Lina followed Sahro into the training hall, excited but also slightly anxious. So far, she hadn't learned anything about fighting, besides using spells on Glenn's pebble. She did take some fencing lessons back on Earth, but...the more she listened to her brother's and his friends' stories, the less confident she felt about whatever skills she learned before. And she saw Glenn spar with Sahro once. Her lessons in fencing wouldn't do anything to save her if her brother suddenly decided she was a little too annoying for his taste.

'The Young Master would never do this, Milady,' defended Tiamanes.

Lina sighed, 'I know, but still... I still can't believe you're real, that my brother is there, and that I can wield magic. This is all so...overwhelming.'

Tiamanes chuckled softly, 'Milady, I am sure your brother was in the same situation, yet look at where he stands now. And I'm almost certain he didn't receive as good of an education as you're currently having.'

Lina wanted to reply, but Sahro interrupted her mental discussion by throwing a wooden sword at her. She grabbed it instinctively, grimacing as she felt the heavy weight. It felt dense and unwieldy, nothing like she was used to. Well, not like she had the chance to continue training her fencing skills during her time in the darkness, but still, it would have been great to get something similar to what she used before.

"I'll be attacking you and evaluating your reflexes," Sahro warned as he stretched in front of her, "I think you did some physical training to put you back into shape after getting out of your cell, but I doubt it was enough."

"What?" Lina's eyebrows creased and she wrapped her fingers tighter on the sword's hilt, "Don't underestimate me now!"

Her pink Aura flared up and she dashed forward, grinning as she felt the surge of power. Last time, when she awakened her Aura, she hadn't been able to control it. Apparently, it was a normal occurrence for beginners in Aura, but it was still disappointing to hear that she attacked the two Black Heirs training her.

"Who said you could use Aura?" Sahro asked from behind her. Lina blinked one second before she tripped and fell face-first on the harsh floor. She slid forward for a few meters before groaning and pushing herself back up.

"Wasn't this supposed to be Aura training?" She asked as she wiped the dust off her face.

Sahro shook his head, "The best way to master Aura is to master your body. The stronger your body, the easier you'll control your Aura. The more control over your Aura you have, the more you can enhance your body with it. It's a virtuous circle."

Lina winced and sheepishly pulled back her Aura, sighing as she felt the supernatural strength leave her body.

"Good," Sahro nodded, "Now, try your best to defend yourself. I'll be matching your level and pushing you to your limits, alright?"

"Okay," She replied as she straightened herself and took on a fencing position, her sword held in front of her and her other hand hidden behind her back. Sahro frowned at the sight but didn't say anything.

"Let's begin." The second he finished talking, Sahro suddenly reappeared in front of Lina, his fist heading straight for her face. The girl hurriedly dodged back, or at least tried to. The air was expelled out of her lungs as Sahro's punch connected with her belly, sending her flying like a straw doll. She rolled back a few times before eventually stopping, coughing her lungs out.

"Cough—cough, that's...that's too much!" She heaved as she held her stomach.

Sahro crossed his arms, the cogs on his left one clicking rhythmically, "Do you want to give up?"

Lina opened her mouth to complain again, only to remain silent. Sahro looked at her forcing herself up and nodded sternly.

"Tell me if you want to give up. I'll stop the training there." The Black Heir said as he made his knuckles crack.

'Milady, your brother's friend seems like he has a grudge against you,' Tiamanes warned, 'You might find yourself a better trainer within Liara.'

Lina shook her head and exhaled heavily. Her lip was cracked open and her stomach hurt like hell. Sahro's lips curved upward slightly and he dashed forward once more, pummeling her out again, and again, beating the will out of her. She almost cried more than once at the unfair advantage he had, at the pain he inflicted on her, but not once did she let herself do so.

Sahro looked down at the dirty rag that she was and nodded, "Good. You have good determination. I know you said you didn't want to end up helpless ever again, but it can't possibly be the only thing motivating you, right?"

Lina groaned, unable to reply. Sahro chuckled and picked her up with one hand, before installing her on a nearby bench. Lina sighed heavily. Never had a bench felt so comfortable in her life. She could probably spend her day sleeping on it, hoping the pain would go away as she rested.

"Here," Sahro splashed her face with a red liquid, and she felt her energy come back slightly. Her crackled lips fixed themselves, and the pain in her stomach was alleviated a little.

"Healing potions," Sahro replied to her inquiring gaze, "...We never use them on ourselves generally, because there's always a better alternative. Glenn has his healing spell, and Liara and I have the natural healing factor of Aura users. It would be detrimental to heal ourselves with these..." He frowned and threw the bottle away, "And let's not even talk about how expensive they are."

Lina rubbed her face, paling as she realized her nose was broken. Sahro snorted and grabbed her nose, before pulling it in the right place violently. Lina yelped and rolled on the floor, holding her nose painfully.

"Fuck, you fucking, brutish, ignorant bastard!" She cursed, tears welling up in her eyes. Sahro looked at her silently before clasping his hands together.

"Do you know why Glenn is so strong now?" He suddenly asked. The question stopped Lina's tantrum and she looked at the Black Heir curiously.

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"...Why?" She asked carefully.

Sahro's expression hardened, "Because he went through so much shit, so much pain, that he didn't have a choice but to get stronger. Do, or die."

Lina froze and Sahro continued, "That Baron we killed? He hanged three of Glenn's friends just because he could. And Glenn had watched it happen without being able to do anything. Powerless, much like you were in that machine. Only he saw death, while you only saw darkness."

Sahro stood up and stabbed his finger on her forehead, "Glenn didn't want to tell you, but it's a mistake. Do you want to know how his arrival in this world went?"

Lina stood up from the bench and took a step back, intimidated. Sahro pushed forward relentlessly, driving the nail in, "He woke up with a spear through his heart, and a monster eating his innards. Abandoned, alone in the middle of a battlefield. I could barely believe it when he told us, but that man isn't the type to lie to his friends."

Sahro clenched his fist angrily, "When he arrived in King's Rise, he was captured by a group of cultists who tortured him for months, feeding him the blood of monsters, Beast Blood. It was only after he escaped that I met him. "

Lina gulped heavily, unable to believe her ears. Her brother went through all that?

Was that...why he felt so dangerous at times? She didn't get as much time to spend with him as she would have liked, but the few hours she did she felt it. The presence of a hunter searching for prey, and that malevolent grin on his lips.

"You wonder why I'm putting you through this?" Sahro asked with a wicked grin.

Lina gulped and did not even dare to nod.

"Because that's the only way for you to grow half as quickly as him without risking your life. Now, if you complain even once more about the pain, or about how "brutish" I am, just give up on training and reaching the same heights as us." Sahro planted his feet firmly on the ground, "Just let us protect you, and you'll be safe. You won't ever have to feel that pain again, nor feel the looming threat of death." He looked at his left arm and chuckled wickedly, "Your limbs won't ever be threatened to be cut, nor your heart risk to be pierced."

Sahro stared at her intensely and added, "But you won't ever be able to stand up for yourself. To be a warrior. Now, make your choice."

Lina gasped, overwhelmed. Sahro looked at her for an instant before returning to the training area's center, stretching once more. She looked at her hands in disbelief, imagining her brother imprisoned in a dark cell being forcefully fed tainted blood again and again. Would she have been able to hold on if she was in his place?

'Milady, don't compare yourself to your brother. He is older than you and—'

'Shut it, Tiamanes,' Lina interrupted the entity's poor attempt at making her feel better, 'It's not against you, but I don't need that right now. Let me think for a second.'

Tiamanes remained silent, before replying, '...As you wish, Milady.'

The more she thought about it, the more impossible it sounded. The sheer psychological pressure would have been enough to make her lose her mind, so how did he do it? How did Glenn not become insane from all that suffering he went through?

And how does he keep fighting every day? What motivates him to get out of bed, and go out there, risking his neck for some nonsensical causes or absurd revenge?

'Can I even be like him?' She wondered before shaking her head. No, this wasn't even worth questioning. Of course, she couldn't be like her brother. Their experiences couldn't even be compared after all. The only reason she wanted to grow stronger was to not return to that place, but what was his reason? Returning to Earth?

Her expression darkened. That couldn't be it. Each time she tried introducing the subject, he would flee her eyes or ignore the subject entirely. Glenn probably wasn't too keen on returning to Earth, where he was still living. The farther they were from him, the better. And they couldn't do better than another world for that.

'Still...I was starting to enjoy life again...' Lina thought dejectedly, 'My adult life barely started when I was thrown into another world. Damn it, is that how Glenn felt as he fought his way through this damned world?' Her eyes widened as she realized. They were never going back there, were they?

She shook her head once more, her eyes filling back up with resolve.

'No, that doesn't matter. Maybe we can't, or maybe we can. It's useless to think about it anyway. Right now, I'm a burden for him—for the Devil's Hand. And I can't let that stand.'

She stood up and walked to the training weapons, her lips curving upward as she found her weapon of predilection. Sahro watched her do so with his arms crossed, his thoughts hidden behind a mask of stone. She tied her hair in a ponytail much like how her brother did and exhaled heavily.

"I'll be a warrior," Lina declared as she stood in front of Sahro once more, "At least to return the pain you gave me."

Sahro grinned and took an offensive position, his eyes glued to Lina's. The latter raised her rapier, her other hand behind her back.

"Brace yourself."

***

"Uhm, could you remind me why you're watching us work, Ms. Liara?" Liam asked nervously as he tried working on a rifle prototype. Liara smiled widely and tilted her head to the side, her lips sealed. Janica slapped Liam on the arm, "You already agreed to let her see how we worked on our weapons, are you backing out now?"

Liam looked at her like she was insane, "I'm not backing out of anything! I'm just confused as to why she has been standing there for two hours only to remain a silent watcher!"

Janica sighed while Liara made a dejected smile. She bowed her head slightly in Janica's direction, who suddenly waved her hands around in a panic.

"Wait, no, he didn't mean it, Ms. Liara, you can stay here if you wish—"

Liara shook her head and left the Workshop, her lips curving upward slightly as she listened to Janica scolding Liam for his thoughtless words.

'It's pretty fun to watch them work together...' She thought as she strolled through the mansion's hallways. Sahro was taking care of Lina's training and should be putting her resolve to the test, while Manalok Tuleam was too busy procrastinating for her to come watch. She was pretty bored, all things considered. The two kids were fun to watch, even more so as they carefully stepped on eggshells around each other. They were both able to realize there was a certain tension between them, but it seemed like neither were able to realize that they shared the same mutual feelings.

'Feelings...' Liara went to the Observatory and sat on the sofa there, watching the sky through the glass cellar. She wasn't oblivious to Glenn's little sister's feelings, but she wasn't exactly sure as to how she should deal with her. Lina had been enraptured by her appearance, as she had been with Sahro's. Even though she was an adult, albeit a young one, she was still a little too immature to realize that love was more than just appearance.

And Liara wasn't particularly too keen on having that type of relationship anyway. She hardly could see herself with anyone. When her parents were still there, they always promised her that they would find an honorable Black Heir of an honorable family, so that the Lúthalen's Lineage remained similarly honorable, in the respectful honor of the traditions.

Maybe that was because of that education that she couldn't even consider such relationships.

Liara looked left and right, making sure nobody was spying on her before pulling out the book she had hidden under the sofa the day before. Her cheeks flushed red just at the thought of reading it.

Before Milena was harmed and went for treatment with Exan, she recommended these books.

Romance novels. At the time, Liara barely considered the idea, but since she couldn't train with Sahro or talk with anyone, she tried her hand at it.

And oh boy did she like them.

Liara cleared her throat and tried to restore her noble expression. A Princess should always keep the composure that comes with that title, no matter the situation.

...However, there's no rule saying that a Princess shouldn't indulge in a romantic story once or twice, is there?