Liora, still riding the wave of excitement, looked at Klein with fiery eyes.

"Klein... teach me."

Huh?

Klein turned to her in surprise, then slowly shook his head.

"No."

Ehhh?

Liora’s jaw dropped, "W-Why?"

With a soft sigh, Klein rested the wooden training spear on his shoulder and replied "Boundary is not something that can be taught, you idiot."

"You need to experience it on your own and master it through real pressure. It’s not a technique... it’s a state of mind and body."

"Forcing it or trying to copy it from someone else will only lead to failure or injury."

Evelyne let out a soft breath and nodded "Yes... he’s right. The Boundary is something you awaken instinctively in moments of extreme focus or life-threatening danger."

"It cannot be taught like a normal skill. Even I only entered it twice by accident during Dungeon raids. To control it manually like he just did... that’s on another level entirely."

Liora’s shoulders slumped for a moment, but then her competitive spirit flared up again.

She puffed her cheeks and pointed at Klein stubbornly "Then just teach me spear techniques!"

Klein chuckled softly, looking at her determined expression "Alright, alright. I can teach you some spear techniques. But not today. I’m tired after sparring with Senior Evelyne. Let’s do it properly later. I’ll show you the basics of the style I use."

Liora’s eyes lit up immediately, "Really? You promise?"

Klein nodded, "Yeah. But it will be hard. If you practice half-heartedly, you’ll only hurt yourself."

Hearing this, Liora grinned widely "Don’t worry. I can handle it."

Evelyne glanced at Klein for a moment and stepped forward before kneeling in front of him.

Huh? Klein was takenaback and glanced at her in confusion.

Evelyne gently took his right hand in both of hers.

She leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to the back of his palm, her crimson hair falling like a curtain around her face.

"Would you like to marry me, Klein Faress?"

Klein: What the fuck?

Liora: (ʘᗩʘ’)

She looked like her brain had short-circuited.

Klein stared down at Evelyne and his mind went completely blank for a moment.

He quickly regained his composure, "I would like to think you fell for my charm and power," he muttered dryly, "but I doubt that’s the reason."

Evelyne remained kneeling and a small smile appeared on her lips.

"There must be another reason, right?"

She glanced up at him and nodded calmly "Yes. Shall we talk in private?"

The training hall fell into an awkward silence.

Liora was still standing there, completely frozen, her face cycling through shock and confusion.

Klein looked down at Evelyne for a moment, then sighed softly and helped her stand up.

"Alright. Let’s talk."

Evelyne rose gracefully, still holding his hand for a moment longer before letting go.

She turned to Liora with a polite smile "Liora, could you give us a moment? This is a private matter."

Liora blinked rapidly, still processing everything. She opened her mouth, closed it, then finally nodded stiffly.

"...Yeah. Sure. I’ll... wait outside."

She gave Klein one last look before quickly leaving the training hall.

Once they were alone, Evelyne turned back to Klein.

"Shall we sit?" she asked, gesturing to a bench along the wall.

Klein nodded and followed her. They sat down side by side.

Evelyne took a deep breath, gathering her thoughts before speaking.

"I won’t waste your time with flowery words. My proposal is political as much as personal."

"The Langford family is powerful, but we have enemies... rival noble houses, powerful guilds, and even factions within the academy who want to weaken our influence."

"A marriage alliance with someone as talented as you would strengthen our position significantly."

She looked at him directly, "But that’s not the only reason. I saw how you fought today."

"Your skill, composure and your potential... I respect that. And if I’m going to marry someone, I would rather it be someone I can respect and grow with rather than a political tool chosen by my father."

She paused, then muttered softly "I won’t force you. This is a proposal. Think about it. You don’t have to answer now."

Klein remained silent for a long moment, processing her words.

’A political marriage, huh.’

He leaned back slightly, "I appreciate the honesty. I’ll think about it."

Evelyne nodded her head "Thank you. Take as much time as you need. I won’t bring it up again until you’re ready."

Klein had a thoughtful look on his face ’Arwen and Cynthia... I can’t make a decision like this without talking to them first. If I accept this, it has to be something that doesn’t hurt them.’

Evelyne seemed to sense the weight on his mind. She stood up gracefully and brushed a strand of her crimson hair behind her ear.

"I should get going. Take care of yourself, Klein. And... if you ever want to talk about anything or training, the proposal, or even just to spar again, you can find me."

Klein nodded and stood up as well.

"I will. Thank you for the fight today, Senior Evelyne."

She gave him one last small smile before turning and walking toward the exit.

As the door closed behind her, Klein let out a long breath and ran a hand through his black hair.

’It’s been just two days since I came here and so many things are happening.’

Liora, who had been waiting outside, peeked her head in a moment later ’is itover?’

She walked in and muttered "I guess she came and asked for your hand in a political marriage to strengthen their Ducal House."

Looking up at her, Klein gave a faint nod.

She sat beside him on the bench "Well, among the three Ducal houses, I would say theirs is the weakest."

"The other two Ducal Houses have at least two ’Ascendants’ each. But the Langford family has only one ’Ascendant’ the previous Duke of the Langford house."

"He’s old now and rarely takes action. That’s why they’re trying to secure stronger alliances and talents like you."

Ascendant...

Someone who has reached the highest SSS-rank in the Human Domain

They’re basically walking disasters, existences that can single-handedly turn the tide of a high-rank Tower raid or even influence the balance of power between noble families.

The fact that the Langfords only have one active Ascendant puts them in a vulnerable position compared to the other two Ducal houses.

With a soft breath, Klein stood up "I will think about this later. I am hungry; come on, let’s go and eat."

"Okay! But you are paying."

Ah! But then Klein remembered something "I forgot to get credits from Senior Evelyne."