Abyss's Point Of View
I ignored Sigg'Freid, it felt like he just wanted to be the only powerful one around. I was 100% sure he had gone back to his room last night, and practiced wordless incantations all night.
"Siggy, stop with the outbursts!" Father said, popping him on the back of his head.
"Go on, Abyss. What do you want to show us." Uncle Tihtus said.
I took a deep breath, while facing my family. I wasn't sure that telling them was the best choice, but if they could all do it, then maybe I wouldn't be a complete weirdo.
"Could you all come over here?" I asked, nervously.
They did as I asked, and formed a semi-circle around me. It seemed imposing as hell with them being so much taller than me, and they were looking down at me so expectantly.
"So, I learned through something of an accident last night, that you do not necessarily need to speak an incantation to use magic... Like this." I said, holding up my index finger.
"Tiny flame." I said, and a small flame akin to a lighter appeared above my finger.
"Whaa...?! Hold on! What the hell?!" Father exclaimed.
"Will you try as well? I don't want to feel like an outlier..." I said, using my best puppy dog eyes to persuade them.
"I will try first!" Uncle Tihtus proclaimed.
"Fire lance!" He yelled.
Then, a massive javelin engulfed in flames appeared in his right hand. He smile triumphantly, before launching the thing towards a test dummy. The resulting impact shook the entire area, making the surrounding wildlife flee in terror.
"That's incredible! This is revolutionary!" Uncle Tihtus exclaimed.
Everyone began to attempt it themselves as well, however Uncle Harhrold, watched on with a pensive frown on his face.
"Yes. I agree that this could change spell casting all over the world... However..." Uncle Harhrold murmured.
"This could also lead to many new wars and conflicts..." Uncle Tihtus finished.
"Indeed..." Father added thoughtfully.
"I don't understand... What do you mean?" I asked, looking between them nervously.
I just wanted to simplify things, I didn't want to cause a damn war. Things were starting to feel ominous, and I wasn't entirely sure that I liked my odds of survival.
"Well, you see Abyss. Outside of hunting magic beasts and demons, humans typically don't fight amongst themselves. This is mainly due to three major reasons: One, wars are incredibly expensive. Two, the large population disparities between countries. And Three, spell casting is too time consuming, and mana wielders proficient in fighting are hard to come by." Uncle Harhrold said.
"Yes. If the knowledge of wordless incantations spreads, countries around the world would push their citizens to improve, and refine their mana control. Magic Academy's all over, would implement new spell casting courses. In truth, this information could upend the natural order of things on a massive scale..." Uncle Tihtus added.
I could do nothing but stare in shocked confusion. From what I could understand, they were basically saying that the nation as a whole was currently at peace. However, said peace was flimsy at best, and could evolve into something major with just a tiny spark.
"But a common enemy could prevent such a future, no?" I asked thoughtfully.
"What do you mean?" Mother asked, kneeling beside me.
"We only need to unite the nation under a Non-aggression Treaty. Most countries go to war over land and resources, but if a Treaty is written out and agreed upon, then that would safeguard the nation, and the interests of the people as a whole... Right?" I asked, thinking of possible diplomatic options.
"Well, you're not wrong. Getting the nation's leaders to come to the negotiation table at all, will be the most challenging part." Uncle Tihtus said, pondering his thoughts.
"Then bribe them." I shrugged nonchalantly.
This elicited shocked gasps, and murmurs from all those present. I looked around at the gathered faces in confusion.
"Son... It's highly frowned upon to bribe leaders, and rulers alike. It's a law punishable by death." Father said sternly.
'Ah... I should probably rephrase that...'
"No, no. What I mean is, make it worth their time. Advise them that you'd be willing to share a national secret to them for their cooperation. No money involved. We could even sweeten the deal by opening new trade routes between countries, shuffling imports and exports to benefit everyone, fairly." I said confidently.
"Seriously, Daxym... is he actually 7 years old?" Uncle Tihtus asked.
The look he gave me was scrutinizing, but also one of approval. No matter how you looked at it, it was still nerve-wracking.
"Yeah... Sometimes I'm left speechless as well, brother. It's best to just roll with it." Father chuckled, clasping Uncle Tihtus on the shoulder.
"That's easy for you to say. This boy could very well come after my job, with ideas like that." Uncle Tihtus said, warily.
"Yeah, no. I'll pass. That sounds way too bothersome for me." I said, shaking my head.
Uncle Tihtus looked at me, amused. Then, his expression hardened as he looked between me and my father. I tried not to let my anxiety show. I was being honest though, I seriously couldn't imagine anything worse than being a King. I'd never even be able to dream, of a peaceful life.
"Well, as I promised... I'll get you into the Magic Academy. Your first day will be next week on Miaday. Make sure you are thoroughly prepared. Sigg'Freid, make sure you study hard, and test in tomorrow on Durthday. Otherwise, your younger brother will embarrass you." Uncle Tihtus said with a chuckle.
Sigg'Freid, in turn, glared daggers at me in response. I couldn't help but sigh. Something told me that he'd make my academic years a living hell for sure.
'Not that he'd believe me in the first place, but I definitely plan to avoid him when at all possible...'
"Well, this has been an extremely fruitful day. Let's go inside and relax. I'm dying to eat more of those new sweets you have, Mayvis." Uncle Tihtus said, looking like an eager child.
"Indeed. We should celebrate Abyss's Acceptance Day. As is only proper." Mother smiled softly.
It was a rare occasion to have the whole family over to begin with, but my uncles were all so rambunctious that it was ridiculously tiresome to deal with them all for untold hours...
'Haaah... I'm going to sleep like the dead tonight, surely...'