The last part of her statement left Valdis speechless due to the sheer absurdity of such an achievement.
One of the most important things to note is that the academy is a gathering of the most talented individuals in the kingdom, and along with that talent, some are still backed by powerful families or organizations, which make sure that they get the best resources and techniques.
This means that every student in the academy is both extremely talented and powerful, and this fact also describes how difficult it is to become the Crown of a year.
The Crowns are individuals who distinguish themselves from the rest in both strength and talent. To these individuals, a year is a lot of time to improve their strength.
Most of these Crowns can battle opponents above their power level and not just fight, but win.
Another thing is that you rarely find Crowns in the same realm because the early realms can be easily passed due to individual talent and resources. It only becomes difficult to advance from the core formation realm onwards.
Which is to say that the possibility of a Crown in a lower year beating the Crown a year higher than them to claim the title of Sovereign was abysmally low.
But Malrik had done it, and he did it while being the third-year Crown, which means he not only had to face the fourth-year Crown but also the fifth, who was probably in the core formation realm, and even if they weren't the would be very close to achieving it.
"I'll probably aim for the title of Sovereign before I graduate, but that would be in my fourth year; anything other than that is impossible," Isolde said
Hearing that, Valdis looked at Isolde in shock, but after a moment of brief contemplation, he thought she had a chance.
Although she wasn't as talented as Malrik, she was still one of the most talented people in the kingdom. Plus, she was an Ebonhart, a lineage of people known for their power and ferocity.
"Do you have any confidence in gaining the title?" Valdis suddenly asked
Isolde thought for a moment before she responded, "I'm about seventy percent sure I can beat the fourth-year Crown right now, so by next year, I should be able to beat him when I challenge him for the title of sovereign."
Valdis nodded and continued walking. The silence lasted a while before he asked again.
"What do you think your chances are against the fifth-year Crown?"
"I knew you'd ask that eventually, but unfortunately, the answer is that I'm not confident in lasting more than five rounds against him, let alone defeating him."
"How powerful is he?" Valdis asked
"Well, in my eyes, I don't consider him powerful, but I think it's because I compare him to Malrik or our cousin Dominic, and both of them are monsters."
"If you don't consider him powerful, why do you think you'd lose to him?" Valdis asked
"It's simple, he is the core formation realm, and I'm not. I would have had a slight chance if I were close to that realm, but as of now can kill me with a snap of his fingers." She replied
"Are individuals in the core formation realm that powerful?" He asked
"Yes, they are. When you begin your training, an instructor will also explain this, but just know that the early stages of the energy condensation realm are all about gathering aether from the air to create an aether sea in your body. The middle and late stages are all purifying the aether, making it denser. At one point, the aether becomes so dense that it solidifies, creating a core," she explained.
"If progressing through the energy condensation stages makes the aether in your body denser, doesn't that mean that someone at the peak of that realm can release attacks two or three times stronger than those at the early stages?" Valdis asked
"Yes, you're correct, and that's more reason I shouldn't battle someone at the Core Formation Realm while being in the middle stages of the Energy Condensation Realm," she said
Valdis nodded in understanding.
Soon, they arrived in front of Valdis's bedchambers. As they arrived, they saw a maid standing beside the door as though she had been waiting for their arrival.
As soon as she saw them, she stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Greetings, young master Valdis and young mistress Isolde."
Isolde nodded towards the maid and turned to face Valdis, and said
"Rest up, tomorrow your training with the rest of the Ebonhart initiates begins, and you'll need all the strength you can get."
As soon as she finished, she turned around and left. Valdis stood for a while watching his sister leave before he turned to face the maid.
"Prepare a bath and some food for me," he said
"Yes, my lord."
After her response, he entered his room, walked straight towards the balcony, and rested while admiring the view of the Ebonhart estate.
A few minutes later, the same maid arrived and informed him that his bath was ready. After she left, Valdis immediately took off his clothes and headed straight for the bathroom, and after a short while, he was out.
A knock soon came from his door, and the same maid returned, but this time she came with food. After placing the food down, she bowed and left. Valdis, who was already famished, wasted no time devouring the meal.
After the meal, Valdis returned to the balcony, and after a while, he summoned the sword again.
This time, he took his time to admire the beauty of the sword and how comfortable it felt in his hands.
"I swear if you Ebonharts could marry your weapons, you probably will."
A voice suddenly shattered the silence on the balcony, but this time Valdis didn't flinch as he already knew who the voice belonged to.
"I thought you couldn't leave the sword," Valdis asked without turning his head.
"Well, I can, albeit not for long," the voice replied, "But the stronger you get, the longer I can remain outside the sword."
It was at this moment that he turned in the direction of the voice
The owner of the voice was, of course, Nyxaria, who was still dressed in her black gown, which accentuated her figure
"Will there be a time you'll be able to leave the sword completely?" Valdis asked
"We haven't even begun our journey, and you are already looking for a way to get rid of me." As she said this, she burst into laughter
After a while, she continued, "I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but we'll be stuck together for life."
Hearing this, Valdis sighed as he had already thought of this outcome, but just wanted confirmation.
"What's with that look on your face? Do you know how many people will pay to have a beautiful woman like me just talk to them?" she asked furiously.
"A lot?"
"Of course, they're a lot. I'm literally a walking repository of knowledge," she said
Hearing this, Valdis burst into laughter, but before he could laugh for long, a slender but firm hand grabbed his collar, cutting his laughter short.
"What's so funny?" She asked in a tone that barely hid her anger
But Valdis ignored it completely and said in a sarcastic manner
"O great holder of knowledge, please bestow upon me some of your knowledge."
As he said this, he continued laughing, not caring about her facial expression in the slightest.
Feeling frustrated, she left him alone and asked, "You want me to prove it to you?"
Hearing this, Valdis stopped laughing and asked with a slight smile on his face.
"And how do you plan on doing that?"
Nyxaria wanted to say something, but stopped and, without warning, pressed her index finger on his forehead.
Valdis, who had been laughing, stopped, and they stayed in that position for a few seconds before she pulled back her finger. As soon as she pulled her finger back, her face immediately turned pale, and her breath quickened.
After a few seconds, Valdis, who had closed his eyes at some point, opened them again.
Looking directly at Nyxaria, he asked in a shocked tone
"What the hell was that?"
Nyxaria, seeing the shock plastered all over his face, smiled and said in a sarcastic tone.
"The knowledge you asked for, my lord."
Valdis, who was already in shock, barely registered her sarcasm in her tone as he took a deep breath, recalling the information he had just received and its significance.