*knock knock
"Young Master Adrian, dinner has arrived."
That gentle yet firm voice belonged to Hilda, a maid I was all too familiar with. She bowed politely, then opened the bedroom door slightly.
I gazed at her for a moment and, with a sense of curiosity, activated [True Sight].
!!!
My heart pounded.
I couldn't see Hilda's rank? I couldn't accurately sense her power because she was suppressing it, but isn't it excessive for a maid to be in the Advanced rank, even suspicious?
A spy?? But, Mother herself said that she was one of the first maids brought into this mansion since Father was appointed as the head of the family. She has also helped take care of me all this time.
My chest felt heavy. A part of me wanted to believe, while another part refused to let its guard down. Because I will always keep an eye on anything that could potentially threaten this family.
I followed her down and saw my father and mother.
"This way, Young Master Adrian." Hilda nodded respectfully, seemingly unaware of my sharp gaze.
I took a deep breath, then stepped out of the room to follow her. Each step down the corridor felt heavier than usual. The warm aroma of cooking began to waft through the air, a sign that dinner was ready.
As I descended the stairs, my gaze caught two figures already waiting in the dining room, my father with his gallant and firm demeanor, and my mother with her gentle yet dignified gaze.
I glanced at the person standing behind my father, the head butler of this house named Agnes. She was around 50 years old and one of the first maids brought in by my mother, and had also taken care of me all this time. I used my skill to see her rank.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Name: Lysandra Morvain (Agnes)
Race : Human
Age: 53
Core : Mana Core
Rank : [Skill level too low]
Affinity: [Skill level too low]
Trait: [Skill level too low]
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
!!!
The Morvain family…
One of the five ducal families of the kingdom. And the name Lysandra, she is one of the kingdom's Grandmasters, and the former Matriarch of House Morvain. A figure who only appeared when the final arc of the main story began.
Through my mother's stories, I knew one thing, she was my grandmother. My mother was the youngest of three siblings.
However, that was precisely what I couldn't wrap my head around. How could a Grandmaster of the kingdom, a name that once shook the battlefields, choose to spend her retirement in a simple place like this? I truly never expected that before finally appearing in the main story, she was already here, close, and hidden.
I took a deep breath. This is good… A feeling of security flowed through my chest. If it's true, it means my blood is directly connected to one of the pillars of the kingdom. Although, while my mother told me of her origins, my father's figure remains like a thick fog I cannot penetrate. Both my mother and father have hidden their pasts from me.
But it doesn't matter. Sooner or later, I will find out for myself.
…
Dinner passed peacefully. After the meal, my father immediately told me that starting tomorrow, he would train me personally. The maids who heard this understood my father's intention and congratulated me for becoming an aura user. I could only smile and bow my head slightly, feeling shy. Father patted my shoulder with pride, while Mother just smiled gently from across the table.
…
That morning, the air was still cold as I stood before my father in the backyard. Dew dampened the grass, and the sun had just risen.
"Adrian," Father said in a calm yet firm tone,
"Although you have a good constitution, your body must still have a foundation. Without a solid foundation, that power will only injure you. So, we'll start with a warm-up."
He pointed to the track that circled the yard. "Run around this field as much as you can. Without aura. Let your muscles do the work."
I nodded slowly. However, I glanced in another direction to make sure no one was hiding.
"No need to worry, it's just the two of us here," Father answered, understanding my intention.
Then, with my small feet stepping on the ground, I began to run. It was easy at first, but after one lap, my breathing started to become ragged. Short breaths escaped my mouth, but I gritted my teeth, not wanting to disappoint my father. Father just stood in the middle of the field, his arms folded, watching without a word. His eyes were sharp, but I could feel the hidden pride behind them.
Sweat began to stream down my temples as the fourth lap ended. My legs were trembling, my chest heaved rapidly, but I kept going. One more step, then another, until I finally completed the fifth lap. I stopped right in front of my father, panting, my face red with exhaustion.
"Hah…. hah….hah…"
Father didn't speak right away. He looked down at me, gazing at me deeply, and then a faint smile appeared on his face.
"Very good. For a five-year-old, you were able to complete five laps without stopping. That's proof that your body is more than ready to receive aura training."
I could only manage a small smile, though I was still out of breath. My heart was beating fast, but my spirit was filled with an inexplicable excitement. Of course, the effect of the training in that place had a great impact as well.
Father patted my shoulder gently, "Warm-up's over. Now, we will begin to touch on the basics of aura. Since you chose aura manipulation as your primary power."
...
I rested after my training session with my father.
"Hah…. hah….hah…"
"You're developing fast, did your cultivation technique just appear in your head?"
"Yes, when I woke up, I already had an understanding of my cultivation technique." I answered
"I see. That's a good thing, because information about Unity Core cultivation cannot be found." Father replied
…
That night, after dinner and the morning's physical training with my father, I sat on my bed in my room. Then, Mother came in, carrying a thick book. Her smile was gentle, making my fatigue seem to vanish.
"Now it's my turn to train you, Adrian," she said, sitting beside me.
"If you learn about physical strength and aura with your father, then with me, you will learn about magic."
I nodded, my enthusiasm immediately ignited.
She opened the book, page after page filled with simple magic circles. Then she took a small candle and placed it in front of me.
"For starters, you only need to learn the basics of magic. Focus on this candlelight. Feel the flow of mana in your body, then imagine it moving in the direction you want."
I stared at the flame, then closed my eyes. I could feel something, a subtle flow that was different from when I converted my essence into aura. I guided it carefully, trying to touch the flame before me. The flame flickered slightly.
I opened my eyes, surprised. "Mom! The flame moved!"
Mother smiled sweetly, patting my hand. "Very good, Adrian. That means you're starting to control the mana within your body. But don't be hasty. Magic isn't about power, but about control."
I nodded, looking at the candlelight again with determination. Although my small body was still tired, my heart throbbed with excitement. It seems my [Magic Understanding] ☆1 can increase quickly. The higher the level, the more efficient I'll be at using magic.
Meanwhile, Layla just smiled gently as she looked at me, her blue eyes filled with a warm pride. 'Just as Elric said, he can grasp his lessons quickly.'