I woke up and headed to the arena as usual.
After a few hours of training, Rash arrived and asked for another duel.
The duel ended like the day before.
I lost again.
But I had grown slightly more accustomed to the feeling of letting the sword follow my body.
It wasn't some grand improvement.
In fact, it was almost the same as before. During the duel, I briefly felt that strange sensation again—my body moving first, the sword following naturally.
But that alone was enough.
I held onto that feeling tightly so that I would not forget it.
Step by step, I would familiarize myself with it.
After the duel, Rash said a few words before walking away.
I continued my training until I was the last person left in the arena. Afterward, I headed back, took a bath, entered the cell, ate my food, and went to sleep while holding firmly onto the feeling I had experienced that day.
Rash stayed unusually quiet in the cell.
As if he didn't want to disturb me while I replayed the duel over and over in my mind.
The next days passed the same.
Until one day—
After our duel that day, I finally asked him.
"Rash, tell me about beasts."
The next fight stood before us, and there was something I wanted to know.
Until now, I had mostly just responded to whatever he said. He was the one who always initiated the conversation.
This was the first time that I had started the conversation.
I didn't even know why I had changed my attitude.
All I knew was that I wanted to learn more about the beasts of this world.
He had once spoken about beast ranks.
At that time, he had said he would explain them later.
But in the end, we had both forgotten about it.
I sat on the ground with my back against the wall, sword resting beside me.
Rash, who had been about to leave, stopped and turned when he heard my voice.
His eyes widened slightly. Then he turned and sat down a few meters in front of me. He stabbed his sword into the sand and leaned forward, resting both hands on the pommel while placing his chin on them.
A small smile appeared on his face.
"Beasts, huh?"
"Right... I said I would tell you about them later."
His brown eyes locked onto mine.
"What do you want to know about them?"
I leaned forward slightly, resting my hands on my thighs.
"Everything."
Rash blinked, confused.
"What do you mean by everything? Do you really know nothing about beasts?"
I closed my eyes for a moment and thought back to the things I had learned during my childhood.
Now that I thought about it—
I hadn't really learned anything noteworthy during my twelve years in the Ashspire estate. Which, in hindsight, was rather strange.
The only lessons I had received were about noble etiquette when I was very young. And later, I learned swordsmanship.
Etiquette and swordmanship.
There was nothing in between.
Once I was old enough to train, a sword instructor was assigned to me and taught me the sword. Before that, I had only received etiquette lessons—how to eat properly, how to behave, how to carry myself.
One of the head maids had taught me etiquette together with Theodora.
But even that stopped as I grew older.
From then on, almost every moment of my time was spent training.
The only other source of information had been Lucien.
He had told me a few things about the world, but nothing detailed.
I knew that beasts existed.
I knew about mana.
I knew about the continents.
But it was only surface knowledge.
Thinking about it now—
How had I learned these things on Earth?
I meant basic knowledge.
I learned most of it when I was young and went to school. At home, I had only learned the basic things—how to eat, speak, and behave.
Mathematics. Writing. Physics. Geography. Politics....
Everything else had been taught in school.
Which made me wonder—
Why was there no school in this world?
I knew for a fact that my step-siblings had various tutors and lessons that they had to attend at the estate. At the time, I had simply assumed it was normal that I didn't attend them.
After all, I couldn't become the heir.
I wasn't even Anton's real son.
My role was to focus on the sword.
But still—
Wouldn't it be stupid if there was nothing like a school in this world?
How would commoners learn all these things?
Or was the gap between nobles and commoners truly so large that knowledge itself belonged only to the privileged and wealthy?
Ah.
That was when a memory surfaced.
One where I had spent my time with Theodora again.
Just a fleeting moment.
She had once asked me if I would attend the academy with her.
At that time, I hadn't known what the academy even was. She then explained it to me.
The academy is something like a school in the empire. Every noble child between the ages of fourteen and eighteen attends it. But it isn't limited to nobles. Children of wealthy and influential families can also enroll.
At the academy, students learn about the world in depth.
Politics.
Law.
Strategy.
History.
Mana.
...
It isn't mandatory for every teen to attend, but most noble families send their children there to build connections with other influential families.
In a way, the academy is like everything someone would learn in school on Earth, compressed into four years.
Theodora had once told me that we would attend the academy together.
Which meant that the reason I lacked knowledge compared to the other teens was probably that I was meant to learn those things later at the academy. Anton had simply prioritized my swordsmanship training over general education, since I would learn that later.
But that raised another question.
How did commoners learn these things?
I didn't know about the other teens here, but Rash seemed rather knowledgeable.
So, where had he learned everything?
From his master?
I decided I would ask him later.
With that thought, I opened my eyes and answered Rash.
"Yes. Everything."
It was time for me to learn more about this world.
Rash stared at me carefully, as if trying to determine whether I was serious. Then he let out a sigh. Pulling his sword from the sand, he placed it beside him before leaning forward again.
With his finger, he began drawing lines in the sand.
Three columns.
When he finished, he looked up at me.
"You don't know anything about Titans or Monsters either, right?"
I nodded as I looked at the columns drawn in the sand.
"I've heard about them, but I don't know anything."
Rash let out another sigh, heavier than the last.
"Well… at least you've heard the name."
He lowered his gaze and began writing in the sand.
At the top of each column, he wrote a title. Then he began adding names beneath them.
When he finished, the sand looked like this:
[BEASTS]
LESSER
GREATER
ELDER
APEX
[MONSTERS]
FIEND
HORROR
TYRANT
CALAMITY
[TITANS]
TITAN
ANCIENT
The Beast and Monster columns each had four names, while the Titan column had only two.
It didn't take long to understand what they were.
Ranks.
Rash pulled his hand back and began to explain.
"First of all, I can only tell you what I know. I can't guarantee that it's completely accurate. But it should be enough for you."
Leaning back, he continued.
"First, let's start with the Beasts."