Kiernan rolled the lighter's wheel, and a flame appeared. He put the flame to the candle, illuminating the room.

Lumian looked around the dojo and saw the strange decorations.

There were some sheets of paper with ancient symbols written on them, weapons like the Crystal Broadsword, and a suit of armor that seemed to glow with an otherworldly light.

There were also the Copy Doll by the wall, the Lantern of the Eternal Training dangling from the ceiling, the Spectral Jump Rope by the rack, the Endless Climb Rope hanging from the ceiling, and other strange artifacts scattered around the room.

It did make the dojo look rather mysterious, and it definitely added to the ambiance of the training space.

"Mind closing the doors for me?"

Kiernan asked while he put the trophy on the shelf. The shelf was small enough to only fit this trophy.

If their success continued like this, they would have to purchase a bigger shelf to fit all the trophies, which was a nice problem to have, but it was still too early to jump the gun.

He didn't plan on sending his students to any more tournaments any time soon, as he wanted for them to properly learn a few Iron Style techniques before that.

Lumian slid the doors shut, sealing off the outside world and creating a tranquil atmosphere inside the dojo.

In that moment, both of them heard footsteps coming from the stairs, and they saw Aoi coming down.

She heard voices and thought that Kiernan was talking on the phone or with one of his students, but then she saw someone she didn't recognize.

"Kiernan… Who is this?"

She asked curiously at the sight of the handsome boy.

"My name is Lumian Ok, and I am now studying under Master Kiernan."

He said and bowed.

"Oh!"

Aoi smiled sweetly and greeted him as well.

She knew that Kiernan left earlier today for the All-Mixed Beginner Tournament and didn't expect him to return with another student.

He was already the third student in a very short time.

She had heard stories about her grandfather's early days as a dojo master and how hard it was at the start.

It was really hard to get any students, and it was definitely even harder in Montrael because of how many dojos there were.

"Are you also his student, miss…?"

Lumian asked.

"Giggle~ No, my name is Arakawa Aoi, and I am Kiernan's fiancée. I keep this place tidy, and I help out with the administrative work as well."

Aoi said with a smile.

Lumian looked surprised.

He hadn't heard anything about Kiernan being engaged to someone, and it really came to him as a surprise.

"Lumian will be staying in the guest room for a while. He doesn't have anywhere else to go."

Kiernan said.

"Of course! I'll go get you some fresh sheets for the bed!"

Aoi said and headed upstairs in a hurry.

Lumian then bowed at Kiernan and went to help her, as he didn't want to bother them too much, so he didn't mind taking care of the bed himself.

After the sky turned dark, Kiernan finished the rest of his paperwork at the office and rubbed his stiff shoulders.

In that moment, a knock came from the door, and he saw Aoi leaning by the door, dressed in her nightgown.

She was smiling sweetly while holding one hand on her stomach.

"Are you done yet, dear?"

She asked.

"Yep. I didn't think there was so much paperwork as a master. I am exhausted."

Kiernan said with a tired smile and took Aoi's hand as they headed back to their room to sleep.

When he laid down on the mattress and put his head on the pillow, he saw that Aoi was sitting on top of her legs, rubbing her stomach.

At that moment, she took his hand and put it on her stomach.

"Do you feel anything different?"

She asked with a smile.

"Hmm?"

Kiernan raised an eyebrow and tried to feel anything, but he couldn't feel anything out of the ordinary except the softness of her body.

"Dig deeper."

Aoi said.

With an exhale through the nose, Kiernan closed his eyes and looked deep into her soul—all the way to the martial soul.

He could feel the presence of her martial soul, which wasn't anything special, but there was something else.

A second life. A second martial soul.

"A second martial soul?! How can this be? What does this mean?"

Kiernan asked in shock.

He really didn't know what the second martial soul meant, as he had never studied about women's pregnancy because why would he?

"It means that I am pregnant! We are going to have a baby!"

She said in excitement and hugged him tightly with a truly ecstatic smile on her face. The warmth of their bodies created a sense of comfort.

Kiernan's face looked terrified.

This was probably the scariest moment of his life, and he had never experienced this kind of feeling before.

It was truly scary.

Sure, they haven't used protection for a while, as Aoi had wanted to get a child, but they never expected it to be so soon.

Especially now that Kiernan was Martial King.

It was much harder for Martial Kings and above to get children because of how strong they were.

That's why even Martial Kings who have lived hundreds of years might only have a couple of children.

"That's… amazing news."

Kiernan broke into a smile and kissed her on the lips before returning to a hug.

'Am I even going to be a good father? I would have no idea what I am doing.'

He thought to himself and touched Aoi's silky hair, combing it through his fingers.

"We need to get someone else to take care of the cleaning and administrative work of the dojo. I can't have you do it anymore."

Kiernan said.

"…But I like doing it."

Aoi said with a pout.

"Haha, from now on, you have to take it easy and take care of yourself. We might also have more students coming in.

"It will be a lot to deal with with just two of us.

"It will become very busy."

Kiernan said, and then he turned her around on the mattress until she was at the bottom facing him, a look of love in her eyes.

They then kissed, hugged, and covered themselves with a warm blanket.

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