Rudeus felt a rush of joy—his parents were finally looking at him with proud expressions.

  Zenith even hugged him, pressing him close, and—

  Melons—!

  No, no, wrong focus!

  He shook his head, snapping himself out of that particur distraction.

  But as the excitement faded, something nagged at him.

  Anastasia wasn’t here.

  Even Zenith, who was now assessing the damage to the room, had come to check on him—but Anastasia hadn’t.

  Has our retionship deteriorated to the point where she doesn’t even care what happens to me?

  A series of unpleasant scenarios ran through his mind, each worse than the st.

  Meanwhile, downstairs, Zenith sighed as she surveyed the wreckage. "We should find a teacher for Rudeus. I don’t know much about offensive spells, after all."

  She gnced at Paul, who seemed to be… daydreaming?

  "Ah—right!" Paul jolted back to attention. "While I’ll still continue my training with Anastasia…" he added, puffing up his chest proudly.

  Zenith gave him a long, skeptical look—one that clearly said, I don’t believe for a second that you can train Anastasia properly.

  Paul bristled. "Oi, I know how to teach too, you know!"

  Zenith just kept staring.

  Paul coughed awkwardly and changed the subject. "Speaking of Anastasia… she’s way more mature than most kids I’ve seen. It’s like she’s applying everything she reads from those absurd storybooks to herself or something. Also—her strength is ridiculous for a three-year-old."

  Zenith's smile held a hint of skepticism. "Are you sure? Perhaps you haven't fully regained your strength."?

  Paul bristled, his pride wounded. "Nonsense! I'm perfectly fine! I can prove it tonight!"?

  Lilia, standing nearby, sighed softly. "Zenith-sama, Paul-sama, might I suggest pcing a silence barrier around your room? Your... nocturnal activities could hinder young dy Anastasia's development."?

  Both Paul and Zenith flushed a deep red, embarrassment evident.?

  Seizing the moment, Lilia continued, "Additionally, I can provide Lady Anastasia with foundational swordsmanship training."?

  Paul's initial surprise gave way to recollection. He remembered Lilia's proficiency in the Water God Style—a discipline renowned for its defensive techniques. Despite the injury that had curtailed her career as a princess guard, her knowledge remained invaluable.?

  Acknowledging his own shortcomings as an instructor, Paul nodded appreciatively. "Thank you, Lilia. Your guidance will undoubtedly benefit Anastasia more than my haphazard methods."

  Rudeus, snapping out of his daydream, looked around and asked, "Dad, Mom… where’s Anastasia?"

  Paul blinked, gncing around. "Hmm… maybe she’s still at the training ground," he said, confused as to why she hadn’t followed him.

  Curious, they made their way outside—only to stop in their tracks at the sight before them.

  There stood Anastasia, wooden sword in hand, repeatedly sshing at a training dummy. But something was off.

  Her strikes were shallow, cking strength. Instead of committing to power, she seemed more focused on adjusting her form—fixing her posture, angling her swings, and ensuring that every movement looked elegant.

  It was clear.

  She wasn’t just training—she was choreographing.

  They watched as she paused for a moment, seemingly satisfied with her adjustments. Then, taking a deep breath, she unched into her final sequence.

  A flurry of crisscrossing sshes.

  A smooth spin like a ballerina.

  A wide horizontal strike to finish the motion.

  And then—she bowed.

  Silence.

  Paul, Zenith, and Rudeus stood there, staring.

  …At the very least, it looked cute.

  Lilia, without so much as a blink, stated, "Indeed, young dy looks elegant."

  Paul and Zenith slowly turned to her, eyes filled with doubt.

  Rudeus, watching from the balcony, couldn’t hold back any longer. "What is that?! That’s ridiculous!" he shouted.

  Hearing his voice, Anastasia perked up, her gre locking onto him. Without hesitation, she swung her sword at the training dummy—hard.

  CRACK!

  The wooden sword embedded itself deep into the dummy’s torso.

  Paul’s eyes widened in shock. "An unconscious use of Toki?! That’s impossible…"

  As a seasoned Battle Toki user, he knew how difficult it was to achieve. It took warriors years—decades—to properly control it. Yet Anastasia had done it… in a fit of anger.

  Grinning, Paul turned to Zenith. "Zenith, it seems both of our children are geniuses!" he said proudly.

  Meanwhile, Anastasia dusted off her clothes, then huffed as she looked back up at Rudeus.

  "It seems my dear vampire brother has stepped into the sun for the first time in a long while. Tell me, why haven’t you turned to ashes yet?"

  Her words had bite.

  Rudeus twitched in anger. "Oh yeah?! Well, what about your chuuni self fumbling with that sword?! I could beat you with my magic any day!"

  Anastasia snorted. "With the way our house is partially destroyed, I can tell that you suck at controlling your magic." She crossed her arms, standing tall. "What is power if the user can’t even hit their target? Just a party trick."

  She smirked. "Besides, I could walk up to you and sp you before you even finish mumbling your flimsy spell."

  Rudeus twitched. "Oh yeah?! Well, I don’t need chants! I can cast without them, so you definitely can’t defeat me!*"

  Silence.

  Zenith perked up. "Wait… Rudeus, what did you just say?"

  Lilia and Paul also froze, their eyes widening in shock.

  Chantless magic.

  For a child his age to be able to cast without an incantation was nothing short of extraordinary. Even experienced magicians struggled with it.

  Rudeus puffed out his chest, basking in the stunned silence. That’s right! Bask in my greatness!

  Meanwhile, Anastasia only gave him a ft look.

  A measly voiceless invocation?

  I can do queuing, multi-casting, and even hidden casting…

  She exhaled, her voice cool. "Chantless or not, you will still fall under my bde."

  Her sheer dismissiveness made Rudeus' blood boil. He gritted his teeth in frustration.

  "Now, now, let’s not argue about what’s best," Zenith said, stepping in to pacify them before things escated further.

  Rudeus crossed his arms and huffed. "One day, I’ll show you why magic is superior!" he decred dramatically before turning on his heel and marching off—

  —straight toward his ruined room.

  He froze.

  For a long second, he just stared at the gaping hole in the wall, as if hoping it would magically fix itself. Then, with a loud groan, he stomped away, muttering curses under his breath.

  Anastasia merely huffed in triumph before returning to her practice, determined to perfect her elegant swordpy.

  Meanwhile, Zenith, Paul, and Lilia exchanged looks.

  Helpless. Tired.

  Then, with a silent agreement, they simply decided—

  Let them sort it out themselves.