Chapter 12: Meeting New Faces

All three of them were back at the training yard. It was one of many around the estate, which was why Edwin and Julius were left undisturbed most of the time. However, it seemed like between the time they were last out here and did the ritual, someone had decided to use it as well.

There were two people training. One was a young teenager who looked a little older than Julius, and another man who looked around his early twenties. The older man was carefully guiding the younger teen through some sword forms, correcting his feet and posture as needed.

The two of them hadn’t noticed Julius and the others, but Julius took the time to observe the younger one. While Julius wasn’t an expert on sword fighting, he was still able to see gaps in the way the young teen moved around. The biggest thing that jumped out was how robotic and stiff the teen moved. It seemed like there was a specific number of forms to the style he was learning, but since he seemed relatively new to it, he wasn’t able to smoothly transition between each form.

Finally, the older man noticed them and immediately looked at his uncle. He then stopped the young teen from practicing and bowed deeply.

“Greetings, Patriarch. I wasn’t aware you would be using the training yard at this time. I apologize, we will continue elsewhere.” The man said.

Lukas smiled at the man and said, “Don’t worry about it, Frederick. There is plenty of room for all of us. I see that you are showing Tristan the Imperial Sword Art.”

The man, Frederick, smiled as he turned back to the teen. “Yes, I am teaching my son the forms before he sets out to Goldencrest Academy. I know he will be taught the style once he begins his learning there, but I wanted him to get some familiarity beforehand.”

Lukas directed his attention to the young teen. “Oh yes, I heard you managed to get into Goldencrest. Getting into one of the most prestigious academies is quite an achievement.”

Julius had heard of Goldencrest Academy. It was one of the more illustrious academies on the entire continent. There were also academies like Brightwood and Reyton that were spoken of with the same reverence, but many agreed that Goldencrest trained some of the continent’s most powerful combatants.

“So when are you two leaving?” Lukas asked them.

“We are leaving tomorrow, the entrance ceremony takes place in several weeks, but I wanted to show Tristan around Heston beforehand,” Frederick replied.

Heston was a wonderful city located in the southeastern regions of the empire, right off the coast. Surrounded by gigantic stone cliffs that protected it from the sea and the weather, it was a city famous for its beauty. Julius had read that the academy was named after the sunsets that were cast over the academy. It was said that when the sun crested the horizon in the morning, it would hit the golden structure of the academy and illuminate the early dawn with a gorgeous light, visible from miles away.

Goldencrest was at the top of Julius’s list of academies that he had really wanted to go to. However, Goldencrest was infamous for its high standards. They accepted only 1,000 or fewer students each year, and every student had either perfect or excellent affinities. Even those with excellent affinities had to go through extensive examination before acceptance. Only those with perfect affinities were guaranteed a spot at their school. It was probably going to be difficult since he only had high affinities. It wasn’t that he thought he was weaker than the other students. However, most schools place a heavy emphasis on affinity. Although William Prashe was an example of overcoming your affinity, in reality, there weren’t many William Prashe in the world.

Suddenly, Julius was brought back to reality because someone was calling his name. He looked around and saw that his uncle was calling him over. His uncle probably wanted him to meet some of his family.

Right then, he just realized that this would possibly be the first time he meets someone in his family other than Lukas. He didn’t even get to say hello once to Gregor before Lukas erased him.

“Julius, I want you to meet Frederick and his son, Tristan. Tristan is going to Goldencrest, so they are leaving tomorrow.” Lukas explained to Julius.

Julius had already decided to feed into his reputation as an odd boy beforehand. It was easier like this. People around the estate had already heard of his escapades, so they had some expectations already, and Julius wasn’t going to correct them on it. He was amazed at how differently people treated and talked to him when they thought he was a little “special”. And based on how Tristan was looking at him like he would a cute pet, he had heard some rumors already. Plus, Julius found it amusing to mess with others like this.

Putting on his acting hat, Julius walked over with an expression of awe on his face and said with a higher-pitched voice than normal, “Wow! You must be really strong, Dillion! I heard that only the best of the best make it in Goldencrest.” Julius could see Edwin putting a hand to his face and shaking his head with [Spatial Perception].

Tristan clearly didn’t know how he should react. On the one hand, his name wasn’t Dillion; on the other, he was flattered because Julius was right. Only the best went to Goldencrest. Tristan had likely heard things about the son of the Patriarch’s late brother.

With a patient look, Tristan said to Julius, “My name is Triss-stan,” emphasizing each syllable. “And, yes, only the best go to Goldencrest. I have dual excellent affinities for sun and air.” Tristan stated proudly.

To be fair, that was something to be proud of. Dual excellent affinities were highly desirable, and with the sun being one of them, doubly so. Julius wasn’t jealous in the slightest. Not at all.

With that being said, Julius was slightly surprised to find out that Tristan didn’t seem that bad. His uncle had told him stories about some of the other children around the estate and how spoiled they acted. If Lukas was to be believed, some of them were downright terrors. But Tristan could have also been acting nice because the House’s Patriarch was a few feet away.

“You are so cool! I want to go to Goldencrest too when I’m older.” Julius said.

“Yeah? Well, I wish you luck. The examination was brutal.” Tristan said.

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Frederick, who was off to the side next to Julius’s uncle, asked Lukas, “It seems like Julius has reached Tier 1 already. Has he found out his affinities yet?”

Lukas nodded his head and replied, “Yes, he has high affinities in fire, life, and kinetic.”

“Kinetic?” Frederick repeated with a surprised expression. “That is quite a unique affinity, hard to train, but very rare. No excellent affinities?”

Julius looked over at Tristan and noticed Tristan’s face change slightly upon hearing that. It was known that those from established families had a better chance of developing an excellent affinity, but Julius wasn’t considered a genius in that regard. But he was curious why Tristan had that reaction. Maybe he was disappointed at hearing of Julius’s affinities.

“No, unfortunately not,” his uncle replied.