Ethan turned to her with an amused look, "Come on. Who else do you know who hit the third phase within a month, with little to absolutely no time for training because they’re running the largest business in the country?"

Bella smiled, conceding the point. "First point goes to you. But I did get to the third phase in a short amount of time when I trained my Guardian class for a bit."

She paused, then added, "And just so you know, it’s also one of the fastest phases to reach for Guardians with high talent."

Ethan rolled his eyes, then, as if it had just occurred to him, said, "Wait. We never really talk about the fact that you’re actually a Guardian too."

Bella sighed. "It’s not a class I find appealing. It could get me sweaty."

Ethan smiled, then asked, "What talent level is it at?"

"A," she said.

Ethan’s eyes widened slightly, and he nodded, rather impressed. "That’s pretty high."

Bella nodded. "But the real good part? I’ve reached the peak of an A-tier Guardian. And that’s why I can say this with confidence, it’s one class you shouldn’t look down on."

Ethan stared at her for a second, then asked, "Just how much strain did you put your body through to reach that?"

Bella smiled and exhaled. "It’s one of the unwanted perks of growing up as the King’s child. Father expects perfection, and we’re to give him nothing less."

She paused, her gaze drifting upward for a second.

"In the palace," she began, "there’s a room called the Load Chamber. It’s a room that has an abnormal amount of gravity inside it. The effect is due to a gravity element spell that was cast and anchored into the room itself."

Ethan’s eyes widened slightly as he began to understand.

"The amount of gravity in that room," Bella continued, "is about five to ten times what you’d experience normally, and could be adjusted to increase as you level up"

Ethan stared at her. "Ten times?"

She nodded. "Within the Load Chamber, I was subjected to that environment repeatedly. The whole point of being a Guardian is subjecting your body to strain, and that room was designed specifically for that purpose."

She paused, then added, "I had to work, fight, and move in that environment. That’s what built my body to where it is now."

Ethan’s expression shifted to one of disbelief. It was like having the weight of a small car on you.

"Wasn’t that too much for you?" He asked, his tone carrying genuine concern. "I mean, come on."

Bella smiled, though there was a trace of bitterness in it. "We can’t complain. Father doesn’t allow it."

Ethan stared at her for a moment, feeling pity for her younger self. Then, slowly, he nodded.

"Alright," she continued. "I wanted to show you something, actually."

Ethan tilted her head curiously.

"Call your summon, the one with red hair" she said, referring to Nina. Although i wasn’t like she was intentionally being specific, but it was the only summon of his she could remember was physically strong.

Ethan obliged and used his summoning skill, which made half-dragon summon emerge from a purple summoning circle beside him.

Nina immediately bowed her head respectfully. "My liege," she said in that formal, reverent tone.

But before Ethan could respond, Nina turned toward Isabella and bowed too.

"Queen consort of my liege."

"What?" Ethan blurted out, his eyes widening in surprise.

Bella’s eyes widened for a second as she let out a burst of laughter, with her hand flying to her mouth. "Oh my—"

Nina’s expression shifted into one of genuine worry. She straightened up, moving her gaze between them. "Did I address her wrongly? Is she not your spouse, my liege?"

"Woah, woah—" Ethan raised both hands in a placating gesture. "Hold on, Nina. She’s not my—"

"You addressed me just fine love," Bella intercepted, cutting Ethan off mid. A widening smile spread across her face as she spoke.

Ethan turned toward Bella with a surprised, yet amused look on his face.

Bella winked at him, then laughed a bit more.

Ethan just shook his head, and said nothing more.

Bella let her laughter settle. "Alright. For what I wanted to show you..."

She walked a few paces behind herself and dragged the toe of her boot through the dirt, drawing a clear line. Then she turned and walked toward Nina, stopping just behind the summon to draw another line in the same manner.

Both Ethan and his summon watched her curiously but said nothing.

Bella then positioned herself in front of Nina, planting her feet firmly on the ground. She took a slow breath, and the air around her thickened as a subtle haze of energy began to build.

Then she activated the skill.

"Rage."

The moment the word left her lips, the atmosphere changed even more. A surge of raw power erupted from Bella’s body, rippling outward in a wave of pressure that pressed down on everything around her.

Her muscles tensed, her breathing deepened, and the haze of mana around her intensified into something almost tangible.

Ethan felt the shift immediately. "What did you just do?" he asked, his voice tinged with both curiosity and disbelief.

Bella turned toward him and smiled. "I just activated the Rage skill. It’s a Guardian-class skill only accessible to those at A-tier or higher."

She paused, then added, "With this skill, I’m going to hold my ground against your legendary summon and stop her from pushing me past that line."

Ethan blinked. "That should be impossible. You’re only A-tier."

Bella smirked. "Just watch."

She turned back toward Nina and stretched out both of her hands toward the summon, with her fingers spread wide and palms forward, like a wrestler stepping into the ring, ready to lock up in a test of pure strength.

Nina’s eyes widened in shock. She immediately shook her head and began stammering. "N-no, I cannot enter into a contest of strength with the Queen! Not only would I disrespect my liege, but—"

"Just do it, Nina," Ethan said, cutting her off before she could launch into a long, dramatic verse. He really did want to see this for himself.

However, even as he gave that command aloud, he also spoke directly into Nina’s mind through the bond skill.

"Play nicely. Don’t overexert your strength to hurt her."

Nina replied instantly through their bond as she stepped forward reluctantly. "Shall I lose intentionally, my liege?"

Ethan took a second to respond. His gaze lingered on Bella’s confident grin and the way her eyes gleamed with anticipation.

Then he answered.

"No."

Nina’s gauntlets vanished in a flash of light, dematerializing into nothing.

She then lifted her bare hands slowly, almost hesitantly, and placed them against Bella’s. Their fingers intertwined, locking into position.

Bella’s smile widened. "The contest starts when I signal and ends when one of us is sent past the line, or as soon as I call it to a stop."

Nina nodded, adjusting her body posture to match Bella’s stance. Ethan watched closely, his curiosity fully piqued now.

"Go."

The moment Bella gave the signal, they both pushed.

And the world seemed to crack under the force.

The air around them grew impossibly heavy, pressing down like an invisible weight.

The sheer force they were both exerting began to affect the environment as pebbles and small debris lifted off the ground, trembling in midair before being flung away by the pressure radiating from their clash.

Ethan stared, his eyes widening with genuine shock.

Nina was his strongest summon physically. Only Bierzim could compare to her raw power to any real extent. And yet here she was, locked in place against Isabella.

The push between them intensified, and the ground beneath their feet cracked audibly, splintering outward in jagged lines. Then it cratered completely as the earth collapsed inward and removed even the section of land where the lines had been drawn.

Neither of them had moved from their original position, even after a full minute passed.

Ethan reached out mentally to Nina. Is this all your strength?

"Almost, my liege, " Nina replied through the bond. "As per your instruction, I’m only using enough to hold the Queen back from winning."

Ethan’s eyes widened further. Almost?

He was genuinely surprised she was using that much to begin with. "Almost" for Nina was practically the full output of any other legendary summon who was strength-based. Nina was half-dragon, after all. She would always have more raw physical power than most others.

After a few more second, Bella’s voice cut through the tension.

"Stop."

Nina stopped immediately, stepping back and bowing her head respectfully.

Bella exhaled sharply, hunching over slightly and resting her hands on her knees. She was visibly exhausted and her breathing was heavy. "Whew..."