As the new day dawned with the crowing of roosters and the rising of the sun, the people of Aizen joyfully welcomed the start of a new day.

But not Reivan. He was fuming mad.

'That bald bastard...!' I hope your pubes fall off!

Reivan inwardly cursed as he stood amidst the wreckage of his room, a mess he had created with his own hands. Despite the wrath coursing through his veins, he'd retained enough composure not to actually break or tear anything. However, the covers and pillows were all over the place and several pieces of furniture were overturned in his rampage.

After a few hours of venting on inanimate objects, Aizen's second prince finally began to calm down enough to feel sorry for the maids who would have to tidy up the chaos he'd unleashed.

"...I should clean it up." Reivan decided as he tried to steady his breathing. Step by step, he restored order to the room using his [Formless Will].

'This is all that hairless fucker's fault.'

Under the influence of Donovan's "Punishment", Reivan was in the process of going through the five stages of grief. He'd long moved past the stage of "Denial", just finished the stage of "Anger", and was currently easing into the stage of "Bargaining".

'Father won't allow this right? And if I tell Mom, won't she take my side in this?'

But after thinking about it, Reivan shook his head. He had a feeling that wasn't going to work. Donovan was entrusted with Reivan's training because he was the best at it. And his parents would likely take Donovan's side because it was ultimately for Reivan's own good.

As such, he hung his head low while rubbing his chin, trying to think of a way for Donovan to change his punishment instead.

'Will he take it back if I do ten thousand push-ups in front of him as a show of dedication?'

Within the room, only the tapping of the prince's foot against the floor could be heard.

'What if I go on a hunger strike? That'll teach him... oh wait, I don't think anything bad will happen to me even if I don't eat for two or three days. My punishment's gonna be over by then, so it's kinda pointless.'

Trying to bribe the bastard was an even worse idea. First off, Reivan didn't even have any money. Second, with how ancient Donovan was, he was probably rich to a certain extent or had no actual desire for wealth.

Lastly, Reivan was pretty sure Donovan would punish him even more if he tried bribery.

'Dammit. What do I do...? What can I do...?'

Reivan continued coming up with ideas, discarding them, and then coming up with more ideas. He repeated this cycle for a few dozen minutes before his knees finally buckled and he fell to the ground in despair.

'There's nothing I can do, huh? It's cuz I'm a failure. A huge fucking failure. That's why I should just suffer in silence. That's why I shouldn't have nice things.'

The young prince looked as if his soul had left his body as he sat on the floor while hugging his knees.

From underneath the bed, a black serpent came out of hiding. Zouros, who had watched Reivan worriedly the entire time, flew toward its depressed companion and draped its long body on the young boy's shoulders.

Reivan glanced at Zouros as the snake used its tail to rub his head, in what he could only assume was an attempt at comforting him. A warm smile crossed his face and he felt the dark fog over his mind disperse a little. "Thanks, bud."

While massaging his favorite danger noodle's noggin, Reivan stood up and walked over to sit on the edge of his bed.

'Staying depressed is a waste of time. I guess I just gotta accept that this is the way things are gonna be...'

He would accept it, but that didn't mean he liked it.

'Though, just as that old bastard said, it wouldn't be much of a punishment if I didn't hate it. In a sense, that baldy's really good at thinking of punishments...'

Reivan lightly kicked off the floor, spending a moment in the air before falling flat on the soft embrace of his mattress. He stared at the ceiling while thinking back to last night's events.

'Damn you!'

The youngest prince couldn't help but kick the air in frustration.

----------------------------------------

"Alright. I like your backbone, boy." Donovan nodded with a grin on his face. "That's why I'll think of an even better punishment for you."

Reivan scoffed. "Bring it on!"

Even if Donovan asked him to do five hundred sit-ups or run a hundred laps around the large room they were in, Reivan was determined to do it. It would double as training to strengthen his body, so he didn't even view it as a punishment.

Donovan scoffed before chuckling. "Let's see if you're still laughing after you hear it."

Reivan crossed his arms and raised his chin. He arrogantly stared at the aged instructor, letting his eyes speak of his readiness.

The feisty grin on his face began to instinctively fall off the moment he saw Donovan's lips curve into a smile — a smile that Reivan could swear looked downright evil.

"As punishment, you are forbidden from doing any sort of training for two days."

"Forbidden from training..." It took Reivan a full second before he could parse the meaning of the old man's words, despite their bluntness. When he did, Reivan's eyes widened into saucers as his jaw slackened. "W-wait a minute... You can't be serious..."

"Oh, I suppose that's not quite right." Donovan nodded, taking back what he just said.

"R-Right...? Haha...hahaha..."

Before Reivan could sigh in relief, however, Donovan mercilessly spoke again.

"It should be three days, instead of two."

"WHY!?"

"Because you split that last piece of ice in two, it hit you twice, no? One hit equals one day of punishment. Simple."

Reivan was flabbergasted but he quickly tried to negotiate. "Uh, but wasn't that technically a single piece of ice...? So the punishment should only be for two days..."

"You have a point." Donovan closed his eyes and nodded while rubbing his chin.

"Right...?" The anxious boy chuckled. "Thank you for—"

"Four days then. No training whatsoever."

"WHY IS IT INCREA—" Reivan quickly shut his mouth as he covered it with his hand. He took a deep breath before speaking with feigned calmness. "Sir, may I ask why it increased...?"

"Because I don't like your backtalk, boy. It was not my intention for us to have a debate. This was never a negotiation. I was merely informing you of my decision." Donovan's eyes narrowed as he sent Reivan a glare that shut down any protests the boy could have in mind. The aged knight held his hands behind his back before turning around. "So, as I said, you're forbidden from all kinds of training for five days. Don't even think about training in secret. Or else."

'You b-bastard... you increased it again! And for no reason!'

Wallowing in his grievances, Reivan could do nothing but stand there and bite his lip. At that moment, his greatest wish in the world was for all the hair on Donovan's body to fall off — except for the hair in the bastard's ass.

'Fall off. Fall off. Fall off. Fall off. Fall off...!'

The young prince glared at the old man with teary eyes while chanting curses in his head.

"Hm." Donovan suddenly looked back, his sharp eyes glowering down at the boy.

Reivan immediately looked down and stopped reciting his impromptu song, just in case the scary old bastard read his mind or something. Or worse, escalate his punishment again.

The elderly knight heaved a deep sigh. "I suppose I'll have to take your success in the first task into account. And the extent of your desire for training is... unusual, but it's refreshing for me. I'm tired of someone whining after being told to train more as punishment."

Donovan's words made Reivan look up with hope-filled eyes. "Does that mean...?"

"Yes, yes. I'll reduce your sentence to three days. In fact, I'll reduce it to two, as a reward to your mind's surprising resilience."

"Th-thank you, sir! Thank you so much!" Reivan held back the tears of gratitude threatening to burst out.

"Now that that's over with..." Donovan faced Reivan once again, his hands still held at his back. "It's time for some debriefing."

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"Debriefing... sir?"

"Yes. Now, listen up. I don't like repeating myself."

Reivan immediately moved to stand up as straight as an arrow. "Yes, sir. I'm listening, sir!"

"Very good." Donovan nodded in satisfaction while looking at the young boy. "Now, I don't want you to think I was just bullying you unnecessarily by making you go through what you just did. As I said earlier, every movement must have a greater purpose. Naturally, I wasn't just trying to bash your head in with those ice shards either — there was a purpose to that."

"Yes sir." The prince nodded, trying to show that he was still paying attention. But then he frowned. "Uh, does the first task also have a purpose? The one where I had to cross the water without getting wet.

"..." The knight stayed silent for a moment before snarling. "Don't ask questions unless I say you can."

"Y-yes sir!" Reivan squeaked. "I'm sorry, sir!"

"Now where was I..." Donovan took a moment to think before he cleared his throat and said, "The main purpose of this task is to train the body. But not in the way you would usually think."

'The hell does that mean...?'

Uncaring for his confusion, Donovan continued his lecture. "This type of training does not aim to increase your body's performance, it aims to have it perform without your mind's input."

"Ehhh...?" The young prince couldn't help but tilt his head.

"Look, boy." The old knight held a finger up and a small flame erupted from it. "When a normal person accidentally touches something hot with their hand, what happens?"

Reivan thought about it for a moment before giving his answer. "They, uh... stop touching it...?"

"They pull their hand back, yes." Donovan nodded. "And it happens before they can think about doing it, right?"

"Yes, sir."

"They don't go: 'Oh, this thing is hot. If I keep touching it I'll get hurt. I should stop touching it, huh?'. Rather, their body moves for them."

"Oh..." Reivan's eyes widened. He was starting to understand where the bald bastard was going with this.

"What we just did is what's referred to as Reflex training in the knighthood," Donovan said. "It's one of the most basic training we do."

'Is it really basic...?'

He truly doubted whether something so difficult was basic. However, the last thing Reivan wanted was to be scolded for backtalk again, so he held back the suspicion threatening to creep into his face.

"The training we just did is much the same as my earlier example." Donovan then flicked the tiny flame in his hand, making it fly right into the crystalline lake. A large cloud of steam floated upwards as a result. "When one sees something coming at them with such speed, they don't go through the process of identifying the threat, thinking of the consequences of getting hit by it, using fear of the consequences to build motivation, decide whether to dodge or block the threat, select a direction to dodge to or a way to block, and then actually move. Most people just move the moment they perceive the threat."

'That's true, I guess.' Reivan nodded along as he hung onto every word.

"Part of the reason Aizen's knights are so effective in battle is that they've all reached a stage where fighting is deeply ingrained into their bodies. They take the most efficient and effective actions reflexively, all while their minds are focused on something else; like casting spells, coming up with tactics or strategies, and telepathically coordinating with their allies. That state is what you're aiming to achieve."

"Whoah..." Reivan sighed in admiration as he listened. He knew the knights — even the ones who weren't Ascendants yet — were all strong, but Reivan didn't know much about how they were strong. Honestly, he just viewed them as nice uncles and aunties who smiled or waved at him in secret sometimes. "But is that really possible?"

"Of course it is." Donovan nodded. "It's the same thing with breathing. Nobody actually needs to think about breathing. It just comes naturally. You do it in tandem with everything else. Hell, you can even breathe while you sleep. Breathing isn't the only example either. Blinking is another act built into one's reflexes. Your eyelids will naturally move to blink once your eyes start getting a bit too dry. In the same way, knights aim to induct combat into their body's reflexes."

'Alright. I guess it kinda makes sense...'

Reivan still had a few doubts, but the results spoke for themselves. As Donovan mentioned, it was the basics for knights, so every knight was able to do it.

"It goes without saying, that state isn't something you can achieve over a few weeks or months." Donovan continued. "It takes years for a squire to reach a suitable level. For some, it may even take a decade of constant battle, and they end up missing the window for knighthood, joining the city guards instead."

"I-If that's true, then isn't it counterproductive to forbid me from training as a punishment...?"

"You have a point. Anyway..." Donovan ignored Reivan's unspoken plea as he started pacing in a circle around the young boy. "As for the reason I stopped you from using your abilities in this training, it's because I believe they'd be detrimental to this sort of thing. And I also think you've grown to depend on them too much."

"I..." Reivan wanted to protest, but couldn't.

'Have I really...?'

"Your special abilities are amazing tools. They're a godsend. I am also very thankful for them since they've proven to be very helpful to the knighthood — no, to Aizen in general. And I don't doubt how much they'll help Aizen in the future as well." Donovan stopped walking right in front of Reivan. "But having a sharp knife doesn't mean you have to use it for everything. Your special abilities, your mind, your body... all of them are tools that belong to you. Knowing which tool will bring you the best results in the most efficient manner, is something we'll have to beat into you over time."

"Yes, sir..."

'Tools. Everything I have is a tool...'

Reivan ruminated on that idea, feeling as if he'd heard something similar before.

"Your special abilities are a sharp tool. Now we just have to make sure your other tools are equally up to par." Donovan looked down at the young prince as he pointed at himself. "And I am here to help you improve your body. Your reflexes, conditioning, physique... everything. As for your mind and special abilities, Valter will help you with that."

"Yes, sir." Reivan's eyes glowed with resolve as he gazed into the knight's eyes. "Please look after me. I'm looking forward to working with you, sir."

Donovan scoffed as he started floating upwards. "We'll see if you can still say those words a few weeks from now. Wait here for your guardian knight. And get some rest. Next time, we'll do some body conditioning before doing any reflex training. I suppose I'll have you run a few laps around the mountain to start with."

'To start with...!?'

The mountain was huge. It would take hours to complete a lap around it. And the old bastard wanted him to run multiple laps?

"Don't look at me like that." Donovan grinned as he looked at Reivan's disbelieving face. "I'll allow you to use that medicine ability to restore your stamina. But only when you've reached the point just before passing out in exhaustion. I'll also allow you to strengthen yourself however you want. Just take note that I'll be increasing the number of laps relative to your speed."

'You demon!'

Despite his inner protest, Reivan actually looked forward to it. Back on earth, he couldn't work hard even if he wanted to. Now, he had the opportunity to make a difference.

"That's a good face. I'm looking forward to seeing how it'll change in the future." Donovan sneered before he disappeared from sight.

----------------------------------------

Valter had picked Reivan up immediately after Donovan left. Afterward, feeling too tired to eat, Reivan went straight to bed and passed out.

After waking up, the refreshed Reivan got up, excited for a new day. Until he remembered he wasn't allowed to do any training for the next two days, that is. After going into denial, he went straight into anger — rampaging around the room in frustration.

The rest was history.

"What do I even do now...?" Reivan vacantly stared out the window while stroking Zorous' long, scaly body. Despite the snake's illusory appearance, Reivan could feel the hard scales and the tough muscles underneath. "You're pretty buff, y'know?"

Zouros hissed with a smug look on its face — at least, that was how Reivan perceived it since he was the only one the serpent could transmit its emotions to.

'I wonder how it looks to other people...?'

Using his adorable companion to distract himself from how crappy his situation was, Reivan decided to lock himself in his room today. He was too embarrassed to face anyone at the moment. As for food, he kept some inside Zouros' stomach so he didn't have to worry.

"Hey, cough up some of the meat I gave you the other day." Reivan held his open palm in front of the danger noodle, but it just wouldn't spit out the goods. "Hey..."

Zouros hissed in apology before disappearing, returning to the depths of Reivan's soul.

'What the fuck do you mean, "I ate it all", huh!?'

Unfortunately, Reivan couldn't make the snake come out no matter how much he coaxed it. And he couldn't very well force it to come out.

'You're lucky I have morals, you little...'

Reivan heaved a weary sigh as he returned to bed. Last night, he'd already gotten reading assignments from Valter. That's why they wouldn't be meeting for lessons today. As such, Reivan decided to stay in bed and do his homework before combing through the first king's notes. As for food...

'Meh. I'll just get the maids to bring me some. Just not right now.'

His family might still be having breakfast at the moment. If he asked for food to be brought to his room, his father or mother would just come to get him to eat with them.

'Guess I'll pretend to sleep for a bit...'

A few minutes later, when Clarisse — the maid who took care of him the most — knocked on his door, Reivan didn't answer. She knocked again about thirty minutes later, and again thirty minutes after that.

Only after the seventh time did Reivan finally answer.

"I'm awake. You can come inside, Clarisse."

"Yes, Your Highness." A gentle voice spoke out from behind the door before it opened and Clarisse made her way inside.

The maid was a striking young woman who appeared to be in her early twenties. Her dark brown hair was neatly styled in a bun at the back of her head, drawing attention to the pearly white skin of her nape. Despite her youth, the maid carried herself with a quiet confidence that spoke to her years of experience working in the palace.

"Good afternoon, Your Highness." Clarisse's bright blue eyes gazed into Reivan's soul. "I have been trying to wake you for a while now."

"Is that so?" Reivan rubbed his eyes and feigned a yawn. "I must've been too tired from last night. I just woke up."

You have used [Essence of Falsehood]

Truthfully, he hadn't expected to get engrossed in reading, so he ended up skipping breakfast and lunch. The assignments Valter gave him to do were also more interesting than he'd thought, so the time had just flown by.

"Is that so?" Clarisse's brows shot up in surprise. "I could've sworn you were just pretending to sleep for whatever reason..."

"It's just your imagination."

You have used [Essence of Falsehood]

"I see. Perhaps it was." The maid nodded to herself, seemingly convinced. She then softly cleared her throat and smiled. "Well then, Your Highness must be very hungry."

"You know me too well." Reivan grinned. "Anyway, have the others eaten?"

Clarisse nodded. "After His Majesties and Highnesses ate breakfast, they left and have yet to return."

"I see." The prince nodded, having expected this.

'All according to plan.'

"Then there's no point in going down to use the dining hall when I'll be eating alone. Please bring some food up for me and I'll eat it here in my room."

As expected of royalty, Reivan's room was massive. Aside from the bed he slept in, there were couches to sit on and tables to drink tea at.

'It's like a one-room apartment, just bigger. And with no kitchen.'

Having eaten meals in his room before, Reivan saw no issues with his request.

To his surprise, Clarisse frowned, looking very troubled. "That would be a bit..."

'Hmm...? What's wrong...?'

Reivan tilted his head in confusion. Perhaps a trashy noble in one of the many web novels he'd read would lash out at the maid if they were in his shoes, but Reivan wouldn't do that to Clarisse — who'd taken very good care of him. Clarisse wasn't like that one maid that his mother had squished into nonexistence in the past. Since she was such an earnest worker for the palace, Reivan was inclined to be a good master to her as well.

Naturally, the maid's pretty face helped too.

Knowing that the maid would never defy him without reason, Reivan immediately surmised that there was some sort of problem. With a foreboding feeling in his stomach, he asked, "Is there a problem...?"

Clarisse shook her head. "Oh, no. I wouldn't call it a problem, Your Highness."

"Then what is it?"

"It's just..." The maid beamed brightly as she stepped aside and gestured at the doorway, where a pair of twins with raven-black hair peaked into the room. "Your friends came to visit."

"Hey!" Hector waved enthusiastically as he ran into the room.

"Hello." Helen's droopy eyes looked extremely bored as she followed after her brother, but the smile on her lips said otherwise.

'Ah. There goes my plan to take it easy today...'

Despite his thoughts, Reivan couldn't help but chuckle as he waved back. "Are you guys hungry?"