Once Luke and Emil had their breakfast, father and son made their way to their duties. Despite the differences between their occupations, both of their paths led to the Lysander Manor, right at the heart of their town. It was considered a great honor and privilege to live so close to the seat of a great family, and especially to serve alongside them. Both Luke and his father were working hard to keep this honor.

The manor has always looked dazzling, but with how clear the sky was today, Luke could finally appreciate the full extent of its beauty. A large, crimson building decorated with ornaments and mosaic, portraying the most famed Agile Titan inheritors from across Eldian history, all tracing back to the very man who found House Lysander and left a legacy for all of them to live up to.

"Never took my time to look at all those…" Luke said as he gazed over the Agile Titan ornaments. They overshadowed all humans who passed by as if reminding them that this was the world where Titans reigned supreme. "It looks glorious, especially after the work they've done on it."

"Now that the war against Ferns has been brought to a halt, the House can spend time and resources transforming the city itself." Luke's father smiled with pride. "Is this where you usually meet with Agatha?"

"A bit further, but she must be close."

"How's your progress with her? It's been a while since I had a chance to talk with her myself."

"She says I'm excelling!" Luke couldn't help but boast. "Mastering all the moves, texting quickly and adequately, pretty much everything an inheritor could ask for in a squire."

"I'm delighted to hear that," Emil spoke with pride. "Our family has been afforded a place by Lysanders' side; nothing less than perfection will suffice."

"When haven't I been perfect?" Luke continued to bask in his own glory. "Agatha might have had her doubts, but you can see how well I convinced her!"

"Don't get too proud. You aren't an elite guard yet."

"I know, father…And how's it going on the political front? I heard Lord Dominic can be quite grumpy sometimes." Luke wondered.

"He's the head of the house with all important duties resting on his shoulders…I can't say I blame him, especially not when he clearly puts in all the effort to be the best leader he can be. Other advisors and I are there to make this burden easier."

"And the rumors about negations with House Wayrest? Are they true?"

"Ah, so the word has reached the public…"

Before Emil could continue, the two men noticed a figure emerging from behind the manor gates. A slim yet strong and athletic woman with perfect, if a little pale skin, dark brown eyes, and long black hair, as elegant and beautiful as she was powerful and cunning. Luke's mentor was almost a decade older than him and might not have looked like the perfect image of a warrior, but everyone who dared to underestimate her paid a high price for it.

"I thought you'd know that keeping a lady waiting is a sign of bad manners," Agatha said in a playful tone.

"Sorry, Lady Lysander, preparations today took longer than usual…That said, I did some practice early in the morning."

"Good, I hope you show me what you learned. And please drop the formalities and start calling me by my name. Come on, everything's prepared." She said before glancing at Emil. "Wouldn't mind me stealing your son for a few hours?"

"Not at all, my lady. Don't go easy on him. Push him to his limits."

"Of course, what else could you expect?"

…

Sabina always hated seeing her brother go to his work; everything became so dull without him. He might have been older, but he was always willing to play with her. No other adult liked to play pretend, and that's why Sabina was incredibly lucky to have a brother like Luke. He promised that when he came back, he would play a longer game with her…Sabina couldn't wait.

Usually, she would go to school, but today was one of those rare break days, and so she didn't have much to do but help her mum around the house. Her mother was a very dedicated worker and pretty much all of the house was her domain and she took taking care of it very seriously.

"Sabina, can you clean your room? The last time I checked, it got very messy." Her mother said in a kind yet decisive voice.

"But mom…I want to have a break!"

"A break from what? You aren't busy today, and it's much better to do important things first and play then."

"Will you give me pancakes?"

"You mean during lunch?"

"No, I want some now! If I clean the room, that means I should have something nice."

"Alright…It's a deal." Her mother smiled. "Go on, I'll call you soon."

With a tasty reward looming ahead of her, Sabina did not mind having to clean her room at all. She did the job as quickly and thoroughly as possible, ending just in time for her treat.

"Thank you, mom!" Sabina said after taking a bite from her pancake. "It's so sweet, I love it!"

"Enjoy, but don't get too used to it…Otherwise, it won't feel like a treat anymore."

"I'll leave some for Luke and Dad."

"I think your dad will come home rather late today."

"Why?" Sabina wondered. "He always comes home late, he's so busy…"

"That's because your father is a very important man. He's one of the advisors to Lord Lysander himself." Her mother said with pride for her husband. "Lord Dominic respects him and listens to his advice, and since they're about to negotiate with House Wayrest, your father will do all he can to help."

"Aren't other houses our enemies?"

"No, all of them…Some of them can be good allies."

"Luke didn't talk about those…" Sabina said suspiciously.

"That's because your brother is a warrior first and foremost! He doesn't concern himself with politics, only defending our country when it's necessary." Sabina's mother explained. "I never dreamed that my son would become an elite guard and work with the inheritor of the Agile Titan…You should be very proud of him. While your father helps build alliances, Luke will follow Agatha into battle and see her bring glory to House Lysander and everyone that serves it."

"Hm…" Sabina pondered. "But if you say father and others can just talk to people, does this mean that we don't have to fight. Some houses will always be at odds with us."

"You mean Ferns?"

"Yes…They were among the first to secede from the Empire, all to start a war against noble Lysanders!"

"I heard that they lost their Titan and will never have it again…What's so scary about them?"

"They are cowardly, but they aren't stupid and know how to save themselves. They forged an Alliance with Haron Thorson himself…" Sabina didn't know much about Haron Thorson, but every time his name was spoken, people who said it could barely hide their fear and worry. "Now House Thorson protects them, and they're out of our reach."

"Can't we just talk to them, too?"

"Oh, I'm sure they already tried, but sometimes talking isn't an option." Valeria sighed. "But enough about that, I was planning to go to the market soon. Would you like to join me, Sabina?"

"Yes, of course! I'll help you, Mommy."

…

"Is that all you've got? Faster!"

Agatha knew how to encourage results, mostly by harsh yet undeniably accurate words. Luke could always do better, no matter how much he trained and how good he became. He wasn't perfect yet, and that was a necessary requirement for an elite guard. Luke would spend his day doing taxing physical exercises, running around, and training with a whole array of weapons, both firearms and blades. Agatha would oversee all of this and share some of her own knowledge and skills. Luke knew that she had once gone through a similar, if not harsher, process before Lord Dominic allowed her to inherit the Agile Titan; any pain that he felt was nothing compared to that.

"Good, you're speeding up!" Agatha said with a proud smile on her face. "See, I know you can always do better…Halt!" She commanded, making Luke stop immediately. "Time to switch things up." She said. She took a musket from the weapon's stand, giving it to Luke, who was tired and heavily breathing. "Ready for some weapons training?"

"Of course…Always." Luke wouldn't allow exhaustion to get the better of him.

"See those targets?" Agatha pointed at the wooden constructs on the opposite side of the hall. "Imagine that those three are members of Fern military command. You have an opportunity to take all of them out, but you're alone in a place swarmed by enemy soldiers…If you stand up for as long as a second, you are dead. Also, you only have three bullets. Do you get what I mean?"

"Yes, ma'am. I'll crawl and not make a sound."

"Exactly, and you'll do it as quickly and efficiently as possible. Get to it!"

She didn't have to repeat herself. Luke fell on the floor, clinging to his musket, and began crawling. He had to always be in movement, keeping it regular and without any sudden disturbances, or else his enemies might notice him. Agatha was good at making him feel like there were enemies nearby.

"A pile of corpses ahead of you, get around it." The woman commanded, artificially elongating Luke's path. "And look who it is, elite enemy guards are on your trail, you only have a minute!"

Luke focused and moved quicker, already preparing his shot while he was getting into the position. He aimed at the targets before him, hearing the echoes of Agatha's steps behind him, like a predator that got closer to its prey with every second. Now was the perfect opportunity to fire an array of shots with perfect precision, and he will earn his victory. Luke took a breath and opened fire.

Hit.

Another hit.

Miss.

"Damn it!" The man couldn't help but shout in pain the moment his last bullet missed its target.

"You almost did it…" Agatha said. "Until you've made some very loud noise that attracted the enemy's attention and had them corner you with their overwhelming numbers. A clumsy way to get yourself killed.

"Sorry…I almost had it." Luke spoke with shame.

"Don't apologize. Just do better next time." Agatha shrugged it off as she made her way towards the weapon stand and grabbed two training blades. "Next on the list…Some sparring practice. Your last one before a break." She said as she granted Luke the weapon.

"I'm ready, ma'am. Who will be my sparring partner today?"

"Me," Agatha said, making Luke recoil. She would always call one of the soldiers to train with Luke while she observed, not challenge him directly like this.

"You want me…To fight you?"

"What's so strange about that? You need to step up your game…Don't worry, dear, I won't turn into a Titan."

"Fine, I'll try…"

"You should aim for more than a try if you are to be an elite guard." Agatha encouraged him and entered a battle stance. "Bring it on, I'm waiting!"

Luke knew that pausing or prolonging the moment would only make him worry more. He had to act quickly and with precision. Luke made his move towards Agatha, aiming for her sword to get a sense of her movements and style first. As he expected, Agatha immediately blocked his advance and parred with a swift counter-attack. Luke attempted to withstand it, but the series of strikes was so swift that he inevitably fell down after having his leg stricken.

"Try again."

She was harsh and dedicated, and this was reflected in her battle style. Luke admired her for that, and now it was time to put his own skills to good use. Luke stood up and continued his attack, this time aiming for an apparent opening in Agatha's movements. This time, she took another strategy and moved back, allowing Luke to feel like he would be able to strike her for a brief moment only to move to the side and hit him in the opening. Luke clenched his teeth and stepped away, clutching to his side.

"Come on, I know you can do better."

He would stand up and try to fight her again and again. Taking a break or giving up wasn't an option, not when he was preparing for fighting in wars. Luke knew just how much he had on his shoulders. There were seven Houses apart from Lysanders, and each of them could become an enemy. Each of them could use the power of titans and armies to swarm their city for the sake of their selfish, power-hungry goals. If that were to happen, his entire family would be in danger…He couldn't allow that to happen. He had to defend them all, become the hero of his people, and fight.

Eventually, after a long path of trial and error, Luke was finally able to lay a strike on Agatha, and this was a moment of his triumph. Luke stood victorious, breathing heavily and in disbelief at what he accomplished. A swift move, having to endure almost a dozen of her strikes, and then immediately go for an opening…He finally proved himself strong.

"Well done!" Agatha clapped as a proud smile emerged on her face.

"I…I did it…"

"You did! And if you'll continue to be as eager, this will only be the beginning. You've earned your rest, Luke…And maybe a bit more."

"What do you mean, lady Ly…Agatha?"

"I'm going to start a training routine of my own soon enough, and I'd like you to watch."