Kian Goldmaul POV

  It has been a week since I moved into my grandparents' house.

  There is only a week left before the new school year starts.

  I am currently sitting at the dinner table eating my breakfast. It is a simple meal with a glass of lemon juice. Nicolas is sitting on my right side while the chair to my left is empty.

  I look at my grandparents sitting in front of me.

  My grandma has brownish hair and looks to be in her forties, with brown eyes and, just like my grandpa, she has a set of horns.

  As I glance at her briefly, she notices my gaze. She smiles, and her smile is almost identical to my father’s.

  “Do you like it here?” she asks me.

  Before I can respond, she begins to talk again. “If you find it uncomfortable, just tell me and I will help you. Even more so if it has something to do with this old man,” she says as she elbows my grandpa.

  My grandpa’s eyebrow twitches a little bit from the impact of her elbow.

  “No, it is okay, I like it here,” I say, although it still feels a bit awkward since I am in a new environment in a city that is completely different in both style and name.

  It was much easier to adapt to Thaddeus’s house because it was located in a modern city, but being here is a bit harder.

  She nods her head. “That’s good, eat slowly,” she says before returning to her own breakfast.

  After we finished breakfast, she left the house ten minutes later to go for a walk and do some shopping.

  I come back downstairs after having gone up for a while because I realized I had forgotten my phone up there. As I arrive, my grandpa calls out for me.

  “Kian, come here,” he says, patting the couch to signal for me to sit down next to him.

  I sit next to him and see that he is holding; a tablet which has the Godspire logo on the back.

  “Your report card is here,” he says while looking at the tablet screen. “And it is looking really good.”

  “How did I do? And what exactly is in it?” I ask him.

  He thinks for a second before speaking. “You got a perfect score in the written exams. The same goes for the magic and the combat exams. As for the talent exams, you did pretty well in most of them.” he finishes.

  I nod, not feeling surprised at all. I expected those results; after all, the exam was not very hard, at least not for me.

  I glance at grandpa and notice him frowning as if he is troubled by something.

  “What is wrong?” I ask him.

  Is something wrong with my report card? I think to myself.

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  He sighs before speaking. “There is nothing wrong, it is just that your results are far too good. I... we have no idea what we should teach you.” he says.

  No idea on what to teach me? I look at my grandpa with a confused expression, which he notices.

  He sighs again.

  “There has been no case like yours ever before, so it is quite confusing,” he says. “Normally, a freshman would be better at just one thing or perhaps two things, and we would teach him that as we already have specific paths for it. But your case is different. In combat alone, you are already perfect with three different weapons.”

  Oh, so that is why.

  “Is that a bad thing?” I ask him.

  He shakes his head without any hesitation. “No, it is a good thing, actually. But like I said, we have never had a case quite like you. Even cases where someone has two talent subjects or knows how to use two weapons or a weapon with magic are rare.”

  He pauses for a few seconds as he looks at me. “Actually, what path do you want to learn?”

  “Fighting,” I say with an obvious tone and no hesitation at all.

  Hearing my answer, he nods, looking not surprised but even slightly pleased.

  “Good, it is just like I thought. And even if you didn't choose this path, I would have tried to convince you to take it.” he says with a smile.

  “Convince me? Why? Is it because we are a military family?” I ask.

  “Kinda, but that alone would not be enough for me to convince you. It is all about the things you will learn in the military,” he says. “They teach stuff that is not allowed to be taught to ordinary people in public schools, and so if you do not go into the military, you will be oblivious to a lot of things and truths in this world.”

  After saying that, he pauses for a few seconds.

  “Right, I almost forgot to ask,” he says after the pause. “What kind of fighter do you want to become?” he asks me while looking directly into my eyes.

  After hearing that, I do not reply immediately but instead fall into deep thinking.

  My father is a mage while Thaddeus is a close-combat mage, but unlike them, I have learned how to use a bow as well.

  Should I become a far-combat mage? No, that would only waste my talent with the sword, and besides, my archery has technically already reached the pinnacle in its purest form.

  After thinking for a few minutes, I finally talk. “I want to become a close to far-combat mage.” I answer my grandpa’s question.

  Hearing that, my grandpa frowns just a little bit before relaxing and thinking for dozens of seconds.

  “We have never taught anyone that path,” he says suddenly. “As no one has ever reached the requirement for it. We didn't even think that six or even ten years of constant training leading up to the academy would be enough to reach this very specific requirements.”

  He sighs.

  “Like I said, most people focus on one path and rarely two like Thaddeus,” he says. “So I have to ask you, are you sure about this? After all, you do meet the actual requirements.”

  I hesitate for a few seconds before nodding my head. “Yes, I am sure.” I say.

  He sighs for the fourth time today as he falls into a state of deep thinking.

  After a few minutes, he speaks.

  “I will be going to the library. You stay here and watch television or something.” he says while getting up before leaving my sight.

  I move from my seat and sit next to Nicolas, facing the TV.

  I move my head to look over at Nicolas. “By the way, Nico, what fighting style did you choose and start training?” I ask him.

  He looks at me before speaking. “A close-combat magic swordsman like my dad,” he says without having to think about it. “Since my dad was one, I thought I should just pick the safest path as I have a good foundation in both swordsmanship and magic.” he says.

  I nod, not feeling surprised.

  I use my phone for half an hour before hearing someone coming down from the stairs. I look back and it is grandpa returning from the library.

  He sits down next to us before talking.

  “I found some theories about your fighting style. Obviously, as they are theories, there isn't a 100% success rate, but even if you didn't become a close to far-combat mage, you can easily become either one and still be stronger than an average one.”

  “And so, I will inform your main classroom teacher about this and we will try something.” he says, grinning.

  “What is it?” That grin reminds me of my father’s grin whenever he realizes something.

  He just smiles and does not answer my question.

  “It will be a surprise,” he says. “There is no need to spoil it. When you enter the academy and learn the basics, you will be learning it then.”

  Never mind, my father takes after both of my grandparents, not just my grandmother.

  Chapter End