In the Emerdine family's large garden, inside a greenhouse, three young men were sitting and chatting. They are the three sons of the Emerdine family.
While Winfred was walking in the garden and wanted to stop by the greenhouse, he accidentally ran into his two older brothers, Ardyn and Gerdan, sitting at the resting place where the three of them first met.
Of course, he immediately joined his two brothers and listened to their conversation. Their servants stood behind them as usual.
"I must admit, Winfred, day by day you are getting faster and can anticipate my spells accurately."
"Ah, thank you, Brother Ardyn. You are also getting more creative in using your magic."
"By any chance, can you see the future?"
"That's ridiculous, Brother Ardyn! How could a little brother have such power! Speaking of improvement, I'm getting stronger too, you know!"
"Ahahaha..."
Winfred chuckled at Gerdan's reaction, who praised himself while crossing his arms, while Ardyn just looked at his two younger brothers with his usual blank stare.
As they had discussed, since their last sparring match, Ardyn or Gerdan would sometimes invite Winfred to spar with them.
He noticed that his two older brothers had made considerable progress. For example, Gerdan was more attentive to his surroundings when fighting, and Ardyn had become more adept at using his spells.
Winfred then changed the subject by asking his two older brothers a question.
"Now that you mention it, Brother Ardyn and Brother Gerdan, you are going to start your studies at Voggen Academy, right? When are you two leaving?"
"We will depart in the afternoon, right, Brother Ardyn?"
"We shall depart in the morning. We will be under strict escort and are expected to arrive at Voggen Academy in the afternoon."
Seeing his two brothers arguing with each other, Winfred sank into his thoughts. It had been several weeks since that winter party.
Now the season was about to change to spring, which marked the start of the new school year for the new students at Voggen Academy.
He thought his actions would trigger massive changes to the main story, but nothing had happened yet. Until now, the audience at the gazebo had not contacted him, and he had never seen them again.
"Hey, little brother! What do you think about Voggen Academy?"
Gerdan's loud voice snapped him out of his train of thought. With a small smile and a thoughtful pose, he replied to his red-haired brother.
"Uh...about that...Oh, right! Will you two be okay without a servant like now?"
"We have no choice but to manage. That is the Academy's rule."
"Wohoo! I can be free and no one will bother me! Hahaha!"
Ardyn looked at Gerdan, who was leaning back in his chair with a big smile upon hearing that there would be no servants to bother him at Voggen Academy. Ardyn crossed his arms and exhaled lightly.
"For your information, Voggen Academy has provided special servants in the Academy dormitory. These servants are selected through a very strict selection process, and their standards are almost the same as those of the imperial family's servants."
"So what, Brother Ardyn!? Their position is lower than mine!"
"That may be true, but these servants also have the right and duty to ensure that students follow the Academy's rules and do not disgrace the institution. And to look down on them is to question the capabilities of the Academy and our empire as a whole. You don't want to embarrass our family, do you?"
"Precisely as Young Master Ardyn said. I hope you will truly maintain your ethics and behavior while studying there even though I am not by your side, Young Master."
"Ugh! You are so noisy, Karl!"
Gerdan grumbled in response to the counsel of his personal butler Karl, who smiled thinly but looked serious. Winfred then saw his eldest brother Ardyn get up from his seat, apparently the blond-haired man had something to do.
"I am leaving first. I want to make sure I have everything I need to take to the Academy tomorrow. Excuse me."
"Oh! That is true! Come on, Karl...! Pick out the clothes I will take to the Academy for me!"
Seeing his two brothers leave, Winfred exhaled deeply. For some reason, whenever he talked to them, he was always overcome with feelings of happiness and anxiety. Perhaps it was just his imagination, because in his previous life he had no siblings, so he was a little confused about how to act around them.
Nina's words entered his ears and distracted him.
"Young Master, should we return to the room?"
"Hmmm...no, Nina. I'll practice for a while in the training hall."
"Understood, Young Master."
Winfred responded to Nina's words and left the greenhouse for the training hall near the east wing. Even on weekends, Winfred always made time to train alone without his mentor Wayne.
The simple training included stamina training, basic spear techniques, and Mana training. Winfred also used his spatial abilities during training until his Mana was almost depleted. The simple training usually lasted about an hour, and after that, he spent the rest of the day reading books in the main library or in his room.
Time passed, and the next day arrived for his brothers to leave for the Academy.
***
In front of the mansion's main entrance in the central wing, a large crowd had gathered. Servants bustled about, checking the carriage with agility and care, while knights with determined expressions formed a protective formation around it. The knights rode strong, large horses.
The horse-drawn carriage was pulled by two black horses with impressive muscles.
The main members of the Emerdine family, Victor, Berthy, Leni, and Olivyn, are also there to see Ardyn and Gerdan off. Berthy, with a smug expression, fanned herself with an elegant fan in her hand while watching the servants check her son's belongings.
Winfred stood beside his mother, Helina, and Nina stood behind them. Olivyn and Winfred looked curious as they waited for Ardyn and Gerdan to arrive. It didn't take long for the two young men to arrive at the front door. They approached the crowd with confident steps, each with their servants behind them.
"Good. You two are here. Remember, always pay attention to your surroundings. Let me know when you two arrive at the Academy."
"Yes, Father. We will be on guard throughout our journey."
"Of course, Father! Don't worry about us!"
Victor looked at his two sons with a straight face as he reminded them. Ardyn replied in a serious tone, while Gerdan replied firmly. They both approached their respective mothers.
"Gerdan, always take care of your health. And don't forget to practice and don't be lazy about studying there!"
"Mother! Shouldn't you be encouraging me at a time like this!?"
Berthy gave her son stern advice with a slightly angry expression. Gerdan was shocked and could only sigh in resignation.
"Remember all of your lessons here. Don't dishonor our family name. Take care."
"Yes, Mother. Wish me well."
Leni gave the order to her son with a flat expression. Ardyn replied politely as usual. Then, each of the Emerdine family servants also said goodbye to the two men, including Zune, Karl, Helina, Nina, Sebastian, Arren, and the other servants.
Ardyn and Gerdan then turned to their younger brother and said their goodbyes as well.
"Lady Olivyn, please take care of yourself."
"You too, Young Master Ardyn. I wish you success at the Academy."
"Lady Olivyn! Next time I am on summer break, please introduce me to someone stronger, okay!?"
"If you wish so, Young Master Gerdan. Come on, Winfred. Do you have anything to say to your brothers?"
Winfred smiled in response to his mother's request.
"Brother Ardyn, Brother Gerdan. Please take care of yourselves, okay? And if possible, send me a letter about your experience in that place! Hehehe."
"Hm. I will try, but no promises."
"Eh, that is boring! How about I send you some challenge letters instead?"
Gerdan patted his younger brother on the shoulder with a cheerful expression, while Ardyn crossed his arms with a flat but satisfied look. After saying goodbye, they both bowed to the Emerdine family members and boarded the horse-drawn carriage. A knight in full armor saluted Victor.
"Rest assured, Lord Victor. I will absolutely make sure our young masters arrive safely. Our knights shall be vigilant throughout the journey."
"Please do so, Fergus. Remember our protocols when things go awry."
"Understood, My Lord."
Winfred stared at the large knight with curiosity. Apparently, the knight who had just given confirmation to his father was the Knight Captain of Emerdine, Fergus Fowler. He couldn't see his features such as hair, face, and eyes, but he could see from the longsword on his hip, the completeness of his armor, and the cloak he wore that he is a knight of high rank.
Slowly, the coachman ordered the horses to pull the carriage, and the tightly guarded group headed for the main gate and passed through it.
Winfred stared at the carriage carrying his two older brothers until it was no longer visible. With determination, he once again encouraged himself to keep practicing so that he could stand on equal footing with his two brothers.