Learning

Chapter 2.1 Learning

Time has passed and Kael's curious mind started to develop, unknowingly strengthening his passion for learning. He turned out to be a budding young boy with a treasure that cannot be robbed by anyone. While the kids his age were still playing with toys and learning to read, he has already surpassed them in terms of knowledge and shown great promise. 

Even with his addiction to read every book he could get his hands on, he still felt like something's missing. So he decided that he want to put everything to practise since he knew it will take years to master it all. Mael went to the living room and approached his father who just got home from his recent travels, sipping tea and enjoying his hard-earned rest. He was about to take another sip when Mael coughed to grab his attention. 

He raised his head at the sound of his son's cough. Mael, standing dignified, immediately requested a private room where he can install different kinds of tables. His father approved without further question but told him that he has to promise not to forget that he will become the successor of his lordship, or else he will withdraw his permission to let him master what he learned. After agreeing, his father shooed him away to continue his rest, so he went off and hastily acquired all the necessities. 

 Living in a mansion that has several rooms, he picked one of his likings. One that was as spacious as his bedroom having ten square meters in diameter. He asked the maids to empty it and installed an alchemy table when they finished. The sight of the table leaning on his grey painted wall put a smile on his face. While the sun was still up, he ran out to purchase ingredients so he can brew various potions when the night comes. He was able to fill twenty-one crates with potions after trying to master alchemy the next day. He asked his coachman to put every crate in their carriage so he could sell them. Travelling towards the market together with him. Selling his wares afterwards to different resellers.

 After making enough money, he didn't waste a second and installed a crafting table beside the initial one. The thought of being able to install tables from his hard-earned money made his heart explode. The excitement radiated in him. He began purchasing glowing stones and floating stones, as well as the gas-fueled lamps made of plain iron. He tinkered to change the light source into his glowing stones and added his floating stone at an ample space at the bottom of the lamp, enjoying every process.

When he saw that his invention was good, he sat on a chair to rest and stared at it, wondering if he needs to add or revise something from it. He concluded that his invention has no issues and it made his day. Lord Melvin went to check on him and stared at it, feeling in awe. He gave Mael his utmost support and asked how it works because he thought of making more just in case.

 After finishing, he let his floating lamps shine bright in his room giving it a yellow Christmas light glow. Some were rotating, some were steady and some were moving slowly from one place to another. Like jellyfish, but floating mid-air. His grey room transformed from dull to the lively and comforting environment. Erza entered the room and stopped at the sight of it, dropping her jaw and covering it when she noticed. Her eyes sparkled as it wandered across the room. She looked at her son tinkering a lamp on the floor and letting it float when he's done. Mael noticed her presence and greeted her 'Hello'. She replied with a warm expression. Smiling, she clasped her hands together and put them on her cheeks, leaning at the entrance. Mael felt proud, so he moved on from crafting to the next thing he needed to do.

 He was waking up early in the morning and remembered reading the book about Character Stat Cultivation. A surge of thoughts triggered his curiosity, he was careful not to do it from a young age as it was critical and might stunt his growth if he overworked his body. So he decided to train with light exercises first, starting from his Strength: pumping ten times a day, pushing up ten times, curling up ten times, and every strengthening exercises that he can think of. 

The second exercise was focused on his Dexterity: practising with dodging, hand and body coordination, movement speed and attack speed, as well as accuracy. The third was his Vitality: conditioning his skin, stamina build-up to increase health, stamina regen, and improving his resistances. The fourth was his Focus: circulating his mana thus improving his mana and mana regen. He also started doing Yoga to improve his focus and lessen the cooldown and casting speed, sharpening his mind on the process. He practised these early in the morning with one rest day for a week.

 After his morning exercises, he used to escape from the window side and snuck out undetected, outsmarting the guards and exiting their manor without getting caught. He used the parkour techniques he acquired in his past life to climb walls and stroll the path towards the town. Many villagers were not able to recognize him since he always remembers to wear the villager attire that he secretly bought. The fact that he rarely goes out to the Golden Valley with his parents helped as well. 

Even being aware of his status as a successor of his lordship, he still couldn't help but desire a normal life every once in a while. He descends the road from their manor and saw the bustling town of Golden Valley. Blending into the crowd with his disguise, he was unnoticed by the denizens. He was observing the surroundings and saw a store full of weapons and armors displayed on the other side of the glass. He planted his face on it like a janitor fish and felt his palm itch from badly wanting to handle a real sword since his father only allowed him to practice a wooden one. 

 Intrigued, he went inside the blacksmith store and stood in front of the blacksmith to say that he wanted to be an apprentice. The blacksmith looked at him like he's some sort of alien that entered his shop before laughing hysterically. How can he let a five-year-old child become an apprentice, he thought.

Infuriated, Mael stood dignified and dropped a heavy pouch of gold in front of the hysterical blacksmith- who immediately stopped in surprise. He opened the pouch, baffled, wondering how he could have gotten such a large sum of money. Remembering he needed a helping hand, he put the pouch in his pockets and agreed to make him an apprentice. Letting Mael watch and assist at first but as time went by, he permitted him to make his weapons and armors. He added it in his morning routine, right after his cultivation. 

Perspiring from the heat of the furnace and hands becoming weary while hammering the burning metal, he finally finished his work with the blacksmith. Still, he wanted to practice his enchanting skills by enchanting necklaces, rings, weapons, and armors so he used the blacksmith's items to master the skill. When he realized what Mael had done to his items, he couldn't help but feel overjoyed by the child's presence for the first time. He praised the Creator for giving him free enchantments as it has a very hefty price to hire an enchanter. The pay for them was a bit overpriced and the enchanted weapons or armors were overpriced also.

By the time Mael finished, he didn't wait for a second and went home to enchant his floating lamps to obey simple commands like 'stay' and 'follow'. He even enchanted spoons and forks, cups and glassware with increased durability. And with the Focus Cultivation, his casting speed and cooldown improved greatly. 

 Even when his hobbies were increasing, he didn't forget to have time to learn their Family's combat style called Techniques. He sparred with his father every noon using a wide variety of weapons but his father kept on domineering him. So when they proceeded on unarmed combat, Mael thought about using the martial arts of Earth. From Karate, Jiu-Jitsu, and Kung Fu, to Mui Tai, Taekwondo, and Kali. His father was using techniques on him but he was changing his style of confrontation. Mael used Taichi's counters to counter his father's unrefined battle style. Even though his father's style was direct, Mael used the Wing Chun's rapid straight blast after countering his father's punch. Also kicking him on the legs to render him imbalanced. His father changed his tactics from mid-ranged strikes to close combat and it made Mael adjust. Using Mui Tai, he used his knees and elbows to strike him. Turning around but his elbow was landing on his father's face. His father changed in speed so Mael used Kali. His father attacked faster with different patterns. Punching straight, uppercut, and, hooks but Mael countered him with that martial art. The straight was parried while his other hand was hitting the shoulder. The uppercut was evaded and Mael's hands landed on his neck and his hook was blocked while Mael hits the armpit. Making his father stepped back and think twice before hitting him. His father used kicks but Mael used Taekwondo. Making it a fair fight for both of them. Mael used Jui Jitsu while fighting him on the ground and locking him but his father was able to fight him off with raw strength. Even Mael locks him, he was able to lift him in the air. His father was able to bear the pain and didn't surrender on his locks. Making Mael change tactics. 

Always surprised by his change of style but it always becomes a stalemate despite using all the techniques he used from his life as an assassin. 

Mael was inside the library and he didn't lose his hobby of reading, he even grew sentimental about the place. Even if his age hindered him from going to school, he didn't let it stop him from being studious. So, when the night was deep and all were asleep, Mael visited the library to reread and memorize the books. Not wanting to forget a single piece of information written was his goal. 

His mind has limited capacity, being a kid, but with constant reading, he was able to memorize everything. Mael knows that it was a privilege of the nobles to have vast knowledge so he made use of that opportunity. He also read about Survival, Botany, and Monster Bibliography. He was curious about what it looks like and wanted to see what's in the drawings in person, and with his own eyes. 

So he decided to camp in the forest of Golden Valley not far from their Manor. With his camping gear, he was ready to go to the wild. He escaped from his home and didn't tell his mom about it. He caught hares with his crafted traps, fished on the brooks, and identified plants and monsters using what he learned. He slept at the top of the trees at night and watched the stars up above while crafting bows and arrows to hunt birds and deers. He was seeing guards in the night that were carrying torches but he hides from them. They were even calling for his name, not wanting to cut his fun of being in the wild. He didn't show himself to them. 

 A day later, he was camouflaged in the grass. Tracking a deer while it was drinking on the brook. He was very careful not to frighten it, he blended with his surroundings. He witnessed a bear from the distance and attacked the deer that he was trying to capture, making it run away from him. Infuriated, he fired his arrow at the bear and it stuck on its hide. The bear saw him move when he reloaded his arrow thus it attacked him. Mael used his dagger and attacked the bear. Preparing to clash as they get nearer and nearer to each other. The bear slashed its claws but Mael ducked at the right time, rotating his body while crouching then jumping towards its neck. He rotated again then stabbed it before pulling the dagger and distancing himself. The bear still charged at him even with bleeding and a fatal wound. He let off his guard and was taken by surprise. 

The bear prepared to bite him with its jaws opened wide so he stabbed it in response and hit with all his might but he was still hit by the charge, bumping on the tree standing behind them and the forest became silent. The bear went limp and Kael was buried under its huge body. He lifted the bear with the help of enchantment and successfully got himself out. Mael yelled in happiness and chuckled as he killed the bear, scaring the crows away in the forest.

 He realized that he stayed in the wild for a week so he decided to return, at last, carrying the head of the bear with him. He was unrecognizable, fully covered in clay camouflage. Erza nearly dispatched the guards to apprehend him the moment they met. They were frantic, wondering where the successor had gone, but as soon as she recognized him, she felt infuriated. He was severely punished and spanked thousands of times to think twice before doing it again. After that incident, Mael promised not to do it anymore. Regretting his decision to go to the wild without telling his mother beforehand. 

He couldn't help but shake his head and laugh as he reminisced about the events that took place when he was five-years-old. He's now twelve and was told by his father that the coming of age was coming. Since he reached all of his training to master level, became a candidate for the coming of age ceremony.

Chapter 2.2 Coming of age

Mael kept training for years and at last, the time has come for him to show the fruits of his hard work. The coming of age ceremony has come now that he has turned 13. He would face a challenge to beat his father in terms of techniques while his mother serves as the jury, so he couldn't help but feel the adrenaline rush through his very nerves. 

Lord Melvin stood before a rack of various weapons laid at the center of the training grounds, looking at the eyes of his son–Mael, who stood at the other side facing him with the look of hunger and excitement revealing at his very own face. 

Erza walked to the end of the stack and tightened her headband. "Okay, we will start at the weapon category before the unarmed category. You will fight, but not till death, and I advise you not to cause a permanent injury to your opponent." She looked at the two who were busy staring each other in the eye before continuing her speech, "The weapons, as you can see, are lined up and you will be judged by your overall performance with the use of every one of them. So, for the first category, obviously, you use weapons and the second category demands a duel for your force evaluation. The results will be evaluated and the person with the highest score will be the winner. That is all, now, you may pick your weapons and get to your positions…" She walked off the field and let them pick up a dull metal sword each before they positioned themselves in front of two metal dummies.

"In this sword technique, you must cause as much damage as you can on your dummy in ten seconds… The time starts… NOW." 

Tooooooottttttttt! Malidic blew the horn as soon as he heard Erza's signal, and the father and son charged and slashed the dummies with the best of their abilities, displaying an outstanding force ability like they were on fire.

Schwing! Rasp! Hiss! Clank!

The mixed loud screech of hitting metals filled the once silent field as Mael hit his dummy harder and faster, but Lord Melvin had no intention of losing to him so he did what he could to crumple his; surpassing his son's level of damage.

"Three! Two! One! Time's up!" 

Tooootttttttttttt!!!

Mael took a few steps back gasping for air before dropping his weapon. Disappointed at his level of damage compared to what his father inflicted, which was far greater than his. But he knows this isn't the time to sulk like a coward, so he grabbed a spear, still hungry for victory.

They will compete by digging a hole on a big tree trunk with the use of their spear. The first to complete the task wins, so they lined up and faced the target, waiting for Erza's signal. Three seconds later, the sound of Malidic's horn made them charge their spear before giving it a rapid thrust. Mael managed to thrust twenty times in just two seconds, but his father was also coping up with him. Five seconds in and Mael's already halfway through the trunk, so Lord Melvin decided to change his strategy by alternately thrusting from fast-and-light thrusts to mediocre-and-heavy. His change in tactics proved to be effective because he was about to keep up with Mael.

Shuk! Shak! Shuckshakshukshak-

Noticing that Mael was about to finish by rapidly piercing through, Lord Melvin paused and concentrated for his last hit. The father and son roared in unison, Mael glanced at the lord who released his powerful thrust. Crack! Both of their spears punctured a hole at the same time, signaling Malidic to blow the horn.

"Who's first?" asked Lord Melvin who let go of his spear.

"Well…" Erza looked at the knights she assigned to keep an eye on the back of the trunk who immediately gave her a swift nod. "It's a tie," said Erza.

"Huh? what? But I did it first!" said Mael, who then got a grim look from Erza. "Hey old man, I will defeat you this time around," he pointed at his father before grabbing a bow and a quiver.

"Tsk, tsk. Child, you're still a green leaf who knows nothing of the vastness of Lumia. There are greater people than me. Better. Stronger. Remember that," said the Lord with a grin on his face before winking at him. 

"Well dry leaves shred easily," Mael winked at him. Lord Melvin chuckled, shaking his head before picking up his bow. Erza covered her mouth and giggled, "Now, now, go and position yourselves."

The Kael family and the rest of the people involved moved to the shooting range, where sets of targets awaited.

"For this contest, you are going to take turns in firing three arrows. Hitting the bullseye will give no score but missing it will give you a negative point. All you have to do is fire three arrows at the separate targets on the first set, then three consecutive shots to different targets while your opponent will fire at you. In your turn on the second set, you have to evade your opponent's shots. You have three seconds to fire…get hit and it's game over. Understood?" said Erza and everyone fell silent. Mael and Lord Melvin's jaw dropped.

"We have to dodge while firing? Are you kidding me?" they said in unison. 

"I decided to add a twist this time!" She chuckled. "Well, everything's gonna be fine. We're only using blunt arrows anyway." Erza assured them. They've decided to make Mael the first to shoot the target while Lord Melvin fires at him, so he prepared himself. "Good luck, boy!" his father gave him a swift salute before climbing up a tree branch just above where the target was located.

"Contestants, get ready for my signal! Fire!" she yelled, dropping a miniature flag. Mael grabbed three arrows from his quiver and put each between his fingers. Aiming, his father released three consecutive shots towards him, so Mael dashed sideways before releasing the arrows.

Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!

"Two bullseyes and a middle ring. That's a deduction of one point. Prepare for set two," Erza said from a distance. Mael looked at her and braced himself. "On my signal… Set two, begin!" she said dropping another flag. Mael reloaded again, but this time, his father sent a barrage of blunt arrows by predicting where he would dodge and shoot, leaving him without openings.

He dodged by a hair's breadth and dove through the barrage of arrows, jumping forward before trying to shoot and deflect them with his bow in between shots. Release, deflect, release, deflect, and on the third and last shot, he released an arrow a little earlier because of nearly getting hit.

Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!

"One middle ring, one bullseye, and one outer ring. That's a deduction of two points, young man." 

Mael groaned and made sure that he will avenge on his father's turn. This time around, he will be the one to shoot his dad to distract him from shooting. So he climbed the tree and equipped his blunt arrows before aiming at his father with extreme focus. Formulating the possibility of where his father will dash, he simulated realistic events of possible outcomes.

He decided to release the first one, followed by another depending on the direction his father will end up, then release one in a distance of a few steps advanced. He knew there's a fifty percent chance that it would go the way he wants it to. The possibilities were whether his father will stand still and deflect while firing or move, deflect, then fire.

Mael drew his arrows with great force, firing the moment he heard the signal. But his father managed to fire in split seconds before using his bow to block the arrows with ease. In Mael's dismay, he fired another three at the same time to stop his father's shots from reaching the target point, but it was too late.

"Three bull's eyes! Prepare for set two," said Erza.

Lord Melvin winked at Mael, irritating him, but decided that he needed to stay collected. He immediately drew three arrows, planning on firing them to his father, and remembered that he could move, reload and fire at great speed. So he focused and muffled his mother's voice while waiting for the go signal before aiming in three different directions.

"Go!" 

Mael released two arrows aimed at his father's bow and face, who were able to block them, but when he tried to stop the arrow coming right at his face, Mael took the opportunity to reload and fired at his feet– his father's blind spot. Lord Melvin who didn't see it coming groaned in pain.

"Strike! You're out, Melvin," said Erza, signaling Mael's victory. 

"Yeah!!!" He cheered as he jumped off the tree.

"Well, your scores tied… Now, Prepare for the next battle, which is the crossbow technique," said Erza.

The father and son grabbed their crossbows and loaded them with blunt bolts before entering the assault grounds, which was made of high walls, doors, and obstacles. The mission was to haunt the opponent, like a game of hide and seek, but with challenging twists. Whoever hits the other first wins. It will be a perfect place for Mael to put the skills of his past self into good use. 

They were positioned on the opposite sides of the maze so they can have the opportunity to get a good grasp of what it's like inside before confronting each other. Mael entered the maze, conquering obstacles and scanning the surrounding area while listening to every sound that erupts. He strode through every door with silent steps, alert and peeking at every corner. Everything was quiet until he heard footsteps coming from the end of the corner, a few steps away from him. He knew they were going to meet each other so he crouched behind a container sitting in the dark, aiming his crossbow at the shadow of his father that was getting bigger and bigger.

He searched for a pebble and threw it on the walls, making it bounce and alerting Lord Melvin who then focused on where the sound was coming from. He aimed at his father who has his crossbow ready to shoot. Patiently waiting to get a proper shot of his father who he saw was carefully walking to prevent ambush, Mael then pulled the trigger, striking him on the chest. Soon after, they heard the sound of Malidic's horn. 

"Who- ho- hoa, son. That surprised me," Lord Melvin said.

"Told you I'm gonna beat you," Mael punched him on the shoulders.

"You won!" They flipped their heads to the sound of Erza's voice and saw her appear in the corner. "Next set, sniper range…" she said, disappearing in the dark. The father and son looked at each other and shrugged before walking out the maze towards the sniper range.

They arrived and prepared themselves by loading sharp bolts in their crossbows. Erza informed them that they will position themselves two hundred meters away from the dummies and snipe them three times. A headshot consists of three points, a shot on the chest for two points, and hitting it wherever gives one point. The two nodded at her.

"On my mark… Fire!" The father and son fired at the same time and the sound of chucking bolts filled the quiet range as it made contact on the dummies.

"Reload! Reload!" she yelled. Mael reloaded but it wasn't as quick as his father's reloading speed. It requires a decent pulling strength to be able to reload a crossbow quicker. He then aimed at his dummy and fired his last shots.

Erza took her telescope to view the results. "Hmm, three headshots… three headshots... Well, that's another tie." She looked at the two. Since Mael won the bow contest and got a draw on the crossbow, it only means one thing. "The winner of the bow and crossbow technique is Mael!" she cheered.

"Yes!" Mael punched his fist in the air.

"Next, the two-handed technique. Let's go to the weights area so you could prepare your strength," said Erza.

As soon as they arrived, Erza instructed them to grab a two-handed hammer each and swing it to the large iron pole that produces vibrations depending on the level of inflicted damage. Mael lifted the hammer and decided to do it first, swinging it horizontally at the signal of his mother.

Clang!

The pole produced a subtle vibration and Erza burst out laughing. "You have a score of ten points, but you will still get stronger as time goes by so don't worry," she assured him. Mael's brows furrowed.

Lord Melvin lifted his hammer and spun it with great force, producing a whoosh as it strode with the air.

CLANG!

Mael felt the strong vibration creeping through his skin, suffocating him, so he tried to distance himself as much as possible.

"Twenty-nine, well that concludes our two-handed contest," she said.

"Better luck next time, son." Lord Melvin smiled at him.

They moved on to the dagger contest, and just like the sword technique, they were to assassinate the clay dummies and inflict great damage. They were given three tries to be able to do their best.

Lord Melvin dashed to the dummy and stabbed its heart, then twisted his body to pull the dagger, slashing it sideways.

"Eight points. Next attack!" she said. The wound from the dummy healed by itself and reverted to its original state.

Melvin dashed, threw the dagger at the center of the abdomen then grabbed it while on darting form before slicing its belly and the left side of the dummy ripped open.

"Nine points, next!" she said.

Melvin then braced himself and threw the dagger to its neck and before twisting it off and burying it back to its head. 

"Ten points!" She pointed at her son, "Mael, on my mark… ready… GO." 

Mael darted through the dummy and attacked by twisting and turning three times while slashing its neck and its armpits.

"Ten points! Next!" 

Mael dashed, rapidly disappearing from the front and appearing at the back of the dummy before stabbing its head.

"Splendid! Another ten points!" said Erza.

He stabbed the heart and slashed towards the neck before doing a backflip, tearing its head in half, slicing it open. 

"Wonderful! Ten!!!!" she cheered. Lord Melvin nodded as he watched

"It's obvious who the winner is," she chuckled and Mael gave her a swift embrace. "That's my son," Lord Melvin grinned at him. "Let's go," said Erza.

Finally, the time for unarmed techniques has come. They're going to duel in the first round and do the force evaluation next. "Get ready for the duel, the scoring is hit based; a single hit for one point, a counter for two points, and a knockdown for a hundred points. Do your best." 

Standing at the opposite side of the field, Mael mimicked his father who stripped off his shirt, showing off the pleasing build of their bodies. The goal was to knock the opponent in one minute, but if they couldn't, the one with the highest score will be announced as the winner. "Fight fair and square. Fight each other with dignity! I will be evaluating your [Force] aura after the fight so get ready and position yourselves. In three, two, one. Fight!" she yelled, ringing her bell. 

Mael darted without hesitation, delivering a punch that was immediately countered by his father, and followed it with a hook punch in his side.

Huk!

Mael was struck and the pain removed his ability to breathe, stepping back a few times. He staggered since his father's [Force] aura was on another level and even if the hook didn't land, as long as it reached an inch distance from his body the shock wave will still strike the opponent and it's enough to blow them away.

Not allowing Mael to breathe, Lord Melvin charged him with another combo, fortunately, he managed to block all of it and only had to deal with the applied [Force].

The shock wave produced banging sounds, cornering Mael on the stage and leaving him with no other choice but to defend and counter his father's strikes. The unarmed technique has three fundamentals; offensive, defensive, and, aura. The offensive consists of attacks and counters, defensive consist of blocking, disarming, and deflecting, and aura consist of force gathering and releasing, as well as body enhancement.

His father kept his consecutive attacks hissing and breathing to keep his pace. It was pushing Mael's patience to its limit, but he had to stay that way to be able to secretly gather [Force] to counter him. When Mael found the right timing, he struck his father with [Force] applied and deflected with his right hand before punching his abdomen with his accumulated force.

Bang!

Lord Mael felt the air leave his lungs as he was thrown to the edge of the stage and bumped on a wall. Knockdown.

"Oh my!" Erza ran to her husband.

His father tried to stand up but failed and collapsed, so Mael ran at him to offer help. "Congratulations, my son… You're a big boy now; strong enough to beat me…" 

"Shh, Melvin… You should rest."

"Well, I'm going on a journey... leaving Golden Valley to your mother's hands in the meantime-" His father groaned in pain.

"Stop talking, father. You need to recover. We have plenty of time to discuss that." said Mael while carrying him on his shoulders. Bringing him to their bedroom for a good rest.

Later that night, his mother hosted a celebration in the Manor estate for her son, Mael's, successful 'Coming Of Age'.

Lying on his bed, Lord Melvin remembered how he was not taking the duel way too seriously and used only a master level of technique, yet, he was astonished that his son had managed to surpass that level at such a young age. He decided to sleep early to be able to recuperate and attend Mael's ceremony. The maids prepared the garden at the back of their mansion to be used for the ceremony, arranging tables with elegant table cloths, lamps, and candles, as well as floating lanterns in the surroundings. The guards were commanded to position on every corner of the place and it was finally set up. The night had come and the visitors were slowly pouring in.

Mael appeared in a tuxedo, greeting the guests who were amazed by his handsomeness. He likes to think that he was not that good-looking nor cute, and that he looks average, since he was famous in the Golden Valley due to his kindness and down to earth humility– and admired by eligible maidens.

The program was starting so he sat down at the VIP table with his mother who was the master of the ceremony. They watched their guests deliver their speech, "Congratulations, young master Mael, for successfully reaching adulthood. I hope you'd be as great as your father in the future," said the representative. Everyone gave him a round of applause, and he went back to his table. 

Erza stood up and walked to the stage to deliver the last message. "Son, first of all, I support you on everything as well as your future decisions. Just don't forget to be humble and kind-hearted to the people around you. Love them and they will love you back. You're still young, so make as many friends, but don't be a playboy like your father," she joked and all the guests started laughing.

"Don't play the hearts of the girls you will meet. Well, you're still forbidden to have a girlfriend anyway so, I don't have to worry about that yet," she laughed. "And lastly, face all of your difficulties with courage. You will need it along the way… That is all, please enjoy the night!" Everybody cheered for the young master and they all sang happily that night.