The Ring of Suppression
Seraphina’s gaze settled on Elara.
“Lord Elara.”
Elara’s hand tightened around the hem of her robe.
“…Yes, Your Majesty.”
“You have done well.”
Elara bowed her head deeply.
“…Those words are too generous, Your Majesty.”
Seraphina paused for a moment.
Her fingertips brushed lightly against the crystal orb resting beside the table.
“And I trust you already understand.”
“Jun’s ability.”
Elara’s back stiffened, her breathing growing shallow.
“If you were to speak of it—”
Before the sentence even finished, Elara’s body trembled violently.
She began to shake uncontrollably.
“Y-Your Majesty…”
Elara pressed her forehead to the floor right where she stood.
“…I will not speak a word.”
“…Never.”
Her voice cracked.
“…I will never speak of it. Ever.”
Seraphina watched the display with an expression that didn’t change in the slightest.
“That is wise.”
She slowly lowered her gaze until it rested on the top of Elara’s head.
“The royal palace holds many secrets.”
“Among them, the heaviest of all is the secret of the king.”
Her fingers interlaced lightly as she added one final warning.
“If you wish to live, you must forget.”
Elara’s shoulders shook hard.
“…Yes, Your Majesty.”
“…I will forget.”
She swallowed hard, gasping for air.
“…Everything I saw just now. Everything I heard.”
“…All of it.”
Seraphina observed her for a moment longer.
“You may leave.”
“…Yes, Your Majesty.”
Elara rose to her feet with painstaking care.
Then, as if by accident, her eyes brushed over me.
Our gazes met for the briefest instant.
She immediately lowered her head and walked toward the door.
The door closed with a soft click, and the room fell into silence.
Seraphina’s eyes turned back to me.
“Jun.”
Her eyes narrowed.
“You would do well to be a little more cautious as well.”
She’s not going to scold me?
I lifted the corner of my mouth slightly.
“Well.”
I shrugged once.
“It feels like it’s already too late for that.”
The corner of Seraphina’s lips curved upward in a subtle, almost imperceptible smile.
“That is also true.”
She stared at me for a moment before slowly lowering her hand.
“It is time for training.”
I tilted my head.
“Training?”
Seraphina spoke with perfect composure.
“That power.”
“It is meaningless if you cannot use it.”
Her words fell with absolute certainty.
“Go to the training grounds.”
A short while later.
Inside the royal palace.
Liona’s private training grounds.
Thwack!
Thwack!
The sharp sound of wooden swords clashing echoed through the air.
“Haaat!”
Arin shot forward like lightning.
Her body dropped low as she drove in along a piercing trajectory.
Whoosh!
A wooden sword came crashing down from above.
Liona’s arm moved in a short, precise arc.
Thwack!
She blocked it effortlessly.
Arin twisted her stance.
Her feet scraped across the floor as she flowed sideways.
Whoosh.
Hwoong—
Thwack!
Thwack!
The continuous ring of impacts filled the training ground.
I stood leaning against the entrance, watching them.
Whoa.
They’re that fast?
Their movements were so quick they were almost impossible to follow.
Their bodies flickered in and out of my vision.
Is that even human speed?
What was even more ridiculous was Liona.
Thwack!
Thwack!
Thwack!
She hadn’t taken a single step.
She blocked every strike without the slightest effort.
She can actually see those attacks?
I narrowed my eyes.
Arin’s sword flashed again.
Whoosh!
Liona’s blade rose to meet it.
Thwack!
She parried and immediately counterattacked.
Whoosh!
Arin twisted her body and retreated.
After several more clashes, both of them stopped at the same time.
Arin was breathing hard.
“Haa… haa…”
She wiped the sweat from her forehead with her arm.
In contrast, Liona’s breathing hadn’t even faltered.
“That will be all for today’s sparring.”
Her voice was perfectly calm.
“You’ve gotten a little faster.”
Arin lifted her head with a bright smile.
“Right? I’ve been training really hard lately!”
Liona turned her head slightly.
“Jun…”
She spoke my name as if to herself.
I walked into the training ground.
Liona asked,
“Did you see it clearly?”
I let out a dry laugh.
“How the hell am I supposed to see that?”
Arin giggled.
“It’s still too much for Jun.”
Liona nodded.
“Correct.”
She took one step closer.
“A spar like this is still far beyond your current level, Jun.”
I picked up one of the wooden swords.
“Is that so?”
Liona spoke evenly.
“First, you must learn how to handle a sword properly.”
“The fundamentals come first.”
She gave the sword a light swing.
“Fundamentals? That’s easy as hell.”
Whoosh.
Arin immediately jumped in beside me.
“No, it’s not!”
She tapped my arm.
“Not like that— like this!”
She grabbed my hand and adjusted the angle of the blade.
“Relax your wrist, like this!”
Liona quietly continued.
“Everything begins with the fundamentals.”
“Without a solid foundation,”
The tip of her sword pointed toward my shoulder.
“Neither your sword nor your body will move properly.”
She paused for a moment.
“You could even harm your comrades.”
“And yourself.”
I frowned.
“Ugh, damn it.”
Arin laughed.
“Still, you have to do it!”
I let out a short breath.
“Fine.”
And so, basic training began.
The same movements, over and over.
Cuts, raises, lowers.
Liona circled around me, checking every detail.
She corrected the angle of my wrist, the position of my feet, and the tension in my shoulders one by one.
After carefully choosing her words, she said,
“For the time being, we will focus on building your foundation.”
She lightly tapped my foot with the tip of her sword.
“Once your stance becomes stable, then—”
Her gaze drifted toward the forest outside the training ground.
“You will gain real experience by facing the monsters in the area.”
Arin’s eyes sparkled.
“Ooh, hunting!”
Liona shook her head very slightly.
“We will begin with the easiest ones first.”
I stopped swinging my sword.
“Monsters?”
I looked at Liona, sword still resting on my shoulder.
“There are things like that?”
A breeze swept across the training ground.
Arin tilted her head.
“You really didn’t know?”
I scratched the back of my neck.
“First time I’m hearing about it…”
Arin burst out laughing.
“Wow, this guy really…”
Liona lowered her eyes in thought for a moment.
The wooden sword in her hand tilted slightly.
“Beyond the castle gates, in the forests and mountains, monsters dwell.”
“It was in those mountains… that Jun and I first met, yes?”
Her words trailed off.
As if the memory had resurfaced, Liona’s eyes trembled faintly.
Her cheeks took on a faint blush.
Arin reacted instantly.
“Huh?”
She leaned forward eagerly.
“What kind of memory is that?”
Liona turned her head away.
“It is nothing.”
She lightly tapped the ground with the tip of her wooden sword.
Strength returned to her grip.
“There were monsters in those mountains as well.”
I frowned.
“Really?”
Arin crossed her arms and cut in.
“Jun really doesn’t know anything.”
“Once you leave the palace, monsters are everywhere.”
She jerked her chin as she spoke.
Liona gave a small nod.
“However, most of them are weak.”
“They are usually beasts that have mutated after absorbing mana for a long time.”
She lightly dragged the tip of her sword across the training ground floor.
“That makes them suitable for initial training.”
I thought for a moment.
“Wait, so you’re saying…”
“I have to fight those things?”
Arin immediately burst into laughter.
“Of course! You’re holding a sword, aren’t you?”
She tapped my wooden sword.
I let out a long sigh.
“Haa…”
Liona’s face remained perfectly calm.
“Do not worry.”
“At first, I will accompany you.”
She paused briefly.
“And Arin will be there as well.”
Arin immediately shot her hand into the air.
“Assistant instructor!”
She grinned at me.
“I won’t let you die.”
Liona raised her wooden sword again.
“But before that, we must train diligently.”
Arin quickly chimed in.
“That’s right! Jun.”
She shook her wooden sword.
“Let’s start again!”
“Ugh…”
Cut, raise, lower. The motions continued without end.
“No! Jun!”
Arin jumped in again.
“Your arm is way too stiff!”
She tapped my arm repeatedly.
“Like this! Smoothly!”
I gritted my teeth.
“I got it…!”
After quite some time had passed, Liona finally lowered her hand.
“That will be all for today.”
I set my wooden sword down.
My hands were tingling.
Thump.
Something poked me in the side.
“Huh?”
Arin was prodding me with the tip of her wooden sword.
She grinned mischievously.
“Jun.”
Her eyes curved playfully.
“You need to work harder.”
I narrowed my eyes.
“Hey…”
Arin stuck her tongue out.
“You’re so slow!”
Then she quickly darted backward.
I immediately charged after her.
“You little—!”
Arin twisted her body.
Thump!
Her wooden sword lightly tapped my shoulder.
“One hit!”
“Hey!”
She spun again—
Thump!
“Two hits!”
“Damn it!”
I swung my sword in irritation.
At that exact moment, the air shifted.
Hwoong!!
An invisible pressure tore across the training ground.
A line of dust on the floor was swept away in a single streak.
Arin’s eyes widened.
“Eh?!”
She twisted her body in a panic.
Whoosh!
The shockwave grazed past Arin’s side.
It flew straight toward Liona, who stood behind her.
Liona’s eyes flashed open.
“Oh no!”
Her wooden sword shot upward like lightning.
Thwack!!
The impact collided head-on.
Boom!
The air shook violently.
Liona’s body was pushed back a single step.
Just one step.
The commander of Lunaris’s First Legion had been forced back.
As the shockwave dissipated, the training ground fell silent.
All three of us froze in place.
Arin spoke first.
“What the hell was that just now?”
I stood there with a dazed expression.
“I don’t know either…”
Liona slowly lowered her sword.
Then she looked straight at me.
“Jun.”
Her voice was the same as always.
Arin muttered,
“That was sword pressure…”
“The commander… was pushed back…”
Liona’s eyes trembled faintly.
“It was sword pressure.”
She took a short breath.
“That is not something that can be produced with a wooden sword.”
Her voice shook slightly.
“And yet… it just happened.”
Arin looked at me.
Her face said she couldn’t understand it at all.
Both of them wore the same expression.
That was when it happened.
Click.
Click.
The sound of heels echoed.
All three of us turned our heads at once.
The door to the training ground was open.
Queen Seraphina walked forward, backlit by the light.
Liona immediately straightened her posture.
“Your Majesty.”
Arin hurriedly bowed her head.
“Your Majesty the Queen.”
I remained standing there, still dazed.
Seraphina took a few more steps closer.
From the very beginning, her eyes had been fixed on me.
“As expected, it cannot be controlled.”
She stopped walking and spoke.
I blinked.
“Pardon?”
No answer came.
Instead, she raised her hand.
On her palm rested a small silver ring engraved with incredibly intricate magical patterns.
“Put this on.”
I took the ring.
Light shimmered across my palm.
“What is this?”
Seraphina answered.
“It is a Mana Suppression Ring.”
Liona’s eyes widened dramatically.
“Your Majesty. That is a treasure of the imperial—”
Liona’s words were cut off by Seraphina’s raised hand.
She slowly lowered it and continued.
“Jun’s mana is currently irregular and overwhelmingly powerful.”
“If it continues to erupt in that state, there is no telling what disasters may occur.”
“It would also be easily detected by our enemies.”
As I stared at the ring and slipped it onto my finger, Seraphina continued.
“Keep that ring on for the time being.”
“While it suppresses your mana,”
“you must first train your body.”
Her crimson eyes looked directly into mine.
“Unless it is an emergency situation,”
“you must never remove it.”
Seraphina’s gaze lingered on me for a moment.
Then she very briefly averted her eyes.
“It seems… training is over.”
Her voice softened at the end as her eyes returned to me.
“Once you are finished… come to my chambers.”
Having said that, Seraphina turned on her heel.
Her movements were faster than usual.
Her cloak swayed lightly.
Click.
Click.
The sound of her heels faded into the distance.
Only the sound of the wind remained in the training ground.
Liona was looking at me.
Arin also turned her head.
They exchanged glances before Arin spoke first.
“But… why her room?”
Her voice was slightly lowered.
She tilted her head and looked up at me.
While I was thinking, Arin muttered,
“It doesn’t sound like it’s about training.”
Liona called out shortly.
“Arin.”
When Arin closed her mouth, Liona’s gaze turned to me.
“It is Her Majesty’s summons.”
“It would be best not to be late.”
Though her tone was calm, a hint of regret lingered in her eyes.
