Nico sat down on the wooden bench just inches away from the cliff. They were back at the cabin and Nico was on his knees, as ordered by Torvald. The girl wasn't with them– she was in the cabin.
"Why didn't you find your way home?" Torvald asked.
Nico raised his head to look at Torvald.
"I lost consciousness after I got blasted away." Nico answered, picking his words carefully.
"I think I broke two or three ribs but I don't feel any pain." Nico said, still locking gaze with Torvald.
The mana core. Strange.
Mana cores weren't made to heal the user. To avoid casualties when in battle, mages tend to use mana to shield their bodies from taking critical damage but it was never heard of that mana was used in healing the user.
Except deviants. Deviants are mages born only to heal but this healing doesn't work on themselves except another deviant uses healing magic on them.
What kind of rare core do you have? Torvald thought.
"I can't have you falling unconscious every time during the course of the training. You will be punished." Torvald stated coldly.
"At midnight, You're to run 200 laps round the forest. And trust me, I'd know if you don't do it."
After all, he was an earth element user. If the forest was within his range, then detecting footsteps wouldn't be a problem for him.
With that Torvald stood up and walked into the cabin.
Wasn't 200 laps round the forest too much for a seven year old kid. Although it would help in his durability and resilience, what if he encountered a spirit beast?
Not like Torvald cared. It was Nico's decision to train under him after all.
Torvald studied the mysterious girl Nico brought home. Her demeanor was elegant. She had an awakened mana core but it was covered with impurities, like Nico's. Perhaps her parents had no idea she'd awakened.
She also refused to speak to anyone and spent the rest of the afternoon crying. Torvald showed no ounce of concern towards the kid. Although, he believed if she said something about her situation, it could be helped.
Since Torvald never got the chance to have kids, he never truly understood what it felt like having children around him.
By evening, Torvald was already out washing vegetables for the soup he was preparing.
Nico sat on the bench and the girl sat beside him.
"What's your name?" Nico asked, breaking the silence.
"Neryssa Windcrest." Her tiny feminine voice rang out.
The name instantly caught Torvald's attention and he tilted his head slightly to listen to their conversation. Windcrest, the most respected royal family. They got their fame from unifying the four kingdoms and the other three kings.
A big name amongst the council. The biggest maybe.
"Nico– Baldwin." Nico placed his palm on his chest.
"Why were you wandering all alone in the forest?" Nico asked.
His tone was rather friendly now compared to their first encounter.
Neryssa hesitated at first.
"Our convoy was attacked by bandits on our way to greet an envoy." She began, her gaze facing the ground as she spoke.
"There was too much fighting– so I ran to hide in the woods. Somebody struck me in the neck and the next place I found myself was inside a moving caravan with my hands and feet tied."
"When we finally stopped, I heard the men say I'd sell for quite a huge amount." She paused and looked at Nico.
"They must've tied me loosely because of the fear of damaging my skin so I untied myself and ran as far as my legs could carry me." She said and continued to stare at the ground.
At least she's smart, Torvald thought.
Kidnapping the princess of the nation was more than just a heinous crime– treason of the highest order. Especially since she was the daughter of the supreme royal throne.
"Do you know your way back home?" Nico asked and she shook her head in negation.
There was no way she'd know her way back especially if she couldn't find the route her convoy was marching on. Torvald knew how to get her back home but that was basically impossible.
The part of the kingdom they resided in was prohibited from entering the royal boundaries for unimportant reasons except on certain occasions. The princess in question didn't have her Identity pendant on her.
Since children of imperial blood were concealed from the outside world, recognizing her would be another problem. The next occasion to celebrate the unity of the four kingdoms was in three years and that was the only ticket they could use in returning Neryssa back to her family.
There was a second option but it was an option Torvald wasn't interested in taking.
"Do you miss home?" Nico's sentiment was obvious but Neryssa kept silent.
There was no need to ask. Of course, she wanted so badly to return back to her family. She'd never stayed out in the woods for a long time but at the same time, she was reluctant to answer.
Dinner went along smoothly and Neryssa soon fell asleep after her meal leaving Torvald and Nico. Torvald yawned and narrowed his gaze to Nico.
Nico stood at the edge of the cliff patiently waiting for midnight. Torvald was proud of the boy's spirit. If he passed this midnight's test, it would make him eligible to practice Torvald's extreme sword techniques.
Although Torvald wasn't knowledgeable enough to teach the boy how to regulate his mana flow and dissipate impurities, he knew Nico would be unstoppable if he knew how to wield the sword.
"It's midnight." Torvald said and stood from where he sat.
He carried Neryssa on his shoulder and walked inside the cabin.
Indeed, the moon was now shining brightly. Nico let out a deep breath and began to proceed down the mountain. After walking down the steep exit of the high mountain, Nico came face to face with the foggy forest.
"This is going to be hard!" Nico rubbed the back of his neck slightly.
Not like anything would stop him now. He began to sprint deep into the forest. The first lap felt like eternity. Nico's muscles and bones were already worn out just from running.
He stopped to catch his breath– bent forwards, panting heavily, with his left arm on the trunk of a tree for support, barely completing the first lap.
He still had 199 more