Cecilia was gone.
Lu Mo’s world fell silent once again.
No longer would a girl clumsily climb over that wall and offer her a silly smile.
Because the role of the Saintess involved the secrets of the Holy Sanctuary, the academy’s training was exceptionally strict, almost entirely forbidding contact with the outside world.
Consequently, Cecilia could not even serve as a mysterious pen pal.
How long would it be before they could meet again?
Perhaps that answer could only be left for time to provide.
Lu Mo’s personality was naturally somewhat solitary.
When the only person who had stayed by her side disappeared, she became even more lonely and cold.
However, she did not care about this loneliness.
Regaining her composure, she once again scrutinized the three tasks the system had left her at the beginning.
“Cecilia… has more or less developed a sense of self now,” Lu Mo murmured. “She knows what is a lie and what is truth, so she won’t be easily deceived as she was before.”
Lu Mo spoke to the empty air.
She was not worried that Cecilia would revert to her previous state—obediant, giving blindly, and utterly devoid of self.
Yet, this was the first time Cecilia had left her side to go to such a distant place.
She still felt some concern for that big idiot.
“And next, I have things I must do as well…”
After suppressing her concern for Cecilia in the depths of her heart, Lu Mo looked toward her second task.
She had to kill the Demon King of this era.
But in her current state, she was far from strong enough.
She had also promised Cecilia that she would become the most powerful knight. When that time came, no one would be able to take Cecilia away from her.
Therefore, she could not stand still.
She had to move forward.
She had to find the possibility of slaying a Demon King with the strength of a mortal.
She had to become someone worth waiting for.
She sought out her father, the Head of the Kalis Family.
For the first time, she made a request of him.
“I need a swordsmanship teacher—the stronger, the better.”
In her previous duels, she had proven her talent and ability.
Because distinguished guests from the Holy Sanctuary had been present and witnessed her entire battle, the Holy Sanctuary would likely re-evaluate her value once they were informed.
The Head of the Kalis Family looked at Lu Mo with a strange expression.
When children of this age made requests, didn’t they usually ask for a beautiful rainbow pony or want to become a magical girl?
How had it turned into his daughter actively seeking a tutor for extra lessons?
‘How about we don’t study? A clever child will turn dull if they only study without playing.’
The Head of the Kalis Family really wanted to advise his daughter this way.
But seeing Lu Mo’s cold and serious gaze, he fell silent.
“I understand,” he replied after a moment. “I will do my best to find a powerful swordsmanship teacher for you within the Holy Sanctuary. But you should also know that because you lack talent for Holy Power, some seniors might be unwilling to teach you.”
Lu Mo nodded.
After thanking the Head of the Kalis Family, she slowly walked away.
The Head of the Kalis Family watched Lu Mo’s thin back, lost in thought for a long time. Finally, he let out a long, drawn-out sigh.
***
Half a month passed, and the Head of the Kalis Family found a teacher for Lu Mo.
The man had been a Vice Commander of the Holy Dragon Knights. His cultivation had been damaged and his body severely injured in a battle against the demons, forcing him to leave the battlefield.
He had guided many young Holy Dragon Knights and heroes, and he was known for being strict and ruthless.
“Originally, I would not teach someone who doesn’t even have an iota of talent for Holy Power. I only came here out of respect for your father.”
The middle-aged man looked at Lu Mo with a cold gaze and continued, “Your father said you wanted a powerful teacher. Then let me see how long you can last under my guidance and how much of the basics of my swordsmanship you can grasp.”
But in just three months, the middle-aged man fled in a panic.
When he bid farewell to the Head of the Kalis Family and looked at Lu Mo again, there was actually a hint of terror in his eyes.
The girl’s talent… was simply too terrifying.
Lu Mo could learn almost 80% of his swordsmanship just by watching it once.
Combined with her practice habits, which bordered on madness, Lu Mo had completely mastered the combat techniques he took pride in within just a few months.
When he suppressed his own cultivation level to duel her, he gradually found himself unable to withstand her blade.
In the end, he had to cheat by slightly unsealing his cultivation level to avoid being defeated, barely managing to force a draw.
‘Even the talent of the Grand Inquisitor is likely no more than this,’ the man thought to himself.
“Did my daughter do something to upset you, sir?” the Head of the Kalis Family asked.
Although Lu Mo’s talent was great, following a man like this should have taken at least two or three years to fully complete her apprenticeship, shouldn’t it?
“No, Lady Lu Mo is excellent,” the man said with a bitter smile. “She has already learned the swordsmanship I am most proud of. I have nothing left to teach her.”
“Hmm?” The Head of the Kalis Family was stunned.
The middle-aged man was arrogant, but he would never lie about martial arts.
That meant Lu Mo had really… learned it all?
“Farewell, Master Kalis. Farewell… Lady Lu Mo.”
The man bid them both goodbye. When his gaze fell on Lu Mo, many emotions surfaced: admiration, shock, and also regret.
‘To what heights will she eventually grow?’ the man wondered as he left the Manor.
As the man’s figure receded into the distance, the Head of the Kalis Family stood before the Manor, dazed for a long time.
He only came to his senses when Lu Mo spoke.
“Can you… find me a stronger teacher?”
Hearing her words, he became even more dazed.
Find a stronger teacher?
He could, but why was Lu Mo doing this?
Why was she training so desperately?
Why was she so obsessed?
What did she want to gain?
What did she want to… eventually face?
‘You don’t have the talent for Holy Power. You might defeat someone like Kemode now, but as the years pass, you will eventually lose to them. You won’t be able to keep up. You will watch their backs as they walk further and further away. They are the protagonists of this era.’
The Head of the Kalis Family desperately wanted to tell Lu Mo this, to make her recognize reality.
But every time he saw those cold and determined eyes, he couldn’t bring himself to say it.
‘Perhaps only Lu Mo herself can come to realize this cruel reality.’
With that thought, he eventually nodded to her.
The Head of the Kalis Family did not lie to Lu Mo.
Later, he truly put his heart into finding several other teachers for her.
Without exception, those teachers were just like the first man.
At the start, they assumed Lu Mo wouldn’t last long.
But after four or five months at most, or as little as one month, they would all sheepishly tell the Head of the Kalis Family, “I have nothing left to teach Lady Lu Mo,” and leave with their heads bowed.
For the final attempt, the Head of the Kalis Family invited a Master of Battle Qi Swordsmanship from the Holy Sanctuary.
The Master had quite a personality. After glancing at Lu Mo, he stated that he would suppress his cultivation level and fight her; if she could block three strikes, he would agree to be her teacher.
Lu Mo nodded in agreement.
The Master chuckled softly.
Then, the battle began.
Just as the Master was about to swing his sword, his eyes suddenly widened.
He saw that Lu Mo hadn’t bothered to defend at all. Instead, she charged at him with dual swords!
That momentum and killing intent made even him tremble.
*Clang—*
The final result exceeded everyone’s expectations.
The Master lost.
His sword was knocked aside, falling and piercing into a floor tile.
Lu Mo’s sword stopped less than 10 centimeters from the Master’s chest.
The girl withdrew her blade and turned away.
The Master stood frozen in place for a long time.
Eventually, he awkwardly bid the Head of the Kalis Family goodbye and fled from the family in disgrace.
At that moment, the Head of the Kalis Family realized—he could no longer find a teacher for Lu Mo.
The powerful beings ranked higher in the Holy Sanctuary only personally selected their own disciples.
“I cannot find a teacher to teach you anymore,” the Head of the Kalis Family told Lu Mo truthfully.
“I see.” Lu Mo nodded and thanked him.
Afterward, she stopped bringing up the topic of finding a teacher.
She returned to her routine of traveling between the library and the corner of the Manor.
However, this time, she spent more and more time in the library.
She constantly flipped through books that weren’t related to the Holy Power attribute, learning combat techniques and secret arts.
She categorized and organized those sword styles, absorbing what was useful and discarding what was not.
She found some useful fragments of records, focusing her full attention on deducing and attempting to complete them.
Time flowed by.
No one knew exactly what level her swordsmanship had reached.
No one knew how much she had learned from those fragments.
Soon, it was winter again.
‘Is it enough?’
‘Perhaps… it is still far from enough.’
After finishing the last fragment, Lu Mo murmured to herself.
Most of the family’s collection consisted of records related to Holy Power, which she could not cultivate.
By now, she had read through almost all the non-Holy Power texts she could access that were of any help.
Her swordsmanship and her abilities had already surpassed her self from the first Simulated Reincarnation.
Yet her enemies were far more terrifying than they had been then.
“It’s time to see the wider world,” she said.
Thus, she stepped into that childhood wooden cabin one last time, looking nostalgically at her desk and Cecilia’s treasure chest.
She reinforced the cabin’s formations so that rain and snow could not penetrate and dust could not settle.
She set up several layers of restrictions that even an expert of the highest order would find difficult to breach.
After that, she gently closed the door, preserving her warm and happy childhood there forever.
She found the Head of the Kalis Family once more and explained her intent.
Looking at her, the Head of the Kalis Family actually felt a sense of reluctance to let her go.
“Go, then, if that is truly what you want.”
He asked Lu Mo to wait for a moment and left for a while. When he returned, he handed her a spatial ring.
“Remember to protect yourself out there. If you encounter real danger, announce the name of the Kalis Family. They won’t dare do anything to you.”
Usually, he didn’t pay much attention to this silent daughter who lacked talent for Holy Power.
But when it came time for them to truly part, he found himself worried about her.
“If there comes a day when you are truly tired of walking, come back,” he said softly at the end. “This will always be your home.”
“Thank you,” Lu Mo replied, giving the Head of the Kalis Family a deep bow.
Then, the girl secured her sword and walked into the wind and snow without looking back.
She left footprints in the snow, bidding farewell to the Kalis Manor and her past as she walked further and further away.
She was 13 years old that year.