In the snowy meadow, a man with a rather handsome face and long red hair tied into a bun sat atop a stool.
Before him rested a fire blazing within a makeshift wooden grill crafted from the dry wood that he found in the surrounding forest.
Atop the grill rested a cooking pot emitting delicious aroma, smoke, and occasional sizzling sounds.
Despite the ferocious mana beasts lurking nearby in the woods, none of them dared to approach the man.
It was because they instinctively knew that approaching the man would result in their deaths.
Even though human flesh was a rarity in these mountains, it wasn't worth dying for.
So all they could do was gulp down their mouth-watering saliva and walk away tearfully.
Meanwhile, Leo sat idly, his gaze fixed on his cooking food as he absentmindedly whistled a song with a bored face.
Even though he didn't let it show on his face earlier, Leo was pleasantly surprised by Lucas' rapid growth.
In just under a day, with the right guidance, Lucas managed to nearly grasp the essence and master the application of Basic Martial Aura.
In just a matter of a few days, he would undoubtedly attain flawless proficiency—a feat that typically requires weeks, if not months, for ordinary individuals to achieve.
"This confirms it," Leo murmured, his chin resting on his fingers. "That boy truly possesses a natural gift for martial arts."
But then the question remains the same:
Why did Lucas' father—General Reynold Morningstar—fail to recognise such talent?
"Should I talk to him about it?" Leo pondered aloud, but he promptly dismissed the idea.
After all these years, Leo refused to be the first one to initiate contact. He will not call Reynold first.
In fact, he would never want to talk to him again.
However, perhaps there was another option. Maybe he could try speaking with Yennefer—Lucas' mother—instead.
"....No," but after giving it some thought, Leo shook his head again.
Talking to Yennefer now, considering what happened last time, would definitely be awkward. Leo was the kind of person who preferred to avoid such uncomfortable situations.
Then should he go ahead and talk to Lucas' sister, Yelena, instead?
"...Nah. That girl is the spitting image of her father," Leo remarked, shaking his head in disagreement yet again.
Indeed, it was undeniable. Yelena's arrogance and ego were on par, if not above, what Reynold possessed.
If Leo were to engage in a conversation with her, he was certain to lose his composure.
Moreover, rumours had reached Leo's ears that Yennefer held resentment towards Lucas.
Thus, talking with her would be futile, as she would likely tell him her own biased perspective.
"Haa," in the end, Leo could only let out a sigh of defeat.
Well, it didn't really matter. Regardless of the reasons that led Reynold to overlook Lucas' talent, it was no longer Leo's concern.
He could never truly comprehend that man, to begin with, and there was no point in trying to decipher his mind now.
"Oh, he's about to fall off the cliff," Leo suddenly raised his head up, directing his gaze towards the snow-capped peak of the mountain.
In truth, Leo had been closely observing Lucas's intense battle against the pack of Ice-Claw Bears all this time using his Spatial Perception.
Spatial Perception is a mana-infused martial arts technique that lets its user perceive the physical realm with a bird's-eye view.
It's the same as omnidirectional vision.
That, coupled with Leo's sixth sense honed far beyond human capabilities, allowed him to adeptly monitor every subtle movement that Lucas made, all the while effortlessly cooking his dinner.
And at this very moment, Leo could see Lucas teetering on the brink of the cliff.
"Well, he held on for as long as he could," Leo muttered to himself, accompanied by a sigh.
Shaking his head, he rose from his seat and channeled mana into his legs, tensing his calves muscles.
Right from the beginning, Leo knew that Lucas wouldn't be able to hunt down an entire pack of Ice-Claw Bears alone—it was an impossible feat at his level after all.
In truth, Leo's intention was simply to assess Lucas's endurance and to witness how long he could endure in such a daunting situation.
And, to his surprise, Lucas lasted for a long time—10 minutes to be exact.
While 10 minutes may not appear long, in a life-or-death battle, it could make all the difference.
Of course, he made some rather foolish decisions during his fight, but all in all, he performed well.
Through this and their earlier sparring session, Leo had gained enough idea of what Lucas' strengths and weaknesses were, so now he could help him work on them.
"Mm?"
Just as Leo was engrossed in such thoughts with a contemplating look plastered on his face, Lucas fell off the cliff.
Fwoosh—!!
Almost instantly, Leo's figure blurred into thin air as he moved with a burst of speed to catch Lucas on time.
†
Sizzle, Sizzle, Sizzle—
"Mnhh~"
What disturbed my sweet slumber was the sizzling sound of food being cooked and the sweet aroma that it carried.
Cling, Cling—
In the following instant, the harmonious melody of metal clashing against metal reached my ears.
It was as if someone was indulging in their meal using steel utensils. That sharp sound caused a dull ache to shoot through my skull.
I groaned again and rolled over, attempting to pull my pillow over my head to muffle the constant metal clashing sound.
But instead of my pillow, I came away with a handful of damp leaves.
Frowning, I tried to sit up straight, but that simple act triggered an agonising pain in my ribs.
Moving my body also caused the insides of my head to slosh, making it harder for me to focus or even open my eyes.
After a long struggle, I did manage to open my bleary eyes and used them to scan my surroundings through a bottle-glass blur.
I recognised my surroundings after a little drowsy confusion. I remember now.
I wasn't in my room but on the southern mountain range with that bastard of a master– Leo.
I jerked my head from side to side to look for him. There he was. Sitting on a stool, eating stew directly from the bowl while looking at me with amused eyes.
Only after he finished his stew and wiped his mouth with a handkerchief he put down the bowl, his eyes still on me.
"Oh, you're awake?" He said, causing a nerve to bulge on my forehead. "Welcome back."
"Welcome back, my ass!" I snapped. "I could've died! No, I think I did die! How am I alive?!"
"You fell off the cliff, and I dashed in to save you," Leo smugly explained. "I was also kind enough to make you a bed and use some healing potions on you."
His words caused a frown to appear on my face as I glanced around.
Sure enough, I was lying on a bed constructed from an arrangement of tree leaves.
Although they were moist, they provided insulation against the cold emanating from the snowy ground.
Remembering something, I quickly started touching my body, paying close attention to my rib area.
With a sense of urgency, I lifted my t-shirt and discovered that my abdomen was covered in bandages.
"D-Did you see?" I asked, without meeting his gaze.
The shoulder tackle from that Ice-Claw Bear ought to have broken some of my ribs. So it's obvious why I was covered in bandages.
But if Leo was the one who applied these bandages, then that must mean he saw it. And since it's him, he should know what it is.
"If you're referring to the relic on your chest, which, in my opinion, can only be none other than the Phoenix's Embrace, then I must admit that I didn't see it."
"..."
"What? You don't believe me?"
"..."
"Alright, fine! I did see it," Leo confessed, accompanied by a sigh.
His eyes brimmed with curiosity as he continued, "You must be aware that many have searched for that relic throughout the years, right? While it may not be widely known among your generation, people in my time would have killed for it. And they still would. Its existence is documented in the Academy Records of Relics. So, I'm intrigued—how did you manage to obtain a lost relic?"
"Academy Records of Relic?" I frowned. "What's that?"
"Global Academy has a list of powerful relics. The Central Government and the United Military also maintain their own lists, although theirs are more detailed and expansive, of course." Leo answered. "Now answer my question."
"I see," I replied while stroking my chin before meeting his gaze. "A talking tree gave it to me."
"...A what gave it to you?" Leo raised his eyebrows.
"A talking tree," I replied like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"A talking tree?" Leo looked at me skeptically. "A talking tree gave it to you? You mean as in the Tree Of Desires."
"Yes," I replied. "Exactly that."
Leo looked at me blankly for a few seconds before letting out a sigh. "Fine, don't tell me, but at least make some creative lies instead of using a fairy tale."
"It's not a fairy tale," I shook my head. "The Tree Of Desires really does exist."
It's really not Leo's fault for not believing me.
Many individuals in the past tried to look for the Tree Of Desires, but none of them could ever find it. Those who did weren't able to pass all his tests.
So, in short, no one ever saw the Tree Of Desires, and those who did weren't left alive to tell the tale.
Thus, it became a fairy tale—a folklore.
Leo rubbed his face at my reply, expressing his exasperation before releasing another sigh.
"Well, if you don't want to talk, then I guess it doesn't matter. Anyway, get up. It's time for you to resume your training," Leo stated.
"Huh? Right now? Aren't you going to give me something to eat first?" I retorted, a hint of hunger evident in my voice.
Leo raised an eyebrow in response.
"Did you manage to hunt anything?" he inquired.
"...I could have if you had given me enough time to prepare!" I argued defensively.
"In certain situations, you won't have the luxury of time to prepare," Leo retorted. "What will you do then? Run from a fight? Or perhaps you'll die?"
"...I-I nearly took down one of them," I defended myself.
"Indeed, you also almost died in the process," Leo reminded me sternly. "And how on earth did you not notice your legs freezing in place when that Ice-Claw Bear cast its spell?"
"I-I was already feeling cold!" I offered an explanation. "My feet were already immersed in the snow, so when the spell took effect, I didn't feel anything aside from the cold, which I was already feeling!"
"Haa," Leo pinched the bridge of his nose. "Well, I guess your usage of Martial Aura was good enough since you didn't die from that Ice-Claw Bear's shoulder tackle."
Aside from buffing a person's strength to superhuman levels, Martial Aura also acts as a defensive barrier that protects the practitioner's body from attacks.
If I wasn't using it, I would've seriously died.
"That's good enough for your defence for now," Leo mentioned. "Let's start working on your offense."
