The Rodin estate is a pretty large and spacious duchy, having two annexes right beside the main mansion. One couldn’t fit the whole estate in a single picture frame but taking in a bird's eye view. The whole view from the sky would leave others with various impressions ranging from awe to envy.

The distance of each annex wasn’t that far from the main mansion, only having to take a brief walk to reach each designated annex though running an errand would be quite taxing as the layout of the estate was inefficient to say the least.

Moving furniture and other sorts of miscellaneous tasks would prove to be a bit challenging.

“Don’t worry about the books, Hellen and I will take care of it later—Hey! Be careful with that, it’s antique and what did I say about placing it?!”  

“Young master ordered us to place it beside the windows...” 

“Then why is that shelf over at the corner?” A group of servants scratched their cheek as they looked upon their young master apologetically.

The authoritative young master waved his hand at them to continue their work while returning to adjusting his desk.

The sole heir of the Rodin sighs as he massages his temple, he wasn’t angry, rather he was exhausted from the logistical nightmare of his estate. It was the second time that they had to move and rearrange the whole room as the previous attempt had some miscommunications.

Just the thought of moving his entire stuff from the eastern annex through the main mansion then to the western annex where they are currently again would probably make him pass out from exhaustion thanks to his weak body.

Although he was born as a healthy baby, when he reached the age of six. Symptoms like cold sweats and shortness of breath were becoming more common as he goes about his daily life, or so the servants in the house of Rodin thinks.

The cause of it may not be widely known to the people in the duchy but the heads and their closest people knew the exact reason and it all started when Duke Margatroid noticed it first.

 

---

 

The Duke of Rodin and his wife, Aria Rodin, were all perplexed to hear the words that were coming out from Duke Margatroid. After all, how could they ever believe that their only child who was born without any significant magic presence would ever be fluent at utilizing such a spell at such a young age. 

Even Aria Rodin who used to be an apprentice of a second-rate mage couldn’t sense that strong of a mana within her little one, then again, her husband wasn’t born with any reserves either which she suppose is a good thing.

Ever since her teacher died from an incident that left many scarred, she herself had grown wary of furthering that path. But now her little one was being praised as a prodigy by none other than the former master of the Tower.

“I’m telling you both, that boy is good at hiding his mana and that level of control is unparalleled compared to peers his age—Not even the children of first-class magicians have that kind of mana manipulation.” 

Aria was scared, therefore she wanted to deny it.

“But doesn’t that depend on the technique and the temperament itself?” The former master snorted at her.

“Of course, it matters. But whether they have a weak constitution or not, the fact of the matter is that your boy is able to make a simple spell complicated and be handled in an unprecedented manner despite his premature development.” 

Aria was getting anxious; his words didn’t seem to make sense to her.

“A prodigal genius through and through.”  

Duke Margatroid’s remarks were the final nail of the coffin.

Now there’s no reason for her to not acknowledge her son’s magical prowess, who for someone his age is able to read books that of an adult…

That alone should be an implication that her son is an oddity, yet she doesn’t find it strange.

Her son, who was able to speak at the age of three and have fluent conversation with others at the same time, was able to write neatly and solve arithmetic problems with relative ease…

Then again, she had assumed that it was just an inherited trait seeing as her husband was quite skilled when it comes to that also.

Sure, she would rather have her son not dwell in the world of magic ever, but that would be highly impossible seeing the influence it had on the kingdom.

It was inevitable which is why later on after their conversation, Aria had decided that she needed to prepare for her son’s future.

 

---

 

I could still remember that night when mother and father found out my abilities so to speak thanks to that nosey duke. 

Being found out like that really pissed me off, I was keen on keeping it under the rug, but just a simple mishap on my part led to such a revelation. I know there’s no one to blame but me, I should’ve just grabbed a stick that time and used it to fetch that doll.

…If I ever get the chance, I’d make sure to shove a stick up his ass—

—Son-in-law! Long time no see!” Speaking of the devil, the tormentor whom I was waiting for has now arrived and barged into my room without any regards to my privacy.

“Can you knock?" I ask, knowing full well that this won't change anything.

"Well, the person behind the door was enticing me with his mind, so why bother, right?"

"Yes, of course. It's not like you've broken into my room unannounced like a burglar before, and did you know that this is the fifth lock you've broken so far?" 

"There was a lock?" Wow, your lack of awareness is morbidly amazing. No wonder why Alicia hates you.

“Anyways—What brings you here, Duke Margatroid.” I closed my notes and placed it at the corner of my desk and turned around.

“I was going to ask if you’ve completed the reading materials but seeing that you haven’t finished it yet, why don’t we talk about other matters.” Of course, you were only here for my progress.

“Like what? Sending me to the Tower?” My words were dripping with a hint of sarcasm.

“Nothing of that sort, instead why don’t stay at my estate for a while. Alicia would be thrilled if you come around.” 

How shameless could you get to even use your daughter as leverage, also stop with the subtlety, I know you just want me there so you could monitor me easily.

“Eh, I just moved rooms and now I have to move again? You know it’s quite a drag on my part?” Not to mention that I had to do it twice, well with the help of the servants of the house of course.

I can’t even imagine how tiring it will be for the people that mother and father hired to move around in a carriage and wagons. Are you willing to compensate my poor servants to move heavy furniture again? I don’t think so.

“Hmm…How about this, if you come to the estate. I’ll let you stay at my old workshop.” My ears perked up when I heard his words, I couldn’t help but mull over my thoughts.

There is no way I wouldn’t know what a workshop is, being an assistant to a professor in the Institute and all, the term is loose but essentially, it’s like a laboratory where one could study the effects of Mana to particle acceleration for example.

Even though I didn’t have fond memories of that place, I’ve found that the labs there are exciting for someone like me. So, hearing the possibility of having to go to some place similar definitely piqued my interest.

However, do I really need it? Of course not, I’m satisfied with my theoretical studies even if I have to suffer a brain aneurysm from fixing most of the formulas I’ve encountered so far. I’m sure I’ll be fine with letting it pass.

“I’m fine with what I have so far, there’s still much for me to learn and understand.” Yeah, I still have to refresh my memories before I could move onto bigger things.

He flashed me a grin before turning around, “You know, children your age would skip the theoretical fundamentals and jump headfirst to casting spells and what not. You, on the other hand, still remain committed to it—” He glances at me while he opens the door.

—Where others will only absorb a fraction of the fundamentals, you, on the other hand, will probably hone it even more.”

“Thanks for the compliment but I’m fine with what I have.” I wave at him nonchalantly.

He chuckles, “Why don’t you think about it for a while, I’m sure you’ll change your mind once you know how valuable this sort of opportunity is.” 

“I’ll keep that in mind.” With my hand in the air, I wave goodbye to him as he walks out.

Our interaction ended there, and in a blink of a second. He was gone, leaving only a small residue of mana behind—Wasn’t that like instant transmission just now? Anyways, if he was trying to leave a flamboyant impression to convince me even more, tough luck for him, I could care less.

Still, I’m quite unsure as to why the duke is so invested in me, I thought it was to have better relations with the house of Rodin but that doesn’t seem to be the case. In fact, the motive behind his actions seems so selfish at times, to the point that his only child is being neglected.

Fuck, Alicia’s gonna grow up miserable if this continues, I need to somehow devise a way to make him lose interest, but I’ll do it later since I have to finish my notes.

I looked out the window and noticed that the sun was setting. It wouldn’t be another hour or two before Hellen calls me for supper, in the meantime, I’ll resume to what I was doing before that former tower master barged in.

‘Syllabus by Duke Margatroid.’  That was the header of the current page in my huge pile of notes, below it was the summary of each topic that were all in the provided reading material. It started with the definition of Mana and its Impact with the World then ended with Utilization of Artificial Mana Cores to Different Mediums.

Not gonna lie, it sounds like it was a bunch of thesis bundled together but the Duke personally told me that it was his notes back when he was still a young mage trying to climb up the tower either way, this is quite different compared to the books here offered by our library—The difference in content is very huge, it’s an insult to even put the books I’ve read in the same category as this.

Each line of text was optimized to say the least, and each topic only consisted of two or three paragraphs, definitions of terms took a lot of space, so I had to draw some lines in order to avoid confusion. 

Lastly, I’ve written the dates of each note I’ve made beside their respective headers.

While I was busily writing and scribbling all of my notes, I didn’t notice that the jar of ink I’ve been dipping relentlessly with my quill has reached at a certain level, so I ended up writing blanks. 

Looking at the jar, I touched the glass with my finger and began circulating my mana, I felt that odd feeling again coursing through my veins. 

Wordlessly, I tap the jar while mentally casting a spell.

The ink inside the small jar was beginning to replenish.

It was a simple exchange of matter and energy, but that process would take a lot more time, so I decided to take a shortcut, using the left-over ink as the catalyst for reproducing said ink.

Then I was back to meticulously writing the last portion of my notes, I took out Duke Margatroid’s notes to look at it one more time before setting it aside. 

Honestly it would be easier if I just studied the duke’s note but in order to make use of my knowledge in my previous life. I have no choice but to use his knowledge to disguise mine…

After all, back at the Institute, the theoretical concepts we experimented with were pretty advanced. 

I can’t just haphazardly spread what I know to this world where the literacy rate is backwaters, who knows how much of a shitstorm will brew in the future.

Fuck, I could even be a cause to a war for all I know.

 

---

 

I look at the mirror as Hellen tucked in my fancy looking suit, if that shitty professor sees me in this, I’d be made fun of for an entire month. It doesn’t look ridiculous or bad—Hell, I liked it to a certain point, past that then I would probably just fake an illness to get out of the situation.

All in all, I looked fine. It even exceeded my standard but considering my terrible fashion sense, I’d probably wear whatever I reach first into my wardrobe at any sort of important event.

“Young master, do you remember what the occasion is today?” I don’t even know what these clothes that I’m wearing are, let alone know what this is all about.

All I’ve cared about is the internal affairs of the House and its relationship with the vassal families when it comes to my so-called noble duty. Of course, I have a vague understanding of who the influential families are so far, but I don’t really have a good reason yet to be that interested.

“Isn’t it the debut of someone from the royal family?” I said something random to her at the back of my mind.

“Yes, young master, it is.” Wow, when did my guessing game become so on point?

“Whose was it again?” 

At this point, I was curious as to who is the star of today’s occasion.

“His highness, the third prince.” Damn, how could I forget something so important…

Not like I actually care…Still, I decided to continue the conversation.

“So how old is his highness right now?” 

“As of today, his highness is around your age, young master.”

“Hmmm…What is his highness name again.” I pretend to have a face that resembles a sense of familiarity but in all honesty, I had zero clue on who he is.

“Prince Leopold Leotopia is his highness’ name, young master.” 

I nod at Hellen while cupping my chin, saying that I remember who the crown prince is…

Seriously, what kind of fantasy-shit name is that?

 

---

 

The Kingdom of Leotopia has had over four Kings and five Queens ever since it was first created and right now, it is the ninth generation, and the current ruler is King Philip Leotopia II. The scope of the territory within the kingdom has mostly occupied the Western Continent called Pangea. 

It is a kingdom that borders two nations—The Principality of Hales and the Empire of Darlberg. The first is a nation that is found mostly along the coastlines and the latter is located across the Evermore Mountains where the land is most fertile and productive.

All three nations are all in good relations thanks to their joint efforts against the invasion of outside countries residing from the Eastern Continent called Lorasia. A continent where most of the countries are made up of Dynasties or Sultanates.

It is said that among the countries that have the most influence in society, the Kingdom of Leotopia has been considered as the epicenter of diplomacy when it comes to settling cross-continental disputes. 

That’s why even under the blistering heat of the summer sun, nobles and envoys from neighboring nations, even across the continent, will go out of their way to attend such a prestigious event. 

The people attending mainly went to see the debut of a royal prince while some came for other matters like business prospects, although there was that threat of harmful ulterior motives among the guests, the royal guards and its army have all been deployed all over the Capitol. 

All of them, vigilantly monitoring the situation and the people.

In one of the carriages carrying nobles from different families, the scion of Rodin was dozing off while trying to maintain posture as someone leaned on his shoulder, the girl beside him napped silently. 

Their attendants smiled cheerily at the sight unbeknownst to them, they couldn’t help but imagine the future of their young masters. Certainly, if one were to describe the two fiancés, then it would be a ‘match made in heaven.’

As the carriage entered the gates of the Capitol, a bump on the road roused August awake. His eyes snapped open suddenly and he looked at the people at the front, they all chuckled at him, and he scratched his head in confusion.

Then he noticed the one leaning on his right shoulder, it was his fiancé, Alicia Margatroid. He nudged her awake to tell her that they were inside the Capitol.

“Alicia, wake up. The Capitol’s in view.” She flutters her eyes before rubbing them open, she looks at the window and her face lit up.

Her eyes darted around the paved streets to the bustling stores and stalls, it was like the festival back at her territory. It looked fun and she couldn’t contain her excitement from August who was just bored out of his mind.

“Say, August. How long will the ceremony last?” She asks.

“It’ll last an hour or two according to Hellen. Don’t worry, we’ll visit the shopping districts once it’s over.”

The slow halt of the carriage indicated that they’ve arrived at their destination, the coachman opened the door for them before bowing to the people inside. The first ones to get out were the personal maid of August and Alicia’s attendant, followed by the fiancés.

August got down first then held out his hand to assist Alicia. She took his hands and carefully stepped down the stairs. 

“Thank you.” She said as they continued to hold their hands together.

“No problem, could you let go now?” He looked at her with clear boredom, she noticed this and puffed her cheeks in response.

“You’re not paying attention are you.” Honestly, he isn’t. All of his attention was focused on the Capitol as he notes the streets and districts at the back of his mind.

Still, knowing that he can’t immediately stroll around the Capitol, he couldn’t help but be a bit disappointed.

August Rodin who just turned six, hopes that everything will go smoothly.