It had been about a month since Drake began studying under Moraena.

  Drake leaned over the table, carefully reading from a thick book.

  “It says here that we live in the Kingdom of Domian,” he read aloud. “It lies on the border with the demon nds and has always been famous for its warriors.”

  The woman smiled.

  “You are a very capable student,” Moraena said. “Learning to read and write in just a month… It almost feels as if you already knew how and simply remembered.”

  Drake nodded slowly.

  “Yeah… I feel the same way.”

  He turned another page.

  “Why did our kingdom allow such a massive invasion?”

  Moraena sighed.

  “Intrigue. Power struggles. Endless fights for the throne.”

  She leaned back in her chair.

  “The wise king was poisoned. His idiot son took the throne, and now the kingdom is ruled by…”

  She scratched her chin thoughtfully.

  “Some puppet of the neighboring state of Valter. From what I hear, the two kingdoms may soon unite. That’s the only reason the demons were pushed back to their old borders.”

  Drake frowned.

  “So one kingdom weakened another… sacrificing countless innocent lives just to take control ter?”

  Moraena sighed again.

  “Unfortunately, yes.”

  She paused.

  “In my lifetime alone, I’ve seen it happen three times.”

  Drake looked at her with surprise.

  “You’re only a hundred years old. How many times must it have happened before—”

  THUD.

  Her elbow smmed into his side.

  “My dear student,” she said calmly, “asking a dy about her age is extremely rude.”

  “Khh— I understand… sorry.”

  She nodded with satisfaction.

  “Now then,” she said.

  “Let’s move on to a more precise science.”

  She snapped her fingers and another book appeared on the table.

  “Mathematics.”

  Drake groaned loudly.

  “Nooooo… anything but that…”

  Moraena smiled. She clearly enjoyed provoking him.

  “You can’t escape it,” she said. “At the very least, you should know how to count so merchants don’t cheat you. And at best…”

  She raised a finger.

  “For magic.”

  Drake sighed deeply.

  “Ugh…”

  Several hours ter the lesson finally ended.

  Drake stretched his sore arms and walked toward the kitchen.

  Earlier that morning he had shot a wild boar, and now he was finally going to cook it.

  The witch rarely ate.

  At least that’s what she cimed.

  Most of the time she survived on berries, herbs, and other small things. The rest of the time she supposedly sustained herself with mana.

  Drake never really understood her expnation.

  So he had taken over cooking.

  And to his surprise, that shameless woman appeared for every single meal.

  And ate as if she had been starving for days.

  He smiled as he remembered the time she had practically slid off the chair after overeating.

  “Well?” her voice suddenly came from behind him.

  Moraena was already sitting at the table, tapping a spoon against her pte like an impatient child.

  Drake shook his head.

  He sliced the roasted boar and pced a rge portion onto her pte.

  Then he set fresh bread and a bowl of sad on the table.

  “Enjoy your meal.”

  They both attacked the food immediately.

  A few minutes ter Moraena leaned back on the small couch beside the kitchen.

  “Uff… you’re the best cook,” she said.

  Drake chuckled.

  “That’s the least I can do for you.”

  She smiled happily and closed her eyes.

  Lately she often fell asleep right there.

  Because every evening Drake trained with his sword in the hallway.

  Going outside was forbidden.

  Moraena had said that until he learned to control his power…

  He shouldn’t even think about leaving the house.

  And sometimes, half-asleep while watching his training…

  A strange thought crossed her mind.

  That boy.

  The one who arrived at her doorstep half dead.

  Might change far more than just the course of a war.