(Cindy’s POV)
"Let’s go inside, Ahri’s probably waiting for us."
Vael said as he dissolved all of the ice he used during our spar.
The sharp, frozen structures evaporated into thin air, turning into a light, cool mist that quickly drifted away into the breeze. He seemed completely relaxed now that the match was over, casually stretching his arms as he began to walk toward the back door of the house.
"..."
I stared at my needle weapon—it’s near the breaking point.
The thick wooden surface was covered in deep dents, small cracks, and severe splinters along the shaft. Be it just a wooden one, I still coat it with my mana so that it wouldn’t break easily.
I channeled my energy through the handle every single time I attacked, creating an invisible layer of protection to keep the wood intact.
But after just sparring for Vael for over a month—it’s already near broken.
The sheer density of his ice was entirely abnormal. It felt less like striking frozen water and more like hitting an anvil of pure, solid iron. My hands were still vibrating from the final impacts, a dull numbness spreading through my palms.
’He’s really a strange guy.’
I thought as I followed after Vael inside the house.
I looked at his broad shoulders and the calm way he carried himself.
Honestly, when Sis told me that we’re going to hide him in our house, I was a bit reluctant.
The news had come out of nowhere, completely disrupting our quiet routine. I remembered the tense conversation we had in the kitchen when she first brought up the idea.
Not because I have anything against him—but because I worry for our safety.
The Frostguard family was a massive, terrifying entity, and getting involved in their internal power struggles was equivalent to stepping onto a active battlefield.
Sis is the only one I have left—I don’t want her to be in danger.
I don’t want to lose her too.
The thought of assassins tracking him down to our doorstep and dragging her into a lethal conflict made my stomach turn with anxiety.
But she insisted, saying that Vael is in a much worse situation than us.
She had looked at me with those determined, stubborn eyes of hers, explaining that he had absolutely nowhere else to go and that his life was in immediate Vael.
I honestly doubted that, but in the end—I have really no say to her decision.
Once Ahri made up her mind about helping someone, there was absolutely no changing it. She was far too kind-hearted for her own good.
When Vael first got here; I thought he would be acting like some rich young master, all entitled or something like that, just because he’s from a noble family.
I had fully prepared myself to deal with an arrogant, spoiled brat who would complain about the size of the room, the quality of the food, and the lack of servants to cater to his every whim. He grew up having everything handed to him, after all.
The main family lived in a massive estate, surrounded by luxury and endless wealth, completely separated from the reality of ordinary people.
But to my surprise; he was far off than that.
He was respectful and polite to both me and Ahri, he helps with the chores even when Sis told him he didn’t need to do it.
I would regularly catch him washing the dishes after breakfast, sweeping the floors, or carrying heavy groceries inside without a single word of complaint. He makes sure he doesn’t become a freeloader, and he makes sure he doesn’t bother us.
He kept his personal belongings meticulously organized and always spoke with a quiet, humble tone that felt entirely genuine.
And aside from all of that—he consistently train everyday.
He didn’t miss a single morning session, pushing his body through physical routines.
At first he was just doing it because he’s bored.
That was what I had assumed, at least. I figured a noble boy stuck in a small house with nowhere to go would eventually turn to exercise just to pass the empty hours of the day.
But one day, when Sis asked me to call him from the backyard—I witnessed him swinging an ice rapier for the first time.
I stopped right at the edge of the porch, the words catching in my throat.
He was so focused that he didn’t even notice me arriving.
His concentration was something else, it’s not something you can acquire if you’re just training out of boredom.
His eyes were completely locked onto an invisible opponent, his breathing deep and perfectly regulated. There was a desperate, burning intensity in his movements, a silent pressure that filled the entire backyard.
I wasn’t able to bring myself to stop him from swinging his sword.
I just stood there.
Each time he swung his ice rapier—it was filled with elegance and and deep concentration; it was like I’m watching a play.
The frosty blade cut through the air with absolute precision, leaving faint trails of glittering white light in its wake. Every thrust, every parry, and every shift of his feet was executed with a strange, artistic beauty that completely captivated me.
And when he finished training and saw me watching him; I just blurted out and invited him into a spar.
The words had escaped my mouth before my brain could even process them. I didn’t know what came to me when I asked him that, but just watching him put effort in his training, it made me want to try harder too.
The next day after that, we spared as we agreed.
I walked onto the grass with my wooden weapon, feeling a tight knot of anticipation in my stomach. I thought he would be strong, at least as strong as me, if not—stronger.
Given his legendary family lineage and the beautiful forms I had witnessed the previous evening, I expected a fierce, high-level magical battle.
But to my surprise; I was able to beat him fairly fast.
My very first serious thrust bypassed his guard entirely. His physical reactions were sluggish, and he seemed entirely overwhelmed by actual combat speed.
He was... weak.
It was a jarring realization. He had all this dense, incredible mana, but he didn’t know how to apply it effectively in a real fight.
And this is when he told me about his condition, why he weak.
We sat on the porch steps after that lopsided match, the cool evening air settling around us as he quietly explained his limitations.
It’s because of his body condition that he wasn’t able to train until now as well.
He explained that his body possessed a unique restriction that completely prevented him from casting projectile magic or launching long-range elemental attacks. He was forced to fight strictly in close quarters, a massive disadvantage for any modern mage.
That body condition didn’t allow him to be able to train until now.
Hearing that made something click inside me.
That’s why I thought, I will help him get stronger—watching him put effort and train diligently made me want to help him.
But then, now—a week left before the academy starts—
’He’s already grown a lot.’
I thought as I watched Vael’s back.
We stepped out of the hallway and entered the brightly lit kitchen. All of his training made his body stronger, and right now—he can fight against me properly.
Today’s match had been a completely different story compared to our early spars. He had anticipated my movements, neutralized my speed, and even managed to trap my arm with his frost.
Which doesn’t made sense.
The sheer speed of his progression was unnatural, defying all standard logic of magical training.
I trained since I was little, spending years enduring brutal family lessons and endless repetitions just to master my current combat style. But Vael—he’s just starting now.
"..."
Watching walk in front of me, I can’t help but wonder how he was able to grow this fast.
What kind of hidden talent was he operating under? Was it the raw pressure of his life-or-death situation, or was there something fundamentally different about the way his mind processed combat?
Yes I was holding back against our sparrings... but so does he.
I could distinctly feel that he was keeping a massive reservoir of his dense mana locked away, refusing to let the full force of his power erupt during our matches.
We can’t use wide-area abilities, but I barely have those kinds of abilities.
My fighting style was naturally built around single-target precision, high-speed blinks, and quick punctures.
This is more like a restriction to Vael’s ice abilities than mine.
He was the one who had to constantly hold back from summoning massive barriers or freezing the entire yard solid. He was fighting with a massive self-imposed handicap just to keep our house standing.
’I wonder how strong he would be if he can use his ice abilities freely... and if he can use them as projectiles.’
If he ever found a way to bypass his body condition and launch that dense, steel-like ice across a battlefield, he would become an absolute monster that nobody would want to face.
"You two are finally here, come sit and let’s eat."
Anyway, we got to the dining area not long, and Sis was waiting for us.
She smiled warmly as she set down the final plates, the tension of the earlier training session completely evaporating from the room.
Vael and I sat down with her, taking our respective places at the wooden table. And after showing gratitude—we started eating lunch.
... ... ...
... ... ...
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*****
Vael’s routine didn’t break.
Even as the final days ticked down, he refused to let up on his self-imposed schedule. He woke up before dawn, ran his usual miles through the quiet streets, and pushed himself to the absolute limit under the hot afternoon sun.
He improved day by day, getting stronger little by little.
The clumsiness in his movements completely vanished, replaced by a smooth, predatory grace that made his fencing increasingly difficult to predict.
His daily sparring with Cindy helped him a lot; she became his measurement on how strong he should be.
Every time she increased her speed, he found a way to adapt. Every time she tried a new tactical approach, he devised a countermeasure using his dense ice structures. They pushed each other constantly, refining their reflexes to a razor-sharp edge.
He kept up with his studies, learned everything he can.
He spent his evenings buried in textbooks and strategy guides, memorizing the lore, the monster behaviors, and the complex societal structures of the world he was about to enter.
He polished his swordsmanship, honed his ice abilities.
His rapier strikes became incredibly fast, and his ability to materialize defensive structures transformed from a conscious effort into a seamless, instantaneous reflex.
Learned buffs and debuffs magics, the magics that the Vael in the game experts in and is talented with.
And just like that—a week had passed.
It was time for Vael and Cindy to attend [The Star Academy].