<h4>Chapter 23: The Royal Training</h4>


    "Please, your Highness, your posture is off. The shoulders, slightly more... yes, just like that. Now, ce your left hand on the table, and your right holding the ss, lightly."


    Mikhailis nced sideways at the maid speaking to him, Lira, who was instructing him on proper noble etiquette. She was a short woman, with chestnut hair tied neatly into a bun, her expression always serious but never harsh. He was in a special private royal room, specifically designed for lessons like this—an elegant space with rich, dark wood furniture, soft lighting, and a view of the garden throughrge windows. The room felt unnecessarily formal for something as basic as learning how to sit and drink properly, but here he was, going through the motions.


    "Shoulders back... ss raised... sip slowly..." Mikhailis muttered to himself, mimicking Lira''s instructions.


    To be honest, it wasn''t that hard. Back in Runia, he had attended various formal events with his brother Dimitri, where even the smallest details like the angle at which you held a ss were scrutinized. It wasn''t a life he had chosen, but it did mean that these lessons felt a bit redundant. And yet, he found himself following along, allowing the maids to marvel at his ''natural talent.''


    "Perfect!" Lira eximed after a moment, her eyes wide in surprise.


    She stepped back and exchanged nces with the other maids standing nearby.


    "I must say, Your Highness, you move with such grace. It''s as if... well, one might think you''re of noble blood."


    Mikhailis shrugged, a small smile ying at his lips.


    "Ah, me? Noble? Nah. Maybe it''s just... I don''t know, raw talent?"


    Lira blinked, clearly caught off guard by his nonchnt response, but then she smiled softly.


    "Talent or not, your movements are impable. I was told this lesson might take at least four hours, but you''ve already mastered the basics in one. Remarkable."


    "Four hours, huh?" Mikhailis raised an eyebrow and stood up, stretching a bit.


    "I guess that means I get the rest of the day off?"


    Lira chuckled lightly, though it seemed she was still trying to figure him out.


    "I suppose you do, Your Highness."


    Mikhailis noticed the other maids whispering among themselves, their eyes still on him. He gave them a quick wink, causing them to giggle quietly before they bowed and left the room. Lira, however, lingered, watching him with a curious expression.


    "You really aren''t from nobility?" she asked.


    He grinned, hands slipping into his pockets.


    "Nope. Just a guy who likes to watch anime, raise insects, and maybe crack a few jokes. Nothing too special."


    Lira''s brow furrowed slightly, but she gave a small nod.


    "I see. Well, if you ever change your mind about that, I wouldn''t be surprised. Then please excuse me, your highness. Please have a good rest,"


    With a final polite bow, she left the room, leaving Mikhailis alone. He sighed, running a hand through his messy hair as he made his way back to the royal chamber.


    The moment he stepped inside, Rodion''s voice echoed from his sses.


    <well done,="" mikhailis.="" you="" managed="" to="" avoid="" any="" major="" blunders.="" i="" suppose="" can="" mark="" today="" as="" a="" sess.="">


    </well>


    Mikhailis chuckled, flopping onto the plush couch in the center of the room.


    "Thanks for the vote of confidence, partner. Anything I should worry about?"


    <one thing.="" if="" the="" maids="" suspect="" you''re="" of="" noble="" lineage,="" it="" could="" be="" a="" sign="" that="" someone="" is="" already="" feeding="" information="" to="" outsiders.="" likely="" one="if (!window.__cfRLUnblockHandlers) return false; " three="" in="" room,="" or="" perhaps="" even="" lira="" herself.="" data-cf-modified-3c99fa6b000f6fc6c4cb4056-="">


    </one>


    He frowned, leaning back and staring at the ceiling.


    "A spy, huh? That''s not exactly aforting thought."


    <indeed. if="" they="" report="" their="" suspicions="" to="" anyone="" with="" ill="" intentions,="" it="" could="" make="" your="" position="" more="" precarious.="" i="" suggest="" informing="" queen="" elowen.="">


    </indeed.>


    Mikhailis waved a hand dismissively.


    "Nah, no need to bother her with that. I''ll just keep ying the fool in front of the nobles. Let them think I''m harmless."


    </an>


    Mikhailis couldn''t help butugh hearing Rodion''s cheeky words.


    "You''ve got jokes today, huh? Well, at least someone''s keeping me entertained."


    He stood up and made his way over to a small ss case on the far side of the room. Inside was histest project—his chimera ant. Its shiny, armored body glistened under the soft light, and its tiny wings buzzed quietly as it crawled around inside the case. Mikhailis watched it for a moment, admiring its precision and strength.


    "Looking good, buddy," he said softly, tapping the ss. But before he could get too absorbed in the insect''s movements, Rodion interrupted.


    <it''s time="" for="" your="" history="" lesson,="" mikhailis.="">


    </it''s>


    Mikhailis groaned, walking over to therge bookshelf lining the wall.


    "Do I really have to? I''d rather study my chimera ant."


    <unfortunately for="" you,="" the="" kingdom="" doesn''t="" run="" on="" bugs.="" i''ve="" already="" prepared="" materials.="" history="" of="" this="" continent,="" introduction="" magic—everything="" you="" need="" to="" know.="" it''s="" all="" right="" there.="" just="" scan="" it="" and="" let="" me="" summarize="" you.="">


    </unfortunately>


    Mikhailis pulled a few books from the shelf, heavy tomes filled with endless text. He sighed, tossing them onto the table with a thud.


    "Fine. But you better make it quick and easy. I''m not trying to get a history degree here."


    </as>


    He grabbed his robot monkey from the corner of the room and set it up to scan the books into PDFs. As the machine hummed quietly, Mikhailis sat down at the desk and rested his chin in his hands, waiting.


    After a few minutes, Rodion''s voice returned.


    </alright,>


    Mikhailis raised an eyebrow. "Sounds like a ssic good vs. evil setup."


    <it''s more=""plex="" than="" that.="" the="" technomancers="" aren''t="" inherently="" evil;="" they''re="" just...="" ambitious.="" and="" reckless.="" they="" use="" forbidden="" spells="" technology="" that="" can="" destabilize="" natural="" magic="" of=""nd.="" that''s="" why="" silvarion="" thalor,="" with="" its="" ties="" to="" world,="" is="" at="" odds="" them.="" fear="" technomancers''="" experiments="" could="" destroy="" delicate="" bnce="" magic.="">


    </it''s>


    "Ah, so it''s more like a moral gray area. Got it. More like, I''ve heard about it from Elowen already. What else?"


    <there''s also="" the="" city="" of="" adventurers,="" located="" in="" center="" continent.="" it''s="" a="" neutral="" city,="" where="" people="" from="" all="" walks="" life—mages,="" warriors,="" schrs—gather="" to="" take="" on="" quests,="" hunt="" monsters,="" and="" seek="" fortune.="" governed="" by="" council="" made="" up="" strongest="" known="" for="" its=""wless="" nature.="">


    </there''s>


    Mikhailis leaned forward, intrigued.


    "A city full of adventurers? Now that sounds like my kind of ce. Bet there''s all sorts of interesting people there."


    <indeed. then="" there''s="" the="" city="" of="" learning,="" a="" hub="" knowledge="" and="" magical="" research.="" it''s="" home="" to=""rgest="" library="" on="" continent,="" where="" schrs="" from="" all="" over=""e="" study="" ancient="" texts="" experiment="" with="" new="" spells.="">


    </indeed.>


    Mikhailis raised an eyebrow.


    "I''m guessing that''s where the nerds hang out?"


    <if by="" ''nerds''="" you="" mean="" some="" of="" the="" most="" powerful="" and="" influential="" mages="" on="" continent,="" then="" yes.="" it''s="" also="" where="" greatest="" magical="" breakthroughs="" have="" urred.="" many="" spells="" used="" in="" battle="" today="" were="" developed="" city="" learning.="">


    </if>


    Mikhailis chuckled.


    "Alright, alright. Anything else?"


    <there''s also="" the="" free="" kingdoms—small,="" independent="" territories="" that="" don''t="" fall="" under="" rule="" of="" either="" arcane="" order="" or="" technomancers''="" league.="" they''re="" wild="" and="" unpredictable,="" often="" ruled="" by="" warlords="" powerful="" mages.="" some="" see="" them="" as="" dangerous,="" but="" others="" a="" refuge="" for="" those="" who="" fit="" into="" established="" orders.="">


    </there''s>


    "Sounds like a fun ce to visit. Maybe I''ll head there one day," Mikhailis muttered, leaning back in his chair.


    </and>


    Mikhailis smirked. "Yeah, sounds like a ce to avoid."


    <indeed.>


    </indeed.>


    Mikhailis stretched his arms above his head, feeling the weight of all this new information sink in.


    N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "Alright, so Silvarion is all about preserving magic, and the Technomancers want to mess with it. There''s a city full of adventurers, a city of bookworms, and some crazy wastnd to avoid. Got it."


    <that''s the="" simplified="" version,="" yes.="" now,="" if="" you''re="" ready,="" i="" suggest="" you="" start="" reviewing="" political="" alliances="" between="" arcane="" order="" kingdoms.="" i''ve="" already=""piled="" necessary="" documents.="">


    </that''s>


    Mikhailis sighed dramatically. "Fine, fine. Let''s get this over with. Then we can proceed with our next experiment,"