Mother's trial [5]

After chugging a healing potion, Ardyn felt the pain vanish almost instantly.

His wounds healed at an incredible rate, leaving his body as good as new as if the injuries had never existed.

He glanced around the ring, noticing that the three unconscious knights had already been taken to the infirmary.

The remaining knights, who had been watching from the sidelines, stared at him with wide-eyed, stupefied expressions.

"How did he take down all three of them so easily?" one knight whispered, his voice trembling.

His body shivered slightly as he recalled the sight of Ardyn standing calmly in the ring, the burly knight sprawled unconscious at his feet.

"How come no one's ever talked about how strong he is?" another knight asked, his voice hushed but filled with disbelief.

"If he's this skilled, shouldn't there have been rumours?"

"I heard," another answered, leaning in slightly, "that the young lord always trained in seclusion and barely interacted with anyone. That's probably why no one knew."

A third knight, his voice shaking, asked nervously,

"B-but… why was he controlling space? Isn't he supposed to be an illusion-type elemental?"

The group fell silent for a moment, the realization dawning on them all at once.

Their eyes widened in shock.

"Was he… a dual-elemental?" one of them murmured, the words barely above a whisper.

"A dual-elemental…"

Luella's lips pressed together, her cheeks puffing out slightly as she tried to stifle the laughter bubbling up inside her.

"Kuh…kh…" Despite her best efforts, muffled sounds escaped as she glanced at the stupefied expressions of the knights.

Oh, this is priceless - she thought, barely holding herself together.

For most humans, controlling a single element was already a monumental feat.

While all humans possessed a dormant ability to connect with the elements, only a few could awaken and harness even one.

But dual-elementals? They were so rare that their existence bordered on legend.

Awakened dual-elementals were considered prodigies among prodigies, able to master two elements when controlling even one to perfection was a near-impossible task for most.

But…

Dual-elemental? That monster is a tri-elemental.

Luella thought to herself, her eyes narrowing as she watched Ardyn, who stood gazing at the air, lost in thought as if he were looking at something invisible to everyone else.

He wasn't just a prodigy—he was the first known person in history to have an affinity for three elements and the ability to control them perfectly.

The first tri-elemental…

She exhaled slowly, her gaze lingering on him.

"And no one knows about it," she mumbled under her breath.

"The lady's been controlling all the rumours so tightly…"

Luella's expression turned grim.

She knew why the truth was being kept hidden.

If word got out that Ardyn is a tri-elemental, countless enemies would come after him, terrified of what he might become.

Unaware of the gazes on him, Ardyn's fist clenched tightly, and his face twisted in frustration as he stared at his stats.

———

• Space

— Gravity Field [Mastery: 63 → 66]

— Implosion [Mastery: 45 → 47]

— Void Shell [Mastery: 70 → 72]

———

His jaw tightened as his frustration grew.

The progress in his mastery was painfully slow.

"I'll never defeat the Dreadspine at this rate, even if I have a month," he muttered, wiping the sweat from his brow.

"If this keeps up…"

He paused, taking a deep breath to calm his mind.

Closing his eyes, he focused, trying to come up with a solution.

After a moment, his purple eyes snapped open, sharp and determined.

With steady steps, Ardyn approached the group of knights and Luella, stopping directly in front of her.

His sharp purple eyes locked onto hers, unwavering.

Luella's lips twitched, and her stomach churned as she noticed the mocking expression on his face, the slight curl of his lips betraying his amusement.

"What?" she asked, forcing her voice to remain steady as she suppressed the irritation bubbling inside her.

Her mind briefly wandered to the loss of her cigarillos, making her mood even worse.

She knew Ardyn was strong, but deep down, she hadn't expected him to handle three knights at once.

It's my fault for trusting these idiots - she thought bitterly.

Ardyn tilted his head slightly to the side, his expression one of exaggerated confusion.

"You didn't forget the bet, right?" he asked, his tone light, but pointed.

"Haah…"

Luella exhaled a deep breath, trying to rein in her irritation.

She stared at his face—no, not his face, his acting.

She could see through him - he knew exactly what he was doing.

"How many do you want?" she asked, her voice tight with annoyance.

"Everyone," he replied without hesitation.

"What?" she blurted, her voice raising slightly in shock, drawing the attention of the surrounding knights.

Still, Ardyn remained calm, his tone steady.

"You heard me right. I want all of them."

Luella stared at him, her irritation momentarily replaced by disbelief.

The other knights exchanged uneasy glances, unsure if he was serious.

"All of them?" she repeated, her brows furrowing.

Ardyn's expression didn't waver.

"All of them."

If he wanted to increase his mastery quickly, there was only one solution—he had to push himself even harder.

And that's exactly what he intended to do.

By sparring against all the knights, over and over, he would force himself to grow.

Each clash, each struggle, would bring him closer to improving his skills and gaining the experience he needed.

He wasn't going to stop until his mastery reached the level he wanted.

***

"Uh… aaah… kh…"

The groans of knights echoed across the sparring ring as they lay sprawled on the ground, defeated and exhausted.

Ardyn stood in the middle of the ring, his chest heaving as he tried to steady his breathing.

At first, facing more than twenty knights at once had been overwhelming.

But with every battle, his senses sharpened, his movements became more refined, and his mastery increased step by step.

Over the last four days, he hadn't thought about the Dreadspine even once.

Instead, he had thrown himself completely into improving his skills and battle instincts.

"Finally," Ardyn muttered, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand.

A satisfied smile formed on his lips.

"I've done it," he said, his sharp gaze falling on his stats.

———

[Skills]

• Illusion

— Mirage Clone [Mastery: 95]

— Mindweft [Mastery: 20]

• Darkness

— Ebon Chain [Mastery: 90]

— Black Sun [Mastery: 92]

• Space

— Gravity Field [Mastery: 97]

— Void Shell [Mastery: 100]

— Implosion [Mastery: 80]

———

"Now I can face it," he said, his voice calm but filled with determination.

His hand clenched tightly at his side, and his heart pounded, not with fear, but with fierce anticipation.