Over the next three years, Quinus continued to play with the young Percy and his friends.

Wina was still the nanny for the Prince and his secret bodyguard. She would take the children out to the city with a few Royal Knights.

***

Alaric wasn't happy about his nephew's extremely fast development and how everyone was saying he was a genius. And to make matters worse, he kept getting reports about Marcus's behavior. The boy was causing problems with failed stunt after failed stunt. The other nobles were talking about him trying to upstage his cousin. The one stunt that got House Revelia in the most trouble was when Marcus went into a labyrinth and got four students killed.

Alaric knew that if something didn't change then he would have to take responsibility for it. So he brought Marcus back to the capital to have a word with his son.

***

They were in Alaric's study. Marcus was 14 years old at the time.

"Father."

"Marcus."

"Why did you order me to come home? I doubt that you want to congratulate me for my success in the Serpent's Labyrinth."

His father wasn't happy about the way he handled himself, that much was clear.

"I heard about your escapades in the labyrinth," Alaric said, trying to keep his anger down.

"That? Oh, it was nothing, Father. I was lucky to have loyal comrades who chose to protect me. Besides, it was a lesson." Marcus said, playing ignorant.

"A lesson?" Alaric snapped.

"Yeah, a lesson for the weak. And a reminder of the strong. I am the strong one and the true heir to the throne, Father," Marcus boasted.

"Oh! Are you, now?" Alaric said with annoyance.

"Of course, Father. I'm the only one worthy. Unlike that weakling cousin of mine. That's why I must kill him."

Alaric stood up from his desk.

"What?! Are you mad?!"

"I'm not. I'm simply doing what's right," Marcus said with a glare.

"Those were our allies', children, Marcus! If we lose the lower nobles then you can kiss any chance of the throne goodbye!"

"Allies?! HA! Those were sheep. Sheep are meant to be slaughtered. Only the strong are allowed to survive."

"Enough of your nonsense! I hoped you would learn some humility. But it seems you haven't learned a thing."

"I've learned enough. I'm keeping my fake smile in front of the nobles, Father. It's not my fault that those other wannabe mages couldn't survive the labyrinth. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have things to do before I can head back to the Academy," Marcus said and was about to leave.

"I think not," Alaric said as his hand reached out and grabbed his son's wrist.

Marcus turned and glared at his father.

"Let go of me."

"Not until you understand the gravity of our situation. I've been doing everything that I can to get back in the good graces of your uncle. And I can't have you going maverick. We were going to be executed the day when three assassins tried to kill your cousin. It was a miracle that your Uncle, King Cyndre, was merciful enough to spare our lives that day, Marcus. Our only punishment was being fined and I was demoted to a Duke. But I've done well, I've kept the faith, and the support of the nobles, while regaining the trust of the King over these long four years. But he could change his mind and have us executed. Is that what you want?" Alaric said in a stern tone. While leaving out the truth about how the Marquess was the one to have saved them.

"Like I haven't been punished myself? I was demoted too Father! Don't act like you were the only one!... Is this the reason you summoned me here? To yell at me and tell me about your failures?" Marcus said.

"My failures? Do you know the sacrifices I've made, the risks I've taken, and the danger I've put my family in? All because I wanted what was best for you! You don't think I haven't tried to kill Quinus? That I haven't tried to poison the Queen so she couldn't bear children and tried to prevent him from being born? That I didn't try to hire an assassin to kill him? I tried everything Marcus and we lost! If you want the throne you have to be smart and patient more than ever. Because your uncle will look for any opportunity to end us if he catches wind of our treachery. If you want to succeed, then you have to understand your limits and the limitations of your actions. So no, you will not go back to the Academy. Not until I can trust you to behave and not jeopardize the second chance we've been given," Alaric said with a glare.

Belial was listening in on their conversation.

'Fine! I'll show you, Father. I'll show you that I can be more discreet and cunning. If I want the Kingdom under my control, then I'll need to find a way to control them.' Marcus thought to himself as he pulled his hand out of his father's grasp.

"Fine. Whatever. It's not like it matters anyway," Marcus said with a scoff.

"It does matter. Our lives depend on it. And there is another issue."

"What?"

"First, the nobles are beginning to question your leadership skills and abilities. They fear you're too reckless. Secondly, it is your cousin's birthday. So to quiet these rumors, I'm having you come with me and we're going to be nice and respectful to all the nobles and that little brat. And if anyone questions you, you will tell them that it was all a mistake and that you didn't know what you were thinking. And you will be friendly to your cousin. So your uncle and the other nobles can see that you are not a threat."

Marcus looked at his father in surprise. He thought he wasn't allowed to go near his cousin. But now he was going to go with him to the palace.

That was one of the main reasons he snuck into the Serpent's Labyrinth. He wanted to capture a Crystal Python. And what made them tricky to find was their natural ability to be transparent. The only way to see them is if there was a bright light which would make some of their scales reflect a little bit.

Marcus found one and was able to capture it.

The Crystal Python is an uncommon monster and they are a very valuable alchemy ingredient. But more importantly, they were venomous. Marcus had big plans to sneak the Crystal Python into the palace in hopes of having it attack the Prince on his birthday.

'Perfect! I can make sure my gift from the labyrinth can kill him. Now I can make sure Albert can sneak the Python inside the palace, without waiting to get an update from him. I just need to make sure this doesn't get traced back to me.' Marcus thought to himself as he tried not to smirk.

"Whatever," Marcus said.

"I hope you won't disappoint me."

"Like how you disappointed me? Tsk! Fine, I promise that I will be the model noble during my time at the palace... Now, will you let me go?"

"I will. But don't think I won't have my men watching you," Alaric warned.

"Whatever," Marcus said, annoyed as he turned and walked away.

As soon as Marcus was gone, Alaric rubbed his temples.

"Damn brat. I don't know why I sacrifice so much for you," Alaric muttered.

Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

***

Quinus was training with Lady Nelumbo.

She was teaching him the basics of sword fighting. Mathew only likes to train those who have mastered the basic forms of self-defense and can wield a weapon without hurting themselves before training them in mana channeling.

"Now, remember, always keep your stance firm. Don't lose your balance. Balance is important. Your Highness."

Quinus was sweating and panting a bit as he was halfway through his training.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good. You're picking it up quickly. And you have good form. Remember to keep the tip of the blade pointed forward. It's going to help you when you parry. And always keep an eye on your opponent. Don't look at your weapon, don't look at the floor, but look at their eyes and their stance."

"Yes, ma'am," Quinus said as he did a set of exercises that involved him swinging his wooden sword three times before going into a defensive stance.

"And always have your back straight. If you don't, it will make you tired faster. It's easy to let your form get sloppy when you're tired, so never let your form slacken," Nelumbo instructed.

Quinus was sweating a bit as his arms and legs were aching from the constant swings and the exercise.

'Fuck me! I wish I had done something in martial arts before I was reincarnated. This sucks,' Quinus thought as his almost 5-year-old body was being trained by a 32-year-old woman who had the body of a fitness trainer.

Once Lady Nelumbo was satisfied with this set she then instructed Quinus to do his cardio session with horizontal swings and then followed them up with vertical swings. He repeated it several times.

"Don't stop. Keep your feet moving. Move your hips as well. That will help you keep your momentum."

But even with Quinus's internal complaining, he was surprised by how natural it felt to him to wield a sword.

'Huh, I'm actually enjoying this. Maybe my body has a gift for swordsmanship or something?'

Quinus's thought was proven correct as he found himself quickly catching on to the forms and stances that Lady Nelumbo was demonstrating, and he found it much easier to copy her.

So he kept swinging his practice sword. As his form continued to get better by the minute.

"Good. Very good. Now, let's switch it up. Let's practice on the wooden dummies," Lady Nelumbo instructed.

"Alright," Quinus said, feeling the burning sensation in his muscles.

Nelumbo walked over to a corner of the training room. She demonstrated how she wanted him to strike the wooden dummy.

"Hmm, let's start with the diagonal attack. Hiyagh!" Lady Nelumbo said as she struck the dummy, making it vibrate with the power and grace of a seasoned warrior.

'Wow, that's a beautiful swing. She's good,' Quinus thought.

"Now you try," Lady Nelumbo ordered.

"Yes, ma'am," Quinus replied with a respectful nod before taking his stance in front of the dummy.

"And... swing," Lady Nelumbo said and Quinus did his best.

"Good. Keep it up, your Highness, but remember, keep your legs a shoulder's length apart. You don't want to fall over."

"Yes, ma'am."

Quinus swung his practice sword several more times and he was sweating a lot.

'It feels like I've been training for hours,' Quinus thought as his dark red hair stuck to his sweaty forehead.

"You're doing great, Your Highness. You put our 15-year-old squires to shame," Nelumbo encouraged.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now, let's switch it up. This time, practice the horizontal swings and vertical strikes on your target."

"Yes, ma'am," Quinus replied and began attacking the dummy. Even though he was wearing gloves his hands were starting to hurt and felt like they were ready to blister a little.

"Good, keep up the momentum. Don't slow down."

'I can do this!'

"And... stop," Lady Nelumbo said after 10 minutes of him hitting the wooden dummy.

Quinus collapsed to his knees and he was breathing heavily.

"Good. You're making progress. I have to say you might get a chance to go monster hunting in a year from now, at this rate, your Highness," Lady Nelumbo said as she gave him some water.

"Thank you," Quinus said gratefully as he chugged the water.

Lady Nelumbo looked at the child with an emotionless face. But on the inside, she was impressed by his stamina and his skill.

'He's the fastest learner I've ever trained. If only the other children were this gifted. Then no one would dare try to invade our kingdom,' Lady Nelumbo thought.

Lady Nelumbo is the second daughter of a minor noble family.

She's one of the strongest female fighters in the Kingdom of Fiafyr and is an expert with the rapier and a long sword. She's also the instructor for the female knights and some squires. No one was as advanced as Quinus was as a five-year-old boy and he was becoming her star pupil.

She wasn't expecting such high skill from a child his age and was starting to believe that he could have a Demi-god-ranked mana vein. It was hard to measure such things. However, the tall tail signs of having a stronger mana vein correlated with a better ability to learn and a quicker development of muscle memory. And Quinus was already showing these signs.

King Cyndre came into the room to see how his son was doing.

"Lady Nelumbo, what are your thoughts about my son? Do you believe he could be a Maja?" King Cyndre asked.

Lady Nelumbo gave him a respectful bow and said, "In time, My King, I believe he could. We'll see after he starts absorbing mana."

"And do you believe he has the gift of an Elite mana vein?" King Cyndre asked with a bit of hope in his voice.

"I don't want to promise anything, Your Majesty, but from what I can tell the young Prince has the potential." Lady Nelumbo said in a confident voice.

"I see. Well, you should finish up Quinus. You need to get ready for your birthday party. Or your mother will have both our heads," King Cyndre said with a smile.

Quinus grimaced when he thought about dressing up for his fifth birthday party. For some reason, every fifth year of a child's birthday they have a big party and a lot of nobles would be there to witness it.

"Yes, Father."

Lady Nelumbo nodded her head.

"That's enough for today, your Highness. Go and enjoy your fifth birthday. It only happens once... Tomorrow we'll be focusing on hand-to-hand combat," Lady Nelumbo instructed and the young boy nodded.

'Well, this is my second time around, but who would believe me?'

Quinus gave his instructor a bow before following his father.

"How are your studies coming along?"

"It's alright, father. I like learning about history, geography, and magic."

"What about mathematics and economics?"

"I'm... Tolerating it," Quinus said with a grimace.

"Haha, well, just hang in there. When you're older, you'll have a better appreciation for it. I promise."

'Haah... I hated it in my first life. I doubt I'll like it any better in this one. I hope that this world has calculators. Or I'll have to hire an Artificer to make one,' Quinus thought.

King Cyndre chuckled.

"You don't look so happy about that," King Cyndre teased.

"I understand the logic, Father. But I don't like the idea of going through a mountain of paperwork just to find out someone was skimming money from me or a merchant was sneaking in merchandise to avoid tariffs," Quinus said with a disgusted look.

King Cyndre patted his head.

"Well, it may not be as exciting as going on an adventure or slaying monsters. But it's important work," King Cyndre said.

Quinus sighed.

"No, you've mistaken me, Father. I don't wish to go on adventures or slay monsters. I wish to be an architect and an engineer," Quinus said as he corrected his father.

"Oh?" King Cyndre said with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah. I have ideas that can change the way we live and help the standard of living advance. Not just for us but also for the people of our kingdom. It's going to be amazing."

Cyndre was taken aback by his son's answer. When he was around Quinus's age he dreamed about slaying a dragon or conquering a revealed kingdom. Not solving the housing problem or the transportation problems that the kingdom was having.

"He must have more of his mother's side in him," Cyndre muttered under his breath.

"What was that, Father?"

"N-Nothing! I was just thinking that it sounds ambitious, my son."

"It is. I've read some architecture books and there are things we can build. It can improve the standard of living and it can make our lives easier," Quinus said.

Cyndre grimaced as he knew that being the King wouldn't allow him to do those things.

"That's an interesting choice, but you need to focus on your training. You are my only heir and I would like for you to become a strong knight to lead our people in their time of need," Cyndre said.

'Is father trying to say that I won't be able to be an engineer? I fucking knew it. Haah... Only if I had an older brother or sister then I could probably pursue my dreams. First-world problems, I guess.'

Quinus gave a defeated sigh and Cyndre smiled.

"I'm sorry, my son, but that is the fate that has been given to you. I wish for you to become the greatest Knight and King in our Kingdom and unite our people. That's what a king should do. Just hire someone to be the minister of infrastructure to build what you want my son."

'Why hire someone when I can do it better? Why can't I be an engineer? Dad isn't going to let me... FUCK!'

"Yes, Father," Quinus said while hiding his disappointment.

'I'm not giving up. There may be a chance. I just need to be okay with not getting it in this life. But I won't give up. I love building stuff and Dad is going to have to deal with it in the future.'

"Good," King Cyndre said as a butler approached him.

"Her Majesty is getting... a little impatient. I recommend you get ready, Your Highness," the Butler said.

"Alright. Thank you... Well, we'll have to finish this conversation later, my son," King Cyndre said as he ruffled his son's hair. "Don't keep your mother waiting and wear the clothes she picked out for you."

"She owes me if I have to put on those ridiculous things," Quinus said.

The royal family had to wear a certain style of clothes on special occasions.

Cyndre chuckled.

"Well, just think, this is the last time you'll have to wear it until your 10th birthday."

Quinus sighed in defeat as his father wasn't going to help him.

"Okay," Quinus said quietly.

"See you at the party," King Cyndre said and went off to meet his wife.

"Ugh," Quinus groaned and walked back to his room to take a bath and get dressed.