Waking up early morning, I stretched and had a slight smile on my face. It was the first night I could think of that I slept in a comfortable bed and didn't wake up with my whole body aching due to sleeping on the hard floor with just a blanket.
Then I almost got lost trying to find Mai and Aiden's rooms. If Louis didn't help me, I would really probably get lost.
Seriously I will need a map if I'm going to live here, and this is just the church. Roy would show me the Underground Empire and the Sacred Mountain where my... Mom spends most of the time. Yup, I seriously need a map...
It's still weird to call her mom, but she at least allowed me to call her that, unlike my previous mother.
I knocked on the door, and a moment later, a muffled voice called from the other side. "Come in."
I opened the door and saw Aiden sitting on the bed with an annoyed expression on his face and Mai sitting on a chair next to him, peeling something that looked similar to an apple.
"Cale! Please tell her that I can move on my own, and she doesn't need to babysit me." Aiden was the first to speak, seeing me, and before I could say anything, Mai decided to scold him.
"Miss Karley said that you should rest and not move around."
"She also said we shouldn't call her Miss..." He grumbled.
I chuckled at their interactions. "So what happened after I left?" I asked them.
"Nothing special, we just got our rooms Mai's room is on the other side."
"It's surprising we got our own private rooms." She said, tilting her head slightly.
"But enough about us. What happened after you left? What did the Holy Emperor want with you?" They both asked, and I started thinking about how to explain it to them.
I can't say I'm the adopted son of the Goddess of this church.
"Umm... Apparently, Goddess Luminous saw me when I entered the city and saw I had a pure and strong soul with the potential to become a saint, so she ordered the Holy Emperor to bring me to her." I told them the first thing that came to my mind. I should have thought about what to say before but didn't think about it after everything that happened yesterday.
"Wow, really, you can become a Saint?" Mai asked with stars in her eyes.
Good, they bought it. But I don't think this will work on adults. I need to find a better excuse. I should maybe ask Lum... Mom for help. She would probably know what to say.
"Yeah, but I wasn't supposed to tell anyone. So could you keep it a secret? Only the Holy Emperor knows it."
"Of course, we won't tell anyone." They both answered immediately, and I could sigh in relief. It would be bad if they told it to anyone else. I don't want anyone disappearing out of nowhere.
"Well, I need to get going. My training starts today, and I just wanted to see if you both were okay."
"I wish I could also begin my training today... I'm perfectly fine after being healed, so why do I need to stay in bed..." Aiden whined, only for Mai to pull his ear.
"You should listen to what Miss Karley said. She is a healer and knows what's best for you."
Sometimes I wonder who is the oldest out of them, seeing as Mai acts like the older sister at times.
---
I was breathing heavily as I finished running my ten kilometers run and continued another five as my new instructor demanded.
The church has a second building for training new Holy Knights. It's located beside the main church, with rooms for all new recruits, a big dining room for everyone to fit in, and a large training space in the back.
Usually, all recruits train there, but I'm a special case, and the one training me is the fake Demon Lord Roy Valentin. He told me Mom thought she couldn't trust the humans to train me properly, so she ordered Roy to teach me.
That's why I'm currently in an isolated area in the Night Garden that will serve as my training ground from now on.
"You can stop now." He said and took a small pause before continuing. "You got good stamina for your age. Rest for twenty minutes, then we will begin your sword training."
"Yes, teacher," I answered and sat down, bringing forth my daily quest screen.
[Daily Quest: Preparations to become strong.
Press-Up x100: Incomplete (0/100)
Sit-Up x100: Incomplete (0/100)
Squat x100: Incomplete (0/100)
Running 10km: Complete (15/10)
Warning: Incompletion of Daily Quests will result in appropriate levels of punishment.]
So the hidden reward still exists. That's good to know, but I don't think I will do it today. I already have plans for what to do after finishing today's training.
"Roy, is there a library in the church I could visit?" I asked him while wiping sweat off my forehead.
"Yes, there is one in the church, but you won't find anything they deem heresy, so it would be better to go to our library here in Night Garden instead." He said after thinking for a bit. "What exactly are you interested in?"
"Umm. Pretty much everything. History, Magic, Alchemy, Martial Arts, Monsters, and others. Can you show me where it is after we finish?"
"Of course. Now let's continue with your training. Your first lesson will be footwork, but before that, you should know a few things when in a fight." He paused to see if I was listening before continuing.
"If you want to win a fight, you must always remember these things:
Number one: You should always stay calm and aware of your surroundings.
Number two: Chivalry will get you killed. Deception is key.
Number three: Always avoid falling into a predictable pattern.
Number four: Striking at the right time and being close enough to actually hit.
And finally, number five: Always be cautious. Never underestimate your opponent.
I heard someone once say this: If your enemy is secure at all points, be prepared for him. If he is in superior strength, evade him. If your opponent is temperamental, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant. If he is taking his ease, give him no rest. If his forces are united, separate them. If sovereign and subject are in accord, put division between them. Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected.
There was more to it, but those are the basics you should remember. Now let's start with your footwork, and then you will be swinging your sword until you can't anymore." He said, giving me a training sword and started instructing me on footwork.
This continued for five hours, with four spent swinging the sword until I felt my wrist would break.
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Authors Note:
Thank you for reading this chapter.
I had some extra time and wrote a few more chapters in advance, so this week will also have daily chapters.
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