"Hey, geek. Should we start now?" G6 called out, slowly pushing herself up from her lounging position on the ground.
Earl meticulously removed his tailored coat, his watch, and his glasses, placing them neatly on the bench. "Cease calling me 'geek,' you ill-mannered woman. I am, need I remind you, older than you." he corrected, beginning a series of light, precise warm-up stretches.
"Yeah, that much is obvious," G6 answered flatly, agreeing only with the part about his age.
Keith barked a laugh. "Reise, that's a good one!" he chuckled.
G6 ignored him entirely, already strolling toward the center of the arena.
While her three servants resumed their seats on the bench, Prince Dio remained standing, leaning against the wall nearby with his arms crossed, a silent, observant sentinel.
"After this, you will take a break for lunch, Lady Reise," Tina reminded her, her tone firm.
"Shut up, Mom," G6 shot back, her voice lightly teasing but carrying a surprising amount of affection.
She refers to her servant as 'Mom'? Dio mused, his brow lifting slightly. Then again, after witnessing the scene in her office yesterday, I suppose nothing should surprise me anymore. He simply continued to watch, fascinated by the woman who seemed to redefine herself with every passing moment.
"Listen, Reise," Earl called, drawing her attention as he finished folding up his sleeves. "You have never exercised fine control over your mana, not even when we were children." he stated, his tone that of a lecturer beginning a lesson.
What? The original Reise was sloppy? G6 filed the information away for later.
"So?" she asked, one eyebrow raised.
"I am stating that you possess a mana reserve comparable to ours, yet your application is… amateurish," Earl clarified bluntly.
"Are you here to nag, or are you here to teach?" G6's patience was already wearing thin.
"Very well. Observe." Earl raised a hand. "Earth Golem."
With his chant, the sand and earth at his feet coalesced, rising to form a small, lumpy figure no taller than Lilia.
"Am I a joke to you?" G6 asked, her voice dropping into a tone laced with pure, undiluted kill intent.
"Temper your ire. I crafted it thusly intentionally, to demonstrate mana control," Earl explained calmly. "Back to the soil." he commanded, and the miniature golem dissolved back into the earth. "Your control is weak. Therefore, despite your substantial mana, your offensive capabilities are inevitably lacking."
"Now, show me what you can currently manage. Demonstrate the most common attack for your affinity. A Wind Blade."
Ah, I clearly know how to control air for drying my hair. But an offensive spell? The trees and flowers in front of my balcony is evidence that I am not.
G6 closed her eyes, focusing. But instead of only generating an innate mana, she also unconsciously gathers the mana that the gardens produced around the palace: the immense, ambient mana saturating the air—stirred in response to her will, drawn toward her like iron filings to a magnet.
A hand, hidden from the view of the others, began to glow with a faint, swirling, pale green light.
While G6 was concentrating, Edmund's eyes widened. He saw not just the light, but the very air around her distorting, shimmering with a visible concentration of power that was far too vast and wild for a simple Wind Blade. It was the precursor to something… catastrophic.
He didn't hesitate. He immediately sprinted toward her.
His sudden movement caused a wave of confusion among the others. "LADY REISE!" Edmund yelled, skidding to a halt a few paces away.
G6's eyes snapped open, the gathering energy around her hand sputtering out as her concentration broke. She turned to him, annoyed. "What is it?"
Earl stared at the butler, utterly bewildered by the interruption.
Edmund quickly closed the distance and leaned in, his voice a frantic whisper only she could hear. "Your mana—the flow is all wrong! It's… it's not only coming from you.. you're pulling from everything around us. It's going to be far too much!"
G6's irritation vanished, replaced by tactical understanding. "What should I do?" she whispered back urgently.
"The usual thing! The small thing you have absolute control over!" he insisted, thinking of her perfectly dried hair.
Nodding, G6 turned back to a very confused Earl. "Well, I can only do this."
She pointed her index finger directly at his forehead and released the tiniest, most controlled stream of air she could muster. It was just enough to playfully ruffle his perfectly styled hair.
Earl stood frozen for a second, completely nonplussed. "…Are you kidding me?" he finally said, his voice dripping with pure, unadulterated disbelief.
"You said it yourself," G6 stated with a shrug, her expression deadpan. "I'm bad."
From the sidelines, Dio frowned. "What in the world is she doing?"
Keith's face split into a wide grin. "I don't know, but I love it. Wager on how long it takes for Earl to lose his composure? Ten gold says he cracks in under a minute."
"Twenty gold coins you shut up," Dio stated flatly, not taking his eyes off the pair in the arena.
Keith pouted. "Boring," he muttered.
Meanwhile, G6 and Earl were locked in a silent battle of wills, snapping at each other with their eyes.
"I said, perform a Wind Blade. Not this… frivolous puff of air," Earl insisted, his patience clearly thinning.
"I'm shy. My control is weak," G6 retorted, her expression a mask of pure, unapologetic sarcasm that completely contradicted her words.
"How can I possibly instruct you if you refuse to demonstrate properly?" Earl shot back, his voice low. "Don't tell me you're all talk and no action?"
That did it. G6's eyes sharpened into a lethal focus. Wind Blade!
Without a single audible chant, she simply slashed her hand through the air. A visible ripple of compressed wind shot forth, not just cracking the distant wall but striking it with such force that an entire section near its base shattered, threatening to collapse.
"What was that?" Keith asked, his voice full of bewildered shock.
"That was a Wind Blade," Dio confirmed, his own composure shaken. "But she didn't chant it."
Oh crap! I just did it? Just like that? I need to mentally bookmark this feeling for later.
Earl's hand twitched toward his face, a reflexive motion to adjust glasses that weren't there. "You didn't chant the spell," he stated, staring at the devastation. His analytical mind whirred. "And your control isn't weak anymore…" he added, a new note of alarm in his voice. "It's become completely unchecked."
"Well, you made me do it," G6 said with a shrug. "Why don't you fix it?"
Earl finally tore his gaze from the wall to look at her. "What do you mean?"
"Your affinity is Earth, right? Make a new wall. Consider it an exchange." She gestured casually at the rubble.
"Reise, you impossible little brat," Earl responded, a mix of exasperation and unwilling admiration in his tone.
My… my hand is trembling… G6 thought, subtly trying to still the faint tremors in her fingers from the uncontrolled mana release.
Earl's sharp eyes caught the movement. Without asking, he reached out and took her hand in his.
The gesture, from a distance, could have been mistaken for something tender. Dio, who had been leaning against the wall, now stood perfectly straight. Keith's playful expression vanished, replaced by a frown. "What does that geek think he's doing?" Keith muttered.
Earl's signet ring began to glow with a soft, cool blue light—similar to the Queen's but with a different, calming frequency. "This will help settle the nerve fatigue," he explained, his tone clinical. "A side effect of such a violent, unchanneled release."
G6, who normally would have dislocated the arm of anyone touching her without permission, allowed it. Not out of any softness for Earl, but because of her instant recognition of the ring's function.
I knew it. The moment I saw it earlier. It's a variant of the Queen's tool. But this one is designed for neurological calibration. Hmm. Expected from the Head Geek of the Omnia.
"The Boss has a ring like that," G6 remarked.
"The Boss?" Earl asked, confused.
"The Queen," she clarified.
'The Boss'? Earl repeated in his mind, utterly baffled by the informal title. "Yes, well, this is a high-grade magical tool. It is fueled by the wearer's own mana," he stated, releasing her now-steady hand.
"That's quite convenient. Can you get me one?" G6 asked, her interest purely practical.
"Hmm… it does seem you are in dire need of one. Very well, I shall arrange for a device more suited to your… specific requirements," Earl agreed. "But—" he added, a sly look crossing his features, "—you must address me with the proper respect."
This nerd is asking for too much.
"Fine. Earl. How's that?" she asked, loading his name with as much false sweetness as she could muster.
"It is a marginal improvement. Maintain that courtesy, and your ring will be forthcoming."
"EARL DIDN'T GET HEADBUTTED? REISE NEARLY DISLOCATED MY JAW FOR GETTING TOO CLOSE!" Keith whined, gesturing wildly at the scene.
"It was the ring, Sir Keith," Tina interjected calmly, not even turning to look at him. "Lady Reise would never permit a liberty that did not offer her a distinct benefit or satisfy a curiosity. In my observation."
Dio's gaze flicked to Tina. Hmm. That makes perfect sense. Earl possesses unique resources from the Omnia. She would never allow anything that doesn't benefit or interest her… The thought was both frustrating and fascinating. A woman who cannot be won with flowers or titles, but only with tools and knowledge.
"We will work on your control, Reise," Earl announced, "but I fear this training arena will be reduced to dust if we continue today. In addition to the ring, I will procure an item that can artificially regulate your mana output. It should prevent further strain on your body."
"Who would have thought I'd find a useful training partner?" G6 mused aloud. "I'll appreciate it. Thanks."
"Now, we are done for today. I will send a team from the Omnia to repair the wall. I shall take my leave." Earl gave a curt nod and turned to go.
"It's over?" Keith asked, disappointed.
"For today, yes," Earl confirmed.
"Am I deaf, or did you not chant that spell?" Dio pressed, his question directed squarely at G6.
"I whispered it, Prince," G6 lied smoothly. Earl merely glanced at her but said nothing, keeping her secret.
"Then I shall take my leave. Reise, prepare yourself for tomorrow." With a final nod, Earl departed.
"Reise!" Keith pouted, stomping over. "Why does Earl get to hold your hand, but I can't even hang out in your office?"
"Ask your mother," G6 deadpanned, sinking onto the bench.
She then turned her attention to Dio, a new idea forming. "Hey, Snow White. Why don't you show me another one of your fancy sword techniques?" It was a blatant attempt to mine him for information, to see what the so-called best could really do.
"Are you truly that interested?" Dio asked, a hint of challenge in his voice.
"I wouldn't ask if I wasn't, smartass."
There it was again—that crude, modern slang that shouldn't come from a noblewoman's mouth yet somehow suited her perfectly.
"Very well," Dio conceded. "Keith. Prepare yourself. You will spar with me."
Keith's whiny expression vanished, replaced by genuine alarm. "What? No! Absolutely not! Edmund is my demonstration partner! Right, Edmund?!"
"I am at my lady's disposal," Edmund replied, glancing at G6 for confirmation.
"Nah, you can have Prince Dio," G6 said, waving a dismissive hand. Come on, let me see how good you really are, Snow White.
"Then it is settled," Dio said, a hint of a smug, snarky attitude returning as he began to remove his long black coat. "It seems my fiancée is finally taking an interest in my capabilities."
"Gross," G6 muttered under her breath.
Dio neatly set aside his coat, his watch, and his royal crest pin. This revealed a fitted satin white dueling shirt that seemed to blend seamlessly with his pale, impeccable skin. He looked every inch the stunning, elegant prince—a figure of unreal perfection that made it clear why noblewomen across the kingdom swooned.
Yeah, he looks like a bag of premium cement ready to be mixed. G6's thoughts provided its usual, brutally honest appraisal.
Keith and Dio strode to the center of the arena, the air crackling with unspoken rivalry.
"Let us use real sword," Dio stated, his voice cool and commanding.
"Eager to show off for an audience, Your Highness?" Keith retorted, a familiar, snarky grin spreading across his face.
Dio answered only with a dismissive glance. He touched a finger to the elegant, silver stud in his ear. A faint sigil glowed within the metal. "Dimensional Vault."
A small, shimmering portal of light materialized in the air before him. He reached into it and withdrew a magnificent sword, its hilt intricately carved and its blade gleaming. Keith performed the same action, tapping his own more flamboyant ear cuff, his portal flashing to life.
G6's eyes widened with immediate, avaricious interest. "What is that? Edmund!" she demanded, not looking away from the spectacle.
"It is a Dimensional Vault, my lady," Edmund explained from the bench. "A magical artifact crafted by the Omnia Vault's artisans for generations. The focus is often set into rings and earrings. Earrings are a popular choice for young nobles."
Oh. So the earrings aren't just them being in a rebellious phase. They have a function. Badass.
"I want that," G6 declared, her tone leaving no room for argument.
"You may acquire one by commissioning Sir Earl. The vault's capacity is directly fed by the wearer's mana level. The greater the reserve, the more expansive the storage space," Edmund elaborated. "Commoners, with their typically lower mana levels, can only store a few small items within."
Tch. Typical aristocracy. Even pocket space is a status symbol.
"REISEE! WATCH ME DROWN HIS FIRE!" Keith yelled, shamelessly seeking her attention.
"Whatever, clown," she shot back, her eyes never leaving the elegant piercings that were apparently tiny pocket dimensions.
"Cease your prattling and begin," Dio cut in, his gaze fixed on Keith. "Prepare to see your water boiled away, you waterlogged fool."
"You absolute jerk," Keith fired back, though his grin never faded. He fell into a ready stance, stepping back to create distance.
Keith raised his elegant blade. "Neptune's Fang!" he chanted. A torrent of shimmering, navy-blue water—as dense and powerful as a deep ocean current—coalesced around his sword, spiraling along its length with a sound like a crashing wave.
In response, Dio brought his own sword to bear. "Cinder's Edge." His blade didn't just grow hot; it was sheathed in a roaring, brilliant blue flame that twisted around the metal like a living serpent, causing the very air around it to waver with intense heat.
Hmm… Magic weapon coating. That is so… fantastical! It's like something straight out of one of Pisces's games. The visual alone is a psychological weapon.
Almost in unison, they activated their enhancements.
Dio: "<
Keith: "<
Dio: "
Keith: "
Then, they moved.
It was less a charge and more a violent displacement of air. One moment they were standing apart; the next, they met in the center of the arena with a deafening CLASH of steel and elemental power. The force of their meeting kicked up a violent cloud of sand, obscuring them for a heartbeat before revealing their locked blades.
G6 leaned forward, her earlier boredom completely vanished. A spark of pure, undiluted enjoyment lit her grey eyes. This was entertainment of the highest caliber.
That idiot moves differently than yesterday. Faster. More precise. He was holding back during his spar with Edmund.
There was no holding back now. No chants, no elaborate spells—just the raw application of their enhanced physicality and the relentless, elemental dominance of their coated blades. Each exchange was a concussive BANG of metal and magic, a contest of fire to extinguish water and water to quench fire.
Dio executed a swift, low slide, aiming to sweep Keith's legs out from under him. Keith anticipated it, leaping over the maneuver with fluid grace and bringing his watery blade down in a powerful arc to block the blazing sword already rising to meet him. The collision sent a burst of scalding steam hissing into the air between them.
However, Dio was not the head of the Bastion at such a young age without reason. In the split second after Keith blocked his strike, the blazing sword seemed to vanish. In a move too fast to track, Dio had already repositioned himself, the searing tip of Cinder's Edge now resting lightly against the back of Keith's neck.
A silent, deadly checkmate.
Damn. Snow White's got a rizz, G6 conceded internally, a flicker of genuine professional respect cutting through her usual apathy. The Reaper within her, ever the critic of fine technique, awarded a slow, deliberate clap that echoed in the sudden quiet of the arena.
The sound, sharp and measured, cut through the tension and drew the immediate attention of the two combatants. It was G6. "That's enough," she declared, her voice cutting through the steam. "Wrap it up before you summon a tsunami in here." She gestured vaguely at a sulking Keith, whose watery blade was already dissipating.
Dio lowered his sword with a triumphant smirk. "What's the matter? Still a sore loser?" he teased.
Keith merely shot him a look of pure, distasteful pouting, every bit the scolded child.
In perfect, grudging unison, they deactivated their enhancements.
Dio: "<
Keith: "<
They walked back toward G6, the competitive energy between them shifting into something else entirely.
"Now I'm starting to see your value," G6 stated. It wasn't praise for them as people, but a cold, clinical assessment of their utility as assets.
"Reise! What did you think of my Neptune's Fang?" Keith asked, his irritation already forgotten in his thirst for her approval.
"Must you be so desperate for validation?" Dio sighed, stowing his sword back into his dimensional vault with a dismissive flick of his wrist.
"So hungry for a compliment? Fine," G6 relented, a ghost of a smirk on her lips. "I must admit, you both impressed me." She paused for effect, letting the words hang in the air before delivering her verdict. "…You passed the screening."
With that, she stood up, brushing the sand from her clothes. "Thank you for the demonstration. I'll see you around."
She turned and walked away, leaving them standing there.
"We passed the screening?" Dio mused aloud, turning the phrase over in his mind. It sounded less like a compliment and more like a first-round selection process.
"Reise said she was impressed! With me!" Keith crowed, snatching his coat from the bench and hurrying after her. "Wait up! What does that mean? What's the next test?"
Dio collected his own belongings at a more sedate, princely pace, his thoughts churning. Passed the screening?
And thus, the first day of unofficial training concluded, leaving one man ecstatic and the other deeply, calculatingly intrigued.
_____
[West Villa's]
The deep silence of late night had settled over the West Villa. G6 was seated on the cold stone of her balcony floor, clad in a simple white nightgown. Both her hands were raised, palms directed at the damp training clothes she had hung over the railing, a faint, warm breeze emanating from her fingertips.
"So, today I finally grasped the Perfect Assassin Form. But I'm still nowhere with this world's magic. Tch." she muttered to herself, her focus split between the task and her internal critique.
"Brenda must be confused why I didn't store these back in the Secure Cabinet. It's just more convenient to have them here. Hmm. Need to wake up early again tomorrow. Set a new workout regimen."
"I was unaware you had developed a hobby of holding conversations with yourself in the dark," Tina's voice came softly from behind her. "If you simply leave them, the night wind is strong enough to dry them by morning."
"Nah," G6 replied, not bothering to turn. "Adding a hint of heat keeps them from getting that musty smell."
"I've brought a tea Alistair prepared. He claims it will aid your rest tonight," Tina said, placing a warm cup on the floor beside her mistress.
"Thanks."
"You should drink it now while it's still warm. It cools quickly," Tina added, gently draping a soft blanket over G6's shoulders.
"Ugh, so naggy," G6 groaned but obediently stopped channeling air and picked up the tea.
Tina stepped forward to stand beside her, gazing out at the vast, moonlit gardens below. "I will confess, I do not understand you these past few days, Lady Reise," she began, her voice quiet and contemplative. "But I will not press for answers. I would far rather navigate this… chaotic vigor of yours than witness you slowly fading away within these four walls again, as you were before."
So the old Reise was showing signs of depression? Hmm… Another piece that doesn't fit. The timeline's off. In the book, her breakdown wasn't supposed to happen until after the official engagement announcement.
I think I got so caught up in my own goals that I overlooked the clues. But it doesn't matter. This life is mine now; she abandoned it. Still… I'll complete the puzzle. I'll find all the missing pieces on the case board.
"Please do not stay up too late. You will need your rest for tomorrow," Tina said, her tone shifting back to its practical warmth. "I will take my rest as well. Good night, Lady Reise." She offered a slight bow and turned to leave.
"Good night," G6 said, the words almost a whisper, but they carried perfectly in the dead silence of the room.
Tina paused at the door, a genuine, relieved smile touching her lips before she slipped out, closing it quietly behind her.
_____
Time Check: 5:15 A.M
The West Villa was a tomb of silence, its inhabitants still lost in the depths of sleep. G6 slipped from her room, a shadow detaching itself from the darkness. She employed no supernatural skills for this; the art of moving without a sound was a fundamental lesson learned long before she'd ever earned the title Reaper. Her footsteps were utterly silent, a perfect, practiced stealth that let her glide through the slumbering manor unseen.
The servants' morning routines would not begin for another hour.
G6 had forsaken her cumbersome gowns. Her daily uniform was now the simple, functional black training gear from the I.W.A.S. As she strode down the long, dimly lit hallway, her form was a slash of darkness against the pale stone, the only splash of color the rose-gold crown of her hair catching the faint pre-dawn glow from the windows.
She descended the main staircase and turned toward the rear of the villa, her path set for the Collegium. But as she stepped onto the garden pathway, a figure materialized from the gloom.
A man stood waiting, his own attire a mirror of her practical black. His stark white hair seemed to glow against the dull, pre-dawn sky. His posture was relaxed, yet deliberate, as if he had been standing there for some time, anticipating her arrival.
G6 stopped a few paces away, her head tilting in cool assessment.
"Why are you up so early… Snow White?"
— To be continued… —