*THUMP*
「You have leveled up」
「You have leveled up」
「You have leveled up」
「You have leveled up」
「You have leveled up」
「You have leveled up」
「You have leveled up」
「You have leveled up」
「You have leveled up」
「You have leveled up」
「You have obtained the title 'One Who Overcomes Adversities With Others'」
「Your attribute 'Absorption' is activating」
「You have obtained the skill 'Thermal Vision' Lv.1」
「Your attribute 'Assimilation' is activating」
「Skill 'Thermal Vision' Lv.1 cannot be assimilated due to the possession of a similar skill」
「You have lost the skill Thermal Vision' Lv.1"
「You have unlocked a new evolutionary path」
「Your evolution is imminent」
As I fell, conjured wind surrounded me, landing me safely on the ground.
Kh…!
My mana circuits burnt me from the inside; the residual mana that I absorbed from the witch was much more powerful than I had anticipated.
The witch quickly approached me, the rubble parting as she did.
My vision blurs.
Cheater
She knelt beside me, checking me from top to bottom.
"You look better than I anticipated."
Those were the last words I heard before I sunk into the depths of darkness.
◇◆◇◆◇
"You're asking what?"
My mother's eyes went wide, her formal speech slipping for a bit.
"Ahem!" She cleared her throat, trying to dismiss the previous blunder. "I'm sorry, Morgen. It simply cannot be done. Your brother is already attending the same school, and you know how much the royal faction is paying attention to his actions. One wrong slip-up could mean the royal faction's demise. Especially now that rumors of another rebellion group forming in the west of Harkifà forest. Again, I'm sorry. I know how much you've been feeling frustrated lately, but I must implore you to wait a little longer. Just until your brother graduates…"
She let her voice trail off, letting me digest her words.
My mother, the queen, had always been a family woman. She cared and paid attention to her own flesh and blood more than anybody else in this family—a quality that I admired and respected from the bottom of my heart.
That's why, deep down, I knew she would never accept my request
This warm and sweet part of my mother caused her to be overprotective and put others before herself… as long as they can be considered family. She is incharge of our family's inner logistics, managing and handling everything that us — the royal family — is directly correlated to.
On that note, she was the one who hired Mary and Ev to be my private tutors.
Nacht was very dissatisfied when my mother hired Ev to be my swordsmanship instructor saying:
"You don't deserve her you talentless buffoon! Her guidance and skills would be better suited for better-suited and highly deserving individuals like myself. Hand her over, NOW!!"
My mother dismissed her however, in her own words:
"You already have the numerous instructors and professors at the Academy. Surely you don't need another one."
My brother shut up with those words… along with the cold glare that made even me shut up.
"B-but.." a lump caught in my throat, preventing me to speak.
She was right, she was ABSOLUTELY right.
I kept my eyes glued to the ground.
Still…
My mother stood up from her seat.
She gave me a warm smile and spread her arms, pulling me into a hug. I do the same.
She stroked the back of my head.
"Just wait a little bit more, my child. Once your brother graduates, I'll personally make sure that you get into that academy, no matter what." Her voice sounded really cold for some reason, but I ignored it.
We stayed like that for a while, enjoying each other's warmth.
I pulled back once I calmed my head, giving her smile.
"I'll hold you to that."
She gave one back.
*thunk*
The thick wooden doors of my parent's door slammed behind me.
I make my way down the lavish halls of the royal castle, passing by portraits and paintings that exuded artistic value. The moonlight illuminated my path.
A low voice made me stop in my tracks.
"What are you doing out this late?"
My body froze, cold sweat rolling down my back.
*clack clack clack*
He was now in front of me.
The king, my father, checked me up and down. His eyes traced me from the sole of my feet to the top of my head.
His aura practically exuded out from him, making it difficult to even breath in his presence.
I would never get used to this
Despite the fact that the only source of light available being the moon, the king did not squint or show any kind of difficulty in the dark inspecting me.
"Hmmm…" He let out a low hum, a rare sight to see from him.
The king has always been very stoic, a man of few words. He rarely spoke, and when he did, it was usually nothing good.
To be honest, it kind of scared me
After what seemed like an eternity, he lifted his head and stared straight to my eyes.
"I asked you a question."
The question made the king's aura reduce a bit, or maybe he diminished it on his own. I could never tell.
"I-I was just thirsty…"
He squinted his eyes, the sapphire-blue tint practically glowed in the darkness.
"You're lying." He said confidently and without hesitation.
*gulp*
My mind raced, trying to find a suitable answer. One that would neither annoy him or intrigue him to the point that he would ask for more details.
"W-what about you?"
You idiot…!!
As I got ready to accept any punishment the king might throw at me, he responded in a way I would never have expected.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" He flashed me a grin.
…Huh?
I blinked a couple of times, trying to make sense of what just happened.
"Follow me." He turned around. "I have something important to tell you.
He strode forward, his posture perfect.
…Hah?