After a peaceful night of rest due to the fatigue of the previous night when he didn't sleep, and the training in sword techniques, Amon finally woke up to a new day feeling refreshed.
The moment he woke up he stretched his limbs with a casual yawn and entered the bath to freshen up.
When he was done with that, he donned his training gear and left for the training ground, his mind filled with anticipation.
Along the way, Amon's eyes scanned the maids moving about, already tending to the house and cleaning off all the little dust that had accumulated overnight.
Leaving the room, he was met with a few guards who stood by the hallway, their eyes sharp as they scanned the surroundings with alertness.
"Greetings, master!"
The moment they caught sight of Amon, the guards straightened their backs and respectfully saluted.
Amon waved them off dismissively and soon reached the training courtyard.
On the grassy expanse there was no one in sight.
This was to be expected as Amon had arrived quite early so he could get his body into the rhythm of basic sword technique movement.
The sky was still slightly dark and if one was to estimate the time, it was likely around 6 in the morning.
'The black rain from before has all dried up?'
With how heavy the rain was yesterday, Amon didn't expect the water to dry up so quickly.
Shifting his gaze away from the black things buried in the grass, Amon scanned the surroundings before picking up the wooden sword.
He took a deep breath and then his mind drifted away, engrossed in the feeling of the sword.
Stab! Flick! Vertical slash! Horizontal chop!
Amon's movements were like a musical dance as he casually played around in the courtyard.
After training for a few minutes, his movements came to a halt and he raised a brow curiously, because in his line of sight he sensed someone.
"Who's there?" Amon's loud voice broke through the quiet of the morning as he scanned the grassland with an alert expression.
The silence reigned, causing Amon's frown to deepen.
Internally, he began circulating his primordial energy, ready to confront whoever was trying to sneak up and attack him.
At the same time, he retreated at an even pace.
Should it be something he couldn't handle, Amon was ready to instantly scream for his parents' help and run away.
Just then, Amon felt as though he collided with something.
Swoosh!
As though acting on instinct, Amon executed a vertical slash toward whatever it was.
Bang!
A spark of fire ignited midair as the clash of metals resounded faintly, forcing Amon to subconsciously take two steps back.
A flicker briefly appeared at the place his wooden sword had collided and he noticed the silhouette of a little girl who seemed to be his age.
"What are you doing here?" Amon asked curiously, pointing his sword directly at the silhouette even as it returned to its state of invisibility.
Silence reigned between the two of them.
Noticing this, Amon quickly thought of something and hastily bent down before flicking a mass of the black dried substance onto whoever it was.
Surprisingly, rather than falling onto the ground, the black sandlike particles clung onto something, shaping the figure of a lady.
"I'd ask you for the last time, what are you doing here?" Amon was alarmed, noticing a weapon shaped like a spear in the girl's hand.
The weapon was previously invisible just like the girl, but he could faintly tell what it was due to the sand on it.
'Her celestial gift?'
Knowing how mysterious celestial gifts could be, Amon instantly understood that this girl was most likely using her celestial gift to sneak up on him.
Unwilling to give her a chance to remove the black sand from her body, Amon attacked immediately.
Subconsciously, his primordial energy surged into his limbs under his guidance, enhancing the force of his strength in his right hand.
Swoosh!
Amon's speed was swift and within a few seconds he was already in front of the lady, his sword striking toward her chest.
The girl seemed frozen for only an instant before she twisted her spear, striking the tip of Amon's sword and deflecting its line of attack.
Amon raised a brow in surprise but didn't pause in the slightest as he attacked once more, this time sending a kick toward her abdomen.
Unknowingly, as he fought, a certain excitement he didn't know he could feel surged through him, and the more the two exchanged blows, the more Amon's excitement grew even more profound.
His movements became more precise as though he could faintly predict the girl's next move.
However, despite that, it wasn't easy for Amon to deal with her as she was practically invisible physically.
Occasionally, he had to gently flick sand toward her location just to catch sight of her.
Amon could also faintly sense the growing excitement within the little girl even as she fought.
Just like Amon, she was also learning more about his moves and finding ways to counter them.
Just as the battle reached its peak, a flicker surfaced briefly on the little girl before an illusory light clouding her and making her invisible disappeared.
A dumbfounded expression appeared on her face.
Using this opportunity, Amon used the hilt of his sword to strike the spear out of her hand, then proceeded to point the tip of his wooden sword toward her neck.
Cold sweat trickled down the brows of the little girl's pale face.
Amon realized it was a little girl who was his age.
In fact, he had seen her during the celestial awakening a few days ago.
She had purple hair tied neatly into two pigtails.
Her cheeks were flushed and her purple eyes contained a hint of mischief and fear.
Dressed in a slightly rough maid's cloth, she emitted a faint fighting intent that startled Amon slightly.
"What are you doing here?" Amon asked, puzzled as to why the little girl was here in the first place.
She wanted to remain silent but feeling the tip of Amon's sword pressing deeper into her neck with each second, she relented.
"Please don't punish me, master…" she clasped her two hands together in a pleading gesture.
"I… uh… noticed Master Seth constantly training here, so I usually sneak up on the tree to watch him and practice the moves back at home. I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to cause any harm."
The little girl pointed toward a tree with a high branch not too far away and continued.
"I… was waiting for him to come but didn't expect to run into you. I was about to leave when… when…" her voice trailed off at this point.
Amon finally understood the whole story.
His eyes flickered with contemplation.
'A little girl staying atop the tree, and Father didn't notice her?' Amon didn't believe that was possible.
There was only one likely guess for the situation.
His father had purposefully allowed the girl to stay and learn spearmanship from him.
'I see.'
Concluding internally, Amon raised his eyes to meet the little girl's purple ones.
She lowered her gaze instantly with a flushed face.
"What's your name?"
Just as she was about to reply, they heard footsteps approaching the courtyard.
"The instructor should be here already…" Amon's eyes showed a look of realization.
He turned to the little girl whose face had grown even paler.
"You may leave…" he casually pointed toward the distant landscape.
A look of gratitude showed on the little girl's face. "Yes. And my name is… Peculiar."
"Peculiar, huh?" Amon let out an amused chuckle and noticed that the little girl had disappeared once more.
Since her divine energy had recovered slightly, she could now use her gift again.
...
A few minutes passed after the episode with Peculiar and Amon had already placed the girl's name at the back of his mind.
Then three figures stepped into the courtyard and noticed Amon with a wooden sword in hand, sweat staining his brows.
"There you are…" Vela said with a light laugh.
James also cast Amon a curious glance and asked, "Are you ready to learn sword art?"
"Yes, instructor!" Amon nodded calmly, gripping the sword in his hand tighter.
…
Author's Note: Sorry for the late chapter. I made this one a bit longer as an apology.
Important! If the novel can get 4 genuine reviews, I'll release an extra chapter for each one. Thank you.