by William Bill
Damien narrowed his eyes, "What do you want from me exactly?"
'Couldn't she just come to the point, instead of playing the roundabout way?'
Lily paused for a moment before saying, "I want you to teach me swordsmanship." She stared into Damien's eyes as she finished saying what was in her mind for over a week.
'Huh? What the heck? She wants me to teach her swordsmanship? Is this princess crazy or what? What is she exactly planning?' Damien was puzzled when he heard her request.
Why would an imperial princess request a cripple to teach her swordsmanship when she can get first-class experts to teach her?
Damien had an amused expression on his face, "Princess, I don't know if I heard you right. But did you just say that you want me to teach you swordsmanship when you can have several experts train you in the same?"
"I know it might sound absurd. But trust me when I say that your swordsmanship is actually top-notch, and I have never seen anything like it before...even from those first-class experts you are talking about." Lily said with her gaze focused.
'Don't tell me this world doesn't even have legitimate sword experts? Shouldn't a cultivation world be filled with experts of all kinds? Or are they bad at swordsmanship even with the immense power they hold?'
Lots of confounding questions were going through Damien's mind.
"Actually, I also practice swordsmanship, and I have trained in it for the majority of my life. That, too, trained by these so-called first-class sword experts. But when I saw your sword mastery, I actually felt a bit enlightened that I thought you might be coming from some prominent family or the Lancaster Empire where most of the sword experts reside." Lily said as her eyes gleamed.
'Wow, so is she saying my swordsmanship is top class even in the whole empire?' Damien mused as he didn't expect the Rong Empire not to have experts with high attainments in swordsmanship.
Damien knows that he is pretty skillful with the sword such that in his previous life if he claimed to be the second most expert in swordsmanship, nobody would claim to be the first.
Damien nodded his head slightly as if he was coming to a decision, "Okay, fine. I will teach you swordsmanship. But in return, you should fulfill some of my conditions." Damien said as a sly grin formed on his face.
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Chapter 22: Call Me Master
'Is this even the Damien that I rescued that day? Why is there an air of confidence around him?... How did he come out of his despair so fast?' Lily was puzzled seeing such a change in Damien's attitude.
When she rescued him that day, he was like an abandoned wild beast who was trying its best to stay alive, baring its fangs at whoever tries to get close to it even if they were trying to help it.
But now, Damien's expressions were composed and seemed a bit laid-back. His way of talking too was different instead of the cold and indifferent tone.
Nestor Rong's eyes twitched the moment he heard Damien's demand, "Boy, don't go too far! Even the reason you can demand conditions from Her Highness is that she rescued you in the first place. If not for her, you would have died a dog's death in that wretched place. Don't you know the meaning of gratitude?"
Nestor Rong thought that Damien was taking advantage of Lily's kindness, which for some reason seemed inexplicable to him. But he still didn't want to question why at least not in front of Damien.
Damien gave a light scoff, "It's not like I requested to be saved. And I can never guarantee my own life in this place. What if you all just throw me away or worse when I am done being useful? Also, teaching swordsmanship is not an easy business. I just expect to be rewarded for my job. In my perspective, saving my life doesn't have anything to do with fairly rewarding someone for doing their job. It's not like you can expect me to slave away without getting anything in return just because my life was saved. I don't see how things would be any different if that were the case."
Nestor Rong's vein popped out in anger, "How can you be so shameless, boy? If we really had some bad designs on you...you wouldn't even realize it. Just because Her Highness treated you well, don't let it get to your head."
But Oswin Rong only had a curious expression on his face as he was observing Damien.
Lily said in an elegant tone, "It's fine, Vice Court Master. Damien does indeed have a point, and it won't be right to let him teach me swordsmanship without rewarding his hard work."
She then looked at Damien and said with a graceful smile, "Please mention what your conditions are."
'Wow, her smile is really beautiful. Guess she is naturally graceful, unlike a certain someone. But I wonder why she is still tolerating me…'
Damien cleared his throat as he said, "Well, I only have three simple conditions. My first condition is that once I am done with teaching, you have to write me a recommendation letter so that I can join the Alchemist Society after leaving this place. And I take it you won't stop me from leaving, right?"
Lily nodded slightly and smiled, "Sure, that's no problem. You are free to leave after you teach me."
"Okay, then my second condition is that I would need a common grade cauldron along with common grade herbs that I might request from time to time."
Nestor Rong instantly chipped in, "Why would you even need a cauldron or these herbs? You can't even concoct pills in the first place."
Damien shrugged, "Who said I am trying to concoct pills here? Since I am a cripple, I am trying to take up the profession of an Alchemy teacher. I merely want to study these herbs and the cauldron for my own research. That's also why I asked for the recommendation letter."
Nestor Rong seemed as if he wanted to retort but ended up being tongue-tied.
Lily's gaze became unfocused for a moment before she said, "Of course. That's no problem. It is good that you haven't given up on everything."
'Huh...why do I feel like she expected it and seemed happy for me?' The more he interacted with Lily; the more puzzling her behavior seemed to him.
"Well, the third condition is not much…" A subtle smile emerged on his face as he said, "I just want you to call me 'Master' whenever I am teaching you."
"What??" A flustered one replaced Lily's collected expression as her body jerked back slightly.
When Lily saw his devilishly charming smile before he demanded his third condition, she knew he was up to something.
"Impudent!" Nestor Rong immediately rose to his feet as he pointed his finger towards Damien.
Even Oswin Rong frowned, "Damien, just because we have been treating you very well doesn't mean you can get on our heads. The only reason we are entertaining you is that we respect Her Highness's wishes."
'Finally, she had a reaction...otherwise, it would have been too strange and suspicious.'
Damien purposefully put out that condition to see Lily's reaction, and he didn't care what the other two protectors would think. He wanted to know how far Lily was able to tolerate him.
Damien casually smiled, "I am not asking anything excessive here. It's just a form of address that a person should follow when they accept teachings from another person. And this is only when I am training her and not in front of others."
"Even so, do you think you are worthy enough for Her Highness to call you a master? I admit your swordplay is somewhat impressive, but we don't know the true extent of your skills. Nor whether you are qualified to teach someone else. Knowing something and teaching the same knowledge to others are two different things." Nestor Rong said as his veins were throbbing in his neck.
Damien nonchalantly replied, "Why don't you see for yourself first whether I am qualified enough to teach her? Even if she doesn't have the potential or talent for swordplay, I am confident enough to at least make sure that she deserves to be labeled as an expert swords-woman. And if I don't fulfill my end of the deal, I can accept any consequences."
"Impressive proclamation, young man. But are you sure you can back it up?" Oswin Rong asked, raising his eyebrows. "And it would still depend on what Her Highness has to sa
y."
Lily was a little taken back when she heard Damien's final condition. She didn't expect him to demand her to call him 'Master', even if it's only during training.
She was the imperial princess of an empire! Unless it was some exalted senior who was teaching her, who else is worthy enough for her to call them 'Master'?
And she was even more surprised when Damien claimed that he could train her into a sword expert even if she had no talent for it.
She wondered where this confidence was coming from and mused whether she has yet to see his true sword mastery.
Lily quickly collected her thoughts as a strained smile emerged on her face, "It's fine. I accept it. As long as I can truly learn more insights about swordplay and gain more expertise in swordsmanship, I can call you…'Master' whenever we are training."
'This girl can't be real. Is she even willing to compromise with my absurd request? Aren't princesses supposed to have some sort of dignity? How can she call someone without any power or status as Master?' Damien felt that he was only getting more confused thinking about Lily's motives.
But Damien didn't let his outward expression change as he said, "Okay, good. So, when do we start the training?"
"Actually, I want to start as early as possible, but I want you to heal your arm first so that you would be able to teach properly," Lily said, maintaining her gaze.
Damien looked at his right forearm and shrugged, "Oh, my arm already feels much better than before, and it's only a matter of time before it is fully healed. So, I don't mind when we start. Besides, even if my right arm was really in a messed up state, I can still use my left hand while teaching you. And that wouldn't affect my teachings at all."
Lily gave a slight nod in understanding, "I see, then would it be fine for you to start the training tomorrow onwards?"
"Yeah, why not. Also, I was wondering if I can get some real food instead of some pills? No offense, the pills are really convenient, but my taste buds are getting a bit restless." Damien said with a chuckle.
"Hmph!" Nestor Rong harrumphed in dissatisfaction, hearing Damien's request as if indirectly asking him whether he is still not satisfied with the conditions he demanded.
Lily raised her eyebrows with an amused expression, "Oh, I actually thought it would be more convenient for you to have those pills so that you can focus on your rest without moving around much. But it seems like I was mistaken. Don't worry. I will send someone daily to deliver some 'real' food for you."
"Aha, Your Highness is so kind. Don't worry. I will surely keep up my end of the bargain. So, I guess I will see you tomorrow then. Can I take my leave now, Your Highness?" Damien said with a sarcastic smile.
Lily's lips twitched, seeing his sarcastic expression, "Sure. I will see you tomorrow then. Also, remember that in everyone's eyes, they only see you as a servant as they all think that I have hired a new servant to look after my garden. You wouldn't be bothered by this, would you?"
Damien squinted his eyes, "Doesn't that mean I have to look after your garden?"
Lily nodded, "Yes, since it would only be suspicious to have someone else take care of your garden when you already have a person employed for that task. But don't worry, my garden has some medicinal plants and herbs. Including any common grade herbs, you can also take a few of the earth grade herbs every month. And you can also study some of the rare sky grade herbs. This would be fine for you, right?"
'Wow...she is offering me earth grade herbs and even let me study sky grade herbs...all just to look after some plants?'
Damien's expression didn't change as he nodded, "Oh, well, that seems perfect. I will take my leave then now."
Damien gave the two protectors a slight nod and left the room.
Chapter 23: Beauty And Strength
Right after Damien left the room, Nestor Rong asked as his expressions seemed as if he was the one who had been wronged, "Your Highness, why did you put up with such an outrageous request? He is without power and status but is not even putting you in his eyes, and his last condition was basically making you undermine your own dignity."
Oswin Rong also chimed in, "Your Highness, I know you don't do anything without reason and also told us not to behave disrespectfully to him, but I still don't understand why you are so nice to him? Is there something we have missed?"
Lily sighed, "Court Masters, I understand that what I am doing might seem nonsensical, even going as far as to accept his final condition. But trust me when I say that it's not without reason. I have my own reasons. Hope the Court Masters understand."
Nestor Rong shook his head slightly while Oswin Rong sighed, "Sure, Your Highness. We will definitely respect and follow your wishes. After all, it's the least we should do for you."
Lily smiled, "Thank you, Court Masters. I will never forget the support you two have given me."
The two Court Masters instantly gave a light bow as they said, "It's our duty, Your Highness. There is no need for words of gratitude."
Lily's gaze fell towards the direction where Damien had left, 'Damien, what exactly happened to you? How did you change so much?' Lily was getting lost in her own thoughts.
—
In his room, Damien was contemplating on the things that had just taken place.
He was trying to analyze Lily's behavior in his mind because he expected Lily to be angered when she heard his final condition. But other than being flustered, she didn't show any other reaction, nor was she angered in the least.
But it only puzzled him more, and Damien didn't like uncertainties like these where he wasn't able to find out what the other person was thinking.
So he decided to ask the one person who seemed to know something, "Luna, do you know why the princess is so friendly with me?"
Luna appeared before him, "Well, isn't it natural to be nice to someone when that person needs something from you? That girl wants to learn swordsmanship from you. But I still didn't expect you to put forth those conditions, especially the last one. As expected of someone I chose." Luna said as her lips curved up.
Damien ignored the last part of her sentence as he said, "Oh, come on. You know that's not what I meant. Even if she desperately wants to learn something from me, why would she even want to negotiate with a supposed cripple like me? It would have made more sense if she had threatened me or something. I mean, nothing is stopping her from doing that, nor does she have to face any consequences. Nobody would care what a person with high status does to someone with low or no status at all."
Luna gave a light scoff as she said, "Can't you just be happy with the fact that she is at least treating you well? Otherwise, even if she was scheming something, what could she possibly want from a cripple? Maybe she just fell in love, at first sight, seeing your annoying little pretty face."
Damien rolled his eyes as he said, "Don't give me that reason. I already know it's not because she is in love with me or something. She doesn't seem to be a superficial person who gets smitten by one's face no matter how handsome, nor is she giving me that feeling either. But I also feel that she does not possess any ill intentions towards me."
Damien narrowed his eyes as he said, "You are still hiding something about her from me, aren't you?"
Luna just gave a tight-lipped smile as she said, "I don't know what you are talking about. Anyway, why care about it when you know she does not bear any ill-feelings towards you."
'Aha...so she does know something. But why is she hiding it from me? Just to have fun? Argh...this imp is so frustrating.'
Damien moved those thoughts to the back of his mind deciding to find things out by himself.
"By the way, what is Lily's cultivation level? I didn't dare to probe her not only because I didn't want to expose myself but also because I don't think an imperial princess would be weak enough for me to see through her now."
Luna said with a mocking smile, "Do you really want to know her cultivation level? It would be best if you didn't get depressed after knowing her cultivation le
vel hehe.... After all, she is just a year older than you."
Damien crinkled his eyes, "Oh, just say it, will you? I know I am definitely lagging behind her due to my situation. So no matter how powerful she is, it won't be much of a surprise to me."
"Ninth level of the Spirit Ethereal Realm!" Luna had a pitying expression on her face pretending to be worried for Damien's mental health.
"What the…." Damien's mouth was agape as he couldn't believe what he just heard.
Lily was not even at the Spirit Ethereal Realm's early levels but almost at the peak level.
Since every major ethereal cultivation realm goes from level one to ten, these levels can be categorized into four categories.
The Early levels would mean that one was in between the first and third levels of a cultivation realm; the Middle levels would mean that one was between the fourth and seventh levels; the High levels would mean that one was in between the eighth and ninth levels.
And the Peak level would mean that one was in the tenth level of a cultivation realm.
Even his late adopted father was only at the fourth level of the Spirit Ethereal Realm.
And now Damien heard that Lily was at the ninth level of the Spirit Ethereal Realm with just one level less from reaching the peak level!
"I guess she is not simple as she seems. She has beauty and strength...what a combination...a celestial princess indeed. Then what about those two bodyguards at her side?" Damien asked as he was preparing himself from receiving another shock.
"The one known as Nestor is at the fifth level of the Earth Ethereal Realm while the other old man is at the fifth level of the Sky Ethereal Realm," Luna replied as if she was stating something completely normal.
Damien's eyes widened, "Earth and...Sky Ethereal Realm?... I was in the presence of such two powerhouses?" Damien was mumbling to himself as he didn't expect to meet such powerhouses right after transmigrating.
Sky Ethereal Realm was just one major realm below the whole continent's extraordinary realm; the Heaven Ethereal Realm!