Groggily waking up in the wee morning hours makes me want to just end whoever wakes me. Can’t do that sadly, father would be displeased.

“Hey! Karl, wake up boy, nobody canceled training, get your noble behind down!”

Master Honmerollen called me through my open window. Which damn maid opened it this time?

I got out of my deep red silk bed, my sanctuary taken away from me for the final time. Splashing water on my face from a nearby bowl I swiftly get dressed for battle. Turning the corner towards the stairs I see the house Butler walking towards my direction.

“For the last time, order the maids to stop opening my window Guntram, I HATE the morning cold.” I said.

He chuckles, damn old man. “It’s good for your health young master, the Qi from the outside circulates as you sleep and will certainly improve your acceptance of it before your first ascension.”

I continue silently, opening the front doors I turn my last corner seeing my Master standing out in the field talking to one of the housemaids. I fiddle my spear in anxiousness.

His eyes study me for a moment. “Here’s the man himself, go along now darling, I’ll look for you in the evening.” He shoos the maid. “Come to get your final lesson, your highness?”

“Shut up old man, what now, I already learned everything about the spear before applying Qi, what else do you have to offer?”

“One final fight is what I offer, you can envelop Qi in small amounts, right? I will not spar on full strength, destroys the purpose doesn’t it?”

“This is my chance to breakthrough.” I thought. “You’re on Bertram!”

“That’s the spirit! Some ground rules first. No lethal attacks as this is a spar, if you’re sent outside the training field, it’s a loss, same applies to me. Other than that, prepare yourself, you have the first move.”

We separate and move to the opposites of the training field, I grip my steel spear, fidgeting with the shaft, Master Bertram has been training me for quite some time now, I can’t let him down with a mediocre performance.

Yes, I can use that.

“What you zoning out for Guntram? Are you trying to kill me with boredom? Seems pretty accurate for your lordship, want me to bring some tea for his highness?”

“Master Bertram, you do realize that taunting doesn’t work anymore, you got rid of those urges from me a long time ago, seems counterproductive.”

“Yet you still bring it up every time I do it, it still affects you even if you brush it off. It will always affect you no matter how much you don’t think you care Young Master. Come on, we both don’t have all day.”

“Fine.”

I prepare myself to rush forward, knowing that Honmerollen is Earth attuned I would need to cut him from the ground itself.

With a propelled dash I surge forward and sweep at his legs, keeping an eye closely on him for his next move.

My spear gets dangerously close but is stopped in its path by a short stone wall protruding from the ground, I rebound backward and hop to the side. Honmerollen’s blade slashes the area I was in before.

Too obvious.

I surge once more into the close quarters and jab into his center, instead of resorting to Qi constructs, Honmerollen simply parries my attack, throwing me to his right.

I use the momentum and lunge behind him, attempting another slash enveloped in Water Qi. With the stakes raised, Honmerollen hops backward and meets my slash with his own. Our Qi cancels each other, a stalemate is made.

A second later Honmerollen goes for an attack, he slowly walks towards me, glaring at me with his dark brown eyes. He keeps going, moving his sword to cover his front and envelops it with Earth Qi.

He is waiting for me to make a mistake, I need to make him break his sta…

An Earth wall slams into me from behind and I’m sent flying towards Honmerollen slash that he prepared.

The light dims slightly as I see his win condition, too bad he doesn’t know I learned a Wind Qi technique.

Coalescing some wind in my hand, I blast it forward in a projectile manner.

My aim was true and it hits Honmerollen straight in the chest, without respite I do a weak jab towards him due to my lacking posture which would ensure my win.

I finally beat him and that means I…

My brain catches up to me, the Wind Qi blast hit him yes. But he never staggered, my jab sent flying, sending shockwaves throughout my arm, forcing me to let go. His Zweihander rests neatly on my neck as I fall.

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A tinge of sweat runs down my head and he releases me from his clutches.

I sit up slowly, recalling the moments that just happened.

Why did the Wind Qi not stagger him? Honmerollen is true to his word, he wouldn’t cheat by using Qi techniques I can’t. Why?

“Good on you Young Master, you learned your final lesson well.”

“What? I lost and yet I have no clue why.”

“You kept an ace up your sleeve through the entire fight, an admirable attempt, would work on anyone that isn’t me. Look around you.”

I stop mulling over my supposed blunders and notice once again that the sunlight dimmed. Wait, what?

Looking around I see another stone wall erected behind me. I intensely look at, Honmerollen mentioned the surroundings but why does this wall hold significance in my inability to stagger him with my Wind Qi?

“I don’t get it.”

“You will soon enough, knowing you, it will come around soon enough.”

“Tell me Master Honmerollen, this will bother me for centuries.”

“Just think about it when you leave for the academy, you’ll probably get it.”

He extends his hand to me, I wordlessly clasp my hand around his arm and get pulled up.

“You’re close to ascending.” He says.

“Naturally, I am highborn.”

“Don’t give me cheek, some common folk were better than you your age.”

“They hold abandoned bloodlines, something I have no control over.”

“Yet you hold one of the best dynastical ones in this age, you have a lot more to learn, hopefully, Vienna’s academy can mold you further. Go, find your mother, she has some words to say to you.”

Honmerollen cancels his stone constructs on the field and walks off in the direction the maid went. Off to seduce more young aspiring ladies to break their hopes and dreams of reaching higher society.

But what did he mean about me getting why I failed to stagger him?

I can’t put my finger on it.

Oh well, I jump up onto my feet and walk into the main hall where I find the butler Guntram with a maid holding a towel and a bowl of water. I dip my hands and splash my face and hair with water, refreshing after the duel.

Guntram speaks up as the maid is drying my pristine golden hair. “Your mother is in the dining room having breakfast.”

I nod, get her to take off my armor and shoo her away.

Making my way towards the dining room, I open the door and see my mother eating freshly cooked chicken while conversing with another woman. Someone I have never seen before.

She is dressed in our family housemaid attire and is standing straight. Almost as tall as me but not quite with flowing straight golden hair and blue eyes just like my mothers and mine. I don’t know of any sibling, must be just coincidence, many hold blue eyes and yellow hair.

“Aha, Karl my boy come here!” My mother quickly calls for me. Her affection and sweetness makes me smile, I move along and she continues. “This is Rosalinda, we hired her from our friends in Saxony, she will be your standing maid. Rosalinda, meet my son Karl, you will be attending his every need from now on.”

My mind blanks. MAID?

“Mother, with all due respect I don’t need a maid, I can do everything myself.”

“No can-do Karl, you will be attending the most prestigious academy in all of Europe, I can’t let you go without an attendant. She is a sweet young girl from a village, brought and taught by the Liudolfing’s, she is perfect for you as she is just as old as you!”

I held my words back that tried to ooze from my mouth. She can’t be doing this. I love her dearly but giving me a maid when preaching how I need to do everything myself!

“Rosalinda, go to my room this instant.”

“Right away Master Karl.” She scurries off.

“Mother, I…”

“Yes, I know I you don’t want her but that is neither my work or the rules of the academy. All nobles in the academy need to have at least one attendant for prestige and legitimacy after ruling in the ability to house commoners with abandoned bloodlines. Also, Henry chose her, not me, I just studied if she was going to be of use to you.”

“Father huh. So then, can’t do much against fathers’ word. Which dynasty is she from? Her beauty isn’t a trait of the commoner.”

“She is from the common folk, 15 years of age, sold off by her family to work in the Saxon manors until she was sold to us for a favor, now she is yours.”

Commoner? My teeth subconsciously start gritting and scraping each other.

“If she isn’t up to standard, I will send her back, if that’s alright with you mother?”

“Oh, it’s fine Karl, she is well taught and her beauty is on par with some lower families, I also got her to abandon spying on us. With a few string pulls so she will never betray you. I doubt you will ever send her back.”

I raise my eyebrow in intrigue. “You are not doing a good job convincing me Mother.”

“Come here, my boy.” She spreads her arms wide, inviting me into a motherly hug. I oblige.

“Listen to your mother, I molded her for you, take her. She also has the potential to own an abandoned bloodline, only it isn’t as pronounced but it is there.”

I sigh in her embrace.

Might as well, if I teach her some customs, she won’t be embarrassing me in the academy.

“Fine mom… I agree I’ll take her with me to Vienna.”

She kisses me on the cheek and in pure joy exclaims. Her golden hair sways around, catching itself on my skin. “Alright, I won’t hold you any longer, go get acquainted.”

“Have a nice dinner mother. I’ll be on my way then.” I wave her a hand goodbye and walk back to my room.

Opening the door reveals the maid making my silk bed.

I shrug to myself in my head and walk over my work table and continue my journey where I left it. This fabulous book titled “Where one becomes legend” is all about the journey that Charlemagne the Great and whole journey in ascending from just a simple swordsman to a saint that had no equal. Reading is a way for preparation and Charlemagne himself read the best books he could get his hands on. His way of life is what I look up to. It’s a shame that he passed away, but he did live a fulfilling life, France to this day has succession problems due to him ascending 10 times in his life and leaving pretenders from multiple mothers. He lived a total of 400 years until his legacy came to an end.

I want to live a fulfilling life. Maybe marry a nice princess from some country, take over from my father and lead the Hansa further forward than my father has achieved in his 200-year rule. I want to live longer than him. No. I must live longer than him. Strength is what makes legends and legends must learn from each other to become gods known until the end of time.

Slay magical beasts, slay armies of backstabbing invaders and etch myself in history as the man who made the world be stronger, be better than it was before.

Charlemagne strived for his own vision of his lands, I will so too. His exploits are going to help me, the academy will be an easy stepping stone. A credential that would bring forth my legitimacy and ease my entrance onto my Grand-Duchy.

“Master, would you like some tea?”

My extravagant pondering was halted by my maid.

A resounding slap echoes in the room as I plant my hand onto her face, knocking her backward.

“Never, and I repeat, never speak to me. You will only speak when spoken too. My needs will be announced, and only then can you add suggestions, I only took you in because mother asked me to. You are no one. I don’t want any noise coming from you when I’m reading or when I’m eating. Your only time to speak is allowed if you say it’s an emergency.

Did I make myself clear?

She nods softly, covering her red-stricken face with one of her delicate pale hands.

“Dismissed.”

She leaves without a word.

Strike fear and people will be afraid to not respect you.

She learns fast.