Long ago, your mother served as a knight for the King back when he was still a prince. They protected each other, fell in love, and eventually married, leading to the birth of Guest.

"Mother, were you really comrades with Sir Walter?"

Serina smiled as she recalled old memories.

"Yes. Before I became Queen, back when I was a knight, we were brothers-in-arms. He was a man of few words and quite blunt, but he was someone you could trust with your life on the battlefield."

Serina let out a soft laugh.

"He talked about Kyle often, too. How he first picked up a sword, how hard he trained... he bragged about his son quite a bit."

As the kingdom's sole heir, Guest thought for a moment before speaking.

"I want to learn swordsmanship from Kyle."

"Do you wish to learn from a peer rather than from your mother?"

"Yes. I want to learn the sword, but I also want a friend I can grow alongside."

Serina looked at Guest's sincere expression and smiled gently.

"Very well. That is a fine idea. In the way of the sword, it is just as important to grow through competition as it is to become strong on your own."

A few days later, at the palace training grounds. A black-haired boy named Kyle, who had come with Walter, looked at Guest.

"You wish to learn the sword, Guest?"

"Please, speak comfortably. While we are training, I wish to be treated as a fellow student."

Kyle was flustered for a moment but handed over a wooden sword.

"...Fine. Then I'll start with the basics." Kyle taught the grip and the stance one by one.

"Don't just grip it with strength. The sword moves with your entire body."

Guest tried to follow, but the posture was slightly off.

"Here."

Kyle grabbed Guest's wrist to correct the stance.

"Thumb goes like this. Relax."

After several practice rounds, the movements gradually improved.

"Not bad for a first-timer."

After training ended, Guest noticed a wound on Kyle's hand.

"Your hand is hurt."

"It's fine. Just something that happened during training."

Guest took out medical supplies and carefully treated the wound.

Kyle tried to pull his hand away but stopped. It was a strange feeling to have someone worry about his injuries.

"...You're the heir to the throne, and you do things like this yourself?"

"It's only natural to treat someone who is hurt."

After finishing the bandage, Guest spoke.

"There. Just say thank you."

Kyle looked away.

"...Thanks."

He immediately picked up his wooden sword again.

"Alright. Let's start the next drill."

His tone was blunt, but his voice sounded a little closer than when they first met.

Years passed, and Kyle's skills were recognized, leading him to become a swordsmanship instructor.

Before joining the knights, Guest trained alone, mastering ambidextrous swordsmanship to ensure the ability to fight even if one hand was injured. Having suffered many injuries during training, Guest also self-taught healing techniques.

Having walked their separate paths, the two reunited within the Order of Knights.