Evelyn's POV
Two months after my twelfth birthday, my brother was officially knighted—and so were Marcus's sister and Lina's brother. Together, we left for the town where my brother would now reside.
At first, the plan was for us to live as neighbors. That changed when my mother's secret came out. She revealed herself as a sixth-stage cultivator mage. Even though she had never been affiliated with the Magic Council, simply being at stage six was enough to grant her nobility.
The mayor himself offered her a piece of land near the academy—land twice the size of the entire village we'd lived in before. Soon after, we had our own mansion, complete with workers: maids, chefs, and even a butler.
But of course, everything has a price. The city provided my mother with a monthly stipend and her official noble title, blessed by the king himself. In return, she became one of this town's protectors. I still don't know how her secret spread so quickly, but with three other sixth-stage cultivators here—the academy's headmaster, the town's head knight, and the mayor—it wasn't hard to guess. One of them must have sensed her strength and cultivation stage.
My brother was stunned by the revelation. Overnight, he not only became a knight but also received a promotion, leading his own squad. And with our mother's newfound status, nobles suddenly flooded us with offers. Their daughters were paraded before him like gifts, each family desperate to secure ties to a stage six cultivator.
"Can you believe this?" he muttered one evening, staring at a stack of letters full of marriage proposals. "I didn't even want half of this attention."
I smirked. "You wanted to be a knight, and now you're practically a celebrity. Enjoy it while it lasts."
"I'd rather enjoy a quiet drink." He sighed, tossing the letters aside.
I wasn't envious. Honestly, it looked exhausting. Everyone wanted a piece of him.
Meanwhile, Lucas was settling in with us just fine. He'd been working on another of his strange weapon designs. This time, he called it an M1 Garand.
I frowned at the name. M1… Garand? What does that even mean?
The weapon itself was long, with larger bullets than the Peacemaker. Lucas explained that it had greater range and power.
"It's called a rifle," he said proudly. "The other one I showed you before—the Peacemaker—that was a handgun."
I studied the drawing. "So this… rifle, you're saying it's even stronger?"
He nodded eagerly. "With the right mana reinforcement, it should hit harder than anything we've tried so far. Even a stage six cultivator would have to be careful."
That caught my attention. I created one with my magic, pushing myself to the limit of what my ability could handle. The result was heavier, sturdier, and frighteningly powerful.
Lucas grinned. "See? I told you."
I chuckled. "You did. Though, for someone who's only six years old, you're awfully obsessed with weapons."
He shrugged. "I can't cultivate yet. All I can do is train my mana control… so I might as well not waste the extra time."
He wasn't wrong. And yet, seeing him throw himself into this with such seriousness made me wonder where all this knowledge of his truly came from.