Dewdrops sparkled on the blades of grass as dust swirled in the training ground, marking the first flash of sword light.
The daily morning practice continued as usual, though a few spectators joined them by the sidelines today.
Princess Amy, the gold-haired girl with purple eyes and twin tails, had brought her squad of maids along with Are, the elegant priestess with clear green eyes and shoulder-length blonde hair.
Lucoco held a wooden sword, her footsteps alternating between light movements and deliberate slow-motion strikes as she carefully guided Adrian through his offensive and defensive transitions.
“Try this!”
She prompted softly, thrusting the tip of her sword toward his shoulder.
Adrian, soaked in sweat with wet hair clinging to his forehead, grunted as he parried the move, successfully blocking the strike.
“Morning Light, I blocked it!”
A flash of pride crossed his eyes.
“Not bad. Take a break before we continue,” Lucoco said, retracting her sword with a nod.
Just as she was about to wipe her sweat with her sleeve, a warm towel reached her forehead first, gently dabbing away the fine beads of perspiration.
“Sister Are.”
Lucoco instantly switched from instructor mode to that of a lazy kitten, her eyes curving into a bright smile.
On the other side, Amy refused to be outdone.
Seeing Adrian collapse onto the ground, she grabbed a towel and rushed over.
“Brother Adrian! I’ll help you wipe your sweat!”
Then, she began clumsily scrubbing Adrian’s face, making it feel like she was kneading dough.
“Haha, little Amy, why are you so concerned about your brother today? Don’t you usually just peek from the city walls?”
Adrian teased with a wide grin.
Amy’s face flushed red.
“You! Don’t talk nonsense! I wasn’t peeking!”
She retorted crossly.
“Oh? So it wasn’t little Amy? That’s a pity. I got excited for nothing,” Adrian said, feigning disappointment.
“Hmph! Don’t think you can get any information out of me!”
Amy lifted her chin, though her gaze drifted toward the other two.
“Yes, yes,” Adrian laughed in response, his eyes also landing on the pair nearby.
Seeing Lucoco’s soft and sweet demeanor in front of Are, he found it incredibly endearing and refreshing.
‘Is this her true side? She feels even more approachable than when she was a nun,’ Adrian thought to himself.
—
After resting for a moment, Adrian regained his spirit.
He stood up, brandished his sword, and took the initiative to ask for guidance.
“Morning Light, teach me another move!”
Seeing this, Lucoco didn’t hesitate.
She assumed an unfamiliar starting stance and charged forward.
“Such enthusiasm. Then I’ll teach you a new technique. This is the last sword style I can teach you, so be ready.”
“Bring it on!”
Adrian’s fighting spirit soared as he took his stance.
1 minute later…
Adrian was splayed on the ground like a dead dog, drooling.
He was covered in bruises, his body twitching occasionally, while his hand still tightly gripped the broken half of a wooden sword.
“Morning Light… You… what kind of sword style was that…”
He wheezed, his voice weak.
“The Nine Swords of Dugu!”
Lucoco answered dismissively.
Adrian turned his head with great effort.
“Isn’t that… something from… a storybook?”
“Yeah, I was just swinging randomly. I just used a bit more strength and moved a bit faster,” Lucoco said lightheartedly, telling the truth.
“…”
Adrian fell silent, looking at her with an expression that said, ‘Are you trying to fool an idiot?’
Just then, a small head peeked over.
Amy frowned as she looked at the wooden sword in Lucoco’s hand.
“Huh? Why is your wooden sword perfectly fine while my brother’s is shattered?”
“Because of a spell everyone knows called Augmentation and Fortification.”
Lucoco raised her wooden sword, lightly running her finger along the edge.
As her finger passed over it, the wooden blade began to emit a faint glow.
The light grew brighter until it began to shed specks of stardust like falling snowflakes.
She tossed it casually.
The wooden sword trailed a long streak of light and flew toward the wall.
With a soft *thud*, half of the blade buried itself deep into the stone bricks!
Amy’s mouth fell open into an O-shape, her purple eyes sparkling with desire.
The next second, she lunged at Lucoco and grabbed her waist, looking up with a “fierce” yet pleading gaze.
“The Princess wants to learn!”
Adrian was equally stunned.
When he finally snapped out of it, he looked back to see Lucoco teasing his sister, who was chasing her all over the field with flailing arms.
“Nia! Morning Light, don’t run! I want to learn that!”
“If Her Highness is willing to be my assistant, then I’ll teach you.”
“Believe it or not, I’ll bite your ear! Ah! I’ll climb through your window!”
Adrian suddenly smiled, a scene from yesterday appearing in his mind.
His usually stern uncle had a rare look of joy on his face after personally testing Adrian’s recent training results.
In short, Raymond had given him a solemn warning before leaving: “Hurry up and learn as much as you can from Morning Light. In 2 years at most, she will leave Versadis.”
Perhaps this mysterious girl would cross paths with others in the future.
If he didn’t want to lose to the geniuses of other nations, he couldn’t afford to be lazy.
Now, Adrian seemed to understand what Raymond meant.
For instance, looking at the scene before him.
While certain augmentation and fortification spells could indeed increase a weapon’s power, fortifying a wooden sword to such a degree was impossible without absolute skill and insight.
Perhaps the Sword Masters guarding the borders could perform it easily, but those were old monsters whose swordsmanship and magic had reached the pinnacle.
“I will work hard!”
Determination flashed in Adrian’s eyes as he slowly crawled up.
Since Lucoco had shown him that technique, it meant she was willing to teach him.
The demonstration was like a piece of candy meant to motivate him—perhaps she was worried he would get discouraged?
‘What a considerate girl, so likable~’
Adrian watched Lucoco, who was still running and playing with a bright smile on her face, and felt she was even cuter than before.
—
**[Notification: Adrian’s Favorability has increased by ♥x20. Current Trust: 40%]**
The notification caused Lucoco to daze for a split second.
The flailing Amy immediately seized the opportunity to pounce.
“Caught you!”
“Princess, have mercy!”
Lucoco shouted with a laugh.
“Hahaha! Too late!”
Amy said triumphantly.
*Mwah!*
Lucoco suddenly leaned in and gave her a light kiss on the cheek.
Amy froze on the spot, her face turning bright red with embarrassment.
Once she reacted, she chased after her in a huff.
“You, you, you! You kissed the Princess’s face again! Don’t run…”
“Remember to find me at the Alchemy Tower this afternoon! If you don’t know the way, have Adrian bring you.”
“Hmph! I’m not going!”
“I’ll be waiting for you, Sister Amy.”
“You! Nia! Don’t run!”
…
The girls ran out of the training ground while the maids and Are followed behind, chatting and laughing.
Another beautiful morning passed just like that.
Lucoco didn’t go back to her room.
Seeing Amy follow her out, she simply took the princess to the Snack Street.
That sequence of events nearly gave the Secret Guards a heart attack.
By the time the two returned under the protection of the maids and knights, rubbing their rounded bellies, it was already afternoon.
Lucoco had paid for everything out of her own pocket, promising to treat Amy whenever she wanted to eat in the future.
In her quest to make friends, Amy had already spent all of this month’s allowance, and even her secret stash was empty.
Because of this, Raymond had given Amy two choices:
First, she would have to take extra classes every day from now on.
Second, she would follow Lucoco to learn alchemy and magic while building a good relationship with her.
By doing so, she would not only be exempt from extra classes but would even be excused from morning lessons.
Naturally, there was no need to think twice; Amy chose the second option.
The maids had already whispered this to Lucoco.
When she left this morning, Raymond’s butler had been waiting at the door to give her a pouch.
Aside from dozens of gold coins, there was a note inside explaining the situation.
At the same time, Raymond hoped Lucoco could guide Amy in alchemy and magic.
As for the reward, he was already preparing it.