of the tent's flap and looked at the Captain with a thoughtful gaze full of sadness. "If you want my advice, I would certainly train your people. Only the soldiers who take their training seriously and are sufficiently disciplined have a chance to see the end of any war..."

  He waited for Ben, Silfa, and Val'narii to enter the tent and nodded to the Captain with a paternal smile. "If you will excuse us..."

  "Umm... Yes, of course, Lord Ives!"

  Once Arthur entered the tent, he closed it and used his privacy barrier. He put Catherine on a narrow medical bed and put his right hand on her stomach.

  "Recovery." He said with a soft voice, and the Nekomi's breathing calmed. She stretched with a relaxed smile and looked at him in shock.

  "That was incredible, Sir!" She said with a warm smile, but her eyes told him that she wanted to call him differently.

  Ben, Silfa, and Val'narii had their bloodied hands dipped in small bowls of water and ice. Their arms trembled and their faces were grey from exhaustion, but they were smiling. Arthur approached them with his bottle of strong alcohol and a cloth. Their faces twisted in pain as he disinfected their wounds and turned to the smiles of relief after he used Lay on Hands on them.

  "Lord Ives..." Val'narii looked at him with awe. "No one knew about what you just told us. No one! I didn't believe you when you told us that we could learn new skills through the training, or level up the ones we have already. It was thought impossible. We believed that you could learn skills only through reaching the major stages when you level up, or through the incredibly rare grimoires or skill books. But since you need to delve deep into the Dungeons, no one thought it was possible."

  "For centuries the people of Aderon thought the same." He said with a soft voice. "But we were wrong. So wrong... The basis for the theory that changed our knowledge about skills was a simple observation. If the general skills are capable of being trained and levelled up even without a class, would it be possible to learn more complicated skills? If not, then what was the difference between them? It was a thesis of one of the students in the Royal University of Arcadia. I won't teach Sion's soldiers about it. I wouldn't even teach you... But you surprised me. Do you have any regrets?"

  "No!" Val'narii laughed and touched the regrown skin on her hands. "I actually can't believe that was enough for you to teach me... If swearing a vow of loyalty to Emperor Theon Avalon and listening to your orders until we reach Arcadia was enough for you to take me from this shithole country, you should have said it earlier!"

  It was Silfa who came up with that idea when they’d arrived at the campsite a few hours before everyone else. Ben had quickly copied his sister, and Val'narii, who had watched them closely, did the same. However, when the unmistakable power of Eriar rested on the three and bound their vows, Arthur was shocked. Even Catherine was glowing with Eriar’s blessing. If their plea and resolve was enough for the Silent Guardian to acknowledge their honesty, he wasn't going to argue with the Patron of Arcadia. Now, they were all Arcadians and he was going to take them home. His soft smile turned slightly mischievous.

  "After we eat and before you go for your well-deserved rest, Ben, Silfa, and Val'narii, you will start preparing a little surprise for the Gnolls..."

  Thank you all for reading.

  I wish you all a great day and as always I wait for your comments.

  A big thanks to and who edited the chapter!