This story was originally written in Indonesian. I used AI to help translate it into English, so I apologize in advance for any translation errors or awkward phrasing that may appear.
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Two days after the meeting, Pandora was once again drenched in sweat on the training grounds, locked in a sword duel with Vivian.
At first, Vivian only planned to train Pandora's basic physical strength and stamina. But she was surprised—Pandora's body was stronger than expected. Only her stamina was lacking, which was understandable for a six-year-old child.
Before moving on to sword fighting, Vivian had taught her some hand-to-hand combat techniques. And again, Pandora left her speechless. Her movements were swift, sharp, and full of precision, as if that tiny body had been trained for battle.
Of course. It was thanks to the martial arts Pandora had learned in her previous life as Santi. Modern martial arts were not to be underestimated.
After hours of training, sweat soaking their clothes, Pandora finally collapsed onto the ground.
"Uwaaahh..." she groaned, lying flat with a twisted face. "Hah... Hah... T-Teacher, why are you training a six-year-old this hard...?"
Vivian approached her, chuckling softly. "This is just the standard training for ordinary soldiers. Besides, you never mentioned you had a natural talent for combat, Princess!" she teased.
Pandora rolled her eyes. "Do I look like a soldier to you? Thank goodness I used to exercise and practice swordplay for fun."
Vivian laughed. "That's great! Your spirit is admirable. By the way, when you called me 'Teacher' earlier... I was actually touched, you know?"
Pandora's cheeks flushed. She turned her face away, trying to act cool.
"Mm... Honestly, you were really cool during sword training. I... respect you. Also... you're not like the others who always look down on me."
Vivian smiled warmly, feeling Pandora's sincerity. After a short break, they resumed training.
Thanks to that heartfelt compliment, Vivian decided to raise the difficulty level a notch. That day ended with laughter and sweat clashing with the swing of swords.
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Later that night...
Pandora and Vivian walked down the corridor toward Mammon's office.
Pandora grumbled the entire way, holding her sore arms.
"Oww... It feels like all my muscles are falling apart. A six-year-old body isn't designed for this kind of training, you know!" she complained.
Vivian just chuckled quietly, letting Pandora vent.
Pandora turned her face away, smiling. "It's been so long since I felt this way," she mumbled.
They arrived at a large, ornate door.
The guards bowed and opened the way for them. Inside, Mammon was already sitting at his desk, with Azil standing beside him.
"Gimme the update on the intruder search," Pandora cut straight to the point.
Mammon raised an eyebrow lazily. "Tch. We did exactly what you ordered. We blocked all entrances to the city, posted guards everywhere, and had Velmora patrolling the zones you marked."
He tossed a stack of reports onto the table. Pandora picked them up and flipped through them quickly.
"Hmm... no enemy movement yet," Pandora muttered. "Makes sense. It should take a week on foot to reach this city. But what's strange is... even the aerial scouts didn't spot anything. They should've already reached the edge of the barrier by now."
Pandora gave Mammon a sharp glance.
Mammon sneered inwardly. "A little girl like her can read enemy movements this accurately? Annoying... but dangerous."
Pandora returned her focus to the documents, replaying the strategy meeting from two days ago in her mind.
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Two days ago...
Back then, Pandora stood in front of a giant map of the demon territory. Vivian had pinned it onto a board.
Pandora tapped the map with her finger. "I think the intruders came because of the Demon Queen's assassination incident. They lost contact with their agents inside, so they sent a small squad to check things out."
Vivian and the twin soldiers raised their hands. "But, Princess... It takes three weeks on foot to travel from the battlefield to the barrier. How could they arrive just one day after the incident?"
Pandora answered while spinning her finger. "Two possibilities. First, they already had a reserve force stationed nearby. Second, they used teleportation magic."
Vivian frowned. "Teleportation needs a ton of casters and a massive amount of energy. Especially if they brought thirty people."
Pandora nodded. "Exactly. Which means the first intruder team must've built a teleportation circle beforehand. They set up a temporary base, analyzed the barrier, and only after preparation did they send the reinforcement squad."
Someone asked, "Why not just send a full army at once?"
Pandora replied swiftly, "Because they'd be discovered immediately. The smaller the team, the easier it is to stay hidden."
The room fell silent, digesting the sharp analysis coming from a six-year-old girl. Vivian glanced at Pandora with admiration.
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Back to the present...
After finishing her review of Mammon's reports, Pandora and Vivian took their leave.
Vivian escorted Pandora to her room. After changing into her pajamas, Pandora threw herself onto the bed.
"Ahhh... paradise..." she sighed. "Man, this feels just like when I used to work cleaning jobs..." she thought.
Pandora's mind drifted to her mother. Her face softened with longing.
"Mom... don't worry about me. I'm doing just fine. It's tough, yeah, but I'll make it through." She snuggled her face into her pillow, staring up at the ceiling.
She thought about Vivian, too. A little smile crept across her face as she remembered today's events.
"It's been forever... since someone spoke to me kindly like that. This warm, steady feeling... I hope it lasts long enough to keep me standing." she thought, before drifting off to sleep from exhaustion.
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Meanwhile...
Vivian returned to the throne room. There, the Demon Queen sat gracefully on her throne, with Rezafh standing loyally beside her.
Vivian kneeled. "Report, Your Majesty."
Vivian recounted everything that had happened during the training and meeting.
The Queen smiled thinly. "Hmph... That child is very interesting. At first, I had my doubts... but now? Let's see if she truly is the one foretold by the prophecy."
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Afterword (Pandora):
"Oi! Pandora here! If you enjoyed my story, throw me a Power Stone, will ya? Author's been writing non-stop and even caught a cold! If you wanna see the next chapter soon, help the author out! That's all from me!"