Discovering Potential (2)

"Ah, what a peaceful day…" Andre sighed pleasantly as he watched Tain and his beloved daughter doing multiple laps while being chased by a horse.

"Peaceful, you say? It seems something has happened to you overnight, for you to accept your daughter's request to train alongside Tain." Elena uttered as she examined the situation to ensure the horse's pace was neither too slow nor too agile to catch up to the children.

"Yeah, something is wrong with me lately. But…the sincerity in her voice when she asked for my permission struck deeply in my heart. I'm just so weak to my own child…" He sighed—acknowledging that it was already far too late to regret his decision.

"Do not worry. At the very least, I'll ensure her survival. Other than that however, I sadly can not guarantee her leaving unscathed after each session."

"Alright, I'll trust you with that one…I really don't know what motivated her to do this first but, oh well…I guess this is the path she wanted to follow."

…

Meanwhile,

"How much longer!?!?!?" Alice screamed at the top of her lungs. She already lost count after making five entire loops, and felt like her legs were burning.

"I…I don't know…Usually around twenty to…forty rounds or so…" Tain responded calmly—albeit his voice tinged with a hint of exhaustion.

"Are you…serious!? Argh! I already…regret my decisiiiooon!!!" Alice shouted once more as her body was thoroughly pushed to its limits for the first time ever.

…

"Stop." Elena commanded as the children and the horse halted their steps simultaneously.

"It's…finally over…" Alice smirked as she collapsed onto the ground. All of her energy had already diminished from the running she did. As she closed her eyes—a stern voice immediately broke her concentration.

"STAND." Elena said solemnly. Her words echoed throughout the forest and struck Alice's ears greatly.

"B-but, isn't it already over…?" She asked with a face full of anxiety.

"Such preposterous claims you are making, Alice. This is merely the beginning. Your journey is far from over. Now stand, and let us resume."

"...I regret everything…" She mumbled beneath her breath.

…

"Correct your posture. Do not throw your punches mindlessly. Otherwise it will all be in vain." Elena scolded Alice as she helped her position her limbs accurately.

Although Alice was but the daughter of a commoner—she was unexpectedly blooming with talent. For a woman, her constitution could already match that of an adolescent boy. Even Elena felt envious of her physique. Furthermore, she was a quick learner—easily catching onto Elena's teachings and rapidly closing the gap between her and Tain.

"...Andre, answer me this. By chance, have you taught Alice any particular skills in advance?"

"Huh? Of course not. She doesn't have the strength to lift up an axe, and is well, still quite short. Why do you ask?"

"...It appears she has been blessed with a great physique. While she is lacking in athletics in comparison to Tain…it would not be an understatement for me to state that she has the same, if not a much higher potential than Tain does."

"That's something I never knew before…She must've inherited it from her mother."

"Her mother?"

"Yeah…Her mother was a unique kind of a woman. In the village, she, despite being kind and gentle…had broken many men's hearts and, well, was physically stronger than most men there, with the exceptions of adults.

"Her mother was also honest and blunt with things she didn't like or found problematic. Still, she was truly a goddess amongst mortals because of her disposition. I just hope her mother won't scold me when my time comes…and that she is proud of our daughter's accomplishments."

"...You truly are a great father. Never could I have imagined myself being jealous of a family…"

"You…Aren't you the son of the Sword King? The wisest, most good-will, and the protector of justice itself? Why would you be jealous? If anything, I'm the one who's supposed to be jealous."

"Andre. There's more than meets the eye. You can not simply judge a person based on their outer appearance. Nevertheless, I will not be sharing with you my family's circumstances. That is a private matter. Let us end our conversation here for the moment for I have to inform them that their lesson for the day has finished."

"Well, alright…"

As Elena walked away—Andre's mind could not help but to wonder what exactly happened in her family for her to be so secretive of it. The only thing he knows is that the Sword King possessed twelve daughters with each daughter inheriting one of his techniques and branching out the technique they inherited in order to create a completely new style.

Nonetheless, he could not come to a conclusion that was fitted to be the truth. As an exasperated sigh escaped from his throat—he glanced at his ever so loving daughter and reminisced the memories they shared together along with his wife.

'...I miss you so much…When our daughter is fully grown and self-sufficient…I hope we can reunite again.'

…

"I beg your pardon, Tain? May you please repeat your question?" Elena inquired politely—befuddled as to Tain's peculiar choice of words.

"W-well, what is that screen doing there?" He repeated—pointing towards the floating, holographic object that appeared last night.

Elena stared at him in confusion as she stretched her hand and touched his forehead and queried "Forgive me, Tain. But are you alright? Have you been experiencing hallucinations recently?"

Her face—although appeared as emotionless as ever—was tainted with a hint of concern for Tain.

"N-no, I'm alright…Can you really not see it…?"

"...Again, forgive me, Tain, for I am unable to view this 'intangible' item you mentioned. For now, get some rest. It must be a part of your imagination."

Tain was frustrated by Elena's answer but he could not deny how bizarre it would be for him to explain a modern-day invention to those who lived in the medieval ages. It would be as if trying to explain the existence of an invisible man to a logical person. It was simply impossible.

As he turned his head around and sighed in defeat—he was shocked to see the holographic screen had changed from last night.

[Synchronization: 3%]

What did it mean? What happens if the synchronization gets higher? What is the limit of the synchronization? Questions flooded Tain's brain. But eventually, he gave up thinking and decided to inspect it much closer later.

…