Chapter 11: The First Attack

“Haaah, I’m exhausted—”

After a day of training, Qing Yu collapsed onto his bed, complaining without even bothering to change his clothes.

The first day’s lesson merely involved a simple exercise for Qing Yu to sense the magical circuits within his body.

Training of this difficulty was usually easily accomplished even by children, yet Qing Yu had spent an entire day trying with absolutely no progress.

“Already tired?” Aldoran asked, stepping into the bedroom, her wet hair glistening as she toweled it dry.

Qing Yu noticed that the gem on Aldoran’s bracelet seemed to glow faintly.

Though Qing Yu claimed to be training that day, he had, in fact, been slacking off the entire time.

Aldoran naturally detected all of Qing Yu’s little evasions, but she never called him out, instead allowing him to find every possible way to shirk his duties right under her nose.

“Do you need to take a bath to relax, then?”

“I’m so tired—Aldoran, could you use that magic again?”

Qing Yu lay sprawled on the bed; after a full day of dawdling, he showed no intention of getting up, instead pouting as he made his request to Aldoran.

Aldoran raised her hand and snapped her fingers.

“That feels wonderful, Aldoran; having this kind of magic is truly convenient,” Qing Yu said, a look of pure contentment on his face, as if he couldn’t be more comfortable.

“Then you should study hard; this magic isn’t very difficult.”

“No problem, no problem at all.”

Qing Yu maintained his languid attitude.

Aldoran couldn’t help but wonder if she was indulging Qing Yu too much.

“By the way, there’s still a little time now; do you want to try sensing your magical circuits again?”

“Maybe tomorrow morning; I’m so tired today~”

“If we wait until tomorrow, won’t you just sleep until noon again?”

Indeed, that very morning, Aldoran had called for Qing Yu many times, only for him to cling to his covers, using “I want to sleep a little longer” as his excuse.

Fortunately, it was the good-natured Aldoran who woke him; had it been one of the fastidious maids, Qing Yu would most likely have been yanked from his bed at the first sign of prevarication.

A maid with a worse temper might even have sternly reprimanded him, or perhaps even resorted to physical action.

“No, no, I won’t!”

Qing Yu earnestly promised.

“I guarantee I’ll get up bright and early tomorrow.”

Aldoran said nothing further.

After all, Qing Yu was merely an ordinary human who had transmigrated from another world; he had received no prior training, possessed no magical talent, and his mind was still immature.

It was certainly unrealistic to expect this child to adapt quickly to such rigorous training.

‘Then let’s take it slowly.’

Aldoran had no intention of adopting a harsh demeanor to demand things of Qing Yu.

If Qing Yu didn’t wish to train, then she would simply let him live his life comfortably, especially since she was there to support him.

However, any training might have to wait until the day after tomorrow.

“Mm.”

Aldoran nodded, sitting beside Qing Yu and gently tapping his forehead with her finger.

“Though I know you’re tired, you can’t sleep just yet. If you don’t want to try sensing your internal magical circuits, then find something else to do. I’ll have the maids brew you a cup of coffee.”

“Uh… Aldoran?”

Qing Yu looked at Aldoran’s eyes with a hint of worry, thinking she had discovered his slacking and was angry.

“Don’t misunderstand; I’m not angry, nor am I punishing you.”

Noticing Qing Yu’s apprehension, Aldoran rested his head on her lap and spoke calmly, “But you absolutely cannot sleep tonight, alright?”

“But why?” Qing Yu remained utterly bewildered.

“Do you truly wish to know?”

“Yes.”

Aldoran sighed helplessly, then began—

“Someone will come to attack me later.”

“What?! Attack Aldoran?!”

Qing Yu couldn’t sit still upon hearing these words; he immediately became alert.

It had never occurred to him that anyone would dare attack Aldoran, chosen by the Mark of Odin.

“Aldoran, you must be joking, right?”

Aldoran shook her head, her expression utterly serious.

“Perhaps you didn’t notice, but yesterday, my gem sensed a peculiar power, and again just now. According to the gem’s feedback, that power seems to have begun moving.”

“What kind of power is it?!”

“I’m not sure; that power only appeared yesterday. Before that, the gem showed no reaction whatsoever,” Aldoran answered candidly.

“So I need you to stay with the maids, alright? Their strength is enough to keep you safe.”

“What about you, Aldoran?”

“Don’t worry; I, who bear the Mark of Odin, won’t be easily defeated.”

Aldoran clapped her hands, and Thrud immediately pushed open the door and entered.

“Lady Aldoran, do you have any commands for today?”

“Could you take Qing Yu to the maid’s quarters first? I’d like to ask you all to look after him for me. No matter what happens next, you must not leave Qing Yu, alright?”

“Yes, Lady Aldoran.”

Despite not knowing what was about to unfold, Thrud approached Qing Yu without a single extra question.

“Please, would you come with me, Young Master Qing Yu?” Thrud extended her hand.

“But, Aldoran, she—”

“Though I apologize, Young Master Qing Yu, if Lady Aldoran truly encounters danger, your presence here would only be a hindrance,” Thrud said, a regretful expression on her face.

Though disheartening, Thrud had spoken the truth.

“It’s alright, it’s alright,” Aldoran said, patting Qing Yu’s head, signaling him to take Thrud’s hand.

Qing Yu could only obey Aldoran, taking Thrud’s hand.

“Alright, please come with me, Young Master Qing Yu.”

****

The moment he grasped Thrud’s hand, a scorching aura assailed him.

Before Qing Yu could react, a violent explosion roared into his ears, and the shockwave violently flung him backward, slamming him heavily against the bedroom door.

“Ugh…”

Qing Yu lay sprawling on the floor in disarray, coughing uncontrollably from the thick, rolling smoke.

Amidst the gradually dissipating smoke and the fiercely burning flames, he barely made out three figures.

There was Thrud, body lowered, a shield in one hand and a spear in the other, blocking him.

Aldoran, holding up one hand to maintain a blue magical array, stood before him.

And then there was the assailant, silently positioned at the gaping hole blasted into the bedroom, clad in black, her face obscured by a mask.

“Hey! Who are you?! State your name!”

Thrud, standing at the forefront, stared warily at the black-clad figure, adopting a defensive stance, unwilling to make any rash moves.

She could sense that the aura emanating from the black-clad figure seemed unusual.

The black-clad figure offered no reply, merely raising a hand slightly.

A small fireball immediately shot forth, swiftly rushing towards Thrud, who instantly raised her shield to block.

With a resounding “boom,” the tiny fireball collided with Thrud’s shield, astonishingly cracking the magical barrier she had conjured.

“Hmph—” Thrud let out a long breath, her hand appearing to bleed.

This power, it could actually injure her, a Valkyrie.

“Leave her to me,” Aldoran stepped forward.

Though uncertain of the black-clad figure’s identity, she knew clearly that Thrud alone could not defeat her.

“You take Qing Yu and go first. Notify the other maids and tell them not to act rashly.”

“Understood.”

Thrud immediately leaped backward, pulling Qing Yu along while keeping a wary eye on the black-clad figure.

The assailant made no move, simply watching as Thrud led Qing Yu away.

The black-clad figure’s objective had been crystal clear from the very beginning: she was here for Aldoran.

“Arrows.”

Seeing the silent assailant, Aldoran wasted no more words.

She gently raised her hand, and behind her, several slowly rotating blue magical arrays immediately unfolded.

Sharp arrows, condensed from ice crystals, surged forth from the arrays, awaiting Aldoran’s command.

“Fire!”

In that instant, thousands of arrows pierced forth from the mere dozens of arrays, hurtling towards the black-clad figure with lightning speed, seemingly poised to impale her completely in the next second.

The black-clad figure showed no intention of dodging.

Meeting the fierce volley of arrows, she lightly waved her sleeve, and a wall of roaring flames immediately rose before her.

The inferno howled, transforming into a fire dragon that devoured everything in its path, surging directly towards Aldoran—

“Tsk.”

Aldoran immediately retracted her power, blue magical circuits crawling up her arm.

An eagle-shaped array appeared before her, and an intense chill instantly engulfed everything around Aldoran, freezing her surroundings completely.

The immense magical power forcefully blocked the fire dragon.

She could feel that the black-clad figure’s previous attacks had only been probes, not her full strength.

Yet, strangely, the black-clad figure also seemed to have no intention of using her full power.

“Hey, what exactly is your objective?”

After the smoke dissipated, Aldoran gazed at the black-clad figure who remained standing, utterly unmoved.

The assailant still offered no response.

She slowly raised her right hand, and fierce flames immediately swirled to envelop her arm, a dark greatsword appearing in her grasp.

Aldoran likewise raised her right hand.

Amidst an aura of extreme cold, the surrounding ice crystals gradually coalesced into light, forming an ethereal long spear.

A fierce gale swept up, and both figures leaped forward simultaneously, the spear tip and sword edge striking sparks of brilliant light.

With a series of “bang, bang, bang” sounds, sword and spear continuously grated, collided, and erupted in a shower of sparks.

“Hmph.”

After a round of probing attacks, Aldoran now stood where the black-clad figure had been, and the assailant stood where Aldoran had previously been.

By any measure, the black-clad figure’s strength was no less than Aldoran’s.

“Tsk.”

Before Aldoran could even fully steady herself, the black-clad figure’s form had already flickered before her eyes.

As Aldoran clicked her tongue in annoyance, the assailant delivered a kick towards her.

Aldoran immediately raised her hand, and in an instant, energy condensed into a shield, blocking the black-clad figure’s attack, but Aldoran herself was sent flying.

Seizing the opportunity, the black-clad figure also leaped out, unleashing several fireballs at the falling Aldoran while still in mid-air—

Aldoran dodged sideways, and the moment she landed, she immediately leaped high into the air, magic solidifying into steps beneath her feet.

Aldoran then ascended rapidly into the sky, treading upon these magical stairs.

“Fire!”

Freed from the confines of the room, hundreds of blue magical arrays instantly materialized behind Aldoran, and a torrential rain of arrows plunged down towards the black-clad figure, granting her no chance to breathe.

“Defend,” the black-clad figure murmured, immediately manifesting a vortex of raging flames above her head, centered on herself, which firmly blocked the deluge of arrows.

Next, the black-clad figure raised the sword in her hand, and from within the fierce flames, a greatsword composed of fire thrust out, soaring straight into the sky.

Fire and ice continuously clashed and evaporated, the sound of air being torn resembling a monster’s shriek, as if both sides sought to utterly rip apart their opponent.

Aldoran understood that with her own power alone, she absolutely could not defeat the black-clad figure.

The black-clad figure, even now, showed no intention of exerting her full strength.

“Odin.”

Aldoran raised her hand, and blue magical patterns immediately began to spread from her hand, coursing across her entire body.

If she couldn’t defeat her with her own strength, then she would wield the power of the Mark, the power granted to her as “Odin.”

As a blue eagle-shaped Mark appeared beneath Aldoran’s feet, an icy radiance burst forth from her right eye.

A surging cold wind instantly swept through the entire mansion, and ice froze the entire residence in mere tenths of a second.

The terrifying flames were immediately suppressed by the fierce gale, unable to burn any longer.

“Lock of Annihilation.”

Aldoran gently pointed a finger, and a massive white eagle-shaped Mark immediately appeared beneath the black-clad figure’s feet.

Before the assailant could react, array after array swiftly encircled the Mark, leaving no escape.

Within the Mark’s range, all time would slow.

Then, Aldoran clenched her fist tightly, and long spears, condensed from light, instantly pierced out from within the arrays.

The black-clad figure, slowed by time, was utterly unable to move.

She tried to protect herself with fierce flames, but the power within the Mark severely suppressed them, leaving her to endure as the spears continuously pierced her body, splattering forth flower-like droplets of blood.

“Excellent.”

Just as Aldoran prepared to deliver the killing blow, a cold voice immediately echoed in her ear.

Before she knew it, the black-clad figure had already appeared on the other side.

‘An illusion?’

Aldoran raised her hand again.

She still couldn’t perfectly control the power of “Odin” and had to defeat the black-clad figure before she could no longer sustain it.

“Mimir, find her. Journey.”

The black-clad figure leaped high into the air, seemingly having lost her fighting spirit, and fierce flames immediately enveloped her body.

Her objective had been achieved; she now fully understood Odin’s current strength.

“Why?”

“Fate.”

After uttering this word, the black-clad figure ceased to answer any of Aldoran’s questions.

As the flames dissipated, the black-clad figure vanished without a trace.

Aldoran immediately tried to use the authority granted by the Mark to search for the black-clad figure’s whereabouts, but the opponent seemed to have been prepared, for no matter what, Aldoran could not find her.

“Mimir…”

Retracting her power, Aldoran was already drenched in sweat.

‘Fate,’ as spoken by the black-clad figure—what was it?

‘Why did she tell me to find Mimir?’

As this thought crossed her mind, the gem in her bracelet once again burst forth with light.