"Greater Than the King"

Elian's Perspective

I woke up to the sound of an argument between my father and mother. It wasn't unusual, but this time, my mother's tone was different—sharper than ever before.

"We need to teach him, Celestia." My father's voice was calm yet firm.

My mother responded, her voice raised in a rare show of frustration. "He's only five, Garin! How can you expect me to let you take him away?!"

"I never said he has to leave home."

She tried to argue back, but my father continued before she could even open her mouth. "Have you ever seen anyone awaken their mana core at the age of three before?"

My mother let out a frustrated sigh. By that point, I was already out of bed, my curiosity getting the better of me as always.

"Why do they never argue calmly?" I muttered to myself before making my way to the dining table, where they sat, tension evident in their eyes.

In a soft voice, I asked, "Why are you arguing, Mother?"

She turned to me quickly, her warm smile returning as if she hadn't been shouting just moments ago. "It's nothing, dear. Come, I'll make you breakfast."

My father, however, looked directly at me, his tone serious. "What do you think, son? Do you want to start learning magic?"

"Not again, Garin!" My mother's voice rose once more.

This time, my father's gaze hardened, something I rarely saw. "Do you want me to be the reason he falls behind? To be the one who holds him back from his talent?"

My mother stared at him, searching for a response, but she couldn't find the words.

My father turned back to me, his expression unreadable. "Well, what do you think, son?"

I glanced between him and my mother, who still looked tense. I thought for a moment, trying to make sense of the situation.

"Why don't you teach me yourself, Father?"

A faint smile appeared on his face, but it didn't last long. "Because I still don't know if you're an Enhancer or a Mage."

I raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "What does that mean?"

My father ran a hand through his hair, a hint of confusion in his tone. "The mana around you… moves strangely whenever I try to determine that. It's not normal."

I looked down at my small hands. Was that a bad thing? Or a good thing?

Before I could ask more questions, my mother interrupted sharply. "That's exactly why taking him out of the house now is a terrible idea! No one must find out about him."

My father sighed, then cast my mother a long look, as if there was something he hadn't said yet. But instead of calming the discussion, their argument flared up once again.

As my parents became engrossed in their dispute, my mind wandered to various thoughts. Yet, one question stood out above all the rest: How would we determine whether I was a Mage or an Enhancer?

I lifted my head and looked directly at my father, furrowing my brows before asking firmly, "How will we find out?"

This time, his voice wasn't as neutral or dry as before. Instead, there was a hint of excitement in his eyes as he answered, "We'll go to the city of Astravin."

My mother let out a tired sigh, as if she had finally run out of arguments, but she didn't object.

Astravin? I had never heard that name before. My curiosity got the better of me as I asked, "How far is this city?"

Without hesitation, my father replied, "About a month… maybe five weeks."

I blinked in surprise, then quickly asked, "Are we walking there?!"

My father chuckled and shook his head. "Of course not. We'll be using carriages and horses."

For a moment, my heart sank. A whole month? In my previous life, we could travel between countries in mere minutes, and now, a single journey would take that long?

I looked at my parents and saw my father already on his feet, heading toward the next room. Moments later, my mother returned carrying a bag, while my father began packing our belongings.

It seemed the decision had been made. We were going to Astravin.

As we prepared for our journey, I sat down for a moment, focusing on circulating mana through all the mana veins in my body.

To my surprise, I was also able to enhance my body slightly with mana!

I could already do this a year ago…

Did this mean that I was both an Enhancer and a Mage?

Hahaha! This is incredible!

I am the Great King—I should be like this! Unrivaled! I will become the strongest!

The world better watch out! Hahaha!

---

The Next Day

We all woke up early to begin our journey. As I finished getting ready and was about to head downstairs, the sound of knocking echoed through the house.

My father quickly walked to the door and opened it. Before I could see who it was, I heard him say with a smile, "Ah, my old friend has arrived!"

The moment my eyes fell on the visitor, I immediately sensed an aura of powerful presence surrounding him.

Was this man… two meters tall?!

Yet, despite his height, he wasn't bulky. His well-proportioned, athletic build reflected both strength and discipline.

His emerald-green eyes were sharp, as if they could see through anything. His jet-black hair fell freely, yet the scattered gray strands gave him a more mature and dignified appearance.

His face was sharply defined, with a strong jawline that added to his imposing presence. He wore a dark military jacket, adorned with golden stripes across the chest and shoulders.

His high collar was decorated with silver lion claws, while the cuffs of his sleeves were embroidered with intricate golden patterns. On his left sleeve, a golden-eyed lion emblem stood out, radiating authority.

Draped over his right shoulder was a crimson cape, further enhancing his regal and commanding aura.

His trousers were simple—plain black, without any embellishments—yet they maintained his sharp, disciplined military appearance.

But what caught my attention the most was the sword hanging at his waist.

Its gleaming silver hilt bore the engraving of yet another lion—watching over everything with pride.

As soon as my mother descended from the second floor, she greeted our guest with a warm smile.

"Welcome, Adrian."

Adrian returned her smile with a slight bow, placing a hand over his chest as he replied gently,

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Lady Everin."

Then, my father's voice rang out with clear enthusiasm as he called me over.

"Come, Elian! Greet my old friend!"

I walked toward them calmly. As I approached, I offered a formal bow, one inspired by the etiquette of my past world, and spoke with polite composure.

"It is an honor to meet you, Sir Adrian. My name is Elian Everin."

When I lifted my head, I found myself standing before this towering man with sharp features and piercing emerald-green eyes.

And then, without warning—

He burst into laughter.

A deep, booming laugh that echoed through the house, making me wonder if the very walls trembled under its force.

Still chuckling, he turned to my father and said between his laughter,

"Is this really your son, Garin?!"

Shaking his head in playful disbelief, he added,

"Apologies, little one, but I never imagined Garin would father a child with such refined manners!"

My father shot him a sharp look, his voice rising in protest.

"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?!"

Adrian shook his head with a smirk, his voice filled with amusement.

"I'm certain this is Lady Celestia's doing, not yours! Hahaha!"

Then, as if remembering something, he paused for a moment before turning to me again, his tone shifting to a more formal one.

"Ah, I almost forgot to introduce myself. I am General Adrian Valmyr of House Valmyr, the military commander of the Northern Region."

I froze in place, momentarily stunned by the realization that my father personally knew someone of such high standing!

But I quickly composed myself, offering another respectful bow.

"It is an honor to meet you, General Adrian."

He waved a hand dismissively, a friendly smile tugging at his lips.

"No need for titles between us. Your father is an old friend of mine."

Once they all settled around the table, a brief silence followed before my mother spoke gently.

"We apologize for troubling you, Adrian."

Adrian raised a hand in an unconcerned gesture, offering a reassuring smile.

"Think nothing of it. In fact, I was already on my way to the northern borders anyway."

My father looked at him with serious eyes and said,

"For the general himself to inspect the borders… doesn't that seem a bit unusual?"

At that moment, Adrian's expression hardened. He cast a sidelong glance toward the window, as if contemplating something heavy. Then, in a calm yet subtly concerned voice, he replied,

"The skirmishes at the border have become more frequent."

He paused for a moment, as if the next words were heavier than he wanted to admit. Then, in a lower but sharper tone, he added,

"They've gone beyond mere nuisances… and have become provocations."

Before my father could respond, my mother interrupted, her tone firm yet warm.

"No talk of problems during meals. Eat well before we set off."

Adrian, who had momentarily seemed lost in thought, quickly returned to his usual self. He placed a hand over his chest in a gesture of gratitude and smiled.

"Thank you for the meal, Lady Celestia."

My mother let out a small sigh, setting her fork down on the table before giving him a look of half-exasperation.

"How many times have I told you to just call me Celestia normally?"

Adrian chuckled lightly, shaking his head as he said,

"And where would my respect for ladies go then?"

My mother shook her head with a small smile, while my father simply looked at his old friend with eyes filled with deep thought.

Then, placing his glass of water on the table, Adrian asked,

"Why are you heading to Astraven anyway?"

My parents exchanged a silent glance before my father gave my mother a small nod, signaling her to answer.

With a calm yet tense tone, my mother replied,

"That remains a secret for now, Adrian… but… Elian has awakened his mana core."

Adrian nearly choked on the food in his mouth, coughing violently before exclaiming in shock,

"What?! By the gods, how?!"

He quickly grabbed his glass of water and took a large gulp, then pulled out an elegantly embroidered cloth from his jacket pocket, swiftly wiping his mouth before asking in a serious voice,

"How old is the boy?"

My mother answered simply,

"Five years old."

Adrian's eyes widened in disbelief, and he muttered,

"What in the hell… A child awakening at five?"

My father chuckled, a clear spark of pride in his eyes as he said,

"Who said he awakened his mana core at five? He awakened it two years ago."

Adrian nearly choked again, coughing violently before muttering in utter disbelief,

"By the gods!! How?!"

My mother calmly took a sip of her drink before answering,

"That's why we're going to Astraven—to find out."

After finishing our meal, we stepped outside, only to find two carriages waiting for us. But what caught my attention wasn't the carriages themselves—it was the creatures pulling them.

At first glance, they resembled horses, but they were far larger than any normal steed. Their sleek, jet-black bodies gleamed under the sunlight, and a long, sharp horn protruded from their foreheads. Glowing violet lines ran across their muscular forms, pulsing faintly with an eerie light.

Their hooves, if they could even be called that, looked more like claws, giving them a fierce and intimidating presence.

Standing beside the carriages were four individuals clad in military uniforms similar to Adrian's, though less adorned. Instead of the golden lion emblem, their breastplates bore a different insignia—a silver shield with two crossed swords beneath it.

Adrian stepped forward and said,

"I want you to meet my closest men."

He gestured toward a tall, broad-shouldered man with short brown hair streaked with gray. His beard was neatly trimmed, and his cold, steel-gray eyes carried an unshakable composure.

"This is Colonel Kaedric Voss, my right hand."

Kaedric gave me a brief nod of acknowledgment, but his gaze remained sharp, as if he were carefully evaluating me.

Next, Adrian pointed to another man who appeared to be in his early forties. He had a well-proportioned, athletic build, long black hair tied back, and piercing blue eyes as sharp as drawn blades.

"And this is Colonel Valerian Croix."

Valerian seemed more at ease than Kaedric, yet he said nothing—merely offering me a measuring glance.

Then, Adrian moved on to a younger man, likely in his late twenties, with fiery red hair cascading past his shoulders and striking golden eyes that shimmered under the sunlight. His face and body were riddled with scars, as if he had emerged from countless battles.

"Captain Raynar Drogun."

Raynar smirked slightly, the kind of grin that belonged to someone accustomed to leaving an impression.

And finally, Adrian gestured toward a young woman with pale silver hair and deep olive-green eyes. A scar ran across her left cheek, yet her stern features left no room for pity.

"This is Lieutenant Luciana."

Unlike the others, Luciana didn't seem particularly interested. She merely glanced at me briefly before clasping her hands behind her back in strict military discipline.

I took a deep breath as I observed them all—these weren't just ordinary soldiers. They were the elite.

As we began loading our luggage into the carriages, I prepared to hop inside. Enhancing my body slightly with mana, I made the movement smoother and more effortless.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Lieutenant Luciana catching sight of it. Though she said nothing, a faint smirk tugged at the corner of her lips before she quickly returned to her neutral expression, as if silently taking note.

We rode in the first carriage with General Adrian, while the others took the second one.

Fortunately, I had brought a book about this continent, which would help me pass the time during the long journey.

And so, our five-week journey began—a journey that would bring far more than I had ever imagined.