THE PRINCE'S SERVANT

The young servant could hardly believe he had witnessed the reincarnation of the lunar goddess. He spent a long time pondering how Shen must have felt, remembering that his training was set to begin the next day. Determined, the young servant tried to go to bed early that evening.

Anxious about the training, Haru barely slept that night. The green-haired youth knew it would be challenging to learn to control his gift, as healers were rare in Niray—especially those skilled enough to teach the younger generation. Haru hurried to the Royal Palace Library, where he and Kota would have lessons to prepare them to govern Solaria.

It was still early, but the castle staff were already bustling about. Haru noticed some well-dressed individuals with black hair, which led him to believe they were from the Kingdom of Shadows. The young servant spotted them leaving a meeting room, indicating that both his father and the king were already at work—an impressive sight, as Haru had not expected the king to begin his duties so early.

Upon entering the library, Haru was surprised to see Kota. He had thought the prince would arrive hours later than agreed. Nevertheless, Haru was happy to see Kota's radiant smile as the prince greeted him:

"Good morning. I see you've arrived early, just like me."

The young monarch was met with a timid response from his servant:

"Good morning, sir. I didn't expect to find you here so early."

The prince, dressed in his traditional armor—even during leisure at home—had damp hair, a sign that he had recently bathed. Kota was undeniably handsome and charming, but ever since Haru saw Kota smiling at Kimiko, he had been feeling strangely melancholic. The monarch addressed the healer-in-training:

"You don't need to call me 'sir'; I've told you that before."

Haru replied:

"I had forgotten. Have you had lessons like these before, Kota?"

"I've had lessons in etiquette, combat, war strategies, and a few other boring things,"

Kota said with a smile, then added while scratching his head:

"But I've never been a fan of history and geography—I might end up dozing off."

The prince's lighthearted remark brought a smile to Haru's face. For a moment, Kota found himself admiring the sweet smile of his young servant. The Royal Library of Solaria was a sanctuary of knowledge, reflecting the kingdom's devotion to their beloved goddess, whom they regarded as the source of wisdom.

Haru and Kota chatted for about an hour, excited about the lessons they would learn that day. Their conversation was interrupted when Hayato entered the library, accompanied by three men. The counselor's serious demeanor suggested that his recent meeting had not gone as planned. Without even greeting his son, Hayato introduced the men who accompanied him:

"Kota and Haru, these will be your teachers. Master Xiu is a mage from the Kingdom of Water. He'll teach you how to control your healing powers without passing out,"

Hayato said, addressing Haru while pointing to a short elderly man with a long beard and light blue hair, almost white with age. The old man had a peculiar frog confined in a small cage.

Next, Hayato pointed to a young, muscular man wearing gray armor with red accents and introduced him:

"Liang Zang will teach Kota how to behave on the battlefield. Unlike your previous instructors, my prince, he will provide you with more challenging combat training."

Kota was astonished, as Liang was renowned as the best swordsman in Niray. Having him as an instructor was a privilege reserved for royalty. The man chuckled at Kota's expression, which resembled that of a fan meeting his idol.

Finally, the counselor introduced the last man, who appeared to be around 38 years old:

"Ren and I will give you lessons on diplomacy, history, and geography. He'll start now, and I'll teach you during meetings with rulers from other kingdoms."

Kota and Haru bowed to the three men. Before leaving the library, Hayato warned them:

"Once this lesson ends, proceed to your next sessions separately. Understood?"

"YES!"

the young men replied enthusiastically, their spirited tone drawing what was likely Hayato's first and last smile of the day. The counselor left with Liang and Xiu, leaving Ren, who carried a heavy bag, with the two students.

The light brown-haired man wore a white and gold kimono adorned with star motifs. His thick beard, slightly darker than his hair, suggested he might have once been a soldier, though he no longer appeared to train regularly. Despite his serious expression, Ren seemed charmed by the presence of the attentive young men as he greeted them:

"It's an honor to teach the prince and his future advisor. And how rare it is to see a Solarian healer."

Haru smiled shyly. Rumors about the emergence of a healer were spreading throughout the kingdom. Some of the more peculiar tales even suggested Haru was a mage from the Kingdom of Water disguised as a Solarian. They claimed his green hair was the result of mixing blonde dye with his natural blue aquatic hair. These baseless rumors had yet to reach Haru's ears but would undoubtedly amuse him in the future.

Kota responded to Ren:

"The honor is ours to be learning from a Solarian scholar. Tell me, where do we begin?"

The prince spoke seriously as he retrieved a small notebook and pencil. It was impossible not to notice that the notebook already contained notes, likely from previous lessons or training sessions.

Haru hadn't expected the prince to be so dedicated to his duties. Kota quickly jotted down every word spoken by the wise man, who also seemed impressed by the prince's attentiveness. Meanwhile, Haru appeared slightly lost, making notes in his own small notebook but asking few questions. At one point, Ren noticed Haru's confusion and asked:

"Are you having trouble understanding something?"

Kota listened as Haru explained his situation:

"I don't know the full history of the nation of Niray. I know about the Great Primordial War, but I don't know the details. The books I read on my own in the public library of Solaria didn't provide much information. I'm sorry; I'll try to read one of these after class."

The young servant lowered his head, not wanting to disrupt Kota's lessons with topics he already knew. But something unexpected happened: the prince spoke in a polite tone:

"Could you provide a summary of the Great Primordial War with its details?"

"Of course, Your Majesty,"

Ren replied, admiration in his gaze. He was truly impressed by the solar prince's manners. Kota could have simply asked Ren to continue the lesson or ordered him to explain the topic to his servant. The fact that he chose to be honorable and kind made Haru feel increasingly awed by the strong prince.

Ren walked to the center of the library, where he retrieved a large red and gold book with the title embossed in golden letters: **"The End of the Old World."**