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I chuckled softly to myself as I continued walking, listening to her rant. Vitaliara had always had a sharp eye for people, and her assessment of Valeria was unsurprisingly blunt. [Did you see the way she carried herself? The whole world should bend to her because she\'s from a noble family. Ugh, people like that make me sick. And don\'t even get me started on the way she talked to you.

Like she expected you to bow at her feet the moment she drew her sword.]

"She wasn\'t that bad," I said, smiling to myself. "Just a bit… rigid."

[Rigid?] Vitaliara scoffed, her tail flicking in annoyance. [She was practically made of stone. The way she talks, the way she fights—it\'s like she\'s never been questioned a day in her life. And that superiority complex of hers? Don\'t even get me started.]

\'I don\'t think that is a superiority complex.\'

I thought. Remembering what kind of person she was from the novel, I can see why Vitaliara thinks Valeria has a superiority complex. There have been many times when even Elara thought the same thing.

It was easy to see why someone would think that, especially with how Valeria carried herself—so rigid, so certain of her own position and the hierarchy that defined her world.

"It\'s not because she feels superior," I explained, keeping my voice calm.

[Then why does she act like that?] Vitaliara\'s annoyance was still palpable, her voice sharp with frustration.

"Well," I began thoughtfully, "to keep it simple, it seems she\'s always been taught that a commoner must obey the words of a noble, and that a noble should lead the commoners and take responsibility for them. It\'s not superiority—it\'s duty. At least, that\'s what she believes."

[Duty, huh?] Vitaliara let out an exasperated huff, clearly unimpressed. [Doesn\'t change the fact that she\'s annoying.]

I chuckled again. "You really don\'t like her, do you?"

[Humph!] was all the response I got, her tail flicking against my cheek as she turned her head away. I could practically feel her pouting, even if she didn\'t say anything outright.

Shaking my head in amusement, I kept walking, letting the soft sounds of the city envelop us. The streets were quieter now, with fewer people out and about as the evening settled in. The air was cool, the breeze refreshing against my skin. For the first time in a while, I felt a strange sense of calm—a feeling that life, chaotic as it might be, was starting to return to its usual unpredictable flow.

The duel with Valeria lingered in my mind, the memory of it vivid and sharp. She had been talented, that much was clear. Despite her rigid adherence to form and technique, she was no pushover. In fact, even though I had bested her, it hadn\'t been as easy as I\'d expected.

I hadn\'t let any lethal intent slip into my strikes—no hidden malice, no tricks meant to throw her off. It had been a straightforward, clean duel, but even then, she had responded to my movements with remarkable precision. Her reflexes were quick, her instincts sharp. She had been trained well—exceptionally well.

And despite the clear physical disadvantage she had against me, she still managed to keep up, parrying most of my strikes and even countering when she saw an opening.

That alone showed her raw talent.

"She\'s impressive," I murmured to myself, the smile still playing on my lips.

[Impressive?] Vitaliara echoed, incredulous. [You call that impressive? She lost.]

"She lost," I agreed, nodding slightly, "but the way she fought was something else. She responded to almost every strike, even though I was holding back. Physically, she was at a disadvantage, but she didn\'t let that stop her. Her instincts were sharp."

Vitaliara let out a soft hum, clearly not convinced. [Still annoying, though.]

"I get it, I get it."

[Humph,] came the quick reply, her tail flicking again.

\'But I guess that explains how the situation here was resolved. Even if I had not intervened, at some point, she would have come here if the Baro had put the notice. This land would not be able to sustain the bandits any longer.\'

Someone was needed to solve this problem and it now became evident that who that person was.

********

Valeria strode back towards the meeting point where her squad of knights awaited her. The tension from the duel still buzzed through her veins, though she did her best to mask her irritation with a calm, collected facade. The six knights, each dressed in the Olarion crest, stood in a loose formation near the outskirts of the town, their eyes immediately locking onto her as she approached.

"Lady Valeria!" one of them, a tall man with a broad build named Aldric, called out as she drew near. His tone was respectful but curious. "Where were you? Did you meet with that Lucavion?"

The moment his name left Aldric\'s mouth, Valeria\'s teeth clenched. Lucavion. Just hearing the name made the frustration bubble up again. She had been outmaneuvered, and the sting of that loss was still fresh in her mind. The last thing she wanted was to talk about it.

"Yes, I did," she replied curtly, her tone clipped and her expression tight as she avoided eye contact. "But we won\'t speak of it."

The knights exchanged glances, clearly sensing her foul mood but unsure of what exactly had happened. Aldric opened his mouth to say something, but the sharpness in Valeria\'s gaze quickly silenced him. There was an unspoken command in her eyes: Don\'t push me on this.

One of the younger knights, a wiry man named Thom, shifted awkwardly before daring to speak. "So… did he live up to the stories, my lady?"

Valeria shot him a glare that could cut through steel. "Enough," she snapped, her voice colder than she intended. "We\'ve been traveling for days. We need rest." She straightened, her expression hardening into one of authority as she motioned towards the town\'s inn. "We\'re heading there now. No more talk of this."

The group fell silent at once, none of them daring to push further. They had all seen Valeria in foul moods before, but there was something different about this one. Whatever had happened between her and Lucavion, it had clearly gotten under her skin in a way few things ever did.

Without another word, Valeria turned on her heel and led the way towards the inn, her frustration simmering just beneath the surface. The knights followed in silence, not daring to speak another word about the man who had clearly shaken their usually unflappable leader.

********

The dawn was yet to break, the sky still a deep shade of indigo as the quiet town lay in the pre-dawn stillness. Valeria had already risen, her breath steady and controlled as she prepared herself for her morning routine.

The discipline of her training had been engraved into her very bones since childhood, a habit she could never break, even on days like this when her mind was clouded with frustration.

She slipped into her simple training gear, her mind sharp as she tied her boots. The rhythmic sound of the leather pulling tight helped steady her focus. This was how she always began her day—a run to clear her mind and center her thoughts before diving into the more grueling aspects of her training.

It had never failed her before, and she needed it more than ever now, after the events of the previous day.

Valeria opened the door to her room, the cool morning air greeting her as she stepped into the hallway. But just as she began to move forward, the door to the room directly across from hers creaked open, and out stepped someone she had no desire to see so early in the morning.

Lucavion.

Her heart skipped a beat, and not in the pleasant way.

No, this was the kind of jolt that came from pure, unfiltered annoyance. Of all the people... she thought, gritting her teeth as her eyes locked onto his figure.

Lucavion, ever the insufferable presence, looked just as relaxed as he had the day before, as if nothing ever disturbed him. He glanced at her, his expression lighting up with that infuriatingly easy smile, like running into her was the most amusing thing in the world.

"Morning," he greeted casually, his voice carrying that same relaxed tone she had grown to despise.

Valeria\'s jaw tightened as she forced herself to remain composed. Of course, it had to be him. She wasn\'t in the mood for pleasantries, let alone another verbal sparring session. But there he was, standing in front of her as if the gods themselves had decided to test her patience once more.

"I see you\'re up early," Lucavion continued, his tone light. "Going for a run?"

Valeria exhaled slowly through her nose, her irritation barely contained. "Yes," she said shortly, stepping past him without waiting for a reply. She didn\'t have time for his teasing, not today. Not after how he had beaten her so easily the day before.

But Lucavion didn\'t move. Instead, he turned slightly as she passed, watching her with that same amused look. "Mind if I join you?"

Valeria stopped in her tracks, her shoulders tensing. She turned her head just enough to glance at him over her shoulder, her eyes narrowing. "You want to join me?"

Lucavion shrugged, completely nonchalant. "Why not? We are both going to train anyway, and running alone is quite boring."

Valeria\'s fists clenched at her sides. She had hoped for some peace, a moment to clear her mind, and now this infuriating man was trying to worm his way into that, too. The last thing she wanted was to spend more time with him, especially when the memory of her defeat still burned fresh in her mind.

"No," she said firmly, her voice cold. "I prefer to run alone."

"I see."

He answered.

Yet, just a minute later, she couldn\'t help but curse inwardly.

"Why are you following me?"