NOVEL NEXT chapter 19 - The hardworking Master Winnie
“Resurrect with grandeur!” Master Winnie returned home after a busy day, dirty and lying on his bed, reflecting on the gains of the day.
In the morning, he wiped out a goblin nest, collecting both the reward and the loot, making quite a bit of money.
After returning to the capital, he went to complete his daily tasks, earning three Virtue points at the orphanage, and two more from praying, totaling five points.
It’s worth mentioning that after exterminating the goblin nest, Winnie was surprised to find that his Virtue had increased by a full 10 points!
But thinking about it, it made sense. By destroying the wicked goblins, he had earned merits—very reasonable, right?
In just one day, he had raised his Virtue from 9 points to 24 points!
Only 6 more points were needed to reach the 30 points required to awaken his bloodline!
Hahaha.
Looking at the money he had earned and glancing at the mithril page hammer hanging on the wall, Winnie felt a sense of accomplishment.
He was done. He’d earned the money, and his Virtue was stacking up—he felt great!
Today, Winnie was greatly satisfied mentally. After a bath, he fell into a deep, restful sleep and didn’t wake up until noon the next day.
Next, he happily resumed his daily tasks, living an extremely fulfilling life.
After another busy day, completing his daily routine, his Virtue successfully increased from 24 points to 29 points.
The final point!
Winnie eagerly looked at his Virtue number.
Tomorrow—once the daily tasks refreshed early in the morning, he would be able to activate his family’s bloodline!
The Aeciphysis family, resurrected in glory!
Wait, did he forget something?
He slapped his forehead, realizing.
Tomorrow, it was the day he had his “duel” with the knightly order. A certain clown wanted him to publicly disgrace himself.
“Tsk, what a hassle.” If it weren’t for the forty gold coins, Winnie would really want to slap Cadrion and tell him to stop bothering him while he was stacking Virtue.
Winnie opened the “Light Armor” that he had bought from the Soul Art store earlier in the afternoon. It was one of the few universal armor-type Soul Arts.
As for whether he would go to the royal palace for the duel tomorrow...
Of course, he would go! Why would he buy the “Light Armor” otherwise?
He had a 100% compatibility with “Heavy Armor,” and though he still didn’t quite understand what exactly this 100% compatibility entailed, he couldn’t skip this.
The goblin extermination battle today had boosted his confidence; he felt terrifyingly strong now.
However, he hadn’t let it get to his head. Though his opponent was just a squire, who was at the same entry-level as he was, the odds of winning weren’t very high.
After all, it was a squire from the Dragon Knight Order.
Looking at the effect of the “Light Armor,” it couldn’t be said to be useless, but its usefulness was limited.
Half-lying on the bed, Winnie thought about the tactical planning for tomorrow’s duel. As he continued to think, drowsiness began to set in.
———
Before dawn, when most of the capital’s residents were still asleep, the royal training grounds at the Camellia Palace were already in use.
A stunning young girl dressed in light and flexible attire tied her golden hair, which shimmered like gilded threads, into a high ponytail. She held a long sword and moved gracefully, like a golden butterfly, performing her sword dance.
This was the time when Mirecia practiced her swordplay in the morning. It was a habit she had developed since childhood. This was the only time she had for sword training; after that, her schedule was packed for the rest of the day.
After her mother died in childbirth and her father didn’t remarry, Mirecia, as the only heir and the first in line to the throne, had started helping her father manage state affairs years ago, shouldering some of the royal responsibilities.
Apart from magic lessons and various other courses, she also had to allocate time to fulfill her royal duties. Except for sleeping, there was hardly any time left for herself.
Mirecia’s personal maid stood beside her, holding a towel and water bottle, calmly waiting.
At that moment, another maid quietly lifted her skirt and entered the training ground, approaching Mirecia’s personal maid. They whispered for a moment, and the maid nodded, signaling that she would inform the princess shortly.
Just then, Mirecia finished her sword practice and walked over, holding her sword.
“Your Highness, Miss Aeciphysis is here to see you.” The maid handed the towel and water bottle to the radiant blonde princess, who looked dazzling even with sweat glistening on her skin. The maid couldn’t help but avert her gaze, slightly embarrassed.
She was afraid she might be swayed.
To be honest, the maid had been Mirecia’s personal attendant for quite some time, and the thought of the princess eventually marrying someone else felt both incredible and hard to imagine. She always thought no one in the world could ever be worthy of such a perfect princess.
Having served Mirecia for so long, she couldn’t find anything that the princess wasn’t skilled at.
Magic, eloquence, etiquette, academics, swordsmanship, combat skills, business acumen—there were no flaws to be found.
In the capital, many admired her beauty, others were captivated by her talent, and some revered her status and power. Mirecia, possessing all three, had suitors lining up from the city gate to the farthest end of the kingdom.
And this was only in the capital. If you counted all the human kingdoms and Aeciphysis Academy, the number of admirers would fill the seas.
“Alright, I understand.” Mirecia nodded slightly, and every subtle movement she made exuded grace and elegance, showcasing the demeanor of a royal princess.
“Thank you for your hard work today, Karine.”
“It’s my honor to serve you, Your Highness.” Karine curtsied, holding her skirt and stepping back.
“Let Miss Aeciphysis wait in the courtyard for a moment,” Mirecia said. Of course, she couldn’t greet guests in her current state; it would be quite impolite.
Before meeting any guest, Mirecia always made sure to clean herself, change into proper attire, and apply a bit of light makeup.
Though, in Karine’s opinion, Mirecia was naturally beautiful and looked perfect without any makeup.
After a bath and changing into her regular attire, Mirecia put on a platinum-accented, lotus-edged dress that perfectly showed off her figure. The pure white stockings that reached just above her knees, along with the hem of the skirt, highlighted her alluring legs. The soft, jade-like shape of her feet was completed with crystal high heels.
Her golden-like hair was styled into flowing twin tails, held by ice-blue butterfly hairpins, cascading down to her calves.
Princess Mirecia walked gracefully into the royal courtyard, a place commonly used by noble young ladies for tea and conversation.
As expected, the beautiful silver-haired Aeciphysis was already waiting in the white stone pavilion.
Today, Aeciphysis, as usual, wore an enchanting smile, like that of a fairy, yet exuded friendliness and modesty—no one could dislike such a girl.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, Miss Aeciphysis. I apologize for the delay in tidying myself up.” Aeciphysis elegantly sat down, and a maid served tea to the two of them.