Early the next morning, Cyan and Lucian gathered at the training ground, preparing for their duel under the watchful eyes of Serafina, Konan, the children, and countless servants who had gathered from all the surrounding buildings.
A wave of murmurs spread across the training ground.
Voices from servants, cooks, gardeners…
-So that's Young Master Cyan, the one who supposedly slept for five whole years?
-That's right, he's been challenged by Young Master Lucian, the elder brother of the Borgia family's young lady!
-I heard Lucian reached Mage rank over a year ago!
-Not even a duke's son, yet he has that kind of talent. How unfortunate for Young Master Cyan!
-But I don't think Young Master Cyan is lazy. Ever since I arrived six months ago, I've seen him training constantly.
-Aren't you the servant spreading those rumors about Young Master Cyan changing recently? Who would believe something like that? — a child named Eldrin Velton
-Young Master is right. How could someone lazy change so easily?
At that moment, Caius had his own thoughts.
"That useless bastard seems to have been favored by Lord Konan lately."
"I don't know why… even that strange incident in the forest the other day…"
"I was the one who shot that attack at Hans. If it were because of that, Lord Konan should have paid more attention to me."
"That bastard will pay today for his laziness and incompetence."
Meanwhile, Sitri stood behind the servants who were badmouthing Cyan.
Her eyes were filled with killing intent, faint gray currents flowing toward a few of them.
They suddenly felt a chill down their spines, trembling instinctively.
She seemed unaware of it herself, lacking both consciousness and control—right now, her mind was filled only with fury toward those who looked down on Cyan.
Elsewhere, the fourth siblings of the Velton family seemed to have completely different thoughts.
They stared at Cyan with strange expressions.
This traced back to what happened four days ago. Unlike Cyan, who had been carried back to his room, the three brothers—Lowbro, Midbro, and Highbro—had been left in the hall.
Caius had even been left behind in the forest, as Konan couldn't carry everyone.
Or rather, he simply didn't bother—and Caius wasn't high enough in priority.
The three brothers woke up in shock, feeling as if they had just experienced a bizarre dream.
In that "dream," they had been saved by Cyan. A terrifying demon, and an overwhelming surge of mana had been present—so real that their bodies still trembled from the memory.
-Hey, did you guys also dream about that strange thing in the forest?! — Lowbro
-Those demons disguised as humans that tricked us into going into the forest?! — Midbro
-And that useless Cyan saved us?! — Highbro
-How could that even be possible?
-That must've been a setup by Cyan. There's no way he could defeat something like that.
-Yeah. One of them moved at insane speed, and the other had overwhelming destructive power.
-I got knocked out with just a single hit.
-He was even absurdly skilled with lightning magic—far beyond us.
-Hey, we should go find Cyan. Let's go to his room and get answers.
After saying that, the three brothers immediately headed toward Cyan's room.
But on the way, they saw something unbelievable.
Konan Von Velton, the strongest figure in the Velton territory known for lightning magic, was entering Cyan's room.
-That's Lord Konan. Why is he here?
-Could what we saw earlier actually be true?
-No way. Let's just get closer and see what's happening inside.
They carefully approached, moving slowly to avoid making any noise.
Pressing their ears against the door, they listened to the conversation between Konan and Cyan.
Then, something completely unbelievable reached their ears.
Lowbro stumbled the moment he heard it, dragging his two brothers down with him.
Highbro and Midbro glared at him, whispering quietly.
-Hey, be careful! — Highbro
-Yeah, why'd you trip like that? — Midbro
-But what we just heard is insane… — Lowbro
"A Saint-tier spell with power nearly equal to King-tier."
Konan's voice echoed through the door.
They immediately ran back to their room.
-A Saint-tier spell with King-tier power?! — Highbro
-Lord Konan even said that if it hadn't been interrupted, that attack could've killed the demon! — Midbro
-Honestly, it'd be easier to believe someone our age using King-tier magic. — Lowbro
-Even Big Sister Elysia didn't have that kind of talent. Before going to the capital, her Saint-tier magic could only replicate just over half the power of a pure King-tier spell.
-So everything before was real?
-Even Lord Konan said so…
-So he really defeated those two demons?
-From a lazy, useless nobody… he awakened Saint-tier only one year later than Elysia? And now his talent might even surpass hers?
-And that person saved us? The same guy who, just a year ago, would be exhausted after casting a single advanced spell?
The fragmented pieces of information they overheard left the three brothers utterly shaken.
Even though it came directly from Konan, they couldn't fully believe it.
That night, none of them could sleep. Strange emotions began to form within them.
Over the next six months, living in the same building made it easy to observe Cyan.
They saw his discipline—waking up early, carrying his sword out to train every single day.
From dawn till dusk, they secretly watched him, the image of his relentless training carving itself into their minds.
The forest where Cyan trained had become barren—trees gone, rocks and remaining trunks marked with countless sword strikes.
It wasn't just his diligence. His unique yet overwhelmingly powerful combat style was beyond their understanding.
But one truth remained—
Lowbro, Midbro, and Highbro had all come to accept what happened that day.
Their hearts swelled with conflicting emotions.
Shame, for being saved by someone they once called useless.
Gratitude, for being saved at all.
Doubt, regarding the demons.
Fear, from that very same event.
A chaotic storm of emotions mixed together, forming something strange.
A faint sense of admiration for Cyan had begun to take root within them.
And now, at the training ground, despite the duel having nothing to do with them, the three brothers came here instinctively.
Unlike the others, who were here out of simple curiosity—
They wanted to witness Cyan fight with their own eyes.
Here and now, fully conscious, they wanted to confirm everything—every truth, every strange emotion within them.
On the training ground, Lucian looked at Cyan with a mocking smile.
-Hey, hey… aren't you supposed to be a mage from a great family? Can't win with magic, so you brought a sword instead?
Cyan replied coldly.
-This is simply my fighting style.
-Hah? Where's your pride as a mage? Don't make me laugh.
-You sure talk a lot. Should I bring out some tea so we can enjoy your story?
Lucian's expression twisted with anger.
-What did you say?
Cyan remained expressionless, his voice calm and firm.
-Just wait for the battle to begin.
Seeing that face, Lucian smirked.
-Fine. I'll wait and see.
At that moment, Konan could no longer wait. He stepped forward and shouted loudly:
-I, Konan Von Velton, hereby preside over the oath-bound duel between Cyan Von Velton and Lucian De Borgia. I guarantee that the outcome shall be free of any deceit.
Looking at the two children, both filled with unwavering determination, Konan raised his voice once more.
-The duel begins!!!!!