lissa woke up before dawn, her mind set on one goal—arriving first at the training grounds.
Her heart, however, had a different reason for waking her up so early.
'If I get there first, I can have a mont alone with Master Kyle before Bruce arrives.'
The thought made her chest tighten with anticipation.
But then, her mind countered, reminding her of reality.
"This is foolish. He is a noble. He will marry another noble lady. Soone who can stand by his side in society."
She bit her lip, trying to shake off the conflict.
"Even if I give him everything, what future do I have with him?"
Her heart whispered that if she tried hard enough—if she secluded him, if she won his heart—maybe, just maybe, he would choose her.
Her mind ruthlessly crushed that thought.
"Ridiculous. I should not be entertaining such foolish thoughts."
With a deep breath, lissa forced herself to focus on the present. Emotions wouldn't change reality. Strength would.
She reached the training grounds and steeled herself to see Kyle alone.
But instead—
Bruce was already there.
lissa's eyes widened as she saw Bruce swinging furiously at a thick wooden log. His movents were sloppy, his stance unsteady, but—
There were marks on the log.
He was improving.
And standing next to him, calmly offering advice, was Master Kyle.
lissa's heart sank a little.
She wasn't the first to arrive.
But her curiosity won over her disappointnt, and she hurried forward, her eyes lingering on Kyle.
His expression was unreadable as always, but there was a certain sharpness in his gaze as he studied Bruce's form.
Even his casual movents carried an aura of control and precision.
lissa couldn't help but wonder—
"Would Master Kyle share his thoughts with if I asked?"
She didn't get the chance.
Before she could speak, Kyle turned to her and, without any pretense of politeness, gave her an order.
"Adjust your mana and strike the log. Keep going until you can cut through it."
It was a simple command, yet it instantly shook her out of her emotions.
lissa inhaled sharply.
This was why she followed him.
Not for kindness.
Not for romance.
For power.
lissa stepped forward, clenching her fists as she focused.
Kyle didn't care about the conflicts raging in her heart.
He didn't care about her feelings.
He only cared about results.
And if she wanted to be worthy of standing beside him, she had to prove herself with her strength.
"Fine."
Taking a deep breath, she summoned her mana, adjusting its flow just as she was taught.
Then—
She swung.
The impact sent a tremor through her arms, but she gritted her teeth and held her ground.
She would cut through it.
She had to.
'I will make this man look at and acknowledge . If I cannot have his attention because of my looks, I will have it for my efforts.'
Kyle watched them both, his expression still unreadable, but there was a hint of satisfaction in his gaze.
Their progress was visible.
Their mana was stabilizing.
Their technique was sharpening.
With this, Kyle knew—
They would be ready for tomorrow's hunt.
His pacing and expectancy made lissa and Bruce beco completely drained from training.
As soon as they reached their rooms, they collapsed onto their beds.
Neither of them had the strength to even change their clothes before exhaustion overtook them.
But Kyle was far from done with them.
The next morning, before the sun had fully risen, Kyle kicked open their doors and woke them up.
Bruce groaned, barely able to move. lissa shot up in bed, half-dazed, her body aching from yesterday's training.
"I barely got any sleep…"
But there was no ti to complain.
Kyle was already leading the way out of the inn, and they had no choice but to follow
______
The journey was both long and tense.
lissa and Bruce exchanged uneasy glances as they followed Kyle through the icy forest.
They both knew where they were headed—the Frozen Armoured Bear's hunting grounds.
And neither of them felt ready.
'Yesterday, I could barely cut through a log, but I will make sure I do better in battle.'
lissa thought, gripping her sword tightly.
Bruce wasn't any better. His sweaty palms made his weapon slippery, and he was trying not to shake too visibly.
Finally, they arrived.
lissa's breath caught in her throat.
"They're bigger than I expected."
A group of massive, ice-covered beasts stood before them, their glowing eyes locked onto the newcors.
Before either of them could panic, Kyle spoke.
"You'll be fine. You;ve practiced enough. Now, it is ti to see your labor's fruits."
His voice was calm. Unshaken.
And sohow, that steadiness was enough to keep them from running.
But before he could explain any further,
The Frozen Armoured Bears charged.
The ground trembled beneath their monstrous paws.
Kyle blocked three of them with ease, leaving two to lissa and Bruce.
His words were sharp and commanding.
"Pull your weight."
Then, without another word, he launched himself into battle.
Bruce swallowed his fear and forced himself to act.
"I—I'll handle one!"
Mana flared around him as he rushed toward his opponent.
His movents were clumsy, but his swordplay held strong.
The first strike landed.
"It's working…"
With every move, Bruce could feel himself adapting.
It was hard, but he was pushing back the beast.
And then—
With one final blow, he brought it down.
He won.
For the first ti, he had defeated a Frozen Armoured Bear on his own.
A shaky grin spread across his face.
But then, he turned to lissa—
And his smile vanished.
Unlike Bruce, lissa was frozen.
The bear lunged at her, but her body wouldn't move.
Her sword trembled in her grip.
Every instinct scread at her to dodge, attack, defend—
But she couldn't.
Her body refused to listen.
"Move!"
But she couldn't even lift her sword properly.
It was nothing like training.
Her hands felt numb.
Her chest tightened with fear.
Her mind whispered cruel doubts.
'What if I can't do this?'
'What if I die?'
Then—
The bear roared and lunged forward.
lissa shut her eyes, bracing for impact.
Reviews
All reviews (0)