While it was frustrating that he didn't get to try everything he wanted to, Reivan didn't really think it was a big deal. If Valter's words were anything to go by, there would be more opportunities from now on.

'I don't know if I want to fight a nightmare spawn with three faces every day though. That'd be too stressful...'

Hopefully, today was an extremely rare occurrence.

"Oof!" Revan let himself fall forward, hugging the giant serpent's cold body. He'd unconsciously deactivated [Chaos Origin] at some point—most likely because his body knew that it was dangerous to keep it active for any longer than he already had.

Which was a good thing. Even now, he felt sore all over. It was akin to having countless needles lightly prick your skin.

'It's not getting better even though I'm spamming [Effect Reproduction]. So [Chaos Origin]'s self-harm isn't physical.'

He already knew, but receiving confirmation and experiencing it in a safe environment was a good thing. In the future, he would be more prepared for the backlash.

"Good work, Your Highness." Valter suddenly appeared on Zouros' expansive back as the serpent roamed the dark skies.

"Psh. It was too easy." Reivan scoffed.

"I see. As expected, you are quite formidable. Tomorrow, let's find more human-faced spawns. Try to fight two at a time."

"Ehem. Tomorrow is a bit... I have other matters, you see. Perhaps another time."

The prince and his knight looked at each other and chuckled before Valter pointed at his eye. "Your Highness. Why not check your... status, was it called? I'm sure your physical abilities have been raised. Especially since it was such a long and hard-fought battle."

"Oh. Sure..."

~^+— Unit's Statistics —+^~ Name: Reivan Aizenwald

Species: Hybrid

Realm: Mortal

Age: Cannot Be Calculated

Sex: Male

Special Abilities [Supreme Insight] [Indomitable Willpower]

[Essence of Falsehood] [Drug Memorization]

[Glimpse of Eternity] Might: 219 → 224 Extra Skills Elemental Affinities: [Lightning] [Chaos] [Darkness] [Ice] [Chaos Origin]

[Intuition] [Taunt]

[Qi: Unleashed]

'Whoah. Crazy. It actually increased by five points just from fighting for an hour or two. Oh, wait...'

"Valter, for how long was I fighting?"

"You fought for a total of one hour and eleven minutes, Your Highness."

"Huh?" Reivan squinted as he frowned. "That can't be right... I'm sure I fought for much longer than that..."

Valter shook his head. "Oftentimes, when we are incredibly focused on a single task, it may feel as if time passes much slower. This is also due to your mind processing a massive amount of information during combat. You feel as if every second is extended because you pay attention to numerous things to accomplish a single task."

'Is that really how it works...?'

Reivan mentally asked Zouros and the serpent confirmed that the fight had only lasted a bit more than an hour.

'That's nuuuuuuuts.'

"In any case," Valter said with a smile. "Now that you know you can obtain results within a short span of time, do you still have things to do tomorrow?"

"Haha..." Reivan sheepishly chuckled. "I think I remembered wrong. I'm free every day of the week."

"I see. So young but your memory is already lacking? How alarming. But do take note that this kind of training has diminishing effects. It'll be harder to raise your power as you grow stronger."

"Understandable."

"It is also pointless to do this too much in a single day. So from now on, we'll come here for one to two hours every day. Within that time, I will try to make things difficult for you."

Reivan's cheek twitched. "Harder than today?"

"Yes."

"You answered that so fast..."

"I will also be imposing limits from time to time. This is so you don't overly rely on a single set of skills. As today proved, you may suddenly run into something that shares most of your elemental affinities, thoroughly limiting your options."

Reivan nodded in understanding, recalling how he had to resort to using [Chaos Origin] to finish off the three-faced bird.

Valter crossed his arms and thought for a few moments before speaking. "Your Highness, do you remember Aizen's Foundation Festival?"

"That's a sudden change in the subject... But yes, I remember."

Every year, the entire kingdom celebrated the week-long festival and that tradition would likely continue until the nation fell. It was in honor of the first king and the valiant warriors who unified the peninsula to establish Aizen. Reivan could only enjoy it in secret with his mother and uncle in the past, but ever since he became a "real" member of the royal family, he got to participate in a number of events.

Like a parade on the first day of the festival where the entire royal family—including his father whose default state was "busy"—rode a massive chariot pulled by dozens of huskies around the capital. It was a simple event, but countless people from across the kingdom came to get a glimpse of the royal family that they only rarely saw.

There was also a martial arts competition called the "First Sword Tournament", but Reivan didn't think much of it because only commoners fought. He wasn't really looking down on them, but Reivan was used to seeing the refined techniques of monsters like Rolf, Valter, Vianna, Viktor, Donovan, and Stella. Because of this, the commoners' "matches" just seemed like kids playfighting to him.

Heck, any random squire could have won the entire tournament.

Reivan knew those events were important, but honestly, he looked forward to going around the stalls the most. During that time, his entire family would usually have lots of free time so they could disguise themselves and have some fun. Even his father came out of his office to partake in the festivities—albeit, surrounded by numerous Ascendants. It was the single week of the year when they stopped being the "royal family" and just became a normal family, having fun and goofing off together.

'Oh. Come to think of it. It should be soon, no?'

Suddenly, Reivan was struck with a strange idea. "Valter. You're not telling me I'll have to fight in that martial arts contest, right?"

"Not this year, no."

"... how about next year?"

Valter shook his head. "You will have to disguise yourself and compete when you're fifteen. It's tradition. Your brother partook as well... though, you were too young back then and weren't invited to witness it."

'The fuck. That's not fair... I don't ever get to see him fight since he's also ridiculously busy...'

Reivan felt like he'd lost out on a good show. Still, he now had to worry about himself. "But what's the point? Only commoners enter, right? I'll win easily unless you guys cut my limbs off and throw me in the ring blindfolded."

Valter grunted in agreement. "Your father has naturally thought of an alternative. After all, your bloodline as a warbeast isn't necessarily something new. It was all but foretold that you would unlock your qi before then."

"Right."

"All royals, regardless if they're male or female, participate in this tradition. Still, having a royal with their qi unlocked at age fifteen is unprecedented so the topic of what to do with you was up for debate."

Reivan hummed and nodded. "I guess that's true. If they haven't unlocked their qi yet, the gap won't be too big."

"Yes. What we usually do is create a false sense of security in the royals by making them think that they'll only be facing commoners. But we'll secretly make squires enter the competition in secret to pull the rug from under them. But that won't be an option either."

"..."

'I've been thinking this for a long time, but this country is way too horrible to the members of the royal family! Who the hell made all these traditions!?'

Reivan heaved a sigh of exasperation. "So? What will happen?"

"We'll hold an exhibition match after the tournament instead," Valter said. "And you will fight six active-duty knights in consecutive one-on-one duels."

"Active-duty knights... I'll be fifteen though..."

"A fifteen-year-old with a soul armament, qi unlocked, perfect mana enhancement, numerous special abilities, and three elemental attributes."

"Right... Damn."

"Furthermore..." Valter's face turned solemn for a moment. "You can't show too much during the fights."

Reivan arched an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Because now that our relations with Arkhan have improved to the point that we accept immigrants from them, a representative from their country will also be invited to the festival."

"Oh..." The prince nodded in understanding. "And the republic is also growing closer to the empire right now."

"Indeed."

"Then can't I just lose? What's the big deal?"

Valter shook his head. "You would be the first royal to ever fail this tradition in history then."

"Oh..."

"And having the knights lose to you on purpose... would shame their honor. We are warriors. Not actors on a stage."

"I understand." Reivan also didn't entertain the notion of having knights intentionally make a fool of themselves by losing to him—who would've held back by a lot to decrease information leaks.

Knights fought dirty and weren't afraid of hitting low blows to accomplish their goals, but this was all for the sake of the nation. All of their actions were righteous—this was what they told themselves to stave off their guilt.

'Hmm... So I'll be limited to using things I wouldn't mind the other nation finding out about. Or stuff that isn't noticeable at a glance.'

Healing effects from [Effect Reproduction], using [Formless Will] to control things, and maybe even [Chaos Origin] was out of the question. Showing off Zouros wasn't good either since the snake was like a trump card for him.

'Just imagining some assassin coming after me, only to get eaten by a massive serpent... I have to hide Zouros from the public eye as much as possible.'

His [Beast Gate] would be okay though, since warbeasts are generally known to have some kind of transformation ability. As for his elemental affinities, those would be tough to hide while fighting active-duty knights so he should just give up from the start and assume he'd use them.

'Well, when I think about it, it shouldn't be that hard to show off a decent fight. Unless they pit me against half-ascendents like bis sis...'

Reivan's eyes widened in realization as he hurriedly slapped his lips.

'Idiot! Why are you raising flags like that!?'

Life wasn't a light novel, but Reivan still thought that ominous thoughts like those should be avoided.

"Your Highness?" Valter looked at him with concern.

"Ah. I'm fine. I was just being stupid."

"I see...? Anyway, we'll be focusing on improving your basic skills. All advanced techniques are born from the basics after all."

Reivan nodded with a solemn expression. "Alright."

"Good." Valter smiled in satisfaction then chuckled. "Well, I say that, but we're done for today, Your Highness."

"I think I can fight a bit more... After a few minutes of rest, that is."

The guardian knight shook his head. "Sufficient rest and a proper diet is also part of good training. No more training for today."

"I see."

"Let us continue tomorrow."

Reivan snuck out of the caste with the Sword Star's help again. At the moment, he was still a bit embarrassed to tell Valter about his... escapades. The guardian knight's duty wasn't something he could do while giving Reivan privacy after all.

"Thank you, old man," he whispered under his breath as he made his way into the Serpent's Haven. Reivan winked at the burly man guarding the employee entrance and headed inside.

Surprisingly, he met Elsamina upon opening the door.

"Oh my." she gasped before breaking into a smile. "It's only three o'clock in the afternoon, master. Did you miss me already?"

Reivan cleared his throat, feigning composure. "I just had important matters to discuss."

"Important matters... I see."

"Ehem. Anyway, what are you doing here...?"

"Just making the rounds to see if everyone was still hale and hearty. There seems to be a cold going around so I was worried."

"A cold?" Reivan raised his eyebrows before nodding. "That's nothing. I know a guy who can get the best medicine for those."

"Goodness. Really?"

"Of course. I'll hand it over tomorrow."

"You really take care of us very well." Elsamina smiled as she strode forward and hooked her arm around his, inadvertently letting him make contact with certain prominent parts of her body. "I will have some appreciation on behalf of everyone. Please, follow me to my office."

Reivan nodded, enjoying the moment.

Once they arrived in Elsamina's office, she immediately shut the door and gently pushed him against it.

"Mmph!" Reivan's mouth was immediately sealed and he didn't want to do anything about it. Well, that was wrong. He wanted more.

But just as he was about to hug her, she broke away as if nothing happened. With a smile, she started preparing some tea.

"Master, why stand there? Please sit anywhere you like."

Reivan was a bit disgruntled at her teasing but looked for a place to sit down anyway. He was just about to head for the couch, but memories of what they did on it last night made him look for something else. His fluids probably hadn't been cleaned off of it yet.

'Actually, we went at it pretty hard so it's harder to find a spot we didn't do it at.'

They had done it to the point of exhaustion. Well, only Elsamina was truly exhausted. The poor woman had tried to earnestly match his bottomless stamina.

'The window... Oh, no. Wait. We did it there too. Shit.'

Still, the afternoon breeze felt nice so he chose to linger there. Elsamina soon handed him a cup of tea before sitting on her posh office chair.

"The weather in Aizen feels really nice, doesn't it, master?"

"Indeed." Reivan nodded even though he didn't have any experience outside of Aizen. "How was it in the capital?"

"Winters were very cold and summers were incredibly hot."

"Sounds rough. You don't have to worry about that though. Since you might not go back there ever again."

"I suppose..." Elsamina rested her head on her palm and looked at him. "So? What important matters did you wish to discuss that you would rush here so early in the afternoon? I thought you were busy. You were in such a rush to leave when you woke up, after all."

"Ah." Reivan chuckled sheepishly. "Sorry about that... I had circumstances..."

Elsamina giggled mischievously. "I was joking, master. I'm not really mad. We're both very busy people. I myself had matters I needed to handle... There was even a meeting I was almost late to. Though it was a joyous thing, our... meeting wasn't planned."

"I see. Thank you for understanding."

"Yes. I wasn't annoyed in the slightest."

[Lie Detection] has activated!

Reivan pursed his lips while thinking of ways to make it up to her somehow.

"Anyway, master." Elsamina took out some documents from her desk's drawer and looked them over while speaking. "Why did you rush here so early? I have some vague ideas but maybe I'm wrong. Is it related to our failure to buy up properties in the capital?"

'Huh? She was trying to do that?'

If she was, it was guaranteed to fail. There was a secret unspoken rule that knights, bureaucrats, and their relatives would have priority for those matters. It wouldn't work even if she contacted property owners directly since some people would get in the way.

'That's not good. I should get someone to keep an eye out so she doesn't get hurt.'

"No, that wasn't why." Reivan shook his head. "I just wanted to see you sooner."

"Oh?" Elsamina's face brightened and her smile made her face shine to his eyes. "Your tongue is very sweet, master. Though I suppose I've already tasted it, so I would know."

"You're so lewd..." Reivan chuckled.

Elsamina stood up and strode toward him, her hips swaying from side to side. "Do you hate lewd women like me, master?"

He gulped and turned away, pretending to find the outside scenery interesting. "I-I don't..."

"I'm very glad to hear that." She hugged him from behind, wrapping her dainty arms around him as her soft hands stroked his chest.

Reivan twitched at the pleasant sensation at his front and back. "W-wait a minute..."

"Why wait?"

"Well, maybe we could have a meal outside first...? Enjoy the sights..."

"Oh my. Are you proposing a date?"

"Yes."

Elsamina giggled and nibbled at his ears. "That sounds wonderful. But what do we do after the date?"

Reivan let a breath escape him as he felt her lips on his neck. "Afterwards..."

"Yes. Afterwards. What do wish to do together?"

"I..."

"Do you want to fuck me, master?"

"Ah..." Reivan almost jumped when her hands tried to invade his pants. "Absolutely."

Elsamina laughed and broke away again. "You're so cute, master. It really makes me want to believe what you said about being thirteen years old."

"...I wasn't lying about that though."

Reivan bit his lip in frustration. Whether it was due to her lack of belief in his words or something else, even he wasn't completely sure.

"Psh." Elsamina sneered then placed a hand on the top of his head. "I am quite tall for a woman but you're already close to my height."

She then poked his arms. "Your arms are thick too. Couldn't you crush my head with these?"

"Then..." Elsamina rubbed his stomach, where his abdominal muscles were incredibly well-defined. "Need I say more? Walk around the street, master. Then tell everybody you meet that you're thirteen. Watch as their faces fill with doubt."

'Uh... Well, she has a point...'

Reivan looked down at himself and admitted that she made a good point. At some point, he'd even left Hector in the dust when it came to height and physique—and Hector was tall for his age.

Elsamina shook her head and sighed. "I don't even know why you tell such an obvious lie."

Reivan also sighed, internally giving up on insisting. Was it a curse? Because he lied so much, now, people didn't believe him when he told the truth.

"Anyway... I wonder what I should wear. I've never been on a date." Elsamina excitedly said as she stroked the spatial ring he'd given her—likely looking through her wardrobe.

"Never?"

"Yes. Just straight into sex."

"O-oh..." Reivan cleared his throat. "I won't be like that."

"I wouldn't mind it if it was like that for us sometimes." Elsamina giggled and then looked at him. "Master?"

"Hm? Yes?"

"What are we?"

Reivan immediately recognized the seriousness behind her lighthearted tone.

Before he could say anything, she continued. "I don't mind if we're... not anything. Just two people who have fun? But... It seems to me that you intend to treat me especially well and..."

"And...?"

Elsamina's enchanting green eyes stared into his. "I just wondered... If I could expect more? Uhm... How do I put this... I just wanted to set my expectations."

"I see..." Reivan nodded as he smiled. "You can set your expectations higher."

Her eyes brightened. "Really?"

"Yes..." Reivan cleared his throat, trying hard not to blush. "The founding festival... Uhm. My family and I were going to go around the stalls and I was wondering if you would like to come?"

"Yes! I'll come!"

"Great. That's settled then."

Reivan laughed and tried to hide his face by staring out the window but suddenly felt a jolt. Then, hands aggressively tried to take his clothes off.

"H-Hey! What are you..." Reivan tried to stop her but her cold hands felt a bit too good against his skin. "I thought we agreed to go on a date before doing it...?"

"I changed my mind." Elsamina hugged him tightly. "We can just do it now and then go on a date later. Then we can do it again afterward, no?"

"Well... that is objectively better."

She giggled.

"Yes. Objectively."