Half an hour later, the carriage rolled to a gentle stop at the estate gates.
In an excellent mood, Luke stepped down, walked through the courtyard, and headed inside.
Sona, who was practicing her music, lifted her head and glanced at him. She could practically feel how happy he was. With a soft smile, she lowered her gaze again and returned her full attention to her etwahl.
Listening to Sona's light playing, Luke stretched out on the rocking chair.
The weather was still pretty warm today, but because of that, even a small breeze felt especially cool.
After lying there for a while—until the breeze stopped feeling refreshing—Luke got up and went to the backyard.
Fiora, Kahina, Vayne, Quinn, and Frey were all there.
At the moment, Fiora was fending off Kahina's attacks with an easy expression, occasionally speaking to correct her technique.
"Sometimes, when you only focus on making your enemy endure relentless pressure, you end up exposing your own weaknesses."
"Real swordsmanship needs to leave room to advance and room to defend."
"Steady your breathing."
Vayne, Quinn, and Frey watched from the side.
Then, as Kahina's blade came down, Fiora had already struck first—her rapier lightly touched Kahina's shoulder, cutting off the attack.
Kahina took two steps back, panting as she wiped sweat away. She sighed, frustrated. "I always feel like, once it turns into a real fight, I can't think about all that anymore."
"That's because your real combat experience is still too limited." Fiora looked at her, a faint smile appearing on her cool face. "Compared to last time, you've improved a lot."
Lately, Fiora had been pointing out Kahina's swordwork pretty often.
Kahina had good talent, and she worked hard.
A lot harder than a certain lazy prince, that was for sure.
Hearing the compliment, Kahina's confidence returned. She happened to notice Luke walking over and asked, "Your Highness, you're back this early?"
Luke nodded, smiling openly. "The Academy even gave me an extra hundred credits. I hereby announce that as of this moment, I am liberated."
His good mood was almost visible. Kahina laughed. "Congratulations."
For Lux and His Highness, going to the Royal Academy felt like doing time.
A forty-day leave really wasn't that different from freedom.
Luke, still in great spirits, said, "Alright. Come on. I'm going to teach you Swift Thunder Swordplay."
Kahina's eyes lit up instantly.
She'd been worried her swordsmanship was a weak point, which was why she'd specifically asked Fiora for special training. She'd made real progress under Fiora's guidance, but she still felt like the gap was huge.
And just like that, the backyard sword training class officially began.
Luke's Swift Thunder Swordplay was already at Return to Simplicity. His understanding of it was deeper than anyone else in the world.
So when it came to teaching, he knew exactly where to start.
Swift Thunder Swordplay didn't demand the same kind of innate compatibility as his wind-based style. There was no "must grasp wind intent first" requirement.
And since the girls all had strong talent and their own experience with combat and technique, they learned quickly.
In just one morning, they were all basically at LV2: Getting the Hang of It.
The fastest progress, unsurprisingly, was Fiora.
Her talent with the blade didn't need explaining, and years of refined understanding made learning Swift Thunder Swordplay even smoother for her.
By now, she'd already reached LV3: Solid Proficiency.
At the same time…
Elsewhere, in the capital's military camp.
After a full morning of selection, Tianna chose three hundred soldiers.
Now, facing those three hundred, Tianna spoke clearly. "Starting today, I will assign you a new mission."
She paused. The three hundred soldiers listened in complete silence.
Then Tianna continued. "Your new mission is to become Prince Luke's close-retinue personal guard."
The instant those words landed, the soldiers below were no longer calm.
The formation practically rippled with reaction.
Tianna lifted a hand, and within a second the soldiers were silent again.
Looking at them, Tianna smiled slightly. "Of course, I will give you the right to refuse this mission—after you've seen him and made your decision. For now, dismissed."
With that, Tianna turned and stepped down from the platform.
As soon as they were dismissed, the group broke apart, and conversation immediately swelled.
The soldiers gathered in scattered clusters, discussing the situation.
Every single one of them felt surprised at the idea of becoming a prince's personal guard.
"Prince Luke… that's the second prince, right?"
"Is this because of what happened in Edessa? Is that why the royal family picked us?"
"So what do you think?"
"What's there to think? Being the prince's close-retinue guard is better than what we've got now. We should be honored."
"That's not what I mean. I mean… do you actually know this prince?"
"I don't. I only saw him once at that ceremony. He looked impressive. Seemed… mild."
"My plan was to get into the Dauntless Vanguard within the next three years. How am I suddenly becoming a prince's guard?"
"Same. And I heard the prince is… pretty lazy."
These were elites personally chosen by Tianna. Naturally, they had serious potential.
Each of them had a plan and a goal—earning merit on the battlefield, or joining the Dauntless Vanguard.
So being abruptly reassigned as a prince's guard was unexpected.
It was recognition, and they should feel honored.
But it also disrupted their plans.
They respected the royal family, but they knew very little about this prince.
After he showed his face at that ceremony, there was hardly any news about him. He kept an extremely low profile.
And the rumors said he was very lazy—basically giving up, staying at home all day, never going out.
That made soldiers with ambition worry about their futures.
No one wanted to follow a leader who spent his life slacking off.
Because if they accepted the mission, it meant following him for a long time.
"The High Marshal said we're allowed to refuse."
"Right. We can refuse."
"Fine. Then that's what we'll do."
"We should be brave enough to state our opinion."
"Exactly."
They kept talking it over.
It wasn't that they didn't want the post—being a royal close-retinue guard was a good appointment.
But it also meant being tied to that role for a long time.
Everyone here dreamed of defending the country and earning glory.
Who they followed would, to a certain extent, decide whether they could fulfill those ideals.
So this mattered.
That afternoon.
After lunch, Luke returned to the front yard and went right back to lounging on the chair.
The afternoon sun was brighter, and the temperature was higher than in the morning, though it still wasn't the kind of summer heat that drained you of strength.
He lay there comfortably when the sound of a carriage rolling up reached him.
Luke opened his eyes and saw a Crownguard carriage come to a stop.
Then Tianna stepped down.
The moment Luke saw her, yesterday's shadow returned to his mind, and his mouth twitched.
Tianna seemed to be in a good mood today—there was even a hint of a smile on her lips. Seeing Luke not react, she said, "You're not even going to greet me when you see me?"
The response she got was a bold, defiant cold laugh.
But Tianna didn't get angry this time. Looking at Luke turning his face away, she smiled.
After giving him that spanking yesterday, her mood had been better than it had been in ages.
Still, afterward she remembered that even though the brat talked badly about her in private, he was usually far more respectful than not—sending wine now and then, or bringing over something good to eat.
So after enjoying herself, Tianna did feel a little guilty.
"Alright," she said, smiling as she walked closer. "Enough with the sulking."
"This morning I went to the camp early and personally picked a group of excellent soldiers for you."
Luke remembered that he'd agreed yesterday to choose a personal guard.
Considering Tianna's obvious effort, he decided to forgive her this time.
"Alright," Luke said, getting up from the chair. "Let's go."
This time, he also brought Vayne, Quinn, and Frey with him.
By status, all three were already Luke's personal guards, so this kind of occasion was something they needed to attend.
After about an hour on the road, they arrived at the soldiers' central barracks in the capital—the military camp.
This was also the headquarters of the Dauntless Vanguard. It housed over two thousand Dauntless Vanguard warriors, more than a hundred reserves, and three thousand regular elite troops.
And among them, about two-thirds of the Dauntless Vanguard were often out on missions.
They typically operated in small squads, moving through Demacian territory—or sometimes beyond its borders.
When they arrived, the camp was in the middle of intense training.
As Tianna and Luke walked in—
"High Marshal! Your Highness!"
Soldiers stopped what they were doing and gave a knight's salute.
Luke nodded in acknowledgment, looking around as they went.
Many soldiers stood under the sun, shouting chants and burning with energy—running laps around the field, strength training, or sparring one-on-one.
There were plenty of female soldiers as well.
It wasn't just the raw swagger of men—those women carried an equal intensity, not a bit weaker.
Compared to the atmosphere in Edessa's camp, it felt similar.
They continued forward to a smaller training ground.
There, Luke saw the commander of the Dauntless Vanguard: Lev.
"High Marshal. Your Highness." Lev stepped forward and bowed slightly.
Luke greeted him with a cheerful grin. "Good afternoon, Commander."
Luke hadn't met Lev many times, but he was still curious about him—especially given the rumors about him and Tianna.
From Jarvan IV, Luke had heard that Lev used to be a slacker too.
He just kept slacking until Tianna caught him.
Thinking about it that way, Luke felt a certain shared fate with the man in front of him.
Lev was in his thirties, wearing his hair short like Garen's. His face still looked fairly young, with that kind of handsome maturity that came with age.
His presence was understated. Luke thought back to their previous encounters—Lev had always been like this.
If not for his uniform, no one outside would guess he was the commander of the Dauntless Vanguard.
And anyone who held that position wouldn't be weak.
"Good afternoon, Your Highness," Lev replied with a slight smile.
Lev's impression of Luke was… unforgettable.
And the reason was that infamous tabloid issue.
That day had made Lev—who'd always been known for staying low-profile in the capital—suddenly become very high-profile.
Wherever he went, people's looks at him were… complicated.
For a while afterward, he barely dared to leave home.
Tianna said to him, "Go gather the soldiers."
"Yes." Lev answered and left.
Tianna then turned to Luke. "This time, I selected three hundred soldiers. They were raised under Demacia's training system from childhood. Every one of them has a clean background, and every one of them is loyal to Demacia."
Luke followed her gaze as Lev's summons went out and the soldiers began to gather.
Demacia was one of the few nations in Runeterra with large-scale military power.
A similar nation—Demacia's most famous longstanding rival—was Noxus.
The grudge between the two went back a long time.
And their philosophies on building armies couldn't be more different.
Noxus upheld strength above all else, and the empire had a brutal talent for assimilation.
It never stopped expanding outward.
And when it invaded a nation, it offered two choices.
First: die.
Second: become part of Noxus.
Most nations, after witnessing the empire's might firsthand, chose the second.
Noxus folded willing enemies into its military system, then absorbed them at remarkable speed until they became part of the whole.
So as it expanded, Noxus's imperial power continued to grow.
Demacia was different.
Because Demacia had never waged wars of conquest. Its core belief, from the beginning, was the defense of its own land.
When it came to cultivating soldiers, Demacia took young recruits with potential and invested in long, patient training, letting them grow steadily stronger over time.
At the same time, the duty and expectation of protecting the nation—of loyalty to Demacia—was instilled early, when Demacian children were still very young, regardless of their birth.
That was why Demacia possessed a force whose name echoed across all of Runeterra:
The Dauntless Vanguard.
Soon, the three hundred soldiers stood in neat lines on the field, with a rough ratio of four men to one woman.
They wore shining silver armor, standing straight-backed, each face hard with resolve.
And these were the people who would, in the coming years, march with Luke, obey his orders, and share honor and disgrace with him.
In Demacia, royal personal troops were also called close-retinue guards.
Luke looked at them—and the soldiers looked right back at him.
Their expressions varied.
Tianna spoke quietly to Luke at the same time. "These are the elites I chose for you. Every one of them has the potential to enter the Dauntless Vanguard someday. But before they follow you willingly, you'll need to prove you're worth following."
"…?" Luke slowly produced a question mark with his face. "What does that mean?"
Tianna smiled. "It means you speak with strength. Otherwise, your personal guard won't be these elites."
Close-retinue guards were a special unit in Demacia.
They were the royal personal troops.
And unlike other forces, before loyalty to the nation, they gave priority to loyalty to a person.
The person they followed.
That "following" wasn't just guarding Luke's safety.
On the battlefield, they would fight alongside him, obey his decisions, carry out his commands.
And responsibility ran both ways.
A worthy leader brought them greater honor.
Jarvan III's close-retinue guards—whether they retired, stayed in the army, or went elsewhere afterward—each carried countless honors because of the path he led them down.
In other words, while Luke was choosing his guards, they were also choosing him.
What Tianna meant was simple:
If they didn't believe Luke was worth following, they had the right to refuse to become his close-retinue guards.
They would still protect him the moment danger appeared—but not as his personal troops.
Some of Jarvan IV's guards were people he met during his own years training in the army.
Others chose to follow him willingly because they respected his potential and strength.
Even after understanding all that, Luke felt one thing very clearly:
This definitely didn't need to be so complicated.
Which meant Tianna had absolutely stirred the pot again.
He looked at her and saw her smiling pleasantly, giving away nothing.
But since it was already laid out like this, Luke had no choice but to do something.
He walked to the front of the three hundred soldiers, thought for a moment, and spoke.
"Most of you probably know who I am. I believe that for some time ahead, we'll become partners who trust each other."
"But you don't know me well, so I understand what you're feeling right now. You're worried whether I'll be a leader worth following."
As he spoke, Luke walked toward a sparring platform on the field. From the weapon rack, he chose a training longsword.
"Then we'll use the oldest method there is to see if I'm qualified. Anyone among you can challenge me. If anyone can last ten moves against me, I'll use my authority to promote that soldier on the spot."
He delivered it calmly.
But the moment the words hit the air, the entire field fell silent.
Even Tianna narrowed her eyes, watching Luke step up with the blade.
This brat…
When did he get so cocky, and why was he casually making guarantees like that?
If he couldn't back it up, he'd embarrass himself beyond repair.
Tianna knew Luke had real skill—she'd heard firsthand what he'd done in Edessa and how he dealt with the cultists.
But he was seriously underestimating the soldiers she'd chosen.
These were people with the potential to join the Dauntless Vanguard. None of them were weak.
To them, what Luke said sounded less like an offer and more like a provocation.
Lev watched from the side as well, interest flickering in his eyes.
Among the three hundred soldiers, the moment they felt belittled, their energy changed instantly.
And "ten moves for an immediate promotion" was an unexpected reward.
Luke had already spoken. He couldn't take it back now.
If he did, it wouldn't just be his pride—it would be the dignity of the crown.
So the promise could be treated as real.
These soldiers had been trained since childhood, young, talented, and naturally more proud than average.
Many stared at Luke with open defiance.
Luke looked down at them and said, "Who's first? Step forward."
As his words fell, more than half the soldiers stepped out.
The other half likely didn't have strong objections to becoming his guard.
Seeing so many unwilling, Luke laughed softly. "Pick one of you to come up."
The soldiers exchanged looks and murmured to each other.
Soon, a young male soldier stepped onto the platform and said seriously, "Your Highness, I am Private Willis. I challenge you!"
"Hello, Willis." Luke walked to the opposite end of the platform and spoke with easy confidence. "Whenever you're ready, attack."
From the earlier conversation, Luke knew Willis was twenty-one, and his strength was close to Dauntless-tier.
He was one of their standout talents.
Willis's eyes flashed with stubborn pride as he deliberately pushed back. "Then be ready, Your Highness. Don't blame me if I hurt you."
Being chosen first meant many were placing hope on him.
So he would go all out—and within ten moves, he intended to defeat this prince.
As soon as he finished speaking, Willis exploded forward with strong footwork.
He held a standard army longsword with an arrowhead-shaped tip, about four feet long. Even as a training weapon, it still gleamed with sharp light under the sun.
This opening strike was full commitment, full pressure.
But Luke didn't move.
His lazy eyes sharpened slightly with real focus.
Then he raised his sword.
Clang!
With a single motion, he deflected Willis's downward chop.
Willis's eyes flickered with surprise at the speed and force of the counter.
And in that one exchange, he felt the prince's strength.
But his surprise was only beginning.
In the next instant, Willis clearly sensed Luke's aura change.
Luke's sword came up from below—fast.
Willis felt Luke's presence turn sharper, as if a blade itself were rushing toward his face.
Sword intent?
Willis was even more shocked. He hurriedly raised his sword to block.
But the defense was rushed. With Luke's upward slash, Willis felt heavy power travel down the blade into his wrist. His sword hand trembled, and he nearly lost his grip.
The upward strike forced his arm high, and he stumbled back two steps.
Just two moves in, and Willis already felt crushing pressure.
He gritted his teeth, abandoning his earlier mindset. He quickly withdrew, trying to reset and stabilize.
Ten moves.
He had to last ten moves.
But the moment he created distance, Willis's vision blurred.
And then Luke was already in front of him.
Willis swung instinctively—
Slash!
A sharp arc of light flashed.
In the next second, Willis's longsword flew up, then clattered to the ground.
As the blade hit with a metallic ring, the field went dead silent.
Because on the platform, Willis now stood frozen with Luke's sword at his throat.
"I lost," Willis said.
Luke wore a gentle smile.
All the defiance in Willis's chest vanished with that single strike.
Those three words came from him with complete sincerity.
Luke withdrew his blade and smiled faintly.
Willis returned to the soldiers below, and even then his shock hadn't fully faded.
Many others wore the same expression.
Four moves.
Strictly speaking, it was three—because the moment Willis lost his weapon, it was already over.
Willis had been one of the best among them, or he never would've been chosen first for an opportunity like this.
From the very first match, Luke had already proven his strength.
"Next," Luke said, looking down. "Who is it?"
"I'll go!"
A man broader than Willis stepped out. He looked a little older.
On the platform, he introduced himself. "Your Highness, I am Private Tott. I've served in the army for twelve years."
"Go ahead, Tott." Luke lifted his sword slightly in invitation.
"Hah!"
Tott charged with a roar.
He carried the same kind of four-foot longsword, and paired with his build it looked even larger.
Once he started his rush, his tall frame gave the impression of something unstoppable.
Luke still stood there with no change in expression.
But unlike the previous match, Luke chose to attack first.
Gathering sword intent, he moved—his figure blurred.
Clang!!
Their weapons collided. Yet despite Tott's larger frame, he staggered back several steps from the impact.
His eyes widened.
And then Luke's second strike was already coming.
Tott clenched his jaw. Defiance flashed as he forced out more power and swung again.
He already knew the prince was strong, but he needed to prove he wasn't weak.
Ten moves.
He had to last ten moves too.
But suddenly, he felt a gust of wind in his face.
Then came an unbelievably fast, brutally heavy strike that left an afterimage.
Steel Tempest.
The force of that blow nearly tore the sword from Tott's hands.
And in the next moment, he felt Luke's blade rest against his throat.
So fast he hadn't even seen it clearly.
Eyes full of shock, Tott released his weapon and let it clatter to the ground, speaking with full acceptance. "I lost."
The field went silent again.
Even faster this time.
Only three moves.
Tott was actually a bit stronger than Willis, though he was also older.
But even he couldn't last ten moves against the prince.
"Next," Luke said again.
"I'll go! I'm Private Gannon—Your Highness, please instruct me!"
"…"
"Next."
"I'm Private Granger—Your Highness, please instruct me!"
"Next."
"Private Hardy—please instruct me!"
"Private Wade—please instruct me!"
As match after match continued, more and more soldiers stepped up to challenge Luke.
At this point, it wasn't just defiance.
Even in Demacia, strength was respected—and Luke had already earned their respect.
Now what they wanted to challenge was the ten-move threshold.
Everyone wanted to know whether they could last ten moves against this prince.
But every challenger who stepped up—forget ten moves—none of them lasted even five.
Luke's rank might only be Unyielding, but with his full set of skills, he could handle even Dauntless-tier opponents with ease.
And these soldiers were only potential—strong, but not yet Dauntless-tier.
Off to the side, as fight after fight played out, Tianna's smile grew more and more obvious. The way she looked at Luke was like she was looking at her own nephew—prideful, even a little smug.
Others were shocked.
Tianna was delighted.
This brat… he's changed a lot.
She still remembered sparring at the Royal Academy. Back then, Luke had been full of raw, immature edges.
His strange wind swordplay wasn't even fully formed.
But now, only two months later, what Luke radiated felt like a seasoned warrior.
Even his swordplay had grown into something genuinely impressive.
From Luke's performance in Edessa, and from other reports, Tianna already knew he wasn't weak.
She'd set up this whole "prove yourself" moment because she wanted a clear understanding of his strength.
But she hadn't expected him to be this strong.
Lev watched the duels as well, and in his mind he gave Luke a very high evaluation.
In his view, this prince might not be weaker than his older brother at all.
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