CHAPTER 16 – THE GENERAL GETS A CURSED SWORD

My whole body ached, and I was walking with difficulty. It had been a long time since I'd been in such an exhausting training routine, and my little child body was not ready to handle it.

A family of assassins? This is too crazy...

I struggled to take a bath, but luckily, the maids had left a tub filled with hot water. It seemed that after a heavy training session like I had, it was common to have a special bath with some essences in the water to help with the fatigue and relax my tense muscles.

When I got into the water, I took my time and stayed there for a long while.

That was paradise...

I threw myself onto my bed and lay down. The little phoenix flew over to me and settled next to me.

Staring at the ceiling, I turned my head to the side and looked at the little red bird.

"You didn't trick me that day, right? You’re going to leave, aren’t you?"

I asked, and the phoenix... shrugged.

"What do you mean you don't know?"

She just stared at me.

"Is it because you're too weak to fly back and make that journey? My mom told me that sea is tempestuous and it's the last sea in this world. Whoever enters that sea rarely comes back. Are you waiting to get stronger to make the journey?" I asked her.

The little phoenix got up and shrugged again.

I sighed.

"You're complicated, you know that?"

I got up with difficulty, and she walked to my side.

"You know I'm stuck in this place, right? I can't leave these walls until the situation is resolved. Luckily, it won't take long... so that means you'll also be stuck here since I can't leave. Do you understand that? I know there’s a small garden with a fountain and a big open sky, but I don't know where it is. If you're going to stay with me until you regain your strength, know that you'll be stuck here with me. Got it?"

She looked at me and nodded 'yes.'

"At least you didn't shrug this time..."

The phoenix looked at me and shrugged.

I laughed.

"You're pretty sarcastic for just any bird," I said, stroking the little red bird's head.

'Squaak!' she said.

"Alright... you're not just any bird, you're a phoenix." As I said that, she looked happy and nodded enthusiastically.

I walked to my desk. There was a tray with my lunch.

It seemed my mother had told them about the phoenix only eating what’s on my plate...

On my plate, there were two big steaks, and one of them was for my little red friend.

She flew over and pointed at my plate with her beak.

"Thanks for waiting," I said to her, offering a steak.

The little phoenix grabbed it and started tearing off pieces.

"I know I’ve said this before, but thank you so much for saving me that day. I... got to see someone I love again... so you can also have half of my steak today, but just for today. I’ll need all the energy these meats can give me if I want to get strong again."

The phoenix looked at me and nodded.

SIFU:

I was cleaning my training area where I spent the morning with my newest apprentice. I chuckled softly.

"That boy... it's almost like he's teaching me instead of the other way around."

I almost lost my neck a few times during our fights... I had to tell him to skip the basics of swordsmanship and go straight to Kung Fu.

My original plan was to have him master the initial sword positions to get a feel for the fun while secretly training him in Kung Fu stances. He would just need to do the same movements I was going to teach without holding a sword, but he's beyond the basics... could he be a natural talent? He's a descendant of the man who saved me, so his lineage is of brave warriors.

A prodigy? Just as there can be someone who is an exceptional painter without going to art school, there are also those who are exceptional fighters. The boy is something valuable. A fighter who will be a mage. If he inherits his father's skill in magic... it would be incredible.

I might see the peak of this family again. If he grows up and joins the Evenhart Legacy, we could even... even consider confronting our opponents... I can't think like that. Thinking about acting with violence is the downfall of anyone. The Evenhart Legacy is only activated when you're at your worst moment and there’s no other way out. We might be in the middle of a noble crisis, but this is just a crisis that everyone must learn to endure and resist. This is a lesson even for those children I trained who now occupy their parents' places as the new generation of the Evenhart Legacy.

Besides... if we draw too much attention, it will alert the kingdom to our organization due to what Nikolaus is doing, he ended up alerting all the nobles of this territory. The organization must remain dormant. We are merely servants of a ducal house, and so it must remain.

I just feel sorry for the little girl I saw growing up and running through these corridors. She sits on that throne and carries that burden... I hope she can come up with a way to resolve this crisis through the little princess's engagement... or I'm afraid of what will happen.

I sighed, remembering my apprentice. There were even moments when I had to scratch my neck to check if it had been cut.

I'll leave the swords for later and focus solely on Kung Fu.

"Sifu..." a voice called behind me.

I turned and saw Lady Margaery standing there.

Speak of the devil... she appears.

"Lady Margaery," I said, bowing.

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She chuckled softly.

"I played in these corridors, and you saw me getting into trouble when I was a little girl. It's just us here, you can call me Margaery."

Getting into trouble? Learning to pull out prisoners' nails with a stick wasn't just 'getting into trouble'...

I went back to handling the swords and putting them in place.

"What did you think of my nephew? It was a bit early to start teaching him to fight, but Hugo insisted on letting you at least test him."

I smiled.

"A great find for the Evenhart House, he has the talents of his ancestors running through his veins. If we can extract every drop of potential... then he will be valuable for this family."

She smiled.

"No wonder he killed his first people so young. I was even proud when Hugo described what he saw," she said, smiling.

I'm used to this peculiar way of celebrating death and torture... but it's still strange to me sometimes.

"The dead had stab wounds to the jugular, neck, heart, and a mobility point on the knee... truly a remarkable talent, the young master," I said.

"I know Katie wouldn't have taught him the Art of Assassination, especially at such a young age. So, I'm surprised he knows this kind of thing. Could he be like his aunt?" she laughed.

"Are you suggesting he has a natural talent for torture like you did? I could say he's your equivalent, but with a sword," I replied.

She clapped her hands together.

"Excellent. I'm more than happy to know that Katie's baby grew up healthy and that he takes after our family. It's dangerous to raise our children in common society... it would be hard to teach someone sensitive to violence and death."

She's right, these five years could have shaped a completely different psyche in him.

This family usually exposes children to topics related to assassination and death from a young age. It's a way to instill in them the responsibility of their future roles and to prevent them from growing up fragile. Before training the body, the mind needs to be set on the path to be molded.

"I can't wait to teach him the Art of Assassination," she said.

But there's a problem...

"There's just a small issue with the Art of Assassination..."

She frowned.

"What problem? He seems more than capable."

"The final test is to kill someone in cold blood. It seems he's already done that on the beach by taking someone off guard and killing them. The others were two soldiers who fell in battle, but the one in the forest, according to Hugo... was an assassination."

Margaery put her finger to her chin, thinking.

"I see... we'll have to think of something else for him then. By the time he's ready to be trained in the Art of Assassination, I'll have devised another test for my nephew."

"He's also the child of two mages, just like your daughter, so he'll need to be initiated into magic," I said.

Margaery sighed.

"I'll have to follow tradition... when he awakens to magic, I'll summon that High Elf. I'll let her teach him the basics and discover his elemental affinity. He and my daughter will be initiated into magic by the elf, and when they’re older... I'll have to send them to that Magic Academy in Apsalon."

"If he's a good mage..." I mused.

"If Nathan and my Chloe inherit their parents' talent for magic, then... I pity anyone who dares to touch them," she said, smiling as she began to leave.

I watched the Torture Witch laughing in happiness.

"And that chain? Will you report to the kingdom that we possess an enchanted relic?"

She looked at me and burst into laughter.

"Of course not. They have their obsession with control, and I definitely don't have the patience to deal with them while pretending to be a 'respectable Duchess'. The chain my nephew found will be kept a secret in our vault."

Margaery took a deep breath; she didn't like dealing with the kingdom or following their rules, but that was the price.

"The young master deserves a reward for his deeds..."

"And he will have a suitable reward. When he grows up... if I manage to master that infernal chain... I'll find a way to break off a part of it," she said.

"Break off a part? But why? Won't that weaken the chain?"

"It will be worth it..."

"And why would you separate the chain? It's an enchanted relic..."

"I'll melt part of that thing... and forge a sword for him," she said, laughing.

For a moment, I couldn't believe her words.

"You're crazy, with all due respect. You want to make a sword out of that for the boy? It's an insidious and malevolent metal."

"Aunties are supposed to spoil their nephews. It's a small reward for what he brought us. I have five years' worth of gifts to make up for..."

I scratched my head.

"I'm still always surprised by this family..." I murmured.

"It's something I'll have to work on to see if it's possible. I don't want to ruin the enchantment and make the chain useless, so I'll have a lot of work ahead of me... and it will also be something to help me feel less guilty about what I've done regarding his future..."

I found her words strange.

"What do you mean about his future?"

"You'll find out..."

She started walking towards the door again.

"By the way, Sifu, about that 'phoenix', is this bird really dangerous? Are you sure it will grow? I don't want my nephew sharing a room with an animal that could hurt him."

If you truly knew what that phoenix could do...

"Don't worry about that. She won't harm him. Remember, the phoenix is the most intelligent animal in this world, surpassing human intelligence. That's why it values friendship and can recognize the malice of human greed. If it found a human in a situation where it was defenseless and that human didn't wish to possess it... it will honor that friendship for life."

She looked confused.

"Are you sure it's intelligent? Katie told me she tried to communicate with it but got no response."

"That's precisely why I know it's intelligent. The boy said it responded to him and even made an agreement. The phoenix is just pretending not to understand people who aren't him."

Margaery started thinking.

"And about its size? I reassured him, but I'm also worried about that."

This part of the mystery... I'll keep the secret of the feeding until the right time.

"All I know is that the phoenix can become gigantic. The state that triggers its growth might depend on its friendship with the boy... or not. I don't know the trigger that makes it awaken its powers."

"Let's keep this quiet for now. I already have to deal with the internal war in our territory... if the Royal Family finds out that thing can get huge..."

"It's better not to think about it," I replied.

Nathan Evenhart:

"Give it back!"

‘Squaak!’ the little phoenix cried.

"You little thief, you were only supposed to take half of the steak!"

I tried to chase after the little red hawk, but he was faster than me and flew away.

The phoenix perched on top of a high shelf.

"Damn it! You're lucky I'm short!"

I tried jumping to reach him, but it was useless.

I sighed.

"I got all sentimental thinking about what we went through, and you steal my steak?" I complained.

He looked at me and then tossed the meat back.

"Now it's covered in drool... you can keep it. I'll try to ask a maid for another piece of meat..."

Ever since I found out these maids are trained in the art of torture, I've been wary of their pretty smiles and beautiful faces.

‘Squaak!’ the phoenix cried.

"Go eat your meat, thief."

With that, he landed on the floor and continued eating the steak.

I sighed, watching the succulent meat being devoured.

"Hey, answer me something. Why do you pretend to be dumb around other people?"

He looked at me and shrugged.

"Ignoring people isn't good. They're the ones who give you this good meat..." I tried to reason with the little phoenix.

"Ignoring people isn't good? BUT YOU’RE IGNORING ME ALL THE FUCKING TIME!” Athena shouted at me.

"You're not a person, you're a damn ghost. Leave me alone, you crazy woman."