A silence fell over my family’s living room. Since I had pretty much officially ended my mentorship with Elise, my family was facing the question of what I would do next. It wasn’t like I really had anywhere to be, but with the abilities I had acquired already, my parents realized that I wouldn’t be content just sitting around the house. There was always school, but…

The first person to speak up was my father. “There is always the central academy…” he mumbled, with a pre-emptively defeated tone. “No!” my mother snapped back. “Not at this age! Remember what happened with Elise? She was too young to make any friends, so she was lonely all throughout her school days! Even today, I don’t think she has any friends. We shouldn’t set our boy up for a life like that!”

“I have friends!” Elise interjected, her face red. Haha, sure you do.

“Please”, My mom replied, “If you really had these so called ‘friends’ of yours, you wouldn’t have been able to spend all that time with Ikarus.”

Elise opened her mouth to say something, but unable to argue with the sound logic my mother had just provided, she remained silent. Though not without an angry glare.

“Well if not the academy, what? I hardly think he wants to sit around and play with toys, given all the progress he’s made.” My father replied, bringing us back on topic.

“I—- I don't know!,” my mother responded angrily. “I’m thinking!”

“Well you can’t just think forever!” My father refuted, his tone growing harsher as well. Realizing this could very well escalate into a very undesirable situation, I decided to cut in before it got too out of hand. I didn’t want a real fight starting, after all.

“How about we talk about this again tomorrow at breakfast?” I calmly put to question. My parent’s faces jumped into expressions of surprise, as if they had forgotten I was even present. Heaving out a sigh, Cedric replied “Yeah, I guess that’s a good idea.” My mother stood up from her chair with an angry look on her face, and shuffled off to her bedroom without a word.

Later that night, after my parents had fallen asleep, I crept down our house's stairs and exited the house as quietly as I could. As of late, I had begun taking nightly strolls through our small town of Damerel. I found it very calming, especially because of the lack of bright towering buildings that I had grown accustomed to in my past life. But today I wasn’t just going for a leisurely stroll around our town. Today I wanted to explore Camidinne. Ahhh, I’m so excited! In all my years of life in this world, I haven’t left our hometown. I’m headed to the big city now! Breathing in the fresh air as I strode through the town, I cheerfully walked down the stone path until I arrived at my destination.

In front of me stood a large archway, with vines protruding from cracks in the stone. One could easily mistake it for some kind of old landmark, if it wasn’t for the fact that directly in front of the archway was a small glossy black obelisk, which had an impossibly high amount of mana concentrated in and around it. I placed my hand on top of the obelisk, and began imbuing mana into it. The obelisk emitted a faint white glow that quickly faded, before the once-empty arch was instantaneously filled with what could only be described as a complete void. From what I could see in the archway, I’m pretty sure you could see more with your eyes closed. Woahhhh, it’s just like the book said. Holding my breath, I took a step forward into the void.

Just like that, I was looking down on the vast city of Camidinnne from high up on a wall. The transition had been so unbelievably seamless that if it weren’t for the sight in front of me, I wouldn’t have thought I’d teleported at all. As I walked out of the archway, I noticed that next to the portal from which I had emerged were countless others, each connected with different small towns I presume.

“State your name and business—- A child?” The man approaching with some kind of magical lighting device said with a yawn. Two guards with flashy golden armour that covered essentially only their shoulders and arms were walking over to my portal from what looked to be an office building. Shit. I should’ve expected the biggest city in the nation to be well guarded, but somehow it had slipped my mind. Agh, you idiot Ikarus! Luckily for me though, the guards both looked half asleep, probably because not much traffic comes through in the dead of night.

Thinking on my feet, I put on a pompous and arrogant voice, mimicking the nobles that I had the displeasure of dealing with in my past life.

“I am Alastair Harvey Milbourne!” I announced, forcing back a laugh at the name I pulled out of my ass. “ If you do not wish to offend my household, I would strongly recommend you allow me to pass without difficulty.” I stated, sauntering forward to peer over the edge of the wall we stood on. It looked to be around fifty feet high, a distance I figured I could survive with wind magic if worse came to worst. Just like I had heard, Camidinne was surrounded by large walls on all sides, as vast as the city was. God knows how long it took them to build these up without any machines. I pity the workers.

“The Milbourne house? Did they have another child? I don’t remember hearing about it, but it could very well be possible,” The guards murmured among themselves. Looks like I had accidentally named a legitimate noble house, though I wasn’t entirely sure that was a good thing.

“We will have someone escort you back to the Milbourne Estate.” One of the guards said, eyeing me suspiciously. “Piers, you stay here and watch the boy,” he told the other guard as he walked off into the office looking building.” The guard named Piers was scrawny with short black hair and a stubble. I thought about ambushing him while the other guard was in the building, but seeing as my only purpose for coming to Camidinne was to explore and learn more about the place, I figured I would just wait it out. Didn’t want to cause any unnecessary trouble.

Eventually the guard returned with three others dressed in a similar fashion, only their armor was silver instead of gold. I imagine that signified their lower rank. “Piers, take these three and escort the boy to the Milbourne’s Manor.” I feel kind of bad for Piers, he sure gets ordered around alot. You guys have the same colored armor! Stand up for yourself Piers! “Alright then,” Piers responded with a bored and tired sigh.

I followed the guards through the office building to a platform held up by a rope formation. It seemed to be a kind of elevator that utilized the pulley system, though it was also powered by mana. It was neat to see how they got around the technological limitations through magic. Once we reached the bottom, we started down a brick road that went through the center of Camidinne.

The city was surprisingly lively, even at night. I saw multiple bars and taverns filled with customers, and a fair share of shady characters hanging around alleys. It wasn’t a nightlife center by any means, but it was a long way from the eerie silence of my hometown.

Anyway, Camidinne really was huge. If I wasn’t being escorted I’m positive I would have been lost by now. Multi-story housing and buildings were all around me, mixed in with shops and other businesses. In the center of it all, was a building that looked like a combination of many large cathedrals, with pointed towers and dome rooftops. So that’s the royal… castle? Palace? We’ll just say abode. The royal abode.

After walking for around 20 minutes, we turned into a dirt path that was lined with floral arrangements and polished white fences. We're in rich people territory now alright. How the hell am I gonna get out of this? I could probably take the guards here, but if I escape now, I don’t know who they’ll send after me.

Noticing my nonplussed expression, one of the guards with silver armor suddenly questioned me. “Never seen your own house’s walkway before?” Mind your own business, low-rank. Quickly reapplying my stuck-up noble impersonation, I responded, “No, I’ve only been away from home a while.”

“Issat so…” he murmured to himself. “Here we are.” Piers announced in his half-awake dull tone. Looking up from the guard I had just been conversing with, I struggled to keep my prideful expression as I took in the sight in front of me.

The mansion I was staring at could have fit my whole house in it around twenty times. It was lined with perfectly trimmed hedges, and statues of lions and griffins were on either side of the doorway. These people are no joke.

I hesitantly walked up to the unnecessarily large doors and pulled on the handle. To my surprise, it was just unlocked. What kind of fools are these Milbournes? I quickly went inside and shut the door behind me. Whoa. I was in a large, high ceilinged entryway decorated with chandeliers and symmetrical furnishing. I stood on a fancy red carpet that lined the entry door to another door in front of me, on either side of which was a stairway that led up to a long hallway and an interior balcony with multiple doors, all of which were closed.

“No, you’d have to be crazy!” I heard muffled voices coming from outside. Pressing my ear against the door, I heard Piers and the other guards talking. “Only a madman would pretend to be a Milbourne, much less go inside their home! He was definitely the real deal.”

What? Why exactly would I be a madman?

“Sure enough, I heard they keep their door unlocked to tempt thieves, and then have their children kill them for training!”

They do what?!

“I heard they murder anyone they employ if they fail even a simple task!”

Second chances are important!

“I heard they feast on the corpses of the people they defeat in battle!”

WHAT?!?!

“... Where the hell did you hear that?”

“That one might not be true.”

Idiots.

Either way, I don’t wanna linger around here too long. I’ll just wait for the guards to get far enough away, and walk out this door a free—- and alive man.

“What do you mean you still haven’t found a guard for her yet?!” An angry voice resounded from the top of the large stairway in the center of the room. “Adela is supposed to be going on her first adventure in two days, and you haven’t found a single person capable of guarding her?” “Well, capability isn’t the issue so much as—-” Another woman responded in an apologetic tone before being cut off by the angry one.

“Even with all those posters we put up! Unbelievable.”

Then the two women emerged from the hallway at the top of the stairs. The first lady carried herself with a confidence—- or arrogance that only the high-born could hope to have. She strutted around proudly like she was at the top of the world. She had long braided blond hair, and was in a dress that looked to cost more than some people's houses.

The other woman was much less pompous, to the point of being meek. She had short cropped white hair with pointy ears, and her eyes faced down at her shoes as the angry woman berated her.

Then the angry woman noticed me. She flinched but quickly masked her surprise with a stern expression. “And who might you be?”

“Uh, I just kinda wandered in here, but I’ll be on my way now!” … I have a feeling these people wouldn’t react too kindly to that.

“I’m here for the bodyguard position.” I replied, thinking on my feet once again.

Whew. On a lying streak today.

She stared me down for a moment, making me worry if she was about to sic some guard dogs on me, but she suddenly burst into laughter. “You– this child—-” she howled, tears forming in her eyes. Okay, this lady was starting to irritate me. Right before I said something though, the other meek lady whispered something into the noblewoman’s ear. “Really now. Alright then.” The noblewoman mumbled. “Braxton!” She called, “Come here!” Turning to face me, she said, “My friend Vanessa here has suggested that I humor you. So let’s see what you can do.” Awww, thanks Vanessa. But I’d really rather you suggest I leave in one piece!

The boy named Braxton looked to be a few years older than myself, with short spiky blond hair and the same pompous attitude as his mother. He sauntered down the stairs, a sword swaying at his hip, and locking eyes with me. “So I’m supposed to beat up this brat?” He said jeeringly. Friendly guy. “Braxton, language.” His mother reprimanded, though her lax tone made it seem more like an acknowledgement. “My boy has been trained by some of the finest tutors in the whole of Camidinne. If you can beat him,” she said with a smirk, “I’ll deem you qualified to be Adela’s bodyguard.”

Who? I almost asked, barely catching myself.

Braxton stood around ten feet away from me. Wait, is this like an anything goes fight? Can I use magic? I didn’t even bring any weapons… I'm really in over my head here. Before I had time to ask any questions, sparks began to fly around his sword and legs as I felt his mana conjugating around those areas. He leapt toward me at a remarkably fast speed, unsheathing his sword and slashing right where my neck was before I ducked. Is this guy seriously trying to kill me? Caught off guard but still narrowly managing to avoid that blow, I reacted quickly with a blast of wind to his gut, knocking him backwards.

His face contorting into anger, he glanced over at his mother before quickly returning his gaze to me. Even though his sword didn’t connect, being in the radius of it sent a shock through my system. Electricity magic? I had read about variant magic before, but it was interesting to see in real life. I hadn’t gotten much time to experiment with variant magic myself, because of Elise’s insistence on mastering manipulation of the basic elements.

Electricity was a variant of fire, which means Braxton was already somewhat skilled in fire magic as well as being a proficient swordsman, which was impressive. Most swordsmen simply relied on the natural aid that mana provided without actually learning to utilize mana to their advantage. Looks like that overconfidence wasn’t unfounded.

He leapt toward me again, but this time I wasn’t caught by surprise. Physical ability and reflex training were treated as very important components in “Elise University,” almost as much as magical training. As I've said before, she disliked that many proficient mages would disregard their physical ability altogether, which limited their overall ability heavily. Thus my reflexes were heightened to a point far beyond your average six year old.

Braxton unleashed a flurry of electrically charged slashes, each one I comfortably dodged. “Sneaky little rat!” he roared, anger consuming him as his movements grew sloppier. Braxton’s attacks were polished and efficient, with exceptional speed behind each one.

But he wasn’t as fast as Elise.

VANESSA HEIREL

All my life, I have been the lady in waiting for Lady Christina Milbourne, just as my ancestors have served the Milbournes for years. The only experience I have had away from this job was my studies in the central academy of Camidinne, which my lady so graciously permitted. Lady Christina's second daughter, Adela, is dead set on becoming an adventurer, but her mother and father would much prefer her continuing down the stifling political future that lies ahead of her. Either way, Lady Christina finally has allowed her to go on her first dungeon exploration adventure with a few of her friends, but only under the condition that a suitable bodyguard was found for her.

I was tasked with finding the bodyguard, but despite the many posters I had hung around town, not a single suitable candidate had volunteered. It wasn’t an issue of capability however, seeing as it would only be a beginner-level dungeon, but a matter of the rather unfavorable reputation of the House of Milbourne. Despite being very high ranking nobles, with close ties to the royal family, the House of Milbourne had become known for being quite “extreme.” Tutors who failed to perform adequately “disappeared”, and training battles had often resulted in serious injury due to the use of real weapons. And so, rumors spread, and as they often are, became very exaggerated. The Milbourne house was intense, yes, but they did no such thing as “eat people” as I have heard.

Unfortunately though, Milbournes have become quite careless in the face of some of these rumors, leading to areas of the house being unguarded and doors left unlocked. This carelessness was what allowed a boy to enter undetected. He was quite young, maybe six or seven with messy light brown hair and a lean but not weak build. He wore a loosely fitting and unbuttoned brown jacket over a t-shirt, with beige pants and dark brown boots. Strapped to his side was a small sheathed dagger.

“I’m here for the bodyguard position.” he replied to Lady Christina in an unusually lax tone for one speaking to the head-lady of the Milbourne house. She found his application utterly hilarious, but there was something about this boy that made me think twice. He was unusually adept at controlling his mana for someone of his age, with little leakage as it remained tightly formed around his body. I whispered to Miss Christina, “We should give this boy a chance.”

Braxton was called downstairs, training even at this time of night. When I first met him, I was not very fond of the boy. He was rash and arrogant, sticking up his nose at everyone like a noble does. But his arrogance was not unfounded, as he truly did work hard to achieve his skill. His goal is to become the next head of the Milbourne house and make his parents proud, and he pushes himself everyday in all manners to achieve it. Unfortunately, he has an older brother who makes his goal all the more difficult. Even still, he remains undeterred, desperately trying to prove himself to his mother and father.

Braxton sauntered down the stairs with his usual arrogance, wasting no time in initiating the fight with the boy in front of him. Without warning, Braxton slashed forward with an intense speed, so much so that I was worried I had just signed the poor boy that was his opponent's death warrant. To my surprise however, despite being caught off guard, the boy managed to evade Braxton’s slash as well as knock him back with a blast of wind.

After his brush with death, I looked to the boy’s face expecting an expression of fear and trepidation. Instead though, he looked almost… amused? Braxton began with another flurry of lighting empowered slashes and jabs, but the only thing he was cutting was the air around his opponent. The boy flawlessly dodged each attack Braxton threw at him, his eyes following the beginning of every minute movement that Braxton made, predicting where his next attack would be.

Just like that girl from the academy…

As Braxton’s attacks continually had little to no effect, he grew angrier and angrier, and his movements became careless. Braxton made a jab right for the boy's head, which he again easily sidestepped. But this time, not without retaliation. Mana concentrated around the boy's hand as a flame gauntlet enveloped his fist. He swung for Braxton, whose face contorted in fear as the flaming fist quickly approached him.

“Wait!” I called out. His fist stopped around an inch away from Braxton’s face, with Braxton letting out a squeal as the flame burned his cheek before fizzling out. The boy looked up at me expectantly.

“What is your name?” I asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

“Ikarus.”

“And your house's name?” I reiterated.

“House’s…” He mumbled, “Oh, last name? Velor.”

I held back a gasp. “Velor, as in…” I muttered. I turned to face Lady Christina, her jaw hanging in shock at her son’s complete defeat and stated calmly, “We should hire Ikarus.”