The morning sun continued rising.
Golden light spread across the training grounds.
Snow reflected the sunlight like countless scattered diamonds.
Cold air drifted through the field.
The rhythmic sounds of wooden swords striking each other echoed throughout the grounds.
Normally.
The knights of Frostbound Coast would focus entirely on training.
Normally.
Today was not normal.
Because today...
The Guardian of Frostbound Coast was being trained by their Lord.
And that was infinitely more entertaining than training.
At the center of the training grounds.
Lyra held a wooden sword.
The ancient serpent who had cultivated for centuries.
The woman who could transform into a giant python.
The being who possessed enough mana to terrify most mages.
Was currently being corrected on how to hold a wooden stick.
The irony alone was enough to make several knights question reality.
Kel stood opposite her.
Arms folded.
Expression calm.
"Wrong."
Lyra blinked.
"What?"
Kel pointed.
"Your grip."
The serpent looked at her hands.
Then at Kel.
Then at her hands again.
"It looks fine."
Kel nodded.
"It looks fine."
A pause.
"It is still wrong."
The training ground became silent.
Several knights immediately looked away.
Because they knew that tone.
The tone of doom.
The tone every knight had heard at least once.
The tone that preceded hours of suffering.
Lyra frowned.
"How is it wrong?"
Kel approached.
Adjusted her fingers slightly.
Then stepped back.
"Like that."
Lyra stared.
"...You moved two fingers."
"Correct."
"..."
"..."
The serpent woman looked completely unconvinced.
Meanwhile.
Nearby knights were already whispering.
Very quietly.
Or at least they thought they were.
Knight One leaned toward Knight Two.
"How many corrections do you think before lunch?"
Knight Two considered seriously.
"At least fifty."
Knight Three joined.
"Only fifty?"
The other two looked toward him.
The knight crossed his arms.
"Our Lord corrected my stance eighty-seven times in one morning."
The other two immediately nodded.
"Reasonable."
"Very reasonable."
Meanwhile.
Lyra attempted the stance again.
Kel observed.
Then—
"Wrong."
The serpent woman's eye twitched.
Several nearby knights nearly laughed.
They remembered this phase.
The phase where students still believed they were correct.
Eventually.
Lyra adjusted again.
Kel nodded.
"Better."
The serpent relaxed.
Then Kel continued.
"Still wrong."
The relaxation vanished instantly.
A collective wave of sympathy spread among the knights.
One knight whispered.
"She's experiencing it."
Another nodded solemnly.
"The foundations."
A third knight lowered his head.
"The horror."
Nearby Gareth overheard everything.
And decided not to interfere.
Because honestly...
The gossip was accurate.
Meanwhile.
Kel continued teaching.
"Your shoulders are tense."
Lyra adjusted.
"Your breathing is inconsistent."
She adjusted again.
"Your balance is slightly off."
Again.
"The angle is wrong."
Again.
"The weight distribution is incorrect."
Again.
The serpent woman stared at him.
"How are you even seeing these things?"
Kel answered immediately.
"Practice."
The answer somehow felt offensive.
Meanwhile.
The knights had completely lost interest in their own training.
Every sparring pair somehow drifted closer.
Every conversation somehow revolved around Lyra.
Eventually.
One knight whispered.
"Do you think Lord Kel realizes she's beautiful?"
The group froze.
An important question.
A dangerous question.
Knight Two frowned.
"I don't think so."
Knight Three nodded.
"Impossible."
Another knight joined.
"Our Lord sees three things."
A pause.
"Projects."
Another.
"Documents."
Another.
"Problems to solve."
The others nodded.
Accurate.
Extremely accurate.
One knight sighed.
"Last month I told him my wife was expecting."
The others looked toward him.
"What did he say?"
The knight looked traumatized.
"He immediately started discussing future school funding."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Then—
The entire group burst into laughter.
Nearby.
Lyra heard everything.
Her eye twitched.
Meanwhile.
Kel remained completely unaware.
Or perhaps he simply didn't care.
Both were equally possible.
At that moment.
Lyra finally completed the stance correctly.
Kel nodded.
"Good."
The serpent woman smiled slightly.
Victory.
Finally.
Then Kel spoke again.
"Now hold it."
Lyra nodded.
Simple enough.
One minute passed.
Two minutes.
Five minutes.
Ten minutes.
The smile disappeared.
Fifteen minutes.
The smile died completely.
Twenty minutes.
The serpent woman's arms began trembling.
"How long?"
Kel calmly answered.
"Until your body memorizes it."
Lyra stared.
"How long is that?"
Kel thought.
Then answered honestly.
"A few weeks."
The wooden sword nearly fell from her hands.
Nearby knights immediately looked away.
Several remembered their own training.
One knight whispered.
"He's being merciful."
Another nodded.
"He made me stand like that for three months."
Lyra heard that.
And looked horrified.
At that exact moment.
Seiren's voice echoed within Kel's mind.
"You realize she cultivated for centuries."
Kel continued observing Lyra's stance.
"Yes."
"And you're teaching her like a beginner."
"She is a beginner."
A pause.
Seiren laughed.
"I like this."
"Why?"
"Because she's discovering what everyone else suffered."
Kel couldn't disagree.
Meanwhile.
The knight gossip continued escalating.
Knight Four suddenly whispered.
"I think they're dating."
The entire group froze.
Then stared.
Knight Four immediately defended himself.
"What?"
Another knight pointed toward Lyra.
"She's learning swordsmanship."
Knight Four nodded.
"And?"
The knight pointed toward Kel.
"Our Lord taught us swordsmanship too."
Knight Four froze.
"...Good point."
The theory collapsed instantly.
Then another knight spoke.
"No."
Everyone turned toward him.
The knight looked serious.
"Lord Kel isn't dating."
A pause.
"He's recruiting."
The entire group nodded.
This explanation made infinitely more sense.
Meanwhile.
Lyra's arms continued shaking.
The serpent woman glared toward Kel.
The Count remained calm.
Entirely calm.
Too calm.
Eventually.
Lyra asked.
"Did everyone suffer this much?"
Kel nodded.
"Yes."
Several knights immediately shouted.
"MORE!"
"WE SUFFERED MORE!"
"MUCH MORE!"
The training ground exploded with complaints.
The Count looked genuinely confused.
"Did you?"
The collective outrage became immediate.
"YES!"
"ABSOLUTELY!"
"WITHOUT QUESTION!"
The shouting continued.
Kel considered.
Then shrugged.
"If you say so."
The knights almost fainted.
Nearby.
Lyra laughed.
Actually laughed.
The sight shocked everyone.
The ancient serpent's laughter echoed throughout the training grounds.
Bright.
Natural.
Genuine.
Even Gareth smiled.
Because honestly.
Watching someone else experience Kel's training methods for the first time was extraordinarily entertaining.
Eventually.
The morning training continued.
Lyra suffered.
The knights gossiped.
Kel remained completely oblivious.
And somewhere deep beneath Scarder Lake...
Seiren watched everything unfold.
The Guardian's laughter echoed endlessly.
Because after centuries of existence...
After witnessing countless extraordinary events...
After observing kings, emperors, heroes, and legends...
She had discovered something unexpected.
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
Was more entertaining than watching Kel Rosenfeld teach someone the basics.