Meeting

The Meeting Hall of the Royal Palace was an imposing chamber, designed to inspire awe and command attention. 

While Kael was sleeping peacefully in his room, this place was busier than usual.

At the far end of the hall, King Alden sat on a grand throne, his expression unreadable.

A massive rectangular table stretched the length of the hall. Seated around the table were 5 beings, two women, and three men.

People Kael would recognize in an instant.

Yes, they were Kael's instructors.

The King stared at all these people and then, he leaned forward.

"So? What's your assessment?"

He questioned, his tone solemn.

"A Genius."

The first one to speak was Elira. 

"Not only that, his temperament is much better than most students I have taught." 

It was a big statement, especially since it came from someone like Elira. Even though the number of students she had taught wasn't high, every single one of her students was now an exceptional mage the Kingdom could rely on. 

This was the reason she was chosen to be Kael's instructor despite being so young. 

"I tried to make things difficult for him to see how he would react and I couldn't be more satisfied. 

He is calm, calculative, and listens well, but he is not a mere follower either, provoke him and he will retaliate, quite bravely at that." 

Elira smiled. 

"Lord Feraos's chosen one, huh? I was skeptical at first, but I see that now." 

The Court Mage had nothing but praise for her new student. 

What surprised the King was the fact that none of the other instructors went against the Court Mage's words, to think the Hero was able to impress all these individuals in just one day...

King Alden was impressed. 

"What about his Talent? Did any of you manage to find out what it is?" 

The meeting today had one simple goal, it was to find out Kael's Talent.

To the Drakthar Kingdom, not knowing their Hero's Talent was a big issue, so the King assigned some of his best men to train the Hero and find where his talent lies.

"His talent is definitely related to his physical abilities."

It was now General Deren's turn. 

"I witnessed it with my own eyes, I observed that boy's body change as I trained him. He was adapting faster than anyone else I have seen in my entire life, his growth was endless. Every time I thought he reached his limit, somehow, he continued. 

It felt as though, given sufficient time, that child would have surpassed me.

When the training ended, I couldn't help but feel pity that I had such little time with him.

Your Majesty, I assure you that if you allow me to continue training him, I will polish that gem and make the strongest warrior out of him within a matter of a few years."

The General declared confidently.

The King raised his eyebrow when he heard such high praise coming from a man like Deren, however, before he could say anything, Arlan shook his head.

"As much as I respect you, General Deren, right now, you are mistaken."

He stared at the General and continued, 

"While I agree that his talent is related to his physical abilities, it is not entirely accurate. 

His talent is related to Martial Arts. 

The rate at which the child learns martial arts is ridiculous. 

When I saw him today, he was a brat who had never once practised martial arts before, and by the end of our training, he was already on the level of a trainee warrior.

Do you realise what this means? He reached a level others take months of training to reach, within a few hours." 

Arlan then turned towards the King and,

"My King, please allow me to train him. I'll make him an undefeatable knight that will always remain standing against even the mightiest of the opponents."

Just like Deren, Arlan's eyes glimmered with absolute confidence, but then, a voice full of mockery was heard.

"As one would expect from a brute with all brawn and no brains. To think you would not realize it even after witnessing it with your own eyes."

Elira snorted.

She then stared at the King and,

"Your Majesty, that man was born to be a Mage. His affinity with Fire Element is unlike anything I have seen before. He learned his First Spell in a matter of minutes. I was still in the middle of teaching him the theory when the brat formed a Fireball above his palm."

Elira revealed and everyone in the room blinked in surprise. 

The Court Mage then turned towards her brother and smirked disdainfully, 

"At the level of a trainee soldier? After a few hours? 

How does that even compare to his Magic Talent? 

He is already a First Circle Mage and this is a man who didn't even know Magic existed a day before."

Arlan's mouth twitched as he heard his sister's words, he wanted to call her out, however, Elira, wanting to prove her point even further, said something none of the people present expected, 

"I dare say the Hero's Magic Talent is even higher than 'hers'. 

If that is not Lord Feraos' blessing, I do not know what it is."

Everyone in the meeting hall flinched. 

A Taboo. 

It was a Taboo to mention 'her' and for Elira to do so like thi-

"Haah? Do you even hear yourself?" 

However, before the weight of her words could even sink in, Arlan took this chance to get back at his sister. 

"Magic Talent higher than hers? I saw it with my own eyes. Sure, his fire affinity was strong, but she had an affinity with every element that existed, even the ones that could not be detected by the affinity crystal. 

Kael might become an exceptional mage, but his magic talent is nothing when compared to his talent in martial arts!"

Arlan exclaimed. 

Mentioning 'her' again without a care for the world. 

Seeing how Elira's face was twitching nonstop, unable to come up with a retort, the Commander smiled gleefully, satisfied. 

Already used to the siblings' antics, the rest of the instructors present in the hall facepalmed, they already knew what was coming next.

And just as they expected, Elira burst out.

"So what if she had an affinity with all the elements!? As much of a blessing as it is, it is also a curse! While Kael only needs to focus on one element, she has to focus on all!

Does a Brute like you even understand how demanding that is!?

Not to mention that his fire affinity was so strong that it broke the Affinity Crystal, something that has never happened before in the history of the Drakthar Kingdom, not even the Princes-"

"Silence."

Elira's voice was cut off by the King's solemn tone.

The King glared at the Court Mage and with one look, the angry Elira whimpered like a cat caught making a mistake and lowered her head. 

Alden then stared at Arlan, the Commander, just like his sister, lowered his head and sank back to his seat.

In an instant, the chaotic meeting hall turned silent and returned to the King's control.

Alden's gaze lingered on the siblings for a while longer before he turned and glanced at Marshal Therian.

"What about you, Marshal? What is your opinion of the child?"

"He has what it takes to be the Hero."

The Marshal nodded, his voice much calmer than Arlan and Elira.

"I do not know if his talent lies in Leadership and Strategy since I have not tested him yet, but his eyes show determination to learn, and for me, that is enough."

The King nodded and then his eyes fell on Master Tamer Lyric.

Lyric nodded and then continued,

"I apologize, Your Majesty, but unlike others, I do not have anything substantial to report. 

It seems that Hero Kael's Bond is facing some issues and refuses to leave the Sanctuary in the presence of other people." 

Lyric reported, but then, a gentle smile appeared on her face and, 

"What I can say, however, is that Hero Kael definitely has the right mindset to become an excellent Tamer. 

He loves his Bond despite only meeting him yesterday. I even felt like he was prepared to face the entire world for its sake. It was quite refreshing to see."

The Master Tamer answered. 

The King, however, frowned at her words.

"The Bond refuses to leave the Sanctuary?"

"Wasn't it said that he chose a Firefang Wyvern as his first bond? Why is a Firefang Wyvern acting like that?"

General Deren questioned with a frown.

"I do not know."

Lyric shook her head.

"Hero Kael says his Bond is shy."

"Shy…? A Firefang Wyvern…?"