Raise Joan of Arc to be an empress, then discard her.

Seeing a chivalrous young woman dressed as a knight at will at his mercy would be an exciting prospect for any boy. However, Aaron remained calm, even somewhat troubled. This was understandable, as Aaron had seen many more ethereal young women since childhood. His last student was Joan of Arc, and Sarah, a proud and arrogant noblewoman, was just one of the most common types among his students. So, he wasn't nervous at all. After pacing on the lawn for a while, Aaron said, "If I'm not mistaken, although you've grasped the basics and have mastered the theory, you're far from achieving the natural flow of spiritual energy, let alone applying it in actual combat. In other words, your sequence is merely superficial, and there's still a lot of room for development."

"I completed all of that a year ago, and it should be ready by now..."

Sarah tried to explain, but Aaron immediately interrupted her: "I've already said it, your spiritual power is just a facade. Although your spiritual power is abundant, it's far beyond the Sequence 9 realm, but that's about it. Your development of spiritual power is even worse than that of a Sequence 9 beginner. In our jargon, your fundamentals are weak; you only have brute force. In other words, you haven't been serious at all." "The most urgent thing is to build a solid foundation. For someone like you, improving your stamina is the best way."

As the saying goes, "The master leads you through the door, but the practice is up to you." If the apprentice doesn't work hard, even the most talented master won't teach him anything worthwhile.

At this point, Aaron paused and said, "Then—let's start with standing meditation. Stand for an hour, and remember not to use spiritual power to strengthen yourself."

"........."

Although she was somewhat resentful, Sarah still followed Aaron's instructions, suppressed her emotions, took a deep breath as she would at the academy, held her breath, and decided to stand her ground against Aaron.

Sarah took a deep breath and thought she had done a pretty good job, a smile appearing on her face. Just as she was about to take another breath, Aaron said, "Hmm... not bad. You can tell you practiced hard at school."

"What... I was a model for practice back in the academy, maybe yours isn't even as good as mine..."

Sarah muttered to herself, she had originally wanted to show Aaron her achievements at Roland Academy and let him know her true level, but she did not expect to only receive a "not bad" evaluation from Aaron.

Sarah calmed herself, shaking off the strange thoughts in her mind, and gradually focused her attention on her spiritual energy. The manor was quiet at night, with only the occasional chirping of cicadas, making it easy to enter a meditative state. As she felt the flow of spiritual energy within her body, Sarah's senses of the outside world became increasingly acute. The dim lights outside the villa, the breath of the plants—these sensations, so different from her spiritual energy, were clearly reflected in Sarah's heart, slowly calming her restless mind. Sarah exhaled another breath, feeling her five senses gradually becoming clearer. At this moment, Sarah heard soft footsteps on the lawn. When she opened her eyes again, Aaron was already standing in front of her, assuming a similar posture to hers. His movements were nothing special, yet every action gave Sarah a sense of naturalness. His movements even had a casual feel, but his expression was very serious. Sarah squinted and watched for a while, gradually becoming engrossed, as if his movements possessed a tranquil attraction.

Following this movement, Sarah naturally had the idea that she could enter a meditative state more quickly. Without thinking, she adjusted her body accordingly. This adjustment was not easy, but each time she adjusted it to be more similar to the original, Sarah felt a little calmer inside. It seemed that even the flow of spiritual energy within her body became smoother, making her feel refreshed.

Sarah always felt that these painstaking efforts were inseparable from the sweat and toil, just like the basic skills one had to learn to become a knight. She never imagined it would have such a wonderful feeling. It seems that her previous understanding of these basic skills was too narrow, and there is still a lot she needs to learn.

Just as Sarah was reflecting, a voice made her body tremble slightly.

Aaron: "Kegel exercises! Haven't you heard that doing Kegel exercises fifty times a day makes you younger? This is of utmost importance, so you must do it well."

Sarah: Wh...what...

Sarah wasn't usually shy, but those words still made her face flush red. She gritted her teeth and did as Aaron said.

"Kegel exercises..."

"Okay, remember not to stop. It would be best if you could make it a habit," Aaron nodded and said.

"What...what...it can even tell whether I'm doing it or not..."

Sarah felt a sudden shock, but Kegel exercises were indeed a crucial part of the training. She had heard her instructors emphasize it at school. Thinking about it now, it seemed her own thoughts were rather impure. Wait… why was she thinking such nonsense? She needed to calm down…

Aaron tiptoed up behind Sarah, his gaze fixed on the girl's body. His gaze was anything but polite, even somewhat brazen. Normally, even if Sarah had her back to him, she would immediately feel his gaze. However, at this moment, Sarah's entire focus was on the flow of her energy and the coordination of her body, so she had no time to feel Aaron's gaze. Aaron, therefore, felt at ease admiring the female knight's beautiful curves and graceful figure.

Although this girl is a bit proud, unlike those high-ranking nobles who are used to being aloof, she is willing to listen to others humbly. In Aaron's eyes, she is a promising talent and may become a good marquis in the future.

Thinking of this, Aaron gradually closed his eyes, seemingly entering a meditative state with Sarah. On the pitch-black lawn, the two stood there, yet there was no sign of restlessness. An hour passed in the blink of an eye, and when the moon peeked out from behind the clouds, Aaron opened his eyes and looked at the girl.

Although she was a sixth-tier knight, standing still for an hour was still a strenuous task. Moreover, Sarah was still wearing her daytime armor because she was busy with other matters, and her body was already covered in sweat, and her breathing was slightly rapid. However, Sarah still persisted in adjusting her breathing.

“Inhale—” Aaron said. Although Sarah frowned, she still took a deep breath as Aaron instructed. After a few repetitions, Sarah's breathing gradually synchronized with that of the man in front of her. So the man came to the girl again, squatted down, but this time he didn't stand still. Instead, he whispered:

"One still, one in motion..."

Sarah was exhausted, both physically and mentally, and no longer cared what Aaron wanted to do. As soon as Aaron moved, Sarah's body followed suit. However, the naturally intelligent girl quickly realized that he seemed to be practicing some kind of ancient martial art. The movements were not difficult; on the contrary, they were quite simple. It was estimated that even wealthy women could imitate a few moves. The movements were just slow, but Sarah could imitate them without much effort. Between the movement and stillness, Sarah felt the true energy within her body begin to become active.

For a moment, she felt that the scope of her spiritual energy flow was no longer limited to the small dantian in her lower abdomen, but... the entire world.

Aaron closed his eyes, his expression calm and serene, as if he had entered a state of complete absorption. He played slower and slower, seemingly wanting Sarah to imitate him better. Unbeknownst to them, a strong wind had swept across the lawn, creating a spectacular sight of waves crashing against the grass.

Aaron continued his movements, which gradually quickened. It didn't seem like he wanted to speed up; rather, something was urging him to fight faster and faster. Just when Sarah could hardly understand what he was doing and was about to fall behind, Aaron finally stopped and exhaled.

The raging wind, the spiritual energy, the wondrous feeling of resonating with heaven and earth—everything came to an abrupt halt at that moment, leaving Sarah stunned and momentarily speechless, feeling a sudden emptiness and bewilderment.

What she didn't notice was that the spiritual energy flow across the entire lawn suddenly stopped at that moment. The wind, which had already bent the grass over and turned it into green waves, suddenly rebounded. The trees and flowers swayed slightly in the afterglow of the wind, but no one except Aaron could feel this.

"Alright, that's all for today. Although you arrived late, the results were pretty good."

Aaron stretched wearily, yawned, and said, "Also, working overtime today is an exception. I won't be working overtime for you again in the future."

Sarah had originally intended to discourage him, so she hadn't made time for Aaron to teach. Everything was perfectly planned and reasonable, but now she was at a loss for words. After a long while, she finally said, "Um... I have something to do tomorrow, so if I'm going to come, I can only do it in the evening."

"It's a matter concerning the Church of Judgment, isn't it?"

Aaron nodded and said, "Then I'll break the eight hours down and give them to you. Anyway, Ottilia won't actually need that much time, so how about half and half?"

Sarah wanted to say something more, but after seeing Aaron's questioning look, she regained her previous stern demeanor and said, "Okay."

Seeing Sarah accept it so readily, as if she were completely convinced, Aaron smiled and prepared to head home. "Well then, Miss Sarah, goodnight."

But just as he turned around, Sarah's clear voice came from behind him.

"Who taught you these skills?"

As expected, Aaron said with his hands behind his back, "Just like I am your tutor, I also have teachers."

Unable to see Sarah's expression, the girl continued, "Does your teacher have a name?"

Although Sarah asked seriously, Aaron didn't intend to answer properly. He said half-jokingly, "Title? What's a title? Do you mean a nickname? Like an angel, a divinely ordained knight, or something like that. My master doesn't seem to have that kind of title."

"that is……"

Seeing Aaron's confusion, Sarah seemed to want to explain for him. Seeing the girl's serious expression, Aaron waved his hand and said, "My master is just an old man who lives in the mountains. I've never heard of him before."

Hearing this, Sarah seemed thoughtful, but quickly dismissed her thoughts, saying, "I understand. You didn't want to tell me. I was being rude. Go back and rest. I'll take care of the rest. Don't worry about it."

Aaron nodded, feeling no remorse for having to clear the dishes for a waitress, and walked comfortably toward his room.

Behind them came the rustling sound of Sarah pushing the food cart across the lawn. The two gradually went their separate ways. It was late at night, and even the cicadas seemed to have gone to sleep. As the sound of the food cart behind them gradually disappeared, the air became quiet, and it seemed that Aaron was the only one left here.

Aaron looked up at the sky, then suddenly slowed down, as if trying to catch the wind in the air, reaching out to grasp at the sky while whispering something.

The sky, of course, remained completely unresponsive.

Aaron casually dispersed the hurricane that had naturally condensed in his hand, and another gust of wind swept across the lawn. He recalled what Sarah had just said.

"The teacher's name?"

He certainly had a teacher, but his teacher had been dead for a long time.

However, his teacher used to be very lively, but since her injury, she has been sickly and her personality has become much more docile. She even seems quite irresponsible. Nevertheless, people still respectfully call her the leader of the Obsidian Knights.

Unbeknownst to me, she has been dead for more than a decade, although I had just visited her grave not long ago.

But when Aaron saw her grave, he was overwhelmed with grief, even though he had taken more than a decade to process these emotions.

Never mind, let's go to sleep.

Aaron thought to himself as he slowly walked towards his room.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Chapter 254 Storytelling

Lately, the little nun has been getting up exceptionally early. She quietly climbs out of bed at the crack of dawn, gets dressed in a flurry, and runs to the church without even having breakfast. But she's almost always intercepted by Aaron at the last minute. Whenever this happens, the white-haired little nun gives Aaron a resentful look, and then Aaron ruthlessly drags her to breakfast, making her the young lady's sparring partner as a matter of course.

Having learned her lesson, Civita started sleeping in late, sulking with her head buried in her pillow, refusing to get up even when the sun was high in the sky. However, she would eventually be lured out by the aroma of bread. After three months together, Aaron had practically mastered the little nun's body. For some reason, Civita had extremely low resistance to food; she would succumb to temptation with the slightest hint. Furthermore, Aaron threatened to supervise her sleep if she continued to sleep so late—in the same bed, of course—leaving the little nun completely at his mercy.

Although there were occasional minor incidents in the mornings, Aaron's life remained peaceful. No one came to arrest him claiming to be from the Inquisition, and no one recognized Sister Chivita's identity. The little nun was still as beloved as ever, reaping affection from everyone. Sometimes, when Otti was tired from studying, she would hug Chivita and suckle for a long time, as if Chivita possessed some kind of magic that would rejuvenate her.

Although it was ancient times, the study pressure on the noble lady was still considerable. In addition to learning Latin, Ottilia also had to study the basic theory of spiritual power, the history of the Elohim Church, and so on. However, Marquis Klein gave her the mornings to exercise, and most of the classes were held in the evening or at night after sunset.

Aaron initially thought that Ottilia's interest in cultivation was just a passing fad, and that she would only realize she should give up after suffering hardships. Besides, Ottilia was a pampered noblewoman. However, to Aaron's surprise, Ottilia practiced extremely diligently. Even when she was tired from classes, she would practice earnestly in the evenings. Sometimes, Marquis Klein would come to watch their practice. Seeing Ottilia's focused demeanor instead of running around playing in the fields, Marquis Klein was very pleased and praised Aaron highly.

That evening, after Ottilia trembled and persevered until the time Aaron had mentioned, her body finally went limp, and she slumped onto the white oak behind her, gasping for breath. She only felt better when Aaron handed her a towel and a glass of water.

It was already nine o'clock at night, and several large, bright stars hung in the night sky. Ottilia pointed to the stars and asked, "Aaron, what star is that?"

"That one is Venus, also known as the Morning Star. Have you heard the myth of the Morning Star? It's a story about a maid and a prince."

"I've never heard of it... Aaron, could you tell me about it?"

"Alright, considering how hard you've worked these past few days, well... a long, long time ago, there was a prince named I, a famously handsome young man from Troy..."

After hearing the story, Ottilia's body remained limp on the white oak, but she seemed to be in good spirits. As night fell and the night breeze blew, Civita yawned and went back to sleep early. Only a lone lamp hung overhead on the lawn, its bright yellow light illuminating the two of them.

"Aaron, who did you learn all these things from?" Ottilia asked.

Aaron was already used to Ottilia's wildly imaginative way of thinking, and simply said, "You're the second person to ask that question in the last few days."

"Could the first one be the older sister?"

"You guessed right, but there's no reward. Go back to sleep."

Aaron stood up, ready to end today's conversation.

"Huh? But Aaron hasn't said anything yet." Ottilia put on a pitiful expression. "Is it something that can't be said? You can't even tell Ottilia?"

"Not really, it's just that my story is boring, far less interesting than those myths. Even so, do you still want to listen?"

"Yes, yes, Ottilia loves any story Aaron tells." Ottilia seemed interested and immediately sat up, pretending to listen attentively.

Ottilia... why is she so interested in these things...?

Aaron said again, "It's too late today, I'll talk to you next time. Be good, go back to sleep." Aaron patted her head.

Ottilia looked pleading: "If Aaron doesn't tell me now, Ottilia will think about it all night and won't be able to sleep, and she'll be listless when she wakes up tomorrow morning."

Seeing Ottilia's teary eyes, Aaron felt somewhat helpless. Finally, after Ottilia's repeated pleas and assurances, Aaron agreed to the little girl's request. They leaned against the white oak again. Because of the cold night wind, Ottilia snuggled against Aaron like a kitten. As a working-class man and a young lady, sitting so intimately together was already crossing the line, but it was late and no one was watching, so Aaron tacitly allowed the little girl to lean against him.

"Once upon a time, there was a place called Twin Towers Kingdom. There was a king in Twin Towers Kingdom, and he had a very young royal advisor. The king trusted him very much and entrusted him with everything. But one day, he arrested the royal advisor."

"Name?"

"Kyle Domingo."

"gender?"

"male."

"Why were you brought in?"

"........."

Seeing the man remain silent, the burly warden patted the judgment document in his hand and said impatiently, "Why aren't you saying anything? What good will it do to stay silent? Everything you did is written here. I advise you to confess and be lenient. If you have a good attitude, you might be able to apply for a reduced sentence."

“It’s not that I don’t want to answer, Your Honor. It’s just that I don’t know which charge I was brought in for. If I had to say, it would probably be deceiving the emperor?” The man smiled, but his tone was slightly helpless, like a young man explaining the location of XX Road to an old lady on the street. However, as soon as he finished speaking with a smile, the technical bureaucrats behind the warden immediately stirred.

"It's actually deceiving the emperor... and a high-IQ crime at that..."

"Quiet!"

The warden, clearly unwilling to appear weak in front of the criminals, reprimanded his whispering subordinates and then raised his small eyes to scrutinize the young man. As the most senior warden of Blackwater Prison, his long career had allowed him to see all sorts of criminals, but this man still posed a challenge. He had been brought in by the Royal Guard and the Inquisition together, stripped naked and with his arms bound in chains. The Royal Guards responsible for the escort handed him King Hobbes's arrest warrant. This man had been sent directly to prison without a court verdict; the order to arrest him was personally issued by the king.

What kind of person would alarm the king to the point of arresting them directly?

Warden Hart began to scrutinize him closely. He had short black hair, which was not common among young nobles, and his face was slightly pale. Although the judgment stated that his age was unknown, he looked to be no more than twenty years old, which seemed too young for a criminal in Blackwater Prison. However, judging from his consistently calm expression, he seemed to be a nobleman who was not afraid of anything.