"Huh? What do you mean?"
The prince of Qingxi froze, not understanding why Mistoria was apologizing to him.
Mistoria spoke with an utterly serious expression:
"You weren't like this before. After these past few days, you seem to have started enjoying yourself. I can heal any physical injury, but if your mind becomes damaged and you develop an obsession with being mistreated, I will be powerless to help."
Faust's eyes widened.
"Mistress Mistoria, why are you slandering my reputation!?"
What was this? She was suddenly labeling him a pervert.
While he did indeed play quite hard in private, it was all within the bounds of wholesome debauchery—the kind he could openly show to his family!
I have nothing to hide!
Being so baselessly maligned, the fighting spirit Faust had just kindled was instantly doused. He had to set things straight with Mistoria.
It took him a long time to understand what the elf mentor meant.
So, Mistoria mistakenly thought she had awakened some strange fetish in him?
Well... in a certain sense, it could be described that way. Faust was indeed enjoying it, but it certainly wasn't out of some twisted love for being trampled.
"So it wasn't that?"
Only after Faust's repeated explanations did Mistoria finally nod.
"Then I have misunderstood. However, let us end the training here for today. I was previously worried you would resist the training, but now it seems I must limit your training hours instead."
Since his elf mentor said so, Faust had no choice but to stop. He didn't feel like he was losing out much, though.
According to Mephistopheles, this method of 'getting stronger by taking a beating' wouldn't work forever.
Its prerequisite was a massive disparity in strength between both parties, allowing the information of physical sanctity to continuously and deeply affect the opponent.
The more lopsided the ranks, the more obvious the effect.
It was likely because Mistoria had never sparred with small fry at Faust’s level that the improvement was so good it even surprised her.
However, such shortcuts could only be used at low levels. As Faust grew stronger with visible results, the educational value of Mistoria's fists and feet would gradually diminish.
【Still, reaching a level where you can gain experience on your own through a quick course shouldn't be much of a problem.】
Thus, Faust was in no hurry. As long as Mistoria remained his teacher in the court, he would eventually receive the full extent of this gift.
After finishing the training, the prince of Qingxi had the maids set up a dining table on the grass to have breakfast with his elf mentor.
Viviana happened to arrive at that time and was naturally invited to join them.
"Munch..."
Mistoria took a bite of a pastry covered in meat floss and cream, chewing seriously in small mouthfuls.
A rare look of satisfaction appeared on her handsome and exquisite face, and even the gold in her eyes seemed to melt slightly.
At times like this, the aloof and solemn elven legend looked just like an ordinary young girl.
The elf martial saint's eating habits followed the standard customs of the Zhexuan Kingdom.
While she had no specific dietary restrictions, her requirements for food quality were extremely high; she was fastidious to the point of obsession. If the quality didn't meet her standards, an elf would rather fast than take a single bite.
In the elven lady's evaluation, the royal chefs of the Qingxi Kingdom were producing nothing but inedible swill that she wouldn't touch at all.
The only exception was sweets. Elves loved sugar as if it were life itself. As long as it was a dessert, it didn't matter if the quality was slightly lower; they could still eat it.
Pour on a lethal dose of icing and honey, smear it with cream, meat floss, and chocolate sauce, take a bite of the fluffy, soft pastry, and then wash it down with some fermented juice... the flavor was beyond words.
Don't even try to argue; that's how the folks from Zhexuan eat. Legend has it this method was taught by a fairy in ancient times—it's very sophisticated.
When Faust first heard of this way of eating, he could only say he didn't understand it, but he was deeply shocked.
It was only because an elf's base stats were far superior to a human's that they could survive such a diet. If a human tried it, they wouldn't last.
He didn't know which wicked fairy had taught them this. Many people, in pursuit of 'elf fashion,' actually ate this way and ended up killing themselves.
【It was me.】
The culprit admitted it.
But Mephistopheles didn't think he had done anything wrong; at most, he had failed to update his thinking in a timely manner.
【Sigh, the son of man eats well these days. There's wine, meat, vegetables, and noodles. You gorge yourselves on chicken, duck, fish, eggs, and milk. Material wealth is so abundant. Back in the day, the Sons of the Sea just scavenged around hydrothermal vents to get by.】
Good grief, where did this prehistoric creature come from? Your seniority is way too high!
After tasting all the palace desserts, Mistoria wiped her mouth and sat upright.
"With your rate of progress, you should be able to finish endurance training soon. At that time, I will begin the next stage of training... though, having said that, I'm not quite sure how to proceed."
The elven lady knit her brows slightly. She couldn't actually think of a good way to teach Faust.
In the past, 'guidance' just meant fighting a few rounds with the other person; she didn't have to think much. But after that... she really had no concept of what to do.
As Mistoria pondered, she tilted her head slightly, her flaxen hair falling onto the white tabletop.
"How about I take you for some actual combat? Are there any bandits or monsters nearby?"
This was a very good suggestion, and it made Faust’s heart skip a beat.
By clinging to such a strong elven leg, Faust could definitely make progress on the path of subjugation. Even if he just paddled along nearby, he could still leech some experience!
But unfortunately...
"Within the borders of the Qingxi Kingdom, there are no bandit groups, no famine, no plague, no rebels, and certainly no demons. The people live and work in peace and order."
Although he complained daily about how hard it was to rule, if he couldn't even keep a kingdom the size of a province stable, what right would Faust have to strive for the world?
"Is that so? Then how am I supposed to be a teacher?"
Mistoria pursed her lips, and her raised brows gave her a strange look of grievance.
She was actually quite cute.
"Actually, you don't necessarily have to train me in actual combat, Mistress Mistoria."
Faust smiled, interlacing his fingers on the table.
"The transmission of knowledge is equally important. Why don't you tell me stories of your travels? I've never left Qingxi. It's never wrong to learn some tips and trivia beforehand."
"I see. That works."
As if she had rediscovered her purpose as a 'teacher,' Mistoria's eyes lit up, and she nodded vigorously.
Thus, while drinking tea, Mistoria recounted her past experiences to Faust.
In truth, the elf martial saint was not a good storyteller. No matter what she said, it was a flat narrative, her tone as indifferent as if she were talking about a stranger.
But the sheer amount of practical information was undeniable. Faust listened with great interest until it ended reluctantly in the afternoon.
"Let's stop here for today, Mistress Mistoria. Thank you; I've truly benefited a lot."
"Gulp—"
Mistoria took a sip of tea, her golden eyes studying the prince of Qingxi.
She suddenly asked out of the blue:
"Faust, what do you think true love is?"
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