I walked through a few more hallways that were more or less barren. The sheer size of the castle dwarfed every human that lived in it. Maids and servants could be seen every now and then, and I strolled past each of them, one by one.
And with each successful bluff, I grew ever more carefree. My nervousness left me. My footsteps lost any and all of their tension.
Aside from the guards who I would have short interactions with, the servants did not find my presence suspicious at all. They even bowed to me when we passed each other by.
I behaved like any other wizard who studied and worked within the de Nuantra castle. The only difference was that sometimes, the guards would be intrigued by my silent footsteps. I had an aura of an assassin despite my wizardly getup, causing their instincts to scream at them.
And then there were some who were simply unfamiliar with my stride and posture. Although I did my best to act in accordance with how I designed the people of this castle, I couldn't do it all perfectly on my first try.
'I should've practised more,' I thought to myself as I continued forward.
Still, I was able to achieve a lot with this little practice I had. It was good enough. I arrived at the place I wanted to be without being killed or captured.
I stood before the entrance to an indoor garden that lead deeper into the central area of the castle. From here on out, my confident stride would no longer function. I was entering a zone designated for the members of the family and their personal guards and servants.
Any unidentified presence would instantly be labelled as a rulebreaker. Or worse, a possible threat.
I looked around the garden from where I stood, and I found a few guards. These guards wore full plate armour. Their swords hung at their waist, ready to be unsheathed at a moment's notice. In their left hands was a circular buckler shield that they kept close to their body.
They stood at a set distance from a group of youths, watching as the young men and women swung their swords in unison. A large tree provided them with shade from the rising morning sun. Sweat slicked their skin, glistening with whatever ray of sunlight made it through the filtering of the leaves.
"Hah!"
"Hah!"
"Hah!"
They all shouted with every forceful swing they made. Seriousness filled their expressions as they performed each of their sword moves.
Their muscles screamed, their bones' rigidity was tested, and their tendons were stretched. I sensed all these things through Sight-Sent Senses.
It was quite a mesmerising sight to watch them all move with a set rhythm. It calmed me down and silenced my nerves.
I watched them for a few more seconds before directing my sight elsewhere.
A library sat in the great outdoors, covered by a mushroom-like structure of stained glass. Enchantments glowed around a few glass rods, shielding the different books from the forces of nature.
Young mages and wizards sat around manmade lakes and little fountains. They held books and tomes in their hands, studying without rest. Their silence and tranquil state made me want to study just like them.
These were the youths of the de Nuantra family.
The pressure that lay upon the shoulders of these main-branch children was immense. They barely had any time to rest, and they were all about improvement, improvement, improvement.
And yet, their best was only number four. Allyas de Nuantra wasn't worthy of stealing my throne.
To make things even more tragic for them, well, I had only existed in this world for a month or so. A simple restructuring of my foundations had allowed me to climb higher than what their years of effort could achieve. I had risen to the clouds in a single step.
All their work, all their endeavours...
I closed my eyes and thought of the future.
...It may all go to waste.
'How unfortunate, how amusing,' I chuckled, but then I froze. '...Let's just hope that karma doesn't decide that I meet a similar end.'
I thus returned to observing the beautiful flower-filled garden before me.
A path flashed in my head, and I identified the route I was going to take. This was when my camouflage spell would prove useful.
I would move with the flow of mana in my vision. I would dance through the gazes of dozens. Hiding just within arm's reach yet unable to be discovered.
The bushes, the trees, the tall grass, and the beautiful slopes would be my guide.
And so, I brought my footsteps forward.
I followed the path in my head as my irises glimmered with immense curiosity. I couldn't resist sending my senses elsewhere to eavesdrop as I inched through the garden, alternating between nonmotion and motion.
"Move your swords!" A voice boomed, "Faster! Fiercer!"
"Our family's enemies would never hesitate to take your lives! Be swift! Be vengeful! A sword is meant for killing!"
It was a sword mentor, causing the bones of his students to vibrate with just his voice. I watched as the students all grew even more valiant in their strikes. They put their all and even more into each strike, each block, and each virtual parry they executed.
The winds swished with each swing and I could hear their hearts drumming against their chests.
"Enough!" The sword mentor eventually yelled, "I will allow you all three minutes of respite!"
"Take this time to recall last week's sequence, because today, I will demonstrate to you the final moves of sword art, Preserver's Offering."