I take the book in my hands and run toward the boy at the counter to ask where the books related to flowers and plants are. The botany section is located in a corner of the enormous library, it takes me a few minutes to get there, and my surprise is great when I find a huge space, much larger compared to where I found the first book.

"Damn, this might take quite a while." While searching, I found a book three times thicker than the others. I open it and it's a guide filled with hundreds and hundreds of flowers, with hand-drawn illustrations. I take the time to go page by page looking for the flower described in the book left by Gabas Timal.

Several minutes later I finally find it. The description is fairly compact and practical, at least it indicates the location and the types of climate where the plant can grow. To my surprise, one of the places where it can be found is the territory of Baron Solar. "Well, it was to be expected if I think about it more carefully." The Solar barony is known for cultivating and selling thousands of flowers.

"That solves one problem, now I just need to find something about those two plants…" My streak of luck had run out after two victories in a row. Among so many books it became impossible to find anything. I tried looking for another massive book similar to the flower one, and when I finally found it and checked it thoroughly, neither of the two plants appeared in it.

"Could those two plants have gone extinct after all this time?" The first Marquis lived many, many years ago, it isn't illogical to assume that some plants, flowers, or animals may have gone extinct over the years. "No! That can't be right." I keep searching and searching, finding nothing.

Hours pass, and by the end of the day I still haven't found anything related to the mentioned plants. "It's time to see the Marquis." I only have thirty minutes before the meeting, in this enormous mansion I must be precise with time. "I'll have to search for more information in the coming days." I return all the books to their proper places, including the Marquis's book, though I was tempted to take it with me for a moment. I restrained myself because surely they have some way of tracking every book.

I say goodbye to the receptionist boy before heading to the office mentioned in the letter. Every room and office is marked by numbers, and after searching through the corridors I arrive at the designated path in the letter, reaching the meeting spot just a minute before the time.

When I take a moment to think, I feel mana and Imra surrounding me. The control is so subtle and precise that you could easily mistake it for something natural. I only managed to detect it by chance for one reason: I recognized whose mana and Imra this belonged to. At that moment, the door opens without warning, and I take it as an invitation.

Upon entering, the doors close automatically. The owner of such power is sitting in the middle, Marquis Julio Timal. His presence is suffocating, entirely worthy of the head of a noble family. "Hello Maki, it's been a while." His smile is as fresh and carefree as ever.

"Hello Uncle Julio, how have you been?" He points to a sofa in a corner, and as I turn I realize something—there are two people standing in the opposite corner like trees. I am shocked for not having noticed them before; their presence has blended completely with the environment, their mana and Imra fully suppressed. Without my own world, I never would have detected them.

I hide my feelings so as not to show my surprise. "Gase, you look well. Ho, you still look like a tree." At those words, both release a bit of their Imra so I can sense them.

"Without your domain ability and with our Imra suppressed, it was impossible for you to see us." Gase lets out a chuckle as she speaks, clearly pleased that her trick worked.

"Your control over your Imra is good, something any emerald or sapphire rank would envy." I turn toward the Marquis when I hear his voice. "Keep practicing and soon you will come to understand more secrets." I thank him for his words, sit down, and the heralds stand at his side like his bodyguards.

The Marquis relaxes in his chair for a moment, entering a state of ease I hadn't seen during Sol's party. "Where shall we begin… Do you want your reward now or at the end?" That's right, he promised me a reward for winning the tournament, but so far I only received money. "We can add to your reward the fact that you saved a village in Solar territory." Those words make me smile. I didn't do it expecting anything in return, but it's nice to be rewarded.

"I'd like to begin with the reward." I say it with all the calm I can manage, even though my body wants to leap with excitement.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

"Are you looking for something in particular? You have the option to choose." At this moment, I'm stuck with my movement ability. In everything else I've made progress or at least have ways to progress.

"I hadn't thought about it before, but if I can choose, I'd like to know if there's any way to improve my movement ability." His gestures tell me to go on. I explain a bit about my latest experiences trying to understand how spatial affinity works, from my training with Ho to my last interaction with the teleportation machine.

I can sense the fluctuations of space better now, which helps me understand a little how to open a space somewhere and move to a designated place. I know the theory, but I fail completely in practice—I have no idea how to make it work. My mind is blank when it comes to understanding the fabric of space.

"That's complicated. Without an innate talent for understanding space, it can become difficult and may take many years before you comprehend how to obtain such an ability." When I hear the word years, I look down. If that's the case, then I'm screwed. My only option would be to rely on electricity to raise my movement ability to the next rank.

"Don't get discouraged." I look up to see the Marquis smiling as if he had a solution for everything. "We have a spatial prodigy right here." He points to Ho. "This reward goes far beyond your merits, but I'm doing it because I want to invest in your future, Maki." I nod softly, my appreciation and affection for this man growing stronger—he has never stopped supporting me.

"We also have some space-type objects kept in our vault. Let me think of one that suits your needs, and you can use it until you manage to understand and find the right path for your ability." That would be amazing. With the help of the timid Ho and a spatial item, I could finally find my way.

"I'll only ask one thing in return." His voice takes a slightly serious tone as he shifts in his chair. "Win the next novice tournament." Why? Is there something that important at stake?

"I was already planning on winning it." With a confident smile, I wink at him, trying to appear as natural and casual as possible. If he gives me that level of trust, then I shouldn't be too rigid.

The Marquis laughs happily. "Before, I was completely confident in your chances—I would have bet this castle on your victory. However, something unthinkable has happened. The Merno Kingdom has sent its greatest prodigy of recent years to participate." I didn't expect that. As far as I know, it's rare for outsiders to join local tournaments, and even stranger for a kingdom to send someone to compete in another territory's event.

"That young man is very special. His control of Mana and Imra is far above his level. He is a textbook perfect mage, able to face opponents at long, medium, and close range with his brutal mastery of the Mist and Ice elements. I don't know what the kingdom's hidden intentions are, but I've learned that if he wins here, they plan to send him to the tournaments of other territories as well. That's why you must defeat him." That's difficult. I've never heard of the Mist element before, and it doesn't sound easy to counter.

¿Ice and Mist? I straighten in my chair and look directly into the Marquis's eyes. "I'll do it. I'll win the next tournament, leave it to me." I trust my abilities. I know how strong and capable I am. I can't see myself losing to someone of the same rank as long as I give it my all.

The Marquis shows a calm, pleased smile at my words. "With that confidence, now I really could bet the castle on you." We both laugh at his remark. "I'll tell you a few key things about him, but nothing too specific—I want to see a fair duel." The Marquis explains a bit about the boy: apparently, he is already fifteen, has mastered at least two pseudo laws, his mana control is exquisite, and his Imra mastery far surpasses the average.

After he tells me everything necessary, we move on to another topic. It's time to talk a bit about the dungeon I explored and my training with the heralds, shifting to more everyday and simple matters toward the end of our conversation. Until I'm left speechless by his question.

"Excuse me, Uncle Julio, I don't think I heard you correctly." I reply to the Marquis.

"Do you want to sit at the table with me and my wife? You could stand in for our son, who is at the academy, and people could also see you as my future nephew." I clean out my ears and slap my leg with my hand. I must not be hearing right, or maybe I'm half asleep. But when I see his triumphant face, I begin to doubt whether he's joking or not.

"Thank you for the invitation, but I must decline." I bring my legs together, place my hands on my knees, and bow to show respect. No way I'm doing that! It would put all the attention in the world on me. Winning a tournament will give me some temporary fame, but this… this is unthinkable.

"Don't make hasty decisions, you can think it over until tomorrow." His insistence makes me uncomfortable. I know he has good intentions, but I just don't like the idea of having that much attention on me unnecessarily.

"Uncle, my answer won't change. That would bring chaos into my life that I wouldn't be able to control." I sigh in defeat. "I already have enough with Arisa, Sol, and Marga." The three of them are from prominent families, and I've already received plenty of hateful and jealous looks. I even had to fight that strange boy at Sol's party.

"I understand, I won't pressure you further." His expression doesn't change at all—he clearly expected my refusal, and he lost nothing by trying to convince me.

We keep talking for a few more minutes until finally saying goodbye. Before leaving, the Marquis lets me know that tomorrow I'll receive two surprises. The three of them are busy people, while I'm just a simple young man in a huge city. It's time to go explore the local food.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.