"Young Master, you're as early as always! Wait, you have little Hylda with you today?"
"She wanted to accompany me in my training, so I brought her with me. Hylda, this is Mister Lorei, a Butcher who provides the best cut of meat in the city."
The spear-carrying Hylda was still half-asleep but was jolted awake when she realized the man's identity — the meat provider.
"Good morning, Mister Lorei." She made sure to show her utmost respect to ensure the quality won't drop.
Butcher Lorei laughed as he saw Hylda acting as such, "Gahahaha, how energetic you are. Well, good luck with your training, Young Master, Young Miss."
"Thank you, and I'm counting on you to provide the best cuts for the workers later."
Lorei nodded, and Hylda and Colt left with a pleasant smile on their faces.
Walking through the street market early in the morning, where the stores were still just preparing their goods, many people greeted them.
The Vegetable Seller Sesa, the Construction Worker Shin, and old man Geralt were the few people who greeted the two in their early morning walk.
"Papa, are we going to do this all day? We could just train at the Inn's open area, right?"
"Why? Don't you like it? They called you pretty and brave, aren't you enjoying it?"
"I'm…not used to being called Young Miss or brave. I only go to the Orphanage, and there, they just call me Big Sis. Back in the Manor, the maids call me Young Miss, but I'm already used to them. However, this is the first I ever walked out in public like this."
Hylda's face got all red from embarrassment.
Colt saw this and could not help laughing at her expression.
"Hah! Such a brat! You still don't know anything."
"Huhhhhh!? That's rich, coming from you! I was the one who taught you how to rear Filla. I'm not a brat!" Hylda swung the spear at her "Father" from the frustration.
She used to kick Colt when she's irritated, but her methods had improved.
Colt dodged by moving side to side while walking. Hylda got incensed entirely by this and she gritted her teeth in frustration, "Dammit!"
She used aura to quick her spear's thrust but still failed miserably. And ten minutes later, Hylda was already sweating profusely before they even began training.
Colt saw her daughter struggling, and instead of comforting her, he laughed on top of his lungs.
"HAHAHA, you can't beat your old man! You're still green, no matter how I see it. A brat I say, so a brat you are." He then made a dash for it, leaving Hylda behind.
Hylda watched Colt's back disappearing and felt irritated. With a tight grip on her spear, Hylda dashed to try and get Colt, "Get back here!"
Colt was smiling ear to ear.
'Good thing, she's okay.'
Ever since Mina and Filla were kidnapped, Hylda had been down. She's usually a bright and dazzling child. Colt was worried about her mental health.
This world is filled with danger, and the experience she had with Olivier is just one of the few she will face in her life.
The life she has will be much tougher, and Colt doesn't want her first defeat to become a scar in her heart. It should be a lesson but not something that will stick to her as an irk in her past. That's something he doesn't want.
'I'd rather shoulder the traumas for them…I have Fluff for that.'
Colt is learning very slowly.
Colt reached the empty plaza, and there, he and Hylda began their training. It was 4:00 am, still too early for anyone to be there.
For thirty minutes, Colt had to stretch while avoiding Hylda's spear.
The two were very energetic early in the morning. And despite their banter, when training time arrived, they took every second of it seriously.
At 4:30 am, the two began their early routine. Like always, Colt poured his everything in every swing. His whole being was placed in the sword, his deep blue and black aura mixed as Colt made a swing.
But Colt made a swing that lasted for ten minutes to finish.
From head to toe, Colt was drenched in sweat. His whole body was trembling, and only after four swings, his hands lost its strength. His sword fell on the ground.
"Hah, hah, hah…this is pretty hard." Colt's hands were trembling. He had never been this tired before, but there he was, shaking in just a couple of swings.
Colt's swing was not normal.
Every time he swings the sword, there's a constant fight happening inside his body. The war of aura causes his body to have a burst of strength but also excruciating pain.
With that in mind, the burst of aura he is using becomes something similar to a barrel of gunpowder exploding. It was spontaneous and hard to control. Thus, if Colt makes an abrupt slash, then there's a good chance a vein will pop.
This training is nothing short of dangerous, and in the entire world, no one uses it because it's practically suicide.
One wrong mistake and Colt would die.
However, that's what makes it worth it to train.
'Training in the First Phase of anything is strengthening the veins for the energy to flow in it. Then, if I constantly damage it like this, my improvement will be endless.'
This training was self-made. He had been doing this for three days and at first, three swings were his limitation lies. After now, it's four.
'Hehe, when I reach ten swings, I'll be an official Rank-6.'
Colt was very much aiming for a speedrun in training.
The only reason why he's capable of doing is that Colt has Fluff's Gift. So, this is truly a training only he can do.
Colt and Hylda's training lasted till 6:30 am when the plaza began filling up with people and Colt collapsing on the ground, unable to stand up.
By 7:00 am, Colt regained his strength and walked back to the inn where Mina and Filla are waiting for them with breakfast.
In the Inn's dining area, Colt and the rest of his family including Mary Courtgain ate a big meal.
"Hey, older brother." while eating, Risa called out to Colt.
Colt ignored her for he knows what she'll say.
"Older brother, don't ignore me, come on? Come on, come on? I promise it will be good." Risa didn't give up.
"Risa, we're in the middle of eating…" Colt reprimanded like a true older brother.
Risa heard him and instead of getting dejected, she grinned ear to ear before announcing, "Drake managed to make a purifying breath. Haha, it was so cool you should come to see it sometimes."
"Ack…" Colt wanted to say something but he swallowed his bitterness and let it be.
Drako was a True Purifying Fire Dragon and Risa's Soul Partner.
A week and a half ago Colt was too angry to pay attention to the Dragon. But after things calmed down, Colt immediately began acting like an idiot in the presence of a Dragon.
He was in awe of its mini form, and almost revered it to no end. He fawned over the Dragon named Drako when Risa wasn't in the picture.
But one day, he grew lax and was discovered. Ever since then, Risa had been trying to make fun of it because of this.
'The Hidden Dragon of the Edgeworths, what a fitting title! Hahaha.' She was an expert at getting to him.
The dragon was very cool and he couldn't deny it.
Colt secretly turned to the side and saw Fluff and the Chick eating without holding back. Their round and chubby body couldn't be any far from being similar to a badass looking beast.
'Their strong, but still...' the appeal of a cool beast is still something Colt very much desires.
After breakfast and surviving a barrage of teasing, Colt took a bath right after Hylda.
Hylda, Filla, and Lyra were then called by Faerith in a room to be taught the ways of the nobles.
Their house may have been destroyed but that is not a good enough reason to skip lessons. This lesson was also a good distraction from all the troubles happening around them.
The lessons will continue for three hours, and at this time, Colt and Mina were free to flirt all they want.
Colt would accompany Mina to his morning walks where he will feel like his life would be put to the edge when young maidens squeal at the sight of his handsomeness.
After all the lessons, lunch would come, then rest for the entire day.
At this time, Colt would spend some time with his family. Faerith would go to check the rebuilding of the manor and the process of preparing the welcoming party for the army who eradicated their enemy.
Colt would watch Mina teach Filla about Magic.
After a couple of hours, at around tea time, he and the others would go to the Light Orphanage to have tea.
Then, at night, Colt would train until he collapses and has to be dragged back by Fluff and the Chick.
Mary Courtgain who first saw this felt her heart flutter.
This kind of life continued that is until two days later, the army returned with a celebrated victory.
The whole city was brought to a festive mood. Everyone cheered and like when it was Filla's birthday, booze was provided for free.
Count Shickly returned in a glorious fashion wearing a black plated armor. When Count Shickly and Colt met face to face, the Count who had been away to the battlefield nodded at him, saying, "Good job at protecting them, my child."
"Thank you, father."
And as soon as Colt uttered those words, Count Shickly walked past him and went to his granddaughters' side.
"Were you guys, afraid? Sorry, Grampapy was not there. It must have been scary. Don't worry, Grandpa's here."
Only now did Colt see how much of a doting Grandfather the Hero Count Shickly had become.