The night passed, but it was anything but uneventful for the soldiers. When the grey light of dawn finally broke, it revealed a castle full of weary, distrustful men.
Except for the General, who had slept soundly after his indulgences, not a single soldier from either camp had managed a restful night.
Early the next morning, Jin awoke, having slept as soundly as a stone through the night.
The benefits of his dual breakthrough were immediately apparent. He felt a surge of power in his new body and could now clearly assess his future progress. Reaching the Silver Stage, he calculated, was no longer a distant goal; he could achieve it in two weeks, at most.
The Bronze Stage was comprised of nine distinct layers, each one building the foundation for the Silver Stage that lay beyond. Reaching the peak of the ninth layer was the final step, before silver stage.
For Jin, who already possessed the enlightenment and comprehension from his past life, the journey was not one of enlightment, but simply of accumulation. He only needed to cultivate his way through each layer without pause.
He glanced out the window. The training ground was now a sprawling military camp, packed with the Royal Army's tents, smoldering campfires, and bustling soldiers. It was no longer a viable place for him to cultivate.
For now, Jin was still unaware of the deep rift that had formed between the Duke's forces and their supposed allies.
He was also unaware of the imminent threat that had been summoned, a being of absolute power that now sought to cause total annihilation.
For now, the only surprise Jin would face that day came in the form of a soft knock on his chamber door as he was gazing out the window.
"Who is it?" Jin called out.
"It's me!" a childish, girly voice answered.
He opened the door to find Kelly standing there, dressed in another fine, silken gown.
"What are you doing here?" he asked.
"I wanted to invite you to have breakfast with me," she said, her expression hopeful.
"Breakfast?"
"Yeah," she nodded. "I always eat with the maids."
He thought for a moment. He was, in fact, hungry, and the thought of eating another bowl of the soldiers' bitter soup was unappealing. "Okay, why not."
With a relieved smile, she led him through a series of servant corridors he hadn't seen before. What awaited him was not a grand hall, but a small, cozy room where a simple wooden table was set.
Three maids were already eating. They were all young, none older than sixteen, and wore fitted black dresses trimmed with white lace, paired with crisp aprons.
"Little Miss!" one of the maids said, her mouth full of bread. "We were waiting for you, but... we were just too hungry!"
A flicker of annoyance crossed Kelly's face as she saw them eating without her, but she quickly covered it with a forced smile. "No problem, no problem at all. Let's eat!" she said, and took a seat.
As fate would have it, the only empty chair was right next to her. Kelly looked at him with bright, anticipatory eyes. Jin, completely oblivious to her intentions, simply sat down and immediately began to eat.
"Young Miss, is that—" one of the maids began to ask, but she was cut short by a death stare from Kelly. The maid immediately understood, lowered her head, and went back to quietly eating her food.
Jin glanced between the two but thought nothing of it. The simple bread and butter he was eating was a welcome change from the soldiers' usual fare.
While eating, he began to recall the grand feasts of his past life and suddenly realized that he hadn't truly eaten or drunk anything in centuries. With his previous level of cultivation, his body had no need for mortal sustenance.
But now, sitting here, he found that the simple act of eating was a welcoming change he never knew he missed.
So, he indulged himself, eating slice after slice of the fresh bread.
"You seem to be very hungry," Kelly observed, a happy smile on her face as she politely placed a hand before her mouth.
"It tastes good," Jin replied bluntly, with no regard for etiquette or elegance.
The maids finished their meal first and, after a polite nod to Kelly, went on their way to begin their duties. Only Kelly and Jin remained at the table. For Kelly, this was the perfect opportunity to start a conversation.
"Where are you from, Jin?" she asked softly. "I only know that you were rescued from the demon worshippers."
He glanced at her for a moment before taking another bite of bread. He had to be on his third loaf by now, but he could see the genuine curiosity in her eyes.
"Well..." he said, chewing thoughtfully. "I'm from a place... far away."
"Far away?"
"Yes, very far away," he confirmed.
"Is it not part of this kingdom?"
"No," he answered simply.
"Then why did you come to this kingdom?" she pressed gently. "And how did you get captured?"
Jin paused, feigning a look of concentration. "To be honest... I don't really know. It seems I... forgot."
"You forgot?" she asked, her voice full of sympathy.
"Yes. My last memories of my home are... fuzzy."
He didn't lie, Jin really did not remember his last moments clearly.
Kelly pieced it together. "So, you're not from this kingdom, and you lost your memories of how you got here."
"Yes," he affirmed.
"Then what was your home like?" she asked, her curiosity unabated. "Is it like it is here?"
Jin thought for a second, considering how he could answer truthfully without revealing anything. "It is not so different from here," he began. "But back home... people have a great desire to be strong. That is the only real difference."
Kelly let out a small laugh. "Well then, it truly isn't so different from here at all."
A short silence followed.
Then, she began to talk, her voice quiet and sad.
"You know, it's really lonely here," she said, looking down at her hands. "Without my big sister... I'm so, so lonely."
Jin remained silent, finishing off the last of the bread.
"My mother is heartbroken; she cries all the time and pretends I don't exist. And the other children... they're all so boring and arrogant."
"Originally," she continued, "we lived in our own county, not far from here. But about a month ago, the demon worshippers destroyed our villages, and we had to flee to the Duke's castle for protection.
My father... he died trying to protect us during the attack. And my sister... she was abducted two weeks ago. She just wanted to go for a little stroll and snuck out of the estate..." Her voice trailed off, thick with unshed tears.
Then, unexpectedly, Jin began to speak, his voice calm and devoid of pity.
"Being alone is no reason to be sad," he stated simply. He continued, "I have no one in my life—no parents, no siblings, and no friends—but I have never once been sad, because I have a goal."
"A goal?" she asked, looking up at him with tears welling in her eyes.
"Yes," he affirmed. "Build yourself a goal. Make it a truly difficult one. If you do that, you will have no time to waste on such thoughts."
Abruptly, a maid burst into the room, her expression urgent.
"Young Miss, the Duke has summoned you," she said, giving a quick curtsy.
"The Duke?" Kelly repeated, surprised.
"Yes, Miss. He asks that you follow me immediately."
"Oh," Kelly said, turning to Jin. "I'm sorry, I have to go." She quickly wiped her eyes with the back of her hands, sniffing a couple of times to compose herself.
Jin just gave a slight nod. With one last sad look, Kelly turned and followed the maid out of the room.