Edmund was going toward Ariadne; he was still in his wheelchair even after a whole month had passed; it just hurt too much for him to stand up for more than a minute, so he did just that every day.

  ‘Alya, could you help me get closer? This thing is not meant to be used on this terrain.’ Edmund waved to Alya.

  ‘No, I’m preparing the duchess lunch.’ She spoke while putting plates on a table.

  ‘O… Ok.’ Edmund looked to the duchess.’Ariadne, could you help me?’ He raised his voice a little.

  Ariadne was preparing to test the hero’s sword for the first time outside the dungeon. She was too busy dealing with everything that came after to measure her strength, so she had no time. This caused her some trouble, just like when she was little, like breaking doors as she opened them.

  ‘You should be resting, peasant. What do you want?’ Ariadne sigh.

  ‘That is another way of saying I’m not going to help you, fine.' Edmund continued to move forward.

  Ariadne watched as he struggled to reach the table. After a couple of minutes, she finally reached it, so she decided to walk to him and sit on the chair on the other side of the table.

  ‘Are you kidding me? It's hard trying not to break this thing or using too much strength and slamming my head to the ground. Why do I even try?’ Edmund reached for a sandwich.

  Alya placed the plate closer to Ariadne and continued serving the rest of the food.

  ‘This is her lunch; I will get something for you after, patience.’ Alya looked at Edmund for a moment.

  ‘I get it; nobody likes the wheelchair guy.’ He spoke with a smile forming on his face.

  ‘You didn’t say what you want, peasant, and it's not about your means of locomotion but yourself; just rest so you can be well and strong.’ Ariadne drank some juice after taking a bite out of her sandwich.

  ‘I don’t know if I feel offended or happy with your words.’ Edmund laughed as he covered his eyes with his left hand.

  ‘I’m sorry if I offended you, peasant. I still believe you need more rest; Eliza said you progressed but still had about a month to recover fully.’ She took another bite.

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  ‘No problem. She told me this as well.’ Edmund looked at Alya, who was walking away as he talked.

  ‘Wait here and eat; I will practice a little. Maybe a show of absolute force can get the nobles to stay back when the time comes.’ Ariadne wiped some bread from the corner of her limp as she got up.

  Ariadne walked to her original position; on her waist was support for the handle of the hero’s sword. With her right hand, she wielded it, and with no words spoken, the sword unfolded instantly, showing its beautiful form.

  She swung it, and Edmund could hear the air being cut. Ariadne wasn’t even trying, just using one of her hands, but when she used her hands and started to swing as Edmund taught her, her speed and strength were so great that he could feel the air being pushed in his direction like a calm breeze.

  Ariane didn’t feel the sword's heaviness while fighting against the guardian; she felt the speed, too. With each swing, the sword became one with her, and the feeling became more genuine. Edmund could see it, too. Alya came right after, and her mouth was open, impressed by the demonstration.

  Alya put the food on the table for Edmund, who began eating while watching Ariadne. He noticed she had likely become two times faster than before, but he couldn’t measure her strength. The sound her sword made while cutting the air indicated a tremendous increase.

  ‘She could kill the guardian when we first met him at the temple.’ Edmund thought out loud.

  ‘You think so?’ Alya spoke while cleaning the table.

  ‘From the looks of it, but to confirm it, I would need to fight her myself, but changing the subject, are you still going to be a maid?’ Edmund turned to Alya.

  ‘If Her Highness needs me here as her maid, I will do that.’ Alya spoke while looking at Ariadne swing her sword around.

  ‘I understand, but what if I told you you could help more?’ Edmund rolled closer to Alya.

  ‘I wouldn’t be against it, but it is on Her Highness's hands.’ Alya took a jar of water from a food cart to her side and put it on the table.

  ‘Prepare to take the skies, Alya; I bet you will love it.’ Edmund raised his voice with excitement.

  ‘I always imagine how birds feel while flying. It can be a good experience. If the duchess allows, I will help.’ She nodded to Edmund.

  ‘Help what? Peasant, what are you scheming?’ Ariadne came closer to the two.

  ‘She will help the team develop the flying vehicle; can you allow her to help?’ Edmund turned around to face Ariadne.

  ‘Alya can do whatever she wants; just don’t make her do something she doesn’t want to.’ Ariadne smiled and nodded to Alya.

  ‘The tests are going to be outside the city so that I will introduce you to the team tomorrow.’ Edmund smiled.

  ‘So tomorrow we talk more about this; now serving the duchess takes priority.’ Alya puts water in a cup.

  ‘My maids are so good that they find something better; what a curse to have.’ Ariadne laughed while hiding her mouth in one of her hands

  On the following day, outside the city, in a vast open field with the city's silhouette in the distance, Alya was inside something she couldn’t even describe; it was like a box with things to its side; she understood the controls; it was simple, and what the rest of the stuff in front of her did but the problem was that she didn’t turn the thing on to see if it worked. The field was bathed in the warm glow of the morning sun, and a gentle breeze carried the distant sounds of the city.

  ‘I hope she doesn’t die; her Highness would be angry about it, and what about how this thing looks just like a box? So ugly.’ Edmund spoke to one of his students.

  ‘Don’t worry, it's safe; we need some adjustments. This is just a prototype teacher; we are doing the way you taught us.' The student replied with confidence

  ‘Humm… Ok, you got me there, but let’s not pretend this thing is safe.’’ Edmund crossed his arms.

  The two and the others watched as Alya started the starting sequence. It was the same sound the truck produced when it turned on and began to lift until it was ten meters off the ground, making everyone cheer.