Angel Monarch

Vicky's morning routine went by the same as yesterday. She got ready, summoned her usual attire, went down and fed her brother, then ate breakfast herself.

But since it was May 11th, the schools didn't hold classes because of its proximity to the Peacemaking Celebrations tomorrow.

This pleased every child, except those burdened with Europe's welfare, like a Prince or Princess.

While her friends ran around playing, training, exploring, Vicky and Henry stayed home working.

They read reports of yesterday's cleanup, which went well. The households, which required evacuation, received reparations for their troubles.

When they read all the reports from New Athens, it was time for the international ones.

Numerous global reports arrived; however, Vicky focused her attention on her friends' reports. Each planned to return for the holiday.

Vicky instantly grew excited. She hadn't seen any of them for an entire year. They didn't even know about Nick's existence yet.

With much more enthusiasm, Vicky continued reading reports until midday. After eating lunch, she left her home and teleported to a much smaller mansion in New Athens.

After the fight near the Gateway, Vicky ran into Thea once more, and they discussed meeting up, so she could learn how to fight properly.

She wore her usual night sky like dress, with high-heeled shoes. Her pale skin seemed to reflect light under the bright sun. Her shoulder-length white hair gently blowed in the breezy sea air.

Vicky's white eyes curiously scanned the surroundings, watching as the trees danced and listening to the birds sing.

She walked along the street until she reached the gate to Thea's property. Instead of teleporting straight into the mansion, Vicky wanted to be polite, so she stood before the gate and pressed the ring bell.

Immediately after pressing the button, the gate opened, letting her inside.

Along the driveway, the family's wide property stretched, revealing tall trees, hedges, and even a chicken coop.

Several buildings made up the family's property. The driveway led to the main building and the garage next to it. On the other side, a smaller building stood where the maids lived. While even farther back, several training facilities stood.

Vicky, using her powers, quickly scanned the area, and found Thea waiting below a gigantic oak tree.

Even though teleporting would've been faster, Vicky decided to walk across the grassy ground, towards the enormous tree.

The oak stretched up dozens of meters into the sky. Its trunk was definitely a few meters across.

Thea leaned against the tree while staring at the empty field surrounding the oak. She received a notification about Vicky's arrival, but was surprised to see her walking instead of simply teleporting.

When she arrived, Thea couldn't hold her curiosity.

"Why didn't you just teleport? Isn't that easier and much faster?"

Vicky just laughed, thinking of Thea's sentence, like a naive girl's words.

"I was like that at first! When I received this power, I only teleported and opened portals, never taking a single step…"

Vicky gently touched the tree while staring at the branches above, her eyes full of reminiscent splendor.

"I realized it fairly quick though, that sometimes arriving fast takes away from the journey. I wanted to observe the trees, breath in the fresh air, listen to the birds' singing! I'd avoid all that via teleportation!"

Thea felt surprised by the Princess's mature words. She didn't expect someone so young to acquire this sense of reality.

It took Thea a moment to adjust her mind. She had to remind herself that this small, seemingly fragile-looking girl was vastly more powerful than her.

And even though her young age, her life experience went past what any thirteen-year-old should've ever witnessed.

Silence followed the initial conversation. They basked in the moment, observing the leaves above swirling with the wind.

Thea sat down by the tree, beckoning Vicky to do the same. They faced each other with their legs crossed, and Vicky awaited her new teacher's words with great curiosity.

"Let's begin today's lesson Princess Victoria…" Said Thea, but before she could've continued, Vicky interrupted.

"Please, calm me Victoria or Vicky. There is no need for formalities!"

For a moment, Thea lost her thought process. In the morning, her mother ordered Thea to only refer to Victoria by her title, since that was appropriate.

But Victoria ordered her the exact opposite, to use her real name instead of the given title.

Thea's mind stuck between an order from her mother and an order from her Princess. Luckily, though, she was her mother's daughter, and knew exactly which request outweighed the other.

"Of course, my Lady! From now on, I'll refer to you as Victoria!"

Vicky raised an eyebrow at the formal talk, but didn't say anything, and instead listened to Thea's words with great interest.

"You might wonder why we aren't at the training areas. You might also wonder why I have no training equipment with me… The answer is simple, it's because we won't be training until you are mentally prepared for combat!"

The confusion on Vicky's face was evident, and before Thea could further explain, she cut in.

"I think I'm as prepared as one can get. You saw me fight yesterday! You saw me kill all those monsters! Would you really call me unprepared?"

Thea didn't answer for a moment. Instead, she reached down and lifted a fresh leaf off of the ground.

"Yes, I saw you fight mindless beasts. You were great at killing them, but your ways are unrefined and clumsy at best… Oh… Don't take this as an insult… Let me explain it!"

Vicky's face turned grumpy at Thea's description, which caused the older girl to sweat, but she soon regained her previous state of mind.

She lifted the leaf, showing it to Vicky, then asked, "Kill this leaf!"

Not truly understanding what Thea meant. Vicky summoned a tiny portal and bisected the green leaf.

As the wind blew the two parts away, Thea shook her head before lifting another.

"That's exactly what I mean! You could've chosen hundreds of ways to destroy the leaf, but most of them were inefficient! Any leaf would die by cutting its stem, but instead you destroyed most of its surface!"

Vicky still wasn't grasping the lesson Thea tried to teach.

"But I got the job done, didn't I? The leaf is dead permanently! Isn't that the reason why we kill? So the being wouldn't bother us anymore?"

Thea couldn't help but chuckle at the Princess's words, causing the girl to pout in annoyance.

"Nope… Not even close… Killing is required from us. It's a sad necessity to survive in our current reality! We kill when we have to, but to reach a better society, we eventually have to leave our murderous intent behind!"

Vicky just sighed and lifted another leaf. She began twirling it in her hand while listening to Thea's words.

"The first lesson any soldier needs to learn in order to keep their sanity is that killing is wrong! It's something horrible, which nobody should engage in!… However, the soldiers don't have the luxury to stay pacifist! They need to kill, they need to sacrifice themselves for all the civilians' wellbeing!"

Thea's silence held a moment, her gazed fixed curiously on Vicky's white eyes.

"There was a question my mother asked when I decided to follow my family and become a soldier, too… Tell me Victoria… What is the essence of combat?"

The curiosity and intensity deepened in Thea's silver eyes. Vicky considered the question briefly. She could've named a few different answers, but only one felt right…

"The essence of combat is to defeat your opponent!"

A wide grin spread across Thea's face. This exact answer was what Thea expected from someone with so much pent up anger like Victoria.

"An interesting way of thinking!… Victory is one of the major driving factors while you fight, but what if winning becomes impossible? Do you just give up fighting?… What is the essence of combat, Victoria?"

Once more, the Princess became thoughtful, then declared the only other reasonable answer in her mind.

"Well, if it isn't winning, then I guess it's murder! If you kill you opponent, then even if you die, you can achieve partial victory!"

Thea's grin widened, and a small giggle escaped her lips.

"Murder? Really? Are you some vengeful fool with no care for life or death? Would you send your friends to death with no regard for their lives? Will you kill your every opponent until nobody left to oppose you?… Are you a Princess or a Tyrant?… I ask you again! What's the essence of combat?"

Vicky wanted to growl in annoyance, but instead she looked up towards the giant oak's branches, and really considered the answer.

"So it isn't winning, because victory isn't available every time… It isn't murder, because killing is not the only solution when fighting… What did you say about soldiers? They shouldn't kill, but they have to… As a sacrifice!"

Her white eyes widened as she felt like she found the right answer.

Thea couldn't help but sigh with pure admiration and jealousy.

"Damn… When my mother asked me, I needed an entire day to find the right answer!… You aren't as hopeless as I initially thought!"

They both laughed at Thea's weak attempt at making a joke, and afterward, she further explained what Vicky already figured out.

"Sacrifice is the right answer! You don't fight for yourself, but for an entire nation! We need to kill, so the civilians won't ever need to carry such heavy burdens! We sacrifice our body, mind, and soul! We don't expect any repayment for our sacrifice, since that's our duty!"

Thea then spent another hour further explaining this mentality until Vicky fully understood and accepted The Essence of Combat!