The battle between Dheo and the other knight began. Knight 3 launched an attack, but Dheo calmly dodged and blocked only when necessary. Observing Dheo's movements, Ragnariel commented, "Good, good. None of his movements are wasted. He dodges what needs to be dodged and blocks what needs to be blocked. Not bad, perhaps he's on par with a 12-year-old from my old world."
When Dheo spotted a significant opening, he stepped in close to Knight 3 and swept his legs out from under him. The knight fell, and Dheo pointed his sword at him.
"The winner is Dheo!"
"Not bad, but he still have a long journey to go" Ragnariel remarked with a smirk.
Feeling drowsy, Ragnariel let out a yawn. Lysandra noticed and carried him back to his room, gently placing him in his bed.
***
Five Months Later
"Good morning, young master," Lilia greeted as she carried out her routine tasks.
"Mor... ning" Ragnariel replied haltingly.
Lilia froze in shock upon hearing Ragnariel respond to her greeting, then immediately dashed out of the room.
Confused, Ragnariel thought, "What? Why did she run out of the room? Was it wrong for me to reply to her greeting?"
He wore a puzzled and slightly irritated expression before shrugging it off. "Oh well. I only tried speaking because, thanks to my breathing technique, I've started to speak a little. I can also control my arms and legs more now. Soon, I'm sure I'll be able to walk."
Suddenly, Ragnariel heard the sound of multiple footsteps heading toward his room.
"What? Why are so many people coming here?"
The door flew open, and someone rushed toward Ragnariel, picking him up.
"My son, you've spoken your first word!" Valerius exclaimed joyfully.
"Ragna, is it true? Come on, try saying sis... ter," Serenya asked, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Hey, don't flatter yourself too much, Serenya. He should say 'brother' first," Kaelen replied with a sly grin.
Serenya glared at Kaelen in irritation.
"What are you two talking about? He should say 'papa' first before either of you," Valerius chimed in jokingly while placing Ragnariel back on his bed.
"That's impossible, Father. He'll never say that because you rarely play with him," Kaelen retorted with a smirk.
"Exactly, Dad. So don't get your hopes up," Serenya added, teasing her father.
"But I..." Valerius began to protest, only for Lysandra to cut him off.
"What do you all mean? Have you forgotten Mother is right here?" Lysandra said, her tone firm.
Valerius, Kaelen, and Serenya fell silent at her words.
Suddenly, a young man around 15 to 18 years old entered the room. He had a handsome and confident appearance, someone Ragnariel was seeing for the first time.
"Calm down, everyone. Let's just ask Ragnariel directly," the young man said with a smile.
Everyone exclaimed, "Lucien?"
"Big Brother Lucien?" Serenya asked, her face lighting up.
Smiling warmly, Lucien replied, "Hey, everyone. I'm home."
Serenya quickly ran to Lucien and hugged him tightly. "Welcome back, Brother," she said.
Lucien picked her up in his arms and walked closer to Ragnariel. "Hello, Ragnariel. I'm your eldest brother, Lucien," he said.
Ragnariel looked at Lucien in awe and thought to himself, "Damn, this guy is so handsome, way more than I ever was, or even the god of beauty from the divine realm."
Noticing Ragnariel's amazement, Valerius sighed dramatically, "Hey, son, your father's not any less handsome than your brother Lucien. Why didn't you look at me like that?" he asked, his tone filled with mock disappointment.
Serenya smirked and quipped, "Dad, Brother Lucien got his good looks from Mom, not you."
Valerius clutched his chest theatrically, falling to his knees. "You're all so cruel to me," he lamented.
Everyone burst into laughter at Valerius's exaggerated reaction.
Then Lucien turned to Ragnariel with a playful grin. "So, little brother, who will you call first?"
The five of them lined up with smiles, while Valerius stood at the end of the row, still pretending to be heartbroken.
Ragnariel was puzzled by their excitement and thought to himself, "I only spoke a little, and they're already making such a fuss." He then looked at his five family members, noticing his father's dejected and disappointed expression.
"Fine, I'll ease his disappointment a little," Ragnariel decided.
He said, "Pa... pa."
Immediately, Valerius straightened up, his face lighting up with pure joy. He spun around as if dancing, approached Ragnariel, and scooped him up in his arms. With a smug tone, he declared to the others, "Did you hear that? Did you all hear what my son just said?"
Watching this, Ragnariel muttered inwardly, "I should've picked someone else first."
Serenya pouted in disappointment. "Ragna, why did you call Dad instead of me, your big sister? Look, even Mom is upset now," she said.
Ragnariel glanced at his mother and sighed internally, "Why are all of you so dramatic over my first word? Fine, I'll call all of you then."
He turned to Lysandra and said, "Ma... ma," then shifted his gaze to Kaelen, "Aeyen." Next, he looked at Serenya, "Eyenya," and finally to Lucien, "Uukien."
Everyone gasped in delight. "How adorable!" they exclaimed in unison.
Lysandra smiled warmly. "He even called his eldest brother, whom he just met for the first time. Ragna, you're amazing."
Ragnariel rolled his eyes in his mind. "Yeah, yeah, think whatever you want. Now, please leave, I'm getting tired."
The family continued showering Ragnariel with praises and played with him until he finally fell asleep.
"It seems Ragna isn't ready to play with all of us yet," Lysandra said softly.
"You're right, my dear. Let's head to the lounge and talk with Lucien. Lucien, tell us about your experiences at the Aetherion Academy," Valerius suggested.
"Of course, Father," Lucien replied.
They all left the room, leaving Ragnariel peacefully asleep.
***
One year later.
Ragnariel strolled down the corridors of the Caeltheris residence, greeted warmly by the servants he passed.
"Now I can walk freely," he thought. "I've endured all sorts of embarrassing moments when I first crawled and started walking."
The memories of the chaos that ensued during his first attempts at crawling and walking flashed through his mind.
"After gaining my footing, I began gathering basic information about this territory. My family's small castle is located at the border of the Drakonashen Mountains, where monsters often appear. My father, it turns out, was a commoner who earned his title after achieving great deeds during a monster invasion on this continent. He was then granted the title of baron along with this remote borderland."
Ragnariel's expression darkened slightly.
"I'm sure the other nobles deliberately placed my father here, intending for him and this territory to serve as a meat shield when the monsters return."
He arrived at the private training ground belonging to his eldest brother, Lucien. A smile crept across Ragnariel's face, filled with determination and ambition.
"But I don't mind. The more my family is underestimated, the more driven I am to crush those who look down on us."
With fiery enthusiasm, he swung a wooden sword in the air.
"For now, I must continue training and gather enough inner energy. Fortunately, the mana in this world is equivalent to qi in my previous world, and the density here is incredibly abundant. I can grow several times stronger than I ever was before."
Suddenly, Lilia came rushing in and said anxiously, "Young Master Ragna, come with me quickly. An important guest is arriving today, and the master has requested everyone to be properly dressed and prepared."
She grabbed Ragnariel's hand and led him to his room. Upon arrival, Lilia swiftly prepared all his attire and then hurried him to the main hall. By the time they arrived, Valerius, Lysandra, Kaelen, and Serenya were already there.
"Alright, everyone is ready. Let's head outside to greet Duke Kaelthorn and his family," Valerius announced.
They all walked out toward the castle entrance. Ragnariel thought to himself, "This is a good opportunity to assess Duke Kaelthorn's personal strength. I hope he doesn't disappoint."
After waiting outside for a few minutes, a luxurious white carriage drawn by four horses entered the courtyard. The carriage came to a halt, and its door opened. Valerius, Lysandra, Kaelen, and Serenya immediately bowed, prompting Ragnariel to follow suit.
"Damn it," Ragnariel muttered in his thoughts. "It's been so long since I had to bow to anyone. The last time I did this was when I was a beggar as a child."
Heavy footsteps approached them, and a deep, commanding voice said, "Raise your heads."
Valerius straightened his posture and quickly greeted the man. "Welcome, Lord Kaelthorn. Please forgive us for the simplicity of our welcome that it's far from the standard you and your family deserve."
The man replied, "Hmph, it's fine. I'm aware of the poverty your household endures, so there's no need to dwell on it. I'm merely stopping here briefly before we depart for the Drakonashen Mountains to commence my eldest son's coming-of-age ritual."
Valerius responded respectfully, "As you command, Your Grace."
Duke Kaelthorn's gaze turned toward Valerius's family. "Aren't you going to introduce your family to me?"
Flustered, Valerius stammered, "Of course, Your Grace. My apologies. Allow me to introduce them. This is my wife, Lysandra."
Lysandra curtsied gracefully, lifting her gown slightly as she bowed her head.
Valerius gestured toward his second son. "This is my second child, Kaelen."
Kaelen stepped forward and bowed respectfully. "Greetings, Your Grace."
"And this is my third child, Serenya," Valerius continued.
Serenya curtsied gracefully and said with a charming smile, "Greetings, Your Grace. I hope you have a pleasant day."
Ragnariel couldn't suppress his laughter upon witnessing Serenya's unusually elegant demeanor. "Haha! You don't suit being graceful, sis!"
The sudden outburst startled everyone. Valerius, Lysandra, Kaelen, and Serenya froze in shock and panic.