"Aren't I here?
What other solution do we need?"
Vaan questioned with a genuinely confused look on his face. From his expression, one could tell that this man actually did think of himself as the 'Solution.'
And when she realized that, Lirael's mouth twitched uncontrollably.
"You? The Solution? A mere 2nd Second Circle Mage who was crazy about some random bitch from a low-"
"A 2nd Circle Mage who defeated a 3rd Circle Mage in front of a big crowd. I doubt any of you have achieved a feat like this, have you? Doesn't that automatically make me better than all of you?" Vaan questioned with a confident smile on his face.
Lirael, on the other hand, frowned in confusion. Obviously, she had no clue what Vaan was talking about, she had just returned from the Academy and didn't have any information regarding the recent events that have played out yet.
Why would she? Things like these weren't supposed to be discussed in this meeting anyway, she didn't know how everything started, but Lirael wasn't expecting herself to be standing against this idiot cousin of hers, talking about serious matters like these.
Of course, that doesn't mean she was planning to use this as an excuse.
She knew one needed to be prepared all the time, the fact that she jumped in and escalated the situation to this point without knowing any recent events was her fault, and she admitted it.
At the same time, she also turned towards her father, trying to understand what Vaan was talking about, but then,
Draven looked into Vaan's eyes and,
"You used Instant Spells in that Duel, Vaan.
That Duel does not count.
Even a 1st Circle Mage can defeat a 4th Circle Mage if he uses our family's top Instant Spells. What you did back then, although brave, it cannot be used as something that makes you special compared with others."
Draven spoke and his words were followed by other mages nodding their head.
Seeing that he was being supported, Draven then turned towards Astra and,
"I think even the Family Head would agree to my words, correct?"
Making the Family Head accept that her son was nothing special, there was no way Draven was going to miss this golden opportunity that would not only put this arrogant nephew of his in his place but would also put Astra in a difficult position, indirectly alleviating his and his faction's position.
Vaan, however, wasn't planning on letting that happen,
"Is Uncle Draven saying that I am no different than my brothers who are titled Prospective Heirs of the Family?" Vaan questioned.
Draven looked at him, then, with an expressionless look on his face, he replied,
"Although I am sure you have your own strength in other areas, you are still a 20-year-old 2nd Circle Mage. You just mentioned how your siblings didn't meet the Vesta Family's expectations, however, all of them had already become 2nd Circle Mages by the time they were 17 or 18, which is 2 whole years earlier than you.
So by your logic, your performance is actually even more disappointing and does not meet the standards of the Vesta Family at all."
Draven spoke, he had never openly pointed his fingers at Vaan like this, today, however, he made an exception. Starting this topic when he knew that his daughter had just returned from the academy and had no information about the current events, Vaan's actions were getting too out of hand, he had to step in.
"Worse than my siblings huh?" Vaan seemed taken aback.
"I didn't know all my siblings researched revolutionary Magic Circles that increased a Mage's strength to unseen levels." He then glanced at his confused siblings and,
"You all must be strong, huh? How many Inner Circles does your Advance Circle have? Does it have extra space to draw more Magic Patterns? What principals did you work on to create those circles?
Actually, if you would be so kind, can I see your Advanced Circle, I might get some ideas to improve my own circle. I would be deeply indebted to you if you do that."
Vaan questioned and the more he asked, the more Lirael frowned in confusion.
What was this fool talking about?
An Advance Circle, was he out of his mind?
Vaan, fully knowing their confusion, didn't step back, rather, smiling gleefully, he pushed forward,
"Oh C'mon, don't be so petty, all of us here are Mages and a part of the same family, if you hide your discoveries like this, then how could we possibly grow? And it is not like I am asking you the teach me how to summon your circle now am I? Even I am not that shameless. I know how to respect a Mage's boundaries, I know that I have no right to demand something from you just because we come from the same family.
I merely wish to see your Magic Circle, which, you would eventually show whenever you duel with your opponents. I don't think I am being very difficult here.
But oh well, if you feel that it is still unfair,
I will show you my Circle first."
Vaan spoke with a wide smile on his face as he gathered Mana from the Air, sensing his intentions, Flamey and Splashy who were lazily sitting on his shoulders moved,
And soon,
Two Advance Circles, each being larger than a normal circle and having 6 Inner Circles were formed.
The Mages present in the hall observed the two Magic Circles as their eyes shined in extreme curiousness and interest, for some of them, this was the first time they had actually witnessed Vaan's Advanced Magic Circle in real life, till now, they only saw this Magic Circle in the research paper Vaan had published, but seeing the real deal…
The mages couldn't get their eyes away from the mysterious circles in front of them. How could they not? They have been racking their heads around these circles, desperately trying to understand the principles behind them and create a circle on their own.
However, no matter how much they tried, all their attempts yielded zero results. Even after working on it for months, they still made zero progress.
It was so hopeless that they even thought that all of this was a sham and that this circle was actually flawed, making summoning this Circle impossible.
But seeing Vaan using these Circles right in front of their eyes, the hopeless mages saw hope again.
The Circle wasn't flawed.
It was their approach that was wrong.
They needed to put in more effort.
On the other hand, the Young Mages who saw the Vaan's circle for the first time widened their eyes in shock.
What was that!?
A Circle with 6 Inner Circles!? How does that make sense!?
Did someone make a new Magic Research? How did they not know about it?
Although the Agresia Academy limited the exchange of information in order to make their students focus on what they were learning, with Vesta Family powers, exchanging information this vital shouldn't be difficult.
Then why…
"Hmm? This is confusing. Why are you looking at me like that? Is this your first time seeing an Advance Circle? But didn't you say you researched an Advance Circle of your own? Why are you acting so surprised?
Is it because my Magic Circle isn't up to your esteemed standards?"
Vaan questioned with a playful smile on his face.
Everyone in the Meeting Hall understood what he was doing, honestly, some mages even pitied the Young Mages who were up against someone like Vaan right after they returned.
After all, this was the same man who humiliated 6th Circle Mage Rylan in front of everyone.
When it came to words, this man spouted raw poison from his mouth.
"Vaan, that is enough. You have proved your point."
Suddenly, Astra spoke up.
As much as she was enjoying the current situation, right now, she was not Vaan's mother, but the Family Head. It was her duty to maintain the Vesta Hall's decorum which Vaan's sarcastic remarks were undermining.
"I understand, Lady Astra."
Vaan, of course, was extremely respectful when the one speaking was his mother. However, when it came to his uncle,
"Are the Circles I researched up to the Family's expectation, Uncle Draven?"
"Yes." With a bitter look on his face, Draven nodded.
"Then the strongest 2nd Circle Mage who discovered a new, much more advanced Magic Circle at the mere age of 20, I believe this should be enough for me to be called one of the 'Prospective Heirs', correct?"
"That is not something that can be decided in an instant." Draven, of course, was against it.
"Hmm? What is there to decide? I highly doubt that my siblings had to go through some sort of meeting to call themselves prospective heirs. From what I remember, they just started calling themselves as such out of the blue. Why is it different in my case?"
"You are too youn-" Draven wanted to answer, but then, he paused. He could already see Vaan looking at his mother the moment he was about to mention his age.
Dealing with this boy was too frustrating!
"Since Uncle Draven has nothing more to say,
Then from today onwards,
I am a Prospective Heir as well."
Vaan announced and
On 1st Octavian 5039,
Vaan Astra Vesta officially joined the Vesta Family's Battle of Heirs.
