Chapter 2 - Training With Gunther

Rays of light fell on Naemon's eyelids. He slowly opened his eyes and stared at the familiar ceiling.

"Huh, I'm not in the carriage anymore?" He mumbled to himself.

"Yes, I'm finally home!" It took him a few seconds before his brain started to function somewhat again.

He looked down at his body and noticed the clothes that clung to him. "Damn, why did I have to make my bed dirty?" He slowly got up from the bed.

Naemon's mother had put a lot of effort into raising him well. She was proud that he had mastered basic education and noble etiquette. She put so much work into Naemon that he sometimes even overdid it a bit... He strove for cleanliness and dignity!

_KNOCK_ _KNOCK_ _KNOCK_

As he stood there looking at his clothes, there was a knock on the door.

"Yes, come in," he said, knowing who it might be.

The door opened and an old woman came in, carrying a small tub of steaming water.

"Young master, please forgive me for being so late. The firewood was of inferior quality this time..." the woman said as she entered the room. She looked at Naemon and was shocked to see that he was still wearing yesterday's clothes! This was something new for her.

She placed the tub on the wooden floor and quickly left. She was just a servant; asking stupid questions or embarrassing her master was not allowed under any circumstances.

Naemon started to undress and wash himself with a clean rag while thinking about his future plans. He had already planned to ask his parents for advice. His wise mother and strong father definitely knew what to do!

After his bath, he went to the dining room.

"Good morning, darling," Anne greeted her son. She was already sitting at the table with Gunther, waiting for him.

"Good morning, Father, Mother!" Naemon greeted them back with an upright back.

He sat down at the massive wooden table and the small family started their usual breakfast.

"Father, can you teach me the family legacy in secret?" Naemon asked when he noticed that the servants were gone.

"No, my son. I had to swear an oath of secrecy before I received the legacy. Without the permission of the head of the family, no one is allowed to teach the legacy to others." Gunther spoke with his mouth full.

"Nae, your father and I have talked about your situation. Although we can protect you now, we will still age, and you probably don't want to be stuck with us for the rest of your life." Anne began to voice her concerns.

She continued, "Life is hard, darling. Without a noble family behind you and techniques like Drei's Legacy, you are an easy target for anyone. And in this world, you can lose your head if you look at someone the wrong way." She clenched her fists.

Gunther munched one leg of meat after another while nodding as he listened to his clever wife.

"That's why we decided to build you up as well as possible. In detail, we can work on you with two things. First, you will train with your father."

"*Munch* *Munch* Exactly, my son! We don't need a legacy to train your body. I didn't want to train you before because I had the legacy in mind and I didn't want to ruin your foundation, but now that it's out of the picture, I can finally put some meat on your bones. Haha!"

"Gunter, don't laugh with your mouth full! Let's keep going, Nae. In addition to training with your father, we will also work on your education. Naemon, knowledge is power. You know that I come from a family of merchants and we are taught this from a young age. That's why I will try to intercept as many books as possible from the trading house. Understood?" she asked seriously.

"Yes, Mom!" Naemon winced and saluted.

After breakfast, Gunther and Naemon gathered at the training ground next to their house. It wasn't really a training ground, but a front yard filled with sand where Gunther usually trained. It was copied from his military service.

Naemon stared at his father, who was filling small bags with stones. A smile adorned his muscular face.

"What are you doing, Dad? I hope you won't hit my face with it. I still need it." Naemon took a few steps back.

"Nonsense," Gunther said as he tied up the little bags and walked towards Naemon.

"You will wear the bags day and night, even when you go to the toilet!" Gunther said as he tied the bags to Naemon's arms and legs.

Naemon's knees buckled slightly under the extra weight. "Yes, Dad!"

"My son, you are not ready to learn how to fight yet. First, we have to build a good base. It's like with houses. Without a good foundation, every house will collapse, no matter how big and magnificent it is. Understand?"

Naemon nodded as he tried to get used to the weight.

"First of all, we'll start with your stamina. Come, run after me," said Gunther and suddenly started running.

"Waiiit!" It took a while for Naemon to get going. But even then, he couldn't keep up for long and needed a breather every few minutes.

But despite the breaks and despite the pain, Naemon never gave up. He had decided to go through with it and that's what he would do!