Family is everything

All eyes in the room were locked on Leus.

The tension was palpable ...

Ishaan’s gaze flickered between Leus and Blaze, his usually neutral expression betraying the slightest hint of surprise ...

"Was that ... Silent Casting?"

Leus replied evenly

"Yes"

His eyes narrowed slightly upon hearing the answer; he was reassessing everything he concluded about Leus ...

"How many more spells can you cast?"

Leus was confused by the question

"Many?"

"How many exactly?"

Leus replied with a shrug

"I don't know"

'Why does the number even matter ...'

A flicker of frustration crossed Ishaan’s face ...

"Fine"

Without another word, Ishaan raised his hand and summoned another stone wall

"Release 5 more spells on this" His tone was cold, as if he was daring Leus to prove himself ...

'That's not a part of the test though is it'

Leus kept the thought to himself, and without a word, he started casting

'Three Daggers. Two Fireballs.'

Each spell materialized in the air, crackling with raw energy, and shot toward the stone wall with precision.

The only sound in the room was the sharp impact of magic slamming into the stone, echoing through the silent hall.

CRASH!

The Daggers shattered against the wall with a sharp metallic clang, followed by the Fireballs exploding on impact, sending sparks and heat into the air.

The stone wall stood firm, but the sheer force behind each spell was undeniable ...

After he was done, Leus spoke calmly

"That's five"

"How many more can you cast?"

"Uhhh ... More than five?"

Ishaan clinched his fist

"Yes, how many exactly?!!!!!"

Leus sighed

"I have enough mana to release tens more. Too many to count"

Ishaan narrowed his eyes but didn't say anything else regarding this

"Let's continue the test" He said while raising his wooden sword.

He walked forward until he was in front of Leus

"Block at least two out of my three attacks"

Leus nodded and unsheathed his sword

He shifted his stance slightly, eyes locking onto Ishaan ...

'Now let's focus'

'It should be very easy, I can sense his attacks'

He took a deep breath, sharpened his senses, and focused on his Domain ...

Ishaan’s attacks were basic—an overhead slash from the left, a downward strike from above, and a low sweep from below—all executed in rapid succession.

Leus barely had to think. His body responded almost instinctively and his sword moved with precision, easily deflecting each strike as if the attacks were in slow motion.

'So easy...'

There was no finesse or complexity in the attacks

'Just raw speed'

Ishaan hadn’t even bothered with technique; he simply adjusted the pace of his strikes, as if he was testing Leus’ reflexes more than his skill.

Blaze knew that it'd be like that

'Knights are common. This test wasn’t really about swordsmanship'

'The moment Leus demonstrated his Silent Casting, he had already passed.'

'Everything after that was merely a formality'

After the final strike clashed harmlessly against Leus' sword, Ishaan stepped back, lowering his weapon

"You passed" Ishaan declared curtly, his tone lacking the usual formality.

He turned without waiting for a response, walking toward the stairs ...

"Let’s go to my office"

He ascended the steps, and Blaze, Leus, and Lisa followed him.

As soon as the four of them disappeared upstairs, the training hall exploded with noises ...

The previously tense and silent atmosphere became a storm of excitement, buzzing with awe.

"Did you see that?!" Someone exclaimed, their voice barely audible because of the rising chatter

"He silently cast eight attack spells. EIGHT! And they were from different elements too!"

"I know, right? It's unreal!" another voice chimed in, full of wonder.

"Ishaan himself confirmed it. That kid… he's not normal," one of the onlookers added, shaking his head in disbelief ...

"Does anyone know how old he is?"

They exchanged glances, the question hanging in the air, and the noise paused for a brief moment, awaiting an answer ...

Finally, a brown-haired man—one of the Elite Knights—spoke up, his deep voice cutting through the noise ...

"A while back, I heard from some Crimson Guards that a seven-year-old kid with purple hair was training to become a mage."

He crossed his arms, his gaze serious. "It must be him. The hair color matches."

The room fell silent for a moment as the pieces began to click.

The whispers intensified, the crowd buzzing once again with speculation and intrigue.

"Seven years old?"

"Purple hair?"

"That has to be him!"

The excitement didn’t die down; if anything, it only grew.

Conversations shifted from one detail to another, dissecting everything about Leus—from his rare hair color to his mind-blowing abilities.

They were desperate to know more, but to their frustration, there was little to no solid information about him, only rumors. And that only made them want to learn more ...

After a while, the crowd began to disperse and made their way upstairs.

Most weren’t done talking about Leus; in fact, they carried the gossip with them, eager to share it with those who hadn’t witnessed the spectacle.

Interestingly, those who hadn’t come to watch were all Knights or lower-ranked. Every single Elite had been there.

Everyone spoke of it more and more, and gradually, the legend of the purple-haired kid had just begun to spread ...

On the back end of the Guild, Ishaan entered his office followed by Blaze and Leus, and soon after, Lisa entered behind them and closed the door.

He sat behind his desk and spoke with a smile

"Have a seat"

Leus and Blaze sat in front of him, opposing each other. Then Ishaan turned to Lisa

"Lisa, prepare something to drink for our guests"

"Sure, Master"

Lisa left the office and only the three of them remained ...

Ishaan started by asking Blaze

"How old is he?"

"Four"

Ishaan's eyes immediately widened

"Four??!!!" He repeated in a surprised voice.

Blaze replied calmly

"Yes."

At first, Ishaan was skeptical, but quickly, he concluded that Blaze wouldn't lie

'We have his files, and anyway, why would he lie?'

Ishaan eyed Leus up and down and then said

"That's ... unheard of"

Blaze confirmed with a nod

" ... Yeah, he's always been ... different"

Leus snickered upon hearing that, and Ishaan continued

"The amount of mana he possesses is vast, and his level is unbelievable compared to his age ..."

He gazed into Blaze's eyes

"What are you planning to do with him?"

Leus was amused by Ishaan's words

'He's talking like I'm a pet'

But he decided to not interrupt and leave things to Blaze

"Leus is smart, I'll let him decide what he wants."

He turned to Leus

"For now, he wants to be a member of the guild, gain some experience for two weeks or so, then he'll go to the Library. Arno offered to take him as an apprentice"

The moment Ishaan heard Arno's name his face twisted in bitterness

"That Librarian is always a step ahead huh....." He murmured under his breath

There was clear disdain in his voice, his irritation palpable ...

Ishaan let out a long sigh, shaking his head slightly, but he quickly smoothed his expression, hiding whatever frustration still lingered.

When he turned to face Leus again, his tone had shifted to something more solemn, almost calculating

"Leus, become stronger."

"If you become Elite soon enough, then I'll personally intercede for you with Duke Ignatius. We are a family after all"

When Leus heard that, he nearly snorted

'Pfffffff, a family?'

'All of a sudden?!'

He calmed down and faked a serious tone

"Of course! That's an opportunity I'll work hard for"

Ishaan liked that answer, a smile appeared on his face

"Very well then. If you need anything for your training, you can let me know any time."

Silence persisted for just a moment, then Lisa entered the room with 3 mugs of coffee and placed them on the desk ...

"Have your drinks, please" She said with a smile

"Thanks, Lisa." Said Blaze

"Thank you, Ma'am" Said Leus

Ishaan put a smile on his face

"Listen, Lisa, Leus here is from an esteemed branch family of ours.

Whenever he visits the Guild and inquires about me, let him in right away. And if he asks for something within your capabilities, go ahead and assist him without waiting for permission. After all, family is everything."

Lisa nodded while pitying Leus in her mind

'How can he lie with such a straight face ... I wonder what he wants from the poor kid'

"Of course, Sir"

Leus asked

"Will I now become a member?"

Ishaan's reply was instant

"Of course!"

He turned to Lisa again

"Lisa, immediately prepare his card, a Warrior-Mage"

"Sure!"

After saying that, Lisa left the office ...

For a couple of minutes, the three drank their coffee while conversing about general matters ...

Ishaan also took this opportunity to ask Leus a few calculated personal questions regarding his family and abilities.

They spoke until Lisa returned to the office with the card, which she handed to Leus with a smile

"Here's your card, Warrior-Mage Leus Inferno"

The card's design was simple; it had Leus' name, his Realm, and some other information like the issuance date ...

Leus inspected it with interest

'Nothing flashy, just straightforward and simple'

"Put your mana in it" She instructed

Lust started putting a bit of mana into it, and Lisa elaborated

"Whenever you add your mana it'll glow red, if someone else does it then the card will immediately shatter, so don't give it to anyone.

It doesn't matter if you lose it because no one else can use it, but it'll cost you some money to make a new one. This one is on us though."

The card started shimmering in soft red, and Lisa’s smile widened as she stepped back, giving him an approving nod

"Welcome to the Guild!"

Leus smiled back at her

"Thank you"

After everything was done, Blaze got up

"We must leave now, we got some work to do"

Ishaan nodded with a friendly smile

"I understand"

He turned to Leus

"Remember what I said, I'll always be here to help."

"Thank you, Master Ishaan"

After saying their goodbye, both Leus and Blaze left the office, and Lisa closed the door behind them ...

As soon as the door closed, the friendly smile vanished from Ishaan's face ...

He leaned back in his chair

"Bring me every single file in existence about Blaze immediately"

His lips curled up in a wicked smirk, and his eyes gleamed

"This is a big catch, we shouldn't miss it"

Lisa nodded and went to search for the file while thinking to herself

'Yep, that's the Ishaan I know of'

'Cunning bastard ...'