I'm tired of this shit.
Despite training his body rigorously, Elior still couldn't overcome the mountain standing before him.
Lyra Vayne.
His sister.
I can't just have a world where I win.
It's so frustrating.
"Match."
"75–0."
Lyra grinned at the result.
"Fuck off."
Whack.
"I don't think that's how you speak to your sister."
Silence.
Elior simply stood there, staring at Lyra.
"Asshole," he muttered to himself.
"What did you say to me?"
"Nothing."
"Good. Go freshen up. We leave at 8 a.m."
"Sure."
With that, Elior and Lyra went to their separate rooms.
Creak.
Opening the door, Elior simply stared at his bed.
Then—
He slumped onto it.
"Ow."
"Ow."
His muscles were incredibly sore.
The training Lyra had put him through was gruesome.
Any normal human would have wound up dead.
"She'll actually kill someone one day."
Yet—
"She claims she's holding back."
Sigh.
"Let's begin."
Ignoring the pain, Elior began his usual workout routine.
Lyra's training isn't enough to make him grow stronger.
He needed to grow stronger
*****
After finishing his workout, Elior began his usual meditation.
I'm quite impressed with how far this body can keep up.
Then—
A frown appeared on his face.
That doesn't mean I can stop getting stronger.
Elior needed to get a better grasp of his Arcana.
"I have this pest of a system to blame for this."
A translucent window appeared before him at that particular moment as if to mock him.
[ SYSTEM ]
[ ELIOR VAYNE ]
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
[TECHNIQUES]
◆ Ignum — Cloaks the user in darkness.
◆ Siskom — Allows brief movement through the air.
◆ Aero Slash — Releases compressed wind from the fingertips.
◆ Shadow Flicker — Miniature Ignum.
Duration: 5–10 sec.
◆ Arc Slash [UNLOCKED]
Releases crescent-shaped lightning waves from each swing.
[AURA]
◆ First Pulse: Arc Veil
Channels mana into the blade, increasing sharpness and precision.
Aura was discovered by Specialist Kaien Ardesh.
[SKILL]
Crown of Logic
Suppresses emotional interference, allowing combat through pure logic.
[COMBAT STYLE]
Ranko Stance
A balanced style focused on speed, counters, feints and precision.
⚠️ Breaking concentration causes severe pain.
[WEAPONS AND RELICS ]
Kurotsume
Rank: C — Dormant
Attribute: Darkness / Void
Eclipse Edge — Passive
Devours enemy mana upon contact.
Oblivion Fang — LOCKED
Creates a Void Slash capable of erasing energy constructs.
Eidolon Sigil — Mythic Relic
Copies compatible, non-divine skills.
Cooldown: 1 day/stack
[VITAL WARNING]: Exceeding capacity causes backlash and 30-day shutdown.
[ARTIFACTS]
Lunathorn Veil — Stabilizes mana and unlocks more hidden Kurotsume techniques. AetherSeed — +200% Arcana potential; evolves Kurotsume.
Chim
[NOTIFICATION: Y/N]
Elior just stared at the system
"Fuck off"
Chim
[NOTIFICATION: Y/N]
Elior sighed
"No way of getting out of this one"
He clicked
No
"I hope that makes it go away"
Chim
╔═════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
NOTIFICATION: ACCEPTED
Avoid the death of Valenor Head at the upcoming annual Hunt.
REWARD: Breakthrough to the Initiate Rank
EXTRA REWARD: A page on the Forgotten Swordsman
GOODLUCK
╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
Silence.
Elior's eyebrow twitched.
"You fucker."
"Why then give me the option of clicking Yes or No"
But staring at the rewards on the screen, Elior couldn't help but feel curious.
'Breakthrough to the Initiate Rank would be worth it.'
But...
'A page on the Forgotten Swordsman?'
'What could that be about, I don't ever recall this in the novel'
Elior stared at the screen curiously
'High reward for high risk'
"Elior, I hope you're ready."
Snapping out of his rage, Elior spoke calmly.
"Coming."
*******
Walking through the streets of Solariath, Elior and Lyra walked hand in hand.
The city was alive with activity.
Merchants called out from their stalls while people moved through the crowded streets. The smell of freshly cooked food drifted through the air, mixing with the voices of the merchants and pedestrians.
Stopping at almost every stall, Lyra and Elior bought whatever caught their attention.
"Oh, Miss Lyra!"
"How are you doing?"
"I really appreciate what you did for my family."
"I hope you're showing them who's boss at school!"
Everywhere Elior went with Lyra, only good praise was sung about her.
Lyra cheerfully replied to each of them.
She felt extremely at ease around them.
Did he feel jealous?
No
Instead-
That made Elior smile.
Guess Elior being alive really influences the changes of Lyra compared to how he wrote her in the novel.
Staring at Elior, Lyra muttered smugly,
"How does it feel to walk side by side with me?"
Elior retorted with a sly smile.
"I feel extremely grateful, my heir."
Chuckle.
Both laughed at their little bickering.
Wish these little moments could stay like this.
Lyra smiled at Elior.
"Hey, do you know I had a dream as a kid?"
Elior simply stared at her.
"I'm talking with myself, so pay no mind."
"Mmmm."
Lyra looked toward the city around them.
"I want to take Solariath out of this wretched state it's in."
But—
She bit her lip hard.
"The only way I can do that is as the head and leader of the Union."
She suddenly twirled around to face Elior.
The sunlight reflected across her face as she threw him a wide grin.
For a moment, she looked nothing short of immaculate.
"So, help me once I need the help. And also, watch over me."
"Okay?"
Chuckle.
What a very big dream.
One that could even put her in danger for a rather long time.
But—
That didn't mean it wasn't precious.
It was worth protecting.
It was worth changing the future for.
A grin flashed across Elior's face.
"Yeah, sis."
And with that, Elior and Lyra fist-bumped.
'The future is changing'
'And am here front row to all of those changes'
"Elior, is that you?"
Elior froze.
"Aria?"