Chapter 1

“Gasp”

I wake up in the middle of the night.

I don’t know why I did. But I felt danger.

My name is Kannon Angevin. Second son of Grand Duke Montaro Angevin, as well as someone called ‘Saint’.

It was a strange feeling, something you could describe as a 6th sense.

I often heard warriors have a 6th sense that can ‘predict’ danger. As I am not a fighter, nor have I ever been to a battlefield, I shouldn’t have a 6th sense.

A 6th sense isn’t something you are born with, it is a type of reflex or instinct after having fought for decades. So much that you can sense killing intent. But I trusted my so-called 6th sense.

Because I did just that, I was born with the ‘6th sense’.

The very moment I was born, I was blessed. Our Dabaira Empire, second only to the northern Empire Blicsoca, had a prophet. Prophets were extremely rare, often seen only once a century. She foretold the future, the entire Ameuthe continent would change centred around one person.

The Saint.

It was small, but I heard a rustle.

My bedroom is on the third floor, west wing of the Grand Duke’s second manor, there is a tall maple tree next to it. One of the main branches is close to my windows.

As silently as I could, I slipped out of the sheets and put on my gloves.

The Saint is a position in the church, second only to the Apostle, as well as having equal standing to the pope. But the ‘saint’ the prophet foretold was not one from the church.

She had said, the Saint will be an offspring of the current Grand Duke. There was no way to confirm what she said, but everyone believed it. After all, she was already verified to be a real prophet. She didn’t need to do stunts such as this to get fame. Simply the fact she was a prophet was enough. Nor would a prophet ever joke over serious matters.

Immediately after her announcement, the continent was divided into two factions. One faction wished for the complete unification of the continent as well as the golden era that would follow. While the others wished to maintain their authority as Emperors, Kings or other people of high social status.

At the same time, the Grand Duke received many gifts as well as requests to be allies. Grand Duke Angevin had a son and a daughter, 3 and 2 years old respectively. Later on he had me, Kannon the second son, then Mirst the third son as well as Lea the second daughter.

None of us could prove who was the Saint, not even the prophet knew who exactly the Saint would be.

My gloves were sewn using thread made out of serpent scales. Not a normal serpent of course, the Avathum Devil Serpent. An enchanter gave it a tier 4 protection spell with 10 uses, rechargeable.

Next to that, the gloves had a few special options due to the material it was made of.

As a Devil Serpent, it had an astounding life force, so much that many of its abilities remained even when killed.

Poison nullification. Evolution venom. Scale armor. Flash vision.

If it was just made out of the serpent scales, it wouldn’t carry over the abilities. However, being the son of a Grand Duke as well as the potential of being the Saint had a lot of benefits and I could get a craftsman make it as an artifact. Items with special skills.

*Tak tak*

Again, this time I heard a footstep, presumably on the branch.

I’m a bit nervous, although being 12 years old is considered a young adult who can take care of himself, I always left the strength things to my guards.

Often I have thoughts like this. Maybe I’m not the Saint. Although I have a 6th sense of sorts, I don’t have anything else, no special abilities whatsoever. How can someone like that become the center of the world?

A few weeks ago, Arjun, my older brother, also had an assassin come after him. Luckily one of the guards was nearby and could fend the assassin long enough for reinforcement to come.

It’s fine Kannon, as long as you can survive for a few seconds, the guards will do the rest. The mansion is enchanted so even if someone manages to slip by the patrols, if someone breaks in everyone nearby will be alerted.

I steel myself, activating the protective spell on the gloves.

I feel a slight current, mana they call it. But I can’t sense or use it. Even the protective spell on the gloves needed to be recharged by someone else.

The glass shattered as a cloaked figure landed on the ground.

I stiffened.

No matter what, I’d never forget those eyes.

It was the first time I’ve ever seen such eyes. Devoid of emotion, but filled with the intent to kill. It was also the first time I’ve experienced murderous intents. It were so cold, my face crumpled with fear, it was as the air froze, immobilizing me.

Before I could even register what had happened a few blades clattered against an invisible wall, dropping on the ground.

“Che”

The man swiped his arm diagonally, releasing a visible wind blade.

It was an assassin capable of using mana. Top class no matter where he would go.

I could only stare, as if time slowed down, how the blade came closer.

Nothing.

There was absolutely nothing I could do. Reinforce the barrier? How? I don’t know how to use mana, stack the spells? That’s even more difficult than the previous option. Dodge? Impossible, wind blades are too fast for a person who can’t use mana.

I felt helpless.

I could only pray that the assassin wasn’t proficient at using mana so it wouldn’t be strong enough to break the barrier.

In hindsight, I really underestimated the power of tier 4 protection spells.

The tiers of spells were as such:

Tier 0. Lifestyle magic. Everyday magic with simple spellforms and runic inscriptions.

Tier 1. Basic elemental magic.

Tier 2. Intermediate elemental magic and deviant magic.

Tier 3. Advanced elemental magic and more deviant magic.

Tier 4. Strategic class magic.

Tier 5. Special grade magic.

Tier 6. Grand magic.

Tier 7. Law magic.

Unless the assassin could use mana as efficiently as an Archmage, a tier 1 wind blade could never top a tier 4 spell. Even if it is an engraved spell which generally weakens the spell a lot.

Under the storm of wind blades I simply stood there in fear. After a few seconds the man decided to stop and vanished.

I dropped to the ground.

I was trembling. Despite being behind a protective barrier, it did nothing to stop the fear.

For one it was completely transparent for me, who couldn’t see mana, it was made purely out of mana after all. So I had to see hundreds of super shard wind blades rush towards me before shattering loudly just inches in front of me.

Then there was his eyes. They never left me, staring so impassively, as if I was nothing but an insect.

What to do though. This was how my life would be from now on.