Aeros sat cross-legged on the floor of his chamber, the newly acquired book on thunder affinity resting in his lap.
[Congratulations, Kid. You now have a basic knowledge of Thunder Affinity. But don't get too excited—you still need to train like a proper mortal to level up. No shortcuts to greatness.]
Aeros exhaled, slightly annoyed. "Of course, you'd say that."
With that settled, the system wasted no time in assigning Aeros his very first daily quest.
[Daily Quest for you kid: Meditate and strengthen your core simultaneously with Ice and Thunder mana. The goal is to create a yin-yang balance between the two. Make sure your core is evenly infused, or you might explode. Just kidding. (Not really.)]
Aeros stared at the message before rubbing his temples. "You have a terrible sense of humor."
[Hey, I call it motivation. Now get to work.]
Julius left Aeros to his training and went to find Ellie. He found her in the library, buried under a mountain of books as usual.
"Ellie." His deep voice snapped her out of concentration.
"Uncle… Uh, sorry, Archduke?" She blinked, slightly surprised by his presence. "Is something the matter?"
Julius nodded. " It is fine; you can call me uncle when you are with family. You were already scheduled to attend the academy this year. I want you to accompany Aeros."
Ellie raised an eyebrow. "I assumed that was the plan all along."
Julius sighed. "It is. But I need you to keep an eye on him."
Ellie smirked. "Because he's reckless?"
"Yes. And because I trust you to protect him if danger arises."
Ellie's smirk turned into a serious expression. "I will."
"Lys will be accompanying you both."
At that, Ellie groaned. "Oh great, Mr. Overprotective."
Julius chuckled. "Yes, well, he takes his job seriously."
Ellie leaned back, stretching her arms. "Fine. I'll watch over him. But I make no promises about keeping him out of trouble."
Julius sighed. "That's all I ask."
Back in Aeros's chamber,
Focusing on the Energy, he started compressing Ice magic. Imagining a semi-circle and doing the same with thunder magic, he finally managed to balance his core. He felt a new sense of control over his mana. He then proceeded to draw out both the affinities in his hands. His hands started to glow his right yellow and left blue.
[Daily Quest complete: 200 points added to the inventory, Total: 350 points]
Just as he was admiring his progress, Ellie waltzed in.
"Follow me," she commanded.
"Where?" Aeros asked.
"To the mana training room. Time for your first lesson in Ice Magic."
Aeros groaned but followed her anyway. When they arrived, Ellie gave him a sharp look. "Before we start, you should know something. The academy has an entrance exam. We have to prove our worth in an arena against other candidates."
"Ah. Of course, there's an exam."
Ellie smirked. "It wouldn't be fun otherwise. Also, don't use Thunder Magic unless absolutely necessary."
Aeros raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
"Because people fear what they don't understand. Thunder Affinity is rare, and it'll make you a target."
Aeros sighed. "Got it."
Ellie nodded. "Good. Now, let's begin."
She lifted her hand and demonstrated the first spell. "Frost Lance." A sharp icicle formed in the air before shooting forward and shattering against the wall. "Now you try."
Aeros attempted it. A small, wobbly icicle formed in his palm before dropping to the floor with a pathetic plop.
Ellie blinked. "…Wow."
"Don't say anything."
"I didn't say anything."
"But you thought it."
Ellie coughed, suppressing a laugh. "Again."
Aeros grumbled and tried again. This time, he managed to launch the icicle—only for it to go sideways and nearly hit Lys, who had just entered the room.
Lys, standing frozen in the doorway, exhaled sharply. "Master Aeros… was that intentional?"
"…Yes."
Lys sighed. "I see. I will prepare my will."
Ellie was doubled over in laughter. "Oh, this is going to be fun."
Aeros scowled but tried again. Over time, his accuracy improved. Ellie then moved on to another spell.
"Next spell: Ice Barrier." She demonstrated by forming a translucent ice wall in front of her. "It's useful for defense."
Aeros copied the movements, but instead of a wall, he ended up encasing his own feet in ice.
Ellie facepalmed. "You're hopeless."
Aeros glared. "You're a terrible teacher."
The system chimed in. [Oof. This is painful to watch. Kid, just imagine forming a solid shape instead of focusing on the ice itself.]
Aeros tried again, following the system's advice, and finally managed to create a small but sturdy barrier.
Ellie nodded. "Better. Still pathetic, but better."
Aeros groaned. "This is going to be a long journey."
Ellie smirked. "Oh, you have no idea."