For the next few years, Yami ended up being Alucard's personal trainer, offering him advice on how to build his body. Alucard was a great student and often didn't need his help, except for providing guidance on certain things.
Yami was glad to help him since he got paid a little extra for his services, as he slowly built up his magic squad, and the day came for him to leave. "So that's it?" Alucard asked, and Yami nodded. "Yeah, it's been fun, kid, but I've got a real job to do, so I've gotta head back. Stop by and visit sometime!" Alucard didn't answer as his teacher left the training ground.
Since both Yami and Alucard had very straightforward mindsets, they got along very well, yet still, they didn't completely trust each other. Alucard, for one, had started to use his magic to weigh down his body for better results a few months ago, but didn't tell Yami when his constant use of Dark Magic during their spars unlocked it within him.
Yami, for his part, was delighted to have the money and liked the fact that Alucard didn't try and boss him around or prove how superior the Nobles were. Despite this, he never once told him about Ki, not even mentioning it in front of Julius when Alucard was around. Something in his gut was telling him not to give that secret away, but it could just as well be those lizard skewers he ate on the way. . .
Alucard is now nine years old and still talks little to anyone other than Julius, Marx, Yami, and the servants. Disliking anyone else as he spends his days in the Royal Library, Julius now seeks to amend that.
"What do you mean I have to socialize?!" To say he was indignant was putting it lightly, as Julius smiled lightly. "You've been cooped up in here for five years now, go act your age, be a kid!" Alucard didn't buy it, 'If I acted my age, I'd be a decrepit fossil!'
For almost two weeks after Yami quit training him, he was able to push back the date, but Julius eventually put his foot down and forced him to socialize with other Noble children his age. Their first stop, House Vermillion!
Alucard, Leopold, Mereoleona, Mimosa, and Kirsh all stare at each other as Julius and the heads of the house leave them to 'play'. "OI, WHY'D YOU LEAVE ME WITH THE BRATS!!" Mereoleona yelled as the others moved away from her.
The door to the room then opened as Fuegoleon was chucked in, grinning sheepishly. "Ha, they found you!" Mereoleone gloated as her brother scowled, before going over to Alucard.
"Nice to meet you, my name is Fuegoleon. I am the Captain of the Crimson Lions." "Alucard." He says simply as the others introduce themselves.
"My name is Mimosa, pleased to meet you." "My name's Leopold! I'm a member of the Crimson Lions!" "Be blessed by my Noble presence, I am Kirch of the Coral Peacocks!"
Alucard just watches them as Mereoleona marches up to him, his eyes glance at the revealing outfit before locking onto her eyes. 'This woman might be dangerous.' She loomed over him and grinned, "Not one for words, huh? Let's fight!" She didn't let him answer as she dragged him outside. The others tried to stop her, but she threw them away and bolted, as they chased her through the Vermillion estate.
Julius and the head of the Vermillion house heard the ruckus and went to investigate, seeing his son being dragged to who knows where as the others chased behind, Julius couldn't help but laugh. "Are you not worried? Mereoleona isn't known for holding back." The house head, Leonidas Vermillion, asked as he too smiled at the antics of his children.
"Not at all, let's go watch. I'm sure Alucard's got something up his sleeve." Julius and Leonidas then followed behind the children at a leisurely pace, talking as they did. "I must say, this is the first time Mero has ever dragged a boy out to the training field. She usually just beats them in the room where she meets them." Julius laughs since he'd been present at several gatherings where Nobles sought her hand, only to nearly lose their own.
"If she doesn't kill him, we might be able to pair the two for when he gets older. Unless he's got a problem with older women?" Leonidas asked as Julius shrugged. "That's up to him; he threatened not to join the Knights if I forced someone on him, wants to choose for himself." Leonidas snorted, seeing the resemblance to his own children as they entered the training yard.
Alucard skidded to a halt a few meters away from where Mereoleona threw him. He knew she would be stronger than him since she was almost a decade older, but dang! He then sent circulated mana through his body as Mereoleona formed flaming gauntlets.
As Fuegoleon and the others caught up, they were surprised to see Alucard holding his own against Mereoleona, if only just. There were already several craters from where the two had grappled or thrown each other as Mereoleona used her flames, and Alucard used his physical might strengthened by mana.
Other than that, the pair couldn't be further apart as Mereoleona had a massive grin on her face, not minding her torn clothes as she fought harder and harder. Alucard, for his part, stayed mostly stoic as he focused more on not getting hit, since she'd already landed one good hit that nearly put him down.
They fought for another 30 minutes as they fell into a stalemate. Alucard had figured out her fighting style and was fighting back, but Mereoleona had yet to fully go out since she had a grimoire and several years of experience, while Alucard had none of that.
"Not bad, kid! We should do this again sometime!" She laughed, slapping his back hard as he nearly fell over. Fuegoleon then scolded her as Leopold badgered for tips to use when fighting his sister. Mimosa also congratulated him for fighting well, as Kirch said he could have fought more beautifully.
The talking stopped when Leonidas and Julius made their presence known, as all except Alucard bowed. Mereoleona forced his head down at least as the two grown men chuckled before they rose. "Not bad, you were able to hold your ground against Mero. How would you like to marry her?" Leonidas asked, not beating around the bush as they all froze.
"I'M NOT MARRYING SOME BRAT!" Mereoleona screeched as her mana flared violently, only to get shoved back down by Leonidas' own mana, smothering them all for a moment before reeling it back in. Julius motioned for Alucard to answer as he spoke for the first time.
"I don't think Mereoleona and I would get along. Friends, maybe, but not as marriage mates." His blunt response irritated Kirch for its lack of poetry, and Mereoleona because he basically said she was unmarriageable!
Fuegoleon stopped his sister with a look as Leonidas nodded his head, not at all bothered. "Well, what about Mimosa? She's much calmer than Mera. I'm sure you would get along just fine."
Mimosa blushed, though Alucard noticed it didn't quite reach her eyes; she was too calculating and definitely hiding something. "Absolutely not, how could my sister marry such a man. His lack of beauty would look bad when compared to my regalness!" Kirch said as he was promptly ignored.
"I don't know her that well, but I'd like to meet the other families before making my choice." Alucard nodded at Mimosa before looking Leonidas in the eyes. He nodded, glad that he wasn't backing down from his ideals when faced with someone obviously stronger than him. "Very well, you've raised a fine young man, Julius," Leonidas said with a smile as Julius and Alucard went to the next stop, the Royal Palace.
"Presenting the Wizard King and his son. Julius and Alucard Novachrono!" The royal herald declared as we entered the throne room. Alucard was very unimpressed by the King, who didn't even get up from the lap of his concubine when they entered.
Julius did all the talking as Alucard remained close by in 'respectful' silence. The King did nothing other than complain about how Julius was bothering him, and how he should be out working instead of messing around with children. Julius assured the King that he would, as they finally left.
As they walked towards the Silva estate, Julius gave Alucard a brief warning. "The Silvas function more like typical Nobles, valuing blood purity and Noble heritage more than anything worthwhile. Nozel will be different, as will the youngest, but the two in the middle will be more like what you'd expect from Noble scions. Don't kill them." He said pointedly as we were met by Nozel at the door.
"Welcome, Julius, Alucard," Nozel said, smiling at Julius and nodding at me as we entered, and he led the way to his office. As we walked, I took note of the attitude of the servants, who seemed tense and hurried, but otherwise unharmed as we reached Nozel's office.
Nozel and Julius then started talking about which of the two sisters I would likely marry, since Nozel didn't even consider anyone from a branch family. At some point, the two siblings, Solid and Nebra, entered and listened as well, though I noted their eyes didn't always match their tones or words.
When the youngest daughter, Noelle, was brought up, both of them snorted. "Why would that useless girl ever be considered? She's nothing other than a waste of space; it would be insulting to give her over." Nebra sneered as Nozel shut her up with a look.
'Absolutely not,' I then crossed my arms, a signal to Julius, who glanced at me, then Nebra. "Who knows, maybe they'll get along. Why not give them a chance to get to know each other first?" He said as Nozel seemed to get the message, as he narrowed his eyes.
He then called for Noelle, who arrived soon after. When she entered, she wore her finest clothes to not embarrass herself in front of Julius, but I was watching her face and body expressions.
'She froze when she saw Solid and Nebra. Even with Nozel, this poor girl.' I felt a little pity, but showed nothing as Julius and Nozel sent us out to explore while they talked. Solid and Nebra followed us out. Noelle was tense and only relaxed after they left them alone. "Care to show me the training ground?" I asked, and she nodded.
As we walked, I could feel the discomfort radiating off of her. She also seemed to shrink under the gazes of the servants and family members who watched as we passed by. "Poor girl." I heard a few whispers, "At least she'll do something useful for once, what a waste." She shrank deeper into herself as we walked, and I finally spoke up.
"Don't listen to them." She flinched, as if unused to people speaking to her and not at her. "W-what?" "You heard me, don't listen to them. Focus on yourself, and things should turn out all right." She didn't respond as we reached the training grounds.
When we got there, Solid was also their training as he launched water bullets at targets set up down range. Seeing her brother, Noelle froze and started to back up before I grabbed her arm and dragged her forward. After making sure she'd stay put, I channeled the new magic that Mereoleona had given me as a fire bullet formed before me.
I took aim and launched it, destroying a target as Noelle watched in amazement. "Your turn, I'd like to see your magic," I said as Noelle shook her head, as Solid butted in. "Don't waste your time with her; she can't even control her mana properly." He sneered, walking over as I stared at him, then turned back to her.
"Show me, maybe I can help." I insisted as Solid opened his mouth, "I'm not speaking to you." I cut him off as he looked mad, as Noelle finally relented.
Taking a breath, she brought her hands up and channeled her magic, forming a decent-sized water bullet and launching it. It flew straight at the target, but right before it hit, the bullet swerved right and hit the ground as Noelle looked ready to cry.
Solid opened his mouth to prove his point, but I cut him off again. "Not bad, most Noble children our age can barely form anything, yet you were able to create and launch a bullet. Practice more, and you should get it down." Noelle looked surprised to hear the encouragement as Solid finally snapped.
"She's just a useless worm. What makes you think she could ever do that?" "What makes you think she can't?" I shot back, I pressed forward, and didn't let him answer. "What makes you think you can force her down and keep her from succeeding? How can she be useful to House Silva if you and Nebra keep putting her down? How could she ever control her magic if you fools won't even bother trying to help her?"
Solid was unable to answer, so I turned back to Noelle, "See, don't listen to these foolish people. Focus on what you can do. You can make a bullet; now work on that more before trying to throw it. Keep practicing, and you'll get it in time."
Solid then grabbed my shoulder and spun me around, but I lashed out with my foot and kicked him right in the crotch as he fell to the ground, groaning in pain. "Solid!" Noelle yelled, but I dragged her away.
"If they don't care enough about you to help you learn to use magic, you don't need to care for them when they're in pain." Noelle thought about that as she opened up more. She started asking questions about how I formed my magic bullets, when I stopped supplying mana, and when it was time to throw it, as a family member stomped before us.
"Oh, how nice, to think I'd be able to meet the Wizard King's own son. How fortunate!" Noelle froze as a man stepped into view. 'Not good, his mana is already moving,' I noted as he stepped closer. The man was tall, but with a noticeable gut, as his eyes and hair matched the normal Silva silver.
"Noelle, how about you run along? I was hoping to talk to Alucard about something important." The man 'suggested' as Noelle nodded numbly, 'Something isn't right, the mist!' I then noticed the mist around me as my mind felt a subtle suggestion.
As she left, the feeling in my mind increased as the man's smile fell away. "What a useless brat, you might end up being the lucky one."
I tried to talk but found I couldn't as my mind felt numb, realizing it was a control spell. I circulated my mana, steadily freeing my mind as I stayed still, letting him talk.
"I'd rather not get near you if at all possible, but this was the only way to get at that freak Julius without alerting the fool Nozel. I don't see why he listens to that man; our Royal House Silva is above the likes of a mere Wizard King!
That's where you'll come in!" The man smirked as his mana output increased, and I forced more through my body.
"Through you, I'll take control of both House Silva AND the Wizard King. House Silva will then reign supreme, all thanks to my Justice magic! Seen only a few times throughout history, only appearing when House Silva needs strong leadership."
'This fool sure sounds sure of himself.' I thought dryly as he stepped closer to me. "Now that I have you as my pawn, as my 'justice' makes itself manifest in this world!" His mana flared so brightly that I almost slipped back under his control as a magic contract formed between us, "Sign here~" The man said as I felt the mana signatures of Julius and Nozel race towards us.
"Unfortunately, I don't think Alucard and Nebra will get along well. He did seem more receptive to Noelle, though, so maybe that could work out." Julius smiled as Nozel sighed. "I told those fools to keep their mouths shut; they never listen." Julius nodded.
"I have that problem with Alucard all the time. I had to threaten him just to get him to leave the library. If he had his way, he'd just train and read non-stop." Nozel smiled at the idea of his siblings actually trying to train instead of showboating and tormenting Noelle.
"Ah, it seems they had an altercation." Julius chuckled as they looked out the window to see Solid get kicked in the balls, as Alucard led Noelle away. Nozel sighed as he sent someone to check on his idiot brother.
They then paused their conversation to drink tea as another servant came in, and they froze. "I thought he was sent to a branch family?" Julius asked, recognizing the mana as Nozel scowled. "He isn't supposed to be here." The mana then flared as another did the same. 'A fight!' They both realized as they sped towards the mana.
Reaching the hallway where they felt the mana, they were surprised to see everything singed as they found the culprit, Alucard, beating a grown man into the floor with his bare hands. They sprang forward as Julius ripped him off the man, as Alucard raised his voice for the first time since Julius had been with him. "CALL MARX HERE NOW!"
Nozel was mad at first, not only was an uncle who'd been exiled back in the estate without him knowing, but he was also fighting the Wizard King's son, someone who had the power to investigate their family or bind them politically!
When Marx arrived, Alucard demanded that he use his memory magic on himself and the unconscious man; he obliged, and what they found shocked them. Julius was mildly surprised since this was a curveball for him and Marx, but Nozel was devastated.
'This idiot is going to implicate the entire family!' He wouldn't have believed it if not for him seeing the memories straight out of his head; this uncle had been ready to control the Wizard King through his own son!
Alucard then broke free of Marx's spell as he glared up at Nozel. "I will not hold this against you, but I will NOT be controlled. I will not be marrying anyone from House Silva, remaining alone forever if I must, rather than be near scum like this!" He snarled, pointing at the now conscious man as he continued.
"If before I didn't like your house because of how you treated Noelle, now we will never be united! I refuse to have anything to do with the wrecked house!" Before any of them could stop him, Alucard formed a flaming claw over his hand and tore out the man's throat, as he fell down dead.