A day had passed since three young nobleman, Seth Ledfinn, Gauss Groniz and Alexander Arcenciel, visit our mansion in our territory and declared a duel with me, which I gave them absolute and inevitable defeat.
Everything was because of Sister’s fault. She’s so beautiful and strong that she attracted many in the Imperial Capital. I cannot really blame them because I also find my sister quite attractive and desirable.
After I one-sidedly win the matches, the three beseeched apprenticeship upon me. Now I have to take care of these nobleman the whole summer break, which regrettably cancelled all my forest exploration his month.
Since they made it happened, I made sure that things will not work as easy as they thought. I will have them experience our humble family’s ‘common sense’.
“Haah…haah… This is cruelty!” Cried Gauss, who is holding his sword like a cane.
“Ahh! I can’t do this!” Seth interject while on his knees. “How can you even called this normal!”
“Aaaaaaa…” An exhausted groan let out from a pink haired forlorn. Guess he couldn’t really take it since he’s not a physical type.
“Already give up on your first day? This is just a basics though. We have to improve your stamina first.”
“Damn you! Devil!”
(Our family is totally beyond commonplace.)
Witnessing the suffering of the three, I once again realized how abnormal our family is. Although it was just a regular exercise to Sister and I but is actually a hell to others.
What they are doing are just a few laps of jogging around our exquisite mansion. You asked what they are distressing for? They are actually walking with heavy burden on their shoulders.
Not that they are literally carrying anything, I just casted Force Magic Level 4: Gravity on each of them. They are currently shouldering a burden ten times their own, which only half Mom gave to us siblings before.
“It’s your first time so it understandable if you didn’t make it now. Take a breather for I while.”
“Finally… escape from hell!”
“I can finally take a breath!”
“Aaaaaaa…”
Alexander is still facing the ground as the other two dropped their asses off. Maybe I should change the training course of Alexander.
“Hm?”
In the radar, I feel deja vued when a crested magic carriage rolling its wheels on the pavement of the city’s exclusive district. Inside the carriage, a few people, including a young nobleman, has detected.
A young Imperial nobleman, a luxurious carriage coming this way, summer break… He will undoubtedly challenge me in a duel for my sister. An evil grin suddenly curls up on my lips.
Took a heed of my ominous smile, Seth spoke. “What’s with that grin? You looked like a creep.”
“Oh, this?” I pointed my evil appearance. “No, its nothing. Just ignore it.”
“It’s not something I can ignore at all!” He cried.
Just what are you thinking of me? Do I really portray a creep like what you think?
“Okay, it’s time for all of you to sleep.”
“Hah?” With my words reaching his ears, Gauss snort. “What do you mean sleep?”
“Just sleep.”
Click.
“Slumber.”
“What are you… do… ing… zzz.”
Just a snap of my fingers, the three adolescence immediately dozed off. It’s a Level 3 Dark Magic spell that put targets into sleep. It will wear off an hour later, or I can just cancel it manually.
I am planning to scare the new challenger a bit. But I have to it in moderation for his safety, of course. To start my plan, I gathered these sleeping beauties in one place.
“All I have to do is to inform the gatekeepers… and the show begins.”
◆◇◆◇◆◇
Nashkin Viscounty, a coastal territory at the eastern part of the empire. Facing the sea, it is undoubted that fishing is the main industry of the territory. Nashkin is one of the coastal territories that supplied seafood products throughout the empire.
Serdean Nashkin, the eldest son of the Nashkin household. He just turned fifteen a few months ago and attending the academy as the Empire Law stated.
He is the golden child of the family. Excellent at combat and studies, making his family and townsmen held high hopes and recognition of him.
Serdean exquisitely showed off his skillfulness with fence and his brilliant competence in Water Magic at the academy, which made him took a spot for one of the top rookies of the year.
Due to his proficiency in both aspects, he combined both his fortes and achieved magic swordsmanship. It made him one of the few spellswordmen in the academy.
Magic sword was difficult to acquire even mastering both sword and magic. One have to learn a certain Skill to do a magic swordplay. ．
Although Serdean seemed to be on par with Groniz and Ledfinn in sword, and Arcenciel in terms of Water Magic, his current abilities was not enough to be compared to the number one rookie of the academy, Louise Raevender.
One day, he challenged Louise to know who’s better, but she didn’t accept. When he asked the reason why, she flatly said, ‘You have to defeat my little brother first, then I will fight you at once.’
For that reason, he wrote a letter to his family about his absence and started his long journey to the far, far away.
◆◇◆
Serdean watches the plain white yet magnificent houses through the black window of his vehicle. He admittedly felt great differences in structural designs between this city and the countryside he will be rule in the future.
The moment he saw the biggest and most eye-catching mansion in the city, the vehicle stopped its wheels from rolling, indicating they reached their destination, the manor of the Raevender Household.
“We’re here, Master.”
“Hmm.” Serdean nodded to his servant’s reminder.
A servant open the door and he stepped out of the carriage. He glanced around and realized how massive the mansion was.
(It is definitely bigger than ours.)
“Master.” His personal female servant whispered. “The gatekeeper said that Master Raphael is waiting for you in the side yard.”
“I understand. No need to follow me from here.”
Following his instructions, his servants nodded their heads and didn’t follow their master.
Serdean entered the estate and walked towards the eastern side of the plot. The nearer he gets, the more the intensity of the atmosphere he felt.
Reaching the rendezvous, the scene unfolded in front of him made him feel more tense. In his sight, three putative corpses piled on top of each other. He saw the familiar faces of the bodies and instantly recognized them.
(Groniz, Arcenciel, Ledfinn…!)
The dormant bodies were not the matter that shocked him, but the ones who caused the scene. At the very top of the piles, a single young man is sitting cross-legged with his head supported by his fist. The young man didn’t touch the bodies, rather he is floating over them.
“So the next challenger is finally here.”
The speaker just levitating there, yet his menacing presence was palpable. His voice is clear, every words he uttered seemed to be filled with authority.
Serdean didn’t felt this much pressure before. His body is stiff and cannot move a muscle. Sweat started to draw from his temples through his neck.
He quickly blinked his eyes in anxiety and the boy disappeared. He blinked again in confusion and the boy reappeared, standing in front of him.
Serdean startled and blinked once more and saw the boy drawing his blade straightly aiming his neck. It was too sudden that he didn’t even react.
The next thing he knew was that the world is spinning. His vision keep spinning and caught a glimpse of the thing he shouldn’t see, his headless body.
(?!)
Uneasiness and great dread runs through his mind and spine that time. He don’t know what just happened but it’s strange that he didn’t feel any pain. He thought that it was because his head was severed cleanly and swiftly.
The moment his bodyless head landed on the surface, he immediately lose consciousness. He heard something like, “What? He passed out already?”, but his mind is gradually fading to understand anything.
◆◇◆◇◆◇
Well, seems like my prank was successfully delivered. But I didn’t expect him to become unconscious sooner than expected.
I piled up the unconscious bodies of the three young man and casted Force Magic Level 2: Levitate to float atop of the ‘corpses’. The moment the navy blue haired challenger anxiously entered the stage, I silently casted Illusion Magic Level 7: Delusion upon him.
I just show him a false belief of me decapitating his head. But perhaps I overdid it and in inflict too much mental damage to him, causing him to faint.
It didn’t affect the sense of pain but it’s still leave a bad mental experience. If I used a higher level spells instead, he would bite the dust for real.
Later on, he pull himself back again with fear and bewilderment. The young nobleman, Serdean, utterly understood he couldn’t defeat me and now I have another sword to sharpen.