A girl sitting on a nearby stone bench looked up from her polished nails. She was dressed in a deep purple tunic embroidered with silver threads, her features sharp and arrogant.
She was clearly from a rich family, her gaze sweeping over Kale with a mixture of mockery and a strange, predatory interest.
"He is quite handsome, though," the girl noted, her voice dripping with artificial sweetness. "A bit rough around the edges, but those green eyes are fascinating. It is a pity he is of such a low rank."
The other recruits laughed, their haughty whispers filling the air.
None of them wanted to fight Kale, taking him for a lowly servant who had been brought here to entertain them. To them, an apprentice who had awakened only recently was nothing more than a bug to be crushed beneath their heels.
The girl in purple stood up and walked toward Kale, her crystalline lizard trailing behind her.
