Chapter 450 449: Family Training



We left behind the book cluttered room and returned to the courtyard, where I saw Mom standing in the center of the gravel filled square, her blindfolded head tilted up towards the sun.

Long ashen hair sparked irregularly as she stood there, while her gray robes billowed in the soothing breeze that cooled our mountaintop palace.

Every time I saw her I was awestruck by the sheer regal aura that shrouded her every action, while the power that radiated beneath her muscular frame seemed to ebb and flow randomly, sometimes making her seem like a common person, and other times displaying the strength that made her the Empress.

My Mom, the Empress.

Sensing us, she turned her gaze from the sun and smiled softly, her serene expression as soothing as ever.

"Lei, Leone. What have you tried so far?"

That deep, commanding voice that was oddly gentle brought a smile to my lips, while Mother rested her hand on my shoulder, grinning as she replied "It would seem that your blood has far more of an impact than we had once believed, my love. Leone's True Vampire form is entirely unique to her; if I had to guess, even her children might not retain the same level of potency that she herself has, even if they're half Demon."

I blushed at her words, while Mom just chuckled, clasping her hands in front of her as she said "Such is the weight that flows through my veins. Though, I do imagine the mixture of Demon and Vampire would bring about its own plethora of boons. Imagine the mana control of a Vampire mixing with the physical prowess of a Demon..."

Mother nodded, looking at me with a small smirk as she pat my back, taking amusement at the embarrassment I felt at their conversation.

"Now, I am rather intrigued to see where you currently reside as a mage, my daughter. You already surpassed where Misa, Lisa, and Roman were at this age with your magic, and I am certain that you'd be as strong as Monica... though I don't know about Dante. He's... special."

I smiled wryly at her words, well aware of the den of insane monsters that lived inside this Palace; my eldest brother, Dante, was already a few hundred years old and easily Knight rank, but he had calmed down with age.

Aunt Igna used to regale me with the tales of his exploits when he was younger, trying to stir something inside of me so that I could reach even greater heights - incredibly proficient with a mace and tower shield, Dante was a bulky Dragonkin, his scales far harder than most metals I knew of, while his wings had been laden with enchantments to carry the weight of his body and armor, giving him the ability to fly like a true Dragon.

He had led expedition after expedition into the Labyrinthian and most of the dungeons inside of the Empire, charting and exploring their depths and cementing himself as the number one adventurer in the Empire - he was the leader of the top ranked party, comprised of five other incredibly talented warriors and mages.

That was the shadow I had cast over me as a child, but considering I had only met my siblings a handful of times each, none of that really bothered me.

From the little I had seen of them, I loved them each, but...

I didn't particularly feel anything else from them.

Though, that might change now that Mom has called them all back.

Taking my hand, Mom rubbed my palm gently as she gave me a warm smile, her larger frame towering over me, forcing her to lean down as she kissed my brow.

"Come, show me what you can do. Draw out your most potent spell that you can control; I am rather curious of your prowess, my youngest daughter."

Releasing me, she took a step back and stood beside Mother, who instantly clung to her side, a content smile on her face.

Holding back a laugh, I took a deep breath and began to trace out the myriad of runes needed for one of my newer spells, one that had taken surprisingly little theory crafting to create and one that I was rather proud of.

Simplicity was beautiful, and in this case...

I believe I had created a work of art.

It was utilizing the complexities of embedded Ritual Circles as perfectly as I could, all while each Ritual Circle was incredibly simple.

The foundation of the spell was that of a Flame Lance, while I embedded spells for speed and impact near the 'tip' of the lance and embedded control on the 'haft'.

This would allow me to effectively summon a huge lance made of condensed flame that could pierce most things, while the speed and power behind it made it a devastating singular target or multi target spell.

Simple, yet insanely lethal.

It was also the first spell of a series that I was creating, but that was still in its early stages of creation, so...

Mom stepped forwards, nodding her head as she walked slowly around the courtyard, inspecting the Ritual Circle above me.

"Cast it. I'm curious to see it in action."

I didn't hesitate, understanding that Mom would be able to help me get rid of it despite its power.

A giant Flame Lance appeared above me, the condensed flames sparking and sapping the moisture from the air, radiating a scorching heat over the entire courtyard.

"Rather stable, potent, quick... Controllable to a high degree. Well done Leone. Really well done..."

Raising her hand, Mom pointed her palm at the lance before balling her fist, snuffing the flames instantly and bringing the courtyard back to normal.

The mana that I expelled to cast the spell was siphoned back to me, and I blinked in surprise as Mom walked forwards, her smile still gentle.

"I do mean it, Leone. That was an incredible spell. To think that you're still so young as well... I can't wait to see what you will be capable of in the future, daughter of mine. Now that I've gotten a taste of your strength, let me see your control and fundamentals. Sit, let's go over the basics now."

We all sat down inside the courtyard, and Mom began to summon up the runes for each of the basic spells, guiding me through each and showing me different uses for each, all while helping me improve my ability to quickly cast them all.

Delving deep into the fundamentals with my parents at my side, we spent the day discussing theory and putting it to practice, honing my skills and exhausting my mind as we trained and trained.

By the time the sun was setting, Mom decided to call it for the night, giving Mother and I a kiss before making her way towards the training grounds, to make sure Aunt Fenryas hadn't killed all of the Knights.

As for me, I needed a swift breather before I made my way to the training grounds as well, planning on helping and talking with Anput, Kat and Jahi about today's events and the future.

If they were capable of holding in depth conversation, that is.