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Ymir training ground, Ymir castle——

“Hyaah!!”

Crash!

Alina swung her small-sized Warhammer Artifact, causing a cascade of stone rubble to shoot out and destroy a distant wooden target.

“Oooooohh~!! That’s amazing, Alina! You’ve only started using an Artifact a few days ago!” Rafinha exclaimed, her pride evident. She seemed like a doting parent, and Inglis couldn’t help but see herself in Rafinha’s expression. It was heartwarming to witness Rafinha embracing this newfound feeling.

“You’re really talented, Alina,” Inglis added, joining in the applause and praise. The little girl had indeed shown remarkable skill.

“Hehe. Thank you, big sisters!” Alina beamed, patting her chest confidently.

“She possesses a High-Grade Rune. Lower-grade Artifacts shouldn’t pose many difficulties for her, and she quickly adapted to it,” Ada, the vice commander of the Ymir Chivalric Order, revealed.

Meanwhile, Inglis’ father, Ryuk, who was the commander of the order, was currently accompanying Marquis Wilford to the Chiral Royal Capital as part of the ongoing postmortem process following recent events. Inglis and Rafinha had bid them farewell before their return to Ymir.

Both Inglis and Rafinha had known for some time that Alina possessed a High-Grade Rune. Just before Inglis and her friends infiltrated Alucard, Serena and Irina had Alina baptized in the royal capital’s church before the three of them returned to Ymir.

Inglis recognized Alina’s talent and believed she had the potential to possess a Rune. However, due to her past as a trafficked child laborer, she never had the opportunity to be baptized. After undergoing the baptism, a beautiful High-Grade Rune in the shape of a hammer emerged.

While Alina was thrilled to see her own Rune, the news was even more joyous for the Ymir territory. A Knight with a High-Grade Rune would be a significant asset to the Chivalric Order.

Rafinha, Leone, Liselotte, and Pullum, all close friends of Inglis, also possessed High-Grade Runes, making it easy for her to forget that such individuals were not common. They were a rarity, with perhaps only one in several hundred people possessing such a Rune.

The reason why there were so many High-Grade Rune bearers around Inglis was that the Royal Knight Academy was the top training institution, and Rafinha and her friends were regarded as exceptional even among its students.

This meant that Alina, possessing the same caliber as them, was welcomed with high expectations. She was placed under the care of the Knights of Ymir and immediately began her apprenticeship.

“I apologize for leaving her in your care, Miss Ada,” Inglis expressed her gratitude to Ada.

Inglis and Rafinha were still students at the Knight Academy, unable to take Alina in as their own guardians.

“No need to apologize! I’m certain she will be a great asset to Ymir. Besides, I too was an orphan raised by Ymir’s Chivalric Order. It’s only fitting that I return the favor,” Ada replied.

“Miss Ada…” Inglis expressed her heartfelt appreciation.

“Now that I think about it, you’re just like Alina, aren’t you?” Rafinha remarked.

Since their early days, Inglis and Rafinha had been working with Ymir’s Knights, defeating Magic Stone Beasts and training together. Ada had been their primary caretaker and felt like an older sister to both of them. Like Alina, Ada was an orphan taken in and raised by the Ymir Chivalric Order. Perhaps it was because she had no relatives that Ada took such good care of Inglis and Rafinha.

“No, please don’t worry about it. Besides, the two of you have already accomplished a monumental feat by defeating Prisma…! We, the Knights, should have been there with you, and it feels inappropriate that we couldn’t help more,” Ada expressed her remorse.

“It’s fine, really. I didn’t do much either, mostly just watching from the sidelines,” Rafinha waved her hand dismissively.

“That’s not true. You went to save me, and it made me so happy and gave me strength, you know?” Inglis insisted.

“Really? It didn’t feel that way to me,” Rafinha responded.

“It is, I assure you. You gave me so much strength,” Inglis reaffirmed.

“Well, if you say so…” Rafinha conceded.

“Fufu. If it’s alright with you, can you tell us more about the battle against Prisma? It would be a great reference for us,” Ada requested with a longing look in her eyes.

“Hmm… that’s…” Rafinha appeared troubled at the request. Going into detail would reveal Inglis’ rather questionable actions, such as punching Raphael to the point of unconsciousness in order to steal the spotlight. She felt it was better to protect Raphael’s honor and not disclose too much.

“Well, maybe just a little… There are many things that can’t be said,” Rafinha reluctantly answered.

“Oh, forgive me. I understand if it’s a matter of state secrets,” Ada apologized.

“Big sisters, you two defeated Prisma and saved this kingdom, right? Whoa, I was saved by such great people… I hope I can be like you two one day!” Alina exclaimed, admiration shining in her eyes.

“We ‘consequently’ did, yeah. Everything happens ‘consequently’ when it comes to Glis, so you should be careful around her, okay? Don’t follow her example too closely,” Rafinha teased.

“Eh…? What do you mean?” Alina looked puzzled.

“Just look at her. When she received numerous marriage proposals, she declared, ‘I will marry anyone who defeats me!’ and challenged her suitors to a fight. Glis only values things based on the fight they provide. What do you think, Alina?” Rafinha explained.

“You don’t need to portray me like that to Alina, Rani…” Inglis protested.

“I-I don’t know, but… I think marriage is about showing love for each other, not showcasing strength…” Alina’s surprising response struck at the heart of the matter.