On this weekend, there wasn't much activity among the residents of the Emerdine family mansion, with only a few servants and knights standing guard at various corners of the mansion.
Knowing that there would be sparring between the Emerdine children, Gerdan and Ardyn got ready in their rooms, and when they were ready, they walked to the designated sparring area, but not with Winfred.
In one section of the main library, a boy and a maid are sitting on chairs. On the table are several stacks of books with colorful covers. Winfred is now reading a book about magic theory. He is trying to find out whether his 'attribute' is really a "cheat" or part of this world.
After reading several books about magic, he has come to the conclusion that this ability is unique to him. Even when playing the Reaneus Saga series, there are no NPCs, main cast, or supporting characters who have his current attribute.
According to the book's explanation, "elemental attributes" are attributes found in nature that can be manipulated by someone with sufficient Mana. He could say that his current attribute was an "anomaly."
"If no one has this ability..."
He then picked up one of the books from the pile, and found what he was looking for. "Things Lost from Humanity's Grasp: Lost Magic" was the title of the black-covered book.
"It's possible that my ability... this spatial perception is one of the Lost Magics..."
In the world of Reaneus Saga, there are many spells that can be cast as long as one has the right amount of Mana. Spells that can split the earth, spells that can make someone fly quickly, spells that can cause natural disasters, and so on.
If he can currently only sense small movements and changes in the space around him, then spatial perception including Ping and Sensor are part of a branch of magic or an attribute. And as far as he knows, there is only one branch of magic that has a strong connection to Ping and Sensor.
"Space Magic..."
In this world, Space magic is considered lost magic because no individual is capable of wielding it...until Winfred arrived. However, that doesn't mean Space magic is completely gone, because there are some things or objects that contain elements of Space magic, specifically a certain type of monster and dimensional bag.
Winfred tried to stay focused. If this ability was a lost magic, it didn't mean he wasn't happy. He is happy to have gained a rare and unique ability, but on the other hand, he is worried because he believed that those who were given special ability were usually burdened with great responsibility.
Furthermore, it is possible that there are no books in the world that provide detailed explanations about Space magic such as its spells, levels, and how to use it.
"Which means I have to explore and develop this power on my own without anyone's help...not even knowledge and information from the game..."
Winfred exhaled deeply and closed the black-covered book. Nina, who was beside her master, became worried after seeing him struggle. She didn't know what her master was thinking when he accepted the invitation to spar with two prodigies from Emerdine, but she sincerely hoped that nothing would happen to endanger his life.
"Tell me, Nina. Can I win against my two older brothers?"
"Huh? Um…"
"Hahaha, I was just asking, Nina."
Winfred just smiled wryly as Nina caught in his little prank. He knew that for now, he couldn't compete with his two older brothers, but he wanted to see how far he could go. A few moments passed, and he felt that he had been in the library long enough and it was time to move on to the sparring area.
As soon as he stood up and tidied up the books he had been reading, Nina carried the books to a basket and pushed the basket to return the books to their original shelves. Shortly after Nina left, the library door opened and the sound of someone's footsteps could be heard entering.
Peeking from behind the shelves, Winfred saw the person entering and recognized the old man.
"There you are, kid. It's time for sparring. Go to the training hall near the central wing."
"Okay, Master Evan. Thank you for letting me know."
"Hmph. Don't think about winning, kid. Your opponent is someone with elemental attribute who has trained longer than you."
"Thank you for your advice, Master Evan. I know what I'm doing."
Evan raised his eyebrows at Emerdine's youngest child's answer. He saw that the boy who used to be only as tall as his thigh had now grown to almost chest height. Although he spoke in a harsh tone when they met, for some reason the boy always smiled gently, just as he was doing now.
Without saying another word, Evan left the main library. Winfred watched the old man's back with an understanding gaze. Although he didn't know the reason behind the hurtful tone of his words, for some reason he was convinced that there was no intention to disparage or belittle in that old man's words.
"I'm done, Young Master. Shall we go?"
"Yes, Nina. We don't want to keep the rest of the family waiting."
After finishing their business at the library, Nina and her master walked toward the training hall.
***
Throughout his training with Wayne, he never asked the name of the building he was staying in, so it was only now that he learned that the building he used for Mana training was actually a training hall, more specifically the east training hall, because it was close to the garden and the room where he lived. The Emerdine family had more than one training hall that could be used by anyone, as long as they asked permission first by informing the Head Butler.
After a few minutes, Winfred and Nina arrived at the training hall in the central wing, and when Nina opened the door, they saw that many people had gathered in the building.
Winfred was surprised because it seemed like he was the last to arrive, as the people who would be participating in the sparring, such as Ardyn and his group, as well as Gerdan and his group, had already arrived. Especially Ardyn and Gerdan, who seemed to have almost finished warming up and were chatting with their respective mothers.
In the crowd, he also saw Victor and Sebastian, as well as his mother Olivyn and Helina. Olivyn looked anxious as she spoke to Victor, while Victor responded to her words with a blank expression. Winfred immediately approached his mother and greeted both of his parents.
"Father, Mother! I'm apologizing for being late."
"Oh? You're here. Good, let's get started then."
"Winfred...are you sure, my son?"
"Yes, Mother. Trust me, I'll be fine."
Winfred held his mother's hand and smiled at her. Yes, Olivyn's fears were not unfounded because she knew that her son had disadvantages, but deep down in her heart she wanted to prove to everyone that her son was also growing strong. That's why she was torn between forbidding her son or letting him fight, even though it wasn't a real fight.
Sensing that Victor was about to speak, Ardyn, Gerdan, and their entourage stopped what they were doing.
"Everyone, please sit in the empty seats above. Do not approach the field. Soon we will begin with the sparring match. Now, who will go first?"
"Father! Let me fight with Brother Ardyn first! How about it, Brother!?"
"Gerdan... as you wish. Let me fight him first, Father."
"Alright. The first match will be between Ardyn and Gerdan. Before the match begins, there are a few things I want to say."
Victor looked closely at everyone present here with a rather serious expression on his face.
"First, it is forbidden to use magic or deadly techniques that could threaten lives, but other than that, I allow you to use magic. Second, combatants may only use weapons that have been prepared and may not use other weapons. Third, those who knock down their opponent's weapon are the winner. You also can pursue other means as long as you don't go against the first rule to win. That is all I want to say. Combatants, please take your positions. The rest of you, please sit on the spectator's seat above, do not stay on the field."
"Gerdan, win this fight!"
"I know that, Mother!"
"Ardyn, don't get carried away"
"Yes, Mother."
After saying this to her son Gerdan, Berthy glanced at Leni. As usual, she couldn't read the woman's expression, and that eldest son was just like his mother in that regard. Leni simply nodded at her son's response and then obeyed Victor's orders.
Besides Ardyn and Gerdan, everyone else went up to the available seats, including Winfred and his entourage. Winfred sat next to his mother, while Helina and Nina sat behind them.
Berthy and his entourage, consisting of Karl, Norrit, and the ginger-haired maid with glasses, sat to the left of Victor and Sebastian, while Leni, Zune, and the chubby butler sat to the right.
For some reason, Olivyn chose to sit a little far away from everyone else, but that didn't distract Winfred's concentration on the two people standing on the field.
Gerdan and Ardyn wore ordinary clothes that allowed them to move easily, such as white shirts and black trousers. They also wore light brown leather armor on their chests. What distinguished them from each other was the weapons they carried: Ardyn used a regular training wand, while Gerdan swung a wooden sword.
The two of them moved from the edge of the field to the center. Winfred looked around and spotted two people in white robes sitting in the lowest seats.
Winfred recognized the symbol on their robes, a golden sun surrounded by a circle of fire, and it didn't take him long to conclude that the two people were worshippers of the Goddess Frellia, better known as the Church of Light.
It seemed that Victor's father didn't want to take any risks with this sparring match, so he called upon the church, which was widely known for its healing magic.
Gerdan and Ardyn were ready and waiting for Victor's signal. Seeing that his two sons were ready, he nodded his head and shouted loudly.
"Begin!"
Gerdan moved quickly using Physical Strengthening and intended to close the distance between him and his brother. Ardyn saw this, pointed his training wand, and then released the Gale spell at Gerdan who was rushing forward.
A strong gust of wind hit Gerdan's body, dragging him several meters backwards. He didn't fall and only ended up crouching down, but the red-haired man quickly got up.
He twirled his hands and made small jumps, then ran again towards Ardyn, but not directly. Instead, he ran towards the blonde-haired man's right side.
Ardyn reacted by firing the same spell, but this time Gerdan managed to block the Wind magic with his wooden sword and maintain his position so he wasn't knocked backwards.
Gerdan continued his advance, and this time Ardyn realized that his younger brother was moving faster than he had been a few moments ago.
Gerdan successfully closed the distance between them and attacked Ardyn with a downward slash. Ardyn read the attack and dodged it with a side step, while simultaneously directing his palm toward Gerdan's arm and releasing a whirlwind the size of a basketball. Ardyn then kept his distance by retreating backward.
"That's a Wind Ball!"
Winfred did not expect Ardyn to make such a quick decision. Most Mages would likely lose their composure when someone approached them closely, but Ardyn calmly avoided Gerdan's attack.
Berthy, who saw her son's attack successfully avoided, clicked her tongue and frowned, while Leni just watched impassively as her son launched a counterattack against his younger brother.
Returning to the fight, Gerdan's posture was slightly shaken by the previous quick attack, and he almost lost his grip on his wooden sword. He regained his posture and returned to Ardyn, who stood with a blank expression on his face. He then attempted to launch a horizontal swing attack at his brother's body.
Mana gathered in Ardyn's left hand, while in his right hand he pointed his training wand at Gerdan. The red-haired man could feel the Mana emanating from his brother, so he canceled his attack. Ardyn was just bluffing, followed by canceling his spell.
There was still distance between them. Ardyn, who had shown no expression from the start, and Gerdan, who smiled more and more as the fight went on. The two siblings stared at each other and sized each other up. The others watching their duel showed mixed reactions.
Leni and her group had the same expression as Ardyn, while Berthy showed impatience by repeatedly clenching her hands and gripping her dress tightly. However, Karl and the ginger-haired maid did not react this way. Norrit, who was beside him, simply showed understanding towards his disciple by nodding his head.
Victor and Sebastian remained stoic as they watched Emerdine's two sons show off their abilities. Olivyn and Helina stared intently at the two people fighting in the middle of the field, while Nina showed anxiety at the intense magical attacks.
Gerdan changed his body position, opened his palms, and pointed them at Ardyn. Emerdine's eldest son sensed that his younger brother was about to cast a spell, so he also gathered Mana in his hands.
A fire the size of a basketball shot out from Gerdan's hand. Seeing this, Ardyn also released his Wind Ball spell.
The two spells collided, creating a loud boom that could be heard all the way to the audience seats.
"Fire Ball!"
Winfred mentioned the spell cast by his brother Gerdan. It seemed that his brother was getting serious, as he used his elemental attribute. The smoke from the collision of the two spells slightly obstructed Ardyn's vision.
Then he heard someone running towards him, and sure enough, Gerdan quickly closed the distance, causing Ardyn to move his training wand and release a medium-sized spiral wind, Whirlwind, towards his younger brother.
Gerdan, who was already quite close to his older brother, was slightly surprised when the Wind spell quickly approached him, but thanks to his good reflexes, he managed to avoid the spell at the last second, so it only hit his left shoulder. He continued moving towards Ardyn.
Feeling close enough, Gerdan threw a small spear-shaped fire the size of his arm, Fire Lance at Ardyn. The blond man responded with Wind Ball to dispel Gerdan's fire magic. Once again, their magic attacks collided.
Gerdan recklessly charged forward before the remnants of the magic disappeared and launched a diagonal attack at the blond man in front of him.
Ardyn did not expect his younger brother to be reckless enough to attack him. To avoid the wooden sword, he stepped upward to widen the distance between them.
Winfred watched his brother quickly cast the Airstep spell, which amazed him, but he saw that his brother was having a little trouble balancing himself in the air.
As Winfred had suspected, Ardyn, who was floating quite high in the air, was having trouble controlling his body and his spell.
He had to think twice when using the Airstep spell, which allowed him to create a temporary wind platform that could be used to escape or avoid attacks.
Ardyn calculated the Mana output to create the platform and maintain his balance so he wouldn't fall.
Gerdan saw his brother floating above him, his smile widening to reveal his white teeth. He then laughed loudly and asked his brother to come down.
"Hahaha! Brother Ardyn, come down here quickly! Let's continue the fight!"
"..."
Ardyn did not respond to Gerdan's words, but he slowly lowered himself until he was standing fully on the ground.
The two brothers stared at each other, and their instincts told them that the next move would be the decisive attack.
Gerdan, smiling, gripped his wooden sword tightly with both hands and lunged at his brother. Ardyn pointed his training wand at his opponent and gathered his Mana.
When Gerdan was halfway there, he released his Wind magic, which produced a vague, medium-sized pillar. The spell was Wind Pillar.
Gerdan, who saw the pillar of wind rapidly heading towards him, laughed loudly. The tip of his wooden sword ignited into a small flame, and Gerdan bravely faced the magic head-on with a slash of his wooden sword.
"Haaaaa...!"
With a determined shout, Gerdan blocked his brother's magical attack and managed to slash the spell, destroying it completely. Dust and smoke flew everywhere, blocking his vision.
Gerdan sensed something strange, so he chose to run towards his brother, but before he could escape the dust and smoke, he saw someone's silhouette.
As he was about to slash at the silhouette, Gerdan was hit by a basketball-sized Wind spell that knocked him backwards and caused him to drop the wooden sword he was holding.
After Gerdan checked his body and found that he was fine, he realized that he had lost his wooden sword and that a training wand was being pointed at his face.
"My victory, Gerdan."
Ardyn, with a straight face, declared his victory over his younger brother. The entire audience was shocked, except for Leni and Victor, who remained completely emotionless.
On the other hand, Winfred wondered how he would be able to fight against his two older brothers after this...