Chapter 7: 7

The test that Allen’s father had assigned didn’t go as smoothly as before the regression.

Reasonably so.

‘I mean, I was forced into it…’

To add to that, unlike how it was now, Allen and Julius had a particularly bad relationship. It was hard for Julius to say nice things when he could see the other’s ill intent in participating.

Insults took the place of apologies, and kind-intentioned advice turned into ridicule.

So I began my test and carried out the first steps of my plan. 

Allen had originally taken command over the military and tried to push Julius away with that power. The elder brother, having had the right of inheritance, figured that the soldiers would naturally lean towards following him. 

However, things didn’t go as he had planned.

Every morning, Julius trained with the rest of the soldiers, shedding his former notoriety and gradually gaining the support of the military. 

Having acted differently from his expectation, Allen’s plan couldn’t progress as originally intended. The soldiers had split into factions following either Julius or Allen, ending in disaster.

Nevertheless, this time, things were going to be different.

“Long time no see, Sorcerer Prindal.”

“Hohoho… It truly has been, Sir Allen,” greeted the white-bearded old man. He wore a body-obscuring robe and a long sorcerer’s cap, and he wielded a staff made from oak. 

He looked exactly as you would picture the typical sorcerer to look.

“You look to be in good health. How delightful.”

“Hohoho, what good health? I bet you can’t wait for me to be buried already.”

“Of course not. We need you to live long and continue to work for the family.”

“How much do you think I have left in me? Hahaha.”

Despite his age, Prindal wasn’t the type to pass up an opportunity for some lighthearted joking.

Allen made sure to welcome him privately before departing. Julius should be managing the soldiers’ training grounds right around the same time.

“I heard the rumor that Young Master Julius has changed. However, it seems as though you have changed as well, sir.”

Prindal’s eyes sparkled with wisdom. 

“The magic circulating in your veins as well. And your rank… Hm? There’s too much magic for you to still be considered to be in Rank 1.”

“It must be related to a secret technique I uncovered in an ancient book from the manor. I was sure there was something unusual about it.”

Allen humbly drew a line. Prindal immediately laughed and apologized shortly after.

“My apologies. This old man is just greatly interested in hearing of any knowledge… Forgive my rudeness.”

“Haha, it’s alright. How could I blame a sorcerer for seeking knowledge?”

“Thank you.”

While still engaging in their lighthearted  small talk, Allen carefully surveyed his surroundings. His father had told him that Prindal would bring along with him another sorcerer. 

‘Did he bring another sorcerer with him?’ Allen wondered.

In Allen’s past life, Prindal brought his granddaughter in order to help her build some world experience. She was probably around Rank 2 back then.

‘I don’t see anybody here now, but that could change soon enough. Did he bring a different sorcerer instead this time? If they’re to be of any help, then they’d need to be at least Rank 3,’ he thought.

Allen continued on, indirectly asking questions to clear his doubts. 

“Prindal, Father told me that you would bring another sorcerer with you. Where are they…?”

“Oh, Francisca! Francisca is my granddaughter. She stopped by the training grounds first.”

‘Wait, Francisca?’

Allen tried to hide his surprise with an inquisitive face as he conjured another question.

“I think we’d need someone to be at least Rank 3 for them to be helpful. So, then, pardon me for asking, but would you mind telling me what rank she is currently?”

He already knew how well she would grow in the future. However, as far as he knew, she should have only been at Rank 2 at this time.

“She’s a Rank 4 sorceress. She won’t interfere with our solving this case.”

‘Rank 4?’

Allen paused for a moment, stopping himself from leaving to find his black book.

‘I’m sure that I could find out all about what was supposed to be happening right now in the book.’ 

Yet that was something that he would have to wait for later to check. First, he needed to find out more about this.

“Congratulations to your granddaughter for her outstanding achievement. She could work on her etiquette, though.”

The contracted Rank 5 sorcerer was present, but despite being of a lower rank, Allen didn’t see her there. 

Allen frowned, and Prindal, unlike how he had been only a minute ago, wore a face of hesitation. 

“About that…”

“Prindal, you’ve done a great job serving as our family’s exclusive sorcerer, but we need you to do as we ask of you.” 

“Yes, I understand. It appears this old-timer got distracted for a minute,” Prindal apologized for his earlier comments and continued with a sigh.

“The reason why that child went there first is because of a long-standing delusion.”

“A delusion…?”

“Yes. It’s something that’s kept her occupied for quite a while.”

“Could you tell me what exactly?”

“Of course. Though it may be rude of me…”

As he was about to continue speaking—

“AAAAHHH!”

A scream resounded.

Then, a scene came to Allen’s mind from within his hazy memory.

Gulp.

Prindal rose from where he had been sitting and walked towards the source. Although it wasn’t proper etiquette, neither he nor Allen cared.

As Allen quickly followed the sorcerer to the training grounds, he asked him, “Do you think that scream just now could be…?”

“…That was my granddaughter’s voice. I’m sure of it.”

“Let’s deal with this now and finish our conversation later.”

“Thank you, Sir Allen.”

After uttering his thanks, Prindal—at an incredibly high speed unbefitting of his old body—disappeared in an instant.

Allen could roughly picture what had happened.

‘Of all things, how could I forget this?’

He remembered very little about Francisca. So little that he had forgotten what had become of her. 

Rather than blaming himself further, he sped up to continue the search to find the cause of the disturbance. Soon after, he arrived at the training grounds.

The training grounds were silent. 

The soldiers were packed into a circle in the middle of the grounds, surrounding the center wherein Julius and a woman stood in the middle of an argument.

Prindal appeared to be mediating in the center in order to prevent any major conflicts from arising.

‘What a relief. It hasn’t happened yet.’ 

Allen grew even more relieved, knowing that he could probably predict her behavior after seeing Julius. 

Allen stepped towards the center. The soldiers surrounding the ruckus quickly moved out of his way, as if he were splitting the sea.

As he got closer, he could feel two forces crashing into each other. Mana and air, as if trying to swallow up the other, swelled around them. The situation felt like it could explode at any moment.

The soldiers couldn’t easily approach them. The pressure Allen had to bear grew as he got closer to the center.

‘Not yet.’

I am stronger.

He focused his attention on Julius, who had been gathering his mana by his lower abdomen.

Allen quickly closed the gap between them. 

‘No, maybe this is just an advantage that could be easily overturned even a day from now.’

If this were a result of his unusual powers, it wouldn’t really be that strange for this to be the moment in which those powers were awakened. 

There was already a noticeable difference in magic power between the two brothers. Even after taking the elixir, the difference between them was almost unbelievable. At best, the only aspect by which Allen could say he was better than Julius was in manipulating magic and mana that he had only been able to learn after decades of research and practice.

A single, sizable ring around Allen’s heart started to spin erratically, producing a loud roaring sound. A gigantic mana core began to emit its power, creating a similarly loud, deep sound akin to a foghorn.

Allen took a deep breath. He had always been weaker than his brother. In the past. In the future. And even now, in the present. 

‘But I’m still…’

Yet he wasn’t done yet.

The mana that extended from his heart stretched like a thread three meters ahead of him.

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There were three areas in which he was most confident and capable:

Spatial Control, Contracting, and…

‘Spirits.’

Threads invisible to others created intricate forms in the space they occupied. 

Without opening his eyes, Allen weaved, unraveled, and reformed complex figures. As his threads occupied more and more of the space around him, they formed to create a single object. 

Though it appeared to be an instrument, it was more of a form of moving art.

And, despite it looking similar to a violin, none would hesitate to simply call it a display of pure magic.

“That’s…”

There stood a Rank 5 sorcerer, surrounded by his five rings. Prindal was stunned into silence. Although he couldn’t see it, he could still feel it.

The feat was entirely under Allen’s control. It was a skill that couldn’t possibly be executed by someone of Rank 1. It was almost as though…

Prindal couldn’t finish his thought.

Because the instrument began to move all on its own.

Like a conductor would, Allen closed his eyes and raised his hands. The strings on the instrument began to move, emitting a ringing sound.

Riiiiing.

The sound sent vibrations through the air and turned towards them.

“Blargh!”

“Wh-What?!”

Everyone grimaced at the sound that seemed to be shaking their souls.

A series of rings of energy spread from the instrument, and everyone was taken aback. Only then did they, who had been concentrating on the two facing each other, change their focus to Allen. 

“Brother!” called Julius, as if his brother were the reinforcement that he had been hoping for.

Prindal, also looking surprised upon witnessing Allen’s skills, remembered what he had been told earlier and was immediately convinced. Thinking that this could be the right opportunity, he followed after him.

“Sir Allen, I’m sorry to have caused a disturbance.” Prindal bowed his head, having never had the intention of heightening the situation. 

“It’s alright. This isn’t something you need to apologize for. By the way, who is that person?”

Allen turned his head to the woman standing alone.

“Yes, I’d like to introduce you to my granddaughter, Francisca.” Prindal carefully chose his words.

The woman was still clutching her head, as though she had a splitting headache. She had dark red hair and black eyes. She was the type of woman who would be seen as beautiful no matter who was looking.

Moreover…

‘Even now the magic…’

Allen couldn’t sense it back then, but he could now. He didn’t know why, but she had hidden her skills before his regression.

The jewels that adorned her body circulated around her naturally along with the mana.

‘She really was a Rank 4 sorceress, as Prindal had promised.’

Julius’s eyes turned to her, and he shouted, as if tattling to his parents.

“Brother, she called me a scoundrel…”

Allen suppressed the repulsion he felt upon hearing his words. They had gotten close over the last few weeks, but he couldn’t believe that Julius had become so clingy. 

‘It’s nice that he’s let down his guard around me, but…’

It was too different.

The way Allen remembered him compared to the way he was now. He frowned for a second thinking of just how uncomfortable he felt.

Did I get too close?

“Stop. I get it, so move aside.”

Regardless, he didn’t forget his goal—his lost brother. 

“Alright, Brother.”

Allen approached the woman and bowed to her, as the rules of proper etiquette required. 

“Greetings, Miss Francisca.”

Within the empire, sorcerers held a semi-noble title. However, no matter how low the Reinhart family had fallen, there was no need for someone as high-ranking as Allen to bow to her.

Then again, if it would help him win her favor…

‘If it’s just this once…’

Allen, who knew what she would become in the future, was willing to bow first. Just this once.

‘The Bedrock Witch’ Francisca. That was what she would be known as in the future.

“B-Brother!”

“Sir Allen!”

Prindal and Julius had thought that the woman who had caused the disturbance would be punished, so they were flustered to see Allen lower his head to her.

It was unexpected. 

‘She’s already been rude enough, not having shown her face. But she even caused trouble for Julius.’

Even if he held Prindal responsible for having brought her, there was nothing to say.

Francisca held a blank expression, as if she had forgotten about the pain in her head. Yet, after realizing Allen’s display of etiquette, she quickly bowed in return.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sir Allen.”

After receiving her greeting, Allen chuckled lightly before asking her a question; without the arrogance typical of an aristocrat, but with an attitude that she would have appreciated in her previous life.

“Would you tell me what exactly happened to have caused this disturbance?”

He tried to predict why she had acted that way.

‘Could it be trauma?’

He had caused the same kind of scene with Julius too.

It wasn’t as if he didn’t understand her situation, which would later become widely known in the future.

Francisca’s expression shifted when she saw that Allen, unlike the typical noble, chose to understand the situation rather than automatically side with his family member.

She had never thought that a noble like that existed.

However, her expression remained for only a moment. Her face quickly contorted into a pretentious smile, soothing the excitement that she had just felt.

“No, sir. I’m sorry to have caused such a disturbance in your presence. I’d heard the rumors about Sir Julius, and… I apologize for my rudeness.”

“No, that’s alright. I think it’s worth taking into account my brother’s reputation.”

“And… it was rude of me to not show my face. If you choose to punish me now, I will accept that punishment graciously.”

Having apologized both for her rudeness and the disturbance she caused, Allen gently forgave her.

“Brother, she’s not acting like she did earlier…” 

“Stop it, Julius. Don’t be rude by calling her apology insincere.”

Although Allen inwardly sympathized with his brother, he wasn’t so thoughtless as to express it outwardly in this situation.

“You’re being too harsh. However, I’m also at fault here…”

Francisca smiled with her hand covering her mouth. Her eyes smiled as well. 

“I’m sorry about earlier, Young Master Julius. As a sorceress, I was curious and wanted to know if there was any truth behind the rumor.”

Julius regretted approaching the prodigy. Though, he still hoped they could be friends.

‘Even if I am annoyed, I need to get rid of that “scoundrel” label. How many times does this make now?’

At this rate, Kim Woojin thought he might not win over all of the main characters and supporting characters.

“Well then, let’s head out. It seems as though we may already be late.”

“That would be good.”

Not wanting to cause any more trouble, Prindal quickly grabbed his granddaughter and headed towards their carriage. 

“Julius, let’s go.”

“No…”

“It’s no use telling Father. She’s Sorcerer Prindal’s granddaughter. Just put up with it this time. She apologized to you too.”

Allen always kept a smile on his face as he talked to him. He had to maintain his smile.

“Ha, seriously…” 

Whether or not his brother’s persuasion was successful, Julius just grumbled and agreed. He quickly reorganized the soldiers and boarded the carriage with Laina since he didn’t know how to ride a horse yet.

“Well then, let’s go.”

So then, the party—each with different motives—embarked on their eventful journey.

 

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