Azeus: New Enemy?.

The training was brutal, and by the time the afternoon break arrived, the recruits felt like they had been through hell.

They were led to the cafeteria, a massive hall filled with rows of sturdy wooden stools and long tables. At the far end, an enormous kitchen operated in full force, with cooks working tirelessly behind a counter where recruits could order food. A large wooden board hung above the counter, listing today's meals in neat, bold letters.

Honestly, if not for their aching bodies and the looming fear of more training, one might mistake this place for a resort.

"Eat now, children!" Helgar's voice boomed, commanding their attention. "Remember, calories are one of the most important things in life! No matter how much you train, if you don't rest and eat properly, you'll fall in battle like a complete idiot."

The recruits wasted no time. Some rushed to the food line, others slumped onto stools, too tired to move.

Alex, Leon, and Rile grabbed their trays and found an empty table near the middle of the hall. The moment they sat down, Rile slammed her hands on the table with excitement.

"Alright, lads! Feast time!" she grinned, holding up a piece of meat like it was a trophy. "Meat is power! Power is meat! You get me?!"

Leon rolled his eyes, still sore from running. "Rile, you sound like an orc."

"And you sound like a little punk who's too tired to appreciate free food," Rile shot back before biting into her meal like a savage.

Alex chuckled, slicing into his own portion. His body was tired, but his mind was sharper than ever. This place was a battlefield—not just on the training grounds, but here as well. Alliances were forming. Rivalries were brewing.

And sure enough—

He felt a gaze on him.

From across the hall, Azeus.

The white-haired noble sat with his usual entourage, his blue eyes locked onto Alex with barely concealed irritation. His hand gripped a silver fork so tightly it looked like it might snap. One of his lackeys whispered something to him, and Azeus smirked before shaking his head.

Alex didn't look away. He wasn't about to back down, but he wasn't going to start a fight over a petty stare, either. He simply kept eating.

Alex noticed and sighed. "Great. Just what we needed. A noble grudge."

"Why are you sighing?" Rile grinned. "This just makes things more fun."

Alex wasn't sure if he'd call it fun, he had read some stories about nobles completely sabotaging the life of a commoner, while he didn't have anyone to sabotage, he was free from family hostages, Azeus could make his life more uncomfortable, this was something he wanted to avoid.

"So Leon, d....o you wi....sh to tell us ab...out that ug...ly punk?" Rile looked up while eating still. 

"Finish your food first, but yes, his name is Azeus Silverstar, our families had grudges for millennia, my father a noble marquis, is a genius, just at the age of 20 he became an Aetheric knight and killed a very important enemy commander of the kingdom we are warring against, because of that Emperor gifted him with an abode that belonged to the Silverstar family, now, of course, they wouldn't start a fight over just an abode but..." Leon looked down and took a juicy meat.

"The abode was built on a very important mana mine, where training was 10 times as rich as training in normal places, and since those bastards mainly train in magic yeah, because of that Silverstar family basically has some grudge over us, Azeus's father came to challenge dad to give up the mansion but dad didn't accept and..." Leon pulled his fork and pushed it down the meat angrily.

"Because of that, that stupid bitch released rumors upon my father that he was a coward and didn't fight like a man, that hurt our reputation quite a lot, so yeah, there is just that..." He eats his steak immediately after.

"Wooow, that's deep bro..." Rile punched his back.

Alex said "Can't you just report that to the Emperor? isn't he the one that gifted you the mansion, what right does a noble family have to go against that order." He also put the meat in his mouth.

(A/N: Pause... ಠಿ_ಠ)

"Well, Alex, the current emperor is..." Leon looked around and whispered "Little eccentric, he doesn't interfere with the nobles and even encourages internal war between them, he thinks that it will make them strong for the wars he wants to wage... so yeah, he will not do anything." Leon said this with a sigh.

Alex chewed slowly, letting the information sink in. The Emperor encouraged nobles to fight among themselves. That explained why these grudges ran so deep.

"So it's basically a free-for-all," Alex muttered.

Leon nodded. "Pretty much. As long as no one outright rebels, the Emperor sees it as... character building."

"That's insane," Alex said, shaking his head. "No wonder the noble brats act like they own the world."

"Because in a way, they do," Leon admitted.

"Well, ain't that just lovely," Rile chuckled, kicking her feet up on the stool. "Guess that means we'll have to make our own way, huh?"

Alex glanced toward Azeus again. He was still staring, but now with a smirk on his face, whispering something to his lackeys. The way he grinned made it clear—he had something planned.

Alex sighed. "I don't like this."

Rile grinned. "You don't have to like it, broski. You just have to be ready for it."

Before Alex could respond, a loud bell rang through the cafeteria, signaling the end of their break.

Helgar's voice boomed across the hall. "Break's over! Back to training, you lazy bastards! If you're not at the field in two minutes, you'll regret ever being born!"

The cafeteria erupted into motion as recruits scrambled to finish their food and rush out the door.

As they walked, Alex kept his eyes forward, but his mind was elsewhere. He had no intention of getting caught up in noble politics, but with Azeus watching them like a hawk, he had a feeling he wouldn't have much of a choice.

And if that was the case, then he would be ready.

End Of Chapter.