[Nightmare]

After five minutes of clapping, Helix raised his hand.

A man had just come onto the stage and whispered into his ear.

Helix nodded and glanced in the direction of the queen's box.

"Proud Alzerians!" Helix called out.

The excited hall became quiet in anticipation.

"I have an important announcement to make tonight." Helix said with a serious tone.

The atmosphere multiplied.

"There is one more thing up for auction this week." He continued.

"Before I tell you what it is, I will tell you a story, and give you some news."

Everyone listened closely and hung on to his every word.

"This message is being broadcast to everyone in the Alzerian capital!" Helix announced.

"Because what I'm about to tell you is important to the hearts of every noble, citizen, and commoner in the Alzeria."

Silence befell the room.

"For those who are now hearing my voice for the first time, let me introduce myself."

Helix paused for everyone to listen.

"My name is Helix Hellsgate Margrave.

I'm an Alzerian Knight that is here to aid in the protection of this beautiful country."

Helix's voice became choked, but he continued with passion.

"For the last three months, I've been in Kozen.

During that time, I was blessed to be Samma Shaw's designer and the apprentice of Grandmaster Circle Master Tilo Salazar, Grandmaster Scholar Linus Sarroc, and the late Grandmaster Winter General Dame Tyrene Masney."

The final statement crashed into everyone in Alzeria like a collapsing building.

Many people were confused to hear the young man's voice.

The list of qualifications he gave was absurd.

However, only one mattered to people.

[The late Grandmaster Winter General Dame Tyrene Masney].

"During that time, I had the pleasure to learn from Master Tyrene every day of the week." Helix continued.

"She worked me to bone, threatened my life more times than I can count, and my life was threatened by monsters around the same amount."

The abrupt change of pace was heartbreaking to most.

Everyone in the auction house had stopped breathing.

Eliza's guards averted their gaze, and they gritted their teeth.

They weren't angry at Helix.

It was general anger.

Anger that a beast took their general from them.

"We were close. Along with the other three apprentices, Marie Skybolt, Charlotte Kline, and Riley Singer, we ate together every day." Helix explained with a low voice.

"Once we trained enough that our arms felt relatively healthy after the day ended, we became as close as family.

Tyrene would have me make prank magic circles she'd use on Master Tilo for fun."

Helix chuckled, and many others followed behind him.

"I've learned many things from her.

For example, I've learned that you can use a spine for a lampshade rod." Helix laughed.

Chuckles followed, and light smiles started popping up all around Alzeria.

No one knew who Helix Margrave was, but everyone knew her mannerisms.

"You can use human ribs as a shield.

Intestines can be used as a rope to drag you to training.

Complaining can lead to premature deaths." Helix laughed.

Many more people followed.

"I've learned that 69-year-old women can kick down doors reinforced by magic quite easily. That was a surprise." He laughed while grabbing his ribs.

The listener party could hear laughter from the guards on the towers.

Pubs on Burlow Street lit up with chuckles.

Soldiers in barracks laughed in disbelief.

"My first monster hunt Master Tyrene told me that saving my ass had nothing to do with my appearance.

I earned some scars that day." Helix laughed.

More chuckles followed.

Light tears started welling in eyes everywhere.

The Capital was enveloped with emotion.

"Later on, I learned she was a softy. At first, I didn't think that because the training was so brutal.

And… the threats were so graphic."

Small laughs followed his statement.

It struck a chord with all military personnel the underwent her training.

"When she first offered to be my master, I immediately said yes.

However, she told me quote… [don't be so eager. If you train with me, I plan to flay your ass and grill it on skewers].

Let me tell you… she did."

Laughter rang out in pubs and barracks everywhere.

Many people were not laughing.

However, those who were laughing were laughing hard.

"I quickly learned how soft=hearted she was.

Recently, I asked her about the scar I received on the first day.

I asked if she let me get it on purpose, for a reason than teaching a lesson.

She asked me why I was asking.

I reminded her the first thing she said was, [boy, let's get you patched up, so you get a cool scar]." Helix chuckled.

"After squirming for a moment, she admitted it.

She watched the attack, judged that it would give me a cool scar, and let me take it.

The skill level necessary to do something so frivolous… is truly extraordinary."

Helix burst into laughter.

Everyone already laughing was crying on the table.

Many people were sighing in exasperation.

They just wanted to cry, and they couldn't.

It was pissing them off.

But it wasn't a bad thing.

"Did you know that Grandmaster General Tyrene's favorite sweets are cupcakes?" Helix asked with a smile.

Shocked eyes peered toward the sky.

"It's true. Master Tyrene wasn't the type of person that would buy a cupcake, but I got her six, and she returned the tin the next day." He chuckled.

Bewildered laughs rang through the streets.

The auction house was chuckling with baffled expressions.

The emotions were pulling in the otakus and weebs.

They had never met Tyrene, but they could imagine her personality.

"The day before she approached me, I created a nasty magic circle that makes human bodies move in after images in multiple directions."

Alzerian soldiers narrowed their eyes with confusion.

They stared blankly in front of them, trying to figure out his point.

"The day after using it, she called it a party drug and requested one for personal use.

That's how we met." Helix laughed.

The auction house burst into laughter.

People were laughing, and they didn't know why.

It was probably because it [wasn't] like Tyrene to say something like that.

No one knew.

"This one time, she sent me on a quest to kill a Level 79 wyvern in the mountains.

I was Level 34." Helix chuckled.

Wide eyes peered at Helix from all directions.

Level 34 was higher than anyone else in Cheat hopefuls.

Helix's words were dramatically past tense.

Not only that… Level 79 at 34? What a joke.

It wouldn't be so bad if they didn't learn that he succeeded.

The nobles were shocked to learn that a Level 34 individual earned the Markov yoga pants coat combo.

The soldiers were confused beyond belief.

Guards, generals, and everyone else listening was shocked.

"The purpose of the exercise was to finally put me into a fight where I truly had no chance." Helix clarified.

"I was told I'd pass if I gave up and gave me a comically small reward if I won…."

Helix burst into laughter.

"Fast forward six hours, and Master Tyrene was princess carrying me through the forest!

You should have seen her bitter face!

She was more embarrassed than I was!" He roared.

Laughter erupted across the Alzerian capital.

Otakus and weebs were bending over.

Marie, Charlotte, and Riley were giggling between tears.

"That's not fair. I didn't think it was embarrassing at all.

I was too busy screaming, [Tyrene, kill me after we survive] at the top of my lungs." Helix roared.

Bewildered chuckles erupted at the Kina district watching party.

Eliza was giggling, and Liliana was watching Helix in amazement.

"She kept looking back at the Wyvern, one-hundred meters away, with the most confused face.

Tyrene had an agility stat of 1150, so the concept of running for our lives was almost comical.

However—"

"However… hahahaha… she knew I was crazy… hahaha… so… so… she followed my orders blindly."

Helix bent over, laughing.

Everyone in Alzeria was waiting with grins hearing what happened next.

"Then… she looked back… hahaha… just in time to watch the wyvern explode!" He roared.

"I fed the thing… haha… a diluted calamity spell.

We were far enough away… haha… for safety, but the damn thing… hahaha… thought we were a tasty snack… and chased after us like a suicide bomber!"

Laughter erupted in pubs, restaurants, barracks, on the guard wall, and everywhere else within the Capital.

"With the alpha predator gone… hahaha… all of the high-level beasts came out to fight a war… haha… so we had to slaughter our way out." Helix laughed.

"But… but… it came too suddenly. So Tyrene killed the first two beasts… hahaha… while princess carrying me!"

Roars of laughter followed.

Tyrene didn't tell Tilo, Marie, Charlotte, and Riley that part of the story.

So they were all dying.

The streets lit up.

"Her face! Hahaha… her face when she realized I was still in her arms! Hahaha.

You should have seen it! She blushed, got angry, and made me kill the next fifteen by myself!" Helix cried.

"They were all so much stronger than me that she killed them anyway.

But she made sure I was beaten up after each one arrived!"

Cackling was spilling out over the streets.

The current general left his room to hear the commotion and caught the story.

He was chuckling as well.

"The best part… haha… was that she still gave me my reward!" Helix howled.

"She sent me to kill the thing, and I did!

It was the most awkward gift I've ever received. Let me tell you!"

Bright smiles could be seen everywhere.

Those who weren't were hiding their faces.

"It was so like her. She was always fair and true to her word even when I didn't deserve it."

Helix smiled and took a deep breath.

"The most special thing about her was that she never forgot her students."

—

Power stones and grammatical errors = more content. :)