The Sword Art Master Fled in Defeat

When he finally saw his student in person, the Sword Art Master's jaw nearly hit the floor.

"Ah? You mean you want me to teach swordsmanship to this little girl?"

The Sword Art Master stared dumbfoundedly, his trembling finger pointing ahead.

Several meters away stood a well-behaved little girl with hair like molten gold. She looked no more than seven or eight, elegant and polite, with a serene grace that radiated noble beauty.

"Yes. The two of you will spar in swordsmanship every day."

Rhine pulled out a wooden sword he had prepared long ago.

"With such a... such a large, heavy wooden sword, I'm supposed to fight this... this little... little girl?"

The Sword Art Master looked at the heavy wooden sword, nearly taller than the little girl herself, and completely lost control of his expression.

"Of course not!"

Rhine immediately denied the Sword Art Master's guess.

The Sword Art Master sighed in relief.

Then Rhine tossed the wooden sword to little Aurora.

"The wooden sword is for her, so she doesn't hurt you. You can use a real sword."

The Sword Art Master looked at the sharp treasured sword at his waist, still carrying a lingering scent of blood.

Then he looked ahead at the golden-haired little girl, who raised the wooden sword taller than herself and seriously studied him, her opponent.

The Sword Art Master suddenly felt that the world was somewhat unreal.

I'm not dreaming, am I?

Rhine shrugged, wearing an expression as if this were only natural.

After all, the Little Princess had received a Witch's blessing that made her "invulnerable to any weapon." A real sword would not harm her. On the other hand, this Sword Saint, who still had a mortal body, ought to worry about himself...

A few seconds later.

The Sword Art Master was knocked to the ground by Aurora's terrifying brute strength. Only when he felt the pain in his body did he finally realize:

He truly was not dreaming.

With the Witch's blessings, Princess Aurora's photographic memory and learning ability far beyond ordinary people were fully displayed in her swordsmanship training.

Any move she saw once would be firmly memorized. When she used it, it flowed as smoothly as though she had practiced it countless times. She even improved upon it, surpassing her teacher! Her eternally healthy body and blessing of being invulnerable to blades also allowed Princess Aurora to practice all kinds of highly dangerous or risky movements without worrying about injury or lasting damage.

With all these factors combined, Aurora, while learning combat techniques, was like a monster wearing the skin of a young girl. Her progress was astonishing, and she grew every minute!

Whether it was Rhine or the Witches, they were all delighted by the Princess's growth.

To be honest, the monstrous Little Princess Aurora of today gave them a strong sense of unreality.

Whenever they saw Aurora knock the Sword Art Master to the ground like a true Sword Saint, the Witches roared in their minds:

"Did we really give the Princess these blessings?"

As Princess continued to improve day by day, the only one in a poor mood was the Sword Art Master, who was responsible for getting beaten every day.

Heaven knew what species this golden-haired little girl was.

She looked so tiny, yet possessed such monstrous strength!

At first, he could still rely on his superior technique and swordsmanship to contend with Aurora. But once Aurora gradually learned his swordsmanship, all that remained for him was getting beaten! One day, the battered and bruised Sword Art Master tossed and turned in bed, recalling a story that had spread among the kingdoms over the past few years.

A story about the Wish-Granting Magician.

"Sage from beyond the world, Prophet of the Future, Wizard of Miracles and Wishes... I pray to you."

"My wish is this: when I wake up tomorrow morning, I hope my body won't hurt anymore."

That night, Rhine, who was sleeping in the next room and heard the prayer, sneaked into the Sword Art Master's room under the cover of darkness and used his most skilled healing magic to treat him.

The next morning, all the Sword Art Master's injuries had indeed healed.

"No way. The legend is real? Praying really works?" The Sword Art Master was ecstatic inside.

Seeing that the Sword Art Master had recovered so well, Rhine was also very pleased:

Wonderful. Now I can "use" him for a while longer...

That night, the Sword Art Master lay in bed and prayed devoutly, making another wish: "Let me quickly finish His Majesty the King's secret mission, and stop sparring with this monster wearing a girl's skin."

Unfortunately, this time, the Wish-Granting Magician did not show mercy and grant his wish.

And so, many more days passed.

Today, the brave Sword Art Master fled in defeat.

Of course, the main reason he was able to leave successfully was that Rhine had repeatedly confirmed that he no longer had anything left to teach Aurora.

"It seems there are no teachers left in the kingdom who can teach Aurora."

Rhine had a bit of a headache.

This was a problem he had not anticipated when he proposed the "Super Princess" plan:

Princess learned too quickly and had reached too high a level. No one could teach her anymore! "If she stays in the kingdom, Princess Aurora probably won't be able to learn much else.

"After some time, I can consider taking Princess out of the kingdom and traveling around the world...

"Uh, and gather information on Black Witch Maleficent while I'm at it. I wonder which country that culprit who cast the curse has fled to?

"There has been no information about the Black Witch lately, and the prophecies have yielded no clues either. She must be able to block other people's prophecies...

"I should also contact His Majesty the King and see whether he has any useful information about the Black Witch..."

Rhine gathered his thoughts and looked toward the blood-red setting sun gradually fading beyond the window. He was filled with anticipation for taking Aurora beyond the kingdom and embarking on an unknown, brand-new journey.

The crimson evening glow reflected off the young man's silver hair.

"By the way, where is Grandma Rosa? It should be her turn to replace you and take care of Aurora after a while. Where did she go?"

Rhine looked toward Violet Fairy nearby.

Grandma Rosa was the weakest mage among the 12 Witches, so Rhine had not paid much attention to her ordinarily.

"Before Rosa left, she mentioned that she had learned the whereabouts of a powerful magical item. She said she would be treasure hunting for a while and would return after obtaining it," Violet replied.

"A powerful magical item? What is it?" Rhine asked doubtfully.

"She didn't say what the magical item could do. She only mentioned its rough appearance. It seemed to look like..." Violet Fairy lowered her head, trying to recall.

"A tinderbox!"

It would be impossible to write out the growth process year by year, so this part was quickly skipped over. As a long-term character, Little Princess Aurora's characterization will gradually become clearer in later chapters.