Kyle climbed out of bed and picked up the wooden sword propped nearby. A spirit he had never called had suddenly appeared and attached itself to him. That had startled him a little, but now that it had happened, he wanted to test the idea he had been considering.

CRACKLE!

There was no need to give it an explicit command. As though reading his mind, the snake coiled around the tip of the wooden sword, just as Kyle wanted. Being no bigger than a child's finger joint, that was all it could manage, but Kyle grinned at its obedience.

He swung the wooden sword where he stood. Crackling purple sparks mingled with its trailing arc. After a few more swings, he left the room.

“Young Master?”

Not long after Kyle stepped outside, a maid of Rose Manor stopped him. She tilted her head at the sight of the wooden sword in his hand.

“Why aren't you asleep? What are you...”

“Look at this.”

Kyle brought forward the finger he had hidden behind his back. The maid jumped at the purple current coiled around his index finger.

“Y-Young Master? What on earth is that...”

“What does it look like to you?”

“Light... I would say.”

The maid stumbled over her reply. Apparently, other people could not see the snake's form. Kyle nodded and hid his hand behind his back again.

“I'm going to show Mom.”

He went past the maid and knocked on Arian's bedroom door, but there was no answer. She seemed to be sound asleep already. Rather than knock again, Kyle simply opened the door and went inside.

Arian was sleeping peacefully in her large bed. Kyle crept over and shook her shoulder.

“Mom.”

“Mmm... Kyle...?”

Arian opened her eyes drowsily. Though still heavy with sleep, they softened into a faint smile the moment she saw her son.

“What is it? Did you have a bad dream?”

“No. Look at this.”

Kyle held his snake-wrapped index finger before her eyes.

“Hmm? What is... Huh?!”

Arian's eyes flew wide. Suddenly wide awake, she shot upright in bed.

“Th-this is... a lightning spirit?”

Her gaze fixed on Kyle's finger. The maid had seen nothing but light, but Arian, a spirit practitioner, could clearly make out the little snake flicking its tongue within the purple current.

“Y-you've never learned to summon spirits. How did you...”

“I don't know. My cheek was stinging while I was asleep, and when I woke up, this little guy was there,” Kyle answered calmly.

“It is a spirit, right? It comes when I tell it to, and goes wherever I tell it.”

At a flick of his finger, the snake unwound, circled through the air, and coiled around his finger again.

“Good heavens...”

Arian could not close her mouth. Even so, as a spirit practitioner, she tried to analyze why this had happened to her son.

The lightning spirit must have come despite the absence of lightning because the thunder crystal had drawn it in—but even that made no sense. The crystal might contain the essence of lightning, but it was not enough to summon a lightning spirit beneath a clear sky.

That was how difficult lightning spirits were to encounter. Lightning passed in an instant, after all. To meet one, you had to visit somewhere like the Valley of Myriad Thunders in the south, where lightning struck without cease.

'A lightning spirit appeared because it was drawn to the thunder crystal...?'

Or had the thundergrass dew he drank that morning helped? No, that could not be it. Thundergrass dew improved reflexes, not affinity with lightning.

'And it's obeying Kyle. How is this possible...?'

Encountering a spirit did not guarantee that one could form a contract with it. Affinity and other innate qualities were only the starting point. Forming a contract required time spent communing with the spirit and steadily feeding it mana.

Arian herself was a case in point. As a child, she had listened to the voices of spirits in the wind and communed with them, continually using up mana stones until she formed her contracts.

Yet her son was already directing a spirit he had met for the first time that day exactly as he pleased. To Arian, the lightning spirit even seemed to be acting affectionate toward him. She herself had been born with a genius for spirit arts, but she had never seen anything like Kyle.

“Aaaah!”

Overcome with emotion, Arian swept Kyle into her arms.

“My son really is a genius! To tell you the truth, I wasn't sure yet whether you really had a talent for spirit arts. Goblins are rather different from spirits like this, after all...”

But now she was certain. Her son was not merely gifted in swordsmanship. His talent for spirit arts was genius-level as well.

“And to think a lightning spirit was drawn to a thunder crystal this small! I've never even heard of such a thing. You haven't formed a contract, yet it already obeys you!”

“Mom, I can't breathe.”

Kyle squirmed, but Arian showed no sign of letting go.

“And not just any spirit, but a lightning spirit...! Your grandfather will be thrilled!”

Julius Alastor's epithet was the Thunder Emperor. Though he had never said so outright, his gift of a thunder crystal necklace meant that he hoped his grandson would awaken the same spiritual root as his own.

“Mom, let go for a moment. There's something I want to show you.”

Only then did Kyle manage to escape her embrace. He raised the wooden sword he had brought before Arian's sparkling eyes.

CRACKLE.

The purple snake coiled around his index finger flew to the wooden sword. Kyle concentrated the spirit at its tip and swung.

CRACKLE!

Purple light traced an arc through the air. Arian's mouth fell open. He was going beyond simple commands, having the spirit inhabit his wooden sword and using it to attack?

“Impossible...”

Spirits were innocent, yet finicky. Only after steadily communing with one, feeding it mana, and awakening a spiritual root could a person form a contract. Even a contract did not give someone perfect control over a spirit. Ultimately, spirits were living creatures made of mana.

'He hasn't even formed a contract, but it's more obedient than if he had. How is that possible...?'

After watching in a daze, Arian immediately climbed out of bed and opened a desk drawer. A moment later, she took out a small gem shimmering with bluish light.

It was a mana stone—a crystallization of mana found in places rich with it, such as dense forests and mountains. Kyle tilted his head as he accepted it from her.

“What's this for?”

“T-try giving it to the spirit.”

Kyle held the mana stone out to the snake as instructed. As though it had been waiting, the snake coiled around the stone, opened its tiny mouth, and sank its teeth into it. The stone lost its glow, and the spirit grew just a little larger instead.

“Spirits... feed on mana,” Arian explained haltingly.

“Normally, you tame them by feeding them your own mana, then form a contract... But you haven't awakened a spiritual root yet...”

“Does that mean I can't form a contract either?”

“Yes... Contracts are formed through the spirit practitioner's mana. That's how you establish a link with a spirit and summon it...”

Arian could only trail off, for she had never heard of a spirit obeying someone so readily without a contract. Meanwhile, having drained all the mana from the stone, the snake wagged its tail contentedly and slipped into the thunder crystal hanging around Kyle's neck.

“Ha...”

Arian let out a disbelieving laugh. Rather than disappearing, it had made the thunder crystal its home. Apparently, the spirit had no intention of leaving Kyle's side.

“From now on, feed it a mana stone... every so often. Then it'll grow little by little.”

“Can't I give it one every day?”

“It might grow too big that way. That could be dangerous without a contract, so only feed it occasionally.”

“Should I give it a name?”

“No, every spirit has its own name. You'll learn it when you form a contract someday.”

Having calmed her astonishment, Arian stroked Kyle's hair.

“Honestly... You've surprised me so many times since we came to Gladiheim. If I'd known, I would have shown you spirits and come back here much sooner...”

“I'm glad we came now.”

Only after turning five had he gained reasonably good control over his body. If he had come any earlier, he would have subjected himself to plenty of indignities. Kyle gave a great yawn.

“I'm going back to sleep now.”

“Sweetheart! How about sleeping with Mommy for the first time in ages?”

“No. I'm sleeping by myself.”

If he gave her the slightest opening, Arian would sweep him up and force him into her bed.

Kyle answered immediately and fled her bedroom.

* * *

The next day.

After breakfast, Kyle skimmed through the Basic Swordsmanship Manual he had received the previous day from beginning to end.

True to its name, it was a manual of the fundamentals, and none of it was difficult. Everything in it was something Kyle had learned in actual combat in his previous life.

Once he had finished reading, he headed to the Hall of Sword Pinnacles. He passed down the corridor and knocked, and its doors opened immediately.

“You've come again.”

Julius spoke from his throne. Kyle glanced at Fenris, planted in the middle of the hall, then grinned at him.

“You're here again too, Grandfather.”

Normally, Julius did not remain in the Hall of Sword Pinnacles all the time. It was used only for meetings of the purebloods.

Yet today, he had come down to the hall ahead of Kyle again, secretly looking forward to a visit from his bright-eyed grandson. Still, he had already spent three days here. It was time to draw a line.

“From now on, don't come every day.”

“Are you tired of playing with me already?”

“That is not what I mean. I have a schedule of my own, and training I must attend to.”

Playing with his grandson was enjoyable, but Julius was not in a position to be an ordinary grandfather with time to spare. He continued with a wry smile.

“So from now on, come once a week.”

“Aww...”

“There are plenty of others in the Sword Tower for you to play with besides me. Your cousins, for instance...”

“And Aunt Erika.”

“Indeed.”

Julius gave a slight nod.

“I hear you visited Erika's manor yesterday.”

“Yes. I saw Aunt Erika's swordsmanship.”

“What did you think?”

“It was flashy and pretty.”

“Flashy and pretty...”

Julius smiled, stroking his chin.

“Was it not sharp?”

“It seemed to be in the process of growing sharp.”

“Hah.”

It was far too precise and martial an assessment to come from a five-year-old. Julius gazed steadily at Kyle.

'He certainly has a discerning eye.'

Perhaps his grandson's potential was far greater than he had imagined. Julius nodded at the thought.

“In the process of growing sharp...”

“I'll show you.”

“Show me? How?”

“Just as I saw it yesterday.”

Kyle raised his wooden sword and grinned at Julius.

“There's something else I want to show you too.”

Kyle tapped the thunder crystal at his neck twice with the fingers of his left hand. A purple flash crackled forth, and a tiny snake emerged from the crystal to coil around his finger.

Julius's eyes widened. His grip tightened on the throne's armrest.

“Is that... a spirit?”

“Yes. I met it yesterday.”

Kyle pointed at the wooden sword with his snake-wrapped finger. The snake flew through the air and coiled around its tip.

“I think it's thanks to the necklace you gave me, Grandfather. We can't talk to each other, but it does whatever I tell it.”

“Well...”

Julius let out a disbelieving chuckle. He had no innate talent for spirit arts, but because of Arian, he had acquired some knowledge of them.

Thus, he understood that what Kyle was showing him defied common sense. And delightfully so. Genius-level talent. House Alastor loved such gifts.

“Well done.”

And it was not just any spirit, but a lightning spirit. Julius could not hide his smile at seeing his own traits in a grandson who had yet to awaken his spiritual root.

“But what did you mean by showing me what you saw yesterday?”

Kyle merely grinned in answer.

CRACKLE...!

As he slowly moved the wooden sword, purple light etched its path into the air. Steadying his breathing, he recalled Erika's swordsmanship from the previous day.

It was called the Snow Blossom Sword Style. He did not know its deeper principles, but every movement Erika had demonstrated was engraved in his mind. He could imitate the forms even without mana.

Kyle's wooden sword moved, trailing purple light. Having consumed no fewer than three elixirs, his body produced strength and speed far beyond those of a five-year-old.

His feet struck the floor of the Hall of Sword Pinnacles. His five-year-old stride was short, but the muscles strengthened by blood-demon tree fruit generated explosive speed.

The wooden sword began to dance. Not thrusting, but scattering. Not cutting, but drawing. Kyle perfectly reproduced the elegant arcs of the Snow Blossom Sword Style Erika had shown him yesterday.

The differences were that there was no aura, and that it shed purple sparks rather than white frost.

CRACKLE! CRACKLE!

Afterimages of lightning lingered in the air—lines of lightning blossoming in place of ice flowers.

“...!”

Julius's eyes wavered. It was astonishing enough that the spirit traced the sword's trajectory at Kyle's will, but the sword forms he reproduced were even more remarkable.

'He memorized every movement?'

Even if it was only imitation without mana, performing those complex steps and rhythms without being taught felt beyond mere genius.

WHOOSH!

The final movement. Kyle came to a halt after a cross slash. The cross of lightning left in the air crackled, then dispersed.

“Whew...”

Kyle lowered the wooden sword, breathing hard. Perhaps the snake spirit was tired too; its light had dimmed a little as it wriggled atop the blade.

“What do you think?” Kyle asked Julius.

“Mine is just an imitation, so that's all I can do, but Aunt Erika's swordsmanship was really pretty. Ice flowers bloomed everywhere, and every one of them was a blade.”

Julius was silent for a moment, imagining blades of ice flowers superimposed on the movements Kyle had just demonstrated.

Flashy. The movements were large and wasteful. Drawing flowers when one ought to cut, dancing when one ought to thrust.

But if those flowers truly were sharp blades...

Julius narrowed his eyes. Control over space, hidden beneath the spectacle. Anyone bewitched by those dancing movements would find themselves amid the flowers in an instant.

“In the process of growing sharp. Now I understand what you mean.”

For now, it was merely a pretty flower, flashy and burdened with unnecessary flourishes. But once it bloomed fully and acquired thorns of killing intent, it would become a vicious trap that snuffed out its enemies' lives.

“Right?” Kyle said with a grin.

“It's still unpolished, but I thought it'd be tricky to deal with once she gets a little better.”

A five-year-old calling his thirteen-year-old aunt unpolished. Julius nodded, finding it absurd.

“Indeed it would. She has chosen the right direction.”

“Why don't you watch her swordsmanship for yourself?”

Kyle finally said what he had intended to say all along. Julius tapped the armrest of his throne. Watching his grandson show off was enjoyable, but now he wanted to see his youngest daughter's swordsmanship for the first time in a while.

“Very well. I shall summon Erika.”

“I'll bring her. Right now.”

“There is no need. There are plenty of people I can send...”

“I'll go.”

Before Julius could stop him, Kyle dashed to the doors of the Hall of Sword Pinnacles. The heavy doors opened of their own accord, leaving Julius alone.

“Hah.”

He takes after Arian in his impatience, Julius thought as he gazed into the empty air. The sword trajectories his grandson had traced still lingered before his eyes.

“Erika...”

He quietly repeated his youngest daughter's name.

* * *

When the elevator reached the fourth floor, Kyle pictured Erika's manor. The doors opened onto the manor he had visited the previous day.

“Aunt Erika!”

Kyle knocked on the manor door. Before long, it opened, and Erika greeted him with a bewildered expression, dressed in training clothes and holding a sword.

“Wh-what is it?”

Judging by her sweat-damp hair, she had been training.

“Grandfather is calling for you.”

“What...?”

Erika's eyes widened.

“The head of the house? Me? Why?”

“He says he wants to see your swordsmanship.”

“Y-you're lying! He would never take an interest in my swordsmanship...”

“Why would I lie about that? He's waiting in the Hall of Sword Pinnacles right now, so let's hurry.”

Kyle seized Erika's hand.

“R-right now?”

Erika went white as a sheet. Showing her swordsmanship to her father had long been her dream, yet it was also the situation she most wanted to avoid. And this was far too sudden.

“Hurry!”

Kyle tugged at the wrist of the awkwardly frozen Erika.

“W-wait! I need to prepare myself... A-and change my clothes...”

“I told you, Grandfather is waiting!”

In the end, Erika left the manor, led by Kyle's hand.

Throughout the elevator ride, the journey through the first-floor assembly hall, and the walk down the corridor, Erika's heart pounded as though it might burst. Her legs trembled, and her palms were slick with sweat.

'Wh-what if I make a mistake? What if he says it's no good? No, why would he suddenly want to...?'

All manner of negative thoughts crossed her mind. But as she followed her nephew's lead, she found herself before the doors of the Hall of Sword Pinnacles before she knew it.

RUMBLE...!

The massive doors opened without even a knock.

“You've come.”

Julius spoke from his throne. His voice resonated heavily, his gaze sharp enough to pierce her chest. Erika's breath caught. Her hands shook, and her feet felt glued to the floor.

“Aunt Erika.”

A small, warm hand took hers.

“Just relax. Relax.”

What an absurd thing to say. Relax? Erika bit her lip as she looked down at Kyle. She resented the nephew who had arranged all this without asking her.

Yet the moment she saw his smiling face and sparkling eyes, that resentment melted away. She also felt pathetic and ridiculous for needing encouragement from a nephew eight years her junior.

“Whew...”

She drew a trembling breath. All right. Now that she was here... Erika squeezed Kyle's hand a few times, gathering her resolve.

Then she released his hand, gripped her sword tightly, and stepped forward to face Julius.