The Jade Hall

Once breakfast was over, the duchess was nowhere to be found. The maids went about their daily chores, the knights either guarding the castle or training in the Jade Hall. Left with nothing to do, Caspian decided to go to the office, accompanied by Taylor. They passed by several maids as they made their way down to the office. They greeted Taylor very enthusiastically. He couldn't help but agree with their sentiments. Taylor was a very attractive young man.

"You are very popular here, Taylor."

"I think they're looking at you, milord. They are never this nice whenever I'm walking past."

"What's there to see in a crippled man?"

"His face, maybe."

Caspian had noticed it earlier but Taylor was very free with his words. They were formal but he wasn't hiding the intent behind them. It could look to any other noble like he was looking down on them but to Caspian, well, apart from noticing it, he didn't really have anything to say. In a large, unknown place, it was comforting to have someone to talk to.

On their way to the office, they passed by the entrance of the Jade Hall. The loud growls he heard coming from there alerted him. He told Taylor to stop, too curious to continue on his journey.

"What is happening in there?"

"That's the Jade Hall, milord. It's where the knights train. I suspect they brought them out again."

"Them?"

"The Duchess regularly captures demons and brings them down to the Jade Halls for the knights to train with. They normally train without them when the Duchess is out but I suppose they might be trying something new today. Do you want to observe?"

"Is it safe to observe?"

"Anyone who dares to hurt you would lose their head. You have her scent on you."

"Her scent?"

"I suppose it would be too difficult to explain but I'll try my best. Have you been in close quarters with the Duchess?"

"We slept in the same bed. Is that enough?"

"No, it's usually not. It requires more intimate contact. She must have done this without your knowledge."

Caspian didn't know how much he liked things being done without his knowledge. But if it saved him from being eaten by a demon, he found no problem with it.

"Let's go in."

Taylor wheeled his lord in. The Jade Hall had three floor, even though it was located on the ground floor of the castle. The main entrance was on the ground floor of the castle. It was the observatory. Just below it was the first underground level, the weapon storage. The final floor was the gladiator floor, where the demons were stored. It was a much wider floor than the first two, holding both cages and a fighting den.

Taylor explained all this to Caspian as they walked in. One could see everything happening in the gladiator den from the observatory so the moment he was wheeled in, he saw the huge demon.

It had a warty greenish grey skin, four sets of black bat wings on its wide back, each decreasing in size until it was almost invisible. It had a flat face with seven sets of eyes, each with yellow vertical pupils that looked in different directions. Drool constantly dropped from its huge fangs, making a 'tiss' sound when it hit the floor. Caspian could only imagine the stench of its breath when it's drool was acidic. All it's four limbs had huge biceps like a yak but it had a wrist and fingers like a human.

The knight that was fighting it was a burly, hairy man wielding a lance. The handle of the lance was black but the blade had a blue tip that appeared to be iridescent. He hadn't never seen anything like it.

"What an interesting weapon."

"Rather than the weapon being interesting, I think it's the technique you should focus on."

"The technique?"

"Please watch closely, Milord."

Caspian tuned his attention and found that there was an irregularity with the iridescence of the blade's tip. When it was at rest, it was a normal silver color. But when it was attacking, it had that blue glow. If one wanted to use reason, they would say the blue color came from the body of the demon. But the demon's blood was a clear purple.

Light was unable to permeate the Jade Hall because of how enclosed it was so the glow of the blade couldn't be coming from the sun, since it was a metal. So something strange was definitely happening.

There was also the knight. Even though he was human, he moved at a speed no human could, evading death from the swings of the demon. He inflicted damage on the demon, retreating to a safe distance to gain his energy before attacking again.

"What is that?"

"That technique is called Mana channeling. It uses mana, passing it through the body to increase one's strength, agility, speed and endurance. Occasionally, you can increase your durability but speed and endurance are a much better option."

"What is…mana?"

"Do you see the purple blood coming from the demon?"

"Yes."

"That is a mana source. Mana is an incredible raw material found in nature, extremely difficult to extract and harness that makes it possible for a human to perform unimaginable feats like a demon. To correctly initiate mana, one has to consume a mana source."

"So, they have to drink that demon's blood?" Caspian asked, his face contorted in horror. Taylor found it very amusing, his face hidden in the darkness of the observatory. All three floors were illuminated by forces placed at strategic corners.

"They don't tell you that at the initiation of Knights. You just drink a cup with purple liquid. I thought it was wine but the taste was absolutely atrocious."

"Wait, if you partook in it, that must be you are a…"

"Knight. Yes, Milord."

Caspian was further horrified. Knights were precious in the kingdom. Relegating a knight to him meant she regarded him highly. Even at home, he didn't have a knight to protect him.

"How could a knight just agree to be an attendant?!"

"I owe the Duchess a favor. I'm returning that favor."

"What kind of favor would that be that you would dedicate your life to someone crippled?"

"If you're curious, then I implore you to ask the Duchess. However, I doubt she would tell you too. But if you wish to continue observing, Milord, the fight is finally coming to an end."