The next day, in the same place, Lilith took Sol and Josh to train again.
"You are now first-circle mages. Congrats."
Sol and Josh had successfully mastered the basic fire spell Lilith had taught them, but compared to Josh who had it easy, Sol was on the ground, sweating heavily, his fists clenching the grass, and his mind had become foggy. He was experiencing mental fatigue due to his low rank.
Damn it! Where is my luck when I need it? At this point, I might get thrown off the bus if I don't perform well! I'm falling behind the other three! I don't want that to happen! Sol clenched his jaw. Sweat dripped onto his glasses.
"It's alright. You'll build resistance to it over time. Just take it slowly," Lilith told Sol.
"Now, onto the next spell..." Lilith then proceeded to the next step. "As you know, magic is created when we manifest our mana into what we desire using our imagination, and you've already learned fire..."
Lilith planned to have Sol and Josh master the basic spells of the four elements—earth, fire, water, and air. By doing so, she could study which elements they were most attuned to and adjust her teaching style accordingly.
...
A week had passed.
Lilith had a crease on her eyebrows as she watched Sol train. A drop of sweat formed on her face.
H-how? This child is attuned to all elements! Why is he only Rank E?
She struggled to understand. Normally, only those of higher ranks exhibited such an occurrence, and she herself was only Rank A, which granted her an aptitude for three elements. And that is already natural, as elves typically had deep connections with nature. But for someone who wasn't even a half-elf to have talent for all elements, and at Rank E?
How can this be?
In contrast, Josh had an aptitude for two elements, but that didn't mean he couldn't use magic from the others—it just meant that he couldn't fully harness their potential compared to his affinities.
They took a break.
"Master, may I ask a question?" Sol said.
"Go ahead."
"I've heard that elves and humans aren't on good terms, so why are you here teaching us humans?" he asked.
"Indeed we aren't on good terms with you humans, but that doesn't stop me from earning money and doing what I like," she replied.
"Oh... Okay, another question—were you really the princess of an elf clan?"
Lilith hesitated briefly. "...No."
"Alright, that's all for today. We'll end early." Lilith concluded the lesson. After all, she needed to devise new teaching techniques to better accommodate the two.
She teleported them back to the castle near the training grounds.
"Haah... That was tough. Who would've thought I'd have an aptitude for all elements but still be stuck with a shitty rank? Is this really considered luck?" Sol sighed. He glanced at Josh, who had seemed down since earlier. "Hey, you alright, man?"
"I don't know. I just suddenly have this feeling that it won't work out," Josh replied.
"What won't?"
"Me. My strength. I think the king had overestimated me."
"Don't worry about it, man. It'll work out somehow. If you think you can't do it, maybe take small steps first," Sol consoled him.
"Right..."
Though I say this, I'm not so sure about myself either. I'm falling behind them, I have to find a way to climb up somehow. Sol clenched his fists.
"Well, well. Isn't this the pair of bastards Lilith was teaching magic? Where's your other friends?" A haughty voice interrupted. It was the second prince, his head held high as his long blonde hair flailed in the air.
"We greet the young lord!" The two bowed reluctantly. Despite their dislike for him, he was still the king's son.
Hmm. Maybe I should have a little fun with them. The second prince smirked.
"Come with me for a bit."
The two flinched but eventually sighed and obeyed.
"It's the young lord!" a soldier pointed out.
They walked towards the training grounds, stopping where Simon had fought the noble from before.
The prince grabbed two wooden swords from a stack and tossed one at Sol's feet.
"Pick it up. We're sparring today," he said, his grin widening.
I heard he was the weakest of them all. Keke.
"Pardon? But I'm a mage," Sol retorted, furrowing his brows.
"I heard you two had a problem with one of my subordinates last time..." The prince ignored him, caressing and examining his wooden sword.
Well... So this is how it is huh? Sol clenched his teeth, He's playing games on them.
"Let's begin, shall we?" Without hesitation, the prince lunged at Sol, swinging his sword downward.
Sol barely reacted in time, raising his own sword to block.
*Crack!*
The wooden sword splintered upon impact, though Sol didn't notice.
Damn it, he's using mana!
Sol pushed forward, forcing the prince to skid back. He then charged, thrusting his sword toward the prince, but the prince sidestepped. Sol slashed again, but the prince retreated effortlessly.
He's toying with him! Josh watched from the sidelines. I have to get help somehow. He hesitated but eventually turned and ran. What could he do against the prince? After all he was only a first-circle mage.
"Haha. Look at that—your friend abandoned you." The prince's words struck Sol's heart. He glanced back. Josh was gone.
It's alright... He continued slashing, each strike now fueled by frustration.
Alone... Alone... The word echoed through in his mind.
"Argh!"
He swung wildly, growing more desperate. The prince dodged with ease—until his foot caught on a rock, nearly throwing him off balance.
An opening!
Sol thrust his sword forward—but before it could reach the prince's neck.
*Snap!*
The prince shattered Sol's weapon with a swift slash. Sol's eyes widened. Another strike followed, smashing into his face.
*Whack!*
His glasses clattered to the ground, blood splattering.
Another slash came from the opposite side. Then another. And another.
Until Sol collapsed to his knees, his face a mess of bruises and blood. His body swayed.
What?
His vision blurred red, his mind foggy from the beating.
The prince raised his sword for a final strike, grinning—
Don't worry, I'll only cripple you!
*Boom!*
A fireball slammed into his face, sending him stumbling back. It was Josh.
"Who dares—" But before he could recover, Simon and Felix appeared before him, eyes blazing with killing intent. Their fists clenched, then they drove them into the prince's face.
*Whack!*
Felix and Simon pummeled him relentlessly, leaving no room for counterattacks. They beat him until his face was unrecognizable, the two continued, unfazed, only focusing on the beating. then they delivered a final synchronized punch to his gut.
The prince flew back, crashing into the training grounds pillar. They moved to continue, but—
"Stop!" The general's voice boomed. Behind them, a crowd of trainees watched in shock.
The two halted.
He marched toward Felix and Simon. "What do you think you're doing?! This is the prince!" he barked. "No matter how angry you are, there are boundaries you cannot cross!"
"So we should just watch our friend get beaten to death?!" Simon pointed at Sol, lying motionless, his fists dripping blood.
Josh and Felix rushed to Sol's side.
"That's not— Ugh," The general sighed. "Bring healers! Treat the young lord and this boy immediately!"
He approached and knelt beside Sol, whose face was a mess of purple bruises and cuts.
"You shouldn't have stopped back then, he was the one who requested the spar it's only natural that he can also lose," he told him.
Summoning his strength, Sol scoffed. "Keke... I thought he'd stop too..."
"Haah. Your mercy will kill you one day,"
the general muttered.
After the incident, the king ordered the four to suspend their training until Sol fully recovered.
"Is my son alright now?" the king asked his attendant.
"He is resting peacefully in his quarters, sire."
"Good... Place him on probation for now. Perhaps this incident will teach him restraint."
"...Yes, sire."
Ican't entrust the kingdom to someone who disregards his people... Those four are invaluable assets. If I must sacrifice my son for the kingdom's prosperity, then so be it... Though, I'm not certain I can follow through... Oh, Logan. When will you change?
In his chambers, the second prince, Logan received news of his probation. His fists clenched the sheets, teeth grinding, brows furrowed beneath his bruised face.
"So, in the end, you still chose those dogs over me—your own son!" He slammed his fist into the bed.
"I'll make sure you all regret this! I'll drag this kingdom to ruin!"
Then, a voice echoed in his mind.
"Do you covet strength?"
What?
Suddenly, his surroundings plunged into darkness—an endless void where only he remained.
"Where am I?!" he panicked.
"Do you covet strength?" the voice repeated.
"Stop playing games with me!" He spun around, but there was nothing.
Then, a figure appeared—a faceless, genderless being, standing before him.
"I ask again... Do you covet strength?"
What?