The next day arrived.
Brandt and Kaiden continued their journey, moving farther away from the Valkarion Empire and heading toward the Erendal Empire, carrying the young Kael in their arms.
Although only a single day had passed, they had already traveled close to the border between the two empires. There was a reason why knights starting from the rank of Earth Knight were called superhumans.
As evening approached, they stopped at an inn near the border. After all, Kael was still a child and had his own needs.
After spending the night there, they resumed their journey.
When they neared the borders of the Erendal Empire, Kaiden asked his father:
"Father, where are we supposed to leave His Highness Kael?"
Brandt glanced at Kael and replied calmly:
"The Emperor ordered us to leave him near the capital of Erendal. I believe the city of Dornwald would be suitable. It is known for its strong defenses, and the local lord takes good care of the city."
Kaiden hesitated before asking again:
"Will we leave His Highness with the city lord?"
Brandt shook his head.
"No. We must leave him at an orphanage. If an unknown child suddenly appears in the lord's household, rumors will spread quickly, and Her Majesty Celesta may learn of it. His Majesty Emperor Aldric ordered that His Highness Kael be hidden in a way that ensures she will never find him."
"I understand," Kaiden replied quietly.
That night, after reaching the city of Dornwald, they approached a church and placed a basket with Kael inside near the door.
Before leaving, Brandt looked at the child and said softly:
"I hope everything will be well for you, and that you will grow up strong and healthy."
After knocking on the door, Brandt and Kaiden bowed to Kael and vanished into the night.
A few moments later, the door opened.
Kael saw a middle-aged man step outside. At first, the man looked around, searching for whoever had knocked, and only then noticed the child in the basket.
Slightly surprised, he picked Kael up and said aloud:
"May the Goddess of Life bless you… What kind of people abandon their child like this?"
Noticing a note inside the basket, the priest unfolded it and read:
This child's name is Kael. His mother chose this name for him.
The priest smiled gently.
"So your name is Kael… A good name. It means 'Strong in Spirit.' Your mother must have wished for you to grow strong. Come now, let's go inside. You are part of our family now. You will have brothers and sisters."
Days turned into years.
Six years passed.
Inside the church of Dornwald, five nuns sat listening to the holy father as he delivered his sermon.
His name was Elion. He had served in this church for ten years, having previously spent five years in the capital's cathedral.
Three of the nuns were holding children.
One had a girl sitting on her lap, listening attentively to Father Elion's sermon.
Another held a boy who was fast asleep.
The third had a boy sitting quietly with his eyes closed—but he was not sleeping.
That boy was Kael.
He was practicing the Enhancement Technique.
Ever since arriving at the church, Kael had constantly trained this technique. Though it sounded simple, it was incredibly difficult to master.
Even after six years, he had yet to reach the first level. Still, he felt that success was very close.
After Father Elion finished his sermon, the nuns thanked him and returned to their duties.
The nun who took care of Kael was named Miriel. She had joined the church two years before Kael was brought here.
Sister Miriel led Kael into the garden where the other children were playing and seated him under a tree. She sat nearby, keeping an eye on him.
Kael continued practicing his technique.
Beside him sat a girl named Lumi.
She had chestnut-colored hair and brown eyes. She always wanted to play, and because of that, she constantly bothered Kael and another boy named Rein.
Rein was the boy who had been sleeping during the sermon. He had black hair and silver eyes. He enjoyed playing with the nuns, often getting in their way while they worked. As punishment, Father Elion would make him run around the church or stand in a horse stance for five minutes.
Lumi suddenly sat down in front of Kael and began pulling his cheeks.
"KAAAEEEEL! LET'S PLAAAY! I'M BOOOORED!"
Ignoring her, Kael tried to continue his training, but she kept interrupting him.
Finally, he sighed and opened his eyes.
"Alright. Let's play hide-and-seek."
Lumi's face lit up.
"Okay! But I'll hide first! Close your eyes and count to ten!"
Before Kael could respond, she ran off.
After she disappeared, Kael did not go after her. Instead, he returned to his training.
According to the technique, to reach the first level he needed to construct a Memory Palace within his Sea of Consciousness. Once completed, it would grant him photographic memory and the ability to sense the soul waves of others.
By sensing soul waves, Kael would be able to determine which attribute a person was naturally inclined toward.
He felt that today, he might finally complete the construction of his Memory Palace.
About an hour passed, and it was time for lunch.
Throughout that time, Sister Miriel had quietly observed Kael, amazed that a child his age could sit still for so long instead of playing like the others.
He had been calm since infancy. At first, she had worried that something might be wrong with him, but after examining him, Father Elion confirmed that Kael was perfectly healthy.
Even so, she still found his behavior strange.
After watching him a little longer, she called out to him.
"Kael, it's time for lunch. Go find Lumi and come to the dining hall."
Kael opened his eyes and nodded.
"Alright. We'll be there soon."
He already knew where Lumi was hiding.
She always chose the same spot—behind the statue of the Goddess of Life, where large bushes grew thick enough to hide easily. At least, that's what she believed.
As Kael approached the statue, he suddenly felt as if someone were watching him.
He looked around, but no one was there.
Thinking it was just his imagination, he continued forward.
Lumi was crouching beneath the bushes, pretending not to hear him, stifling her laughter.
Suddenly, she heard a rustling sound to her right.
Turning her head, she saw a pair of eyes staring at her from within the bushes.
Blue eyes.
They felt terrifying, frightening, and completely focused on her.
Frozen in fear for a brief moment, Lumi screamed at the top of her lungs:
"AAAAAAAH! A DEMOOOOON!"
She bolted toward the dining hall where everyone had already gathered.
At that moment, Kael stepped out from the bushes with a smirk.
"You should've come out when I called you. You brought this on yourself."
"Hehe."
Suddenly, Kael heard faint laughter somewhere nearby.
He looked around, but once again found no one.
He began to wonder if his constant training was affecting him.
After one last glance around, he headed toward the dining hall.
Only after he left did the eyes of the Goddess of Life's statue glow faintly with a green light for a brief moment.
When Kael entered the dining hall, he saw Sister Agnes comforting Lumi.
"It's alright. There's no demon here. And even if there were, it couldn't have entered the city. Our guards are very attentive."
After a few minutes, Lumi finally calmed down and sat at the table.
When Kael took his seat, he noticed Sister Miriel's gaze and realized that she had understood what had happened.
Kael smiled awkwardly and lowered his eyes to the table.
Seeing his reaction, Sister Miriel smiled softly.
After lunch, the sisters returned to their duties, while Father Elion gathered the children for a short training session.
First, he made them run ten laps around the garden. Then, he had them stand in a horse stance for three minutes. After a brief rest, they repeated the routine.
That was how their days usually ended.
Exhausted, Kael returned to his room and collapsed onto his bed.
After resting for ten minutes, he resumed training the Enhancement Technique.
An hour later, he finally felt it.
The construction of his Memory Palace was complete.
Within his Sea of Consciousness, he saw a transparent silhouette of a grand palace.
Kael understood that the stronger his soul became, the clearer the Memory Palace would grow—enhancing both his photographic memory and his sensitivity to soul waves.
Overwhelmed by fatigue, Kael closed his eyes and immediately fell asleep.
When he opened them again, he found himself in an unfamiliar place.
He remembered falling asleep in his room, but had no idea how he ended up here.
He didn't even know where "here" was.
Suddenly, a brilliant green light shone before him, and the silhouette of a woman appeared.
Kael was startled by her sudden presence. Just as he was about to ask who she was, the woman spoke first:
"Finally… I can talk to you, Kael.
Or should I call you… Marcus?"