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Chapter 4




【4】3
Creak-!
The door to the Plovga mansion opened.
People from the Zerdingger family entered.
The servants who came to greet them swallowed hard.
An overwhelming sense of authority, befitting a noble family that discusses the hegemony of the continent, could be felt.
Flap- Flap-
The family banner, embroidered with burning flames, fluttered in the wind.
The carriage led by a griffin at the front came to a stop.
The door opened, and Zis and Selia got out.
‘Why is Uncle here?’
In fact, when she heard that they would be staying with a noble family, Selia was not pleased.
Selia did not intend to be satisfied with just getting into Lumern.
Her goal was to be the top student.
Therefore, she wanted to focus solely on her studies until the entrance exam.
But coming to a noble family like this would bring many troublesome matters.
Especially in a small kingdom.
They would surely be eager to form ties with the Zerdingger family.
She wished they had rented a high-end hotel.
Although she did not openly express her dissatisfaction since it was Zis's decision, she was not happy about it.
Rustle-
Selia straightened her back, pushing her black hair, which reached her waist, behind her ear.
Whether she liked it or not, she was the daughter of the family head.
Her public image was important.
As a representative of the family, she needed to show proper etiquette to the head of this household.
As she thought this, Selia was momentarily taken aback.
“Huh?”
She was not the only one.
The other Zerdingger people also murmured.
Standing at the entrance of the mansion were two people.
Died and Reina.
She was particularly surprised to see Reina.
‘Father, you look like Uncle.’
And her appearance was also similar to her own.
“Greet them, Selia. This is Lord Plovga.”
“I am Selia Zerdingger. I will be staying here for a week.”
“Welcome. Please make yourself at home.”
Died greeted her plainly.
There was no attempt to make a good impression as a hero family.
“And this is Lady Plovga.”
“Hehe, I've heard a lot about you.”
Reina greeted her with a gentle smile.
Selia looked at Reina with a confused expression.
“Uncle, who is this?”
“Reina Plovga. Your aunt.”
Selia's eyes widened.
***
The Zerdingger people unpacked their luggage in the mansion.
During this time, Zis was talking with the Plovga couple in the parlor.
“It’s fortunate that you are in good health.”
“I have no reason to be unwell.”
Click-
Reina elegantly lifted her teacup.
“You seem to have put on quite a show, sister.”
“Hehehe. You’ve grown a lot, Zis.”
Seeing his sister with a vein popping on her forehead, Zis shook his head.
‘Her personality hasn’t changed.’
His sister, who was once called the ‘Flame Witch’ in the past.
The title ‘Witch’ was not hard to come by for a knight.
It was purely due to her personality.
Zis, who was smiling while recalling old times, said,
“Leo was quite bold.”
“What did your son do?”
Died asked, and Zis laughed.
“Before coming to the Plovga family, he visited the Delan Royal School for a tour. All the students gathered, but Leo said he wasn’t interested in the Zerdingger family and left early.”
“If you were upset, I will apologize on his behalf.”
“Zis isn’t the type to get upset over such things, Died.”
“Yes. It was quite a fresh experience.”
Being a Zerdingger, Leo’s reaction was indeed refreshing.
“So, what kind of child is Leo?”
“He’s not just my son; he truly has remarkable talent.”
“If you say so, sister, I am quite looking forward to it. However.”
Zis’s gentle demeanor suddenly changed.
The atmosphere was cold, not fitting his title of Flame Blade.
Zis lifted his head.
“Do you really think Leo Plovga has the qualifications to inherit the Zerdingger family’s flame?”
A sense of pressure emanated from his body.
He was not using any special power.
It was the charisma that came naturally to him.
“I believe he has the qualifications.”
Reina, curling the corners of her mouth, said,
“You’ll see for yourself when you meet him. His worth.”
***
“Sir Whitten, do you know anything about my aunt?”
Selia asked Whitten, who had been a loyal knight to the family head since before she was born.
“Lady Reina was the previous owner of the ‘Flame Storm’ that you possess.”
Flame Storm.
One of the family treasures that possesses the power to maximize the ‘Flame Aura,’ the symbol of the Zerdingger family.
Just knowing that she was the owner of the Flame Storm gave an idea of her status.
“How did such a person end up abandoning the family name and living in this remote kingdom?”
“Lady Reina lost her flame in an unfortunate accident. She then left the Zerdingger family, saying she wanted to live a normal life.”
When one abandons the family name, they are erased from the family records, regardless of the reason.
“I never thought I would meet Lady Reina here.”
‘Seeing Sir Whitten speak so highly of her, she must have been quite remarkable. I wonder if I can receive sword training from her later?’
While thinking about seeing Reina’s sword skills,
they had already arrived at the Plovga family’s training ground.
Whoosh-! Whoosh-!
“Huh?”
The sound of wooden swords being swung could be heard.
Someone was practicing swordsmanship in the training ground.
Unfamiliar white hair and familiar red eyes.
“Are you Leo Plovga?”
Leo looked at Selia with a puzzled expression.
“So what? Who are you?”
“Ahem.”
After a fake cough, Selia straightened her back and introduced herself.
“My name is Selia Zerdingger. I’m your cousin.”
Selia thought Leo would be surprised.
A beautiful girl who was often mentioned as the top student at Lumern, where the world’s most talented gather.
Selia was a globally famous figure.
Especially to her peers, she was an object of admiration, an idol.
“Is that so? Nice to meet you.”
Whoosh-! Whoosh-!
But Leo’s reaction was indifferent.
He didn’t even stop swinging his sword.
Seeing his clear lack of interest, Selia frowned.
Just as she was about to speak again, Leo stopped his sword.
“Phew.”
Selia asked Leo, who was wiping his sweat after a deep breath.
“How old are you?”
“Fifteen.”
“You’re my age? Since we’ve met by fate, I’ll give you special sword training. How about it?”
Selia offered with a kind smile.
‘If I treat this kid well, maybe Aunt will give me special training.’
It was a selfish offer, but Leo was not interested.
‘What? This kid?’
Sword training?
He could tell Leo was a great swordsman, but he was way off the mark.
Leo cut off his interest in Selia and resumed his sword practice.
Whoosh-! Whoosh-!
This time, Selia carefully observed his sword movements.
And she gasped.
‘Not bad at all.’
There was no excess in his sword movements.
She could tell his strikes were powerful.
‘Still, he is of our family blood. His skills are better than I thought.’
Creak- Creak-
‘But what is that bracelet?’
A disturbing sound was heard every time he moved his sword.
After a while, Leo put away his sword.
“Now, show me what you’ve got. From what I see, you have potential.”
Selia felt a slight sense of expectation.
But Leo wiped his sweat and left the training ground.
“Hey, where are you going?”
“Didn’t I finish my training for today?”
“I said I would watch you.”
“I’ll pass.”
“Why?”
“I don’t really want to receive training from someone less skilled than me.”
“What?”
Selia’s face hardened.
“Are you saying you’re stronger than me now?”
“You’re probably stronger now. I can’t use Aura.”
In a real, life-or-death fight, Leo couldn’t beat Selia.
“But in a sparring match, I’ll win.”
Seeing Leo’s calm response, Selia’s lips twitched.
“Quite confident, aren’t you?”
Her red eyes narrowed.
“From what I saw, you’re probably the strongest in your school, right?”
At the Delan Royal School, all the students aspiring to be knights can use Aura.
But Leo was much stronger than them.
Apart from Aura, his basic foundation was completely different.
‘This kid probably hasn’t learned Aura because Aunt wants him to learn a high-level Aura technique.’
High-level Aura technique.
For example, an Aura technique that only the Zerdingger bloodline can learn.
‘But what? You’re saying you’re stronger now? That means you think you’ll be stronger than me if you learn Aura? What? So arrogant!’
The Zerdingger children start intense competition from a young age.
Even the children of the family head were not exempt.
And Selia was always the best.
Her pride was not based on being a Zerdingger but on her own confidence.
“Fine. If you’re so confident in your skills, let’s have a sparring match.”
“Sparring match?”
“Yeah. If I win, you’ll be my servant while we’re in the Plovga family.”
“If I win, will you be my servant?”
“Of course. It has to be fair, right? But that won’t happen.”
Selia brushed her hair back with a mocking smile.
“Ah, Miss.”
Whitten, who had been watching the situation, urgently tried to stop her.
“Don’t worry, Sir Whitten. I’ll win anyway.”
Selia, with a confident expression, looked at Leo and said,
“I’ll show you that you’re just a frog in a well.”
The two stood in the center of the training ground.
Leo, holding a wooden sword, said to Selia,
“Oh, by the way, you can use Aura.”
“What?”
‘Is this real?’
“Hmph! Then I’ll give you two free attacks. Come on, attack me.”
A red light enveloped Selia’s body.
Aura Armor.
A technique to wrap the entire body in Aura like armor.
“Fine, I won’t refuse.”
“Go ahead.”
Selia curled the corners of her mouth.
She was confident that Leo’s attacks, without Aura, wouldn’t affect her.
Leo, holding the sword with both hands, took a deep breath.
“Phew-!”
Veins bulged in his arm.
Leo’s red eyes flashed.
Bang-!
The wooden sword struck Selia’s temple precisely.
Her head snapped back, and a ringing sound echoed in her ears.
A dull pain and stiffness rose from her neck.
The force was beyond her imagination, and Selia’s face turned pale.
“Tough.”
Leo marveled.
“Hmph! Do you really think your attack can penetrate my Aura Armor?”
‘What kind of strength is this? So powerful!’
She was forcing a smile, but she almost lost consciousness.
It was a powerful strike that made the reinforced wooden sword almost break.
‘But I can handle this much.’
Seeing Selia’s exaggerated calm and smile, Leo unfastened the bracelets on his wrists and threw them.
Thud-!
“...!”
“Then, let’s see what you’ve got.”
Loosening his shoulders, Leo’s smile looked demonic to Selia.
Weighted bracelets.
A training method so primitive that she would have mocked it as outdated.
But now, she couldn’t mock it.
The scene before her eyes was beyond primitive; it was insane.
“Let’s do one more.”
“Wait, just...!”
Bang-!
A sound much louder than before echoed.
A powerful shock hit her head.
In her fading consciousness, she saw Leo discarding the broken reinforced wooden sword.
‘What...’
Selia’s eyes rolled back.
‘There are crazy people like this?’
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