Three days had passed since the night Alrain swore his allegiance in the forest.
Now, under the vast blue sky stretching above the luxurious Vedegra family mansion, Alrain stood alone in the center of the backyard garden. He was currently dressed in fine clothes. Luxurious, clean, and comfortable. Far different from the tattered rags he had worn during his escape.
Alrain tilted his head up, gazing at the white clouds drifting slowly by. His eyes looked distant, trying to repaint Yonna's smile on the canvas of the sky. However, the harder he tried, the clearer the image of blood and his sister's stiff body on the stone altar became.
Sister... Alrain said softly in his heart, the gentle breeze caressing his green hair that was now neatly cut. I promise, I will definitely avenge you against that bastard King. With the help of Lord Arvin Vedegra, I am sure that one day we will destroy this rotten kingdom down to its roots.
Alrain smiled faintly, a bitter smile.
I was also welcomed warmly here, Sister. he continued narrating in his heart, hoping Yonna up there could hear him. Lord Arvin Vedegra... he is different. He cares deeply and is attentive to me, unlike other nobles who look down on commoners. I am very happy to be given a second chance at life. Wait for me... someday in the future, I will definitely avenge your death.
"Alrain!"
A firm but not harsh call instantly shattered his daydream.
Alrain flinched. Quickly, he wiped the corners of his wet eyes with the back of his hand, took a deep breath to calm himself, then turned and jogged toward the source of the voice.
On the back terrace of the mansion, Arvin stood with a sturdy posture. He wasn't wearing complicated noble attire, but rather training clothes that allowed for easy movement, with sleeves rolled up to the elbows, revealing his trained arm muscles.
Upon arriving in front of his master, Alrain immediately bowed in respect.
"Yes, My Lord! Is there something you called me for?" he asked promptly.
Arvin stared intently at Alrain, assessing the young man's physical and mental readiness.
"Starting today, I will train you personally!" Arvin said without preamble. "I will forge you to become stronger, even strong enough that you deserve to stand by my side and fight with me in the future!"
Alrain's eyes sparkled. That offer was music to his ears. Strength was the only thing he craved right now. Without strength, his revenge was just an empty dream.
"I am ready, My Lord!" Alrain answered without hesitation. "Do anything to me. I will not complain."
Arvin nodded in satisfaction. However, his expression turned serious.
"But, before we start training..." Arvin stepped closer, his voice lowering but full of emphasis. "I want to ask you one thing. What exactly did the King do that you bear such a burning grudge against him?"
The question made Alrain fall silent for a moment. The wound gaped open again. However, he knew he had to be honest with his master.
With a voice he tried to keep steady, Alrain began to tell everything. Starting from that hellish night, when royal soldiers knocked on his door late at night with a false excuse about a noble transaction. How he and his sister were taken by force, beaten unconscious inside the wagon.
Alrain recounted the gruesome details in the underground chamber. About the heretical ritual, about how his sister was stripped naked on the altar, and how Dalvanel's sword pierced Yonna's chest right before his eyes, just for the King's mad ambition for immortality.
Arvin listened intently, his face hardening as he held back anger of equal magnitude. His jaw tightened when he heard the part about the immortality ritual.
"So that's how it is..." Arvin muttered coldly. "He really has gone mad."
Arvin stared sharply into Alrain's eyes.
"If that is what he did to you and your sister, embed that pain!" Arvin instructed firmly, his voice igniting Alrain's spirit. "Make that anger your fuel while you train with me! Don't let the fire go out for even a second!"
"Yes, My Lord!" Alrain answered enthusiastically, clenching his fists tight.
"Good. Let's begin!"
The following days became both hell and heaven for Alrain.
The training started from the most fundamental basics: an introduction to mana energy flowing within the body and in nature. Arvin taught him how to sense, gather, and detonate mana efficiently, something Alrain had never learned before because he was just a commoner who never enjoyed an education at the royal academy and whose powers had 'accidentally' awakened.
After theory, the physical torture began. Every dawn, Alrain had to run around the city with weights on his legs. At midday, he did heavy exercises, ranging from one-armed push-ups to lifting river stones. And in the evening, he practiced swinging a large, heavy wooden log like a greatsword, training his back and arm muscles until they went numb.
Arvin trained Alrain with the firmness of a general, but with the sincerity of an older brother. He never let Alrain train alone. Arvin was always there, correcting his posture, giving him water when he nearly fainted, and motivating him when Alrain felt like giving up.
Day by day, the relationship between the two grew closer thanks to that training. The wall of 'master and subordinate' slowly began to crumble, replaced by a bond of mutual respect and trust.
Until one scorching afternoon, an incident occurred.
Alrain, too eager to master a new sword technique, pushed his exhausted body too far.
Crack!
The sound of shifting bone was heard horribly as he landed wrong from a jump.
"Arghhh!" Alrain groaned, falling and rolling while clutching his ankle which was swelling rapidly.
Arvin, who was supervising from a distance, immediately ran as fast as lightning. His usually calm face was now filled with genuine panic.
"Alrain!" Arvin exclaimed. He immediately knelt beside Alrain, examining his leg carefully. "Fool! I told you not to push yourself if your mana is depleted!"
Without hesitation, Arvin placed his hand on Alrain's dirty and swollen leg. A soft green light emanated from his palm. And the magic he used was high-level healing magic.