Perhaps it was because they had spent so much time together recently, but Raine now felt far more at ease around the count's youngest daughter.

"That will be all for today's training. If you need anything in the future, you may go to Shadia."

Raine glanced aside, and Head Maid Shadia gave him a small nod.

"Wait, Miss Claire. I have one more question. Is the Knight path the only way to enter the transcendent realm in this world?"

"Hee! Of course not."

Claire laughed. She realized that in her focus on teaching him the breathing method and sword techniques, she had neglected some of the most basic knowledge.

"There are many transcendent paths besides that of the Knight. In fact, Knights are far from the strongest among transcendent beings."

"The Empire's major churches each possess their own transcendent paths, for example. Every church path has the same prerequisite, however: you must become a devout believer in a god."

"The Knight path is the most stable and relies least on outside forces. It achieves transcendence by drawing out one's own potential. It is also the path most accessible to ordinary people."

Claire continued, "According to historical records, Knight Breathing Methods originated from our ancestors' study of dire beasts. Over time, they developed training methods suited to the human body. The Great Bear Breathing Method and Great Bear Swordsmanship you practice both came from this tradition."

Raine nodded. He could understand the principle. In his previous life, the Five Animal Exercises imitated beasts for health, while Xingyi Boxing drew on animals such as monkeys, tigers, and bears for combat. The underlying logic was similar.

"Dire beasts?"

This was the first time he had heard the term.

"Yes. Under the influence of mysterious forces, ordinary animals have a chance to become dire beasts or mutated beasts. They gain Strength, Agility, and recovery far beyond others of their kind, making them the animal equivalent of human Knights."

"From that perspective, Knights and dire beasts follow the same transcendent path. Both break beyond their natural limits through a particular process. Humans rely on breathing methods, while animals depend more on innate talent or bloodline."

"Watch."

Claire's slender arm suddenly swelled, growing an entire size larger and stretching the sleeve of her hunting outfit. An instant later, it returned to normal.

Raine stared at the transformation, eyes wide.

*A muscle-bound beauty?*

He was stunned.

So this was Claire's true power.

"This is the ability gained upon becoming a Knight. It breaks the limits of physical strength, so we call it limit breaking."

"Long ago, limit breaking was also called dire transformation. Later, to distinguish people from beasts, those who entered the transcendent realm through breathing methods came to be called Knights, while the transformation itself was renamed limit breaking. The underlying meaning remains the same."

"All right. I should leave."

Claire glanced out the window. Night had deepened.

"Raine, this world is far broader than you imagine—and far more dangerous. I've taught you the Great Bear Breathing Method and Great Bear Swordsmanship. Work hard."

"I hope you can surprise me when we meet again in a year."

Claire gave him a faint smile. Her chestnut ponytail swung as she turned and left the room, quickly vanishing into the darkness beyond the castle.

---

At the same time, in the dining hall of Count Harris's residence in Mayst City, a bearded man dressed in black noble attire embroidered with gold was elegantly cutting into several pounds of beef ribs.

He handled his pure silver knife and fork with remarkable precision. Neat pieces of meat, sliced as cleanly as tofu, vanished from the silver plate into his mouth one after another.

Before long, he had stripped every rib clean, leaving no meat behind.

But he wasn't finished.

Crack! Crack!

His silver dining knife sliced through the hard bones like butter, allowing him to suck out the marrow.

A pretty maid offered him a hot towel. He wiped his mouth.

"Michel, forgive me for keeping you waiting."

His tone was polite, but anyone could hear that it was mere formality.

"What is it?"

"My lord, there is something I must report."

The butler named Michel waved the maids out of the dining hall.

"Dennis has sent word. Your sister, Miss Claire, appears to be cultivating a follower at Habsburg Estate. He is reportedly a farmer's son with considerable talent in swordsmanship."

At the mention of Claire, the middle-aged baron's expression shifted. The name had clearly touched on an unpleasant subject.

He took an elegant sip of red wine, paused, then asked, "By my reckoning, Claire should be leaving for the imperial capital soon. Is that correct?"

"Yes. Under normal circumstances, Miss Claire should depart within three days. Otherwise, she risks missing the opening ceremony at the Imperial Royal Academy."

The baron nodded.

"Then let us show my sister—the greatest Knight talent in Mayst County—some respect. Once she leaves, Michel, have someone erase this... farmer's son."

His tone reduced the killing to something no more consequential than crushing an ant beside the road.

"As you command, my lord."

Michel was about to leave when the baron spoke again.

"One more thing. When can the Black Flame Prayer Ritual they mentioned last time be held?"

"There appears to have been a minor problem on their end. Scrutiny has been tight lately, and they may need more time to gather some of the materials."

"Tell them to move faster. I don't intend to wait much longer."

"As you command, my lord. Your will is my wish."

The baron was Alonso Habsburg, eldest legitimate son of House Habsburg. He had received the title of baron at eighteen.

After returning to his study, Alonso sat down and began turning a round silver family emblem between his fingers. It was two sizes larger than an Imperial Gold Coin.

This was one of his habits. Whenever he needed to think carefully, he spun the family crest over his fingers.

The Habsburg emblem was exquisitely crafted. Its face depicted an eagle in a dive, wings raised high and every feather clearly defined. Its talons reached downward as though seizing prey.

It was not an ordinary eagle, but a transcendent raptor known as a Kali Bird. A fully grown Kali Bird had a wingspan of more than four meters and was far fiercer than any common eagle.

As House Habsburg's eldest legitimate son, Alonso should have been the unquestioned heir. Unfortunately, he was the weakest of Count Habsburg's three children.

Now almost thirty, he had only barely managed to become a Knight, and in the years since then he had made almost no progress.

In this world, inheritance followed age when the difference in strength between heirs remained small. But if the gap grew too wide...

Then seniority meant nothing.

For Alonso, the misfortune was that both his half-brother Descartes and his sister Claire possessed outstanding talent.

Descartes already held a position in the Imperial Military and had a bright future. Claire needed even less explanation. A rare Knight prodigy in Mayst County, she had advanced to Knight at only fifteen and earned admission to the Imperial Royal Academy for further study.

The deeper problem was that Alonso had been on poor terms with both siblings since childhood, partly because of his mother. It was probably too late to repair those relationships now.

The pressure weighing on Alonso grew heavier by the day. He had no intention of spending the rest of his life as an insignificant baron.

His fingers closed tightly around the silver Kali Bird emblem.

"I hope the Black Flame Prayer Ritual truly possesses the legendary effect."