The next morning, I woke up pretty early. Maybe it was because of how action-packed the last week had been, but instead of feeling stressed, I felt surprisingly relaxed. I went through my morning drills. My parents were a bit surprised I could use aura already, but my training had been adjusted accordingly. Dad said we'd be doing light sparring from now on, which meant I had to get stronger—otherwise, it would be pure torture.
After training, I found my sister in her study. The room smelled faintly of old paper and ink, and the shelves were packed with thick, dusty books about magic. It was mostly theory at first.
"Wow, that is one massive book," I muttered, eyeing a tome bigger than my head.
"Definitely. I wonder if they have books to boost intelligence," she teased with a smirk.
"Ha, very funny," I shot back just as she walked in carrying a stack of enormous books.
How is anyone supposed to read that? I wondered, staring at the intimidating spines.
"Kael," she called.
"Yes, ma'am," I replied swiftly.
"You have one week to finish this," she said, handing me the biggest book of them all.
I read the title on the cover: Introduction to Magic. On the back, Baby Steps to Utilize Mana.
"Hmm… sis, I think you made a mistake," I said, pointing to the book.
"What?"
"Well, this seems like it's for babies," I said, glancing at the childish font and simple wording.
"They are. And you're supposed to finish them in two weeks," Lilia said, handing me two more books.
What's with these useless titles? I sighed silently.
"You'll be giving a summary in two weeks," she added, heading for the door.
"You can't be serious," I protested.
"If you don't finish, there'll be penalties," she said without even looking back.
"Damn her," I muttered quietly. I couldn't let her hear that—it would be grounds for getting reamed.
"Don't worry. The author probably wrote it so even stupid people could understand, so your sister's just making sure you don't mess up," Erelya said from behind me. If she wasn't so much stronger than me, I might have punched her.
And just like that, two weeks passed.
---
Two weeks later, despite my protests, I'd actually read the entire book—just in case there was something valid for her quiz.
"None," I muttered.
"What?" Erelya asked.
"Nothing. There was absolutely nothing new in that book. It was so damn useless," I snapped in frustration.
"Well, it did say it was for babies, didn't it?" she asked, probably wondering why I bothered reading it.
"I did it because there might have been some new concept or something," I replied, still irritated.
"Hmm." She just stared at me blankly.
"My sister's a prodigy, so I had to be sure," I sighed.
I already knew everything in that book. Talk about wasting two weeks of my life—time I could've spent doing something better. Not to mention, I still had to spar with Dad on weekends. Some days I felt like dying.
I retreated to my room to calm my head before the quiz, which I was sure would be a pain.
---
Later that day…
"At least you're sure it'll be easy," Erelya said with a smile.
"Yeah, that stuff was basic," I said, feeling like I was about to battle on easy mode.
"By the way, use that mind link thing you did," I told her.
"Why should I? You're the one who told me to stop," she complained.
"That's because you were invading my mental privacy," I shot back.
"Anyway, just do it. I told you only to use it when I ask," I said, but she just shot me a glare and looked away. A magic circle appeared at her fingertips.
"Done," she said, pouting.
"Thanks. But are you sure it's done? You might be trolling me," I said, suspicious.
Damn, Erelya is useless at times, I thought.
"What did you say?" she snapped, clearly pissed—but at least the spell worked.
---
When I reached my sister's room, she was sitting at her desk, a chair positioned in front of it.
"Sit," she instructed.
"Thanks," I said, feeling oddly motivated.
"First question," she said, closing the book she was reading. "Best way to utilize mana for long-distance fights."
I stared at her blankly.
"Sis, that wasn't in the book you gave me," I told her, thinking she'd ask something else.
"I know. Now answer quickly."
She must be one of those teachers, Erelya muttered in my mind.
"What teachers?" I asked.
"Well, those teachers who don't teach much but give brutal tests," she explained.
"Then how is that teaching?" I wondered aloud.
"Um… Sis, I can't answer that. It wasn't in the books," I protested.
"The answer's rune magic. Didn't you do any research?" she said, glaring daggers into my soul.
"Okay, but you only gave me those books to read," I argued before Mom entered the room.
"Oh, my babies! Mommy's so proud of you," Mom said, patting my sister's head. I decided to tell her what had just happened.
"Mom, Lilia made me read this kids' magic guide," I said.
"That's wonderful!" Mom smiled.
"No, that's not the issue. She gave me that, but now she's asking advanced questions," I continued.
"Hmm… that does seem like an issue," Mom said thoughtfully.
"Okay, how about this? I'll teach you for the next week," she offered.
"Why? I already read the material she gave me," I begged.
"Don't you think you're too big for books like that? Your sister's going back to school soon," she said.
Makes sense. Don't you think? Erelya whispered.
"Yeah, considering I don't know much about magic," I admitted.
"Okay, I'll do it," I agreed.
"Good. But soon, you'll have to leave me and go to school by yourself," Mom said, a tear in her eye.
I'm not really her kid, so why is she so attached? I wondered.
"School isn't easy. You'll have to practice a lot. You understand?" Lilia said, encouraging.
"Yes," I replied.
---
Despite my complaints, reading the advanced books Mom gave me wasn't easy. I couldn't even imagine what school would be like if reading just this much was hard.
"At least it's advanced," I muttered, recalling the titles:
Understanding Mana 101,
The Effect of Mana on Life,
War Guide to Effective Mana Usage.
Those titles were horrible—and the books were massive.
"Those things were huge," I muttered.
"You can say that again," Erelya echoed. She didn't read; she was already a genius at magic—but she felt sorry for me.
And just like that, a week passed, and the quiz day arrived. Contrary to my expectations, the questions were easy.
"You're doing well," Mom said, smiling.
Weren't you a commoner? Since when could you read? Erelya asked, puzzled.
"Um… since I learned to," I replied dryly.
---
While the quizzing and reading never stopped, rest days came eventually. Soon, my sister was returning to school.
I had to wake up early to prepare for her departure. I still did my morning drills, but reading was suspended until evening.
My parents decided it was a good idea to take me to the school my sister attended: Dravenhart Royal Academy.
"That name is so unoriginal," I sighed.
"Right," Erelya agreed beside me.
"Imagine this—a school in the demon realm called 'Demon Realm Academy,'" I said, holding back a laugh.
"Bwahahaha! That's so dumb!" she laughed.
"The sad part? It was named by nobles," I said as we stepped outside.
I wasn't too keen on going with them,but no choice.
"Morning, Mother and Father," I said.
"Morning!" Mom squealed, while Dad gave a curt nod.
Just then, my sister came out looking peppy in her uniform.
"I've got to say, despite the horrible name, the uniform's nice," I said, eyeing her.
"Yup, and she's beautiful—that's basically free advertising," Erelya smiled.
Seeing Erelya like that made me wonder why she acted so differently around Vlad. I didn't want to ruin this moment by asking.
---
The trip was quick and smooth—after all, we were already in the capital, and Dad was a general in the army. The Vireharts mostly held military power.
We wandered the campus while my parents handled paperwork, and I was told—told—to explore.
The grounds were massive. Not "a bit big," not "wow, spacious"—no. This place was absurd. Marble paths branched out like veins, winding through trimmed hedges, towering statues, and fountains that looked like they could house sea gods.
"Damn," Erelya breathed, spinning mid-air. "This place is enormous."
"You can say that again," I muttered, already regretting my life choices. "My legs are dying."
"You've been walking for, like, ten minutes."
"It's been forever," I grumbled. "And you're floating, traitor."
She laughed, doing lazy backflips in the air like a smug cat with wings. Not helpful.
Students strolled around us like we didn't exist—most in pristine uniforms, chatting, laughing, or casting spells like they were showing off. Someone zipped by overhead on a wind disk. Another summoned a fire spirit to light her scroll.
I suddenly felt like I'd shown up to a sword fight with a butter knife.
We passed a garden where magical herbs glowed faintly under glass domes, a dueling arena echoing with clashing steel, and even a damn pet sanctuary for familiars. One kid was petting a giant ghost wolf like it was a puppy.
I blinked. "This is a school?"
"This is a flex," Erelya snorted. "The tuition probably costs your soul."
Wouldn't be surprised.
Then, curse my luck, some noble girls approached.
"Hey, cutie," one said.
"How are you?" another asked, giggling over how fine I looked. Honestly, it felt pretty nice.
"Aren't you glad I did that remodeling? You look so much better now," Erelya said smugly.
"I won't deny it, but I didn't want this attention," I sighed.
"Which family are you from?" one suddenly asked.
What do they mean? I asked Erelya.
"Probably your house, like your family name," she answered.
"I'm a Virehart," I said.
"Huh, Virehart? But that means—" she started, disgusted.
"You're a commoner!" another shouted.
So rude, Erelya muttered under her breath.
"I had my hands all over this guy!" screamed the first girl, looking at her hands in disgust.
"I didn't tell you to put your hands all over me," I said flatly. Just because I was a commoner didn't mean they could do whatever they wanted.
"And didn't you put your hands all over me because you thought I was cute?" I said coldly.
"I never forc—" Before I could finish, she slapped me hard.
Who does this bitch think she is? That's my vessel! Erelya screamed angrily.
I didn't care—it didn't really hurt. I was tough after all—but I couldn't let these girls trample all over me.
"Hey, why did you do that?" I asked, trying to calm myself.
"Do what—?" I didn't let her finish before slapping her back. I'm sure she'd never forget that.
I must have looked like a threat because the others scattered like I was some wild beast. Not that I let them escape. After I got back at every one of them, my parents arrived—and were actually okay with it.
"You're so lucky," Erelya said as we waited outside the principal's office for my parents to sort things out.
"Honestly, they were just like, 'Keep up the good work,'" I said, mimicking Dad and laughing.
"Haha, they won't ever forget that for sure," she said, trying to stop laughing.
That day came to be known as Operation: Equal Rights, Equal Fights—and Kael had no idea what fate had in store for him when he would start schooling there. But that's a story for another day.