The shed behind the villa was quiet, dust floating lazily in the warm air. Old tools hung on the walls, and a single window let in a stripe of afternoon sunlight. Valtherion set a wooden bowl on the table, then glanced at Albert, who stood nearby with a lantern and a puzzled expression.
"Just watch," Valtherion said, rolling up his sleeves.
He scooped sawdust into the bowl, added a handful of dry stalks and husks he'd gathered earlier, then sprinkled in a bit of starch. Nothing about it looked special — just a messy mix of scraps. He used a stone pestle to crush and stir it together until it became a soft, even mash.
Albert tilted his head. "Young master… this looks like something a farmer would sweep off the floor."
"It's supposed to," Valtherion muttered.
He grabbed the wooden cylinder he'd asked the carpenter to make — simple, sturdy, nothing fancy — and filled it halfway with the mixture. Then he placed the wooden plunger on top.
Albert blinked. "And now…?"
Valtherion held up a small mana crystal. It glowed faintly, like a firefly trapped in stone.
"This does the rest."
He pressed the crystal against the plunger. A soft hum filled the shed as the crystal released a gentle push of force. The plunger sank slowly, pressing the mixture down. No gears, no metal, no strange contraptions — just magic nudging wood.
The cylinder creaked as the mixture tightened.
Albert stepped closer, eyes wide. "It's… shrinking."
"That means it's working."
Valtherion lifted the plunger and tipped the cylinder over. A small, dense lump slid out — warm, firm, and surprisingly heavy for its size. He set it on the drying rack.
Albert stared at it. "Young master… what is that supposed to be?"
Shaking his head with pride, Valtherion grabbed a few pellets and began explaining. "This is a pellet. Throw it into a forge, an oven, anything really, and it will burn longer and hotter. Look, it's even easier to carry in massive quantities. Think like that: 2 kilograms of wood will burn for an hour and a half. Those small things will burn for 3 hours and produce more heat."
Throwing it into the forge, Valtherion lit a fire by using a torch and backed away. It was already too hot outside; no need to stand in the heat's face.
Looking at how quickly the pellets were ignited, Albert was surprised as he too took a step back. Maybe what this 14-year-old had come up with actually was true.
"Albert, I will not sit here for three hours. I am confident it will burn that long. I shall head for a shower. I do not advise you to sit for three hours either, unless you're interested." Patting himself off the dirt, Valtherion headed back to the mansion, looking like a common worker and causing the maids and the rest of the personnel to discuss him. This young heir, he was quite weird.
Soon it would be time for him to enjoy dinner with Alexstraza and eventually head to bed. Luther would come tomorrow and help him with igniting his energy, allowing him to officially enter the novice stage and begin practising energy-related techniques.
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"Good Morning, Young Master. I am sorry to disturb you from your sleep; however, we have received word that Sir Luther is on the way" Nudging Valtherion gently by the shoulder, Albert tried to wake him up.
"Hmm...Albert...isn't it around 6 o'clock?*Crack*" Getting up, just in shorts, Valtherion popped his back in the process as he made his way towards his robe. His scarred back in full display to his butler. The training Louis had put him through, the one with actual combat, was indeed too rough for a child his age, but it did serve to numb his only son to carnage.
'Border lords truly are different, it seems...I shall prepare tea and breakfast'
Putting on his robe, Valtherion walked straight outside while the weather was still cool. He would rather enjoy his breakfast on the small table than the needlessly long table in the dining hall.
"Hey! Where's my little Val? Breakfast? Let's go; we shall have breakfast together!"
Something loud was heard in the hallway, and with some rustle and bustle, Valtherion's bedroom was opened with a loud bang.
"Godson..."
Still barely alive, Valtherion was caught off guard by all of this commotion, and he just stared at the man who had barged into his room. Around 1.87 meters tall, the same as his father, the man that just come had white hair, tied in a bun, as well as a white beard. His face looked to be around 30-35, except for the menacing scar on his eye; he seemed pretty handsome. In fact, it only added more to his charm. A black uniform was on him, as well as a blue cape. Golden sigils decorated his whole uniform.
"Uncle Luther? Is that you? Ha-ha!" Coming to his senses, Valtherion took a step forward and went for a hug, only to be a few steps behind as Luther was even faster to take him into his embrace. All said and done, Luther was supposed to be his Godfather; the only reason they did not have many interactions was that the man was busy, fighting wars, protecting the emperor.
One thing that was noticed, once a friendship is formed between warriors, it remains the same even if the years pass. As such, he regarded Luther as much as his father Louis did. With the highest esteem.
*Crack*
With a big pull, Luther lifted him from the ground, cracking his back further and giving him an awakening no coffee or tea could pull off.
"Look at you, big man! Already having abs and walking around the house half-naked! You even have scars! How big have you grown up? I used to wiggle your worm when you were a kid, even bathe you!" Letting the lad go, Luther sized him up, causing Valtherion to blush.
If anything, Luther seemed to be radiant as the sun, always cheery, just as his father said. In fact, Louis and Luther were quite the opposites. One was fiery; the other was calm. They had met in the army and were even at odds with each other, but during battle Luther had overstepped, leaving his back exposed to an attack, an attack that Louis took for him, causing him to have a massive scar on his back. As for Luther's scar? It was a wound that he took for Louis in turn. Since then, they have been sworn brothers and Val was forced to listen to that story numerous times by his father.
"Haha, uncle, no. Matter of fact, I just woke up. Did not expect you so early? Have you had breakfast? Let us eat together! Come." Leading his uncle outside, they sat at the small table and soon, food was served- a lot of food.
"How are you, uncle? I heard that you're a guardian of the emperor? You also married a princess? When is a baby due?" Val, drinking his tea, asked.
It might seem unusual at first glance that Luther had married a princess when the current Emperor's eldest daughter is only around twenty‑four to twenty‑six years old. But the princess Luther wed was not the daughter of the current Emperor — she was a princess of the previous Emperor. As his daughter, she retained her rank even after her father's passing, making her the sister of the current Emperor and still a princess of the Empire.
"Godson...I think soon the baby might come. I do not have a lot of time to leave the capital. There are always shifts. You should come and meet your aunt soon. I will take you to tour the Imperial Palace after your first day at the academy. By the way, are you engaged yet?" Luther asked back as he snacked on whatever was on the table. Food was coming in every 5 minutes; both of them had a big appetite.
"Me, engaged? Thankfully so far, no," replied Valtherion as he smiled, relieved that at least his marriage was unsettled.
"Not that you know of..." A sentence that wiped his relief in an instant.
"Cough...do you know something about this matter, uncle?"
"No, I'm only kidding. If your father hasn't engaged you yet, there must be a reason. Nevertheless, I heard you're a great painter. Nice hobby you've got. When will you send me a painting?" Tapping him on the shoulder, Luther tried to calm him down. It was indeed true that by now his marriage should've been settled, but if it hadn't been, it seemed there were other plans in his parents' minds.
The unknown truth was, Valtherion had shown great promise, and he hadn't failed to provide results. His intellect was sharp; he was versed in arts such as painting, and he could learn fast. If that was the only thing, he would be just above the average person; however, it did not end there. Valtherion Mograine had grown up with tutors and had excelled in board games such as Chess and War Table, games which are favourites of any general. In every subject, he had provided an above-average result. It all had made his father hold back on his marriage; why hurry when the lad showed so much promise? Aim as high as possible.
"I will give you a painting the moment you take me to see your place! I would love to see the Imperial Palace!" Valtherion shook his mind off any thoughts on his parents' motives. If they did not want him to know anything, then he would not learn of it anytime soon.
"Haha...By the way, I came here to train you. I will be coming on Sundays, Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays. Your school starts tomorrow, so I will be here after dinner. I see that you haven't ignited your energy core yet. Perfect. Finish your food, Godson, and let me have the honour of doing that!" Wiping the crumbles off his face, Luther spoke with great anticipation.
Usually, people ignite their energy by themselves; however, when an expert helps you do that, it is risk-free and more efficient. Noble lads usually have this as a ceremony, as it is a good occasion. Fathers, grandparents, and Godfathers are usually the expert that does that. Sadly, no ceremony for Valtherion, as everyone he knew and was related to was at the moment busy.