*** Julius POV - Secluded Forest
ZIP!
One wooden dummy was decapitated.
ZIP!
Another one in less than a second.
ZIP!
And finally, the last one, destroyed at the same time as the previous one.
As fast as light and as precise as a surgeon.
That was everything that I've been called as a child, a prodigy born from the concubine of a duke.
A bastard, a threat to succession.
"How was I?"
I asked Marcellus, wiping sweat from my face as I rested for a bit.
Training for the tournament was harder than I thought, especially with the sudden increase in new, powerful students.
And here I thought only 2 to 3 S-Ranks would appear every new school year; I certainly didn't expect there to be over 10 of us.
It was record-breaking.
But what definitely concerned me most was Evelina's new pawn.
Cael Arden.
I couldn't help but feel... threatened by him.
"You beat your personal best in record time."
Marcellus replied, snapping me away from my thoughts.
The legitimate child of the Lionbright family, but unlike the rest of the Lionbrights, he was the only one who paid attention to me, someone who treated me like family despite me being a bastard.
"Think we can get the highest rank in the tournament?"
"Probably, Lady D'Arclight and her new lover might be a problem, though."
"Are you really gonna call him her lover?"
Marcellus grinned, resting his sword on his shoulder as he leaned against a tree.
"With how they're acting, pretty much."
Marcellus looked at the top of the tree he was leaning on, curiosity filling his face.
"Hey, can you time me on how fast I can get to the top of this tree?"
"Is that your idea of training?" I laugh. What would climbing a tree do to help him with the tournament?
At the very least, he should practice his swordsmanship. While he might be magically stronger, when someone even gets slightly close to him, he's as helpless as a C-Rank.
"Says the sword prodigy." Marcellus laughed, backing away from the tree and calculating the best way to maneuver to the top.
"I'm no good with the sword, but if I just learn how to maneuver and move quickly, I might not need to learn it at all."
BOOM!
The ground below Marcellus detonated as he moved quickly, sparks of electricity flowing through the ground from his feet as he sprinted.
[Light Whip]
CRACK!
The whip latched onto the bark of the tree, Marcellus pulling it as hard as he could to use it as leverage to launch himself above at high speeds.
FWOOSH!
He flew high in the air, but it still wasn't enough to get him to the top.
"Out of ideas, brother?" I asked, shouting from below.
"Not even close!"
Marcellus laughed, electricity once again flowing on his shoes as he stepped on the tree's bark, using the momentum he had built up to run circles around the tree's shaft until he reached the top.
Quick and efficient.
I might have been fast and surgical, but Marcellus was nimble and creative.
The two of us covered for each other's weaknesses.
"Two seconds!"
I yelled out from below the time it took for him to climb the tall tree.
"Two...!?"
Marcellus groaned in irritation. While it may have sounded fast, any normal magic attack would have likely already reached the top of the tree in that time as well.
"Tch..."
He jumped from the tree.
[Light Displacement]
A simple spell that allowed light users to travel very short distances instantly, but it also had the side effect of completely removing momentum.
One of its weaknesses and strengths.
Like completely removing the momentum of falling and allowing anyone to land safely without any problem.
"Guess that's not viable."
Marcellus murmured, thinking of more ideas on how to get an edge in the tournament.
"I suggest dodging instead of relying on pure speed like me."
I replied, being nimble was his strength after all.
"Don't think I already know that?" He sighed, sitting cross-legged on the ground. "It doesn't hurt to develop another skill, you know?"
"You two are here as well...?"
A faint voice came from the bushes just behind the trees.
Marcellus moved quickly, readying his sword and preparing to strike at any second.
I didn't waste time as well and positioned myself beside him, ensuring to cover each other.
"Relax, you two."
The voice was clearer this time, as soft and charming as a lily; it was enough to make both of us lower our defenses.
It could only belong to one person.
Lillian Valemont.
The Pride and Joy of the Valemont Family.
Evelina's only true rival was when it came to both beauty and skill, but unlike her, she was as kind and loving as an angel.
"Lady Valemont?"
Marcellus raised a brow, completely relaxing his stance and dropping his sword to the ground.
Noble courtesy demanded that he not hold a sword in front of a lady.
"Lord Lionbright..."
Lillian fully emerged from behind the bushes.
Her hair was a beautiful white, and her eyes were as clear as the sky.
She wore the academy uniform properly, without excessive customization or embellishment, yet somehow it suited her better than most. Clean, composed, and unassuming.
If I weren't any wiser, I would have mistaken her for Evelina's twin.
Both their beauty was near perfect, and while I wasn't particularly interested in Evelina, I couldn't deny that she was definitely beautiful, same like her.
"I didn't mean to interrupt," she said softly, hands clasped in front of her. "I was just… surprised to sense familiar mana signatures out here."
Her gaze briefly shifted to the destroyed dummies, then to me.
"Lord Julius..."
She bowed briefly.
Calling me by my first name due to my status as a bastard.
"Lady Valemont."
I bowed back.