Titanza was drinking tea while observing the area outside the mansion. This was the day she would train the son whom, until recently, she had considered to have the least potential of all.
'I never thought the day this would happen would come...'
She had trained her two eldest children when they turned fifteen, one month before they began studying at Astrong. However, her disappointment in Enrico had been so great that she hadn't even wanted to look at his face.
'...The worst part is realizing that I was wrong to abandon his potential so soon.'
Yes, Titanza was a selfish person, and she admitted it. If Enrico hadn't shown any changes, she would probably have continued ignoring him. After all, she also acknowledged that she wasn't a good mother, at least when it came to him.
'I admit my mistake, but I hope he doesn't disappoint me again.'
The problem was that the feeling of watching a child grow, which she had experienced in the past, was returning. This time, however, there was even a certain excitement, as she was beginning to imagine that Enrico might become someone similar to his ancestor, who had elevated the family's status to an extraordinary level.
'I need to reclaim our throne...'
"Lady Titanza, the young master has arrived."
Upon hearing the maid's voice, Titanza straightened her posture in her chair. She wanted to convey an image of authority, especially because this would be the first time in years that she would be alone with him to talk and train him.
'I need to make it clear to him that I'm the one in charge of this mansion.'
"Come in."
Enrico entered and gave a slight bow.
"Lady Titanza."
"Call me Mother."
Enrico's face remained expressionless, but in his mind, he couldn't help thinking that Platina had inherited that mindset from her mother.
"I'm sorry, but I'm not used to that. I'll need some time."
"But if you start calling me that frequently, you'll get used to it faster."
"I apologize, but it's still difficult for me."
The two stared at each other for several minutes, neither showing any intention of backing down. As more time passed, Enrico increasingly realized that they were wasting precious time.
'Has it already been ten minutes? Damn it! This woman is even more stubborn than her own daughter. This will be difficult, but I'll try.'
"Lady... Mother, this is the most I can manage for now. So, can we please begin the training?"
Titanza didn't seem satisfied, but she realized that he wouldn't back down any further. Therefore, she stood up and headed straight to the center of the room. Before leaving, she once again observed the changes Enrico had undergone over the past few months. Then, the two headed to the training grounds, arriving at their destination quickly.
"...Let's begin. First, I'll teach you my weapon-based combat style. I heard that you use a bow formed from your own mana, so we'll start with that."
Titanza created an iron bow and positioned herself twelve meters away from ten targets, which had also been formed from the same metal. She aimed at them and fired an arrow. The projectile flew straight toward the target, and when it was only seven meters away, it split into nine more arrows, hitting all ten targets with precision.
'She's very good at controlling weapons without needing a unique ability... Well, this is still far below the level she demonstrated in the story.'
"I want to see your bow. Show it to me."
Enrico nodded and created his fire bow, arousing Titanza's interest. With just one glance, she realized that he used it quite frequently, almost like a knight who relied on his weapon during combat.
'Could he be following two paths at the same time?'
She had reached that conclusion because knights were her main customers. Therefore, she was accustomed to observing the differences between ordinary weapons, legendary weapons, and Ego Weapons, each with its own characteristics.
Apparently, Enrico had set aside some of the pride associated with being a mage. However, as far as she knew, Astrong Academy was indeed testing this type of training, and the members of the upper echelons had approved the initiative. Of course, they had only made that decision because the continent was facing increasingly serious problems, with the emergence of powerful Nartheis. All the high-ranking families were aware of this, especially the members of Titanza and Matteo's generation.
The danger had become so great that they had begun to have bad premonitions, fearing that a new Kairom-rank individual might emerge and become an even greater threat.
Watching Enrico's arrow split into seven projectiles during its flight, Titanza was satisfied.
"Your mana reserves are still average. Therefore, we're going to increase them."
'Increase my mana reserves? But as far as I know, a person can only do that when advancing to the next circle or receiving dungeon rewards, which is quite rare. The other possibility would be to be like Valença.'
It was also possible to increase one's mana reserves by using an item capable of storing mana, but that didn't mean the mage's natural reserves had increased. Until that moment, the only exception Enrico knew of was himself, thanks to the System's help.
"How am I going to increase my mana?"
"With the Ferreira family's secret."
'Wait! If that's true, why was it never revealed in the story? Of course, this family was made up of secondary villains who ranked below the main ones, but still... How could something so important never have been mentioned?'
Enrico watched Titanza raise her arm above her waist and move it downward, drawing a magic circle with her own mana directly beneath her feet.
"This is a technique developed by one of our ancestors. It was thanks to it that our family managed to reach the top for a certain period. It will increase your mana reserves by 10%. I can use it twice, but I can only apply it to myself and another person once every two years."
Enrico felt as though an invisible force were trying to invade his body by force. His mind, which had until then been occupied with analyzing the situation, went blank, as if he had temporarily lost the ability to think.
[You've received an enhancement. Your mana reserves are now at 317... You lucky bastard.]
His mana reserves had reached the upper limit of the average range, perhaps even surpassing it slightly. That was why the System had called him lucky. However, shortly afterward, it realized that something was wrong.
[Why do I feel his soul moving away from his body? Damn it, I need to do something!]
The System became inactive for a few seconds while Titanza watched her son. As she had previously admitted, she wasn't a good mother, and this time, she had also left out an important detail about that technique.
'This technique is powerful, but it requires two people to use. I've already tested it with the other three, but they weren't compatible. Of course, I'll save him, just as I did with the others. I just need to...'
"Damn it! What was that?"
Seeing Enrico come back to his senses and kneel down, breathing with difficulty, Titanza was surprised. Everything had happened very quickly, which meant that his soul hadn't moved very far from his body. Breaking into a smile, she felt that things would finally begin to improve for the family.
"It seems you're compatible. That means we'll be able to use this technique together once every two years. This is excellent news for both of us, my son."
'Now I understand why this technique was never revealed. At most, it could only be used once on those who weren't compatible.'
The woman in front of him was a real bastard, willing to use any means necessary to return the family to the top. Enrico, however, didn't care much about that, as long as he could obtain some benefit in return.
[You're back! Thank goodness! This woman wants to kill you, she has to! If your soul had gone much farther, how was she planning to bring it back? You damn...!]
'Calm down, everything worked out. You're right, but I don't believe she did this without having something in mind. For now, let's leave this matter for later.'
Titanza walked a little to the side, checking whether everything was all right with his body. When she realized that he really was compatible, she nodded before continuing.
"Very well, son. Now we'll begin your real training. From now on, I'll train your body so that you can wield every weapon I know. And don't think your brain will be enough to compensate for any physical deficiencies, because you're also following the path of the knights."
Enrico nodded and stood up. Several iron weapons began to appear around him, indicating that the most difficult part of the training had arrived. Now, he would need to truly concentrate.