I slowly opened my eyes, the familiar ceiling of my room coming into view. I was so used to waking up here, especially after battles—usually bruised or healing from wounds. But this morning was different.
Well... aside from the lingering pain on my cheek from Envi’s punch.
"Wake up already, you lazy princess!" Envi’s voice blared loudly inside my head, as usual.
"Ugh... shut up, dammit. I’m already awake—you didn’t need to yell," I groaned, rubbing my face. Of course, that only made it hurt more. Envi just laughed like the annoying bastard he is.
Inside my grimoire, Runa’s voice popped up, full of curiosity.
"So, what’s on the agenda for today, Master?"
I thought for a mont and replied, "Probably so training after breakfast. I’ll take Mark and Nyssa down to the training ground for a bit."
I asked Runa if she could help with the training. She agreed without hesitation, sounding a bit too excited.
I guess she’s been bored being stuck in the grimoire all the ti.
"What about , Nao?" Envi suddenly chid in. "I want to help train Mark too... especially that pretty little Nyssa, heuheuheu."
I didn’t even have to look to know he had that perverted grin on his face.
"Not a chance, you damn pervert!" I shot him down imdiately.
He complained that I was stingy, but I ignored him completely.
Just then, a knock ca from the door. It was Vivin and Elan, letting know that breakfast was ready.
They paused when they saw the swelling on my cheek. Their eyes widened with concern.
"What happened to your face, Master Naoki?! Should we get Mia to take a look at it?"
I waved it off. "Don’t worry about it. It’s nothing serious."
Still, I appreciated their concern as I followed them to the dining room. Lilia, Milly, and Mark were already there waiting for .
As soon as they saw , they reacted the sa way.
"What happened to your cheek?!" Lilia asked, clearly startled.
"Did sothing happen last night?" Mark added, eyeing closely.
"It’s really nothing. Just a... minor accident," I said, trying to keep things vague.
No way was I going to admit I got into a fight with myself—well, more like with my body controlled by Envi. That would just sound ridiculous.
Milly was clearly holding back her laughter, though. I reached out and ssed up her hair, making her squeal in protest.
Lilia and Mark both chuckled at that.
Eventually, we all sat down to eat together. I found myself once again missing the taste of white rice, but I had to accept the reality—this region didn’t grow rice. Western-style als were the norm here, and I had learned to live with it.
Still, if I ever got the chance to visit Earth again, I’d definitely stop by a proper restaurant for so good old-fashioned Japanese food.
After breakfast, I asked Mark if he was up for so training. He perked up imdiately, clearly excited. I also invited Nyssa to join us, and her eyes lit up.
We made our way to the training ground on the lower floor, and to our surprise, William and Alan were already there, sparring.
The two knights of House Blackmore—loyal and diligent. They had survived the previous war even when separated from my father. That alone said enough about their strength and skill in battle.
"Morning, Patriarch," William greeted with a respectful nod. Alan followed suit.
"Morning," I returned the greeting. "I brought Mark and Nyssa for a bit of training."
Unexpectedly, William and Alan asked if they could join in.
I smiled. "Of course. The more, the rrier."
I stood in the center of the training ground and looked at the four of them. "Alright," I said. "All of you—co at ."
Before they moved, I opened up my status screen to quickly check their levels:
---
William Stronghold – Level 72
Alan Taylor – Level 66
Mark von Blackmore – Level 70
Nyssa – Level 78
---
I blinked in surprise. Mark had already surpassed Alan and was nearly catching up to his ntor, William. He’d already stepped into mid A-Rank Knight territory.
"Mark, you crazy bastard. You’ve been grinding levels like a lunatic, haven’t you?"
"Heh, you caught ," he said proudly. "I don’t want to fall behind, Patriarch!"
I chuckled. "I admire your drive."
William and Alan looked genuinely pleased with Mark’s progress. I then turned to Nyssa.
"And you—Nyssa. You’re only a few steps away from S-Rank Knight. That’s incredible."
She flushed with embarrassnt. "Thank you, Patriarch... I’ll keep doing my best."
I gave a nod, then snapped my fingers.
"Alright, everyone—attack . All at once."
William drew his longsword. Alan unsheathed both his blades. Mark hefted his greatsword, and Nyssa twirled her black scythe into position.
I activated [Eclipse Sight], instantly reading their attack patterns. I dodged each move with minimal effort—my body moving on instinct, using only a quarter of my full speed and strength.
"Still not good enough."
BAM!
With a single swing of my katana, I knocked them all back.
I then ordered Mark and Nyssa to use their dark magic.
Mark activated [Dark Magic: Dark Sword] and followed it up with [Blackmore Swordsmanship: Fifth Form – Kurayami no Mai/Dance of the Black Night]. He ca at from every direction, slashing with swirling shadows.
"Not bad!"
William and Alan tried to flank from both sides, but I countered with [Aura Forced] and [Kazekiri x4], sending them flying backward.
Just as I let my guard down, Mark’s sword nearly grazed —but I blinked away using [Shadow Steps].
But as I reappeared, Nyssa was already behind . She activated [Dark Magic: Multiple Dark Slash], a chain of dark-blade strikes raining down.
"A solid combo!"
She attacked relentlessly with her dark scythe, and I smiled slightly. Impressive.
I boosted my speed with [Kasoseki] and dodged every strike, then reappeared behind her with [Shadow Steps], placing my katana gently at her neck.
She froze, understanding imdiately.
"I yield," she whispered.
"Don’t touch Nyssa!" Mark suddenly shouted, leaping toward .
His blade began glowing ominously as he prepared [Blackmore Swordsmanship: Sixth Form – Judgent].
"That idiot!" Envi shouted in my head. "If he uses that skill in here, the whole mansion will collapse!"
I agreed. I had to stop him.
Mark’s aura intensified as he started to swing—
But nothing happened.
The powerful skill failed to activate, and instead, he released a regular slash.
I blocked it effortlessly and stared at him with a blank expression.
William and Alan stared silently. Nyssa covered her mouth to keep from laughing.
"You idiot, Mark."
THUD!
I bonked him on the head, leaving a visible bump.
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