A week had passed since Lucien had been transmigrated. Many things had transpired since then. In all those times, he had simply been remaining at his estate, building and preparing himself for the future obstacles he would one day face.
He was currently living as Lucien, which meant he had to adapt to that life. He underwent lessons and training with his instructors and had been busy all week, hardly finding any free time. As soon as his father learned about how well he was doing both physically and mentally, he immediately notified the instructors, letting them know that Lucien was ready to continue their lessons.
'Dang it, I wouldn't have come there if Sage hadn't told me.'
'Sage only told me to go there, to observe more of the royal life, as well as to gain more knowledge about the current occurrences.'
Although he didn't expect a cheerful and peaceful life, as royalty, he at least expected it to be a lot easier than the life he had back then. Well, it wasn't that bad, compared to the life he had back then. However, he was still overloaded with work, which was something he longed to escape.
He had seven lessons he had to undergo every day, which were Statecraft and Governance, Political Strategy and Diplomacy, Military Tactics and Command, Economic Management, Royal Etiquette and Public Speaking, History and Philosophy, and the last one, Personal Combat Training.
He was finally taking on his last lesson of the day.
Lucien waited in the training ground of the estate, warming up, waiting for the instructor to arrive. He had different instructors for each lesson to ensure a quality program.
Lucien was currently re-learning all the things the original Lucien had learned, though it didn't take that long to fully grasp the general skill; he had a hard time enhancing his athletic ability. The original Lucien was pretty decent when it came to swords; he wasn't bad, but at the same time, he wasn't that good.
However, that was the farthest he could reach with this weapon. He also wasn't a talented Arcanist and was stuck in Novice Rank for years. Usually, it would only take 2 to 3 years to become an Adept Rank; however, Lucien had been stuck with the same rank his entire life.
The reason he was re-learning his swordsmanship skills was that the upcoming lesson would be unlike any he had experienced before. Previous lessons relied primarily on his mental and intellectual abilities, and he performed surprisingly well in them, so well that he shocked his instructors. They were truly taken aback by his performance.
'I'm even more shocked.'
If anyone was more surprised by Lucien's sudden academic excellence, it would be Lucien himself. In his past life, he had been decent academically, but nothing exceptional. This time, however, everything felt different. Typically, it took hours of studying for Lucien or Seojun to fully grasp a topic, depending on its complexity. Yet now, it only took him a matter of minutes.
Therefore, he managed to complete the other lessons pretty quickly.
'It wasn't because of Sage, right?' I mean, I did ask for help, but still, I noticed a few changes about me, both Lucien and I.'
As Lucien fell deep in thought, a deep, frail voice reached his ears, catching his attention.
"Your Highness, I am glad to see you again."
He turned his head towards his Combat instructor. He observed him for a moment before responding.
'Instructor Renwick.'
Instructor Renwick was a retired knight, though he may be frail and old, he was full of experience and may be more knowledgeable in terms of combat than most knights in the Royal Guard Army.
Lucien smiled.
"I am pleased to know I will be receiving your lessons once again, Instructor Renwick."
Renwick was silent for a moment.
"I can see that you are practicing your swordsmanship well, Your Highness."
Lucien raised his sword, staring at it.
"Just re-learning the basics, I have been in isolation for a while, after all."
Renwick headed towards where the weapons were displayed and grabbed a wooden sword. For some reason, Lucien already had an idea of what would happen next. His instructors didn't really harbor any ill feelings toward him, though they were disappointed; it was also their responsibility to hone him.
Renwick was like a grandfather figure to Lucien. For Seojun, this was particularly true because he had endured more physical punishment from Renwick than anyone else. Renwick believed that pain made a person stronger and that experiences shaped an individual's character.
Which was why Renwick's way of teaching was more on sparring, rather than taking by step-by-step lesson. Lucien would have to figure out the rest of the techniques by himself, simply by sparring with Renwick.
"I assume you are fully prepared, Your Highness."
A forged smile formed on Lucien's lips.
"Prepared as ever."
'Shit.'
And so, Lucien and Renwick began with their session. It would be a lie to say this wasn't effective; however, Lucien wished it could have been less painful. Lucien was battered and beaten badly, and in return, he received a valuable experience and lesson.
"Instructor Renwick, please go easy next time."
Renwick let out a chuckle.
"Goodness, you have said that countless times already; you should get used to it."
Renwick's session finally concluded, and for some reason, he didn't ask any questions about the events that had occurred. Honestly, Lucien felt relieved that he didn't. The other instructors had already bombarded him with too many questions, and he was sick and tired of it.
Though they chatted, it was neutral and more about Lucien's health. Never really straying far from the lesson itself.
'He really is like your average wise grandfather in the modern era.'
Renwick then left after their lesson ended.
Lucien had finished all his lessons faster than usual, and he still had time to spare. So, he simply went back inside and took a light rest, not too much as he needed to study more about the Barony of Blackmere's situation. Though he didn't think that he could learn much, without physically being there; however, he might still learn something valuable that many have overlooked.
Sage was there for this kind of thing, too, which made the task a lot easier. Sage did all the analysis and explained it for Lucien. Lucien just basically asked for documents about their land, history, and the nature of Gravhorns, as the key to solving this problem might just lie in the Gravhorns themselves.
Though most of the things he has learned were something Lucien already knew.
'Am I wasting my time?'