While Bo and Erebus tried different attack strategies, I decided to create a dummy for myself.
"Generate a dummy that only attacks me; use seventy percent speed."
As soon as I generated the dummy, it began attacking me. It had 7 strength and 5 speed. I was somewhat used to fighting adults, but my experiences of death here had taught me that practice would never be the same as a real life-or-death fight.
I wanted to gain combat experience, but I still did not want to get hurt like before. The fear of death remained with me. I knew perfectly well that I would be fine and would not die, but that pain came from deep within. I needed to build up my tolerance for pain over time; I could not throw myself straight into it. Until four years ago, I had been living peacefully in the modern world.
By this point, I had killed twelve people and tasted death three times. Yes, two of those had not been real deaths, but they had been more terrifying and painful than my actual death.
We all trained here for six hours; during those six hours, my skin was cut dozens of times. Although it hurt like hell, I also killed the dummy dozens of times. Since his speed was almost equal to mine and he was alone, I focused all my attention on him, mainly practicing dodging and parrying.
The most badly injured among us was not me, but Erebus. Both his claws were broken, his beak was cracked, and his right wing could no longer fold completely, but through our bond, I could clearly feel his anger and will to fight.
From his rapid breathing, I could clearly sense that he had no strength left. He seemed to be burning with the flames of vengeance. If he had the strength, he would tear the dummy to pieces. Seeing him like that brought raging fury to my mind. He was like a bull, always charging recklessly and defending just as recklessly.
Bo was the least injured among us because, following my warning, she only chose to attack from blind spots. Unless Erebus kept the dummy occupied, she never attacked, always waiting for an opening.
Watching her behavior, I thought of an assassin; her fighting style was cautious and patient. They had only managed to kill the dummy twice, and she had landed the kill both times. This was also one reason for Erebus's will to fight; he had not managed to kill the dummy even once.
After we left the training space, all our wounds and injuries healed.
"Dad, it doesn't hurt anymore, and Erebus's claws and beak aren't broken either."
"Yes, when we leave that space, we heal, because the injuries we suffer in that room aren't real."
At that moment, Erebus said, "But it hurts as if they were real."
"Because that's the magic of that place. It makes you feel as though you're being injured or dying."
After returning to Winterfell, I made a decision. I wanted to explore the North and did not want to return to Winterfell. Now I felt it was a waste of time. Thanks to my magic, travel time had been greatly reduced, but every round trip still wasted two days.
It was nearly sunset when I arrived at Winterfell, but Ser Rodrik was bound to still be in his quarters, so I walked there at a leisurely pace.
I knocked on the door.
"Come in."
When I entered, Ser Rodrik was sitting at his desk reviewing documents. Seeing that it was me, he put them down and smiled.
"How was your camping and hunting trip?"
"Very good. I enjoyed it; there's something I want to tell you, but you won't like it, ser."
"Then why say it?"
"Because I have to."
"What do you have to do?"
"Explore the North." Hearing my words, he slammed his fist on the desk in anger and jumped to his feet.
"What in the world are you talking about, boy!"
"I have to go explore the North. I feel that if I stay in Winterfell, I won't be able to grow any further."
"No, you're still too young. You can't go."
"Ser, do you think you have anything left to teach me? Or do you think there's anything else I can learn from safe sparring in the training yard?"
"Then we can speak to the lord and arrange for you to go on patrol with the other knights."
"Yes, although encountering bandits wouldn't do me much good, that would be like making me walk in chains when I can run." Ser Rodrik might have seemed like a stubborn man, but sometimes he could act logically, and this was one of those moments; he could see the merits of my words. Still, he was being stubborn now.
"No, we cannot allow that to happen; you're still too young. It's too dangerous."
"What is dangerous, ser? You and I both know I'll become one of the best swordsmen in this world."
"As you said, you will become the best swordsman, but you aren't that person yet. Until then, it's my duty to protect you."
"Ser, I can't become that person in a gilded cage, and in my humble opinion, your job isn't to keep me safe. Quite the opposite, your duty is to give me a push." When I finished speaking, he paused to consider my words. I thought I was beginning to get through to him.
"You and humility. I've learned something new today."
(Rodrik's point of view)
The boy has a point, but he's too young. How can I let such a young child set off alone? On the other hand, if we want him to realize his full potential, he needs to endure hardship. What should I do? Take him to see the lord, or refuse him?
"You're still too young. We'll discuss this again in a few years." I could see that he was getting angry.
"Ser, may I speak frankly with you?"
Look at this boy's nerve. A young calf really has no fear of wolves.
"Speak."
"This isn't right. I've proved again and again that I'm not a naive child. How many times do I need to prove myself before you take me seriously? I've already killed twelve bandits. Can you tell me what other squire or knight has done that at ten years old?" His words stunned me, but the more we spoke, the more sense he made.
"Yes, you're not a naive little child, which is why I allow you to speak to me this way. As you said, we know you'll accomplish great things in your life, but none of that is possible unless you stay alive. Traveling is too dangerous for you right now."
"Then how about this? Give me a test in the wilderness. Let me fight a mock battle against ten or twenty knights. But the knights can't be from the household guard." Now I was beginning to get truly angry. This was not childishness, but blatant disrespect toward knights.
"Boy, your blind arrogance has gone too far."
"It would only be arrogance if I couldn't prove my claims. Yes, in close combat, I can only fight one knight, but in the field, if they tried to ambush me, I could take down at least half of them before they spotted me."