n/)0In
"Heh, that girl truly battered you up, eh?" Orion chuckled as he walked into Vaan's room after dropping Isabel back at her residence. Vaan just lay on the bed, not saying anything, and seeing his outspoken child being so silent, Orion couldn't help but feel great joy. "I told you, didn't I? Fighting a one-on-one against a swordsman is no different than asking for defeat. The only reason you won against Alex was because he was weak." As he said those words, Orion passed a Potion to Elara, who quickly took it to Vaan and gently poured it into his mouth. Orion waited as Vaan drank the Potion, "That girl was too strange." Vaan finally spoke up. "She was simply too fast, I couldn't react in time." "This is why a mage can never face a Swordsmen in a one-on-one battle, the disadvantage is just too huge. There is no way any normal Mage would be able to keep up." Orion replied. "Not to mention that girl was…" "What?" Noticing that his father had something to say, Vaan probed further. Orion hesitated for a while but then, "She was almost as strong as I was when I was a 4 Star Swordsman." Orion revealed and Vaan's eyes widened in surprise. His father was a Black Card Holder, if Isabel was as strong as him…
"Wait." Suddenly, a big frown appeared on Vaan's face, "Didn't she lose against Declan?" Orion's face turned grim as he nodded, "If she did lose against Declan, Then that means Declan Dawncrest is stronger than the past me.
Not only that, it automatically makes her stronger than Astra as well. So… You better stop thinking about challenging him in a one-on-one battle,
There is no way you would win." Orion spoke and Vaan couldn't believe what he was hearing. His all-confident father…
He was admitting defeat…
"Are you telling me to abandon the Vesta House?" Vaan questioned with a dumbfounded look on his face. "I am merely saying that if you want to fight him, it better not be a one-on-one battle or a format where you would need to face Declan directly. There are many other formats of battle, formats where the battlefield is even and not heavily advantageous to one side." Orion replied. "Are you really that sure that I would lose?" Vaan questioned. "I wasn't expecting it before, but after seeing that girl's skills, I am positive. That wasn't the level of swordsmanship that could be defeated by a Mage." Orion nodded. He wanted to be honest with his son. "And it would remain the same even if I train together with Isabel?" "Vaan, training will not magically improve your abilities, without Aura, no matter how much you train, it would be useless." "Then… why did you accept Isabel as your student?" Vaan questioned. "Hah? What does that have to do with it?" "Didn't you only accept that girl because you wanted her to help me? If the situation is helpless, then why did yo-" "I only wanted a talented student." Orion shook his head. "I was pleasantly surprised when I noticed her talent and since you aren't interested in learning my Swordsmanship, I decided to choose her.
It has nothing to do with you." "…" Vaan didn't know how to react and only glanced at his father with a dumbfounded look on his face. To think that this man was thinking about his own student at a time like this…
'Why did mother marry someone as selfish as you.' He snorted inwardly. He was picking his Grandfather's traits. "Even if I become a 4th Circle Mage…?" "Hm?" Suddenly, Vaan questioned as he stared into his Father's eyes with a solemn look on his face. "If I became a 4th Circle Mage, I would have 6 extra Inner Circles. I would become a Mage with 24 Inner Circles and my strength would increase exponentially. What about then? Would I be able to defeat Declan in a one-on-one battle then?" Vaan was a freak. He was a Mage whose Potential was far higher than any of his peers. Even as a 3rd Circle Mage, the number of Inner Circles he had was 18, two more than what a 4th Circle Mage would have, this combined with how his Magic Circles were bigger than the common Circles and had more space to 'draw' the Magic Patterns, He was stronger than a normal 4th Circle Mage with only weakness being his thinner veins that couldn't store as much Mana as a normal 4th Circle Mage could store. If someone like him became a 4th Circle Mage… His chances of victory against Declan would definitely shoot up. "It wouldn't matter." Orion, however, had a different opinion. "Even if you have more Inner Circles, the only thing they would help you with would be to strengthen your Spells, the problem you are facing is not the strength of your spells, Rather, even with your current spells, if you can get even one good hit in, no swordsmen below the Intermediate Level would be able to survive.
However, the strength of your spells wouldn't matter if you would never get the opportunity to use them in the first place. Someone like Declan would never give you enough time to cast stronger spells. He is perfectly capable of closing the distance and ending the battle before it." "…" Vaan turned silent. He was trying to think of a way, however, after his battle against Isabel, he knew his options were extremely limited. And now that even Orion had seemed to given up…
"You are a Mage, Vaan. Your strength comes from your head, not your body, You have no reason to face him head-on." Orion spoke up. "Is there really no way to train both Swordsmanship and Magic at the same time?" Vaan questioned, holding onto a glimmer of hope even after his father had already told him the answer to his question once. "No." And again, Orion's answer didn't change. "Aura and Mana are not compatible with each other, you can use raw Mana to increase your strength after you become an Intermediate Mage, but you can not use both at the same time. Your Magic Veins would simply burst apart because of the strong collision between the two energies and you would turn into a cripple." Hearing those words, Vaan glanced at the three Spirits. He wanted to know what the three of them had to say, however, this time, even the three spirits had no other option but to disappoint Vaan. Even the Spirits who had access to knowledge to make the impossible possible didn't have the way to use both energies together. Vaan sighed. He really wanted to defeat Declan in a one-on-one battle. After all, this was the best way to prove one's superiority, not to mention that chances of Declan falling for his challenge and putting the Vesta House in the line were much higher if it was a battle Declan knew he would win.
Seeing the dejected look on his son's face, Orion frowned. "Why do you look like the world just ended? Just find some other way to defeat him. Astra did the same thing, the number of times she and I had head-on collisions was limited, after all, she knew perfectly well that close combat was her weakness. This is how you grow Vaan, understand your limits, and prepare yourself accordingly. You do not have to defeat an enemy in his domain. This is not a fantasy story where you can get everything you want.
If you think carefully, you will realize that Declan might not be as difficult to deal with as you might think, there are many ways to defeat him, Isabel is one of them as well. You can challenge him to a two-on-two duel with Isabel as your teammate, with Isabel in the front and you as her support, there is no way you two would lose." Orion suggested. "And why would Isabel help me fight against the Swords Division?" Vaan questioned. Orion, however just smiled and, "You won't be fighting against the Swords Division, Vaan. You would be fighting against the Dawncrest Family. As my student, Isabel would have no reason not to help you. Not to mention that you can always train together and improve your teamwork since this is where I will be training her.
The two of you can be like me and Astra back in our days of the Academy, the best Swordswomen and the best Mage, fighting together as the best team. Let alone getting the Vesta House back, even reigning over the entire Academy wouldn't be difficult with your strength." Orion's ambitions were high. However, "Do you really think Declan would bet the Vesta House if I challenge him together with Isabel?" "That's not my responsibility, is it? The opportunity to get the Vesta House back, Shouldn't you, as the 'face' of the Vestas, be the one to think about it? What? Did you think your mother's test would be that easy?" Orion smiled. He was definitely enjoying the sight of his arrogant son drowning in worries.
