Chapter 19 – The Secret of the Guardian Panther

I was lying in my room, staring at the ceiling and resting. Sifu said that the heavy training regimen wasn't good for the current state of my body, as it could damage my bones, so he gave me a few days off. He also told me that part of my training would be to meditate and learn to control my mind by emptying it of emotions. This part of the training I had already learned in my previous life, but with a different goal. Before, we needed to empty our minds of other emotions and keep only the fury, so it would fuel us in battle.

That old man forbade me from touching swords... and I can't even punch. I have to keep doing those strange palm positions and guide his strikes to the sides.

Sifu asked how I knew some battle techniques, and I told him I was simply born knowing them.

It’s not a lie... I really was born knowing them.

He praised me and said they would be much better if I were an adult and had an adult's strength.

Of course, they'd be better if I were an adult. What good is knowing a kick technique if my legs are tiny and weak?

'Knock, knock,' someone taps at the door.

"It's me, Chloe," says the voice.

I hardly see her.

"Come in."

The door opens, and a girl with black hair enters. Chloe stops at the door.

"Do you want to play? I have nothing to do lately. My mom stopped giving me lessons while she's busy," says my cousin.

Play? I'm 25... I think. If you count the time I lived after I stopped aging and add my 5 years in this body, I must be well over 500 years old.

"I don't know how to play..." I try to say.

Chloe walks in and sits at the table.

"It’ll be fun, Nathan. Studying all the time is boring, and it looks like they've already started piling on the training for you. We're practically the only kids in the inner part of the mansion, except for those two..."

I look confused. "Those two? There are other kids here?"

She puts her finger on her chin, thinking.

"In the outer part of the mansion, which is the castle, there are only adult soldiers, and in the village, there are other kids, but we can't leave. In this inner part, it's just us and Hugo's two daughters."

"Oh, right. He mentioned once that he had kids. Why don't you play with them?" I ask.

Chloe gets a serious look.

"They're a bit weird... they're being trained to be Assassin Maids. They're in the period of learning how to torture," she tells me.

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My god... this family is crazy.

"And you? Aren't you supposed to be learning the art of torture?"

"Not me! That's horrible; I'd never learn those things. Everyone has their function here, and the maids' job is to torture. Even though Mom is the Duchess, she still does her activities today, but I think she does it just because she enjoys it..."

Now I understand why everyone is wary of talking about torture around my aunt...

I look at the little girl in front of me and sigh.

I promised myself I'd live a different life and be a better person.

"Alright, let's play," I say to her, and we leave my room.

I leave the door open for the sleepy little red bird to fly out when it wakes up, as the small phoenix liked to take naps inside my coat that hung on the wall. Whenever I disappeared, she would get desperate.

The little phoenix didn’t explore alone and preferred to stay wherever I was. Whenever possible, she would take long naps. I didn’t disturb her much because, despite her regenerative powers, I understood that sleeping with those chains around her body must have been difficult.

I wanted to sleep all day too; being a child makes me very sleepy.

As I follow my cousin down the hallway, a thought crosses my mind:

I need to give the little phoenix a name.

"Let's go to the garden; it's more fun there," Chloe says, running ahead.

I follow her, passing by a few maids who greet us with a bow.

When we arrive at the garden, I see it’s quite large and located in the center of the mansion. The garden is a massive square with many doors leading to different areas of the mansion. It’s a more straightforward way to get around than going through the long hallways. Just reach the garden and enter another part of the mansion.

This garden isn’t the same one my mother works in; she stays in the exterior garden outside the castle. As I mentioned before, this place is divided into 'levels' of defense. I’m in the innermost part, the mansion within the castle, which is the outer part of this place. Beyond the castle is the exterior garden where the soldiers tend to the horses, train with weapons, and where we even have private blacksmiths in their forges. This area is surrounded by a stone wall, and beyond this stone wall is a gigantic garden where my mother works. In this garden, there’s a tall fence that she’s covering with carnivorous plants and other types of flora.

We are in the final region of Evenhart, and behind us are only forests and mountains, accessible only to my family. No one lives in those forests, and nothing can be taken from there without proper authorization. Even the soldiers can’t roam freely in that area—it’s the ancient territory of the Moon Panthers and other animals. They live their way in those forests. Occasionally, the Legados like to go there to fish or hunt common animals, but they don’t do it often.

The back part of this territory is enclosed by a giant stone wall erected long ago by earth element mages. This wall has a 'public' entrance, which I passed through during my journey, and other hidden entrances known only to the Legados of Evenhart. We are near the ocean, but since we’re at the far edge of the border with the other continent, it's safe from invasions.

My mother explained that the area is also home to some Rank S and higher magical animals, so there are giant beasts that serve as guardians of that territory. These monsters are naturally hostile to humans, so even we avoid certain areas.

The only reason my ancestors didn’t attempt to rid these forests of these threats is that, whether we like it or not, they provide defense for the territory. So, we let the irrational ones live there and made a pact with the intelligent ones through the Moon Panthers. We won’t hunt them or destroy their home, in exchange, they will live there as they wish and protect those lands.

Only 1% of these magical beasts possess intelligence, but the Moon Panthers impose some order if the irrational ones decide to act up.

I turn my attention back to the little girl who is looking at the fountain.

"Here, Nathan!" she calls, waving her hands.

I approach her. "What is it?"

She whispers.

"This is where they leave the food for Carnellian to pick up at night. I used to watch when it got dark. Carnellian is embarrassed to eat in front of people."

"What? That thing gets embarrassed?"

Chloe laughs. "Yes. He's smart and doesn't like being compared to a domestic animal. So, he feels ashamed of being 'fed' instead of hunting."

I let out a genuine laugh. "That panther gets embarrassed? You must be joking..." I say, chuckling.

"It's true. Try spying on him one night. He gets shy when he's seen."

Little Chloe grabs my hand. "Come on! I'll show you some cool places," she says, pulling me along.

Sometimes I forget how energetic kids can be.