Chapter 73: A Busy Morning

When Kael gently pushed open the door and stepped inside, Olivia was nowhere to be seen; she had probably gone to her room. Videl, meanwhile, was sitting at the table, taking a sip of his tea. When he saw Kael come in, he glanced at him out of the corner of his eye.

"Did the wind clear your head, young man?"

Kael stood directly across from the old man. A determined expression was on his face.

"I'm feeling better, Mr. Videl."

"While I was thinking about how I got here, the last thing you said kept coming to mind. You mentioned that a year here is equivalent to just one day outside."

Videl set the cup down gently on the table.

"That's correct. Time here is almost as if it's stood still compared to the outside. Why do you ask?"

"I've been training at the Eastern Academy for a year, but none of the lessons I've taken teach me how to control this dark power within me. Every time I push my own power, I'm afraid of losing control. But you..."

Videl understood where Kael was going with this, but he waited without showing it.Kael took another step forward and continued:

"I don't know how long I'll be staying here, but since time flows so much slower here than outside, I want you to help me. Mr. Videl, please train me. Teach me how to control this mixed blood within me and how to channel the dark essence. I believe my body out there is safe, so I want to use the time I spend here to strengthen myself."

Videl stared silently into Kael's eyes for a moment. The determination and thirst for power in the young man's eyes pleased the old commander.

"To train the grandson of Mezrathus?"

"My training won't be like those fancy lectures from the professors at the academy, Kael. Every day, you'll be pushed to the brink of giving up. You'll be left entirely on your own, relying solely on your own strength. Are you truly ready for that?"

"I'm ready to do whatever it takes."

Good. Then start by setting that stone-hard sword aside. We'll see just how resilient you are first thing tomorrow morning."

It was completely dark by the time Kael left Mr. Videl's room; he was now Master Videl.When Olivia came out of her room into the living room, she noticed the tension between the two and looked at Kael with wide, surprised eyes. Videl turned to her granddaughter and explained the situation:

"Olivia, Kael will be our guest for a while. Could you show him the other empty room in the back?"

"A guest?"

Olivia was surprised. For years, she had lived alone in this sealed dimension with only her grandfather. Perhaps, after all these years of solitude, a guest would be a welcome addition to life here.

"Alright, Kael. Follow me, and I'll show you the room where you'll be staying."

Kael settled into the room Olivia had shown him and rested for a while. Around midnight, he quietly slipped out of the cabin.As the cool night breeze hit his face, Kael lifted his head to the sky. Master Videl had truly created this dimension flawlessly; the sky was filled with stars that shone as if they were in the real world. As Kael watched them, mesmerized, soft footsteps came from behind him.

"Are you watching the stars?"

When Kael turned toward the voice, he saw Olivia. The girl had her arms crossed in front of her and was looking at Kael.

"Ah, yes, your grandfather really did create this place flawlessly. It's practically indistinguishable from the sky in the outside world."

Olivia also looked up at the stars,

"Yes, my grandfather always thinks of everything down to the finest detail..."

"Well... You're from the outside, from the human kingdom, right? I don't know how long I've been in this dimension, but is the outside world still the same? Are humans still at war with demons?"

"Humans and demons..."

"There's no major war right now. I mean... at least those old, massive wars where armies clashed and cities were destroyed are gone. But that cold tension, the hatred, and the prejudice are still there. Both sides have drawn a line against each other; no one approaches the other."

Olivia brushed her wind-tossed blonde hair behind her ear with her hand. It was as if she'd received exactly the answer she'd been expecting."I'm not surprised it hasn't changed. My grandfather always said the same thing. As long as humans have fear and demons have pride, that hatred will never end."There was a brief silence. Kael wanted to change the subject to break the heavy atmosphere surrounding the girl.

"What about you? How long have you been here? Do you have any memories of the outside world?"

"It's been a long time since I stopped counting the days. Here, days and months blend together. The last thing I remember... was just a huge commotion, screams, and my grandfather taking me by the hand and bringing me into this dimension. After that, I found myself in this cabin. There are very few memories of the outside world in my mind."

Olivia took a few steps closer to Kael and looked at him with curious eyes.

"So what were you doing out there? I was really surprised when my grandfather said you'd be staying as a guest for a while. You're the first person to set foot here in years. Are you... some kind of wizard?"

"I'm... a student at the Eastern Academy; right now, I'm learning basic magic. But to be honest, those theoretical classes at the academy weren't really enough for me. When I saw just how powerful Mr. Videl is, and since time flows differently here anyway, I asked him to help me and train me."

Olivia's eyes widened in surprise.

"You asked my grandfather for training? And he agreed to it, did he? You're quite brave, Kael."

"Why did you say that?"

"I went through Master Grimm's combat training at the mansion; I've fought countless creatures on the brink of death. How hard could Mr. Videl's training possibly be?"

Kael thought to himself. Of course, he hadn't factored in that the old man standing before him was the former senior General of the demon army.Olivia waved her hand and walked back toward the cabin.

"Anyway, I'm off. Good night, Kael."

"Good night, Olivia."

With the first light of dawn, Kael woke up early out of habit. Even when he was at the academy, he'd get up before dawn for morning walks and training, so being an early riser wasn't hard for him. He got dressed, left his room, and went to the hall. But as soon as he stepped inside, he was surprised to see Videl sitting at the table, looking as fresh as if he'd been there for hours.

"Ah, so you're awake. Good morning, Kael. I have a favor to ask of you..."

"Could you go out with Olivia and milk the cow for some fresh milk?"

Kael was taken aback by this request. While he'd expected a deadly morning training session from a former demon commander, having his first task be milking a cow seemed a bit odd.

"O-of course, Master Videl..."

When he went outside, Olivia was by the fence on the side of the cabin. Holding an empty bucket, she was waiting for Kael. As Kael approached the fence, he noticed the animals in the barn. The cow in front of him was nearly twice the size of the cows he'd seen in the real world.Right next to it stood an even more colossal bull with sharp horns and glossy jet-black fur.As Kael stared at the animals in amazement, he thought to himself, "This cow... isn't it a bit too big?"

Olivia looked at his bewildered expression and laughed mockingly.

"Haven't you ever seen a cow before, Kael?"

"Of course I have," Kael said, defending himself immediately.

"I've been living in the kingdom's city for the past few years, Olivia. Before that, I actually lived in a village."

"Really? Then I don't think you'll have any trouble milking a cow. Here, take this," she said, shoving the bucket in her hand into Kael's.

Kael took a deep breath, glancing back and forth between the bucket in his hand and the massive cow.

"Alright, Kael, it's just a cow. How hard can milking be?"

Kael placed the bucket under the cow, bent down, and reached out his hand toward the animal. But before his fingers could even touch the cow's hide, the massive bull standing right beside it suddenly bellowed in rage. Before Kael could even process what was happening, he was sent flying by the force of the bull's headbutt and landed hard in the muddy puddle at the other end of the cabin.

Olivia couldn't help but burst into laughter when she saw Kael struggling in the mud.

"Ha ha ha! Kael, look at yourself!"

As Kael tried to wipe the mud off himself, he heard an angry growl. When he looked up, he realized the bull's anger hadn't subsided. The animal was grinding its hind legs into the ground with fury, steam billowing from its nostrils as it turned its sharp horns directly toward Kael. The bull bellowed once more and began charging rapidly toward Kael.

Seeing the massive beast charging toward him, Kael panicked, leaping to his feet and starting to run. The bull was strangely, unbelievably fast; the distance between them was closing rapidly, and its sharp horns were getting dangerously close to Kael's back.

As Kael ran, gasping for breath, he thought, "Why is this bull so fast?! If I don't enchant myself with magic, those horns will pierce me!"

He immediately channeled the mana within him to enchant his body and, with a sudden maneuver, darted to the side, narrowly avoiding the bull's horn strike at the last moment.

Olivia, standing behind the fence, began to mockingly applaud Kael's agile move.

"Nice dodge, Kael!"

But the bull had no intention of stopping. It stomped in the mud, spun around swiftly, and charged at Kael once more. For about twenty minutes, a relentless chase ensued that drained all of Kael's energy. Kael was now gasping for breath. This was Master Videl's animal; he couldn't harm it or kill it—all he could do was run.

"Wait a minute... I can hold it back with a magic barrier, right?"

Kael spun around quickly, extending his hands forward to concentrate his magic. Just as the bull was about to strike him, he formed a transparent, powerful magic barrier in front of him. The bull crashed into the barrier with a loud thud and came to a halt.Kael took deep breaths and walked over to Olivia, his hands resting on his knees.

"Ahh... Finally..." he said in a weary voice.

Olivia took a step back when she saw Kael, covered head to toe in mud and grime.

"Ew, Kael... You're covered in mud. Go change your clothes; I'll milk the cow."

"What? I..."

Before Kael could finish speaking, Olivia snatched the bucket from his hands. As Kael turned around and walked toward the cabin, he muttered to himself, "What was that all about?"When Kael changed into clean clothes and stepped into the living room, the warm scent of fresh milk filled the air. Master Videl had already warmed the milk Olivia had milked and brought in, and placed it in the center of the breakfast table. Seeing the tired and weary expression on Kael's face, the old man couldn't help but burst into a hearty laugh.

"Ha ha ha! Kael, it seems Sismo has put you through some rough times,"

"He's quite a jealous bull, son. If you don't keep him behind a barrier before milking his mate, he'll chase you forever."

Kael sighed as he sat down at the table.

"Master Videl, I wish you'd told me this sooner."

Videl raised her eyebrows slightly and looked at her granddaughter entering the kitchen.

"Didn't Olivia warn you? I told her she needed to give you a heads-up."

Kael turned his eyes to Olivia. Olivia, however, acted as if she knew nothing about it, whistling and averting her eyes from Videl as she continued setting the plates on the table.

"Oh, that girl..."

"It's no big deal, Master Videl. It was a nice morning warm-up for me."

Videl gave Kael a firm slap on the shoulder.

"Hah! That's the energy I wanted to see, Kael! Since you're warmed up, we'll start your real training after breakfast."