Gael looked through the window, his fingers drumming on the armrest. The day was bright and the sky was clear, unlike his turbid mind. Countless thoughts ran through it, all centered around a single person.

"His birthday was yesterday," Gael said clearly.

"…I didn't know," came Nathan's voice from behind him.

"That doesn't surprise me."

Gael pushed against the armrest and stood up, still looking at the window. He scanned Caer Rhelon's streets that he could see from his room in the Astassier manor, taking in the common people walking around. It was an interesting sight, given that it was only a matter of time before it could possibly be turned into a wasteland. But it was also possible that such a fate had been delayed, all due to the existence of a single young man.

Gael furrowed his brow.

Mana Cultivation.

Experienced as he was, he had completely failed to consider such a possibility. How could he have expected it? It was unlikely that there was even a single person on the continent capable of achieving what Rylan had. For centuries, a new way of using magic had never been created. Now, it had been born in the hands of a boy who had just turned nineteen years old. Who could have seen it coming? Gael was willing to bet that even the Emperor himself hadn't foreseen this.

It doesn't matter.

Regardless of how absurd the current developments were, they were real. Now, he needed to know how he would deal with them.

"What do we do now, Father?" Nathan asked.

Gael tilted his head and turned around to look at his son. Nathan was dressed in a simple, tidy white robe.

"Do you remember the last conversation we had with Rylan?"

Nathan blinked, then nodded.

"You told him to consider surrendering to the Empire and joining us."

Gael nodded back slowly.

"That continues to be true. While his genius may be unparalleled, he's simply not strong enough to face the Empire head-on. Now, I'm certain every higher-up in the Empire knows about him. However…" Gael stopped for a second. "That is not to say things haven't at all changed."

Nathan furrowed his brow.

"Even if Damian held down a single one of the Sixth Circle Mages, there was at least one more," Gael continued. "It stands to reason that Rylan defeated that Mage himself. That means he's stronger than me."

By the end of his words, Gael's voice had become heavier. Nathan almost reflexively bowed his head.

"Are you thinking about what our house can still offer Rylan, Father?"

Gael nodded.

"Indeed. Rylan grew far too much, far too quickly. I admit that I failed to predict his development. As it stands, all we can still offer him are our connections to the Empire, with the promise that if he surrenders, his family will be safe."

Nathan nodded with a grim expression. Gael looked back at the window, staring at the people on the streets as if he wanted to burn a hole through them.

"So that's what we'll use," he continued.

Gael resisted the urge to clench his fists. No matter how he looked at it, it was unthinkable. In a matter of months, Rylan Flameheart had surpassed every Mage in Ceotha. Even though the gap between each Circle only grew larger the higher one went, he had managed to bridge the gap with his so-called Mana Cultivation to an astounding degree. Was it because Mana Cultivation was inherently such a powerful ability? Or was it a matter of how talented the user in question was? Gael didn't know.

And at least for some time, we won't.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

It was only obvious that Rylan would try to keep the Astassier family from learning anything, given Elizabeth's relationship with them. Gael knew he would have to wait until their allies learned it, then became able to teach it to the Astassier Mages, including himself.

Gael let out a deep sigh.

He needed to reevaluate his options. For now, Rylan's growth rate had effectively surpassed any plans he had come up with.

But that didn't mean he would give up. Now, more than ever, it was crucial to get Rylan on the Astassier house's side, no matter the cost. As such, the first thing that needed to be done was obvious.

"I will apologize to Elizabeth and the Flamehearts," Gael stated simply.

Nathan flinched, but said nothing else. Gael knew he also understood what was at stake. For his house, Gael was willing to bear any kind of humiliation. Not that a mere apology could be classified as humiliating.

If we succeed…

His mind was racing. Rylan represented a possibility that was previously nonexistent.

A fate where they didn't have to bow to the Empire to prevail.

***

Rylan stood in front of the entrance to Damian's Mage Tower, smiling widely. His eyesight, sharpened by Aura and Mana Cultivation, could clearly capture the appearance of the people walking toward the Tower, already inside Academy grounds.

Jack and Scott stood at the forefront, alongside Daniel and Raniel, the twins. Jack's hair had gotten longer and more disheveled, while Scott's had been cut shorter. Daniel and Raniel looked almost exactly the same before, only distinguishable by the mole under Raniel's eye. Rylan's smile widened.

It's been a while.

Behind the four of them were the dozens of ordinary soldiers from the Flameheart estate. Their eyes shone as they kept looking around, speaking to each other in hushed tones. Of course, because of his sharpened senses, Rylan could both vaguely hear their words, even as they were carried off in the wind, and accurately read their lips. In general, they were merely awed by the sights that they had never expected to see in their lifetime.

Most of them had never left Cantavega before.

Not only that, but they stood at the bottom of the hierarchy of the soldiers, even within the Flameheart family. Ordinary soldiers who couldn't even use magic properly.

I'll make sure you all become much greater than this. For the sake of our family.

Finally, he looked at the person at the very forefront. Calan Vaard was staring straight at him.

Rylan raised his hand and waved at everyone. In unison, over fifteen soldiers, including Jack and Scott, raised their arms to wave back at him with wide smiles on their faces. Rylan nodded to himself.

This will be a good side activity, too.

It had been a week since he'd started trying to make his Aura bleed over into his spells. Progress had been slow, unlike when he first tried to use mana to empower his body and discovered Mana Cultivation. The reason was obvious – while he knew more about Aura than anyone else in both lives, he wasn't too familiar with mana. It was only natural for progress to be slower this time around. Teaching the soldiers, his friends, Damian, and his family would be a good opportunity to reinforce his knowledge and possibly open his mind. There was only one problem with his logic.

I don't know when the Empire will act.

There was no way to foresee how the Empire would react to the deaths of the soldiers they'd sent. He simply knew far too little about the man at the helm. Rylan shook his head to clear his thoughts. This wasn't the time to lose himself in his gloominess. He was about to reunite with the first people he'd led in this life.

He stood in place as the soldiers approached. Finally, after a while, they stopped a few meters in front of him and bowed.

"Greetings, young master!" they shouted in unison.

Scott stepped forward, then bowed as well.

"It's good to see you again, Master!" he said loudly.

Jack let out a small sigh and also took a step forward.

"Hello, young master. We are here to receive your instructions."

Daniel and Raniel followed suit with sheepish smiles. Once the soldiers all raised their heads, however, they stared straight at Rylan with bewildered expressions, making him raise an eyebrow.

"What?" he asked.

For a few seconds, none of the soldiers said anything.

"You look fucking strong, Master," Scott suddenly said, breaking the delicate silence. "Aren't you taller? Your body looks like a different person's, too. Can we become like you?"

Rylan blinked before chuckling. Was this what they were surprised about?

"Of course," he replied. "Isn't that why you came all the way here? Come on, let's enter the Tower. There are people I'd like you to meet. They will train alongside you guys. That being said, it's good to see all of you. I'm glad you're all in good health."

None of the soldiers in his memory was missing. A few were sporting fresh scars, but none had originated from serious injuries, based on his analysis. Everyone was fine. He looked at Calan, who was only staring at him, completely silent.

"And it's good to see you again, too, Calan," Rylan continued. "I hope you manage to learn everything you'd like."

Calan nodded slowly.

"News about your achievements here in the capital kept reaching me," he said after a second. "At first, I thought they were nonsense. It was only after they continued to arrive that I was able to understand how you defeated Evenon Bled. You surpassed this world's conventions from the beginning."

Rylan smiled and nodded at him.

"I'm glad to be here, Rylan," Calan continued. "I won't apologize for the way I treated you throughout our lives, as you know well why that happened, but I'm happy with the person you've become. I hope we can work well together again."

Rylan nodded again.

"Of course," he then turned to look at the soldiers. "Now, everyone, follow me. Let's get all of you settled down."

He promptly turned around and started walking into the Tower, hearing the footsteps behind him.

Now, let's see where I stand.

Rylan willed for his Status Window to appear in front of him.

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