NOVEL NEXT Chapter 134: New Name
As Hayden took the tray from the maid, he was already itching to ask her whether they would ask him his name or if he would be given a new one. Or perhaps, whether they would at least introduce themselves or not…
'I guess the names aren't too important here.' He mused…
As he thought of this, Leny briefed him about his daily schedule from now on.
"At nine in the morning, attend Lady Julia's morning spell practice in the east courtyard. At ten, escort her to the library for magical theory studies, and at eleven, supervise her aura resistance training."
Hayden asked some details about this and it was actually quite simple. However, for the last part, Hayden's primary role wasn't really to supervise her as she suggested. It was to withstand her spells with his Aura.
That was what she meant by Lady Julia's Aura Resistance Training…
'You want to know if your spells can pierce through my Aura? Alright…' Hayden thought as he accepted his task without any signs of disapproval.
"You will not speak unless spoken to…" Leny added. "If she asks for your opinion on her magic, it's better to say, 'Your control improves daily, my lady.' Nothing more. You don't know things about Mana and Spells even if you've trained in the Obsidian Tower."
Hayden nodded obediently, but his Lens recorded every word, every micro-expression, and every detail about this maid.
As expected, she was indeed a Magician with the pulse of Mana around her. However, he wasn't sure what level she was.
Leny then turned to leave, but paused for a moment. "One more thing." She handed him a thin silver bracelet.
"Wear this. It's keyed to the manor's wards. Without it, the curse… activates. It's only sufficient to protect you for a day."
Hayden smiled politely. "Of course."
[ Analysis: Bracelet is also a tracker. Curse is proximity-based regardless... ]
The Ocularis Lens immediately reported.
It seemed that they were really planning to make him believe that the curse could affect him anywhere. In any case, he couldn't even remove the thread-like collar just yet, so he was planning to cooperate with them for now.
'Well, let's see…'
Hayden had always been calm ever since he learned that he was taken by the magicians to become a Sword Slave or servant for young nobles.
He knew ever since that as long as he played his part properly, he would become the best Sword Slave available.
As long as he had his Ocularis Lens that was capable of analyzing almost anything, including magic, he knew that he just needed to be patient and he would be able to escape or control his life sooner or later.
It was simply a matter of time.
***
Fifteen minutes before nine, Hayden arrived at the east courtyard, a secluded training area bordered by high hedges and oak trees.
The morning mist still clung to the grass, and Hayden couldn't help but appreciate the ambience of this courtyard.
'What a peaceful place…' Hayden commented in his mind. Compared to the Tower, this place was like heaven…
Soon, a small figure arrived. It was Lady Julia…
She didn't notice Hayden at first as she fumbled with a leather-bound spellbook that was too big for her.
After a few moments, she finally felt satisfied and noticed Hayden's presence.
"You're early," Lady Julia said. "Good. I hate waiting."
Her silver-blonde hair was tied into a braid, and her cheeks were still round with childhood. She was adorable in Hayden's eyes.
"I'm Julia Farrell. You already know that, obviously." She tilted her head. "What's your name?"
Hayden bowed slightly before he replied with a neutral voice... "I am Subject 1, my lady. The Obsidian Tower forbade us from keeping our past names."
Julia wrinkled her nose. "That's stupid. You can't just be a number." She tapped her chin, then brightened. "I'll call you Van. It means 'shadow' in Old Phyrexian. Fits you since you will be my shadow from now on... Although I like my first retainer to be a mage, a capable aura knight would be too bad."
Hayden's Ocularis Lens flickered.
[ Note: 'Van' also translates to 'unseen blade' in ancient battle texts. ]
The Ocularis Lens reported.
"Thank you, my lady," he said, keeping his tone blank.
Julia waved a hand. "Don't thank me yet. You're here to work."
Just like that, Hayden obtained his new name. At the very least, it would be his name while working for the young lady.
Soon, Hayden—or Van, learned that the young lady had two phases in her training. The first 30 minutes was for her Mana Breathing Cycle and the remaining time was for her Zero-Circle Spell Practice.
'Good… I'll be able to observe this Breathing Cycle closer…' Hayden mused.
Soon, Julia sat cross-legged on a stone slab with her tiny hands resting on her knees.
"Watch closely… I don't normally make mistakes, but if I do, it means that someone or something interrupted me. So make sure to be silent and protect me." She said.
With the Obsidian Tower's brainwashing method, the collar, including the curse that was put on Van, she didn't feel anything wrong with trusting him.
She didn't care if she was vulnerable at all.
Soon, her breathing slowed—inhale for four counts, hold for seven, exhale for eight. Just like that, the air around her rippled faintly as mana gathered in her core.
[ Detected basic mana absorption technique. ]
Because of his lack of information about the Mana Absorption Technique, the Lens was unable to calculate its efficiency or find any flaws in it.
Nonetheless, Hayden felt satisfied.
After thirty minutes, Julia exhaled sharply, her nose scrunched in frustration. "Grandfather says I'm too slow. What do you think?"
Hayden recited Leny's scripted response with only a bit of change.
"Your control improves with daily practice, my lady."
Julia rolled her eyes. "Ugh. Did they train you to say that?" She then hopped up and dusted off her skirt.
"Whatever. Next part!"
It was now time for her Zero-Circle Spell Practice…