Knowing Shame, Then Bravery

Although Karya patiently expressed his apologies and explained the reasons for the situation in detail, the "Excellent Graduate Combat Record" still stimulated Lux.

For a period of time afterward, she devoted herself wholeheartedly to carving Magic Circuits and conducting simulated training. Her opponents in these simulations evolved from Scarabs at the beginning to more cunning desert jackals and hyenas, as well as venomous desert lizards and snakes.

When facing different enemies, Lux gradually learned to adapt her approach to resolve problems, targeting her opponents specifically. This was because every animal had appeared in the bedtime stories Karya told.

Once she realized this, Lux would proactively consider their strengths and weaknesses, then deal with them accordingly.

As her experience grew, Lux finally began to show a tendency to convert her talent into combat power.

This smooth progression continued until the fifth chapter of the virtual training.

Here, she encountered sand bandits.

This was the first time Lux faced humans as her training opponents. Even though she knew very well that it was fake, a product of memory, she was somewhat taken aback when she actually saw these sand bandits and couldn't bring herself to attack.

Unlike the viciousness she had imagined, the sand bandits in the simulation were not much different from the scavengers she had seen before. They wore tattered clothes and were equally emaciated.

The only thing that distinguished them from scavengers was the weapons in their hands and their bloodthirsty eyes.

Upon spotting Lux, the sand bandits drew their sharp scimitars, their blades gleaming brilliantly under the sun.

Pairs of greedy eyes fixed on Lux, their lecherous gazes scrutinizing her from head to toe as if they were tangible.

Even in the scorching desert, even while wearing a robe, Lux couldn't help but shiver.

Lux did not know Old Shuriman; she could not understand what the sand bandits were saying.

However, from their expressions and eyes, Lux sensed a malice that pierced her very soul. This undisguised greed was even more direct and beastly than the hyenas she had faced before.

They were human, but more terrifying than beasts.

The sand bandits swarmed forward.

As they attacked, these individuals clearly intended to capture Lux alive. As for what would happen after they captured her...

Lux didn't think they intended to make friends with her.

The last shred of hesitation she felt when facing her own kind was completely erased. Lux took a deep breath, raised her left hand, and gathered a ball of light in her palm, then gently brushed it across her sword.

Wherever it touched, Lux's longsword began to shine brilliantly.

The next moment, to the sand bandits' bewildered eyes, she swung her sword and charged!

The "enchanted" sword easily cut through the sand bandits' desert scimitars.

This astonishing burst of power caused the sand bandits to scatter in a panic. Lux chose the two slowest to flee and quickly put them out of their misery.

After completing this, even though she had become accustomed to the smell of blood through her battles with jackals and hyenas, Lux still felt nauseous.

Then, before she could calm herself and completely suppress the urge to vomit, the sand bandits had retreated to a "safe distance" and pulled out slings and javelins.

This was the first time Lux faced ranged attacks. The whistling stones and whizzing javelins left her momentarily bewildered. Her previous battles had accustomed her to finishing fights at close range, and being kept at a distance by enemies was a first for Lux.

However, Lux, having undergone numerous simulated training sessions, was no longer a novice. She silently estimated her stamina, then pursed her lips, stuck her longsword into the sand at her feet, and raised her left hand high.

In Lux's palm, the previously dancing light elementals suddenly transformed into enraged punishers of light. Brilliant radiance first spread and erupted above Lux's head, then crystallized into dense, needle-like beams that shot out.

The light rained down like a deluge, striking the sand bandits who were still throwing stones and javelins.

Just as rain can wash away all impurities, this rain of crystallized light cleansed a group of defiled souls.

When the dust settled, Lux, for the first time in a while, felt a sense of exhaustion. She tilted her head back and fell onto the sand dune, gasping for air.

Unlike when she had defeated jackals, hyenas, lizards, and snakes, Lux felt no joy of victory this time.

"Lying on the ground right after a fight is not a good habit," Karya said as he approached her while she was feeling unwell, extending his arm and pulling her up. "After strenuous exercise, even if you're out of strength, you should walk around as much as possible to protect your body from injury."

Lux remained silent. She felt the roughness of Karya's palm, even more so than her own father's.

This guy claimed to be a teacher... why were his hands so rough?

Recalling the enemies she had encountered and the environments she had seen in the simulation, Lux finally realized that Karya's words about "just being an old man who has seen too much human suffering" were not a joke.

Thinking this, Lux, who had been in a bad mood, suddenly felt... not so bad anymore.

She even felt a pang of sympathy for Karya. So, she proactively opened her arms, stood on her tiptoes, and gave Karya a hug. Like a little adult, she patted his back and whispered, "You've worked hard."

Karya, having had his lines stolen, was dumbfounded.

He had intended to comfort Lux, who had just experienced a real fight, but as soon as he pulled her up, she ended up comforting him instead...

This girl!

"Pouting won't help," he grumbled, turning away. "Training must continue. Don't waste time here; it's Sona's turn!"

Originally, Karya was worried that Sona might hesitate when facing the sand bandits.

To his surprise, Sona, who seemed so gentle and weak, was even more ruthless than Lux when she got to work. Under the interference of her music, the sand bandits turned on each other, and the final victor ultimately fell to the lingering melody of her zither. Throughout the entire process, Sona didn't even blink.

"Don't your eyes get dry?" Karya asked, looking at the calm Sona with a hint of helplessness. "You and Lux are truly strange. You weren't calm at all during your first battles, but after your first fight against people, you act like nothing happened..."

Then, before Karya could finish speaking, Sona suddenly thrust her ancient zither, Aihua, into his arms and bent over, retching.

In the simulated training, Sona couldn't actually vomit anything, but at least this reaction made her feel a little better.

"I was completely immersed in the mad music..." Looking at Karya's bewildered expression, Sona's face flushed completely red. "I didn't expect this either."

"Alright, alright," Karya waved his hand. "In any case, you've all passed this round of training. I'm tired, let's wrap it up, quickly!"

And so, after more than a month of training, Lux and Sona had passed Karya's first round of simulated training, truly gaining a certain degree of practical combat ability.

Then, just as Karya was starting to prepare for the second round of practical exercises, Ogesha found Lux and assigned her a "practical mission" belonging to the Crown Guard family.

"What? You want me to go back to Silvermine City?" Lux was quite surprised to hear her mother's request. "To investigate the frost disaster there, check the tax situation, and organize disaster relief?"

"That's right," Ogesha nodded, stroking her daughter's soft, golden hair. "You're twelve years old this year, you can start learning to handle the family's internal affairs."

"But I've never dealt with these things before!" Although she didn't object to disaster relief, Lux was still very worried. "I'm afraid I'll mess it up..."

"Don't worry too much, darling," Ogesha said with a smile. "Mr. Kuren will be accompanying you. You'll be the nominal leader this time, but your main focus should be on learning. Ask Mr. Kuren if there's anything you don't understand."

"...Phew, so that's how it is!" Lux patted her chest. "That's a relief. But it'll probably take a long time to get to Silvermine City. Dad is at the Gate of Sorrows, and Aunt is in Irondale. It'll be too quiet here with just you and brother at home, won't it?"

"Your brother has also gone to join the army," Ogesha corrected her. "But his posting isn't too far from Silvermine City. And last time Tiana wrote, saying her work in Irondale is almost finished – perhaps the three of you can celebrate the New Year together in Silvermine City!"

"What about you?" Lux frowned. "Or else... Mom, why don't you come with me? We'll go back to Silvermine City for the New Year this year, and let Dad be with his soldiers at the Gate of Sorrows by himself!"

"You can't talk about your father like that," Ogesha pinched her daughter's nose. "I won't be going. Someone has to stay in the Imperial Capital. Since our Crown Guard family's little princess is leaving on official business, I naturally have to stay behind to cover for her..."

Lux eventually accepted the disaster relief mission.

Back in her bedroom, Lux couldn't sleep.

On one hand, she didn't want to leave her mother or be separated from Sona. On the other hand, she was excited about the prospect of going out freely – even if, as Ogesha said, she would be learning from Mr. Kuren, it still filled her with anticipation.

"Karya, Karya, do you think Mom will be very bored all by herself in the Imperial Capital?"

"No, her work will only increase. She'll have to take over all the banquets you used to attend."

"Karya, Karya, won't Sona's learning progress fall behind?"

"She can focus on music studies during this time, practice more, learn the classical music styles of Demacia, or even join an orchestra or something. She won't be falling behind."

"Karya, Karya, have you ever been separated from your friends?"

"Yes, many times."

"Karya, Karya--"

"..."

"Karya..."

"..."

Finally, Karya, dizzy from Lux's incessant questioning, had to end the "Why-a-thon" with a story. Just as he began the opening, Lux fell sound asleep.

"This darn girl," Karya sighed softly. "Oh well, let me think... Silvermine City..."