April 4th (Morning), 1432. Dragon's Crest Castle
Waking up early in the morning, long before breakfast was scheduled to begin at nine o'clock, Raphael began his morning training.
Despite his physical and mental state being far from ideal after all the events he had endured, he had already started training.
Since the official sword training was set to begin in less than a week, Raphael decided to focus on developing his Spark.
Raphael planned to reach the second stage within a month and the third stage within two years.
For an ordinary child, such plans would seem insane, but Raphael was no ordinary child—he was a regressor.
With knowledge from his previous life and a natural gift for magic, he could very well achieve this plan, though even he would have to work incredibly hard.
The development of the Spark depends on various factors such as genetics, environment, and, of course, training—whether with or without magic stones.
«With magic stones, the process would be faster» — Raphael thought.
However, until the official training began, he could only meditate in his room, filling his Spark with mana and circulating it through the channels within his body.
Later, Raphael planned to ask Kazimir to procure a few high-quality magic stones to accelerate his progress.
«Otherwise, I'll remind him about last night's dinner until the end of his days» — Raphael thought grimly.
He hadn't forgotten about the stunt Kazimir pulled with the uzvar the previous evening.
The boy's plan, which he had pondered the night before after meeting with Alice, was quite simple.
To gain at least some power and influence, he needed to quickly enhance his sword aura and mana levels. Becoming a Guardian was also a necessary step.
Raphael now saw the position of Guardian not as a burden but as a necessity. Only a Guardian could establish their own knightly order and gain access to the family's secret information.
Moreover, it was a stepping stone to becoming a Knight of the Circle, which was Raphael's ultimate goal.
Creating his own order would significantly simplify his life, as he would immediately gain his own lands and a base. Raphael also believed that with his order, he could at least somewhat protect Erin, Alice, and Kazimir.
Of course, besides the general abstract plans, there were also specific steps for advancement.
Among them was winning the Earhart Tournament among cadets and family children, as well as searching for artifacts he knew about from his past life.
Winning the tournament was one of the most important elements of his plan.
The Earhart Tournament, or the Initiation Tournament, was a major event on the continent, comparable in importance to the Alcyon Imperial Tournament, the Nargar Forge Contest, the Miriel Flower Festival, and the Atreya Federation's Continental Auction.
The uniqueness of the tournament lay in its rarity and the valuable prize.
The tournament was held once every ten years on the anniversary of the family's founding, followed by a banquet and celebrations.
Despite the fact that only children of the Earhart family under the age of fifteen and family orphans could participate in the tournament, it still attracted the attention of many noble figures and even royal families.
The reason for such interest was the opportunity to see promising knights who could be hired for service or to protect their own family in the future.
Some families looked at the future Guardians, hoping to establish connections of various kinds.
Some planned to secure trade relations, while others sought something more intimate...
For example, it was at this tournament that the current patriarch, Alonzo, met his wife, Isabella, after her family noticed him during one of the Initiation Tournaments.
Raphael, of course, wasn't interested in marriage or anything like that. For him, the tournament was a necessary springboard to demonstrate his strength and obtain the reward he needed.
The tournament winner could choose between two prizes: a monetary reward of two thousand Glimmering Lumen, enough to fund an entire family's education at an elite academy on the continent, or one of the family's ancestral swords.
Raphael planned to choose the sword.
His goal was the rapier Adelais, which he had used in his previous life. This sword belonged to the third patriarch of the family, Aria Earhart, the granddaughter of the first patriarch.
In his past life, Raphael had received the rapier as a gift for becoming a Guardian, and it had become his indispensable companion. The weapon perfectly suited his fencing style and revealed its potential in new ways.
— Perhaps if I had had a different sword, I wouldn't have been able to defeat the assassins Theo sent, — Raphael mused.
For several hours, Raphael meditated by the open window, absorbing mana from the atmosphere and channeling it into his Spark, then throughout his body.
— Whew, that's enough rest, — Raphael muttered wearily.
This process greatly exhausted the boy. At the beginning of his training, he had to rest every few minutes. He had the body of a child, which couldn't absorb mana as efficiently as a nineteen-year-old's, and his mental state left much to be desired.
Nevertheless, he was determined to make progress, following his plan.
Sitting once again in the lotus position by the open window, Raphael closed his eyes and, manipulating his fingers, began drawing mana particles towards him. He passed them through his body, directing them to his Spark, and then distributed them throughout his body, allowing them to be absorbed.
He repeated this process over and over for three hours until he realized that breakfast would soon begin.
***
As usual, breakfast was brought to his room.
Judging by Raphael's satisfied expression, the cook had managed to please him this time.
«Phew, I couldn't handle another tantrum» — thought one of the maids.
Although Raphael was generally a calm child, when it came to food, he could be quite picky.
Every time the servants managed to please Raphael, they breathed a sigh of relief.
After breakfast, Raphael dismissed the servants and returned to his Spark training.
***
April 10th (Morning), 1432. Dragon's Castle Crest
Raphael sat on the bleachers of the outdoor training grounds, sucking on his favorite lollipop, known as "Chepa Chaps."
«If only a meteor would fall and kill all my enemies right now» — Raphael thought sarcastically.
Today marked the beginning of his swordsmanship and sword aura training. That's why he was on the training grounds, waiting for his turn.
He faced an important decision—choosing the weapon he would train with for the next five years until the Initiation Tournament.
But first...
— Get up! Stop lying around! — the instructor's voice echoed across the training ground.
— Yes, sir... — groaned the battered orphan.
Raphael had to witness a harsh scene.
He had arrived early, having finished his morning training and taken a bath. Because of this, he found himself watching the orphans spar with the instructor.
There was no difference in training between the orphans and the Earhart children. They trained together so that the children could find loyal people early on and, upon becoming a Guardian, create their order without problems.
It wasn't surprising that the training sessions for the orphans and the family children were held simultaneously and with the same instructors.
Raphael watched as the instructor, a man who looked to be in his forties, beat a nine-year-old orphan boy with wheat-colored hair and a skinny build. Each blow was delivered with such cold precision that it seemed as though the instructor was trying to instill a lesson in cruelty rather than skill.
Had this been another family, it might have been condemned.
But in the Earharts, such a teaching method was the norm, even for blood relatives.
«Hah, it looks sad, but what can you do? You have to overcome it, or you'll never get stronger» — Raphael thought, recalling his first training sessions in his previous life.
The orphan barely managed to get to his feet and picked up a one-handed sword.
— Attack! — the instructor barked.
The boy moved forward, trying to deliver a quick thrust to the man's heart. But even if he had been in better shape, he still would have failed.
The instructor slightly turned, tripped him, and the boy fell face-first into the dirt, barely managing to throw out a hand to soften the impact.
— Get up! How are you going to complete missions if you can't even land a hit?
It was almost laughable. Had an adult man been in the boy's place, he would have laughed at such "motivational speeches" rather than been uplifted.
Comparing a child to an instructor who had once been an imperial knight was utterly absurd.
«Though, of course, children don't understand that.»
After several unsuccessful attempts to attack, the instructor sent the boy to the bleachers to rest... or more likely, as Raphael suspected, to cry.
Raphael genuinely felt sorry for the orphan.
For half an hour, he had been tossed around in the dirt in front of an Earhart child and a dozen other orphans.
For many, such humiliation was worse than death.
«Maybe I'll bring him something to eat later...»
— Raphael Earhart, come down. You're next.
— Yeah... — Raphael lazily responded, getting up from the bleachers where he'd been lying.
Unhurriedly, and still with the lollipop in his mouth, Raphael descended to the arena under the watchful eyes of the children, youths, and the instructor.
— Today is your first day of training, — the instructor announced. — Choose your weapon.
Servants brought several racks filled with various weapons to suit every taste.
While a knight is most commonly associated with a sword, in the Earhart family, this was not mandatory.
A knight could use anything—sword, whip, musket, or even brass knuckles. The choice was vast, but Raphael already knew what he would choose.
Approaching one of the racks, he selected a rapier similar in design to Adelais.
The instructor frowned.
— Are you sure? — he asked, puzzled. — That's quite a specific weapon...
Rapiers weren't commonly chosen in the Earhart family, and the reason was prejudice.
It was believed that while a rapier added agility due to its lightness, it dealt far less damage than other swords.
So, the instructor was surprised by the youngest child's choice.
— Yes, I'm sure of my choice, — Raphael answered firmly, examining the new blade.
For Raphael's physique and fighting style, it was the perfect choice.
Since Raphael hadn't yet disappointed the family or earned the nickname "failure," the instructor refrained from criticizing his choice too harshly.
— Very well, let's start with the basics.
For the next half hour, the instructor explained the basic rules of handling a rapier and the training plan with mandatory exercises.
Raphael was ready to fall asleep from boredom until he noticed something in the bleachers.
In the corner among the orphans sat a dark-haired girl with short haircut in style kare. Her gray eyes, reminiscent of night fog, were unforgettable.
— Erin?... — Raphael whispered.