Chapter 395: Three Partners, Three Answers

Arthur arrived at Principal Steven’s training grounds on Tuesday carrying a notebook and an enormous smile.

Vedas glanced at the notebook. "Please tell me you didn’t spend last night designing another formation."

"Only three," Arthur replied. "I thought we could improve yesterday’s strategy."

"We used no emergency commands yesterday."

"Exactly! Imagine what we could do with an even better plan."

Star bounced on Arthur’s shoulder. Eden floated alongside them, watching the three training doors ahead with interest.

"Are we fighting today?" Eden asked.

"Not exactly," Steven answered from beside the control pedestal. "Today, each of you will solve a different problem. Arthur may help, but the important decisions must belong to his partners."

Arthur immediately pointed at the doors. "Which one’s the hardest?"

Steven smiled. "Probably whichever you try to solve without listening to your partner."

Vedas looked up at Arthur. "That narrows nothing down."

Mithra laughed from the viewing gallery. Sun and Athena had joined her again, with Melo, Kong, and Athy watching from the railing.

"I brought snacks," Sun announced. "Yesterday’s training was better than most arena matches."

Athena adjusted her glasses. "You’re supposed to be studying how they coordinate."

Kong reached for another snack. Sun caught his wrist. "That one’s mine."

Steven gestured toward the first door. "Vedas, we’ll begin with you."

...

The first chamber resembled a small fortress. A central courtyard connected to three entrances, and six friendly training constructs stood waiting for orders. Beyond the walls, eight hostile constructs assembled beneath red banners.

Arthur studied the main gate. "Most of them are gathering there. We should reinforce it."

Vedas didn’t answer immediately. He walked toward a viewing slit and examined the attackers. Five stood near the main gate, but their weapons remained lowered. Three others waited beside a narrow rear passage.

"The main group hasn’t moved," Vedas observed. "They’re making sure we notice them."

Arthur leaned closer. "You think they’re a distraction?"

"I think they want us to defend the wrong entrance."

Steven’s voice came through a speaking crystal. "You have one minute to prepare. Your objective is to protect the command banner in the courtyard."

Arthur pointed at the front gate. "If you’re wrong, they’ll come straight through."

"Then we’ll have to stop them," Vedas replied. "But spreading our defenders evenly guarantees we’re weak everywhere."

Arthur considered the answer, then smiled. "Your call, Commander."

Vedas positioned two friendly constructs behind the main gate, one near the courtyard, and three along the rear passage. He left a clear route through the center and ordered the rear defenders to wait behind a corner.

Sun frowned from the gallery. "He’s leaving the front wide open."

Athy tilted her head. "Not open. Inviting."

The exercise began. The five attackers at the main gate advanced noisily, striking the doors. Meanwhile, the three at the rear slipped into the narrow passage.

Vedas watched their shadows cross the floor. "Now."

His hidden defenders emerged, blocking the passage. The attackers attempted to retreat, but Vedas moved the courtyard defender behind them. Trapped between two groups, they fell in quick succession.

A warning bell rang. The main gate burst open, and five constructs rushed inside.

Arthur grinned. "Here comes the hard part!"

Vedas had already ordered the rear defenders toward the courtyard. The two front guards fell back deliberately, drawing the attackers into the central lane. When the hostile group crossed the threshold, Vedas closed the formation from both sides.

The final attacker reached for the command banner. Vedas intercepted it with his spear and knocked its weapon aside. A friendly construct delivered the finishing strike.

[Fortress Objective Secured.]

Arthur raised his fist. "Perfect! You caught both groups!"

Steven entered as the constructs returned to their starting positions. "You didn’t know for certain that the rear passage was the real attack. Why commit so many defenders there?"

Vedas lowered his spear. "Because I could still recover if the front attack was genuine. If I committed everyone to the gate, I couldn’t recover from the rear attack."

Steven nodded appreciatively. "You planned for being wrong. That’s the difference between a clever guess and good command."

Vedas straightened, clearly pleased. Arthur gave him a proud thumbs-up.

"You know," Arthur said, "that reminded me of Dawn. You didn’t just order everyone to fight. You made sure they could protect one another."

Vedas glanced at him. "A kingdom cannot rely on its King winning every battle personally. The defenders have to know what to do when I’m not there."

Steven heard the exchange and smiled. "Then your people are fortunate to have a King who thinks that way."

...

Star’s chamber looked nothing like a fortress. Moving walls divided the room into narrow corridors, while bright target plates slid along tracks overhead.

"This one’s for Star?" Arthur asked. "Some of those gaps are tiny."

Star stretched upward, apparently delighted.

Steven indicated a silver disk at the far end. "Touch that target before the timer expires. You may observe, Arthur, but you cannot enter the course."

"You’ve got this, Star!" Arthur said.

The timer started. Star squeezed beneath the first wall, flattened into a ribbon, and slid through a gap barely wider than a finger.

Melo peered over the railing. "I would hate to be the person trying to catch that little thing."

"I wouldn’t even try," Sun admitted.

Halfway through, Star reached a vertical panel with two textured grips. A lever sat beyond them, too far away for Star to reach from the floor. The little slime bounced against the smooth wall and slid down.

Arthur leaned forward. "There’s a grip beside you!"

Star paused, touched the rough training pad, and spread itself across it. Its surface changed through Mimic Form, taking on the pad’s gripping texture. Star stretched upward without slipping, hooked the lever, and pulled.

The panel opened.

Athena smiled. "It copied a physical property, not the mechanism. That’s a smart application."

Athy nodded. "And it didn’t need another instruction."

Beyond the panel, the silver disk began sliding rapidly away. Star launched itself from the wall, stretched into a broad sheet, and caught the moving plate before it reached the end of its track.

[Target Captured.]

Arthur cheered as Star bounced back through the open corridor. He scooped the slime into his arms. "That was incredible, Star! You figured it out yourself!"

Star wrapped around his shoulders like a glowing scarf.

Steven approached, studying the completed course. "Many Tamers would have tried to force the wall open. Star recognized what its body could accomplish and used the environment."

Star swelled proudly. Kong clapped so hard that Sun nearly dropped his snack.

"That’s two victories," Mithra said, smiling at Arthur. "And you didn’t have to rescue either of them."

Arthur laughed. "I’m starting to think they don’t need me at all."

Vedas folded his arms. "We still need someone to carry the snacks."

...

The final chamber contained three glass tracks suspended above a padded floor. Crystal spheres rolled along them, passing through intersections at different speeds. One sphere glowed blue; the others shone amber.

Eden flew closer, her eyes sparkling. "This one’s mine?"

Steven nodded. "Protect the blue sphere until it reaches the end. You cannot stop the mechanism or touch the spheres. One collision will end the exercise."

Arthur studied the tracks. "We can wait for the right moment. There’s no need to use much Mana."

Eden glanced at him. "I know I’m still recovering."

"I know you know," Arthur said gently. "I just want you to be careful."

Steven lowered the mechanism’s speed. "This is a control exercise, not an endurance test. A tiny adjustment is sufficient. If you feel strained, we’ll stop."

Eden nodded firmly. "I’ll do it carefully."

The spheres began moving. Arthur tracked the blue one as it approached the first crossing. An amber sphere passed harmlessly ahead of it. At the second crossing, however, two amber spheres approached from opposite directions.

"We could slow the blue one now," Arthur suggested.

Eden shook her head. "Then it’ll meet the other one later."

Arthur looked again. She was right. Avoiding the first collision would cause another at the final crossing.

Eden hovered beside the track, waiting. The blue sphere rolled closer. Arthur felt his shoulders tighten, but he kept quiet.

"Now," Eden whispered.

A faint shimmer surrounded the blue sphere. Its movement slowed for a heartbeat, allowing the first amber sphere to pass. The shimmer vanished immediately. The blue sphere continued forward, clearing the next intersection just before the second amber sphere arrived.

It reached the end of the track without touching anything.

[Precision Objective Completed.]

Eden gasped. "I did it!"

Arthur opened his arms, and she flew straight into them. "You did! And you didn’t have to push yourself!"

Eden hugged his neck. "I thought I’d need more power. But I only needed a little."

Arthur noticed how carefully she kept her wings steady afterward. She wasn’t exhausted or trembling. For the first time since her recovery began, Eden looked proud of what she’d done without immediately wanting to attempt something bigger.

"See?" Arthur said softly. "Getting stronger isn’t always about doing more."

"That’s what made it impressive," Steven said. "You chose the smallest change that would solve the whole problem."

Mithra smiled warmly. "She looked so confident at the end."

"And she corrected Arthur’s plan," Athena added.

Sun grinned. "That’s becoming a theme this week."

Arthur laughed rather than arguing. "I’m learning from the best."

...

After the exercises, Arthur checked his companions’ progress. A small increase appeared in Star’s Synchronization reading compared with his previous check.

"Oh! Star, look! Our Synchronization improved!" Arthur said.

Star bounced happily in his hands. Eden leaned over to see, while Vedas smiled at the little slime’s excitement.

Steven closed his training notes. "Today, each of your partners succeeded because you let them use their own judgment. Tomorrow, we’ll see whether you can put those lessons together when someone’s life appears to be at stake."

Arthur’s eyes widened. "A rescue mission?"

"A simulated one," Steven clarified.

Vedas released a relieved breath. "Thank goodness."

Arthur considered that for a moment before grinning. "That still sounds amazing!"

Steven chuckled. "I had a feeling you’d say that."