A fireball shot through the air and struck an ice wall. Lucas dispelled his ice wall and continued to hurl sharp icicles the length of his arm toward Eric. "Ice Lance!"
Eric stared intently at the projectiles and prepared his fire spell. Numerous fiery spheres appeared around him, and now it was his turn to launch his attack.
"Fire Ball."
Eric calmly recited his spell, and the two spells collided violently. A loud bang from the clash of fire and ice echoed across the open field. The servants and knights watching were slightly anxious.
Thick steam formed from the remnants of the spell collision, and Eric decided to attack at close range. He ran toward Lucas, who slammed his staff into the ground, "Frozen Earth!"
A layer of ice covered and froze the battlefield, but Eric had anticipated it. He heated his feet with his fire magic, trails of flames marking his footsteps.
Close enough, he leaped and launched a kick toward Lucas. The young man summoned pillars of ice as thick as tree trunks from the frozen ground, "Ice Pillar!" The magical construct that abruptly appeared startled Eric, but he reacted quickly and coated his entire lower limbs with blazing fire. "Fire Kick!!"
The fiery kick shattered the ice pillars and landed on Lucas's body, but Lucas's reaction was also quick enough that he blocked the kick with his hands. A small explosion formed from Eric's attack hitting his younger brother.
Apparently, Lucas had coated his body with a thick layer of ice at the last moment, so there were only small burn marks on his hands. They were both panting, and the next attack would likely be their last.
But Lucas was the one who looked the most exhausted at that moment, sweat was pouring down his forehead, and his face was slightly pale. Unlike Eric, who also looked tired but was in slightly better shape than Lucas.
Eric then repeatedly summoned thick flames in both hands, then assumed an archer's stance, taking aim at his younger brother.
"Fuga."
A massive blast of fire shot toward Lucas, forcing him into a defensive stance. Once again, fire and ice collided, and a roaring explosion echoed across the field. A thin vapor obscured their vision, and when it cleared, Lucas was seen kneeling on the ground. Along with his defeat, the layer of ice covering the ground on the field began to recede and vanish.
Eric also looked extremely exhausted but forced himself to walk over to his younger brother. He reached out his hand. Lucas, seeing this, grimaced and clicked his tongue, but still took Eric's hand.
"It's my win. What's the score again?"
"It's 12-11..."
"Heh, nice."
While waiting for winter to pass and the start of Academy enrollment in early spring, Eric spent his time as usual: exercising, visiting Little Twister, and going on adventures with Ferguson and Millie after Rudy and Emilia left to return to Zeris City.
He thought things would continue that way until Lucas suddenly asked him to spar. The reason he asked Eric to spar with him was that he wanted to become stronger and didn't want to feel hopeless like he did during that rescue mission.
Eric didn't think twice and, of course, agreed to Lucas's request. For several weeks now—if not nearly a month—he'd been sparring with Lucas every weekend. So far, their wins had been back and forth, and this time, Eric was the one who won.
Back to the present, Eric and Lucas walked toward the servants at the edge of the field to grab their drinks and the towels that had been provided. Lucas was still annoyed and asked his older brother.
"Why didn't you use that power, Brother Eric?"
"Oh? Let's see… hmmm…"
Eric tilted his head and acted as if he were thinking. "It would be unfair to you. If anything, I don't want to beat you to a pulp. Besides, my fire magic is already strong enough, right?"
Lucas nodded in agreement with Eric. "You're right… I don't know how you did it, but your magic and Mana capacity are better than before."
Eric was thinking the same thing inwardly. Since using Mahito's power—including Domain Expansion—and finally successfully landing a Black Flash, he felt enlightened about the power within himself and his body.
He could see it in how his fire magic had become more potent and his Mana pathways were larger and smoother than before. To draw an analogy, the Mana pathway he had before was like a small hose that often got clogged, whereas now it was more like a large industrial pipe that flowed smoothly and channeled Mana vigorously.
"Is it the effect of Idle Transfiguration… or something else…?" Eric muttered to himself.
"Nevertheless, I'm satisfied with this fight, but next time will be my win. See you again at the next sparring session, Brother Eric." Lucas said his goodbyes and walked away from the training ground along with a few knights.
"So soon? Well, whatever. See ya." Eric lazily waved his hand at Lucas. Eric shook his head, watching Lucas, who was always enthusiastic during their sparring sessions, that was a good thing, in his opinion.
"Ah, the flame of youth…" he snickered to himself. Eric then ordered the servants to clean up the area and, along with several knights tasked with overseeing the sparring, returned to the main mansion.
***
As noon approached, Eric took a stroll behind the main mansion. Here, there was a large plot of land that the Ostheno family had repurposed. For instance, Melissa, who loved gardening, had turned it into a botanical garden filled with colorful flowers, which the servants tended to diligently.
The servants who saw Eric all bowed nervously. Eric merely waved his hand irritably in response. When he reached a particular shaded spot, he found Laurene enjoying tea time and reading a book.
Seeing the maids around her suddenly bow, Laurene lifted her eyes from her book and furrowed her brow when she noticed Eric standing not far from her.
"Looking good, buddy?"
Laurene stared at her older brother strangely. "…Buddy? I'm not your buddy." Laurene closed her book and glared at Eric. "What do you want?"
Laurene's cold tone made Eric uncomfortable, so he chose not to disturb her tea time any further. "Nothing. Just wanna walk around here."
"Hmhm..."
"..."
"..."
Laurene was still staring at Eric, and so was Eric. The sudden silence made the maids there squirm uncomfortably. Eric took a deep breath and walked away. "Anyway, enjoy your time."
Laurene didn't respond to Eric's words. she just stayed silent. After walking a good distance away, Eric thought that his younger siblings had somehow changed a little. Usually, when they saw him, they would look at him with contempt and loathing, but these past few weeks, their gaze toward Eric had shifted to hate and annoyance.
"Is that a good sign...? Oh, whatever."
He shrugged carelessly, not wanting to think about it any further.
***
Winter has passed. Although there is still snow, it has begun to melt and clear up outside—it's not as harsh as it was last month. A gentle breeze carries the scent of spring. This means it's time for Eric to return to Zeris Academy.
"Make sure you're ready the day after tomorrow, my son," Melissa said gently. James was engrossed in his report, but he kept an ear on the conversation between Eric and Melissa. "Your mother is right. I've decided to have you share a carriage with Lucas and Laurene."
The three of them were in James's office. Eric had been summoned here for a briefing by James and Melissa. Lucas and Laurene had also been informed of this beforehand, and surprisingly, they didn't object to the plans James had made.
"Of course, the elite knights of Ostheno will escort you." Eric nodded, letting out a slight huff. James then adopted a slightly serious expression, tinged with a touch of worry. "If something were to happen…"
"If you're worried about an ambush or something, leave it to me, Father. Mother." Eric said this while looking at them with confidence. Melissa was touched by Eric's mature demeanor, while a sense of relief filled James's chest.
"I know you will," James said with a small smile. He organized some papers and then told his eldest son, "It's already late. You should get some rest."
"Hmhm. Okay." Eric said nonchalantly as he bid farewell to his parents. Back in his room, he thought about his life as a student again. In his previous life, he hadn't even had the chance to pursue higher education, but now he was enrolled in a prestigious institute throughout the Empire.
"I'll visit that old lady, and maybe meet up with Ferguson and Millie to discuss our next plan…"
His attention was diverted when he saw the blue screen he hadn't seen in a long time.
Time remaining before the power of [Mahito] is lost... 1 minute...
"What the fuck?"
He blinked, but the blue screen persisted before him, refusing to disappear.
Eric watched the countdown with mixed feelings.