The whiplash of seeing modern technology in a fantasy world was staggering.
Such was what I felt every time I took notice of the luxurious cars parked in the courtyard of the mansion.
I had been here a whole year by now, and yet the sight never ceased to amaze me.
"Alex… Alex… hurry."
In my state of awe, Alice tugged at the hem of my shirt, trying her best to move me into the car.
"Chillex, Alice, your spell book isn't going anywhere."
A few hours had passed since I was left dying on my bed. Currently, my body was less sore, but under the pressure from my little sister, my discomfort only grew.
Alice, unlike my other two siblings, was a mage. She used mana instead of Aura.
And among mages, she currently held the second spot as the youngest mage to awaken her core at age eight.
It was impressive, but the Sword Empire wasn't the biggest fan of mages.
Some held disdain for magic and found it inferior to their bodies, while others were merely tolerant because our side had once lost a potential prodigy to the mage faction of the Sorcery Empire.
Before I was graded, she was actually the black sheep of the family.
Yeah, finding a child disgraced because she was different from the rest — that was the kind of pettiness I expected from this empire. But looking back, I was glad I was able to take her place.
She was the youngest of us. She didn't deserve the scorn of the elders.
"You really are excited, aren't you?"
Following her lead and making myself comfortable in the backseat, I smiled at her enthusiasm.
"Yep… it's the golden edition, written by the Saintess of the Dawn Church."
"Really now," I encouraged as she nervously fidgeted with her fingers.
"It also contains loads of healing spells, so I can heal you after your battle with big sis Selena."
"..."
Even my dear sister didn't believe I would win.
I couldn't fault her, though. I just stared at her with saddened eyes as the driver performed a back turn and exited the Bladeheart mansion.
We were quite isolated from the main city; hence, everything after our gate was hills covered with trees and a long narrow road leading downstream.
As the car glided across the road, I leaned against the window and did a bit of soul-searching.
I now had six days until my fight with Selena, and my performance would denote the future of my siblings.
If I won, I would further reinforce the legitimacy of the children of Klaus Bladeheart — that we siblings would put up a fight against the demons in the times of dark, just like my father did.
But if I lost, even if my siblings all won their matches, there would be a crack, and our people and even the Emperor would lose faith in us.
The Empire needed a powerful weapon, not an average one. If we failed, we would lose our claims to the branch families or another house entirely.
I couldn't allow that. So I had to win.
Luckily, I had my unique ability — but that presented a problem.
Winning out of nowhere after months of being considered inferior would breed suspicion.
It was a well-known fact that I was a step or two below Selena. I was expected to lose. But what if I suddenly won?
I could very well imagine my uncle, unable to accept the fact, resorting to anything to make sure I was outed for potentially cheating.
He might even brand me a demon contractor, further ruining my family's name. So, I only had one solution to my problem.
I had to reveal my abilities — reveal to the world that I was a unique skill holder.
Well, the whole world was far-fetched, but that didn't mean I had to hide it entirely.
At the very least, those who were important must know, so that in the situation I won, my validity wouldn't be questioned.
"I have to tell big brother Abel."
"Tell Abel what?"
I ended up muttering my thoughts aloud, leading Alice to turn to me, curious about my words.
"You'll find out," I smiled softly, trying to assure her I wasn't hiding anything.
I could tell she still wanted me to disclose my secret, but no matter how childish Alice was, she had been groomed in nobility — hence she didn't pry when she didn't have to.
Anyway, back to soul-searching — I had resolved myself to inform Abel about my abilities.
Why him particularly? Because he was the acting patriarch with our father gone.
And exactly because of that, he could have an audience with the Emperor.
If I informed him, he would in turn explain my situation to the big boss of this Empire, preventing unwanted suspicion since the Emperor would vouch for me.
Honestly, revealing my hand this early in the game didn't sit right with me, but in my code of conduct, family always came first.
My siblings, even when I was graded as inferior to them, stuck with me — the least I could do was the same for them.
For all I knew, I might no longer be the true Alex of this world, but I knew one thing:
I loved the Bladehearts, and I would do everything in my power to make sure they were protected and their name wasn't thrashed.
With newfound resolve, I observed the city drawing near and clenched my fist.
Long and stressful days were awaiting me in the coming future, and honestly, I was afraid this eleven-year-old body wouldn't be able to take all the stress.
I might think much more maturely than before, but deep down, I was confused and uncertain because I couldn't help but wonder about one thing.
Was I Alex, who inherited the memories of another, or was I an ordinary human from another world who transmigrated into Alex's body?
Either way, I wouldn't allow myself to dwell on that.
What mattered now was helping Alice receive her spell book.