Dinner at the Queens' wasn't particularly enjoyable.
Tony Stark was never fond of these kinds of "gatherings," so he wasn't present.
Ethan also sensed tension between Oliver's mother and her current husband. Although they hid it well, the atmosphere occasionally grew awkward.
The only one acting normally was Thea, who trained every day. She ate heartily, and although her posture remained elegant, she couldn't hide her astonishing appetite.
"Could you pass the salt?"
Ethan glanced at the salt shaker in front of him, resisted the urge to use Mage Hand, picked it up, and set it next to Thea.
"Thank you."
At this point, Moira noticed her daughter's exaggerated appetite. This was already her second steak.
"Thea?"
Her daughter's sudden increase in appetite didn't seem normal. Moira was already in a poor mood, but her proper upbringing kept her from being rude in front of guests.
"What is it, Mom?"
"I've noticed your appetite has increased quite a bit lately."
The daily training was intense, and the mental exhaustion even more so. Eating a lot was the only way to replenish lost energy and nutrients.
If Thea's figure had noticeably changed, Moira might have questioned her more directly.
Even now, she misunderstood.
Overall, she was fairly satisfied with Ethan.
He had a good appearance and seemed to come from a decent family, though he was a bit young. Boys his age probably didn't yet understand responsibility.
Still, she wasn't against the two young people spending time together. She wondered if she should subtly remind her daughter to be cautious.
"Ahem, Mom, Thea has been taking self-defense classes lately. That's why her appetite has increased."
"Oh?"
Oliver's explanation caught Moira off guard.
"I know you've been going to Ethan's place a lot recently. Do they teach defense classes there too?"
"Thea is learning from Ada."
Moira looked toward Ada again. This time, both she and Walter were surprised.
They knew Ada was the newest shareholder of Queen Consolidated. Though she was an agent, she had the authority to fully represent both Ethan and Tony, so no one dared underestimate her.
A business elite teaching self-defense at home? It sounded implausible.
Ethan was about to speak, but Oliver immediately cut in.
"Actually, it's just to get Thea moving more. You know she was a bit thin before."
It was clear Oliver was trying hard to keep Ethan from speaking. Seeing this, Ethan quietly continued eating. Unless Moira asked him directly, he would remain silent and simply get through the meal.
The following days were uneventful. The enemies Green Arrow faced were all ordinary people. The opponent who gave Oliver the biggest headache was one skilled in archery and close combat, and who also excelled in stealth.
Ethan, of course, had no interest in such enemies. He preferred staying home, quietly waiting for the birth of The Flash.
Meanwhile, Oliver's stepfather, Walter, left the Queen household. It seemed the marriage between him and Moira had finally come to an end.
Oliver didn't know about this yet. He was still overwhelmed by the never-ending stream of crimes in Star City.
Thea continued coming every day to learn magic and combat. After a long period of learning and training, her current strength was no less than, and perhaps even greater than, her counterpart in the original timeline.
In the original story, Thea had only received a few months of training from her biological father, Malcolm Merlyn, who was now the Black Arrow causing Oliver so much trouble. Her strength back then was just average.
The current Thea, though lacking real-world combat experience and a proper mindset, had already surpassed her former self, even though she had only mastered a few auxiliary spells.
Besides Magic Missile, her spells included Swamp to hinder enemies, enhancement spells to boost reaction speed and strength, Feather Fall for survival from high places, Eagle Eye for temporary enhanced vision, a basic healing spell, and most importantly, Flash, which could be used as a light source or flashbang.
These ensured Thea could handle most situations on her own and support others in team settings.
Moreover, the biggest advantage of learning these spells from Ethan was the greatly reduced dependence on casting materials. Ethan had broken down the structure of spells in such detail that he had completely freed himself from relying on materials, instead using magic power alone to achieve the spell effects.
This prevented the awkward situation where Thea would need to carry around piles of miscellaneous materials. After all, she had no storage equipment, and casting materials were usually diverse and numerous.
Even so, she still needed to train hard to apply these spells effectively. Until she could solve everything with magic alone, she had to work on physical combat and weapon training as well.
At this point, the most important aspect was no longer the technical part of training. Not that technique was unimportant, but rather that Thea needed to train diligently every day and turn actions into instinct. There were no shortcuts, only effort.
What limited Thea's combat effectiveness now was her mindset.
"You still don't have the mentality a warrior should have."
"What do you mean?"
"When facing an enemy, you subconsciously hold back, avoiding fatal damage."
This was the normal mindset of someone raised in a peaceful environment with proper values, where education and social norms constantly emphasized that harming others is wrong, and killing is a serious crime.
"Subconsciously, you avoid using lethal moves. In real combat, this mindset won't win you any praise. It will only hurt you."
Ethan didn't avoid Oliver while teaching this. Oliver didn't know how to evaluate Ethan's lesson today.
Logically and based on his own experiences, Ethan wasn't wrong.
But emotionally, he didn't want Thea to become a "cold-blooded killer," so he felt conflicted about whether he should stop this kind of teaching.
In his view, Thea already had the ability to protect herself. With her current strength, even he couldn't kill her easily unless he ambushed her when she was completely off-guard and landed a fatal blow. Otherwise, those strange and varied spells were enough to give him a major headache.
But Thea herself wasn't satisfied. She still trained diligently every day, as if she were addicted.
Oliver's feelings were accurate. Getting stronger was indeed addictive, and young people like Thea were even more susceptible. She was now looking forward to seeing just how strong she could become.
So she didn't resist any of Ethan's lessons. Even concepts she would've previously rejected, she was now willing to learn.
Besides, Ethan's explanation was very convincing. "Of course, I'm not teaching you this so you become a cold-blooded killer. That's why you need to completely master your power."
"So... what should I do?"
"One step at a time. Start by learning the correct mentality when facing enemies. From today on, you'll be doing combat training against my energy clone."
Ethan didn't make a move, but another Ethan stepped out from his body and stood quietly in front of Thea.
"This clone is made entirely of energy, so it doesn't matter if you kill it. Also, it will only use slightly stronger power than you currently have. So don't worry about not being able to win. But if you still can't grasp the right mindset, then you're in trouble."
Ethan took a few steps back.
"It will use various methods to provoke you. You need to learn how not to let emotions affect your combat performance."
"Huh?"
While Thea was still dazed, Ethan suddenly tossed something over. She instinctively reached out and caught it, only to realize she was holding a sword hilt.
"This is your weapon. As for how to use it, you'll have to figure that out yourself."
Before Thea could protest, Ethan had already retreated to the sidelines.
"The battle has begun. Good luck."
Almost at the same time Ethan spoke, streaks of blue and white lightning appeared between the clone's hands. These bolts gradually condensed, forming a blue and white energy pillar that resembled a greatsword, which he then swung toward Thea.
"Wait, I don't know how to use this."
The weapon in her hand was only a hilt. Thea quickly inspected it. There were no buttons or switches. Just as she guessed it might be activated through mental power, the opponent's attack was already upon her.
Her long period of training kicked in. Her body instinctively dodged, and she habitually reached out, trying to grab the enemy's weapon.
Then she paid for it.
The glowing blue and white energy sword looked like a harmless light stick, but the moment Thea brushed against the edge, it was like touching a live wire. Her entire body went numb from the current.
"..."
Ethan covered his face. This kind of sheltered training often led to problems like this. Trying to grab the opponent's weapon without even knowing what it was? Did she think it was a wooden practice sword?
He reached out to stop Oliver, who was ready to rush forward, and reassured him.
"Don't worry. It'll only cause numbness and pain. It's not fatal or permanently harmful."
(To be continued.)