Black Knife

Edward quietly withdrew from Monica's room and walked to the corridor on the other side, his mood unbearably heavy.

He instinctively reached for his shirt pocket, but found nothing, remembering that in this life he didn't smoke. He slapped himself twice hard, punishing his rash "confession." In two lifetimes combined, this was the first time he'd been rejected for being too good a sycophant.

He thought he'd fallen for a wild horse, but it turned out she was a Kurapika. This kind of melodramatic plot would never have happened in his previous life.

It was just like those romance simulation games he'd played in his past life. Just when he was about to win over the young woman, the final condition turned out to be helping her take revenge!

If the enemy were really the likes of the Phantom Troupe, that would be one thing—with proper preparation, handling it in one go wouldn't be a problem. The problem was he didn't even know who the enemy was!

And judging by the danger level of that "secret," the enemy was likely a monster capable of "carrying a bag of rice up several floors" at a moment's notice.

He asked himself if he had the courage to die with her, and the answer made Edward feel powerless. But watching her walk to her death was something he truly couldn't bear. So he gritted his teeth and plunged into the laboratory...

The next morning, Princess Andrea woke up feeling refreshed. After practicing her sword, she didn't bother with breakfast and went straight to the Duke's Mansion's study.

The study was quiet. Morning sunlight slanted in through the windows, and specks of dust floated in the air. The Princess tiptoed over to the rows of bookshelves and began searching.

"Andrea, why are you in the study so early today?" A deep male voice sounded, startling the Princess.

"F-Father, good morning. You're early today too." Princess Andrea came to her senses and bowed to the middle-aged man sitting at the desk.

"I'm reviewing some documents. If you're looking for a book, help yourself." The middle-aged man didn't look up from his papers.

"By the way, Father. Do you know where the heraldry books are kept?" Princess Andrea asked casually.

"What's gotten into you, girl, suddenly interested in heraldry again? Back when I tried to teach you, you refused to learn. They're on the innermost shelf."

"Thank you, Father." Following the Duke's direction, the Princess found her target.

After rummaging through the shelves, she finally picked up a book titled The Vanished Crest. Excitedly, she took the book, bowed to her father, and ran back to her room.

An hour later, Princess Andrea knocked on the back door of Edward's house.

The one who opened the door was Edward again. The Alchemist looked disheveled, with sunken eyes, as if he had weakened considerably.

Edward let her into the living room, where she saw Monica in a loose house dress. She was sitting at the dining table, a fried egg dangling from her mouth, with bread and milk beside her plate. Clearly, she was having breakfast.

Monica's eyes were bright, her dark circles gone. She looked completely refreshed. She greeted the Princess lazily and continued eating.

The Princess looked suspiciously from Monica to the hollow-eyed Edward, her mind churning. She wondered if this woman wasn't "paying attention to martial ethics." Hadn't she clearly won yesterday? Was she still seducing this guy? Or was this guy really a beast, taking advantage of her drunkenness... If so, she had completely misjudged him. Her momentary anger made the Princess forget her original intention.

Just as suspicion was festering in the Princess's heart, the hollow-eyed Edward spoke:

"Princess, have you had breakfast? If not, I'll make you a portion."

"Ah, no need to be polite. I've already eaten." Princess Andrea said instinctively.

"Perfect. I see you've brought your sword today. I hope you can help me with something." Looking at the Princess in her knightly attire, Edward spoke. He neither asked why she had come nor continued with pleasantries, as if his mind were elsewhere.

"If there's anything I can do to help, please say so. This Humble One will not refuse." The Knight Princess replied readily.

"I hope you can be Monica's coach for two days."

After answering the Princess, Edward turned to Monica, who was nearby. "Hurry up and eat. I have something to tell you when you're done."

"Coming, coming." Monica finished her breakfast in a few bites and came over to the sofa where the Princess and Edward were sitting, asking with a grin:

"Brother Edward, what is it?"

Her natural expression seemed as if last night had never happened.

Edward took a long box from his Spatial Ring and placed it on the glass coffee table in the middle. He gestured with his chin and said, "Open it and take a look. I made it overnight. It should suit you."

Monica opened the box curiously. Inside was a red velvet cushion, on which lay two pitch-black short blades. Both were straight blades over a foot long, with narrow bodies and curved tips. The entire blade, from edge to handle, was pitch black, as if constantly absorbing the surrounding light, making its patterns impossible to discern. In a daze, they seemed like mere shadows of two black knives.

Monica picked up the knives curiously. They were surprisingly heavy. She carefully infused her Battle Qi into the black knives, and the energy passed through the blades easily. A faint black light rippled across the surface, like two slithering black snakes.

She looked at Edward in surprise and asked, "Is this the same material as that sword?"

"More or less. The effect might differ a bit, but it should suit you better." Edward said weakly, looking as if his body had been drained.

"You're willing to give this to me?" Monica asked incredulously.

"It was made for you from the start." Edward confirmed.

"Ah, Edward, you're too good to me." The beauty set down the knives and, ignoring the Knight Princess's strange look, pulled Edward's head tightly into her embrace.

"Mmph... ease up, ease up. Are you trying to suffocate me?" The weakened Alchemist no longer had the strength to get a nosebleed.

Edward weakly extricated himself from those two towering peaks. Red-faced, he coughed lightly, took another box from his Spatial Ring, and pushed it toward the Knight Princess.

"Please teach Monica that 'Wave' fluctuation from the other day. I'm counting on you."

The Knight Princess watched the Alchemist casually give away a set of Semi-divine Artifacts. Her heart felt a little sour, but also somewhat relieved—so he had just stayed up all night forging Semi-divine Artifacts, not... doing anything else.

Her mind became inexplicably chaotic. She didn't even notice that this set of Semi-divine Artifacts had been made in a single night. She opened the box in front of her. Inside was a silver necklace. The chain seemed to be made of Mithril, and the pendant was a small Mithril plate engraved with runes.

"Edward, you're too kind. I owe my progress to you. You don't need to give me anything..." The Princess's face was red, clearly misunderstanding Edward's intention.

Monica clicked her tongue twice and said sarcastically from the side, "Edward, do you know what giving a girl a necklace means in Middle Earth?"

"Uh, you might be misunderstanding me," Edward said, pulling out two identical boxes under the girls' astonished gazes. "These are just talismans. They can conceal the unique aura of the 'baptized' one. There are two more here, one for Alice and one for Elwin. Please pass them along, Princess. Tell them that once they put them on, they must not take them off for any reason—not while eating, sleeping, or bathing."

Monica wore a look of understanding, while the Knight Princess's eyes flashed with anger.

"Two, please follow me." Edward rose and walked slowly toward the second floor. The two young women, puzzled, grabbed their weapons and followed him upstairs into his bedroom. Their expressions grew even more strange—could he still have improper intentions in his current state?

But once inside the bedroom, there was actually a narrow corridor. On one side of the corridor was a door, locked tight—that was his real bedroom. Edward went to the end of the corridor, pulled a hidden mechanism, and the wall paneled with solid wood slid aside, revealing a deep, dark hole. Edward flipped a switch, and overhead lights flickered on inside. It turned out to be a dug tunnel, brightly lit. Edward stepped inside.

Andrea and Monica exchanged a doubtful glance, then followed him in. The tunnel wasn't very long—about two hundred meters—but many iron doors were locked along both sides. The stone walls, illuminated by the lights, gave off a pale, eerie glow, making one feel as if they were on the set of a horror film. When they reached the end of the tunnel, Edward opened the small door in front of him.

Passing through that final small door, the view suddenly opened up. This was a massive cave, as large as a football field from Edward's previous life. The ceiling was arched, with the highest point reaching twenty meters. Dazzling large lamps hung from the ceiling, flooding the cave with brilliant light!

"Two, this is the 'Training Ground' I prepared." Edward turned and spoke solemnly to Princess Andrea: "Please make sure to teach her within these two days before Monica leaves. Your strength is comparable, so please don't unleash too much Battle Qi—I haven't had time to set up protective arrays here yet."

"Also, this is a letter I'm sending to Ailande. Please hand it to Alice when you return and ask her to send it to the Ailande Third Magic Tower on my behalf, charging it to the Association's Account." With that, he bowed and said, "I'm counting on you!"

After seeing the Knight Princess nod, he said seriously to Monica, "You must learn earnestly. This can increase your chances of survival."

Then he set down two chests by the door and said, "These are water and food. Please forgive my poor hospitality. I still have matters to attend to. See you tomorrow."

"What are you going to do?" Monica seemed to understand something.

"Make you some small things to use on the road." Edward turned back and gave her a reassuring smile, then calmly left the Training Ground.