The first lesson was harsh, but it was necessary. Magic Skills and combat prowess were undeniably important in conquering a dungeon. But none of those things would matter in front of death.
Those who emerged from the dungeon were often not the strongest or one who geared to the teeth, but those who embraced fear and were ready to sacrifice everything.
How could someone take the life of other living beings if they weren't ready to lose theirs?
Many people would think that Lady Hanako was cold, indifferent and heartless. But it's just her way to train and prepare Alice for the worst. When the training session ended, however, Lady Hanako was actually very affectionate, kind and caring in her own way. It indirectly taught Alice to do the same.
Three months had passed since Alice began her training. During this time, Alice's senses had heightened to a higher degree. Her demonic aura had evolved beyond her expectations. Initially, she thought that her Demonic Aura was only for defensive purposes. But Lady Hanako taught her the other possibilities that weren't explained in her Demon Queen System.
As of now, she could shape her [Demonic Aura] to her heart's content just like her [Claw of Blood]. With that, Alice could shape an invisible weapon that could actually kill somebody.
'Hmm, let's try it on Lady Hanako. Hehehe!'
Alice sneaked her invisible tentacle into Lady Hanako's bedroom during the night. She concealed her killing intent.
'Now!'
Alice launched an attack toward the sleeping cat lady. However, it was stopped mid-air as if being held by an invisible force.
"What the?!"
Lady Hanako suddenly appeared behind Alice.
"Nice try, young lady. But you gave away your position too soon. You should've deployed your Demonic Aura from your bedroom instead of sneaking into mine."
'Oh crap…I'm dead.'
Alice closed her eyes and accepted her fate. She received a light punishment for her impromptu challenge. But Lady Hanako didn't hate it.
"Go back to your room…" Lady Hanako took out a box of ointment oil from the fold of her kimono. "This will help with the blister."
The next morning, Alice woke up to stinging pain on her cheek.
'Damn it, Goddess Lilithya wasn't joking when she said that my early life would be very harsh. But I'm grateful that I could experience this early on instead of being mentally broken just because I wasn't ready.' Alice mumbled to herself while applying salve to her blistered skin.
After brushing her teeth, taking a bath and having a quick breakfast, Alice went into the training room once again.
She had expected to be ambushed but none came to her like usual. Lady Hanako was calmly sipping her morning tea.
"Congratulations, Alice. You just passed the first lesson."
"Eh? How come?"
"Your sneak attack upon myself last night is proof that you are ready for the next lesson. You defied death, and overcame your fear." Lady Hanako stood up, and picked a Bokken from the weapon shelf. "But… If death comes to you, would you fight or run away from it?"
'Wait hold on… why do I hear boss music?!'
Lady Hanako dashed toward her with just a light kick. She swung the wooden sword vertically, aiming for Alice's neck.
The latter pulled out the scythe from its ring, deflecting the sword's trajectory in fraction of a second. Lady Hanako smiled proudly. Those three months of grueling training wasn't just a flux.
"Splendidly done, young lady." Lady Hanako changed her stance. "Let's increase your speed!"
In less than a minute, Alice was overwhelmed by Lady Hanako's attack speed. She got hit on the left cheek lightly.
"Arhhh!"
"Is that all you got?"
"I am not done yet!" Alice spat out blood to the side.
"This stance has one flaw, can you see it?"
Alice observed Lady Hanako's posture keenly. She found the flaw in a mere second.
"Your upper body is wide open. It would take you three movements to cover an upper head slash.
"Very good… Nice observation young lady. Now, come at me!"
"Aarrrghhhh!"
Alice dashed, full speed forward and jumped high. She used the range advantage of her scythe, swinging her body like a vertical whirlwind.
The cat lady raised her wooden sword to stop the momentum. But it's exactly what Alice was aiming for.
When the scythe was about to be blocked, Alice deliberately let the slip further, extending her range of attack. She aimed to plough Lady Hanako from behind.
Lady Hanako was completely caught off guard, she couldn't possibly block the incoming attack with her sword. She had no choice but to duck down, sacrificing a portion of her hair length in the process.
"Yikes!" Alice landed on the ground, feeling a little bit wry as the white silky hair was raining down to the floor. "Sorry about your hair, hehehe."
"Oh please… Don't be." A scary smile etched on the cat lady's face. "This is just the beginning of the second lesson after all."
'Oh my dearest Goddess of Pleasure, please lend me thy strength!' Aliced prayed silently as she braced herself for the next merciless training.
At this moment, Lilithya the Goddess of Pleasure was watching Alice's struggle with a gleeful smile. "Hang in there, my child. You are almost there. Fufufu~"
****
The second lesson was considerably easier compared to the first one. But Alice found it way harder to master it. Unlike other Martial Masters who encourage their disciples to follow the already existing martial art, Lady Hanako made Alice invent her own style. She believed that it would help to mold Alice's personality by letting the young demoness forge her Martial Path.
Normally, it would take a lifetime or even a few generations to form a new Martial Art.
But Alice never ceased to surprise her master.
In just a year and half, Alice had mastered her scytheplay and it's unique to her. Lady Hanako had never seen this kind of talent before. She suspected that Alice had inherited the knowledge and wisdom in her subconscious mind which was very likely given the fact that Alice was a Demon Princess.
"By the gods…" Lady Hanako mumbled to herself as she supervised Alice's training at the courtyard. "What have I created?"
Alice stomped the hilt of her scythe to the ground when she noticed that Lady Hanako was in daze.
"Is there something the matter?"
Lady Hanako returned to herself. "No. There's nothing to be concerned about."
"Really?" Alice glanced scrutinizingly.
"In any case, there will be no training for this whole week. Rest well. We will begin the third, and final lesson next week."
"Yeaayyy! Finally! I've been so bored just swinging Nightflame all day long! What are we going to do?"
"You'll know." Lady Hanako just simply turned away and entered her shop without saying a word.