Leonard Massarreli, Massarreli Estate; Kingdom of Eins, 610

"Think about this, lad." Said the stout noble before sitting up and walking away with his three noble-cronies.

They walked out of the conference room in fumes, and Leon could only sigh. The stout man who led these nobles to visit his estate was Duke Reed Lossange. Before they came, their letter stated that they just wanted to meet up with Leon as the new Duke of the Massarreli House, and that they had some important matters to discuss.

Unsurprisingly, they came to convince Leon that they should gather their army and storm the capital in rebellion.

The rebel faction was unsatisfied with the way things have turned out, but they were hopeful because the Royal Army and the noble's armies who were loyal to the King are in a state of disarray; their numbers have dwindled down, and notable personnel and officers of their armies have either died, or were missing.

It was the truth that the rebel factions didn't do much when Rorldon invaded, and because of this the rebels had the upper-hand as soon as the civil war started. It was assured that they were going to succeed with the coup.

They did succeed, however they never expected Aleuas to arrive to prick a thorn in their plans. The rebel faction however, thought that they still had the time and resources to reinstate their cause, and were inviting Leon and his army to lead.

Leon shot them down.

There were many problems with their plans, one was that there was no one else in their faction who is designated as an heir. It is simply impossible to occupy the Kingdom without changing its political structure.

Two, the allies of Eins have already acknowledged Aleuas as its ruler, and know that there is no other person with a proper claim to the Throne. If they succeed in quelling Aleuas, Eins' allies wouldn't stand down like they did back then. They wouldn't want the largest country in their alliance to undergo a change of its structure when there's a better alternative.

Lastly, even though their armies are in disarray, he doubted the Aleuas doesn't have a solution to remedy that.

The door to his conference room opened once more and revealed a smiling silver-haired young man. The young man entered the room and chose to seat close to Leon. He placed his legs on the table and chuckled.

"So? How was their expressions when you declined?" Aleuas said.

Leon smiled.

"They were unhappy, to say the least. I'm intrigued. How did you even find out about their intention to visit me? You even had the time to go your merry way to my estate and strike a deal with me just before they arrived." Leon shrugged as Aleuas laughed.

"Magic, my dear friend." Aleuas said.

Leon snorted in response.

"Though in reality, I doubt you would have accepted." Aleuas revealed.

Leon nodded as he smiled. It was true that even if Aleuas didn't strike a deal with him, Leon would still decline and rally under the King's banner.

Leon was never in full support of his father's wishes to climb to the throne. He, however, knew that he loved his family and that if they ever lost the war, King Deukalion would definitely not only demote them to commoners, he'd have his whole family executed. That was the only reason why Leon was compelled to join the rebel's cause and lead their army as its general.

His father wouldn't be reasoned with, but Leon joining under King Deukalion would only save his life, and not his brother's and mother's. His mother was relocated to a safe location under the Massarreli's before the start of the civil war, but that wouldn't stop King Deukalion's rage from finding her and having her answer to her husband's crimes.

Actually, he was dissatisfied by his father's decision to not help the King's armies when they were first invaded by Rorldon. Rorldon wouldn't have done as much damage if the rebel faction's armies cooperated.

Leon was an undisputed talent in the army, and he was climbing up the ranks before the invasion of Rorldon. His understanding of war shadowed over his knowledge and politics, and he was ready to put his talents to use. However, when they needed him the most, his father told him to quiet down.

Rorldon was able to deal much damage to their army and the infrastructure. After the war, the King and even his father just decided to deal with the infrastructure by pooling all their resources into rebuilding. They were at least able to build enough so that it wasn't apparent that they were just ravaged by war, although that action did a lot in depleting their treasuries.

After that, his father decided to engage in the civil war. Both the King and his father were wise in avoiding the recently fixed buildings and houses, and chose the open plains to wage their war. In hindsight, that was the only good thing that came out of the war.

Still, that didn't hide the fact that the economy was undergoing a depression, and the military power of Eins has weakened. It was a problem that Leon was mulling over before Aleuas' arrived.

"Don't tell me you're also a worrywart?" Aleuas squinted his eyes.

"What the hell do you mean?" Leon creased his brows as he replied.

"You suddenly became gloomy and quiet all of a sudden. Don't worry-" Aleuas flexed his biceps as he paused "-whatever troubles you have, I'll find someone to fix it for us!" Leon slumped his shoulders in response.

"Aleuas, you're the King now, can't you be serious about things like these?" Leon asked.

"I am!" Aleuas promptly leaned over as he shouted. "That doesn't mean that I'd have to be as gloomy as you, though."

Aleuas pouted as Leon sighed. Aleuas then smiled as he put his hand on Leon's shoulder.

"Well, what do you have to say about my offer?" Aleuas raised his chin. "I must say, I was surprised when I found out that you were some type of military genius who's hands were tied when Rorldon decided to visit," Aleuas removed his hands from Leon's shoulders and used it to scratch his head. "I'm still uncertain why I wasn't able to pick up on someone who's supposed to be my best friend. Whatever though, I doubt you have any reservations about my offer."

Leon shook his head, elicitng a gasp from Aleuas.

"You decline!?" Aleuas asked in surprise.

"No. I was just thinking how stupid you always choose to act." Leon said then chuckled.

"So that means you accept, Leon?"

"Yeah, I'll be the Field Marshal." Leon decided.

Aleuas smiled and pumped his fist in victory.

The standing army's Field Marshal is the head of the military. He has the rights to control not only the standing army, but also the royal army and the nobles armies, the Kingdom's Knights, and the Navy, but also the Mage Corps.

Of course, the Heads of the Houses can decline the orders of the Field Marshal in behalf of their private armies, but the only reason they would do that is when they want to undermine the Field Marshal's power. During the rebellion, the rebels had to undermine the previous Field Marshal, but right now things are different.

Aleuas' move to appoint Leon as Field Marshal will allow him to clamp down on the unruly elements of the rebel faction, and if the rebels still want to cause trouble, Leon will instantly take care of them.

Still, Leon thought a bit. He wondered why he so easily accepted Aleuas' offer when that very same man was the one who killed his father. Is it because that was just simply the situation, and he in actuality bore no ill will? Is it because he was Aleuas' best friend, and thus he could forgive him?

Or is it because he gradually lost trust in his father, and his death was just something that fate had in store for him?

Leon didn't know, but what he was sure about was that he isn't angry about what Aleuas did. In fact, he was ironically thankful.

"But Aleuas, even if I do my job as Field Marshal, it doesn't remove the fact that the rebel faction still has more mages than us, and if you really want to achieve what you're saying you want to achieve, then we need more powerful mages." Leon reminded.

Aleuas placed a palm on his face as he gulped.

The wars fought by the countries in this continent, and probably the whole world, was not just centered by numbers war, strategies, and tactics. Mages are also a large factor, and the use of mages and their abilities have always been at the fore-front of the tides of war.

The problem was that, there was no way to pad the numbers of mages that a Kingdom had. Eins is a large country, so it was only a matter of fact that a lot of people awaken to their ability, but even then there are still problems.

One of the problems was the very ability of these mages: they were too sporadic. Sure, most abilities were similiar to each other; those who can control fire are as many as the others who can control the elements, but there was no reasonable way to predict which ability would awaken in each mage.

There was also the problem that other mages are more unique, and thus their use in military tactics could vary wildly. These mages can serve as trump cards, or some even as useless fodder depending on the situation.

"The rebel faction should still have about a thousand mages in their disposal, while we only have to upwards around two-hundred mages of varying abilities. This matter becomes much more important when you realize that you can't conquer a continent without a massive array of mages, like the Rorldon Empire for example." Leon shook his head.

It was also funny how easy Leon accepted Aleuas' idea into conquering the nations. However, the fact that he'll be the Field Marshal and at the center of it all when push comes to shove intrigued Leon. At his very core, his personality is much like a war-junkie; a war-junkie that knew when to retreat and knows to choose his battles.

The very idea that Aleuas is basically leaving the army in Leon's hands appealed to Leon. Aleuas' ideals were very similar to Julien's point of view, the difference was the approach they planned to do it.

Leon paused his introspection for a bit to continue to outline the immediate problems they must face, but before he could address it, Aleuas spoke.

"Ah, I get what you're saying. The problem with the mages is something that we'll have to address soon. For now though, you'll just have to figure out how to outmaneuver their superior capability. As far as I know, roughly all of their mages are combat and element-based, so I don't know, good luck I guess?" Aleuas chuckled and shrugged.

Leon creased his brows.

"Alright, I'll come up with some plans when it comes to the battle itself. I'll just have a talk with our mage's corps and see their composition before working my way through that. However, how do you plan in increasing the number of our mages?" Leon asked.

Aleuas stretched his back and neck before fixing his gaze unto Leon.

"It's simple. We do it how Rorldon does it." Aleuas said, and Leon furrowed his brows in response.

"How Rorldon does it, you say?"

It was true that Rorldon had a huge advantage in their mages. They had a lot of mages who were similar in ability and capability. They also had the numbers to back them up. Their similarities might seem as a disadvantage at first, but when someone thinks about it, it's obvious that this allows for a far more integrated unit of mages to operate.

The Rorldon Empire had mages who specialized in fire, water, earth, and other elements, as well as mages with unique abilities. Since the countries East of Pas had no contact with Rorldon whatsoever, it was a mystery to them how Rorldon was able to acquire and develop these mages.

"Yep. Haven't you ever thought about it? Why do we mages have to rely on awakening our special abilities in the first place?" Aleuas asked.

Leon thought for a bit.

"It's because our abilities manifests itself according to the nature of the mage, isn't that right?"

"That's true, but, think about it this way," Aleuas leaned forward. "If we change the word nature into something more like aptitude, what would that mean?"

Leon placed a hand on his chin as he thought about the implications. He grunted as he realized what Aleuas was getting to.

"You mean to say that, the abilities that we thought mages have, are just simply because they have the most aptitude for those abilities? If so, that would mean that..." Leon paused as he bugged out his eyes in realization.

Aleuas smiled.

"That's right, Leon. Mages have the ability to access any kind of ability, it's just that it's easier for them to awaken to abilities that are more in line with their nature. It's like... knowing what to do with your magic before you even learn its intricacies." Aleuas explained.

"But that doesn't explain why we weren't able to do train our mages that way in the first place, Aleuas!" Leon shouted, still surprised about the revelation.

"Well, isn't it simply because we thought of it impossible? For something like magic, which works with the will of its caster, if you don't truly believe that your magic would work in some way, then it's never going to work." Aleuas shrugged.

A maid then entered the conference room carrying a tray with cups and a pitcher of tea. Leon motioned for her to place the cups in the table.

There was still some things that didn't make sense about what Aleuas said. If that is true, then how come the Royal Court mages of Rosare were able to convert a mage's special abilities to manifests in their genes? Is that an exclusive ability, or as Aleuas' said, is it something that anyone can access?

Also, if mages were really able to use most types of magic, then what was the prerequisite in learning them in the first place?

As the maid left the conference room and shut the door, Leon looked towards the chuckling Aleuas.

"Aleuas, where and how did you learn about this?" Leon asked.

"Somewhere, and someway, Leon." Aleuas said.

"Then how about your ability, can you explain that?" Leon pressed further.

"It's simple really. The natures that mages oh-so-loved to talk about still count towards what types of magic you're able to employ. My personality just allows me to use my influence magic more naturally than others, but..." Aleuas then raised a palm and looked intently at it.

Leon felt mana gather on top of Aleuas' palms, and then... a small flame erupted and hovered a few inches above Aleuas' hands. Leon gasped and felt his body tremble as the heat that emanated from the flame grazed his skin.

Aleuas, what have you been doing these past twelve years?

Aleuas slowly closed his hands into a fist, extinguishing the flames.

"I can only summon a weak-ass flame, so it doesn't really count as a magic to be so shocked about, Leon. My ability requires me to understand the principles in other people's magic to be able to influence them. It took me quite a while to understand that your blood, and your father's blood, are predominantly coated and infused with your mana. This is why you have low reserves, because well, you can't just have more blood than other people." Aleuas explained.

"So you mean to say that, in order for us to use other magics, we have to learn them from people who has a natural disposition towards that particular magic? If you say it that way, it becomes simpler." Leon nodded in realization.

"That's right, Leon. Though for me, it still sucks, since my disposition basically means that I can't properly utilize other magic no matter how much I understand. This is the reason why my lightning ability didn't manifest itself, it's simply because I'm not able to properly use any other magic because of my nature." Aleuas said then sighed.

"However, to you, that also means that you'd still have to sacrifice blood in order to use any other magic. Though of course, it's going to be stronger and more efficient than other users. That's just the way it works." Leon grimaced as Aleuas' revealed how much a mage's nature can affect their use of magic.

"For our Noble Houses' bloodline abilities however, the Rosare mages simply has the capability to change the affinities of a mage and have that affinity extend to their offspring. I'm telling you this so that you realize that although we can access a plethora of magic, a mage's special ability can still exist beyond that." Aleuas then grabbed his cup of tea and took a sip.

"I see. So that mean's for example, the Hauesl Line, they have more powerful control over earth magic, but that doesn't seal their use for other magic, since they don't have any similar conditions to ours." Leon speculated.

"Correct." Aleuas beamed, but Leon just dropped his head in resignation.

Leon was a bit jealous, though his limitation didn't necessarily mean he couldn't use other magic, unlike Aleuas.

"Rorldon in fact, has developed a way to summon magic without a user actually knowing the principles behind it. They call it chanting, similar to how we use a chant to activate the curse's oath," Aleuas put down his cup. "and it's basically the use of language to manifest magic. From what I've learned it requires a bit of experimentation to find out the specific runes to use, and due to the way they use it, it needs far more time to cast magic this way. Still, it's pretty useful."

Aleuas then stood up and clasped his hands together.

"Lightning, purge and shock, ruin and deliver death, lightning bolt!"

Aleuas released his hands and pulled them away from each other as sparks of lightning ran from his fingers. He abruptly pointed both of his hands towards the wall. A bolt of lightning ran down from his hands and shot forward. The lightning traveled quickly and hit the wall, creating a hole and a plume of smoke coming from it.

Leon felt goosebumps as he watched Aleuas' demonstration.

"Of course, that might look powerful, but it's weak as a baby's magic. That's not the problem with the incantation, it's just a problem with my affinity. Basically, if a more attuned mage chanted this magic, he'll be able to summon a more powerful bolt of lightning." Aleuas then sat down on his chair again.

"Runes are simply the incantations or keywords that mages can chant to will their magic towards an effect, even if they did not know how it worked. I know of a few incantations from different elements and magics myself, and we'll use these to propagate and improve our Kingdom's magic." Leon smiled, he felt that he knew what Aleuas is planning.

"In short, you'll summon all the talented mages from different houses of varying abilities, have them convene and explain how their ability works, and from then, create an academy for nurturing the future mages of our country." Leon said.

Aleuas smiled and nodded.

"Yep! I've got the Head of the Rosare privy to this information already. Needless to say, his reactions were more subtle than yours, but I felt he was as enthusiastic as I was when he learned of it. He'll be the Headmaster of the academy. I'll have the academy built after we purge the rebels of their naive way of thinking. Look forward to it, Leon." Aleuas chuckled.

Leon did in fact, look forward to the prospects of Aleuas' plans.

It still doesn't explain how Aleuas discovered these things. It was true that he was more free-willed than other people. Was it because of Aleuas personality that allowed him to realize these things? If so, how was he able to access knowledge from the secretive and militaristic Rorldon?

He vowed to investigate more about Aleuas, but for now, he'll put that matter aside.