Once the girls had calmed down, I placed the miniature house I held onto the ground. Channeling spatial magic into it, violet light swirled around the tiny structure — and in the next moment, it transformed into a magnificent mansion.
The girls gasped in awe as they stepped inside.
It was far more luxurious and beautiful than anything they had ever seen.
I told them to choose any room they liked — this would be their new home from now on.
After that, I turned the bandits' hideout into rubble. By dawn, I had quietly returned to the Fernandez mansion.
A Week Later – Deep in the Forest
Under the morning sun, Livy swung a wooden sword with fierce determination. Her eyes burned with resolve. Ever since I saved her, she had devoted herself to becoming stronger — so that one day, she could repay me.
She had only known me for a week, yet in that short time, Livy had decided that I was someone she could trust completely.
Her life had been nothing but hardship. She was the illegitimate daughter of a king, unacknowledged and unwanted. Not long ago, assassins were sent to kill her. They failed — but only because her mother sacrificed her own life to protect her.
Grief and despair consumed Livy. Then the bandits came, destroying the village where she had been hiding and taking her captive. At the lowest point of her life, she contemplated ending it all.
And that was when I appeared.
From that moment on, her world changed.
For the first time, she felt what it truly meant to live. And now, her deepest wish was simple — to stay by my side.
After her morning training, Livy moved to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for the others. It wasn't her turn to cook today — but she had a secret mission: to win my heart through her cooking.
She had read in a book once that "the way to a man's heart is through his stomach." And although she didn't mind sharing my affection with the other girls, she still held a selfish desire — to be the one I loved most.
Today's dish was rabbit meat soup. When she tasted it and found the flavor perfect, she smiled with satisfaction.
The other girls, whether they knew it or not, were acting as her test subjects as she worked toward creating the perfect dish — for me.
The aroma soon drifted through the house, waking Rena and Mia first — their demi-human senses much sharper than humans. Mia even drooled as she stumbled into the kitchen. Moments later, Livy woke the others for breakfast.
"Mira, today was supposed to be your turn to cook," Lora complained, frowning at her.
"Alright, alright, no need to argue," Livy sighed.
"Livy, you're spoiling her too much."
Livy let out a long sigh and smiled bitterly.
After breakfast, they all moved to the training chamber — a specially constructed room designed to withstand powerful magical and physical attacks.
Livy resumed her sword practice, focusing on a technique I had taught her:
Void Blade Technique — a sword style capable of cutting through even the most powerful magical barriers.
Tina trained with a wooden spear, learning the Gáe Bolg Spear Technique, a style that concentrated every strike on an opponent's weak points. I had found this technique by sneaking into my family's secret vault — and with my talent, I mastered it in just one night.
Lora practiced with a bow. As an elf, her vision was far superior to other races, giving her a natural advantage as an archer. I taught her the Starfall Technique, a powerful art capable of destroying even a kingdom's fortress if mastered. It was a technique originally gifted to me by my loving mother to spark my interest in archery.
Nora, deeply loved by mana itself, focused on learning magic. Using the magic staff I had given her — made of a mysterious wood so durable that even a sharp blade couldn't scratch it — she practiced Chaos Magic, one of the most difficult types of magic to master. But if anyone could do it, it was Nora.
Sasa trained with a whip charged with lightning mana. By channeling her mana into the whip, she could release crackling bolts of lightning to shatter the golems I created as training targets.
Mira wielded a battle axe named Wrath — a weapon that grew stronger when fueled by anger. Her strikes grew heavier and faster the more enraged she became.
Mia trained barehanded, wearing gloves made from the hide of a magical beast. As a cat-type demi-human, her race specialized in claw-based combat, so I taught her the fundamentals of martial arts — fighting without relying on weapons.
POV: Zeref
It had been a week since my first chess match with my sister.
"Checkmate again, Sis," I said with a playful smile.
My sister scowled, visibly frustrated as she slumped back in her chair. My innocent smile only deepened her irritation.
"How are you always beating me? I'm older than you!" she shouted in frustration.
She had played countless games with me over the week — and hadn't won a single one.
"You know what this means, right?"
"Yes, yes… I know. What do you want me to do?"
Her annoyed answer only widened my grin.
During our second match, I'd suggested a small wager: the loser must do one thing the winner asks.
And since I was undefeated, she now had to do whatever I wanted.
Nothing too crazy — just something fun.
"Sis, how about giving me a massage?"
She glared daggers at me, but stood up, walked behind my chair, and began giving me the most amateurish back massage imaginable. It wasn't particularly relaxing — but watching my proud, stubborn sister follow my command was immensely satisfying.
After teasing her a bit more, I returned to my room.
I had something important to do today.
I ordered the servants not to disturb me and opened the System Shop.
Item: Sacred Foundation Elixir
Description: A miraculous elixir created by the Alucard Tribe. It strengthens the body and forges an unshakable mana foundation.
Cost: 30,000 Points
This was the elixir I planned to buy.
In the world of Megicula, most people could only awaken their Mana Foundation at the age of 12.
I hadn't awakened mine yet — but I had a unique advantage: I could already use mana without needing a foundation at all.
It was as if my body could command the mana around me directly, without storing it within myself first.
However, there were rare cases of people who could awaken their foundation before the age of 12 — they were called prodigies.
Even my older sister was considered one, having awakened hers at just 10 years old.