"How can this be?"
The old man's voice trembled in disbelief. Seeing Kael's talent laid bare before him, his wrinkled face froze in shock.
Inside his mind, Kael blinked, confused.
What? Am I some kind of prodigy… or am I so talentless that he's shocked to his core?
He paused, his thoughts swirling.
And… I can't help but notice my way of thinking has changed ever since I came to this world. I don't know if it's a natural change… or something being forced on me.
Maybe it's because I was reincarnated. Perhaps the laws of this world are affecting my mind, trying to limit how much I remember of my past life.
He frowned slightly, even as his infant body lay still.
Some of my memories… they're fading too. I don't know what, but I feel like I've forgotten something important.
Well, I'll deal with that later.. once I make sure I can survive here without dying as easily as an ant.
Though Kael's thoughts were racing, in reality only a few seconds had passed.
The old man's silence made the woman nearby, Kael's mother frown in concern.
"What happened? Is there a problem?" she asked softly.
The old man blinked and forced a smile.
"Hahaha, no… nothing serious, my lady. I was just surprised, that's all. This is the first time I've seen or even heard of something like this."
Her frown eased, though a trace of unease still lingered in her eyes.
The old man then continued, his tone turning thoughtful.
"It's not that the child is exceptionally gifted or completely talentless… Rather, he possesses equal talent in all three paths."
"And each one of those talents is strong enough to be considered as slightly talented."
The room fell silent.
Both the mother and the woman in black, who looked more like an assassin than a maid were visibly shocked.
Kael, on the other hand, was deep in thought.
Wait… if I can cultivate all three paths separately, that means I can gain an advantage over everyone else who can only cultivate just one of them.
His mother broke the silence first.
"I've never heard of anyone possessing balanced talent across all three paths — at least not to the extent that they could cultivate them. And to think our family's ritual didnt work"
Hearing her master speak, the woman in black added,
"Yes, my lady. The only multi-path talented cultivator I've ever read about was a mage who lived nearly a thousand years ago in the Holy Kingdom."
She paused briefly before continuing.
"According to the records, his second talent, the body path was just barely enough to begin cultivation. His main path was magic, and even that was slightly below average."
"But I didnt hear anything or anyone about cultivating 2 paths at the same time, he was only a mage not also a knight."
She glanced at the child in awe.
"But in this case… how did the ritual not convert the other paths' talents into magic affinity? Shouldn't that be impossible? The young lord might… change the history of the entire world."
There was a faint glint of ambition in her eyes.
But Elara, Kael's mother, frowned sharply.
"No one is changing anything," she said firmly. "If this leaks out, even a double path would be enough for the Empire to forcefully recruit him as a knight or servant."
Her expression darkened.
"Not to mention our enemies, the other Duke families, the Holy Kingdom, the Vralki clans, even the Empire itself, they'd all try to eliminate him. Because they couldn't control him… and they wouldn't allow anyone else to either."
Her voice softened as she looked at Kael's tiny form.
"I don't want that for him. I just want him to live peacefully…"
She sighed deeply.
Seeing her expression, the old man hesitated but spoke anyway.
"Wasn't your family's ritual supposed to exchange the other paths' talents for the magical one? How come it didn't work? Did you not perform it properly, or was the method fla—"
Before he could finish, the woman in black snapped coldly,
"Watch your tongue, old man. We don't have to answer your questions. And if a single word of this leaks out…"
Her eyes narrowed.
"You know what the consequences will be."
The old man chuckled bitterly.
"Yeah, yeah… you would torture me until I beg for death."
"It's good that you know it," the woman replied, her voice like ice.
Elara exhaled softly, finally speaking again.
"Enough. It's time to leave. I'll decide when and where we'll discuss this further."
The old man and the woman both bowed respectfully.
"Yes, Duchess Ashton."
"Yes, my lady."
And with that, the three of them vanished from the room as silently as they had entered, leaving no trace behind.
Only Kael remained, lying quietly, lost in thought.
From now on, he mused, I'll call them the Upper, Middle, and Lower Orbs. It'll make it easier to understand them.
Ritual, huh… Maybe that's why everyone had their middle orb as the main one.
So… that woman earlier, she was my mother but who was the other woman then she seemed like a subordinate of my mother… and the ritual, I wonder why it didn't work on me.
He yawned.
Maybe it's because of my trait "Potential." Could it be that it allows me to have talent in all paths?
Well… that's a problem for tomorrow. I need sleep to grow, I'm still a baby after all…
And with that, Kael drifted off into peaceful slumber.
Meanwhile, in another room of the grand Ashton estate, Lady Elara sat alone. The moonlight painted soft silver lines across her face as she spoke softly:
"Aveline, come out."
The shadows rippled, and the woman in black appeared silently before her.
"What are your orders, my lady?"
Elara paused in thought, then said,
"I want you to create and teach Kael a technique — one that hides his talent from any appraisal or detection skill. But not for now… I want you to teach him when he turns nine."
Aveline stayed silent for a few seconds, and Elara's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Is that within your power, Aveline?"
The assassin bowed quickly.
"My apologies, my lady. I was merely recalling possible techniques and thinking of how to improve them for the Young Lord's use. Yes, I can do it. I will craft a concealment technique strong enough to fool even the highest-grade appraisers."
"Good," Elara said. "Report your progress to me every three months. And do not disappoint me."
Aveline placed her hand on her chest and bowed deeply.
"I won't break your trust, my lady. I'll have the technique ready before four years pass. You may evaluate its rank each time I report."
With that, she melted back into the shadows, vanishing completely.
Elara was left alone once more. She leaned back on her bed, exhaustion clear in her eyes.
"Huff… what a long day… finally over," she murmured.
As her eyelids grew heavy, Kael's sleeping face flashed in her mind. A faint, gentle smile formed on her lips.
I will protect you, my baby… No one will ever harm you.
And with that final thought, the Duchess of Ashton drifted into sleep.
Outside, the night deepened and time, as always, moved on.
Six months passed in the blink of an eye.