Chapter 68: Trainees, Cousin
"Please?" I said, giving her sleeve another gentle tug.
It was a low move, but fair payback for the cheek-pinching.
Aunt Liora didn’t respond right away.
She looked at my parents, then back at me.
"...You want to see the training grounds?" she asked.
"Yes. I’ve never seen one before."
She hummed softly and leaned back.
"There’s no rule that says I can’t show it to you."
Dad gave her a look but stayed quiet.
Mom looked amused again.
"Fine," Liora said finally. "I’ll take you. But only for a short while."
"Yes!" I said quickly, making sure I sounded excited.
She smiled and poked my forehead.
"You’re a sneaky one."
I just gave her my best innocent look. It worked. She didn’t press any further.
She kept me on her lap for a bit longer before finally standing up.
Then, without warning, she lifted me into her arms.
"Let’s go."
Mom stood too, brushing off her clothes.
Dad stayed seated.
"I’ll stay behind and look after the house."
It was easy to tell what he meant.
He wanted Mom and Aunt Liora to have some time together.
Things were still awkward between them. Maybe this walk would help smooth things over.
At the doorway, Aunt Liora paused.
I could tell what she was thinking.
She couldn’t carry me around the estate.
She was the Provisional Head, and had a reputation to keep.
Mom noticed right away.
"Should I carry him instead?"
"...Thank you," Liora said quietly, handing me over.
I happily changed hands. My cheeks finally got a break.
We stepped onto the main path.
The air was cool, and the estate was already alive with movement.
Servants walked quickly, carts rolled by, and faint sounds of training echoed from afar.
The training grounds were in the western wing, close to our house.
We passed smaller buildings and tall stone courtyards until we reached a long row of open spaces.
"They’re all training grounds," Aunt Liora said, nodding toward them. "Each one is for a different age group. This one here is for children from five to seven."
Her voice was calm again, back to its usual cold and proud tone.
Mom looked around curiously.
"Do all Daelthorn children train here?"
"Yes. But from five to seven, it’s only physical training. From seven onward, they start real combat lessons.
"Anyone who wants to participate has to pass the entrance test. That includes pureblood Daelthorns, branch family children, and the families that serve under us."
"And they live here too?" Mom asked, looking at the tall dormitories near the training grounds.
"They do. All children from age seven to twelve stay in the dormitories. That’s the rule."
Mom nodded slowly, taking it in.
"Don’t the children get homesick? It must be hard to take care of so many at once. Their parents must worry."
"It’s not that bad. They only get homesick in the beginning. The training is tough enough to keep them focused. They get used to it quickly," Aunt Liora replied.
Mom gave her a thoughtful look.
"Is it really okay to be so strict with children that young?"
The corner of Aunt Liora’s lips rose faintly. It wasn’t a cold smile this time, just tired.
"This has always been the way of the house. But it’s not only about tradition. The world outside isn’t safe."
Mom stayed quiet, so Aunt Liora continued.
"What if one of them is caught in a random summoning? What if they’re taken to Wageah without warning? If they don’t have the strength to protect themselves, how will they survive?"
There was a short pause.
"Even in this world," Aunt Liora added, "Cursed Spirits appear everywhere. Death isn’t far. We are harsh on the children now, but that’s so they can live the future without worries."
"I see." Mom nodded slowly.
She didn’t seem to like the idea, but she understood the reasoning behind it.
They walked in silence for a while.
I found their reactions a little funny.
’Other clans would beg to train their kids here.’
’They’d give anything for Daelthorn instructors.’
’And yet, Aunt Liora, the Provisional House Head, is worried they’re being too harsh on their own children.’
When we reached the training grounds, I saw what they meant by "tough training."
It wasn’t a polished gym or a fancy hall.
The ground was packed dirt, with wooden poles sticking out at odd places.
Old stone dummies stood in the corners, their surfaces worn smooth from years of use.
There were no safety mats or soft targets.
Around thirty children, maybe ages five to seven, were in the middle of drills.
Most of them had Daelthorn blood, even if not pure, so they were taller and stronger than normal kids their age.
They moved with precision and focus, holding wooden swords and spears.
Their forms weren’t perfect, but their effort was clear.
No one was laughing or playing around. Only the steady rhythm of training filled the air.
Their faces looked serious, but not unhappy.
They looked alert, sharp, and—oddly enough—content.
They didn’t look scared or tired either.
Their faces had that natural glow of children who were eating well, sleeping enough, and being pushed just hard enough.
Then, training stopped.
One of the instructors noticed us and shouted a command.
The children turned together, forming neat lines.
When they saw Aunt Liora, they all bowed deeply.
Some looked nervous. Others looked respectful.
"Good work, all of you," Aunt Liora said, her voice steady but loud enough to reach them. "You can continue. Think of me as an invisible guest today."
The instructor nodded and called out another order.
The children returned to training, though a few couldn’t resist glancing our way.
The head instructor jogged toward us and bowed deeply.
He didn’t speak, waiting for her signal.
"We’re here for a normal visit. You can ignore us. Continue as usual," Aunt Liora said.
"Understood, Provisional House Head!" he said before jogging back.
We moved closer to the fence.
I stood beside Mom while Aunt Liora crossed her arms, watching quietly.
My eyes went back to the children.
One girl near the front caught my attention.
She was swinging her wooden sword with smooth, practiced movements.
Her stance was stable, and her strikes flowed into one another perfectly.
’She’s good.’
Her timing, her balance, her footwork. Everything was clean.
"That’s Charlotte. She’s your older cousin, and my younger sister’s daughter," Aunt Liora said.
I looked up at her.
"She’s already a Rank 1 Exorcist. She visited a Cursed Spirit’s domain two months ago and awakened her Aura."
’A Rank 1... at that age?’
That spoke highly of her talent.
"How old is she?" Mom asked.
"Five. She’ll be joining the senior training ground soon."
"...Five?" Mom’s eyes widened. "Is it alright to let children that young enter a Cursed Spirit’s domain?"
"It’s not," Liora said. A faint shimmer surrounded us as she put up a barrier so no one could hear. "But we had two choices.
"We could either send her into a harmless, safe domain and let her rank up early.
"Or, we could wait two more years until she was older. But that would’ve wasted her advantage, her talent that helps her grow faster than others."
While I watched Charlotte run through her drills, my eyes drifted to her shadow.
’Shadow Essences.’
Tiny black flames clung to the children’s and instructors’ shadows, flickering faintly like dying embers.
They were visible only to me.
’Finally.’
I didn’t waste time.