He added, "And the cat with them... We are not sure how, but we can feel Byakuren's presence on that magic beast, as if it's connected to him..."
The moment I heard that, I knew I was in trouble. Dragon's malice from Blaze? Byakuren's presence too?
How were they sensing anything at all? Blaze was in his cat form right now. That form was supposed to hide his mana, conceal his identity, and make him look like nothing more than a lazy little furball. Yet these elves could feel something through it. What kind of monsters were these people?
Blaze, meanwhile, was cleaning his paw like he had nothing to do with any of this. Then High General Elandor stepped forward. His sharp eyes locked onto me, curious now instead of hostile. "You said you saved the princess, right?" he asked.
I already hated where this was going. "Do you mind if I put that to a test?" Before I could even answer, he turned away. "Follow me. We're going to the training hall. Let's see what you've got."
Meanwhile — inside Elandor's head
If he really saved the princess, then he must be strong...B rank? Or maybe even A rank?.. But he's too young...There's only one way to find out if he's just a lying human spy or not..
Somehow, those words reminded me of my father's training.Which meant pain was coming.
The training hall was huge–larger than some houses I have seen, more like a medium sized building from my old world to be exact. But this one has stone floors reinforced with runes, weapon racks lining the walls, open space wide enough for mounted combat.
Guards gathered to watch from the edges. Elariel stood near the entrance, arm crossed, clearly worried. Blaze jumped off my shoulder, curled up at the side, and yawned. Traitor.
Elandor drew his blade. "Come." I unsheathed mine. The instant I took my stance, I noticed a tiny shift in his expression.
He approved. Then several magic circles formed behind him. Then I just realized, shit..same on the book I've read before.."Few S ranks were able to cast 3-10 spells at once" Heat flooded the room.
"FLAME SPEAR!!!" Three blazing spears launched at me.
"Hey, wait wai–!" I barely threw myself aside before the first one exploded against the floor. The second flew past my ear. The third clipped my sleeve and blasted apart behind me.
No warning. No countdown. But I could still follow them. The speed, the angle, the timing my body reacted before panic could. Years of my father trying to kill me in training were finally paying off.
He raised his hand again. "FLAME CHAIN!!!" Burning chains erupted from the stone, racing toward my legs. I jumped backward, twisted in the air, and landed just outside their reach.
Then the floor glowed red. "EMBER FLAME!!!" A wave of fire spread across the arena, swallowing the ground and dragging at my movement like invisible mud.
I pushed through it and stepped only where the heat was weakest, slipping through the gaps in the spell.
Damn, this isn't a test. He's trying to kill me! Elandor's voice rang across the hall. "I'm registered as an S-Rank adventurer... so don't hold back, or you'll die."
Then he released his mana fully. The whole hall changed. Pressure crashed down from every direction. My knees almost buckled.
Holy shit...He's definitely on par with Dad.
Honestly, I can't even tell which one is stronger or who would win, physically, they're a match... but my dad was only able to cast 2 spells at once...
And then I saw it again. Three magic circles. Still active. Still layered. But this time… I didn't just dodge. I watched. The mana flow. The structure. The rhythm.
NOTICE
[Skill: Copy is active]
[Skill acquired: Flame spear]
[Skill acquired: Flame chain]
[Skill acquired: Ember flame]
As he release his attacks "FLAME SPEAR!"
I raised my hand."...FLAME SPEAR!"
Three weaker spears formed and fired back at him.
Elandor's eyes sharpened. He deflected them instantly–but he didn't look surprised anymore. "FLAME CHAIN!"
"FLAME CHAIN!." I echoed. Chains erupted from the ground–less refined, slightly unstable, but following the same pattern.
He jumped back. "EMBER FLAME!"
"EMBER FLAME!"
A weaker wave of fire surged forward, pushing him another step back. Silence spread through the hall. Elandor landed lightly, staring at me now with a completely different expression.
"…You're reproducing mid-tier spells after seeing them once."
I exhaled sharply. "Don't say it like I planned this!"
Then–
He moved. No hesitation "Prepare yourself." He vanished. Steel slammed into steel. I barely raised my sword in time to block his strike. The impact shot through my arms like lightning.
Even then, I saw it coming at the last second. That movement–It was almost identical to the way dad used to disappear before hitting me from blind spots.
Then he spun. "TWIN BLADE SLASH!"
A cross-shaped wave of energy tore toward me. I ducked under the first line and rolled past the second.
He was already above me. "MOON GOD SLAYER!." Five crescent-shaped slashes rained down.
I leapt away as they tore into the wall behind me, carving deep scars through enchanted stone. The guards gasped.
I stared at the damage. Yeah. He's definitely trying to kill me. But while dodging, I had watched everything.
The mana flow. The angle. The timing.
I copied the motion and swung all thanks to my unique skill copy.
NOTICE:
[Skill acquired: Twin Blade Slash]
[Skill acquired: Moon God Slayer]
A weaker cross-shaped slash burst from my sword and flew toward him. Elandor blocked it but his eyes widened. "You copied even sword techniques too... after seeing it once?"
I grinned, breathing hard. "Maybe." For the first time, he smiled. Then he lowered his sword.
The match was over. He studied me for a long moment. Elariel ran toward me "Lucien! Are you okay?" I answered "Yeah, I just healed both of us...so don't worry." Then Elandor while raising his eyebrows–
"Good with a sword," he said. "I assume your class is Swordsman." He circled once. "But you move like an Assassin... and your magic control is well, at least good for your age...You have a strong affinity with fire...A-rank?"
He stopped in front of me. "So tell me. What class and rank are you?" I scratched my cheek. "...I don't have one yet."
Silence. Even the guards looked confused.
Elandor blinked. "You don't?..Hmm come to think of it, you're just almost the same age as the princess."
Soft light covered my bruises..."I was supposed to register as an adventurer in Saphiro's capital," I said. "But I ended up escorting Elariel back to the elven kingdom instead."
That shocked him more than any attack had. Then I raised a hand and cast healing magic.
Soft light covered my bruises... then moved to Elandor's minor burns and cuts as well. The wounds faded. He stared at me. "Even healing magic?" he asked slowly. "What sort of training did your parents give you?"
I let out a tired laugh. "A hellish one."
Then I shrugged. "My mom was an A-Rank healer. She didn't teach me, though."
I pointed at my head. "I just copied her magic."
Meanwhile — in Elandor's thoughts
He has no class and rank? Impossible... Swordsmanship. Agility. Combat instincts. Offensive magic. Healing magic. He could read and dodge my attacks... As if he was familiar with it, though I'm holding back but still... And he copied mid-tier techniques after seeing them once. It's also possible those magic beasts boost his stats...
This child...Could he be...?
Lucien — Royal Audience
Across the hall, Blaze opened one eye and smirked. "hehe~ that's my boy."
Elandor's expression didn't change. But for a brief moment, his eyes lingered on me longer than before.
Not on my face. On my mana. There was something unreadable in his gaze, like he was measuring me against a memory only he knew.
Whatever thought crossed his mind disappeared as quickly as it came. His eyes sharpened again. " But there is one problem in you."
I frowned. "What?"
"Your physical ability is acceptable. Even above average...But your mana usage is not refined."
I crossed my arms. "And how would you even know that?"
"I have trained combat mages for years."
Then his gaze turned colder. "And you are not stable."
That made me pause."…Not stable?"
He stepped slightly closer. "Your fire affinity is too responsive. Too sensitive."
His eyes narrowed. "Tell me. Have you ever experienced sudden spikes in your magic output?"
I opened my mouth… then stopped. At first, nothing came to mind.
Then—
The ruins. Fire without restraint. Stone breaking like paper. No intention. Just release. And Blaze sitting on my shoulder like it was a casual afternoon.
My expression shifted. "…Wait." I went quiet. "That time in the ruins… when I used a simple fire spell…" Elandor didn't interrupt. "It wasn't supposed to do that much damage." My voice lowered. "…That was a spike?"
He nodded once. "That was not controlled output...That was overflow."
I stared at my hand. "…So I really did that?"
End of chapter.