Instructor Sylvio

Instructor Sylvio was one of the few Royal Mages. He was also the one who taught Louis the ways of magic. This was the reason he excelled in it.

After running into each other by chance, Sylvio invited Louis inside. The two of them had a great conversation to catch up on lost time.

"About that girl you were always with back then. I….I heard what happened. I never got to pay my respects. She was a nice young lady. It's a shame her life was cut short. That was the reason you disappeared, wasn't it?"

Louis stared at his reflection in his coffee. Normally, he would deny that as being the reason, but he and Sylvio shared a deep bond, like a son and father.

"It was. Sometimes I think back on it all. It bothers me how I never got to avenge her. The man responsible for her death left almost no traces."

"Don't beat yourself up about it. It's not your fault corrupted people go around killing others for their own agendas. It's unfortunate, but there's not much you can do to change the past."

Louis wore the sad look of a man who always replayed the past in his head.

Seeing this, Sylvio changed the subject.

"How have you been? Jobwise, that it."

Louis sat up straight, remembering his current task.

"Actually, I'm sort-of on a mission. I haven't actually started it though. Still thinking of a plan."

This piqued Sylvio's interest.

"Mission? Ahah, that's good to hear. You're back on duty, huh. So, what's this mission about?"

Louis hesitated for a second, due to the fear of looking insane, but ended up talking on it.

"....Well...I plan to go into Diablo's mist."

The last time the kingdom sent men there, none returned. Fifty seven knights, 15 marksmen and 5 Royal Knights all gone. Since then, the kingdom vowed to never send anyone there again.

Sylvio knew this well, so this led him to believe one thing, Louis's mission wasn't given to him by the kingdom. It was something he was doing on his own.

"You do know how dangerous that is...No..That's an understatement. Going there is guaranteed death. So tell me, Why do you want to go to such a place?"

"I learned that over the course of the past years that I was away, a strange organization had been abducting people. And I believe there are over a hundred being held as prisoners there. I'm almost certain of it. "

Sylvio sat, greatly disappointed and shaking his head. Louis had been his finest and most successful student, so it was surprising that he would think of attempting a task like that.

"Louis...I know you must have a good reason to believe that. You are a strong royal Knight and damn great detective. Here's the part I don't like: You're willing to go into Diablo's Mist, a place of certain death, all for people you've never even met. Even worse, What if they turn out to be dead or not there?"

Louis had already thought of all the risks. He knew that if he made a mistake after going there, his life would be cut short. He knew that there were dangers that nobody was even aware of.

Despite this, his decision remains unchanged. He just couldn't get Olivia's desperate face out of his mind.

"I know. But I'm a Royal Knight. It's my job to save lives, putting myself in danger no matter the threat. Am I right?"

Sylvio sat in silence, wearing a darkened expression.

Louis knew that he disappointed his Instructor, so he excused himself from his seat.

"I should actually get going. I need to come up with a plan. Going without one wouldn't be smart."

When he reached for the door, Sylvio stopped him.

"Wait.."

It was a surprise, his instructor didn't seem to have disowned him just yet.

"What is it?" Louis asked.

Sylvio let a dramatic sigh escape and he walked over to Louis' side, touching his shoulder.

"I know for a fact that the kingdom won't aid you. So, you're probably alone on this. You're among the strongest, but I know that even you will get overwhelmed. As crazy as it all is, I'll help. I'm going with you?"

Louis found his old instructor's determination to be really surprising.

"I haven't even come up with a plan yet. Are you sure?"

Sylvio nodded with a great white smile, "Yeah, I'm sure. I can't just let you go all by yourself. That would be the equivalent of letting my son get himself killed."

"I didn't know you had a son." Louis replied, surprised. He didn't wasn't even aware that he had a wife.

"Oh, I don't have one. I also don't even have a wife. Let me tell you, I don't know what it's like to have a son. But If I had to guess, it's the same as having you around. Hahaha, I pretty much watched you grow up from your first days at the magic academy."

Sylvio remembered the scene of a young Louis, blasting a wooden target to pieces from a fireball. Louis didn't have a natural talent for magic, but he became an expert through hard work.

"Are you crying?" Louis asked.

Sylvio turned away, hiding the tears in his eyes, "No, of course not. CHANGING THE SUBJECT NOW. Do you have everything you need? I'd Like to call a carriage as soon as you're ready."

It was a good thing he asked, Louis had almost forgotten to grab something important. His signature blade, something he hadn't even lifted in years.

"There's just one thing I need to grab. I'll be back in a bit."

Louis raced back to his shack, throwing the door open. His arm reached under the bed, pulling out a silver chest. But it wasn't just any chest, it was one that could only be open by his touch.

Louis's fingertips smoothly slid across its surface.

'I didn't think I would ever want to lift it again. Ever since I let Lia down.'

Pop!

The chest unlocked and opened, where Louis reached inside and pulled out his beloved blade.

Being holstered inside a diamond-like scavern, this was the blade known as 'The Dividing Sword'

It was a powerful magic weapon, and it was also a gift from Lia.

'Now a test. Let's see if I can still use it efficiently.'

Louis tossed a copper coin into the air. The moment it started to come back down, he drew the sword.

The air was covered in blue streams of light, shredding the coin into nothing.

Slash Shink! Slash! Swsh!

Just as quickly as Louis swung it, he placed it back in it's scavern.

Clink.

'I think I'm ready for anything now. There's only a couple things keeping me from my full power. But I should be good for now. It's not like I'm a noob or anything. I also having Instructor Sylvio helping me, so that's a big add-on to my power.'