"Didn’t you say that you wanted to become a knight?" Edmund asked.

Denise became even more shocked after hearing Edmund’s words. She was sure that she had only shared her story and dream with her friends.

Yet Edmund, a Viscount, knew about it. Denise was not angry. Instead, she became embarrassed.

Her pale face immediately turned red, especially around her cheeks and ears. There was no other choice.

Denise used all her strength to lift Edmund’s sword, which felt as heavy as an iron suit of armor.

With all the power in her arms, Denise managed to swing the sword forward.

Edmund smiled, stretched out his hand, and blocked Denise’s iron sword attack with the blade of his wooden sword.

Her swing was unstable, and her strength was weak. Edmund thought it was normal, considering his sword was far heavier than an ordinary soldier’s sword.

But that was not all Edmund noticed.

Her stance was too wide, her grip was wrong, and the movement of her swing was messy as well.

Edmund held back Denise’s iron sword swing with his wooden sword, causing her attack to stop for a moment.

However, the short exchange between Denise and Edmund was more than enough.

She was still a teenager, inexperienced, and Edmund was certain she had never held a real sword before.

"For someone who dreams of becoming a knight, that wasn’t bad."

Edmund released the defense of his wooden sword, causing Denise’s swing to crash into the ground and the tip of the blade to stab into the dirt.

Denise lost her balance and almost fell. Everyone screamed, but Edmund reacted quickly.

His hand, still covered by a white glove, managed to catch Denise before she fell. He held her hand firmly.

"The first lesson of becoming a knight is to always maintain your balance properly," Edmund said.

Denise was amazed and captivated. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at the man’s face and listened to his voice.

She had thought Viscount Edmund was an arrogant man who always hid behind his noble status. In reality, he was not.

He was... far kinder and more humble than Denise had imagined.

Denise stood up straight again, lowered her head, and knelt respectfully.

Edmund returned the wooden sword, then stepped over to pick up his own sword and cleaned the blade with a handkerchief.

"Denise, Aya, Nicole, Helena," Edmund called out.

The four girls were shocked. They immediately turned around and stepped closer to Edmund.

Nicole glanced at Denise and quietly asked about her condition.

"I’m fine," Denise said.

"How does he know our names? Did Leonor tell him?" Aya asked in a half whisper.

"Probably. I don’t understand either," Helena replied.

Edmund wiped his sword blade until it was completely clean before putting it back into its sheath.

His gaze then turned forward, looking at the four girls standing before him.

The man crouched down until their eyes were level with his. It was easier to speak with them like that.

"Three days from now, come to the Aschwin Mansion."

"Aschwin Mansion?" Denise asked in shock.

"Yes. You’ll start training there," Edmund answered.

Denise and the others exchanged confused looks. They did not understand what Edmund meant.

They did not know what kind of training Edmund planned to teach them.

"May I ask something, Viscount Edmund?" Helena asked as she stepped slightly forward.

"Of course," Edmund said while turning to look at her.

"About this training. What exactly are your plans for the four of us?" Helena asked curiously.

Helena possessed a much higher level of intelligence compared to the other three.

Edmund smiled, not expecting them to dare ask about his plans directly. At first, he thought they would simply obey and come as ordered.

Clearly, their attitude was beyond Edmund’s expectations. In his opinion, the four of them were quite unique and complemented each other well.

"Isn’t it obvious? You’ll be entering Livden Academy in two months."

"LIVDEN ACADEMY?!" the four of them shouted together.

"OWW!" Edmund complained while covering his ears from the noise. "Don’t shout."

"L-Livden Academy? Are you serious?" Denise asked excitedly.

Edmund nodded. There was no hesitation on his face when he chose them.

Joy filled the girls as Denise hugged Nicole and Aya while hopping around excitedly.

Helena did not react the same way. Her eyes still looked seriously at Edmund.

"This is strange. Why are you inviting us to Livden Academy?"

"Leonor... requested it," Edmund answered briefly.

"I thought it would be good if you, Leonor’s close friends, could study together at Livden Academy."

"Leonor... so she still remembers us," Helena whispered, her eyes becoming teary.

Edmund stood upright, his attention shifting to the side. Irana obediently understood what she needed to do.

Denise pulled Helena into a dance as they celebrated their happiness. Edmund was glad to see them happy.

They would continue staying together with Leonor. Their presence would help shape Leonor’s personality in the future.

"Alright. I need to go now. Start preparing yourselves from today onward," Edmund explained.

"Yes. Thank you very much for your generosity, Viscount Edmund," the four girls said together.

Edmund walked toward Irana and asked her to prepare their identity documents.

As for expenses and other necessities, the Aschwin Family would cover everything.

"Of course. I’ll personally deliver the legal documents while accompanying them later."

"Thank you."

Edmund said his farewells to them, waved his hand, and walked out of the orphanage.

After only a few steps, Edmund was startled.

"So this is where you were, Lord Edmund," Sebastian said.

The man jumped slightly and immediately turned to the side.

Sebastian had appeared unexpectedly, or rather, he had apparently been waiting for Edmund for quite some time.

"You? Were you following me?"

"I came to your office and saw that you weren’t there. Then I went to the backyard, and Nisya told me you had gone out."

"The only place I could think of was this orphanage," Sebastian explained.

"Do I... look like a man with too much free time?"

"HAHA! Of course not," Sebastian replied. "You have even more responsibilities than I do, especially the ones coming soon."

Sebastian and Edmund walked away from the orphanage, heading back toward the Aschwin Mansion.

After arriving at the front yard of the Aschwin Mansion, Edmund called out to Sebastian.

"Can you bring in private tutors?" Edmund asked.

"Private tutors?"

"Yes," Edmund answered. "I need them to train those four girls."

"I know a few people. They’re quite skilled," Sebastian replied.

The man turned to look at Edmund.

"What class tutors do you need?"

"All classes, like Knight, Assassin, Mage, Priest, and Summoner," Edmund answered.

"I’ll go make sure they’re available," Sebastian replied.

The doors of the Aschwin Mansion opened. Edmund looked toward Sebastian.

"Go now and meet them. Tell them I’m hiring them for the next two months."

"Those five girls will definitely be placed in the lowborn class. At the very least, they need to pass the class strength exam."

"I understand, Lord Edmund."

Right before they parted ways, Sebastian handed over a letter from the City Police Department. Edmund accepted the letter, broke the wax seal, and read it.

"They want me to come watch the execution."

"What do you think?" Sebastian asked.

"Forget it," Edmund answered shortly. "If I go there, Henna might realize that I’m the one who kidnapped him."

"Understood, Lord Edmund."

Edmund stepped inside and was surprised to see Leonor.

The girl had finished training with Nisya and walked gracefully with a new hairstyle. It was no longer straight and loose, but wavy and curly.

"Do you notice anything different about me?" Leonor asked.

"Yes."

"I noticed it," Edmund answered.

"What do you think?" Leonor asked while deliberately flipping her hair with her hand.

The man smiled, crouched down, and gently stroked Leonor’s dark red hair, "It suits you."