Chapter 21: Title
After his father reached Silver Class, many sought to form connections with him, both within the clan and beyond. Still, it surprised Ember greatly when House Oberon turned out to be one of them. Steered by Timber Blackstone, they had proposed a matrimonial union between Rain and Frin Oberon.
Supposedly, his father’s Silver Class was not just a common class at all. As far as Ember understood it, classes were like an inheritance, a legacy bestowed from ascendants of the past, though he had no clue what kind of lunatic would leave behind a legacy like the Brick Layer class. As there were some legacies of a higher realm, there were others that only led to a dead end.
His father had clearly gotten the former. Cliff’s second class, Dawn Marshal, granted him a clear path towards Gold rank. It might take a few decades, or even a century, or perhaps he would never ascend, but the probability alone had made many of the old fellows’ underwear wet.
Now, Rain was barely fourteen. Although there were actual talks of marriage, everyone seemed satisfied with only an engagement for now. The actual marriage would come later, once both parties had reached a respectable age and level in their classes. Even so, his father was far from pleased.
After a considerable effort inquiring to both of his parents, Ember learned some of the history behind it. A couple of decades ago, Cliff had been one of the brightest prospects of House Blackstone, and not just by their standards. Even among the bloodline clans, few youths could match his skill.
Timber Blackstone had been overjoyed by his son’s accomplishments, and at that time, their relationship had been much stronger. The father took his son along almost everywhere to impart wisdom and experience.
He had even arranged an engagement for Cliff with someone from House Oberon without consulting him. By then, Cliff had already been in a relationship with Rosanna and had asked to break the arrangement before it even became official. When that did not work, he defied his father’s will and married Rosanna.
Timber Blackstone was still not convinced. According to him, it was nothing to frown upon to have an official wife and a dozen other mistresses. It was perfectly acceptable for him to relegate Rosanna to a mere mistress while taking the high noble as an official spouse.
Cliff Blackstone, being the faithful man he was, did not share that mindset. He had declared firmly that he would marry and love only one woman, and one woman alone.
Learning all this, Ember’s respect for his father grew to an almost unfathomable level.
Unfortunately, there were more Timbers in the clan than there were Cliffs.
Despite his talent, their entire family had been ostracised for causing a rift between the two houses. Cliff was forced to work tirelessly, often receiving the most dangerous assignments in the savage northern plains, littered with high-ranked monsters and demonic beasts.
Many members still believed they had lost a valuable opportunity.
Ember’s opinion of his grandfather could not sink any lower. He could not fathom what went on in the old man’s mind. With age, people were meant to grow wiser and learn from their mistakes, but that did not seem to apply to Timber Blackstone.
Blaming him, however, would not resolve their current predicament. Cliff had already rejected House Oberon once. Without a valid reason, and perhaps even with one, their family would once again suffer the consequences if he were to deny them again.
At least Rain did not seem particularly opposed to the engagement, but she was still so young.
Cliff had not outright rejected the arrangement but had agreed only verbally that both parties would decide once they came of age. Furthermore, to compensate, he had even taken Frin as his squire.
Now at Silver Class, his father could take on two squires, granting them additional potential and skill slots. Even if it were merely a few, skill slots were universally valuable.
That finally quelled the political tension for now, though there seemed to be no way to stabilise the father-son feud.
One good thing that came out of the feud was that it spared Ember from his grandfather’s gruelling training. He could finally devote all his attention to his mana cultivation.
His mana foundation had been stuck at nineteen breaths of mana for the last month, whereas he only needed his Mana Accumulation to reach maximum mastery to grant him his desired Iron skill.
As the days passed, Ember began to realise that it was not an easy task. He seemed to have hit a wall. Not only had his progression in forming breaths of mana stalled, but there were barely any improvements in his mana circuit or apertures.
But he remembered Lady Evelyn’s advice and persevered. Only through diligence and cumulative work could he advance higher.
Of course, there were mana elixirs that could help him overcome the block and elevate his mana foundation to Tier 2 easily. Ember had even received one from the clan due to his display of talent. It was only a minor mana elixir and would allow him to form three to five breaths of mana, depending on his skill. Yet Ember still hesitated.
From what he had learned, there seemed to be little disadvantage in taking such an elixir. It would not limit his potential like those evolution tonics, though unchecked usage would be detrimental to his foundation. But ingested in the correct order, supported with rigorous training, such aftereffects could be managed.
However, Ember had learned about harmonic mana from Lady Evelyn. According to her, even elixirs of the highest purity would destabilise one’s mana foundation, requiring stringent training and rare substances to restore the balance and purity. She had advised him not to take any, even minor ones, until he reached Tier 3 in mana foundation.
Inharmonic mana was most detrimental to his mana skills. She had observed a decreasing rate of mastery with each potion she ingested and had even heard of cases where people’s skills regressed after bastardising their foundations with such potions.
Perhaps Ember was being overly cautious. Still, he decided to give himself half a year, leaving him with a year and a half to reach Tier 4. His goal was to achieve Tier 4 before the age of nine. Realistically, he did not think it would take that long once he obtained his Iron skill, but he had been wrong with his calculations before.
While his mana foundation stalled, there were other skills in which he prevailed.
Breathing Art (Copper) +3 → 5Sprint Burst (Copper) +4 → 6Swordsmanship (Common) +5 → 7Meditative Muse (Copper) +4 → 5
All that brought his racial progression bar closer to the 500 mark. Though the most astonishing part had been a skill prompt. If Ember had the skill slots available, he would have taken it in a heartbeat.
He had been playing with a few breaths of mana, suppressing them with his Will in an attempt to imitate the effect of a Kinetic Wand. Mana was a form of energy after all, and so was kinetic force, and Ember knew enough of the science behind it to experiment. Who knew his experimentation would bear fruit on the very second attempt?
Fortunately, or unfortunately, the skill prompt he received was for an Iron-ranked Kinetic Release skill.
Despite lacking the skill slots, he continued to experiment by pressuring his mana to build up the force. He wanted to see if his mastery over it would improve without a registered skill.
Conclusion: it did improve, but the headaches and twisting agony in his mana apertures did not make it a worthwhile practice.
His primary focus returned to mana as Ember continued to absorb knowledge.
The first three tiers of mana foundation were focused on refining. The greater its purity and harmony with the person, the stronger and more efficient it was in application.
Tiers four to six involved condensing mana into liquid form within the various mana apertures, while still continuing to accumulate more mana and refining it.
Beyond that came attunement. It was where the ascendants trained actual elemental skills, converting pure mana into elemental attunements. Without specialised skills, such a task was astronomically difficult, but that was a concern for his future self.
For now, his focus remained on refining his mana.
Winter passed, and even spring went by, when it finally came. There was no momentary epiphany or enlightenment. It was through the gradual diligence over the months that his Mana Accumulation moved to maximum mastery.
With that came the twentieth breath of mana, elevating his mana foundation to Tier 2.
A surge of mana rushed through his channels, strengthening his mana circuit and opening additional apertures. Yet the most significant moment for him was when a notification appeared before his eyes.
[Mana Accumulation (Copper) +9 → Max]
[+100 EPs.]
[Your three copper mana skills: Mana Sense, Mana Circulation, and Mana Accumulation are merging.]
[Skill acquired: Mana Shaping (Iron) +1.]
[+100 EPs.]
On this occasion, he felt the advancement far more clearly, though most of his attention remained focused on channelling the surging mana.
Opening his eyes, Ember leapt to his feet. He was still in the mana chamber. The other children were immersed in meditation. The instructor’s eyes, however, were watching him closely. She had clearly sensed the disturbance in the ambient mana around him.
“You have reached Tier 2 in mana foundation already? How far has your circuit progressed?”
Ember nodded and dashed off, ignoring the instructor’s other questions.
“Hey, wait, there’s still half an hour to the session.”
He acted as if he didn't hear her and scurried home to announce the news. He even forgot to check his updated status.
Upon arrival, he found his father waiting on the porch, silver armour covering his body, a sword strapped to his back alongside a shield, only missing his helmet. He perked up upon noticing him.
“Are you leaving somewhere?”
“Didn’t I mention about the expedition?” Cliff said, calling him over.
“But I thought there was still time.”
Apparently, House Oberon was preparing for a huge expedition and had asked House Blackstone for assistance. The expedition was not solely focused on hunting demons, though that would inevitably be part of it, given its location in the northern plains. Their true objective was to establish a fortress at a strategic vantage point, eventually expanding it into an outpost and finally a full-fledged mining town.
A geomancer from House Oberon had already discovered rich veins of rare ore in the region. Leaving such a resource unclaimed would be foolish, after the Oberons had paid so much to secure the contract.
“Will you be gone for long?”
The answer was obvious.
His father ruffled his hair. “You might be Tier 4 by the time we build a fortress, but I will return from time to time. Considering the importance of the expedition, there will be more than a few Silver rankers out there. Taking leave should not be too difficult.”
Ember nodded, though it still dampened his enthusiasm for announcing his accomplishment. His father’s next words, however, froze him in place.
“But before I leave, I wish to make you a knight squire.” Cliff considered him. “I know you have little interest in becoming a knight, but the few skill slots the title grants would be greatly beneficial in the early stages. Also, if you are fortunate enough, you may be able to earn an honorary knight title through some meritorious deeds.”
Ember had some interest in becoming a knight. Every child in Seynhold had such a dream. Besides, Knighthood could just be a title rather than a class, though it could be both.
He just thought his father would never ask. He had wanted to ask him when he made Frin his squire, but he did not want to waste his options. A knight squire was essentially an attendant or a helper to the knight, depending on their skill and level. Traditionally, even after the squire became a fully fledged knight, they tended to retain their position with their knight masters.
Cliff was unlikely to get much of that from Frin, and the same was true for Ember, at least for the next few years.
“Drop to one knee,” he commanded. “Come on, the clan is already pressuring me to choose someone of their selection.”
Ember needed no more invitation.
Cliff smiled, unsheathing his blade. He held it above Ember’s shoulder, barely touching him, and declared:
“I, Cliff Blackstone, Knight of Seyhold, hereby take Ember Blackstone as my knight squire.”
[You have been given the opportunity of knighthood...]
Ember did not even read the full notification before responding, “I accept.”
[Title acquired: Knight Squire.
Your potential has risen.
Master Knight: Cliff Blackstone - Dawn Marshal
Merit: +1 skill slot per each racial tier.]