"You're quite late, something good happened with your cultivation?"
During the times that the two of them stay within their manor in the capital, Arthur, as he duels with this son of his day by day, couldn't help but start getting more and more interested in the method of attaining strength that is cultivation, the miniscule, but still observable improvement that the young man experiences every single day something that he had never experienced during his long life of tempering himself through mana and magic.
Hence also the reason as to why right now, even with his initial thought being holding back on cultivating at least until the issues he have to handle was settled, he is now already starting to convert his strength from mana into spirit energy, the process of his actual stage in magic receding as he does so something that bothers in when he was just starting, yet when he noticed that his strength never decreases even with the gradual loss of his mana, he couldn't help but feel like there's a new door that opened for him.
"Well, yeah, old man, some good things…"
Seeing the inquisitive look on his father's eyes, Argus agrees as he clenches his fist in an unhurried manner, this alone making the war veteran of a father he has to feel a bit shocked as the simple motion turns into a demonstration of sheer, raw power, the air around them turning into a gust that rustled both their long, ashen hair, a smile forming on the father's face as he felt like his son had grown into a completely different level once again.
"This old man is quite worried about you at first, my child, but it seems like the worry of an old man is quite the unnecessary one"
The father said in a wry tone as he shakes his head, the progress that his son had shown during these days of duel making even him feel like it wouldn't take a long while for his son to reach and eventually surpass him in terms of martial and combat prowess, well, of course, that is only if he insisted on continuing his path through mana when he can go and switch to cultivation instead.
'With this cultivation, I think I've bought myself a few more years before our kid surpassed me, Alissa'
The Sword Dragon thought to himself as a wry smile appears on his face, the reminiscence of the past where his family is complete, holding his beloved and his son on both of his arms making the smile grow all the dimmer, that smile being changed into something completely different as he heard his child's reply to his words.
"That I agree, old man, I'd rather have flocks of ladies worrying about me instead"
Those words, despite sounding quite offensive to some ears, lifts the war veteran's mood up as he looked baffled, staring at his son's cheeky smile, that remark making the smile on his face change into an amused one as well, the two of them staring at each other like that for only a few moments before they starts cracking and cackling, the laughter of two men so loud that if one's hearing is gifted, they might be able to get a faint trace of those laughter despite the soundproofing of the carriage they are currently in.
"You've changed, my boy, you've grown quite lecherous, ahem no… amorous as well, I see"
The father jokingly remarked, the smile not wavering from his face as he does so, the son replying with quite the playfulness as well, the image of these two something that is completely different from how they usually are whenever they are talking to each other.
"I never change, I've grown, old man, besides, when it comes to things like that, didn't I only take after you? Alaric mentioned me one time that before mother, you're quite the 'hot-blooded' young man as well, he said that you were only folded exactly because it is mother"
"What? How could that be? That bastard Alaric is only making stories, don't' always believe his words so readily, boy"
"You're face shows a completely different story though, old man, yet you're claiming that you're not a menace back then?"
"Not that, what I mean is I was never tamed by your mother, it was the other way around!!"
"Hahaha, sure, sure, old man"
"This kid…"
Almost as if the two of them are only now truly talking to each other, the father and son's topic never ran out all the way until they are finally entering the famed academy of the Kyrios Empire, Lumencia, the main roads of the four cardinal direction all leading to the fourth level of the capital starting to get quite packed with carriages all around, signifying just how much aspirants who wants to enter the academy are, all of them talents who already made a little name for themselves at the very least.
This time of the year is always the one that makes the entire fourth level the liveliest, the number of people within the center of the capital reaching an all-time high as aspirants, along with their elders and guardians gathered, and yet at the end of it all, there are only a select few that can enter the academy, and every single one of those who fails to meet its standard has this chance of their lives forever gone from their hands.
Despite that though, most, if not all these participants are still willing to risk their all in order to get a better chance to reach the standards of the academy, the sole silver lining for every single one of them being the uniqueness of the way the academy accept their freshmen, not having a fixed amount of quota and receiving every single aspirant so long as they reach the standard the academy is looking for.
And as each and every single one of those carriages finally reaches the location of the Lumencia Academy, the elders and guardians starts saying their farewell for their descendants and juniors, nervousness also taking root in their heart as they know full well, even without knowing the content of the trials, that their young ones are going to be in for a lot of suffering there, the only hopes of these elders having their juniors returning safely to them, and the admittance to this prestigious academy just being a great, massive bonus.
Carriage after carriage entering, it was finally the Draconia's turn, the war veteran, returning to the place where he first spread his wings, and his son, entering first time and not all the same, as while it is already the second time for his soul, the recollection of his suffering and his father's hardships because of it in the past making him grit his teeth as he swore to never let anything similar to his experiences in his past life to ever happen again.
While his soul continues to swore to this however, his body, having entered here for the first time, triggers this childish nature on the back of his mind, a little trembling of the hands snapping him out of his remorseful daze as he had come to realize that it is not only negative emotions such as regrets that is flowing into him right now, but a great excitement as well.
Excitement that is further amplified as he heard words of encouragement from the one who had taken care of him in his youth the most.
"It's kind of awkward for me to call myself by my title but, go ahead, boy, show them the blood of the Sword Dragon running through your veins"