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The young baron’s instinct warned of potential danger and forced him awake. Arlan jerked up to see two different maids setting up his outfit for the day. The maids noticed the young baron and instantly bowed. They both simultaneously greeted, “Good morning, Master Arlan.”
“Good morning, what are your names?”
“My name is Helga, Master Arlan.”
“My name is Lynn, Master Alran.” Both maids had petite bodies with white hair and were in their early twenties.
“Thank you, you may call me Arlan when it's just us.” said Arlan as he got out of bed. He made his way to the clothes left out only to have the maids start undressing him. Arlan forgot to tell the two maids that he’d change himself but decided it was too late.
The outfit was a simple white tunic with a thin grey overcoat with red linings and a buttoned collar. Arlan’s sigil was pinned to the collar to represent his first day as a Reeve.
“The Duke brought some gifts for you at your desk.” stated Helga. Arlan thanked Helga and moved over to see what his father had bestowed upon him. It was a refined leather belt with a shortsword attached to it. Golden lions lined the black scabbard while the blade was twenty inches long. Arlan decided to draw the blade out.
It was the same color as Duke Reeve’s longsword. A fat smile struck Arlan as he realized it’s material. Arlan had read about this light, illustrious, and rare metal. Mithril was used by rich nobles, high rank adventurers, and military commanders.
Only two other metals were stronger. Adamantium and Meteorite. There are only eight known adamantium weapons in the Midland Kingdom. While no one has seen a Meteorite weapon in centuries.
The young baron equipped the leather belt to his hip with the mithril shortsword dangling on the left. Now that he was no longer a commoner, he needed to dress the part. The outfit, sigil and sword were representations of his wealth and status within the Reeve family.
Satisfied with his preparations, Arlan left the room towards the dining hall. His two maids followed behind a short distance. Throughout Highmane were many elite guards in full plate armor. Anytime Arlan walked by them, they’d stand upright and bring their right fist to the center of their upper chest, this was the Midland salute.
The savory aroma of turkey sausages and bacon seduced Arlan to the dining hall. Countess Vivia and her daughters were already eating at the table. “Arlan, join us for breakfast, my dear.” commanded Countess Vivia, “Louis and Emile are both attending to a small matter. We started without them.”
Arlan sat down next to Katalina. As if they predicted the future, the servants set a plate of the hot savory breakfast in front of the hungry young boy. He ravenously devoured his food. Katalina’s face evolved into pure curiosity at Arlan’s demonic eating speeds causing Countess Vivia to let out a small laugh. Katalina finally asked, “Arlan, are you even from this world?”
You have no idea, Katalina. You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.
“Probably not.” replied Arlan in a sarcastic, yet joking manner. The younger sister, Katherine joined her mother in giggling at the two. Katalina didn’t understand the joke.
“My father tells me you’ll be attending Lancel High Academy as well.”
“Yes, Katalina. Will you be attending as well?”
“Of course I am! I’ve been preparing for this my whole life. I was born with advanced mana manipulation. With that, I can learn to cast spells.”
Hearing that Katalina was born with advanced mana manipulation, Arlan’s interest in their small talk grew a bit more.
“Arlan,” interjected Countess Vivia, “You’ll both be attending Lancel High Academy together. Please look after Katalina when you’re there. I hear you’re quite the capable fighter.”
“I will protect her with my life, Countess Vivia.” proclaimed Arlan in a confident and graceful manner. It was like a different person had taken over Arlan when he spoke to the Countess. Eating the final bite of his meal signaled Arlan to excuse himself from the dining hall. He was to see Count Emile in the council room.
As a testament to the size of Highmane, It took two minutes to arrive at the council room from the dining hall. Two Heracul Knights were guarding the door. Both saluted and stated that Arlan was expected.
Entering the council room revealed Arlan’s adopted father and uncle surrounded by several nobles and a familiar armored knight. That knight was Lord Commander Jermain. They were in mid debate.
Arlan caught bits of the discussion as he approached but it was not his place to ask or intervene. It had to do with bandits in Dolaga Fields.
When the Duke noticed his son had entered, he ended the discussion by declaring he’d personally see to the matter. He was excited to see if Arlan had liked the gift. “Everyone, this is my son, Arlan.” said the Duke as everyone all bowed. Arlan responded with his own bow as well.
The nobles filed out of the room shortly after. Lord Commander Jermain stayed behind with the Reeves brothers. The Duke pointed to the sword at his son’s hip and asked, “Arlan, is the sword to your liking?”
“The sword fits me well, father, thank you.” replied Arlan. He always enjoyed receiving weapons as gifts, even before he came to Althea.
“It’s the same sword given to me by my father at your age.” said the Duke with a proud smile, “Now start your daily lesson with your uncle and come to the training hall in two hours.” ordered the Duke as he left with Lord Commander Jermain. Count Emile pointed to a seat next to him, signalling for Arlan to take that seat.
“Let’s start your first lesson. Today, I’m going to teach you about the Seven Great Houses and how they rule over Midland. We’ll also cover topics regarding the trade, laws, culture and nobility of the Northeastern region. Use the parchment and quill for notes.” instructed Count Emile as he grabbed multiple books from a nearby bookshelf.
Arlan wasn’t good at fighting because he spent his former life as a soldier, he was good at fighting because he had the ability to process information at an abnormal rate. As if his mind was a computer, he’d always come up with the right plan or strategy in order to win. This wasn’t limited to battle or wars.
On Terra, the Federation Military hailed Rove as a war genius due to his unparalleled strategy and tactics. He was quickly promoted and became the youngest Field General at twenty-one.
When he woke up as Arlan, his body was fragile but his mind was left untouched. Arlan never passed up any opportunities to gather intel. He was like a sponge, ready to soak in information.
After thirty minutes into the lesson, Count Emile was impressed by Arlan’s comprehension skills. Most young nobles would find the subject boring but Arlan showed true interest in the lesson. The uncle realized that his nephew wasn't only a capable fighter, but was also very intelligent. To keep up with Arlan, Count Emile had to increase the speed of his lecture. Even when a minute wasn’t wasted, two hours went by quickly.
Count Emile finished shelving the last book when he turned to his pupil and said, “Arlan, I’m impressed that you learn at a rate ten fold faster than anyone I’ve ever seen.”
“Knowledge and information are considered dangerous weapons as well.” stated Arlan.
“Only fourteen and you’re wiser than most people twice your age. Head down to the training hall. Word of advice, I know you’re strong but your father's strength is unrivaled. He’s been called the Lion’s Claw for a reason.”
“Uncle Emile, thank you for the lesson and advice. Until next time.” Arlan replied as he bowed and exited the room.
The young baron made his way through Highmane once more. As a testament to the castle's size, Arlan greeted at least thirty different servants and guards before reaching the training hall. Loud metal colliding could be heard from within.
Entering the hall revealed Duke Louis Reeve dueling with Lord Commander Jermain, both combatants donned their full battle regalia. The veteran warriors traded blows with full might.
While Arlan watched, Helga and Lynn came up behind him with a steel cuirass. It’s quite difficult to put on armor alone, so Arlan allowed the two maids to assist him. Once the maids finished, Arlan heard the intensity grow. Sparks erupted from where their death machines made contact.
Lord Commander Jermain wielded a halberd, a spear with an axe blade accompanying the spearhead. Arlan noticed that the bladed area at the end of the halberd was charcoal black.
That halberd must be made of darksteel. I’ve read that it’s twice the weight of normal steel weaponry but much stronger and durable. It’s right under mithril in terms of power. The massive extra weight means this isn’t an easy weapon to use. That knight must have incredible strength and training to wield such a heavy weapon.
Arlan activated his [Battle Trance] so he could read the fight better. After a short stalemate, Lord Commander Jermain channeled large amounts of essence in preparation for an attack. The Duke responded by taking a few steps back and assumed a defensive posture. Milliseconds after, the knight swung his darksteel halberd horizontally at the Duke. Something peculiar caught Arlan’s eyes, an apparition of a bull’s head manifested itself within the swing.
I need to figure out if that attack was related to his weapon or some kind of skill like [Battle Trance].
Right before the knight’s mysterious attack reached its destination, a monstrous pressure erupted. The Duke thrusted his mithril longsword into the darksteel halberd’s axeblade. Lord Commander Jermain’s swing was violently recoiled, pushing him back several meters. The essence used by the Duke was four times the amount Arlan currently had.
[Battle Trance] revealed gargantuan amounts of essence flowing from these two. Arlan was sure that the Duke didn’t have this much when they first surrounded him, probably because he wasn’t actively channeling any. Although the Lord Commander had half the essence of the Duke, it was still double Arlan’s current capacity.
The outcome of the duel had been decided after the mysterious bull attack was deflected. Lord Commander Jermain conceded to the Duke with a salute and bow. The Duke replied with a salute as well. The Lord Commander Jermain left the middle of the training area after being acknowledged.
The Duke motioned his adopted son to the center of the training hall. “Come Arlan, swing your blade at me with all your might.” ordered the Duke to his son. The young baron silently accepted his father’s orders. He drew his mithril shortsword and assumed the position where the Lord Commander stood during the duel. Both the Duke and Arlan released their killing intent. Everyone in the room instantly felt that this young boy was no ordinary man. To be able to exude such murderous aura and stand before the Duke with no ounce of fear, it was a spectacle.
When Arlan stood before the Duke, he was reminded of his current body's disadvantages. He was tremendously smaller and more fragile than his new father. The Duke towered over his son at six feet and five inches. The young baron was about fifteen inches shorter.
In preparation for his first duel with the Duke, Arlan channeled all of his essence into his body. After leveling up, he now had access to fifteen percent of his total essence capacity. But even that wouldn’t be enough to match the duke just yet.
The young Reeve started with a downward diagonal strike against the older Reeve. The Duke responded with a perfect parry. Sparks exploded as the weapons collided. A loud metal clang complimented the entire training hall.
Arlan increased the speed of his swings to look for an opening. With no results, the Duke maintained his posture while he effortlessly blocked each strike. The old Reeve did this with one hand on his sword.
My instincts say to use the skill called [Trifecta] and it feels like I know how it works. I guess there’s no better time to use it.
Arlan still had a good surplus of his essence and focused on how he could activate his new ability. He’d taken a pause from striking the Duke to see how this ability would work.
Activating [Battle Trance] was a simple on and off thought. Maybe attack skills activate with a use thought? Use [Trifecta].
As if Arlan clicked a button, [Trifecta] activated. Arlan lept two feet up while spinning. His blade was swung at the Duke with twice the amount of power, something amplified his attack.
The first hit was blocked by the Duke’s guard but the ferocity pushed the old Reeve back a few feet. Arlan wasn’t finished, [Trifecta] had two more attacks behind it. The two strikes followed up within a quarter of a second. The Duke blocked the second hit again but this time with both hands and didn’t move back.
On the third hit, the same pressure that erupted earlier, blew up once more. This time, Arlan was sent flying back several meters but rebounded on his feet. The Duke had used a skill to deflect the final attack from [Trifecta]. The young warrior looked up to see his father holding up his hand.
“That was Impressive Arlan, your stance is strange, but it’s like you’ve honed it to near perfection for a decade already.” said the Duke as he sheathed his sword, “You also performed a Mar-tech I’ve never seen before.”
“I’m sorry but I don’t know what a Mar-tech is. Please enlighten me, father.” stated Arlan.
“Martial techniques.” answered the Duke, “They’re special attacks and abilities gifted by the war gods to the first humans. Mar-tech was passed down over thousands of years. Some of it’s been lost forever, while some are widely known. There are two ways to fight, one is to enhance your physical body with essence or to use magic. Magic can also enhance your body or conjure up powerful elemental attacks. Both are equally powerful.”
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