"...It was a very deep cave, of course, it might not have been that deep, but Fiona descended too slowly."
"So, she had enough time to look around and speculate what might be below."
"She first looked down but couldn't see anything, so she looked at the cave walls around her. In the light of the Lighting Technique, she was surprised to see..."
"Then what? What did she see?"
Curiosity finally got the better of her, and Fiona asked in a low voice.
"And then... today's story ends here, my dear Fei, it's time to continue with the study of epigraphy."
Anvis, however, wore a mysterious smile and winked at Fiona. Then he stopped narrating, got up, and returned to the desk; the phantom in mid-air quietly disappeared.
"Ugh— I refuse!"
The story cut off at a crucial point made Fiona feel stuck, like she had taken a deep breath and suddenly choked, her small face instantly puffing up like a bun.
But as she was sulking, a heavy book suddenly flew in front of her.
Instinctively, the girl reached out to catch it, but the moment she did, another book and then a third stacked directly on top.
Beside her, Anvis controlled the Mage's Hand and pulled out "Initial Rank Inscription Drawing" and "Meaning of Inscription Array" from the bookshelf, dumping them into the girl's hands.
???
The girl looked blankly at the stack of books piled together, almost as tall as her head, and nearly lost her composure.
"Whether you read them or not is up to you, my dear Fei. But, continuing the story tomorrow is my choice as well."
To Fiona's almost ceiling-breaking grievance in the Book Collection Room, Anvis flipped through the pages with an elegant smile in response.
"After all, I can't let my adorable sister face father's punishment because of me—"
In the girl's eyes, that smile was no different from a devil's grin.
"Brother... just a bit more, please... just a little more, and then I'll obediently read..."
Fiona put on a pitiful expression, her big eyes watery, pleadingly looking at the pale boy sitting by the desk, like a little animal heartlessly abandoned.
But to Anvis, who was familiar with all kinds of acting and routines, the girl's performance was full of flaws.
"Playing pitiful is useless too, my dear sister."
Anvis read the book in his hand, answering without looking up.
"And, when you read, please don't just go through the motions, because I'll randomly ask some questions later. If you can't answer them, there won't be a story tomorrow either..."
With Anvis's words, the girl's pitiful gaze gradually dulled, and then transformed back into a dangerous stare.
"Oh, please don't look at me like that, it's just to give you a bit of motivation."
But this time, Anvis was prepared, having added a layer of Protective Barrier for himself, blocking both the girl's angry gaze and spiritual power.
With all her tactics failing, the girl looked at Anvis' infuriating smile, wishing she could pounce and take a bite.
Grumpily, she flipped open the book in her hands, forcing herself to continue reading. Though she found it extremely boring, thanks to her strong talent, she could at least commit everything to memory.
She actually understood Anvis's approach because it was their father's demand, so she wasn't just going through the motions.
Still, thought she understood Anvis didn't want her to be punished by their father, the resentment in the girl's heart towards Anvis wasn't reduced in the slightest.
Over the next fortnight, the girl's afternoons were spent in a cycle of boring reading—exciting storytelling—irritating reading.
Incidentally, since the girl's spirit-laden resentment somewhat affected his reading, Anvis specifically made a containment Crystal Ball to collect her resentment.
This resentment could serve as special material for crafting some unique alchemical items.
Upon learning the Crystal Ball's purpose, the intensity of Fiona's resentment broke new ground, allowing Anvis to collect quite a bit more negativity, making him beam with delight.
......
Half a month later, the Duke gathered the two of them for a new practical class.
In this class, the Duke brought some Low Rank mages from the family Mage Group to demonstrate real mage battles to the two of them.
These Low Rank mages, aiming to leave an impression on the Duke, unleashed their ultimate techniques and spells, wowing Fiona and Anvis.
Of course, Fiona was genuinely amazed, whereas Anvis's true feelings were best left unsaid.
After each battle, the Duke would reserve some time for them to ask questions and clarify any confusion they had.
Occasionally, after their questions, the Duke would pose some questions for them to answer.
If neither answered correctly, the Duke would provide the answer, but if they were asked similar questions next time and couldn't answer, punishment would follow depending on the situation.
At the end of the class, the Duke posed a question to both:
In your minds, what is the way of combat for nobles?
Fiona thought for a moment and gave a vague response; Anvis recited a memory from his past life.
The Duke, after listening, didn't comment on their answers, merely smiled and announced the end of their confinement, making Fiona very happy.
......
On a new afternoon, Anvis arrived at the Magic Test Field.
A month had passed since the last Magic Test; he had come to check on the subsequent changes in a Luo Luo Beast.
The test field manager was an elderly Sixth Rank mage, and upon learning of Anvis's intention, the old mage immediately brought out the Luo Luo Beast.
Thanks to Anvis, this Luo Luo Beast was being raised separately and well cared for. When Anvis saw it again, he found it had put on some weight since the previous month.
"Humph—"
Seeing Anvis arrive, the Luo Luo Beast made a humph sound, shifting from a lying to a standing position, the heart-shaped white mark on its back wagged a couple of times at Anvis.
Anvis cast a Sleeping Spell directly, making the Luo Luo Beast, which had just stood up, lie back down.
Walking forward, the boy wearing pristine white gloves reached his hand into the cage gap, pressing into the heart shape on the Luo Luo Beast's back, carefully probing the life essence beneath the flesh.
Being cautious with spells that accompanied the Ancient Secret Scripture, Anvis took great care, for he wasn't familiar with these spells.
Relying solely on the accompanying introductions in the Ancient Secret Scripture wasn't enough; only through experimental testing of specific effects could he truly determine when to apply them in real situations.