Adrian raised the wooden sword with his tiny hands, holding it firmly. With complete focus, he gathered mana in his hands and released it in a single burst as he swung the wooden sword down in a clean, precise motion.
The mana formed an arc as the blade came down. A shallow sword mark appeared on the ground even though the sword never touched it.
"Haah…"
He let go of the wooden sword as he sat down on the grassy surface, trying to catch his breath. Gazing at the setting sun, he realised that another day had passed.
After a brief rest, he stood up and began walking towards the mansion.
'It's useless.'
Adrian had done a few more tests with Alisardarc's power, and the results were disappointing, to say the least.
That bird could make copies of itself by consuming Adrian's mana. According to its own words, there was no limit to the number of clones it could create. But of course, there was indeed a limit, since the number of clones was proportional to Adrian's own mana reserves.
But those copies, no matter how many, were still just birds. Adrian needed strength, the kind of strength that could give him leverage. But Alisardarc didn't contribute anything since that bird couldn't do anything besides create feeble clones.
'And it had the gall to call me feeble.'
Adrian entered the mansion and began walking in a familiar direction.
'And I have no idea about the other method Sir Joran talked about, awakening my Origin ability.'
He had done his own research on the topic, and indeed, there was no known method to awaken one's Origin ability. And seeing his luck with his elemental affinity and his summon, Adrian didn't have high hopes for his Origin ability.
'As Sir Joran said, I could even be unlucky enough to never awaken it.'
Adrian finally reached his destination. Pushing open the library door, he glanced at the librarian as he entered. Feeling Adrian's gaze, the old man paused and raised his head.
"Ah, you are here, Young Master. I have arranged all the books you had asked for; they are on your table."
Adrian ignored the light bow the old man gave him and began navigating through the towering bookshelves with familiarity. Soon, he reached the table where he usually sat. Several books were neatly arranged on the table.
Adrian exhaled as he sat down.
'I have to find it—some other way to gain strength.'
By now, he had realised that becoming stronger in this world was not so easy. If he wanted to do so, he had to use all the tools at his disposal. His greatest asset was his mind and his knowledge. He needed to use them properly.
Adrian glanced at the titles of the books piled on the table.
{Guide to Spell Creation - Basic} {Understanding: Spells} {Guide to Spell Creation - Intermediate and semi-advanced}
If there was no Space element spell that he could use besides teleportation, then he simply needed to make one. And Adrian had decided to do just that.
'Huh, let us do this.'
From there, time passed quickly. Seasons came and went, changing the scenery outside several times. Several things changed, yet many things remained the same, even against the constant flow of time.
Just like that, another five years passed.
***
"Baby, if you need to compliment another lady's beauty, how will you do it? Remember all the lessons I've taught you before you answer."
Evangeline leaned back, pondering. Her mother waited patiently with a gentle smile.
"Hmm… Your beauty is so dazzling that it is hard to put into words?"
An exhausted sigh left her mother's lips.
"No, sweetie, you need to be more poetic and add more metaphors. Something like: 'Your beauty, it reminds me of the moon that hangs above the night sky, casting its ethereal glow.' Do you get it?"
Evangeline placed one hand on her chin, pondering even more intensely than before. She took glances at her mother from time to time.
Hesitating for a bit, she finally spoke what was on her mind.
"Mama, the moon is only pretty during the night. When the morning comes, it becomes almost impossible to spot because of the blinding light of the sun."
She paused for a bit.
"...Wouldn't it mean something like 'Sure, you are pretty, but there are far prettier ladies out there. Try standing beside them, and their blinding beauty will make you invisible to others.' …Isn't this just mockery disguised as praise?"
Her mother remained still for a bit, then suddenly, her eyes widened in horror. Her complexion paled as she began to mutter something under her breath.
"No way, is that really what it means? But I gave that exact compliment to several ladies during those tea parties. What do they… think of me now? No! No! No! I must correct this mistake! I have to write apology letters! Quickly-!"
"Mama! Please stop muttering like that, it's scary…"
Her mother raised her head; her eyes were shaking violently.
"Sweetie, I don't think it's going to work. Mama was never good with these things to begin with, so you are better off being taught by Papa."
Saying that, she rose from her chair in a hurry.
'No, Mama, you can't just leave like that.'
There was still something Evangeline needed from her mother. She reached out and lightly grabbed the edges of her mother's long dress. Feeling the light pull, her mother turned to look behind. Evangeline did her best to act cute.
"Mama, what about my reward?"
As if only now remembering something, her mother reached out for a pouch on a nearby table. Taking out a gold coin from inside, she offered it to Evangeline with a smile.
"Here it is, your reward. Always be a good girl and work hard like this, okay?"
But Evangeline shook her head despite the gold coin dangling in front of her.
"No, I don't want this one."
Her mother scratched her head awkwardly.
"Ah, sorry sweetie, Mama forgot."
Her mother called a maid, offered her the gold coin, and the maid returned with a small pouch. Her mother then offered the pouch to Evangeline while smiling softly.
Evangeline hurriedly opened the pouch to check its contents. The pouch had several shining silver coins inside. Evangeline carefully closed the pouch and clutched it tightly, as if holding something precious.
Leaving with hurried steps, she reached her own room. Carefully closing the door, Evangeline walked up to bed and gently pulled a large pouch hidden under the pillow, examining it carefully.
'It's just as I had left it. No one has found it yet.'
And for her top-secret plan to work, she had to make sure no one found it. Though she wouldn't have to worry about that part since today was the day she would execute that plan.
As she opened the large pouch, it was filled with silver coins. She put the silver coins she was given today in that pouch as well. Seeing the amount of coins in the pouch increase, she jumped up and down in excitement a few times.
'Yes! This much should be enough! So today is finally the day, huh?'
Ever since the day her engagement was announced, a lot of things had changed in her life. One of those things was her interaction with the outside world.
Her parents had forbidden outsiders from meeting her and forbidden her from leaving the mansion until she was engaged.
'Honestly, I'm not too sad about the first part.'
Having spent her entire previous life in a hospital room, away from human interactions, Evangeline didn't have any social experience. She had a hard time getting close to the children of other nobles who used to visit her sometimes. She felt like she didn't belong with them, even though she could hold proper conversations with them.
The only thing annoying about it was that her family didn't allow tutors into the mansion either, so she hadn't learned how to use mana until now. Even things like manners and etiquette were taught to her by her parents.
Turning around, she looked at her appearance in the mirror. Moving closer, she pinched her cheek and began playing with her hair.
'Ah… you are becoming more beautiful as time goes by. Will there even be anything more beautiful than you in the future?'
Evangeline had become significantly taller in these five years. Her pinkish-purple hair now covered her entire back, and her cheeks had lost much of their baby fat. Evangeline now looked more like a girl than a child, despite only being ten years old.
'I can't wait to see how I'll look when I grow as old as I was in my previous life.'
After admiring herself for a long time, she grabbed the large pouch, hid it under her skirt, and left the room.
'It's time to execute the plan!'
The biggest issue Evangeline had with her parents not allowing her to have contact with the outside world was that she couldn't go into the city. Evangeline had gone outside a few times with her mother when she was little, but she wasn't able to after being told about her engagement.
That was why she had decided… to sneak out.
'It's not that I hate mama and papa, I'm sure they had my best interests in mind. I just… can't live like this, not anymore.'
In her previous life, she had always wanted to go outside and experience the world instead of only staring through the window. She hated being caged more than anything.
In this new life, Evangeline wanted to do things according to her desires. She loved her new parents, but she wouldn't waste the opportunities she didn't have in her previous life.
Raising one hand into the air, she let out a silent cheer.
'Let's go!!!'