"What about Sir Gideon?" Solomon asked, recalling his brief conversation with the paladin. "Is he staying here to command the remaining troops, or is he leaving with you?"
"Sir Gideon is heading to the Ruined Azure Kingdom," Lune responded, her tone turning serious.
The mention of the fallen kingdom instantly caught Solomon’s attention. He stopped walking for a fraction of a second before catching up to her.
"King Shen and Prince Ryu went there a month ago to dispute a border claim," Lune continued. "Matriarch Lihua formally requested Sir Gideon to ride out, check the situation, and bring them back. Since the holy empire’s inquisitors are involved in the blockade, Sir Gideon must go personally. He is the only knight present who possesses the absolute authority to speak on behalf of my father, the Emperor."
’My original plan was to go to the ruined kingdom anyway,’ Solomon thought to himself, his mind racing with the new tactical possibilities. ’This is an perfect opportunity. I can travel there openly with the paladin instead of running away from the sect and risking expulsion.’
However, a sudden realization hit him. He remembered the strict task Master Wu had assigned him back at the Sword Pavilion.
Solomon mentally evaluated his current situation. He still had roughly a week left to teach the four students the thirteen steps of the Azure Crane Blade.
’I am entirely confident that Marco would master the final form. Maximus possessed a bulky Vanguard build, making the agile aerial maneuvers incredibly difficult, but he trained hard enough to master it within a week.’
’Elizabeth is also progressing rapidly, as the evasive steps naturally complimented her royal fencing style. She only struggled early on because the long sweeping cuts contradicted her precise thrusting mechanics.’
The real issue was Arthur.
’Arthur is smart enough to memorize the visual choreography,’ Solomon reasoned, staring at the cobblestones. ’He knows exactly how the technique works. But physically mastering it is impossible for him in his current state. He lacks the stamina. To fix that, he would have to enroll in a completely different pavilion dedicated to body conditioning, which would take months. He cannot achieve it in a week.’
[Tyler_Klare: bro is plotting something.]
[PandoraLifeweaver: the gears are turning in his head.]
1
[MattMickyD: Solo Man is thinking about going with Lune.]
[2Lazy2Care: Bro already got a kiss even without trying.]
[Frendscham: nah, bro heard the ruined kingdom and got curious.]
’I am going to fail the pavilion master’s task anyway because of the physical limitations,’ Solomon concluded logically. ’I can always ask Master Wu for a different, combat-oriented task when I return. But if I go to the ruined kingdom now, there is a massive chance of finding the lost crown. Eating another divine gemstone to obtain a second bloodline talent will increase my strength exponentially.’
His decision was firmly made. Now, he simply needed to execute the logistics.
He had to come up with a valid excuse to tag along with Sir Gideon, while simultaneously convincing Marco, Arthur, Maximus, and Elizabeth to return to the Azure Dragon Sect without him. He hoped the upcoming conversations would play out smoothly.
When they reached the upper courtyard, Gideon was already waiting near the colonnade. The paladin turned to the golden-haired princess and offered a respectful nod. "The transit portal is fully stabilized, Your Highness. Your personal belongings have already been sent down to the palace gates."
Elizabeth and Yue stood nearby, waiting to see her off.
A squad of six elite Lumiere knights marched into the courtyard to escort Lune. Sir Jeffery led the formation, keeping a stern, watchful eye on the perimeter.
Lune turned to Solomon, a soft smile touching her lips. "Will you come down to drop me off?"
Solomon nodded. He and Elizabeth followed the knights and Lune out of the courtyard. The royal sentries had cleared the main path completely, ensuring zero interruptions.
An ornate wooden carriage waited near the bottom of the grand steps to transport them the rest of the way to the palace gates.
Lune, Solomon, and Elizabeth climbed into the spacious cabin. The six knights marched alongside the moving vehicle on foot.
[James_hayes: the awkward carriage ride.]
[1Fizzy: Elizabeth sitting right across from them lol.]
[M00N: the tension is thick.]
[Mezz_3863: Solo Man enjoying the silence.]
[Zoomtech: final goodbyes incoming.]
Once they reached the designated portal area near the palace gates, the carriage rolled to a stop. They stepped out onto the cobblestones.
A raised stone stage occupied the center of the clearing. Atop the platform sat a massive circular structure forged from interwoven silver rings. Intricate glowing runes pulsed along the metal framework. Two high-ranking palace mages stood on either side of the rings, channeling their mana continuously to keep the swirling blue vortex of the portal stabilized.
A servant carried Lune’s travel bags up the stone steps, depositing them near the swirling light. Lune walked up the stage and turned around. She offered a graceful wave, her emerald eyes lingering on Solomon for a prolonged second.
After a quiet, unspoken farewell moment, she turned and stepped directly through the blue vortex. A few seconds later, the mages ceased their chanting. The glowing runes dimmed, and the spatial gateway snapped shut, leaving the silver rings completely empty.
Elizabeth glanced at Solomon. He stood perfectly still, staring blankly at the empty stage.
"Are you okay?" Elizabeth asked, her voice softening.
Solomon broke his gaze and nodded slowly. "I am fine. It just feels very weird seeing someone off like that. Usually, I am the one walking away."
They climbed back into the carriage and returned to the inner palace.
Now, it was their turn to leave the Azure Moon Kingdom. Marco, Arthur, Maximus, and Yue were already waiting near the courtyard archways alongside their own rented travel carriage.
Solomon rubbed the back of his neck as he approached the group. ’I need to figure out a way to convince Gideon to take me to the Ruined Azure Kingdom,’ he strategized internally. ’And more importantly, I have to figure out how to tell Marco and the others to go back to the sect without me without sounding suspicious.’
Just as Solomon prepared his fabricated excuse, he approached Yue and Gideon.
Yue snapped her jade fan open and turned to him. "Solomon, you and I are going with Sir Gideon to the Ruined Azure Kingdom."
Solomon stopped dead in his tracks. He stared at the pavilion master in utter shock.
Before he could even process the statement or ask a single question, Yue continued explaining. "Princess Syra formally requested me to undertake this rescue mission to find her father and brother. Since it is highly inappropriate for me to travel alone with a male knight for an extended period, I will be bringing you along as my personal escort and student."
Solomon opened his mouth to ask about his prior obligations, but Yue immediately raised her fan to cut him off.
"Furthermore," Yue added, a knowing smirk touching her lips, "If you complete this mission successfully, you will be awarded another academy star."
"Wait, can a single pavilion master actually give a student multiple stars?" Solomon asked, genuinely surprised by the academic loophole.
"A single pavilion master possesses the administrative authority to award a student up to three stars," Yue clarified. "You have already earned one star by staying here for a week. Now you have the perfect chance to earn a second star from me."
Solomon could not believe his ears. This was undeniably the greatest thing to happen to him in weeks, second only to the morning kiss.
He had been desperately trying to formulate a convoluted excuse to travel to the ruined kingdom. Now, not only was he handed a fully legitimate, sanctioned reason to go, but he was also going to earn an academy star in the process.
It was officially the luckiest day of his life.
[GoonLord: NEW DAY NEW GIRL!]
[Foodball: bro is going on a trip with his teacher.]
[Fatal_Beauty: the plot armor is so real.]
[Brerell: Solo Man gets the best quests.]
[Draken_Korin: free star and free loot!]
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