Ludia and Hansen, these two were a noble couple that was put together in a political marriage. Surprisingly enough, their relationship seemed to work out. They both had an incredible bond and deeply loved each other. They were both considered well-renowned royals with great power, so people didn't expect that their relationship would be bonded by love.
With their love, they created Gray into this world, their most treasured child.
{It has been three years of living in this other world.}
"Master Gray, please slow down!" Lavenda pleaded. "If Ludia finds out about this, she'll kill me!" While running, Gray glanced back and locked eyes with Lavenda.
Lavenda was a small maid with brown hair, and Gray loved to bully her daily. Maybe it was because Lavenda was only two years older than him, or maybe it was because Gray was getting too lonely in this world.
He gave her a smirk, almost as if he was trying to tease her. Lavenda, seeing his cocky smirk, smiled with fumes coming out of her head. "O-Oh, if that's how you want to play, you little twerp." She appeared to be suppressing an intense feeling of anger but her actions said otherwise. She stomped through the halls like a vicious beast, trying to maul Gray to death. Gray increased his pace, but it was inevitable as he saw Lavenda nearly catching up to him. Gray began crying out of terror having seen his unavoidable doom. With a quick swoop, a butler with a monocle and long mustache picked up Gray. "Lavenda, please refrain from harassing the young master." the butler said.
Lavenda hollered at the butler at a high pitch, pointing at Gray aggressively. "No fair Howard, Gray started it again!" Howard stretched his stache before putting Gray down. "That doesn't mean you should cause such a ruckus early in the morning. Now, let's proceed in washing the clothes on the bottom floor." He took Lavenda's hand and led her away.
Howard was the head butler in the mansion. He had been working as a butler for about 32 years and was the best butler you could think of. He was perfect in any way and honed in on his craft of being the most proficient in any task he did. Out of the hundreds of maids and butlers that were in the mansion, Howard was the greatest out of all of them.
After that exhilarating morning, Gray was eager to go somewhere relaxing, and he knew just the spot to go. As per usual, Gray requested to go outside into the mansion's garden. The garden is located outside on the right side of the mansion, providing a great view of the sky. Gray has gone here multiple times throughout the year ever since his mother brought him there. Not just because this was a new experience for him, but because he just loved the view.
As a maid enters his bedroom, Gray is escorted out of his room and they make their way to the garden of the mansion. He could hear the voices of the other maids and butler talk behind his back with great surprise.
"It's been three years and young master can already walk perfectly and read books now!"
"I heard nobles give birth to major prodigies, but this is way more than expected."
"The Swayar family is known to produce strong users who hold great talents, I'm wondering what kind of talent does young master has."
When they arrived at the Garden, the maid sat on a wooden bench while Gray admired the view. The garden is filled with hundreds of gorgeous flowers spreading across the ground with vines growing up the sides. In the center of the garden stood a fountain with birds perched on its rim. Metal fencing surrounded the mansion, with the mansion taking place within a forest. Connecting to the mansion's entrance was a path that led to the Kenoble Kingdom. ("So this is the rich life.") he had thought. All Gray had in his old world was a hot room and a TV. A life of luxury like this was unimaginable.
Throughout the garden, many bugs and critters roam about. In this scene, Gray watched two butterflies flying close to flowers and a group of squirrels living in the trees. ("A family...") The thought loomed over him.
Gray was born into the Swayar family. A prestigious noble family that is well known throughout the continent. In this world, people are born with talents. Gray overheard that each person's talent represents their spirit creature and the magic they can control. He was intrigued about discovering his talent.
He heard some really strong talents were things such as The Dragon which can control Pure Flames or things such as The Griffin which can control the winds itself. The Swayar lineage has given out the strongest talent users known to date and Gray was their latest newborn. With this, Gray could safely assume that he'd also get a very strong talent too.
("I'll just leave it up to fate, for now, I can just rest until then.")
Ludia suddenly appeared and picked up Gray unexpectedly. "Are you enjoying the garden again?" Ludia asked. She then kissed Gray on the forehead but held it for a few more seconds. Gray held an uncomfortable expression as his mother kept smudging her lips against him.
She then withdrew Gray away from her lips and smiled brightly. "Guess what? Mommy has a surprise for you!" A horse carriage pulled up at the mansion's entrance behind the huge metal gate. "Today is the opening ceremony for you to determine your talent!" Ludia excitedly said. Ludia hugged Gray tightly, squishing his face against her bosom. "Oh, I can't wait to see what talent my child has!" she cried joyfully. Gray's face was smothered and he could hardly breathe from aggressive hugging.
Ludia ceased her actions for a moment and turned her head. Her husband, Hansen, approached the garden. "Hey honey, are you ready?" Hansen questioned. "Yes dear, I've gotten Gray as well," she said, walking up to Hansen. "Great, let's go to the palace now." Hansen spoke with a smile.
Ludia held Gray in her arms as she and Hansen entered the carriage together. In the carriage was a bulky and massive knight. His armor was spoiled with a ton of grime, and he held a massive greatsword on his back. Ludia took a seat and gazed at the knight. "Why hello there Rufard, it seems you were waiting patiently here!"
The knight turned his head to Ludia but made no noise. "Heh, quiet as usual huh Rufard?" Ludia said, leaning over to him. "Now, do not bother our knight, Ludia," Hansen stated, entering the carriage. Rufard fixed his gaze on Gray, looking straight into his eyes. Ludia witnessed this and raised Gray in the face of Rufard. "I see that you've noticed Gray! Isn't my baby adorable?" Ludia continued holding it up in front of Rufard's view, appearing to want a reaction from Rufard. The action only created an awkward situation between Gray and Rufard.
Gray tensed up, seeing the very serious demeanor of Rufard. He had such a bold face with an intense glare. He made no noise, looking deep into Gray's soul. Gray wanted him to stop as he was feeling uncomfortable in this situation. Gray attempted to speak, but as usual, only baby noises came out. "Bweh." Gray profusely sweats in humiliation at his loss to speak once again, thinking, ("I-I suck!")
Ludia let out a high-pitched scream of delight. "He's so cute!!!" Ludia passed Gray to Rufard, saying "You should hold him for the rest of the ride, he seems to like you a lot!" Rufard kept staring directly into Gray's eyes with a terrible glare, making the experience of being held by him even worse. ("MOM, STOP BEING SO ANNOYING!")
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Traveling through the path toward the kingdom, they arrive at the front gates of the Kenoble Kingdom. The guards at the front quickly do a check on the carriage with spears in their hands, peaking through the window. Afterward, they signal to open the gates of the kingdom. As the gates opened, the carriage made its way inside at a leisurely pace.
The moment they entered, Gray's perception of the world broadened. It was breathtaking. Everything was just like the fantasy books he read back on Earth. From the people that wore attire like in the Dark Ages to the guards roaming the streets in every corner. The houses were in a medieval style build, seeming to be like an exact replica of the books he read. Gray's expression was one of astonishment, causing Ludia to giggle. "Are you astonished, Gray? This is the kingdom of Kenoble, one of the wealthiest in the world."
As the carriage drew nearer to the royal castle, a magnificent castle made of marble and gold came into view. The entrance was cluttered with guards, all carrying spears. The guards stood in rows along the path they traversed, arranged on both sides. Up ahead, there were carriages planted everywhere around a fountain. It seemed other nobles had also arrived at the royal capital. Gray could see kids who looked to be around his age leaving the carriages with their families as well.
As they got off the carriage, Ludia held Gray's hand to help him keep his balance, as he almost tumbled. Hansen departed the carriage right after speaking, "Rufard, watch over Ludia and Gray while I take over some personal matters."
Rufard nodded, standing right behind Ludia and Gray. Gray still couldn't stand how menacing and tall Rufard was compared to him. ("What type of genetic mutations did you get to achieve that type of body?") Ludia pulled on Gray's arm, guiding him towards the entrance. "Come on, we can't be late for the ceremony!" Ludia proceeded to drag Gray along the ground, causing him to slide. Gray expected Rufard to do something, but all he did was casually walk beside Ludia who was committing these actions on her child. Ludia went past the entrance and pulled Gray through the ballroom, appearing to search for something particular in there. Ludia was very carefree and had a bright expression on her face.
The other nobles in the vicinity observed this behavior and were astonished. The Swayar family was known to be a serious family that had connections with the rulers of Kenoble itself, witnessing such a sight was disgraceful.
"Oh my, is that really Hansen's wife? There is no way she is that unruly."
"Is that their newborn as well? She's making a mockery out of him, he isn't even prepared for the occasion!" (Gray didn't change before coming here, he's still wearing his casual wear.)
"Hansen really married such a brute woman, she's staining the Swayar bloodline with her actions!"
Ludia casually ignored these comments as she continued dragging around Gray. "Gray, why not you go make some friends while mommy goes to do important business!" Ludia said, staring at a table filled with delectable dishes that were available to eat for free. With her eyes shining bright and her mouth salivating, she quickly set Gray down next to two kids talking and ran off to the food stand. Rufard quickly followed in pursuit of her, leaving Gray all alone.
There were 2 young children, all wearing dresses fit for the occasion, while Gray wore just his casual attire. One of them had orange hair with spikey hair. The other was a young girl with white hair and fox ears. Gray wondered if they were even natural fox ears or not. "Hey, how are you?" The orange-haired kid says. Gray didn't respond to avoid making a bizarre baby noise once more. "You're that kid from the Swayar family, right? Your mom created a pretty big spectacle with what just did."
"Um... that's pretty mean Jeron." the girl with the fox ears mentioned. "Sorry, for his rudeness, my name is Shima and this is my friend Jeron." she said, aiming her hand at the orange-haired boy. "We also have another friend, but his family is very restrictive of contact with us so we don't have many chances to talk with him." Shima said in a sad tone. Jeron suddenly smacked Shima in her back, making her jolt up in surprise. "You worrywart, don't worry about him! He's probably still training as usual so we should focus on catching up with him." he happily cheered.
Gray attempted to say something to ease in the discussion but even with all of his effort, he let out a baby noise once more.
"Buguh!"
Jeron and Shima fell silent upon hearing this.
"U-Uhm, so I heard the ceremony today was for us...!" Shima spoke.
("T-They ignored that!") Gray thought.
"Mhm, it's set up by the Swayar family and the rulers of the Kenoble kingdom to see what our talents are." Jeron commented. "This has been going on for years ever since the Swayar family has risen to power."
Shima's ears twitched in curiosity. "By the way Gray, how powerful is your family? You're from the Swayar family and my mom always talks about them." Gray nervously trying to avoid the question, looks around to try to think of an excuse. Jeron then stepped in out of nowhere, with a bold stance. "His family is so strong, it's said they rival the powers of 2 kingdoms combined!"
Shima's ears abruptly lifted, and her face contorted with terror. "T-Two kingdoms?!" Jeron nodded in response. "Yup, isn't that right Gray?"
All of a sudden, the lights in the kingdom flickered and ultimately went off completely. In the middle of the ballroom appeared to be Hansen himself. Jeron gestured towards the center and asked, "Isn't that your father?" The whole ballroom was silent as the moment was tense. Finally, the moment everyone has been waiting for has arrived - the ceremony.
Hansen clasped his hands together, looking at the crowd. "Welcome everybody, today is a special day." A blue orb descended downwards from the roof. It's filled with blue flames that swirl around it. "Today is the day where we commence the ceremony to see what the great children of this generation have to offer for their talents, let us begin."
One of the blue flames ascended over to Shima and planted itself in front of her. "Follow the spirit, it will guide you to what your talent is." Shima followed the blue flame as it moved towards the center of the orb. Next, the flame entered inside the blue orb.
The orb emits glowing text from within, saying,
{UNICORN}
The crowd erupts in cheers. As expected, it was something extraordinary, a rare talent had set foot in the world. Child prodigies were always found in this ceremony, and it has proven itself once more.
Another flame reached into the crowd, reaching another person. It was Jeron. Jeron smirked at Gray, saying, "It's my turn now, I hope it's something good!" Jeron strode up to the orb with a self-assured expression, exuding confidence. The flame once again went inside the orb, having text emit from the inside once again.
{GRIFFIN}
The crowd went wild. Once again, someone born with a rare type of talent steps foot into this world. Everyone began cheering that their nation had been blessed with another strong warrior. Gray was speechless that people were getting such rare talents by just being in noble families. Knowing that his luck in his original world was pretty solid and that he was born into one of the most powerful families, he knew he would get something good, but he had to just wait and find out.
Next came pure silence from the crowd. A young boy stepped up, already expecting a flame. He had dark hair and red eyes, with his eyes having no emotion in them. He looked heavily exhausted, almost like he was overworked nearly to death.
Gray eavesdropped on conversations happening within the crowd."Isn't that young man named Talus? He's from the Kumite family..." One person mentioned. "Oh gosh, it's just like what the rumors said, he's been forced to train too hard!" Another stated. Talus extended his hand towards the flame, and it obediently entered the orb as if under his command. The orb then radiated up with text, showing it to be the strongest of all rare talents.
{DRAGON}
Everyone was stunned. It was the strongest talent out of the rare types and given to those with burning passions. This confused nearly everyone though.
"Burning passion...?"
"That boy looks like he was drained of passion."
"He looks like he will end himself any second now."
"How did he get such a talent affixed to him under his conditions?!"
Then, stepping forward during this commotion was a plump man in a red court suit. He had a tiny mustache and frilled-up hair. "It is obvious what has happened, our training has suited our newest child to be given this God-given talent!" he announced. "It only made sense that our precious Talus would get such an amazing talent like this!" he said with an evil smirk.
It was continuing to sound more concerning, with Talus still having no hope in his eyes. This was all interrupted by Hansen. "Now, let's proceed to the final one. Come up, son, I know you're there." Gray, hearing his name, didn't want to go up there, not in front of all of these people. The thing is, if he didn't, his mom would probably drag him out of the crowd herself. Stepping to the middle led eyes from everywhere. Everybody was tensed up. Will Gray become another legend of the Swayar family or even go down into the history books itself? His predecessors put very high stakes and so even Gray was tensed up.
The flame connected itself to Gray and went into the orb. Outputting from the orb was...
{Nothing}
No text or even a reaction came from the orb. It was nothing. Nervously, Hansen smiled. "D-Don't worry everybody, if there is no reaction, that means Gray has a cheat talent!" The crowd gasped in surprise. Cheat talents were given to those who were personally picked by God himself and there are only three recorded Cheat Talents out there. Gray's heart dropped for a second before erupting in excitement. He expected this outcome of getting something amazing, but he needed to know what it was.
This time, a white flame appeared in front of him, different than the usual blue flame. It then merged with the orb, shining a bright light through the ballroom. This blinded everybody for a moment before showing what the output of the orb had said.
{Nothing}
Everybody was silent. Gray started sweating. He felt an intense amount of anxiety and he was embarrassed. ("I-I'm the only one who got nothing?") Then, the lights in the ballroom turned on. "I can't believe it, some talentless brat was born from the Swayar family?" the voice came from the top stairsteps in the ballroom. It was a lady in a huge dress blue dress. She had a blue crown, and she held a blue fan. Her dress held a very unique and expensive look, appearing to be someone in high power.
"It's the queen!" one person shouted in the crowd. Everyone proceeded to kneel, hearing those words.
"Hmph, I expected this outcome." The queen said in a dissatisfied voice. Ludia then came running up front, facing directly at the queen. "Mother, wait, maybe the orb was broken or something, my child is amazing you see, he can read, he can write, he can-" A bolt of ice was shot right next to the foot of Ludia, cutting off her annoying rambling.
With complete disdain, the queen narrowed her eyes at Ludia and commanded her with strong remarks, "Silence, you disgrace."
Seeing this, Hansen quickly ran over to Ludia. "Honey, are you okay?" He said, grabbing Ludia. Ludia fell back in terror from the sudden attack. Hansen seeing this, balled up his fist. "Please, give us one more chance!" he pleaded.
"I gave you that chance when I allowed your marriage to happen with my failure of a daughter, and the outcome was clear." The queen declared. She then smirked with a devious gaze in her eyes. "I remember how you bowed down to me, begging to marry my useless daughter. You always talked about how true love was what mattered the most, but look where it will get you. Even a dog is smarter than you, you mutt." she began laughing at Hansen, with Hansen glancing down in shame.
Gray hearing those remarks made him furious. Normally he wouldn't care about other people's business, but they were directly targeting his own parents who had loved and taken care of him in this new world that he was in. This rage felt so abnormal that he couldn't describe it. And so, with all of his rage, he let out his first words.
"Bitch!" he shrieked, angrily glaring at the queen.
Everyone in the ballroom fell silent in astonishment.
Hansen then quickly covered Gray's mouth. "G-G-Gray, where did you learn that word?! Who taught you that!" Hansen was incredibly flustered, constantly looking at the queen and looking back in a back-and-forth motion, hoping the queen wasn't enraged. Ludia's face looked erratic, still in utter disbelief at what Gray had just cried. "M-My son's first word... w-was... b-bitch..." She said in a bewildered state.
Beneath the queen was a very cold mist, before ice spikes began erupting through the floor with complete rage. More spikes were produced around the ballroom, all of them having an intense cold mist surrounding them. "You dare..." The queen looked at Gray with a murderous intent.
"With your insolent mouth?!" The queen summoned a gigantic spike of ice right above her, preparing to fire at Gray and his two parents. Then, a young attractive-looking man rushed to the side of the queen and grabbed her arm. "Mother, stop this at once, we cannot do this here!" The queen turned her head, staring into the man's eyes. "Do you want to perish as well?!" the queen exclaimed.
"N-No Mother, hear me out!" The man then pointed at Rufard, who was glaring right at the queen. "That's the Swayar family's knight, Rufard the beast!" The queen squinted her eyes, staring at Rufard. Rufard showed no emotion but simply stared back. The ice around the ballroom began dwindling with the queen concealing her face with her fan. "I guess so, I'll let your pathetic child go for now, but this is only a warning." the queen said, staring directly at Gray.
The queen proceeded to walk up the stairs, with the handsome man following right after. Ludia proceeded to hug Gray with Hansen joining in right after. "I'm so glad you're okay..." Ludia said, tearing up. Hansen smiled, still hugging both of them. "Yes, as long as we all have each other, we'll be okay dear." Gray liked this feeling, the feeling of parental love once again. He did not regret one bit of standing up for his parents at that moment.
Ludia smiled, darting her eyes at Gray. "By the way, you're grounded for one month now for saying that word." She still smiled, but Gray could sense the anger coming out of her.
Maybe Gray regretted it a little bit.