The tip of Alex's sword shined a pale color, the aura now more concentrated than days ago, latched onto his sword like a lingering thread, and as he brought his sword down, it whipped along with his rhythm.
For days he had practiced not just swordplay but aura manipulation as a whole.
With his talent reducing the cost at which he used aura, his practice hours had flourished, and now, after days of swinging his blade, he had finally grasped the concept of aura control.
Now he could wield it just as he wielded his sword; an extension of his body, a step closer to stepping into the realm of intent and attaining a color for his aura.
"Sigh...."
Using a wet towel to wipe off the sweat from his bare chest, he looked up at the morning sunrise with a smile... the kind of smile he hadn't expressed for a while.
"My brother has finally leveled up, from a punching bag to a lesser punching bag."
Feeling a tap on his shoulder, Alex turned, subjected to Vanessa's words.
For the kind of mess she had caused, she was still all smiles, and Alex had to admit, he admired her optimism.
"Hey, what's with that look? Don't tell me you're also mad."
Vanessa, witnessing the serious look her little brother was giving her, appeared flustered.
The sheer disappointment emitting from his stare was unnerving but equally irritating.
To be looked down on by a child—most importantly, a younger sibling—amplified her shame.
"Sigh.... fine, your sister is a disappointment."
Surrendering to her fate, she tucked her hands into her pocket and closed one eye.
"I misjudged the situation. I should have waited for Abel to arrive before I acted, and I shouldn't have killed anyone."
"....."
Alex kept his silence, and Vanessa shrugged.
"I don't think murder is wrong. Some people deserve to be killed. I think Uncle Kain is one of those, and yet I went overboard. To achieve my goal, I became like him, and I'm willing to accept your hate, your disapproval, and disappointment."
Alex blinked not because Vanessa's confession and acceptance were genuine, but because of how detached she was.
There was no guilt in her words. She spoke as if she had just committed a petty mistake—but the truth was, that wasn't the case.
Alex didn't feel much empathy for anyone outside his family. To him, they came first.
Here was the problem: the branch family was also, in fact, his family.
They might be distant in nature, but the same blood coursed through their veins.
The same blood gave them life—the life that Vanessa had reaped away.
As a child, there was a limit to his thought patterns. Normally, he shouldn't have thought much about this, but he wasn't fully a child. He had lived two lives, and this was the second.
Morality, empathy, and so much more complex mumbo jumbo—he unfortunately understood them all. Hence, he could only see Vanessa as the villain... that was how her actions had painted her. And the worst part was, she was bothered so little by it.
A side effect of the years she spent on the Frontline fighting demons.
She had dedicated her life to that cause, and because of that she hardly understood normality.
All she knew was that when she identified an enemy, she must eliminate them—including all the obstacles that tried to stop her.
"I think you should see a therapist and reevaluate your life choices."
No more or less. With that, he ignored Vanessa and continued with his training.
Vanessa stared blankly at him, blinking occasionally at what she had heard and witnessed.
----------
"Lord Abel, the envoys have arrived."
Standing behind the window frame of his office, Abel, his gaze sweeping past the lavish land surrounding the Bladeheart mansion and onto Alex and Vanessa was suddenly interrupted by Rita.
Turning to meet her, he smiled softly and spoke, "Envoys?... did the Emperor send more than one?"
Rita nodded and stepped aside to let in two individuals.
One was a devilishly handsome man with dark hair trimmed to the side. He was tall and, compared to most warriors, quite slender in his overall build—but the pressure he emitted could not be denied.
He was strong—the kind of strength Abel was just grasping—the famed SS-ranked.
"Lord Felix!"
Recognizing the man on the spot, Abel stepped forward, his hand stretched for a formal handshake.
"Lord... now... come on, my boy, how many times must I tell you to call me Felix? You are a Grand Duke now..."
"Acting...."
"No... be it acting or not, you represent the entire Dukedom of the Bladeheart family, and you should carry yourself as such."
As usual, Sir Felix was a man of many words, and most of those words were indicators of his flaws.
Sir Felix, a knight who had served the Emperor alongside Abel's father, was a perfectionist.
From attire to how people addressed him, everything had to be perfect in his eyes, and for that he earned the title "Knight of Ideal."
A decade ago, he had been Abel's instructor in swordplay among other weapon arts.
"Very well then Lor–ahem, I mean Felix. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance again."
"Very good!" The Knight of Ideal smiled and received the handshake.
After that, Abel faced the other individual.
He was a boy, slightly older than his brother Alex.
He also had black hair and a streak of white at the side.
Standing about half of Felix's height, he was adorned in black noble garments with golden embroidery.
"Si... Felix, I didn't know you had a son?"
Curious about the boy's origin, Abel asked, only for Felix to shake his head, rather troubled.
"Oh, this kid? He's my newest disciple. He caught my eye during last year's knight recruitment, and I've taken him under my wing since."
The boy, proud of that, puffed his chest and smiled with pride.
Reminded of the younger Alex, Abel smiled back before his attention was returned to Felix.
"Shall we have a seat then?"
With that, the stage of the Patriarch Duel was finally set. Now all that remained was for the participants to meet.