In the end, at Fleur’s insistent demand, Lorin hesitantly pulled open the collar of his nightgown a bit wider.
“Merlin above, it’s practically a work of art!”
Fleur held the Two-Way Mirror in her right hand while her left raised and lowered several times, as if longing to part Lorin’s collar even further.
The smooth, lean tone of his muscles, his healthy, flushed complexion, combined with the innate noble air radiating from within and his faultless features—it struck every single one of Fleur’s aesthetic preferences with wild precision!
“Darling, are you cured?”
Aside from Lorin’s parents, no one wished for his recovery more than Fleur.
“Not yet, but soon.”
Without bringing up the Philosopher’s Stone or his vitality, Lorin spoke in a casual tone, as though his weakness and anemia were already ancient history.
Well, they *were* technically history—it was just that his days were numbered now.
“Unluckily, Mother Breya wants me to wake up every morning to train with Butler Raynt.
I might only be able to chat with you in the evenings from now on.”
“That’s such a shame.
But it’s fine—during one of the holidays after school starts, I can come to Britain to visit you.”
“Why not let me come to the Pyrenees to visit you instead?”
“Giggle, we’ll see when the time comes.”
…
*Click.*
As the lights in Lorin’s room flickered out, Montmorency Manor sank once again into quiet stillness.
Only Butler Raynt’s room still gleamed with a faint light…
The next morning, at seven o’clock.
“Master Lorin, are you ready?”
Butler Raynt produced two wooden knight swords out of nowhere and handed one to Lorin.
As for Breya, still feeling a touch anxious, she stood in a corner of the training room, a faint smile curling her lips as she watched Lorin.
“It’s been an hour since breakfast.
I don’t think I could be any more ready, Butler Raynt.”
“Good.
Before we begin, please allow me to explain the direction and purpose of your training.”
“Speak freely.”
“First, I hope Young Master understands that this old servant will not be instructing you in the practice of the breathing technique.
Neither Madam nor Master wishes for your breathing technique to be taught by anyone else.”
“Because the systems are different?”
“Not entirely.
Your breathing technique integrates many characteristics of wizards and ancient mages.
“Naturally.”
Lorin nodded in agreement with Butler Raynt.
“Second, while your breathing technique may carry its own compatible combat techniques, in our experience, the stronger the breathing technique, the harder its associated combat techniques are to learn…”
“However, foundational techniques are universal.”
“I will simply teach you how to exert the maximum physical power of your body and how to project Battle Qi, along with some practical applications.
As for formidable combat arts, those will depend on your own learning.”
“Ah, that certainly gives me something to look forward to.”
Lorin’s clear dark eyes sparkled, genuine anticipation beaming within them.
“Lastly, though Young Master is eager to begin, you still need to understand the composition of physical potential.”
Raynt did not rush Lorin into physical training; instead, he wanted Lorin to understand the fundamental principles and sources of knights, training, Battle Qi, and body potential from the ground up.
Only with a sufficiently solid foundation could a grand superstructure be built above it.
“I suppose I got ahead of myself.”
Lorin smiled and gestured for old Raynt to continue, listening intently.
“Young Master, do you remember yesterday’s medicinal bath?”
“That was truly the most unforgettable memory of my life.”
“One of them.”
Lorin did not forget to add:
“If not for Mother, that entire tub of medicinal bath might have gone to waste.”
“If Young Master required it, then it can hardly be considered a waste.”
A gratified smile broke across Raynt’s wrinkled old face.
“Young Master’s medicinal bath yesterday contained over a hundred materials from magical creatures.
Such a thing is unheard of to me.”
“How so?”
“Initiating a knight’s breathing technique generally does require a medicinal bath.”
Because of Lorin’s frail constitution, he had been unable to start knight training at age eleven, leaving him entirely ignorant of these matters.
Old Raynt patiently explained:
“However, an ordinary Knight’s Breathing Technique only requires one or two magical creature materials.”
“Take the four breathing techniques of our Montmorency family—they rank among the finest of all Knight’s Breathing Techniques, yet they merely require five to seven types of magical creature materials…”
“A requirement like Young Master’s is utterly unprecedented.
Fortunately, my bath preparation techniques haven’t rusted, so I managed to fulfill my duty yesterday.”
Butler Raynt adjusted his glasses and continued to expound upon yesterday’s medicinal bath:
“As for yesterday’s materials, Madam made a few fine adjustments based on her own knowledge.”
“For instance, giant blood was swapped by Madam for the essence blood of a Storm Titan.”
“And dragon spine was replaced with the spine of a young red dragon.”
“As for the remaining hundred-plus materials, Madam selected the absolute best choices from the Montmorency vault to replace and adjust them for you…”
“Merlin’s beard!
Wasn’t Mother worried I wouldn’t be able to handle the energy from all those things?”
“And that is precisely why Madam insisted on supervising your medicinal bath…”
Old Raynt blinked, his somewhat cloudy eyes causing Lorin’s thoughts to drift back.
Right—yesterday, Mother Breya had followed him right inside from the start, looking as if she were in a playful mood, eager to tease him.
Helpless, he had undressed and plunged into the tub just to hide, fearing what unbearable teasing Breya might throw at him otherwise.
And then, after he got in…
Evidently, Mother Breya had pushed his head straight down, preventing him from coming back up.
Having given up on surfacing, Lorin had actually hoped to pass out.
After all, while passing out from pain was embarrassing, at least he wouldn’t have to endure the agony…
Yet Breya seemed able to predict exactly when Lorin was at his limit, unfailingly stimulating his brain right when he was on the verge of fainting, forcing him to stay conscious…
“Mother, you really had to worry so much for me…”
Lorin shook his head, though this time no familiar dizziness struck him.
“Butler Raynt, in that case, let’s begin the training!”
“Very well, Young Master Lorin.”
The old butler’s cloudy eyes suddenly sharpened, glinting with keen awareness.
“In that case, we will proceed step by step, conducting targeted training according to the traits of the magical creatures you absorbed.”
“Today, we will start with the primary and most crucial component—strength training!”
“Young Master has fused with the spine of a red dragon—and one from its prime youth, when life essence is at its peak.
Much of that dragon strength remains unabsorbed, stored within your body.”
“Today, we will make an initial attempt to draw out that red dragon’s power.”
“Alright, let’s do it!”
“Mhm.
Young Master, please lie face down.
I will assist you.”
Raynt gestured for Lorin to lie down on an elegant, ornate carpet.
Holding a massive iron bar in his hands, his face bore a butler’s proper…
Oh no—to Lorin, that was unambiguously a sinister grin!
“The first step in activating strength is, naturally, using a pounding method to coax out the excess essence from the red dragon’s spine…”
“Merlin’s wardrobe!”
…