chapter 13: the soup was finally finalized.

Eyes snapping open at 5 AM sharp, I felt oddly refreshed. Like I'd gotten a full night's sleep instead of crashing after that breakthrough.

The gunk was gone, thankfully, a quick activation of the scarf's cleaning enchantment taking care of that. Handy item, this scarf.

This whole sleep thing was weird, though. Less and less of it needed as my Houtian level went up. Time to crack open the manual again.

The Time-Space Divine Death Law wasn't just some run-of-the-mill cultivation technique.

It messed with some fundamental stuff about reality.

Clearly Time, Space, Death- those weren't things you could find from something standard.

That much I'd figured out.

I'd figured out the time aspect enough to use my reset power a bit better, but there was a ton I still didn't get.

Flipping through the pages, I found a table on sleep requirements.

I seemed to need less sleep per Houtian level, none at all once you hit Xiantian. Huh. More time to train, I guess. Definitely not complaining. Ever.

This is awesome.

I needed to talk to Beatrice about that girl- or thing pretending to be a girl, or whatever- before heading to the courtyard to train.

The moment I had the intention to seek out Beatrice, something tugged at me.

A weird feeling, like a faint buzzing, leading me towards the other side of the guest wing.

Three doors down from mine, it got stronger. Beatrice's room, maybe? She did say something about door-crossing.

Space power is pretty cool.

I gave a soft knock, then waited.

The door swings open, there she is, little Beatrice with her usual grumpy look. "Betty supposed she can take time away from her collection of magical tomes for your nonsense. What do you want, Chouju Clan brat?" she huffs, arms crossed like she's ready to chew me out.

My eyebrow twitches in annoyance but I remain calm. "Beatrice," I start, keeping it polite but formal, like a proper Kararagian noble would, Gotta keep my cover afterall. "I have a question about that girl from the village. The one with the Walgrams."

"Betty supposes she should tell you there was no more trace of the strange child. It is as if the child disappeared. I suppose."

I grimaced. That can't be good. I can only hope that letting that girl go free wouldn't bite us in the ass.

"Thank you, Beatrice. I'll go about my training now."

She waves her hand in a shooting gesture, and then the door closes in my face.

I shrug, and start moving towards the training ground in the outside courtyard.

On the way to the training courtyard after talking to Beatrice, I noticed the paintings lining the dimly lit hallway seemed to take on a sinister aspect. 

Shadows danced in the flickering candlelight, turning serene landscapes into grotesque nightmares and smiling portraits into grimacing visages. I shook my head, dismissing the unsettling feeling as a trick of the light and my own overactive imagination.

The courtyard was still cloaked in the pre-dawn darkness, the air crisp was cool against my skin.

I activated the mask's transformation function, shifting my formal Hakima into a more practical training outfit. 

Then, drawing my sword, I began my morning routine.

For the next three hours, I moved through a series of forms and exercises, each one designed to hone a specific aspect of my swordsmanship.

The memories of the Walgram battle served as a stark reminder of the need for constant improvement. 

I had been lucky to survive that encounter, I was moments away from a reset and Rem forgetting the nice time we had together.

I knew that future challenges would only become more difficult.

With each swing of the blade, each parry and riposte, I felt myself growing stronger, my movements becoming more fluid and precise.

the Ridiculously fast skill gained, combined with the foundation laid by the Time-Space Divine Death Law, were transforming me into a warrior capable of facing stuff that I could never dream of in my original world.

As the sun finally peeked over the horizon, casting its golden rays across the courtyard, I sheathed my sword, feeling a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment as the automaton seemed to creak and groan.

I had pushed myself to the limit of my new even more formidable strength.

The Automaton collapsed.

I grinned happily and walked towards the mansion again.

'It's 11 AM and I am peeling another potato while my sister is, again, putting sugar into the stew instead of the salt' I thought with a sigh, carefully removing the skin with my small knife. Ram, despite her many talents, was hopeless in the kitchen. Her sense of taste seemed to be...unique, to say the least.

"Ram," I began gently, setting aside the peeled potato, "are you sure that's the right ingredient?"

She glanced at me, her brow furrowed in concentration as she held a small bowl of sugar over the simmering pot. "Of course, Rem," she replied with a huff. "It needs a bit of sweetness to balance out the flavors."

I bit back a sigh, knowing from experience that arguing with Ram about culinary matters was a futile endeavor.

Instead, I focused on preparing the vegetables, chopping them with precision and adding them to the pot at just the right moment, adding mint and basil with some oregano to counteract the excessive sweetness.

An hour later, after much stirring, tasting, and discreet adjustments, the stew was finally- err- finalized.

It wasn't my finest work, but at least it wouldn't cause any unfortunate digestive issues for the residents of the manor.

As I stood beside Tereda during the serving of the meal, I leaned in and whispered, "Did you learn anything about the strange girl from Lady Beatrice?"

He shook his head, his expression grim. "She couldn't find any trace of her. It's as if she vanished into thin air."

A shiver ran down my spine. The thought of that girl, with her ability to control such dangerous creatures, roaming free was unsettling. "We need to find her," I whispered, my voice filled with concern. "Who knows what kind of chaos she might unleash."

Tereda nodded in agreement. "I'll ask Lord Roswaal if we can return to the village and investigate further," he said.

A moment later, he approached Roswaal, who was seated at the head of the table, his flamboyant attire and eyes surrounded by mismatched make-up darted towards Tereda, drawing all eyes to him.

"Lord Roswaal," Tereda began, his voice respectful yet firm, "I believe it is imperative that we return to the village and search for the girl who controlled the Walgrams."

Roswaal tilted his head, his lips curling into a smile and making a flamboyant gesture with his arms. "A wise suggestion, Sir Tereda~. It would be unfortuunaaate~ if such a dangerous individual were to remain at laaarge~."

He turned towards me and Ram, his gaze lingering on us for a moment. "Rem, Ram, you will accompany Sir Tereda on this missiooon~. Ensure that the village is secure and that no trace of the girl remaaains~."

We both bowed our heads in acknowledgment. "As you wish, Lord Roswaal," we replied in unison.

After the nobles had finished their meal, the servants were allowed to eat. We quickly devoured our food, eager to return to the village and begin our search.

As we exited the manor, Ram fell into step beside us, her expression unreadable. "So," she said, her voice laced with a hint of amusement, "off to hunt down a mysterious walgram girl, are we?"

"Indeed," Tereda replied, his gaze fixed on the path ahead. "And we won't rest until we find her."

And with that, the three of us set off towards the village, determined to uncover what the hell was going on over there.

We'd stop whatever it was.