"Mother, you're so powerful, but why don't you wave your hand and display everything on a screen instead of drawing unrecognizable sketches on a paper? Wouldn't it be easier?" The princess asked.
"This child is simply asking for trouble. Why don't we end it here for today? Your mother is rather feeling sleepy already." The queen thought of an excuse. She was really tired from using her life force just to create a bubble shield.
"But…"
"Let's do it this way… Think or write about all the things you want to know and look for me tomorrow, then I will answer all your questions. How about it?"
"Yes mother."
"Goodnight my dear daughter."
"Goodnight mother."
Then queen hurriedly left the princess' room and she was never seen again… just for that night at least.
Few days passed by and the training grounds felt like it was experiencing the most joyous occasion that never happened. It was the first time in the princess' childhood days that she didn't come to visit them for trouble. If someone didn't know better, he might have assumed that they have won the war.
As for the queen? It was her most tiresome days ever. She never thought that her daughter's questions would require her more than five days to answer them all. But from that, the princess learned a lot.
First, life force is some kind of natural energy found on some parts of the planet but it is only abundant on places beyond the impassable mountains. Jamna is rather blessed but there's only a thin amount of life force that can barely support her mother, but the places below the impassable mountains are really lacking in it to the point of nil. That's why her mother is also rather stingy or being careful from too much use of her skills in order to avoid depletion. Her mother needs this life force for support because her body is structurally different from the others. Once her life force is depleted, she will implode because her body wouldn't be able to handle the dense atmosphere and immense gravity. To be able to gradually store a good amount of life force, she will need to avoid using her skills or brave the unexplored lands. While the farthest place from the impassable mountains is where dense amounts of life force is located, it's also the dwelling place of the strongest of beasts.
Second, while the impassable mountains separate Jamna from the rest of the other countries, it is still accessible using a narrow path that cuts the through the center. They call it the Narrow Serpent Pass. Legends say that a ginormous snake passed though impassable mountains but it wasn't able to support the snake's immense weight so a narrow and wavy path was formed. There's also a less popular rumor that the Narrow Serpent Pass was formed from an underground river that once ran through the mountains. The walls and the ceilings of the cave that was formed from the dried river crumbled down and created a narrow path above. But it was just some ramblings of a drunk man so nobody really believed it.
Third, what her mother gifted her was a life force cultivation technique which is compatible with the sword being used as an offensive as well as a defensive tool. This technique was mindlessly passed down to her mother by a master who is some old perverted hermit who doesn't really care about her… or rather, he doesn't really care about anything besides spending his days mumbling some perverted thoughts.
Fourth, the atmosphere of the planet is as high as the land is vast. When her mother fell down from outer space, it took her more than two days before she landed above the impassable mountains. It also took her a full year to partly recover and another two years before she finally met some people. It was General Rimo who saved her but he was already old and married so it was his son, the current king of Jamna, who brought home the bacon. The queen conveniently omitted their love story and told the princess just that. The queen is still in the process of recovering but she doesn't really have any plans to go back or as much as leave this planet.
The rest were not really important but because the princess was being importunately cute, the queen didn't have a choice but to give in. Like, Belka didn't change the name of their capital city so that the future generations will still remember their hatred for that certain traitorous general. She also told her daughter about her father who doesn't really have an apt for life force cultivation but still was able to barely manage. Now he can crumble hard rock to fine dust. Mind you dear readers, even the commonest rock on this planet is like an adamantium* if compared to the rocks on other planets. The queen also discovered that there's a beast king who made the entire dense forest north of their country his territory. That beast king allowed weaker beasts to enter or live inside his territory but prevents the other stronger and territorial beasts from entering. But she doesn't know why that strong beast king doesn't leave the forest and attack their city. Only the weaker beasts attack them from time to time. They get stronger from constant battles with beasts. This is also part of the reason why Belka is always attacking them.
One fine day several years later. The nameless planet kept revolving without minding others. The weak beasts decided to have a holiday instead of attacking Jamna. Some builders are busy fortifying one side of the Narrow Serpent Pass. The queen kept herself busy with anything in order to avoid her importunately cute daughter. There's also a good-looking young man clad in a standard leather armor, who is practicing his swordsmanship with a practice dummy on the soldiers' training grounds.
"Hey you!"
The young man was startled before looking around. What he saw immediately made him fearful yet he didn't forget to calm himself. "Princess, my name is Edkael. I've already told you that for the 11th time now."
"That's a mouthful. Can't I just call you as [you]?" She's not being rude, she just hates complicated stuffs.
'My name is not even that long.' The young man mumbled but ultimately decided to keep his thoughts to himself. Who is he to complain?
"Come let's trade sword blows." The princess urged.
"Wait… forget that." She suddenly stopped the young man.
Then she turned around. "Sir Dario, can you come over for a minute?"
The knight walked over. "What is it princess?"
"Let us spar." A no nonsense declaration towards a knight.
"No. Not happening." Sir Dario, the gallant knight thoughtlessly denied.
Just as he was about to go back, he immediately turned around and parried.
Twannngg!
"Hey! That's a real sword!" The knight exclaimed. Not really minding the sneak attack.
"Here I come. You better prepare."
Princess, now on her fifteenth year on this planet, immediately darted towards the knight with a real sword in hand.
She feinted and suddenly side-stepped to the left and swung her sword towards his waist. Just a little lower below his sword hand.
Wooooshhh…
Sir Dario barely avoided by stepping backwards to his left while he dodged with his agile body.
"Did your mother teach you that?" The knight was surprised.
"You know my mother is an expert?" the princess stopped her attack. She didn't answer him because what she did was a technique she learned not from her mother but from that ahjussi on soul land.
"I even know that her highness was the reason why the king is as strong as he is now. It's not really a secret. I also learned some things from her but I'm not as good as his highness, King Wulfhart." Sir Dario explained.
Princess Kahlia then stopped to think. Nobody bothered her. By now, everyone figured out that the longer the princess stayed that way, the better their chance of not being bullied by the princess. After a long pause, she suddenly left without a single word. It was that moment that they can finally let out a hearty breath.
All this while, the young man, named Edkael, did not leave his sight off them. He saw the whole thing from the moment the princess maneuvered a sneak attack on the knight up until she left.
'That was intense!' Edkael kept his thoughts to himself. 'It's my first time seeing that kind of move.'
As everyone dispersed, this young man also went back to the dummy while pondering on something. After some intense thinking, he suddenly lowered his stance, put his weight backwards, leveled his wooden sword just right above his chest, and pounced towards the dummy.
Thuddd!
The sword fell off his hands. 'Something's not right.'
"Widen your stance." A voice was suddenly heard behind him.
"Sir Dario. Sorry for not noticing you." Edkael took a bow of respect.
"You learned all that just from a first glance? You're something young man." The knight walked towards the young man.
"Let me teach you."
- - - -
*adamantium - a metal alloy harder than diamond.