The Relentless Training and a Grievous Heart

[As the days passed, Aile’s magic became more and more advanced.

She not only learned the basic elements, but also mastered all the elements

Of all the elements, she exhibited the greatest mastery over darkness.

This revelation surprised you, for within your memory, no one across the entire empire had ever truly mastered the dark element.

Chris, whose inherent attribute was light, could only wield that single element.

Yet, merely mastering that single element had propelled her to an astonishing Level 99.

Aile’s talent was truly formidable.

Consequently, you spent more time guiding her in the study, imparting ever more profound magical theories.

Should she fail to grasp a concept, you would compel her to recite and reiterate it repeatedly.

Beyond her studies, Aile was also obligated to fulfill her duties as a maid; you demanded she sacrifice sleep, and any misstep was met with your swift punishment.

Yet, she never once yielded.

Like a ravenous black hole, she greedily absorbed every lesson, knowing that only by persevering could she ever hope for vengeance.

Your actions, without question, only fueled her relentless drive.

Whenever she was in pain, or found herself weeping in secret during the night, you would rouse her for work.

You denied the young girl even a moment to truly weep, a cruelty that only intensified Aile’s burgeoning resentment towards you.

In her dreams, she would often recall the gentle visage of her teacher, finding in those fleeting moments the only semblance of solace.

Her fingers instinctively tightened around the necklace at her throat, the sole tether binding her to her beloved teacher.

Your methods, harsh as they were, not only provided her with an unwavering impetus but also solidified her sense of purpose and worth.

Caught between the stark brutality of her reality and the sweet solace of her memories, the young girl would never, under any circumstances, abandon her path.]

****

“We shall stop here, Aile.”

“Yes…”

“Return to your room and go straight to sleep.”

“…Yes.”

Mingqian closed the book and escorted the young girl out of the study.

Only after seeing her enter her room did he turn back.

The night had deepened, yet she was still diligently studying.

From Mingqian’s perspective, this was indeed a positive development.

To reach the pinnacle of human achievement, Level 99, ought not to be a difficult feat for Aile.

The true challenge lay in what came after.

At merely Level 99, she would still be unable to claim invincibility in this world.

To achieve such a feat, she would need to accomplish the extraordinary act of ‘breaking through’.

Below that threshold, all individuals were but ants.

Of course, if Aile were to master all elements, she might be able to defeat anyone even without such a breakthrough.

Pondering this, Mingqian couldn’t help but feel that his immense efforts were indeed worthwhile.

His study, which had once been immaculately tidy, contained only…

‘Lady Noyu Wants to Confess to Me~’

‘The Duke Who Stole the Princess’s Kisses’

‘The Duke Unwilling to Be the Princess’s Thrall~ Imprisoned, He Begs for Mercy’

‘Ten Thousand Benefits of Marrying a Princess’

These books were not Mingqian’s; to be precise, Noyu had forcibly crammed them into his study.

That very morning, under the guise of teaching Aile magic, he had handed all those books to Eliza, instructing her to return them to Noyu’s estate.

He then personally ventured to the black market, acquiring grimoires of every conceivable type.

He spared no expense for books on each element, for to him, money was an inexhaustible resource.

‘Wealth is but an external possession…’

The primary reason, however, was that he couldn’t take it back with him.

Even if he could, it would be useless in his original world.

This world possessed convenient tools known as spatial rings, making shopping an effortlessly pleasant affair.

These books would become the nourishment for Aile’s growth.

From the depths of a hidden compartment, he retrieved a notebook and began quietly scribbling something within it.

Mingqian did not wish for his time in this world to pass as if he had never existed, and thus, he had cultivated the habit of keeping a diary.

However, the first half of the diary was still written in the script of this world, though one day, Aile seemed to have glimpsed a tiny portion of its contents.

He was unaware of what Aile had seen, but the contents of that notebook, from now until eternity, could never be known by another, for they were destined to endure centuries of…

My thoughts had strayed.

Consequently, from that day forward, he reverted to writing in Chinese characters.

In this world, no one could comprehend Chinese characters.

As characters of modern Chinese, their meaning had already diverged significantly from their form; even the most seasoned linguists would find it utterly impossible to decipher them without spending the better part of a lifetime.

[Today, Aile studied three books on fire magic; she is truly remarkable. I do not wish to be so harsh with her. Forgive me.]

A soft creak.

The door was gently pushed open.

Chris quietly approached him from behind.

“Master, it is time for work.”

Mingqian nodded subtly.

Chris delicately twisted a mechanism hidden behind the bookshelf, and with a faint whirring sound, a secret passage leading outside was revealed.

This was a clandestine passage connecting the ducal manor to the outside world, one he frequently utilized to execute troublesome individuals.

Outside the window, a gentle, persistent rain was falling, making for an opportune day; the downpour would wash away all scents and traces… such as blood.

Mingqian pushed open the door, allowing the faint moonlight to bathe both him and Chris.

Chris did not move, instead casting a somber gaze upon Mingqian.

“Master, I have a grievance.”

“I have a grievance regarding your excessive favoritism towards that child.”

“Rejected, Chris.

I consider Aile my daughter, and you are her elder sister; you should…”

“I should be more tolerant of her? But why, Master?”

Ordinarily, Chris would never display such raw emotion; even when displeased, she would merely ignore Aile.

“Yesterday, in the early hours of the morning, you anxiously paced the study merely because she coughed thrice in her sleep.”

“The night before last, you canceled our engagement to stay up with her, reading until dawn.”

“And this afternoon, you didn’t even touch the meal I prepared, giving it all to her as an extra portion, did you not?”

Chris lifted her phoenix-like eyes, an ineffable sorrow clouding their depths.

“Aile is still growing, and besides, you secretly added the thousand-year ganoderma (TL Note: A type of mushroom often used in traditional Chinese medicine for its purported health benefits and longevity-promoting properties.) I intended for her to my bowl, did you not?”

“…It is precisely so! You are my Master, not her!”

Chris bit her lip, her gaze fixed on Mingqian, filled with unconcealed resentment.

“It will be, sooner or later, Chris.

I will eventually die…”

His words were cut short as Chris forcefully pressed her hand over his mouth.

“You are forbidden to utter that word, Master.”

“How many times must I tell you?

If you die, I will surely not cling to life.”

Her eyes welled with tears, and her voice gradually faded.

“Because, whether it was being found by you, or being treated with kindness, or being given a home by you—I was here first.”

“So why, then, is she so special to you?

Is she… is she some kind of succubus, bewitching my Master until he loses all sense of direction?”

These were words she had long yearned to speak.

Yet, what she truly wished to say lay beyond them.

“I… I am not like Lady Noyu; I do not possess a noble status befitting you, so I cannot compete with her.

But if this is how it must be, then I too will change…”

“I will become someone who desires to imprison you, to hold you firmly in my grasp, to make you belong solely to me…”

“Even I… can harbor such thoughts.”

“If only you… if only you hadn’t found her.

If only I had struck her down with my sword that day…”

Her voice, laced with sobs, turned her face away from Mingqian.

“Chris.”

Mingqian interrupted her.

“You were my first family.

How could you say I don’t cherish you?”

“Did I not tell you, that day I saved you all?”

“If you were to die, I would certainly not cling to life either.”

“So… please, don’t speak like that, alright?”

Mingqian gently stroked the young girl’s head, and only then did she lift her face.

Her face was streaked with glistening tears.

“Honestly… Master, you truly are wicked,” she mumbled softly.

“If one day I truly lose control, you absolutely mustn’t blame me.”