Today was the day when Alex would be taught the art of swordsmanship by his father. In all honesty, due to the mysterious energy circulating through his body, his physical strength far surpassed that of an average knight or great knight. It wasn't that he grew bulging muscles or anything; instead, the quality of his bones and muscles had been enhanced multiple times. With his silver hair and white skin, he truly became a sight to behold.
One day, after Elena had just achieved a breakthrough into the middle stage of the Great Knight realm, she decided to test her newfound strength by lifting a couple of tons of weights with a single hand. However, she could not hold the weights for long, and after she left the training hall, Alex decided to give it a try without circulating the energy in his body. For him, the weights felt as light as a feather, and if he were to channel some energy, he knew he would be even stronger.
Not only was his external strength enhanced, but his internal organs were also exceptionally robust. His perception and senses were impeccable. For the past two years, he had been engaging in stamina training—or so everyone believed. In reality, he was a monster when it came to physical training, but he kept up the pretense of being average, especially in comparison to Elena. People believed that he might awaken as a mage later due to his extraordinary intelligence.
Alex had his reasons for maintaining this facade. In the empire, every noble had to graduate from the Imperial Academy to be considered eligible for ruling their land. There were exceptions granted by the emperor's decree, but this requirement presented an opportunity for nobles to forge connections with others through friendship or marriage. The minimum age to attend the academy was 15 years, and students had to complete a four-year curriculum to graduate.
The academy offered various courses, including magic, combat magic, knight training, and theoretical subjects like philosophy, theology, and mathematics. It had three divisions: Mages, Knights, and Scholars. To enter the mage and knights divisions, students needed to have prior awakenings in their respective classes, while anyone could join the scholars division regardless of their magical abilities.
However, the academy system didn't end there. Prior to joining the Imperial Academy, many nobles sent their children to the "Knight Hall" or "Mage Tower" for additional training and experience. Knight Hall was an association for knights, and Mage Tower was the same for mages. These establishments also trained young talents, allowing them to establish connections with exceptional youths in case a genius emerged among them.
The Knight Tower had invited Elena to join them, as they believed it would be a valuable experience for her. However, Cynthia and Alex opposed the idea, arguing that the Winterhaven Grand Duchy had everything Elena needed, including training under a knight king that the Knight Tower couldn't provide. Elena, who couldn't bear her little brother asking her not to leave, ultimately agreed with him and embraced him tightly. It was evident that Elena was a bro con through and through.
Alex had several reasons for pretending to be physically weak and even planning to do the same with magic. First, he was simply too lazy to bother with training when he was already a "cheat" character. Second, taking on additional responsibilities would interfere with his future plans to outsource the work of the Winterhaven Grand Duchy to a capable administrator when the time for inheritance came. He wanted to avoid getting bogged down in paperwork. Third, his future plans required him to appear less capable than he truly was—to be a tiger pretending to be a pig. However, he didn't know that those plans would eventually shatter, though it was still quite sometime before that would happen.
Last, he doesn't know what this mysterious energy within him is, this might cause a lot of trouble or gain some unwanted attention from strong people. Alex following his isekai theory knew, there is a heaven above the heavens and even if he becomes stronger than the so-called Emperor Realm, there must be someone stronger than that, that's how those novels work.
"Hmm, let's see, today's the day Father will teach me swordsmanship. Well, to be honest, I don't really need any new skills, but for the sake of pretence, I must learn it nonetheless," thought Alex to himself. "Anyways, my control over this mysterious, never-ending energy is already perfect. I can circulate it even when I am sleeping, and with my almighty perception abilities, I am practically invincible. But before that, I should give this ever-flowing, mysterious energy a name. How about, um... Chakra! Yes, just like in Naruto. This energy has the power to conjure elements, strengthen my body, and even cause disasters. From now on, I will call it chakra."
As Alex arrived at the training ground, he found his father, Richard, waiting for him with two wooden swords in hand. His heart pounded with excitement and a hint of guilt as he prepared to put on an act for his family. Cynthia and his sisters, Elena and Myrine, were also present, eager to witness Alex's first swordsmanship training session.
Richard, with his impressive knightly aura, began to demonstrate various sword techniques, hoping to impart his knowledge to his young son. However, Alex feigned clumsiness and struggled to grasp the techniques, as if he couldn't coordinate his movements properly. He purposely missed the timing, misinterpreted instructions, and let out sighs of frustration.
Watching her son's performance, Cynthia couldn't help but feel a tinge of sadness. She knew Alex had a different path in mind and that his true talents lay in another realm. She gently comforted him, "It's alright, Alex. Not everyone needs to excel in swordsmanship. You have other remarkable gifts, like your brilliance in knowledge and magic. Your father and I are proud of you no matter what."
Elena, who had already reached the Top stage of the Great Knight realm, chimed in, "Yeah, little brother, not everyone can be a sword master like me. You'll find your own path, and we'll support you every step of the way."
Myrine, who was a talented mage, nodded in agreement. "Exactly, Alex. You already have incredible intelligence, and I'm sure you'll become an amazing mage one day."
Inside, Alex felt a mix of emotions. He appreciated the love and support of his family, but the guilt of deceiving them gnawed at him. He wished he could tell them the truth about his chakra and the extraordinary powers it granted him. But he knew he had to keep it hidden, at least for now, to protect his loved ones and maintain a semblance of a normal life.
As the training session continued, Richard's disappointment was evident, but he also understood that swordsmanship might not be Alex's forte. He decided not to push him too hard, knowing that each person had their unique talents.
"Alright, Alex, let's take a break for now. Maybe you need some time to think about what you truly want to pursue," Richard suggested, offering a kind smile.
Alex nodded, feeling both relieved and conflicted. He appreciated his father's understanding, yet he wished he could reveal the truth and make them proud of his extraordinary abilities.
As the family left the training ground, Alex couldn't shake off the guilt of his act. However, he knew that he had to maintain the facade for the time being. The days passed, and Alex continued his act, pretending to struggle with swordsmanship while secretly honing his chakra control.
One day, as Alex continued his secret training with his chakra, he decided to experiment with something unusual. Inspired by the concept of the Sharingan eyes from the Naruto series, he focused his chakra on his eyes, trying to mimic the legendary ability to see through people and gain extraordinary perception.
To his astonishment, as he channelled his chakra into his eyes, something extraordinary happened. His vision seemed to pierce through the physical barriers, and he could see beyond the walls of the room he was in. It was as if his sight extended hundreds of kilometres away from the palace.
As he marvelled at this newfound ability, he noticed that it wasn't just a mere extension of his vision; he could see the magical energies permeating the world. Alex's perception reached a whole new level, allowing him to see the mana and aura circuits of mages and knights.
Curiosity urged him to experiment further. Focusing on different individuals, he could observe their magical auras and their respective power levels. When he targeted mages and directed his attention near their heart regions, he could discern the number of mana circles they possessed.
Upon trying this with his mother, Cynthia, he discovered something remarkable. Six distinct mana circles surrounded her heart, with the sixth one being less dense than the rest. This indicated that she was at a low-tier stage of the emperor realm—a level of power that left Alex in awe. The Emperor realm was the pinnacle of magical achievement, and Cynthia had reached an impressive position within it.
The implications of this newfound ability left Alex both thrilled and cautious. With this extraordinary perception, he held a power that surpassed ordinary mages and knights. He knew he had to use this gift wisely, as it could reveal secrets and vulnerabilities that others might not want to expose.
As Alex continued to test his newfound eye powers, he stopped at one particular person. She was his big sister Myrine. When he focused on her mana heart, he could see an extremely dense mana circle indicating her to be at the peak of the mage realm. But when he focused near her legs, what he found shocked him to his core. Her mana circuits in her leg were incomplete. They only extended to her knees and beyond them they were not there.
'What the bloody hell is that!!!!'