Lizbeth tilted her head, puzzled. "You recognize me? I thought we hadn't met before?"
"We haven't," Raelis replied flatly. "But the emperor did say he would be assigning me a guard all those years ago. I assumed that guard was you, considering coachmen wouldn't have such intricate calluses."
"Hmm... you're right," Lizbeth said skeptically, brushing a strand of her black hair behind her ear. "I only have to fulfill my duties until you enroll in the academy, so until then, I'm all yours."
A faint smile appeared on Raelis's face. "I thought you would be a bit more stuck up, given how you're from a noble house."
"Pfft... a fallen noble house, you mean?" Lizbeth replied with a scoff. "I only have my title and my last name. Aside from that, I don't own anything but my sword."
With those words, she pushed back her robe, revealing a thin, delicate-looking blade.
But Raelis could immediately tell it was forged with an extremely rare alloy, likely one of the best in the entire empire.
As readily as she showed it, she quickly hid it away.
"Anyways... do you prefer young master or Raelis Varekan?" Lizbeth asked, slightly furrowing her brows. "Those are the only options, by the way. Don't make me call you something lewd."
"Raelis is fine," he replied with a chuckle and stepped out of the carriage. "Don't wake my mom. She deserves the rest."
"Sure thing, Raelis," Lizbeth replied and gestured toward the manor. "Do you want a tour?"
"Not at the moment, no." Raelis shook his head. "Just tell me how many people are present."
She tilted her head, falling into thought. "Hmm... aside from me, you, and your mother... there are three maids, one of which arrived not too long before you."
Lydia... that's another thing I'll have to deal with.
"I see..." Raelis slowly nodded as he glanced toward the forest clearing. "I'll be heading out to train. Watch over my mother and call me once she's awake."
"Training already?" Lizbeth whistled. "You sure are dedicated, but I won't stop you. I'll come pick you up, so don't run away."
Raelis waved at her, then began walking toward the forest clearing.
The sun was still high in the sky, so he had plenty of time before the Mana Beasts supposedly arrived.
Once he arrived at the clearing and saw it was empty, he began his initial training.
Raelis focused on his Flame Core, willing a single golden-white flame to manifest in his palm.
He stared at it for a few moments, and without hesitation, chucked it at a nearby log.
To his surprise, it was immediately incinerated, not even leaving ash behind.
But despite that, the toll it took on his mana was drastic.
So using it as is won't work efficiently... so what if I... Raelis trailed off, summoning another flame.
He used Intermediate Heat Control to greatly cool it, then chucked it at another log.
This time, the flame didn't even make a dent and the mana cost was the same.
That meant he could heat the flame up as much as he wanted for more destruction, but he obviously wouldn't do it now as he didn't want to burn the forest down.
Even so, he decided to stick with the basics.
Raelis extended his palm and summoned a flame. That was simple enough and didn't require much control or mana.
He shaped it into a thin lash and hovered it a few meters away from his palm.
He could immediately feel the difference. The control wasn't as great, and it felt like he'd lose connection any moment now.
After just twenty seconds, the flame dissipated, and he let out an exhausted breath.
That zapped nearly all my mana... Raelis thought and glanced at one thing in particular.
Basic Fire Manipulation (★☆ — Mastery: 0% → 1%)
Alright... at least I'm on the right track. The more I do this, the bigger my mana reserves get... and once they're big enough, I can form a second Flame Ring, Raelis thought with a hum and decided to move on to something else.
If he wanted to go to the city and back without being seen, he had to practice stealth.
And since he had read the journal of the greatest assassin, he had a pretty good idea of how the techniques worked.
Raelis took a deep breath and slowly exhaled all the air from his lungs.
He halted the circulation of his Flame Core, completely shutting it off for the time being as he focused on the wind.
Then, he took one step just as the gust of wind reached him, and almost as if by magic, the length of his stride extended, making him cover more ground.
At the same time, his step didn't let out a single bit of sound since the wind suppressed it.
A faint smile formed on his face.
This is just the basics. Wind-assisted presence removal. At least, that's what the assassin called it, he thought. He took another breath, exhaled, and tried the technique again.
Raelis practiced for nearly an hour, repeating the movement, adjusting his breathing, syncing with the wind until finally...
Aha... Raelis held back a satisfied laugh. So to unlock a technique as an ability, I have to reach 25% mastery in it first.
Knowing that, he was eager to continue as he had begun making significant progress.
But that was also when footsteps sounded from behind him, causing him to halt everything he was doing.
And as he turned around, he was met with Lizbeth, who nonchalantly walked over to him and bowed.
"Raelis, your mother has awoken." She straightened her back and met his gaze. "Will you be coming in for the house tour, or should I call you when supper is ready?"
He shook his head and dusted himself off.
"No, I'm ready. Let's go."