Chapter 30: Clan final trial (1)

It was finally the day before the last trial of the royal clan. Julius walked out of his room with a towel around his waist.

Even if it had only been a few months, he was looking even better than when he first came.

He had visible developing muscles all around his body. Even his skin had become more refined over time.

The maids greeted him as he passed, and upon getting to the bathroom, he saw a line of maids waiting in front of the door.

"Why are you all here?" he asked with a nonchalant face.

At first, the maids were stunned by his appearance, but they managed to compose themselves.

Julius could clearly see some other maids smiling in the background as he glanced at all of them.

"Her Highness is currently using this bathroom," one of the maids said with a clear voice, and Julius raised a brow.

"Sasha?" he asked, and the maid nodded in response.

Julius walked into the bathroom after that, and the maids seemed shocked to see him go in despite knowing his elder sister was inside.

The bathroom was huge as usual, and the blue ambient crystals lighting the place made it feel cooler than normal. He looked into the pool to see a figure swimming inside, and he went over to use the showers.

A beautiful young woman with long green hair emerged from the water to hear the sound of running water, and she frowned.

"Who's there?!" she shouted as she turned to the curtains, behind which a man was bathing.

"Don't panic, it's only me," Julius responded calmly, and Sasha smiled as she heard his voice.

"Julius! You came to bathe with me like old times," she said excitedly as she got out of the water and grabbed her towel.

"No, I just wanted to soak in the pool. I'll wait till you're done," Julius said, and then he heard footsteps coming his way.

Sasha peeked behind the curtain to see him with a towel around his waist, looking at her with a stare.

"Ah. How did you?" She frowned as she saw that his towel was on. "We can bathe together though."

She smiled.

Julius only shook his head and then rubbed her hair.

"They didn't teach you in the human royal tower. You're already a woman now, so no more childish things," Julius said before closing the curtains on her, and Sasha looked sad as her brother's words played in her head over and over again.

Julius could tell her mood was down, and he decided to visit her after he soaked in the pool for a while.

...

After having his bath and clearing his head, he walked over to her room, which wasn't far from his.

He got there to see her on her bed sleeping, and then he went to sit next to her.

He caressed her silky green hair and let out a sigh as he glanced out of the window.

"Sorry about my words earlier. I was trying to make you understand that we're adults now, and we should behave like adults," he said in a low voice, and he opened up the grimoire and began to read the contents while he stayed by her side.

Sasha turned around and hugged his waist, and Julius looked at her to see a sad face, then smiled.

"So you were awake?"

She responded with a slight nod, and Julius sighed as he knew why she was like this.

"Forget about it. You know that it wasn't your fault that I went through all that," he said, putting the grimoire away and looking at her.

Sasha looked at him, then squeezed her fists and snuggled closer to him.

"You nearly got assassinated multiple times. And the triplets often bully you. If I was around—"

"Enough. Relax. It's all in the past now," Julius flashed a smile at her.

"How was the royal tower?" he asked, and she then began to answer him bit by bit.

Slowly, she began to feel free around him, and they stayed together until nightfall.

Sasha arrived at his room together with him, and the first thing they saw was a black piano sitting in the corner. Julius walked over to it.

"You said you spent a lot of time learning how to play?" Sasha raised a brow.

Julius found her cute in her light outfit and her messy hair too. He nodded towards her before positioning himself in front of the piano, and his fingers finally landed on the keys.

From the start, Sasha became shocked as she suddenly fell in love with the tune of the song he played at that moment.

It was a song Julius knew too well on Earth, and now he was playing it for his sister.

She felt the urge to tear up as she listened to his musical masterpiece, and she fell to the ground and started crying.

Julius finally ended the song and turned around to see his sister crying on the ground, and he went towards her and helped her up.

"Is something wrong?" he asked with care in his voice, and Sasha shook her head.

"That was the best sound I've heard in a long time. Who taught you how to play, seriously?" she asked with a pout, and Julius smiled.

"Actually, I learned it on my own," he said with an awkward smile, and then in the shadows, a man wearing red armor shook his head.

"No one gets that good without proper training," he said and folded his hands.

He seemed to be there, but at the same time undetectable by the two royal children in front of him.

"I was thinking the same thing," a woman's voice came from behind him, and the brown-haired man looked beside him to see a woman who wore a white, sexy attire with a blindfold around her eyes.

"If he learned on his own, it means he's a genius. Alas, he's going to Midgard Academy of Magic," she clicked her tongue.

"He could play for the church."

The knight in red armor said nothing and only smiled at the woman's words.

...

After that day, Julius got prepared the next day very early with a foldable bow strapped behind his waist and a quiver of arrows on his back.

He also held his Ninjato in his hand, the same one his uncle gave him, in a sheath, and he walked down to the training fields again.

'I would've loved to partake in the second trial two days ago. The dungeon exploration trial,' he sighed.

Dungeons in this world are quite the hazard. They come mostly in the form of a rift or a portal which can appear at any place and at any time.

Having soldiers and final bosses, they had quite the adventure with dungeons in the novel.

"I've skipped that because of my arm. The final challenge is a battle royale. And I'm sure River will be there."

The same magic carpet was used to carry them over to another forest location with lights around the place.

Julius tightened his grip on the Ninjato which his uncle fixed for him. The atmosphere was electric as the other young contenders filled the field, each eyeing one another with caution and barely-contained aggression.

Above them, the royal family and a council of high-ranking officials looked down from the floating platform, their gazes sharp and judgmental. A low hum of magic reverberated through the forest as protective wards and barriers sealed in the space, ensuring no one left unscathed.

As the bell tolled to mark the start, a thick mist began to pour into the field, reducing visibility and cloaking the arena in an ominous shroud.

Julius's pulse quickened. He could sense something off, something other than just the looming threat of his opponents.

'There are beasts here too. This will be quite difficult.' He thought as he uncharted his blade.

From within the haze, he caught sight of River who had a cold expression, his aura flaring with raw power. He met Julius's gaze through the mist and drew his sword, a dark gleam in his eyes.

But then, just as Julius prepared himself, the ground beneath him trembled, followed by a sudden, deafening roar that cut through the tension like a blade.

A figure emerged, casting a large shadow in the fog—a creature with burning eyes and a body cloaked in jagged armor.

Julius looked to the side and noticed it and he frowned.

'Its fast!' he jumped backwards as he saw it.

"Well, well… I didn't expect them to throw a real monster into the mix," River said with a soft chuckle from the shadows, his voice dripping with amusement.

The horn blared, and with a single word, the master Ragner's voice thundered through the entire space.

"Begin!"

Julius barely had time to take a breath before the beast lunged, and the battle royale erupted into chaos.