Vergil entered his room after bidding goodnight to his maid. Though he outwardly appeared confident, inwardly he grappled with uncertainty. He strode toward the expansive window and gazed out at the night sky, where two moons cast their ethereal glow—one with a hint of blue, the other tinged purple. Stars twinkled above, forming constellations unfamiliar to him. Lost in thought, he contemplated the mystery before him.
He pondered the potential causes of his condition, drawing on his knowledge gleaned from fantasy novels in his previous life.
"There had to be a logical explanation," he reasoned.
Though not physically incapacitated, he felt a crucial element missing from his practice.
In this world of mages and swordsmen, mana and prana were the distinct energies utilized. Vergil could sense these energies permeating his surroundings. With closed eyes, he discerned the auras—one pulsating with multicolored brilliance, the other sharp and unyielding like the strongest metal. The former emanated mana, while the latter exuded prana. Attempting to absorb mana felt akin to delving into a bottomless pool.
Despite being an apprentice mage, Vergil could still perform basic spells accessible to those with awakened mana-sensing abilities.
"Fire" Vergil said as a small flame materialized on his palm, flickering gently. With each surge of mana directed into the flame, it grew in size and intensity.
Vergil could feel the mana being used in his body that was fueled into the flame, he tried into channel more mana into the flame as he thought more mana from his body was being directed into the flame the flame grew more and more as it reached almost 1 meter in length and the heat from the flame also grew in intensity at first it was a gentle flame now the heat from the flame was so intense that it felt like it could melt metal
" So strong" Vergil thought as he looked at he flame he thought to cut off mana supply but it was not responding he looked as the flame grew more hotter. held his wrist with the other hand
"STOP !!!" Vergil shouted and tried with also his might and slowly the flame died down he felt the connection between his mana and flame cut off.
"huff huff huff.... that was close..... I almost lost control of the spell, if I was a little late it could have burned myself" Vergil panted as he wiped the sweat of his face
He stood up and tried to feel the mana in his body as he closed his eyes he felt mana in his body he was astonished by the amount of mana in his body it felt like a large lake in his body
"I have so much mana in my body but still cannot advanced. what a hassle." Vergil mused as he thought
surprisingly he did not feel tired or exhausted but he think he could cast another spell
he decide to try out this time learning from his previous mistake and only provided small amount of mana
"Aqua" Vergil said as a gentle amount of water gather around his palm in a blob of water but it seems less powerful than the initial fire supply may be it has something to do with the affinity
than he cut off the supply and water spilled on the ground.
"it seems the water spell gather moisture from the air so it did not disappear" Vergil thought
With newfound confidence, Vergil cast a series of spells—wind, thunder, and earth—each revealing nuances of his magical prowess. He noted a preference for fire, thunder, and wind over water and earth, hinting at his elemental affinity.
"It seems I need to start from the basics tomorrow and look for some clues. Maybe I am missing something fundamental," Vergil said in a subdued voice.
He ceased playing with his mana and once again gazed outside at the beautiful starry sky. If one were to look at him now, they would see a mixture of confusion and loneliness in his eyes, yet there was also a steely resolve to excel.
"Since I have come to this world, I will become one of the best," Vergil declared, stretching his hand toward the sky and clenching it into a fist.
With this determination in mind, he turned away from the window and made his way toward his bed to sleep.
Third POV
Next morning at 6 am, May arrived at Vergil's bedroom and knocked softly.
"Knock, knock."
"Young Master Vergil, are you awake?" May inquired, half expecting no response.
"Come in," Vergil's voice called out from within the room.
Surprised that the young master was already awake, May entered the room. Vergil was up and dressed in loose clothes.
"Young master, you woke up early today," May remarked.
"Well, I wanted to start exercising my body today, so I thought of joining the knights' training," Vergil said as he stretched his body.
"There is no need to push yourself so hard, young master. You are still young and will eventually develop a strong body," May advised.
As we progress in our abilities, our bodies also become evolve and become stronger and tougher. That's one of the reasons why people in this world have longer lifespans
"No, May. A sound mind and body are the foundation for a strong future," Vergil insisted.
"Currently, I want to strengthen my body so that in the future, I can have better control over my mana," he explained, recalling the previous night's incident where he struggled to control his mana.
Seeing her young master's determination, May offered no further objections and prepared to accompany him to the training grounds.
"Then, young master, allow me to accompany you to the training ground," May requested.
"Sure," Vergil replied.
As they made their way to the training ground, many servants passed by and greeted Vergil with bows. He responded to their greetings, surprising the maids as it was unusual for the young master to acknowledge them.
"It seems they are not accustomed to my greetings. Oh well, they will eventually get used to it," Vergil thought to himself.
Upon reaching the grounds, Vergil was greeted by many knights engrossed in their swordsmanship and prana training. They were being observed by the head knight, Sir Gareth Gallant, leader of the Order of Winterfall. These knights were the elite soldiers under the Winchester barony. Sir Gareth, personally knighted by Vergil's father, was a valiant and brave man who had stood by his side in times of war. He was a middle-aged man with blond hair and a small beard, exuding confidence and bravery like a mountain. Despite keeping it restrained, his deep, unfathomable aura could be felt by Vergil from a distance. This was the aura of high authority. His strength was at least high level or may have already crossed grand master level just like my Father
As Vergil approached, Sir Gareth noticed him and descended from his post to greet him.
"Good morning, Young Master Vergil. What brings you here?" Gareth said as he saluted Vergil.
"Good morning, Sir Gareth. No need for formalities. I came today for exercise , so you can ignore me and continue your training," Vergil replied.
Sir Gareth was baffled as he had never seen the young master training in the morning on the grounds. Knowing that the young master had some problems and had awakened as a mage, it was surprising for him to see Vergil training his body instead of focusing on mana.
"Okay, young master, but if you could allow one of my knights to accompany you," Sir Gareth offered his assistance, not pressing further.
"No need, May is with me. She will help me," Vergil replied, gesturing to May trailing behind him.
Gareth noticed May behind Vergil and insisted no further, knowing her abilities.
"So be it, Young Master. If you require my assistance, do call me," Gareth said as he saluted and returned to his post.
Vergil's POV
After that, I made my way toward the grounds. The knights saluted me as I approached.
"At ease, knights. I came to train, so just ignore me and continue your training," I said, greeting them.
The knights whispered among themselves, but I paid no attention and headed toward the periphery to start my training.
I began with running, circling the grounds until I could no longer move. After completing four laps, I was at my limit, but I was determined to finish a fifth. Gritting my teeth, I forced my body to complete the lap.
"Huff, huff... I can do it," I muttered to myself, pushing through the exhaustion.
Finally completing the fifth lap, I lost my balance and began to fall, but instead of hitting the ground hard, I felt a soft cushion beneath me. Opening my eyes, I saw May holding me with concern in her eyes.
"Young Master, why are you pushing yourself so hard? I believe that's enough for today. Take a rest," May pleaded.
"No... May... I've had enough of being useless... I want to change myself," I replied, trying to catch my breath.
Struggling out of May's embrace, I proceeded to do various exercises, from push-ups to crunches.
May opened her mouth to say something, but seeing my resolve, she remained silent.
I continued with my exercises for two straight hours, pushing my limits until I collapsed, shirt soaked with sweat. I also noticed that my mana was more active than usual, so I actively followed its flow along the veins in my body, which helped me maintain my pace. My mana began to form a path within my body, strengthening my veins. Delighted by this discovery, I kept exercising.
Eventually, due to May's strong protests, I stopped exercising.