As the sky slowly turned a shade of vermilion, Adrian raised the wooden sword one final time. Gripping it tightly with his tiny hands, he planted one foot forward and swung his sword down in one clean downward slash.
It was a slash so clean and controlled that even the whistling sound of the blade cutting through the wind was barely audible.
"Haah… Haah…"
Feeling exhausted, Adrian let go of the wooden sword and sat down on the grassy ground. This was the end of another day.
But as he was trying to relax, he heard a loud clap from behind.
Turning around, he spotted Sir Joran walking toward him while clapping excitedly. As always, there was a wide, easy smile on his face.
"Young Master Adrian, you have made great progress in a short time. While I can't tell exactly, I can sense that you are close to mastering the first level of your infusion art."
Adrian didn't reply. He continued to stare at the man silently. Under his expressionless stare, Sir Joran let out a fake cough.
"Ahem, Ahem. Young Master, I have good news for you regarding what you asked me today."
'So Mother has given her permission, huh?'
Sir Joran had dodged Adrian's request this morning, saying that they would talk after Adrian completes today's training.
'But of course, that was just an excuse.'
Sir Joran was a knight of this household, which meant that he was a subordinate. He was teaching Adrian because he was following the command of his master. Sir Joran couldn't make decisions on his own.
Reaching out his large hand, Sir Joran pulled Adrian to his feet. Then he began walking away as he gestured for Adrian to follow.
"Young Master Adrian, follow me. I will explain as we walk."
Adrian didn't ask anything more; he simply followed a few steps behind the tall man. Shortly after, they arrived in front of a luxurious carriage that was seemingly made of black metal. Sir Joran opened the door of the carriage and gestured for him to sit inside.
As he sat on the comfortable cushioned seat, Sir Joran, too, entered and closed the door, sitting across from him.
Soon after, the carriage began moving.
"Regarding what you asked for this morning, a method to become stronger quickly. There are actually two such methods. They will allow you to gain immediate strength without any training."
'That sounds too good to be true.'
Indeed, there wasn't anything in this world without a cost. If such methods existed, then anyone would become stronger. But despite his doubts, he allowed Sir Joran to continue.
"The first method is to awaken your Origin ability. Those who have reached Phase One or above can awaken special powers that do not follow elemental logic. These powers can simply be anything, and there is no limit to how strong an Origin ability can be."
After a brief silence, Adrian asked.
"So? What's the catch?"
Sir Joran's smile widened. He let out a soft chuckle as he spoke.
"Indeed, I shouldn't have expected any less from you." He raised two fingers. "There isn't only one, there are two. The first problem is that Origin abilities can be anything, which means they can also be weak and useless. And the power you awaken is entirely based on luck."
'So that's what it comes down to, huh?'
Sir Joran folded one finger; now one finger remained.
"The second problem is that Origin abilities cannot be awakened simply because we want. It's unknown under which condition they awaken, so their awakening itself is also entirely based on luck."
'So if I'm unlucky, I might never awaken my Origin ability? But then what's the point of even telling me about it? Well, it's good for me anyway since I got new information.'
Adrian let out a sigh.
Sir Joran seemed to have a habit of speaking unnecessary information first. He was somewhat used to it by now. Sir Joran continued.
"The second method is summoning an Eternarch from the Eternal Realm and making a contract with it. The summon will then become your familiar, and its strength will add to your own strength."
Adrian did not doubt that this method also had some sort of catch. And it didn't take long for his doubts to be confirmed.
"But again, this also has a catch, and it's the same as the previous method. The Eternarch you summon isn't under your control. It depends entirely on the being that chooses to answer your call. So this is all on your luck as well."
Adrian took a few moments to digest the information before he spoke.
"I am assuming that the reason we are in a carriage right now has to do with summoning this Eternarch."
Sir Joran leaned back and nodded.
"Indeed. I am afraid I lack theoretical knowledge in things related to Eternarch or summoning; I only know the basic stuff. So we are going to someone knowledgeable in the field."
Adrian became puzzled as he heard that.
'Considering the influence of Ravenshade as well as my reputation, it's strange that I'm going to meet them instead of inviting them to meet me.'
Adrian glanced outside the window of the carriage in an effort to pass the time. The carriage seemed to be passing through a city. The houses passing by seemed primitive compared to the buildings on Earth.
The sturdy and large ones seemed to be made entirely of stone. Most of the houses had a structural frame made of wood and walls made of stone bricks. There were also some houses made entirely of wood. The wooden houses didn't seem sturdy at all, as though a small storm would be enough to make them fall apart.
Adrian did not need more to guess the social hierarchy of this city. The rich people most likely lived in houses made entirely of stone. The middle class probably had houses made of a wooden frame and stone walls. And the poor people could only afford the weak houses made entirely of wood.
Time flew by as he continued staring outside. After an unknown amount of time, the carriage slowed down and came to a stop. Both of them got off the carriage.
The sky was now completely dark, illuminated by countless stars. The surroundings were illuminated by street lamps placed around the city.
What stood before Adrian was a tall, gothic building, seemingly consisting of several floors. It didn't seem like a structure meant to be a residence. As he observed the building, a detail caught his attention.
The large door of the building had an insignia carved on it–one that he was familiar with. The symbol of a crown with long, black, feathered wings. The symbol of Ravenshade.
Sir Joran walked ahead and knocked on the door. A few moments later, the heavy door was pulled open by a young man. He bowed politely to Sir Joran, and as he spotted Adrian's tiny figure, he hurriedly gave an awkward bow.
The interior of the building was even stranger. It was a large hall filled with strange devices and machinery. People wearing robes continued to operate those devices. Some people were sitting behind a table, writing something on a sheet of paper with complete focus.
Even though there were so many people present in the building, there was barely any noise as they all continued to work.
Sir Joran did not pay them any mind and turned to a corner of the hall towards a stairway.
Adrian glanced at Sir Joran from time to time as he followed along.
'Why isn't he telling me what place this is. Is it something I'm not supposed to know?'
Sir Joran had a habit of explaining things without him needing to ask. Considering he wasn't doing so this time, Adrian could only draw that conclusion.
To him, this place looked like a sort of laboratory or factory. If it was indeed something Adrian wasn't supposed to know about, then he could make a few guesses.
Climbing the stairs, they reached the first floor. To his complete shock, the atmosphere on this floor was the exact opposite of what he had seen on the lower floor.
A large round table occupied most of the space in the hall. Several people sat behind the table, conversing with each other in what looked like a heated debate.
"I know this will work; my theory is solid. What's the harm in trying?"
"Fool, did you grow up in the wilderness? Your theory is complete nonsense!"
"You are the one spouting nonsense, old man."
"Hey! What did you just call me, you hag?!"
Adrian frowned as their shouts burrowed into his ears.
'Seriously, what is this place?'
Sir Joran didn't even glance at those people; he simply continued climbing the stairs to the upper floors.
Running out of patience, Adrian hesitated slightly before asking.
"Sir Joran, what sort of place is this?"
'At least tell me that I'm not supposed to know about it.'
Sir Joran finally turned to him.
"Ah! I didn't explain because I thought you already knew, it's somewhat common knowledge. This place is called Caelis Research Society. It is funded by the Ravenshade family to progress magical and supernatural development."
They had climbed to the second floor.
"Most noble territories have their own research societies, but among them, the Caelis Research Society is the most accomplished."
There was a hint of pride in his tone as Sir Joran said the last part.
The second floor was filled with rows of desks aligned perfectly. People sat at those desks as they were each doing a completely different task. This floor felt like a classroom due to the arrangement of desks.
Sir Joran scanned the room with his gaze before fixing it on a girl sitting in the corner. Feeling his gaze, the girl turned and noticed them. She stood up in a hurry and walked towards them.
With her deep brown hair tied neatly into a ponytail and wearing big, round glasses, the girl gave off the aura of a bookworm. She looked to be about seventeen years old.
With one hand clenching her robe, she bowed awkwardly to Sir Joran.
"I-I had only received your letter moments ago. I didn't know you would be here so soon, Lord Joran."
Seeing her stammer, Sir Joran smiled kindly.
"Cadet Sable, there is no need to be so polite with me. You are an academy cadet, after all."
Then he turned to Adrian.
"Young Master Adrian, this is Cadet Sable. She has a great reputation within the Imperial Academy, and her abilities speak for themselves. She is here because of an assignment from the academy. And she is the person I mentioned in the carriage, one knowledgeable in summoning."