At the age of 134, Miss Triss was still considered young among vampires, who have incredibly long lifespans. Despite her youth, Miss Triss possessed considerable skill. She embarked on adventures early in her life, much like many vampires who disguise themselves as humans to explore human empires and other kingdoms, gaining knowledge and experiences. Her travels lasted sixty years, taking her from the far north of the Old World in Norsca to the southernmost region of Agibbi.

It is said that if Sylvania hadn't been embroiled in a war, prompting her to return and enlist without hesitation, she might have joined a fleet to explore the New World. Although Miss Triss might not be the most powerful, her breadth of experience and open-minded perspective surpasses even many vampires who have lived for millennia.

Upon returning to Sylvania, she participated in the war between vampires and the green-skinned orcs of the Eastern Wastelands—a conflict known among the orcs as the "Great Undead Bone Rampage" and among Sylvanians as the "Fifth Orc Invasion War."

This massive conflict stretched over fifty years, heavily depleting Sylvania's resources. Hundreds of valuable vampires perished, including a count—Norton's father—who died in the war's final battle. However, the war also forged a generation of formidable vampire warriors, with Miss Triss among them. Surviving decades of warfare attested to her capabilities.

As the green tide subsided and Sylvania shifted from a wartime to peacetime order, Triss left the military. At the invitation of Norton’s father, Count Castine, she became an instructor in the estate’s academy, teaching elemental magic—her specialty. Though dark magic and necromancy were more popular in Sylvania, many students chose to study elemental magic as a secondary focus, often highly rating Miss Triss as a teacher.

For Triss, the request from her former senior, adventure companion, comrade, and superior, who also happened to be the Countess, was both an honor and a responsibility. With such a rich background, Norton felt that having her as his tutor was a great fit, albeit a bit of an overqualification.

Since then, Miss Triss became Norton's household tutor. Given that elemental magic was a less prominent subject, her teaching schedule was light. Lady Windsor arranged with the academy headmaster to have her courses scheduled in the morning, freeing up her afternoons to teach Norton.

Over the past two years, starting when he was four, Norton was very pleased with her teaching, having learned a great deal and significantly improving his understanding of the world.

Miss Triss was equally satisfied with Norton. Initially, she harbored concerns, fearing he might become a problematic student like his sister—gifted and successful but with a challenging personality. However, her worries were unfounded after spending some time with him.

Norton displayed excellent manners, appropriate conduct, and a gentle demeanor, accompanied by a charming wit. Triss felt he embodied the title of a noble of the night. Often, she would forget that Norton was only six years old, treating him as a peer. Only occasionally, through deliberate disguise or due to differing worldviews, would his childishness or odd questions remind her of his age.

At 12:30, the ghost carriage carrying Miss Triss stopped steadily at the entrance of Deckenhoff Castle. The four skeletal horses, emitting an ominous pale light, were especially averse to the midday sun, snorting uneasily but helplessly until Miss Triss disembarked. The ghostly coachman then flicked his reins, driving the carriage into the shadows, and only then did the skeletal horses relax.

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Miss Triss, Norton's tutor, wore a black dress with a wide-brimmed hat adorned with pearls, lace, and feathers, accentuating her delicate curves. Her graceful gestures and slightly sickly beauty caught the eye.

Seeing Norton waiting at the entrance, she smiled pleasantly, enhancing her already high appeal.

As she smiled and curtsied gracefully to Norton, she seemed even more fragile. Yet anyone mistaking her for a weak woman would be gravely mistaken.

Norton knew that the seemingly ornamental white wand she held contained twenty-four ice arrows, ready to discharge in rapid succession, capable of shredding adversaries in heavy armor into pieces—even foes as robust as trolls and ogres.

Moreover, this delicate belle was a skilled swordswoman. Feeding magic into her wand could extend a rapier made of adamantium from its tip. Though she appeared weak, Miss Triss was still a vampire, possessing strength surpassing that of an ordinary human man.

Seeing his tutor bow to him, Norton quickly reciprocated with a bow and stepped forward to take her offered hand, lightly kissing her fingertips. As he did, a faint blush appeared on Triss's pale face.

"Such a darling. He'll grow into an exceptional man," Miss Triss thought fondly to herself. "Though he lacks a child's innocence at times and can be peculiar, he's unexpectedly reliable."

While Triss mused, Norton released her hand, stepping aside to let her pass. "Please come in, Miss Triss. Mother left this morning, and my sister went to the academy. I'm the only one here, so I apologize if the hospitality is lacking."

"No, you’ve done well. There’s really no need to be so formal," Miss Triss said, shaking her head, half comforting, half encouraging Norton.

"I’m relieved to hear that," Norton nodded, walking beside Miss Triss. Despite being only six, he spoke with the formality of an adult, prompting Triss to laugh.

"I said there's no need to be so formal, Norton," Triss repeated, and seeing Norton's slightly puzzled expression, she couldn’t resist the urge to pinch his cheek. However, as she reached out, Norton smiled, prompting her to retract her hand, slightly embarrassed. Still, her manner was endearing, rendering the gesture harmless.

Thus, they first went to the parlor, where a maid served tea and snacks. They chatted as they drank, with Triss speaking and Norton listening. She spoke of her years in war, adventures, and teaching, while Norton listened intently.

Although her storytelling was average, Norton listened eagerly, gaining much of his knowledge of this world from her teachings. Her tales of adventure offered invaluable lessons beyond any book. Triss might have perceived it as storytelling to amuse a child, but Norton absorbed it as an educational lecture, memorizing everything.

As one spoke and the other listened, Triss concluded one of her adventurous tales just as the tea was finished, marking the start of their formal lesson. Over the past two years, Norton had focused on language, general knowledge, and basic introductory magic, alongside some physical exercises.

For the average vampire child, this constituted the curriculum to be completed by age eight before entering the academy. Only those with lesser talent or inadequate tutors fell short. Norton had covered in two years what typically took vampires four years, an impressive feat, albeit shy of the extremes reached by prodigies.

This was the aptitude and capability Norton aimed to portray: significantly above average but not to the level of a genius, maintaining interest without drawing excessive scrutiny. This moderate path felt just right to him.

In truth, Norton found the basic physical training trivial. While melee combat was rare in future warfare, physical conditioning and martial arts remained popular for training and fighting. Additionally, professional sword training was common due to psionic mechs being equipped with psionic blades. These were far superior to the foundational lessons taught by Miss Triss.