"My bloodline is focused on improving my body's overall strength," I explained with a wry smile.
It had taken some time for my family to finally calm down and relax.
"My body has become significantly stronger, faster, and more durable than normal humans. I've awakened a first-order trait that improved my body composition, it's also one of the main reasons why my physical appearance has changed."
My father immediately burst into delighted laughter.
"That's my son! A combat-oriented mythical bloodline with a first-order trait awakening at Noble rank!" He stood up and clapped me on the shoulder with obvious pride.
Then as if understanding something crucial he lowered his voice before saying. "Son, you should be really careful. Do not expose your bloodline rank to anyone, we have many enemies and once they hear about your awakening, they will feel threatened and attempt to assassinate you."
With a serious nod, I said. "Yes, father. I will not let a single soul know."
"Good man."
After breakfast was finished and the servants had cleared the table, Marcus was even more eager to begin training than he had been the night before.
His son had the potential to become the strongest existence in the city, and he wanted to train him and see how powerful he was.
With two powerful bloodlines in the family, House Blackwood would become significantly more powerful in the kingdom's political landscape.
Of course, just having a mythical bloodline didn't guarantee that somebody was bound to be the strongest. No, Aspects, echoes, traits, and experience all played crucial roles in determining real combat effectiveness.
"Very well," Duke Marcus said, his eyes glinting with anticipation. "But now I'm even more excited to see what you can do in training. With your new improved body, we can push your development much harder than I originally planned. You can catch up to the other nobles in your generation in a short period of time and soon enough excel, leaving them behind in the dust."
I nodded, feeling somewhat excited. With my father's experience, I should learn to control my power more and utilize it better.
To survive the upcoming obstacles I needed to learn how to effectively use my abilities. Otherwise, my death would be gruesome, and I'd already experienced dying once. I had no
intention of repeating that experience so soon.
…
Outside in the courtyard, I stood before my father under the scorching sun. The training grounds were spacious and well-maintained, with various practice weapons arranged along the walls and training dummies positioned at regular intervals.
We weren't alone. Several of the estate's guards and father's subordinates who trained here regularly were also present, working through their own exercises in designated areas.
They maintained a respectful distance but I could sense their curiosity about the Duke's sudden decision to personally train his son.
My father began my training with dynamic stretches and warm-ups, clearly taking into account the previous Adrian's leisurely habit of avoiding physical exertion. He was being careful not to push too hard from the beginning, gradually working up my flexibility and getting my blood flowing to avoid overtraining me.
I could tell he was getting me into the zone. I smiled inwardly, this new father of mine was really thoughtful.
"Your body may feel different now that your bloodline has awakened," he explained as we moved through the stretches, "but you still need to build proper muscle memory and technique. Having raw power without control could be a weapon against you, not with you,"
I nodded my head, agreeing with his words.
Then he handed me a training sword and began teaching me the fundamentals of swordsmanship.
Honestly, the instruction was invaluable. My father possessed a Rare trait called Knight's Valor, and his swordsmanship was genuinely top-notch.
He was considered the strongest swordsman not just in the city of Luminara, but in the entire Kingdom of Eldrathia. Learning from him was an incredible opportunity that most people could only dream of.
In about half an hour, he managed to teach me the absolute basics of proper swordsmanship.
Whether it was stances, grip, basic cuts, defensive positions, and footwork. He had taught me all.
I felt surprisingly good about my learning speed. It was certainly fast, I was absorbing the lessons at a good pace, which was encouraging. My vampire body and traits were definitely helping.
Swordsmanship wasn't going to be my main focus anyway. The primary reason I was learning was because it would be helpful for general combat situations.
During the training, I decided to not tell my dad about the pendant. Simply because he had already bought the story of awakening my bloodline, he wasn't suspicious at all.
My father stepped back after demonstrating a basic combination sequence.
"Not bad for your first lesson," he said with approval. "Your natural coordination is definitely better than when we first started. Your swordsmanship has also improved, let's see how you handle some light sparring."