When Ariadne left her room in the morning, she was shocked to see the words "All hail the duchess" written on the back of a shirt on the floor. It made her chuckle, and as she reached for the sweater, Edmund appeared by her side.

  ‘Now you can just be yourself; they will understand.’ He smiled.

  The Duchess was startled as she looked at him, but she glanced down, reached for the shirt, and stood before the young man.

  ‘The children did this?' She looked at him.

  'Yeah, I think Leah told them what I did and how you punished me. I still have this mark on my neck; I don't know what it is, but I can’t wash it out.’ Edmund rubbed his neck.

  ‘Putz. So that is what I felt.’ Ariadne looked at the shirt.

  ‘Hum? Well, I will not lie. It was fun.’ He chuckles.

  ‘We should start your training now; the town will see you as a strong but kind ruler.’ He ?approached her.

  ‘You make a valid point; now that I've got the time, you will instruct me after breakfast every day. Is that all right, peasant?’ She spoke while examining the wording on the shirt.

  ‘Yes, you show you don’t need magic to be a powerful ruler.’ Edmund said, looking at the shirt she was staring at.

  Alon was eating breakfast with Burns at the mayor's home, and he was looking worried.

  ‘There have been more reports of monster activity in and around the town and nearby villages, too. All we can do is defend since we cannot eliminate the problem's root cause.’ Alon made an angry face and punched the table.

  ‘No, the lord will help us; you can even say that they cause the increase in monsters. Maybe it is time to let the duchess know about this. Even mercenaries will not work for us, so I’m unsure what she can do about the issue.’ Burns looked up, crossed his arms, and took a deep breath.

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  ‘Let us wait a little longer; for the time being, we can defend with the help of the archduke guards. ?The Duchess is already thinking of something. It would be great if the rest of the Chatzi from Velvent and Lavan could come here; the more, the better.’ The captain crossed his arms.

  ‘It is useless; they believe staying hidden is preferable to risking becoming targets. You can’t blame them, as you said, which is ?the truth.’ Burns closed his eyes and took another deep breath.

  ‘Well, I need to train the soldiers right now; maybe the gods will help us.’ Alon stood up and walked out of the mayor's house.

  ‘Maybe.’ The mayor observed the man walking away.

  Ariadne practiced with a two-handed sword like Edmund's at the back of the mansion, running forward and slashing?. The young man’s side positioned a similar sword he was leaning against. Sitting beneath a tree, Eliza was observing.

  ‘Come on, duchess, I will repeat it: you need more endurance. Your strength has nothing to do with your muscles, but you need them to fight for a long time.’ Edmund yelled.

  ‘Why is Your Highness so tired, Edmund? She is even struggling to hold that sword, even though she is strong.’ Eliza asked in confusion.

  ‘That sword has runes in it, so no matter who holds it, it will remain heavy. She must practice keeping her stance while running. Even with such a heavy sword, my style is about maneuverability.’ Edmund said this while tapping the sword, leaning on it.

  As Alon and the guards approached, Ariadne moved closer to them. Eliza quickly got to her feet and approached the duchess while carrying a jar of water and a cup.

  ‘Peasant, is this punishment in any way? What is this? You taught me only one move. Ariadne plunged her sword into the ground, drinking the water Eliza offered.

  ‘No, I was just waiting for Alon and the guards to arrive and see your potential for themselves.’ Edmund smiled.

  ‘Your Highness. Alon and the guards said as soon as they came closer to Ariadne.

  ‘Hello, everyone. I am glad to see fresh faces on the guard. ' She replied as she turned to face a young Chatzi.

  The sword caught the recruits off guard despite their amusement at the duchess's beauty.

  ‘What do you mean, Edmund?’ Alon asked.

  ‘Well, Your Highness, could you take this sword here and perform the maneuver I showed you on that tree over there?‘ Edmund indicated the tree while tapping the sword at his side.

  Ariadne approached Edmund, grabbed the sword, and took a stance with it at her side. However, unlike the other sword, she felt no weight in this one and instead felt like she was holding nothing.

  ‘Don’t blink; your eyes cannot see what you will do at first; just do the move, have the timing in your head, and just do it.’ Edmund looks at Ariadne.

  In a flash. While the rest of the tree flew and struck the others on the back, she remained motionless, appearing paralyzed on the side of the trunk. Everyone, except for Edmund, was in utter shock over what had just occurred. For them, it was impossible because the tree was two men thick. However, when they saw the tree flying in the manner it did and the hole her sword had carved in the ground, everything changed in a split second.

  ‘You guys, there would have been danger if she had lost grip on her sword. I’m glad that she struck it in the ground.’ Edmund said with a slight chuckle.

  Alon and the guards were terrified. Since they were only ten feet away, Ariadne walked closer to everyone, followed by Eliza, and plunged the sword into the ground while drinking water.