Chapter 59: Prelude (1)

Rylan stood up and stretched his body with a pensive expression. It was an important question. He had already delayed his Evolution for a long time while he trained.

“How do you think the Magic Academies would react to it if I didn’t go through the Evolution?” he asked after a few seconds of silence. Gerard rubbed his beard.

“In a way, it would be a point in your favor. They would know that their teachings would be able to affect your Evolution and therefore your path. On the other hand, you’re missing out on going to them with a rare Class.”

Rylan nodded. His father had explained the current conundrum perfectly. Between showing up with a rare Class and the promise of future potential, which was better? The reason why he was leaning toward the former was simple.

“What if I get a Class that I can’t easily reveal?” he retorted.

Gerard opened his mouth, then closed it again.

“…I see. You wouldn’t be able to take advantage of it, no matter how rare it is,” he said after a few seconds of silence. Rylan nodded.

The System took into account everything one was in the Class Evolutions. It was very likely that he would be offered Classes related not only to his current life, but also to the past one. As the reincarnated Sword Saint who was learning magic, it was only obvious that the possibilities that the System would present would be different from the norm.

“How do the Magic Academies identify a possible student’s Class? There’s no way they just rely on what the student says,” Rylan said with a furrowed brow.

“The methods vary. The Royal Magic Academy utilizes a magic tool capable of revealing your Status Window. However, it can only reveal what you allow it to.”

Rylan raised an eyebrow.

“That sounds like an incredibly powerful tool. How did the Academy find something like that?”

Gerard shrugged.

“It was among the loot of a difficult Dungeon, apparently.”

Rylan nodded. Only the System was able to create something so closely related to its workings. No, that wasn’t quite right. As Roland, he had met and talked to artisans and craftsmen who could fully use Skills and Titles with mastery to create artifacts beyond any prediction. They utilized the System’s functions and features to touch upon its abilities and engrave them into their craft.

In a way, Roland had been able to do the same. His sword, Moonlight, was capable of severing nearly anything. His speed had surpassed his physical limitations, and every Skill had helped him build up an overwhelming status that had swordsmanship mastery as its axis. It was a level that was still too far away from Rylan.

Now that I think about it, I don’t know anything about the abilities of this life’s craftsmen.

Judging them based on Roland’s standards was wrong. After all, magic existed in this life; a new power that could change the world to an unknown extent. After pondering about this for a few seconds, Rylan turned his thoughts to other matters.

“Did the Guild find out why there are more monsters in the Woodlands?” he asked.

Gerard’s grave expression was tinged with worry. He sighed.

“…Yeah. A new Dungeon has been discovered, and it’s an Open Dungeon.”

Rylan stared at his father’s eyes with disbelief.

“A new Dungeon? Out of nowhere? Why?”

“Beats me,” Gerard shook his head while keeping his expression. Rylan could tell how much this was affecting his father; the idea that the town would be in danger weighed on him. At the same time, it was an impossible situation.

Dungeons don’t appear out of thin air.

He didn’t know if the process was different in this life, but as Roland, he and his allies had investigated Dungeons thoroughly. For a Dungeon to form, several factors needed to be in perfect harmony, including environmental mana and, most importantly, the System’s will. A single possibility flashed through his mind as his eyes narrowed.

Is it an artificially-created Dungeon?

People could create trial grounds that could be recognized by the System as a Dungeon. It was much rarer than the System-originated Dungeons, to the point where one could say the artificial Dungeons almost didn’t exist. It was one of the only explanations for this situation. Alternatively, a powerful being had been born deep in the Woodlands and the System had made it a Boss, creating a new Dungeon on its own.

“Still, it didn’t simply appear. It was discovered deep in the heart of the Woodlands. We don’t know how long it’s been there for,” Gerard continued, shaking his head.

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For a few seconds, neither of the two said anything else. Rylan stared at the bedroom window before turning his head and facing his father.

“Father, I—”

“Absolutely not,” Gerard interrupted in a firm tone.

“Don’t be like that. I’ve already explained why I need to keep pushing myself, and a life-and-death battle is the best teacher. I need to practice my spells.”

Gerard scoffed.

“Based on the monsters walking out of the Gate, it’s a higher-Level Dungeon. We also have no idea what the Boss is. I forbid it.”

Rylan could see where his father was coming from, but there was no way he would let an opportunity like this pass him by.

“Let me go into the Woodlands and help with culling the monsters that are coming out of the Gate, at least for a while or until the Boss is taken care of.”

Gerard frowned heavily but stayed silent. Truthfully, Rylan didn’t need anyone’s permission to go fight, but he didn’t want to ignore his family like that. He couldn’t make the same mistake again. There was no issue with trying to convince his father.

“Even if I meet an enemy I can’t defeat, I can just escape with the Falling Snow Steps. Now that I’ve formed my Second Circle, I’m faster than ever. I’ll be fine,” he continued as he put a hand on his father’s shoulder. “I won’t die.”

His father stared deep into his eyes. Just like Rylan’s, his eyes were a piercing blue. The beard helped compose a matchless appearance. Rylan smiled as he faced Gerard’s concerned expression.

“…I won’t be able to go with you,” Gerard said after a few seconds. It was only natural. As the Family Head, he was responsible for not only overseeing the estate and its businesses, but also for its protection. As one of the most powerful Mages in Cantavega, he was almost required to stay within town to be able to react to any sudden events. It was a burdensome position.

“Don’t worry,” Rylan stretched his body and cracked his neck. “Now, there’s something I’ve got to do before leaving and getting this show on the road.”

Gerard raised an eyebrow.

“Which is?”

“Aelfric,” Rylan replied with a warm smile. “I need to go see him.”

The thought of his brother was comforting. Even though he had been focused on training and improving, he had still made time for Aelfric. The two of them ate lunch together almost every day, and he made sure to keep up with Aelfric’s progress in overcoming the withdrawals. Sadness crossed Rylan’s expression. It was difficult to see his brother struggling, especially because he was the one who had gotten Aelfric stuck in the mire.

Gerard gave him a sincere smile.

“Go, then. We’ll talk about this later.”

Rylan nodded and bowed before he left the room. As always, Sarah was waiting for him outside. Her blond hair glistened as the sun shone upon it, green eyes shining like jade. She wore an expression that had only begun to appear recently. He still couldn’t quite tell what it was, but it was miles better than the cold indifference she usually showed him. She bowed with pristine form.

“Good morning, young master.”

A smile made its way to his face.

“Good morning, Sarah. I’m going to Aelfric right now.”

She nodded with a small grin.

At least we got closer over time.

It wasn’t that unusual for her to grin anymore, though smiles were still a bit rare. Slowly, he was rebuilding his relationship with her. There was no special reason why; he just felt like he owed her that much as she was the person who had been next to him all this time.

Together, they walked.

Once more, Rylan noticed how elaborate the manor truly was. The engravings and sculptures united to form a beautiful, harmonious picture. From the colors to the decorations, everything represented not only what Gerard liked, but also what he thought his children might like. He grinned.

They arrived in front of Aelfric’s bedroom door. Sitting on a chair outside was Robert, who promptly stood up as Rylan approached.

“Good morning, Master Rylan!” the man exclaimed in an uneasy voice, shifting his weight. Rylan gave him a cold smile.

“Is Aelfric inside?”

Robert nodded repeatedly. Rylan walked up to the door and knocked it lightly.

“It’s me, Aelfric.”

Barely a few seconds afterward, the door opened to reveal the smiling face of his brother. Aelfric stood tall as the sunlight landed on his long brown hair. His blue eyes, much like Rylan’s own, carried joyful emotions. There were no dark circles under them.

“Rylan! I was waiting for you. Come on in,” Aelfric said with a smile, stepping to the side. Rylan entered the bedroom and closed the door behind him, only for his younger brother to immediately hug him. He smiled.

“Hi, Aelfric.”

Aelfric kept his smile as they separated.

“There’s something I want to show you,” Aelfric stated, making Rylan raise an eyebrow.

“Go ahead.”

Aelfric walked to the middle of the room. There was no longer any trace of Dust or Glamour on the shelves or desk. The curtains parted, letting the sun shine through the window and illuminate the bedroom. Even though the bed was still a bit messy, it was incomparable to before. Rylan observed all of this with pride, even puffing up his chest a bit. It wasn’t pride directed at himself; instead, he was proud of his younger brother.

“Look. I learned to do this on my own,” Aelfric said as he turned around to face Rylan. He raised his hands, palms facing up.

The atmospheric mana moved. Aelfric’s internal mana resonated with it, making both of them release a droning melody. Orange energy gathered around his hands, flowing like it was alive.

“Ready? This is it.”

Abruptly, the mana contorted. Like water, it slowly crawled over itself, changing its shape to that of a sword. Rylan widened his eyes in disbelief.

That’s… my sword.

It was the sword he always carried around. As the seconds ticked by, the image only became more detailed. It then collapsed, only to restructure itself in the shape of a person. After a few seconds, it became obvious that it was an image of Rylan himself.

Repeatedly, the orange mana changed its shape into an accurate reproduction of something else. This wasn’t a Skill or spell. Aelfric was managing to do all of this with nothing but sheer mana control and proficiency.

A genius.

Rylan smiled as the orange mana dispersed. Aelfric met him with a smile of his own.

“Kinda cool, isn’t it? I’m still getting the hang of it.”

“Aelfric,” Rylan got closer to his brother and lay his hand on his shoulder. “Do you want to join a Magic Academy with me?”

Aelfric blinked, clearly caught off-guard by the question.

“…Why are you talking about that?”

“I can’t let your talent go to waste. You can become much more than this.”

He scratched the back of his head sheepishly with a grin.

“Maybe. I’m still trying to find my footing.”

Rylan nodded. It was a matter of course. Aelfric was still battling his withdrawals and addiction. The only reason he had gotten so far was because of Rylan’s mana circulation method.

“I’ll be here to help you with every step of the way. We’ll succeed together.”

He flashed a bitter smile as he thought of Roland’s brother, Theodore. He couldn’t let something like that repeat itself, not in this life.

The two brothers talked as the morning went on. It was his way of mending the wounds of his past life.