William laughed as he reached the gates of Fiore for the first time, calling out to Maxwell: "Hahaha! Maxwell, we've almost made it!"
"What is it, man? Don't you ever get tired?" Maxwell replied with difficulty, exhausted from the journey.
"You could say I'm excited; this is my first time visiting this place. Let's hurry and meet Adrian."
"Fine, we'll take a carriage from here," Maxwell replied, unable to take another step.
At the great gate of Fiore in the northern part of the Empire, the kingdom was distinguished by its beautiful flowers and gardens. William and Maxwell entered the kingdom, heading to meet their friend Adrian.
As they rode the carriage, an interesting conversation took place between them.
Maxwell said happily, looking at William: "We must duel again like in the past. I'll defeat you this time!"
William smiled, looking at the kingdom's beautiful decorated roads: "Alright, but I don't think the result will change much."
"Man, what did they do to you in the Kingdom of Swords to make you this skilled? It seems that it helped in developing your sword skills," Maxwell asked insistently, wanting to know how he reached this level that Maxwell could never surpass.
William said after turning his face to Maxwell: "It's hard to describe, but it can be said that the training was extremely harsh."
The carriage driver interrupted them: "We have arrived."
In front of Count Albert's grand palace, the guards noticed them and informed the palace of their arrival. Margaret rushed to welcome them eagerly and invited them inside.
As soon as they entered, Adrian greeted them warmly and embraced them for a long time; after all, this was their first meeting in a long while. But the welcoming atmosphere was soon interrupted by the sound of a child screaming on the upper floor.
The child's screaming was because he was tired of finishing his academic homework.
A young girl asked kayden softly:"What is wrong with you, Kayden?"
"I don't understand why I can't solve this homework! It's the fourth time! Why do they always give us theoretical lessons? Where are the sword lessons? Don't you agree with me, Fiona?"
"We are still young, Kayden, why don't you understand? How will you train with the sword if you haven't mastered the basics yet?"
Kayden said as he moved away from the book: "Then help me solve this homework!"
Fiona replied, pointing to the question: "It's a simple question, the answer will b—"
Adrian interrupted her as he entered the room loudly: "Kayden, are you okay? What happened? Fiona, did something occur?"
Fionaria said reassuringly: "No, Mr. Adrian, it's simple. Kayden is just finding difficulty with his homework."
Adrian replied :"What?! All this for homework?"
William stepped in, saying with an admiring smile: "Fiona? The King's daughter? What a friend to study with, Kayden."
Kayden, annoyed: "Who is this?"
Adrian quickly: "Kayden! Speak with respect. The person in front of you is the Sword Master, William Ted, the first in the Empire in the art of fencing."
Kayden froze in his place, his eyes widening in surprise, then he said: "William Ted? Will you stay here?"
William replied :"Yes, in fact, we have an agreement with..."
Kayden said immediately "Then, teach me the art of the sword! I want to learn it so I can defeat the villains!"
Maxwell laughed loudly, saying: "Finish your homework first, Kayden. There's no need for you to think about these matters now."
Then he turned his face to William and Adrian: "Alright, shall we duel right now in the courtyard?"
Adrian replied in agreement with smile : "Let's do that."
As the three headed toward the courtyard for the duel, a scene outside the palace caught William's attention. Through one of the windows, he noticed a group of children in a nearby poor neighborhood, playing in ragged clothes and hands covered in dirt. He felt something move his heart and stopped for a moment, watching them in silence.
Maxwell noticed him stopping and asked: "What is it, William?"
William replied, looking away: "Nothing, just... I want to return to this place later."
Adrian raised his eyebrow in surprise: "Where?"
William with a calm smile: "Nothing important now. Let's continue; the duel won't wait."
The group continued to the courtyard, where the duel between William and Maxwell began, with Adrian encouraging both equally.
But deep in William's heart, there was a feeling he couldn't ignore, a duty to help those people.
After the duel ended with William's victory as usual, in front of Margaret, Fiona, Kayden, and Adrian, William returned to his room early, but he couldn't sleep.
He sneaked out of the palace in the middle of the night. He headed toward the poor neighborhood he noticed during the day, carrying some money and food he had gathered from the kitchen.
However, upon his arrival, he was shocked as he did not see any of the children or people who were playing. After a bit of searching, he found Kayden and Fiona nearby, helping the children and distributing food and clothes to them. William stood in the shadows watching, amazed by their actions. Then he stepped forward quietly until Kayden noticed his presence.
Kayden, surprised by his arrival: "Master William? What are you doing here?"
William smiled and said calmly: "It seems I've come late."
Fiona, with a shy smile: "We didn't expect to see you here, Master William."
William replied as if his shock was greater than theirs: "You could say the feeling is mutual."
William sat beside them and began participating in distributing the food. After a short while, he looked at Kayden happily and said: "You are different from what I expected, Kayden."
Kayden with a small smile: "And why is that?"
William, in a tone full of admiration: "You have a pure heart and courage. This is rare among nobles."
Kayden: "I know that."
Wlilliam: "Huh?"
"Nobles have always been arrogant and hurt others for their personal ambitions, that's why I said it's rare among nobles."
William said to him, having already made his decision: "Regarding teaching you the arts of the sword."
Kayden looked at him passionately, waiting for the anticipated answer.
William continued, looking at him: "I will take you as my disciple, and we will help each other fix this world, but don't tell anyone, okay?"
Kayden agreed, of course; in fact, it was more than he had asked for. To study sword arts at such a young age was something he had long wanted.
Fiona, with excessive excitement and happiness for Kayden: "Congratulations, Kayden, but this won't make you forget your homework."
Kayden laughed, trying to escape the answer.
Meanwhile, William said with concern inside him: "These two don't know what corruption this world hides yet." Then he finished with a smile: "But they are on the right path now."
The next morning, everyone woke up to an atmosphere full of activity inside Count Albert's palace. Adrian was preparing himself to take a tour with his friends around Fiore, while Kayden and Fionaria were having breakfast in the garden, talking about last night's adventure as if it were a small secret between them.
As for William, he decided to start Kayden's training early, only to find him waiting in the backyard of the palace, full of enthusiasm and challenge.
Kayden with a wide smile: "Will you teach me today, Master William?"
William with a calm smile: "Of course. But remember, teaching the sword is not just learning to fight. It is learning the values and principles that make you use it correctly."
The training began, and William started explaining simple movements to Kayden, focusing on stability and balance. Kayden was putting in great effort to prove himself, while William watched him with admiration.
During the training, Fiona appeared carrying some water and towels, saying: "I wanted to help you both. The training looks exhausting!"
William laughed, saying: "Thank you,
Fiona. But, would you like to learn some skills yourself?"
Fiona shyly: "Me? No, I don't think I need that."
Kayden, provoking her: "Are you afraid, Fiona?"
Fiona with slight anger: "I am not afraid! But, if you want, I can try!"
William gave her the wooden sword to try some simple movements. While she was trying, Kayden took the opportunity to play a small prank, splashing some water that was beside him on her.
Fiona screamed: "Kayden! I will get my revenge on you!"
Everyone laughed, and William said with a smile: "It seems the training has become more fun now." Then he looked at Kayden and added jokingly: "Kayden, you are a playful boy." Kayden smiled shyly, trying to hide his obvious grin, while Fiona's laughter rose, making the atmosphere warmer and more harmonious.
After the training ended and they were resting, Kayden asked his teacher William: "Do you want to end corruption too, my master?"
William replied with a smile: "Yes, Kayden, very much."
"And will you be able to do it alone?"
"But I am not alone, Kayden. I have friends in other kingdoms, trusted friends affected by this corruption, seeking to end it."
Kayden hopefully :"Great, then introduce me to them!"
William :"I will introduce them to you later, you and my son."
"You have a son?" kayden asked.
"Yes, he is somewhat like me; you must meet him one day." William replied with smile.
Kayden replied, looking at William: "I would like that."
William replied with concern, looking at the sky: "I only hope that the days bring you together in joy on happy occasions, and not at a time when you need each other to face something dangerous."