Putting the matter of the Bragg boy aside, Sterne pushed on with her daily lessons with enthusiasm. Sir Ahmose drilled Sterne with footwork all morning until she was practically bathing in sweat. 

She was aiming for an upward slash when he disappeared a scant second before the sword hit. The last thing she remembered before falling was the searing pain on her left shoulder. 

The old guy had fun sparring with her. Sterne complained that although her teacher appears advanced in age, his movements alone belies it. Look at him so energetic jumping up and down, in comparison she looked as sluggish as a snail.  

"Giving up, little lady?" He taunted. 

Ugh! Give me a break. 

Sir Ahmose Vhon casually whipping his students into shape is almost a usual sight around the estate. A stranger would find it hard to believe that this devil-like man is the esteemed reticent butler of the manor with his bold sturdy muscles and fierce gaze unleashed. 

The sir is big, blue-eyed and agile. He can beat ten Hero-class knights in a heartbeat. 

Sterne fell embarrassedly facedown before rolling flat on her back. Every muscle on her body is screaming with pain. 

"So little improvement from our previous practice." Sir Ahmose with a shake of his head.

"Little?!" She jumped back to her feet incredulously. After all the agony she had gone through? "How…"

He raised two fingers. "Twenty minutes." 

Her little face turned into a crumpled paper. Boo! Your other students couldn't even last a couple of minutes fighting with you.   

As expected, his standards are colossally high enough for the poor victim to vomit blood.

"As a penalty for failing to last in our agreed time limit, you had to bear the pain all morning before drinking potion."

Sterne felt the sky fall. Pain tolerance training again, huh?! 

She knew it was necessary to get her body accustomed to pain. There will be instances someday that Healers and potions are not available. She had to learn to endure but it really hurts!   

"Milady's morning training has ended," Sir Ahmose bowed. 

"Thank you for your guidance Teacher!" Sterne ran towards Emilia to wipe herself with a clean cloth, she hissed when her bruise was touched but she had to suck back her tears and be strong. This is nothing compared to what her father and brother experienced when they were training. 

"Emi, I'll make do with just cleaning." Her shirt was already soiled and torn beyond repair, the same can be said to her trousers clotted with grass and mud.    

Emilia understood and nodded. Then the two of them head inside the house. 

From the tender age of six, she spent three years of being his student and she only achieved middle-rank Swordsman. Two years spent in mana control and strengthening her frail constitution, it was only after those that she finally learned basic swordsmanship. Actually, swordsmen didn't have to produce a great amount of mana as a prerequisite, the reason why it was a rarely chosen profession amongst nobles was because it involves martial art skills. A fighting style unfit for the higher class who are adept in magic. 

Compared to mages who often use magic in defense and offense, swordsmen rely on physical strength and martial arts. However, Sterne's case was different according to what Sir Ahmose concluded.

What puzzles her is that, although she has learned how to circulate and stabilize her mana, she still could not produce a lick of magic. The first thought she had when she became aware that she cannot wield magic is that she was adopted but slowly, painfully Sterne admitted the fact that she was just escaping reality.

After seeing her own status through Herald's Eyes, Sterne became even more confused so she consulted her father. When she learned that her body has no specific attribute, neither from the basic four elements and six specialities: ice, lightning, space, light, divine and darkness. The truth was both shocking and heartbreaking. She burst into tears for days while clinging on her father's leg. Even the common folks are better than her. 

The little girl's fragile heart was smashed to smithereens. So to soothe her wavering self-esteem, her dear father dedicated himself to making her wooden swords (which she breaks ever so often).

Ah, forget it. Maybe the Gods took pity upon my weak self and decided to give me this Lost Recipe and Herald's Eye. Yep! That is it. She thought sulkily. 

And so… Sterne decided to immerse herself in her gifts.

Half of the day she would dive into the sea of consciousness to study the patterns profusely.  She might have been in a turtle pace when it comes to swordsmanship but when it comes to uncovering the contents of Lost Recipe her speed even boggles her. Barely a month since receiving them she has already seen and understood hundreds of different patterns.

There were also many things she uncovered. Like the flawed magic formations written in textbooks compared to the ones in the Lost Recipe. When swordsmanship training ended, she went to the secluded west garden to study magic formulas and formations. 

Up in the mage office, Viktor saw the little girl absorbed with something that she did not even mind that the sun was up so high. What on earth was she doing? Poking the anthill? No, mabe picking flowers. Curious, he went down to take a peek. 

"Milady wants to try a fire spell?" He inquired at the little lady scribbling a magic circle on a paper. 

Sterne looked up, her eyes bright. "Perfect timing, Viktor. As you know I cannot use magic but you're different since you're a mage. Would you mind trying this thing for me?"

Viktor blinked, for some reason he found her words amusing. 

Yes, because it's the very same outrageous girl who asked him for rain. As a light mage, people knew that his magic is weak, but he was compensated with an eidetic memory. From a young age, he had read many magical formations and put them to practice. Although he was mostly met with failure, the littlest positive result was already enough to satisfy him. 

"A fire spell, huh…" He looked at the magic circle she drew once again. 

It was smaller than the original one in the book lying nearby. A lot of phrases were omitted in the overall formula. He knows that the shorter the phrases, the faster it is to release power. He was intrigued for some reason. The little lady was carefully tinkering on this and does not appear to be made out on a whim. 

Moreover, the spells for drawing mana and maintaining it were also shortened considerably. 

Viktor felt something slowly awakened within him. Something like… excitement? 

"Would you help me?" Sterne pleaded, mustering all the cuteness she could summon. 

He cleared his throat, "I cannot promise a perfect result but I assure that I will try my best, milady." 

The two of them went to the back of the manor where there is a wide space and less witnesses to the crime they are about to commit.

"Here is fine!"  

Viktor looked at the paper then back to her face with a helpless smile. He's not a fire mage and he wasn't sure if this spell would activate but her excitement has already infected him. Gently, he injected mana to the pattern thinking it will most probably turn a dud. 

[Fire Shot]

As the magic gradually took form, Viktor's heart thudded thunderously. Three startling red-orange spheres bigger than his head floated above them. 

"Aim for a target." Sterne cheered. 

Going back to his senses he directed his hand in front. The spheres gyrated and whizzed forward making a beeline to the crooked horse statue. 

"Oh no…" Sterne covered her mouth in awe.

The bright fireballs shot the poor horse and exploded it into slags. Viktor, who was momentarily shocked at the result and made a run to shield the little lady from the residual heat, smoke and debris. 

*cough cough cough*

The two of them were hunched to the ground coughing from both dust and burnt smoke coming from the statue's remains. 

"M-Milady, that was… that was Tier 1 [Fire Shot] not Tier 3 [Crimson Cannon]?"

"It was fires shot." She replied nodding her head rapidly. 

"I see--" Viktor had an incredulous expression "Are you sure?!"

"Yes." She repeated while patting the dirt off her clothes. "I revised it myself so I can vouch for it."

This force with little output of mana, so she was saying that this is how the spell should be? Unbelievable. If it is then, the one the mages had been using all these times were the wrong ones! 

That means that he as well... 

"Hm, there are some flaws in most of the magic formulas in the books. If you dissect the spell, even you would find the useless parts."

Well it's not as easy as she made it sound. You have to study rune craft-- ah, no. Actually you should begin by memorizing and recognizing the ancient letters and symbols before learning to combine them. She will discuss this with Viktor later. She was sure he would be very interested.

"Mages kept using these despite the heavy burden it gives to ones body. What choice do they have when this is the only available knowledge there is."

Viktor felt liberated and enlightened. No wonder he had always feel a sort of contradiction when studying magic.  

"Milady!" Then came the harried Emilia running from inside the house.

"I'm fine Emi." She tried to brush it off with a giggle. 

But Emilia cannot be trifled with, she looked around scanning the area for the reason for that explosion. Then her keen eyes fell on Viktor. 

You again, huh?

The young mage's shoulders slumped. Poor him. After making sure that she was fine Emilia pulled her dirty little lady back to the house to be cleaned once again.

"I'm really alright…" Sterne whined. 

Days later, to prepare for the oncoming calamity, Sterne had written numerous ordinary but useful ancient knowledge and revised magic formations. Something that does not involve complicated activation. Her plan was to distribute this knowledge to the common people and let it profligate. With permission from the duke, the help coming from their Junior Mage and  five chiefs, Sterne quickly achieved results. 

Another important thing she discovered is that an unknown and unpracticed spell has the potential to raise a person's level tremendously provided they uncover the secret of the formula themselves. As a result, many of the common people of Nachtwald improved a lot when it came to their own fields in crafting. 

Although it was a little alarming, the news is something to celebrate as well. 

 

***

 

Miss Amy Erlenmeyer, sat prim and proper as she watched Sterne walk gracefully like a feline with a heavy book on her head. Content with what she saw, the beautiful woman clapped her hand.

"Excellent, " Miss Amy praised. "Now if we could only maintain this posture on a daily basis." 

"Haa..." Sterne cried a waterfall of tears. Doing this during lecture was already hard enough, what more every second of the day?

Miss Amy laughed softly seeing her wilt. 

"I believe milady can achieve astounding results once you put your mind to it. Training your martials skills has actually helped a lot to improve your posture. The conduct and discipline of a knight taught by Sir Ahmose in particular contributed to your growth." 

Her eyes sparkled. "Does this mean that we can skip the maintaining the posture part?"

"No." comes her tutor's immediate reply with a smiling face. "Next lesson is about recognizing the crest of each noble house starting from the higher ranked nobility down to the lowest."

Sterne fought the urge to yawn. Miss Amy's voice as clear as singing birds tickled her ears, although she was strict with her, she doesn't dislike her. Miss Amy gives off a very warm comfortable aura that draws her in. She smells nice too. 

Her wheat colored hair was tied neatly into a high bun with several locks falling beside her cheeks. Her clothes were a simple high collar white lace dress with a red wide skirt. If it were worn by any woman it would look rather dowdy but on her, the simple style appears exquisite. 

Miss Amy was not her first tutor. Before her there had been at least three born from lower nobilities. All of which neither bore her knowledge nor her gracefulness. They came only to ensnare her father, the duke. Especially the last one who was quite severe with her. The woman had a haughty attitude and a terrible habit of using her whip whenever she was displeased. 

Well, thankfully, those hard days are over.  

"Be sure to study in advance about the topics I mentioned." Miss Amy told her.

"I most certainly will. Thank you for today's lesson, Miss Amy." Sterne smiled and curtsied before running at full speed.

"This child... I just--" 

The door from the adjacent room opened ushering the duke in. 

"Am I disturbing something?" 

"Father, if you came to watch me during my lessons then I regret to tell you that the class is over."  

Duke Al scratched his head, "It seems I have missed a great deal today."

Sterne shrugged, "Not entirely." Her sparkly eyes looked at him then went to Miss Amy who stood to greet him. "You can remain and consult with Miss Amy about my... let's see... ah, my progress!" 

Out of view, Miss Amy's smooth cheeks flushed. She watched the little lady exiting the dance hall in haste leaving her speechless in front of the duke. 

Ah, just what is she going to do with that mischievous tiny bundle of delightful joy? Her eyes warmly gaze at the door where Sterne went.   

"She's very carefree, isn't she?" Duke Al remarked with a chuckle. "That child used to lie on her bed most of the time, but now she would even climb the parapets and sneak into the woodlands when no one was looking." 

Miss Amy is yet to surface from her emotions and spoke absently, "As long as she is healthy and happy…" 

The duke customary genial smile paused then, it was replaced by a much softer expression. 

 

Going to the library after class and searching for a book that would tell her about the Herald has become a habit.

In the days where she pored over several books and scrolls, the hunt for information remained fruitless. There was nothing even after scouring the first and second layer.

The step ladder leading to the upper floor is quite old. She had to tread carefully and balance her weight when stepping on the rung. Sterne, put her hands on the side rails for support and gently eased herself up.

"Why must you be so difficult..." The complaint escaped her mouth as she pushed her body towards the landing. 

After a minute or two of struggle, she made it.

Looking down now, she felt a vague sense of satisfaction. The height was not something to laugh at. If she made a wrong step and fell she could end up being a vegetable or worse, dead.

Fueled by undying enthusiasm and endless curiosity Sterne began her pursuit to the elusive book or scroll, whichever. Just when she braced myself to a load of hardship her eye caught on something at the bottommost shelf near the window by her left. She blinked.

There it goes again.

This time she was not just imagining it. She really saw it, a scroll as thick and as long as her arm was shining. Holding on to the wooden balustrade she walked towards it slowly…

It was a fairly old scroll with its corners ripped and chewed off by bugs. The strange thing is that there was not a lick of dust on it considering the condition of its neighbouring scrolls. Well, let's not fuss about the details and quickly read it, she told herself, but the moment she spread the parchment she saw…

NONE.

…There was nothing to read.

Her enthusiasm wavered as she saw no single word, let alone a letter written on it. Something else was there instead. It was a painting.

A colourful depiction of an ancient land. Sterne's eyes strained to look at the pictures drawn in a myriad of gold and lively colours following the words that directly flowed into her head.

 

"The golden hand from the sky reaching to the ground returns its blessing to a single man."

 

The picture shifted to a man standing in a vast barren field sowing the seeds.

 

"The blessed one shall spread the seeds of the lost knowledge back to his kind."

 

What does 'back' mean?

 

Her eyes became heavy all of a sudden and Sterne unknowingly fell asleep holding on to the parchment. That afternoon she dreamed of the distant past where a beautiful country had dark haired people as its inhabitants.

Together with the golden dwarves, the elves and beast kins they lived in quiet days. It was the time where the forest was once an enchanting place full of treasures, but as the invaders came and claimed its riches the forest grew angry, closing itself, away from mankind. The hatred people harboured has seeped into its soil turning the ones lovely creatures vile.

The God of Creation despaired and sent a messenger.

The black-haired people were forced to near extinction, a new kingdom arose as a result of bloody conquest. The Herald that protects the land saw the grim truth, enraged by the cruelty the Herald stripped them the ability to progress. 

Wiping any trace of advancement, he plunged the kingdom back to the dark days.

The age of chaos seems unending until the arrival of another Herald who prophesied the coming of the Hallowed One. The fated maiden who will stand alongside the king.

What is a Hallowed One? In one of Sir Ahmose's lectures, he described them as special maidens who were gifted with the strongest divine power, Faith. They will appear from time to time to aid the kingdom when the need arises. 

But who was that man in the painting? The person appointed by the God of Creation to sow the seeds.

Him? 

He will be the one to lift the kingdom's curse. The one who will restore balance and order. The one who can create something out of nothing, the singularity. 

A singularity is an exemption to the rule. Different from the Hallowed One whose sole purpose is to stop the king's madness and drive away the miasma. It appears that there is more mystery to this kingdom aside from the Sleeping Forest and the lost race.

Sterne wanted to stay and know more but her body felt heavy, as though she was being sucked in by vacuum. Slowly, she returned to the present as her consciousness resurfaces… 

"You were sleeping at such a dangerous place, my lady." The rocking motion reminded her of being put to sleep when she was small coupled with the faint scent of fresh mint teasing her nose.

When she looked up, she saw an incredibly handsome face with a hint of reprimand. Her father's worried face. 

"I fell asleep?"

"That you did,” He said with his eyes narrowed playfully. "Always be mindful of your surroundings. How many times have I reminded you that the third floor is a precarious place, hm?"

"I'm very sorry. I was lost in my reading and… wait, where's the scroll?"

The duke let out a helpless sigh, the furrow between his eyebrows deepened.

"I placed it back on the shelf. I presume you have finished reading it."

Did she? 

"Sterne, you are not going back up there. Promise me."

She nodded obediently and snuggled back to his chest. "Never again."

"If you really wish to learn more, from here on you have permission to enter my study."

"Really?"

He smiled then touched the tip of her nose. "One of these days, you would end up sneaking in there anyways."