Book 1 Chapter 4

[4]3

Screech!

The mansion gate of Plovga opened.

Zerdinger's people entered.

The Plovga servants who came out to greet them swallowed nervously.

An overwhelming aura, befitting a heroic noble family that discussed continental hegemony, was felt.

Flutter- flutter-

The family crest, embroidered with blazing flames, fluttered.

A carriage led by a griffin stopped at the front.

The door opened, and Jis and Celia alighted.

'Why is Uncle staying here?'

Frankly, Celia was not pleased when she heard they were staying at a noble family's residence.

Celia was not content with simply being admitted to Lumern.

Her goal was to be the valedictorian.

Therefore, she wanted to focus solely on her studies until the entrance exams.

However, coming to a noble family like this meant a lot of troublesome things.

Especially a noble family from a small kingdom.

They would undoubtedly be desperate to forge ties with Zerdinger in any way possible.

That's why she wished they had rented out an entire luxury hotel.

As it was Jis's decision, she didn't openly express her dissatisfaction, but she didn't like it.

Clink-

Tucking her waist-length black hair behind her ear, Celia straightened her back.

Whether she was dissatisfied or not, she was the daughter of the head of the family.

Her public image was important.

As the family representative, she needed to show courtesy to the master of this house.

As Celia thought this, she was momentarily flustered.

"Huh?"

And it wasn't just her.

The other Zerdinger people also stirred.

Two men and women standing at the entrance of the mansion.

Deid and Reina.

She was specifically surprised to see Reina.

'Father, she looks like Uncle.'

And she also resembled herself in appearance.

"Introduce yourself, Celia. This is Marquis Plov."

"I am Celia Zerdinger. We will be staying for a week."

"Welcome. Please feel at home and stay comfortably."

Deid greeted her plainly.

There was no attempt to impress her, despite being a heroic noble family.

"And this is Marchioness Plov."

"Heh, I've heard a lot about you."

Reina greeted her with a gentle smile.

Celia looked at Reina with confused eyes.

"Uncle, who is this?"

"Reina Plov. She is your aunt."

Celia's eyes widened in surprise.

***

The Zerdinger people settled their luggage in the mansion.

Meanwhile, Jis talked with the Plov couple in the drawing-room.

"I'm glad to see you're doing well."

"Why wouldn't I be able to live well?"

Click-

Reina elegantly lifted her teacup.

"You've really become refined, sister."

"Hahaha. You've grown a lot, Jis."

Seeing his sister's veins bulging on her forehead, Jis shook his head.

'Her personality hasn't changed at all.'

His sister, once known as the 'Witch of Flames'.

The reason she received the title 'witch', which was difficult for knights to bear, was not complex.

It was purely due to her personality.

Jis smiled, recalling old times, and said,

"Leo was quite audacious."

"What did my son do?"

Jis laughed at Deid's question.

"Before coming to the Plov family, we visited Delan Royal Academy for an inspection. When all the students were gathered, Leo apparently said he wasn't interested in Zerdinger and left first."

"If you are offended, I apologize on behalf of my son."

"Jis isn't the type to be offended by such a thing, Deid."

"Yes. It was quite a fresh experience."

As someone from the always-noticed Zerdinger, Leo's reaction was refreshing.

"So, what kind of child is Leo?"

"I'm not saying this because he's my son, but he truly has extraordinary talent."

"If you say so, sister, I am looking forward to it. However."

Jis's gentle demeanor suddenly changed.

"Granting permission for the family's aura cultivation method is another matter."

A cold atmosphere that didn't suit the title 'Flame Blade'.

Jis lifted his head.

"Do you truly believe Leo Plov is worthy of inheriting the Zerdinger flame, sister?"

Pressure emanated from his body.

It wasn't a special power.

It was charisma naturally ingrained in his being.

"I believe he is fully qualified."

Reina said, curling the corners of her mouth.

"You'll understand when you meet him. His worth."

***

"Sir Whitton. Do you know anything about my aunt?"

Celia asked Whitton, a loyal knight to the head of the family since before she was born.

"Lady Reina was the previous owner of the 'Flame Storm' that you possess."

Flame Storm.

It was one of the heirlooms possessing the power to maximize the 'Flame Aura,' the symbol of Zerdinger.

Just being the owner of this Flame Storm, one could infer what kind of person she was.

"Then why did such a person abandon the family name and come to this remote kingdom?"

"Lady Reina lost her flame due to an unfortunate accident. After that, she wanted to live an ordinary life and left the family, abandoning the Zerdinger name."

The moment one abandons the family name, regardless of the reason, their record disappears from the family.

"I never dreamed I would meet Lady Reina here again."

'Seeing Sir Whitton speak so highly of her, she must have been quite remarkable. Perhaps I can receive sword training from her later?'

While thinking about experiencing Reina's swordsmanship.

They soon arrived at the Plov family's training ground.

Whoosh-! Whoosh-!

"Huh?"

The sound of a wooden sword being swung was heard.

Someone was swinging a sword in the training ground.

Unfamiliar white hair and familiar red eyes.

"You're Leo Plov, right?"

Leo looked at Celia with a puzzled expression.

"So? Who are you?"

"Ahem."

Celia cleared her throat, straightened her back, and introduced herself.

"My name is Celia Zerdinger. I am your cousin."

Celia expected Leo to be surprised.

She was a beautiful girl, rumored to be the valedictorian of Lumern, where the world's greatest talents gathered.

Celia was a globally famous figure.

Especially among her peers, she was an object of admiration, literally an idol.

"Oh? Nice to meet you."

Whoosh-! Whoosh-!

However, Leo's reaction was indifferent.

He didn't even stop swinging his sword.

Celia frowned at his obviously uninterested demeanor.

As she was about to speak again, Leo's sword stopped.

"Hoo."

Taking a deep breath and wiping his sweat, Celia asked,

"How old are you?"

"Fifteen."

"We're the same age? Since we've met like this, it's fate. I'll *specially* give you sword training. How about it?"

Celia offered with a kind smile.

'If I treat this kid well, maybe my aunt will give me special training.'

It was an offer with ulterior motives, but Leo was not interested at all.

'What is this kid?'

Sword training?

She knew she was a skilled practitioner, but she had the wrong person.

Leo stopped paying attention to Celia and swung his sword again.

Whoosh-! Whoosh-!

This time, Celia watched the sword movements intently.

And she exclaimed.

'Not bad!'

There wasn't a single wasted movement in her sword strokes.

It was clear that the sword carried considerable power.

'Still, she's of our family's blood, I guess? Her skill is better than I thought!'

Clang- clang-

'But what is that bracelet?'

A bothersome sound was heard every time the sword moved.

After a while, Leo retrieved his sword.

"Now, let's see you move properly. I think you have potential."

Celia felt a flicker of anticipation.

But Leo wiped his sweat and left the training ground.

"Hey, where are you going?"

"Training is over for today?"

"I said I'd help you!"

"I'll pass."

"Why?"

"I don't really want to receive training from someone less skilled than me."

"What?"

Celia's face stiffened.

"Are you saying you're stronger than me right now?"

"You're stronger than me right now. I can't use aura yet."

In a real fight to the death, she couldn't defeat Celia.

"But in a sword sparring match, I'll win."

Celia's lips twitched as she watched Leo speak nonchalantly.

"That's quite a lot of confidence?"

Her red eyes narrowed.

"Looking at how you swing your sword, I can tell. You, you're the strongest at the school you attend, aren't you?"

At Delan Royal Academy, all aspiring knights wield aura.

But Leo would be far stronger than them.

Setting aside aura, their fundamental foundation was vastly different.

'The reason Leo hasn't learned aura yet is probably because my aunt wants him to learn a high-level aura cultivation method, right?'

A high-level aura cultivation method.

For example, an aura cultivation method that only those of the Zerdinger bloodline can learn.

'But what? I'm stronger than you now? Does that mean he'll become stronger than me once he learns aura? What the? So arrogant!'

Children of Zerdinger start fierce competition from a young age.

This competition did not spare even the children of the head of the family.

And Celia was always the best.

The foundation of her pride was not 'Zerdinger' but her own self-confidence.

"Fine. If you're so confident in your skills, let's spar."

"Spar?"

"Yes. If I win, you'll be my servant while you're at the Plov family."

"If I win? Then will you be my maid?"

"Of course. It has to be fair under the same conditions. Though I doubt it will come to that."

Celia brushed back her hair and smiled condescendingly.

"Ah, Miss."

Whitton, who had been watching the situation, urgently intervened.

"Don't worry, Sir Whitton. I'll win anyway."

Celia, with a confident expression, looked at Leo and said,

"I'll show you that you're a frog in a well."

The two stood in the middle of the training ground.

As Celia gripped the wooden sword, Leo said,

"Oh, right. You can use aura."

"What?"

'This is it!'

"Hmph! Then I'll give you two attacks as well. Go ahead and attack to your heart's content."

A red light flickered on Celia's body.

Aura Armor.

A technique that envelops the entire body with aura like armor.

"Really? Then I won't hold back."

"Anytime."

Celia curled the corners of her mouth.

She was confident that Leo's attacks, which didn't use aura, wouldn't affect her.

Leo gripped the sword with both hands and took a deep breath.

"Hoo-!"

Veins bulged on his forearm holding the sword.

Leo's red eyes flashed.

CRASH-!

The wooden sword accurately struck Celia's temple.

Her head snapped to the side, and her skull buzzed with the impact.

A throbbing pain rose from her neck.

Celia's face turned pale at the unimaginable strength.

"Sturdy."

Leo exclaimed.

"Hmph! Do you think your attacks can penetrate my Aura Armor?"

'Wh-what kind of strength is this tremendous!'

She was forcing a smile, but she could have easily died.

It was an attack so powerful that it almost tore the reinforced wooden sword apart.

'Still, I can endure this much.'

Leo looked at Celia, who was exaggerating her composure and smiling, and took off the bracelets on both his wrists, throwing them with a swing.

THUD-!

"……!"

"Then, shall I really give it a swing?"

Leo, who was loosening his shoulders and smiling, looked like a devil to Celia.

Bracelets with weight magic.

It was a crude training method that she would have scoffed at as archaic normally.

But she couldn't scoff at it now.

The scene before her was beyond crude; it was insane.

"Then, one more time."

"Wait, wait a minute…!"

BOOM-!

A sound that couldn't compare to the one just moments before echoed.

An unfathomable impact struck her head.

As Leo discarded the shattered reinforced wooden sword amidst her fading consciousness, she thought,

'What is this…'

Celia's eyes rolled back.

'Is this guy crazy?'

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