''Fifth sister trained the fourth young master well.''

''Your excellency is right. To be able to use the elemental skill that is suited for a high rank swordsman, fourth young master certainly has an innate talent.''

''Of course he is. He has his excellency's blood.''

''Your excellency speaks the truth.''

The Grand duchess and the fourth madam exchanged some words, remarking about Edwin's sword that was different from moments ago. Burning flames of fire were swirling around its blade, making the sword more dangerous than before.

Such was known as an elemental skill. A skill only used by high ranked swordsmen. For Edwin to use such skill showed his innate talent as a mid-rank swordsman.

''But...fourth young lady is holding on well.'' The Grand duchess did not forget about the Raven. Truth to be told, she brought up Edwin to also talk about Raven. Edwin using elemental skill for his age and rank, wasn't anything surprising to her and the other wives.

There had been better achievements, mostly coming from the hateful child of the second madam, the wench seated quietly right by her side. Her son, the rightful heir, and the first-born child had been overshadowed by him numerous times.

Glancing to the side, her amethyst eyes caught the fifth madam biting her lower lip and glaring at the battle below.

'Ha...' The Grand duchess chuckled inwardly. The fifth madam's anger was very obvious. In all honesty, the fourth young lady should have died from the first fire elemental attack, given her weakness and all.

Yet...here she was...dodging every fire elemental attack like a cat, nimble and sharp on her feet.

'I wonder what happened...' The Grand duchess narrowed her eyed dangerously at the black-haired young lady. Even if she outwardly praised the young lady, the Grand duchess wasn't one to miss a thing. She really hoped that her worst fear had not come true...unless her son would have two obstacles to the Grand duke's seat.

''Sixth sister has given us sisters a wonderful surprise.'' The Grand duchess shifted her gaze back to the side, but a different person.

The sixth madam who has always been quiet and indifferent.

''...Your excellency gives this sister too much praises.'' Even her reply was the same. That tone of indifference could never be hidden. Such tone always displeased the Grand duchess, but compared to the other wives of the Grand duchess, the sixth madam was much easier to deal with, given her lowly background.

''Well, I am speaking the truth.'' Knowing that she couldn't get anything from the sixth madam, the Grand duchess gave up on saying more words, lest she embarrassed herself. The sixth madam was different from the fifth madam. Unlike her usual impassive face, the anger was very apparent on the fifth madam's face.

'If I wanted any of these two to win...' The Grand duchess zoned her eyes on the black-haired young lady nimble on her feet. '....I'll choose her.' Unlike the fourth young master, the fourth young lady had no family background, making her much easier to be dealt with.

As long as that power remained dormant within her, there was nothing significant about the fourth young lady. She was that worthless without that power.

Meanwhile, the sixth madam was quite pleased that the Grand duchess was not looking for her trouble. Towards this flamboyant woman, she had no time to be an entertainment, when her daughter was surprising her greatly.

'Something definitely happened...' There was no one who knew her daughter best other than herself. Even if she held no care towards her flesh and blood, that did not mean she had always been indifferent.

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Towards her long termed goal, her daughter had been a major key. However, she had stopped holding expectations since the repeated failures she had always received from her daughter.

But...now was different.

Those nimble-like moves of a killer...her daughter did them so perfectly without flaws, just like Lily. Ruby eyes that held pleasure...excitement, and vigilance...during the battle that many leaned more to her expecting death....was this really her weak daughter?

Her daughter, right now, resembled what she had always wanted. A perfect child of the Langston that would take over from the Grand duke.

'That elite slave...' The sixth madam recalled what lily had always reported to her about her daughter. Raven had always been training with her elite slave. It seemed her daughter had a really great foresight about the elite slave.

Perhaps she didn't need to worry about a tutor anymore.

'I'll just watch...' The sixth madam decided to watch and see the progress of her daughter....from that weak and worthless child to this child that she was staring at right now.

****

The weak and worthless child at the moment had a bored frown on her lips. In her heart, she complained about this elder brother vehemently. He wasn't cute anymore!

''Whoops...'' Dodging the trajectory of flames, Raven was quick on her feet to a safe side inside the barrier. Her ruby eyes took in the red-faced Edwin, who was breathing and also sweating heavily.

'You're tired...' Raven took note of that. At the same time, this tiredness displeased her more. She had more expectations from this fight, yet her opponent seemed as if he would faint any second.

'Well...this shows the information I received from that old man was accurate...' Raven thought back to the information that she had received from the old man in that shop. Since she had won against Damon, the old man's head was now in the palm of her hands. After delivering evidence that she had indeed gotten Damon under control, she asked the old man for information about swordsmaship.

Her battle had been the next agenda on her list. Edwin was a swordsman, and she needed to know everything about him. According to the original owner's memories, Edwin was a mid-rank. The brat had always loved to brag about it, so it wasn't something that was secretive, unlike the other siblings of the Langston family.

In this world...or novel, Outwardly and unique abilities were not strange. However...to obtain them and have the abilities under control was very difficult.

Like a swordsman.

After a swordsman was a swordsmaster, and after a swordsmaster was an auramaster. These three are the main ranks in swordsmanship. An auramaster is the highest rank of its caliber.

However, auramasters were very rare in the empire. Swordsman and Swordsmaster were the common ones in the empire.

What these three have in common was a channeling core called aura.

The true life force and energy of the abilities of a swordsman, swordsmaster and an auramaster. This aura must be absolutely under control, unless a swordsman could never progress much to a swordsmaster, and a swordsmaster could never progress to an auramaster.

'But he doesn't seem to have his aura under control...' Raven eyed Edwin, who was catching his breath with his sword still in flames. The fight probably had not lasted for an hour, yet Edwin seemed like he would drop to the ground any second.

'So disappointing...' Raven clicked her tongue. With Edwin's arrogance, she expected more, but her fourth elder brother was definitely more like a toothless tiger.

''S-S...'' Raven watched as Edwin struggled to utter his words. ''S-Stay still!" Getting a hold of his speech, he directed the flames of fire towards her again...something he has been doing for some time now.

At first, she had been so startled yet excited with the unexpected appearance of the flames. Her heart had thumped heavily against her chest, expecting more surprises to come from Edwin. Her fingers even got burnt as she had narrowly escaped that sudden attack.

But...she cared nothing about it. All her senses had been concentrated on the battle. Edwin's attack had awoken her instincts, and she had been relying on them to survive the attacks.

But now....she didn't even need her instincts to survive the attacks from Edwin. Unlike before, Edwin was slower. Just by looking at his hands, she could predict when he would the flames to attack her.

It was such a boring battle. Her expectations had long turned into disappointment. The battle she had with Damon was more interesting than this. Even Damon that did not have a flashy skill...or had, but did not use it, Raven still preferred him as an opponent over her brother.

At least...he had been a good test subject. The battle with him had made to know of her limits in this body. Edwin, on the other hand, her next test subject was so poor.

She was tired...but not as tired as she had been with Damon. This was the evaluation of Edwin in Raven's opinion.

Very poor of him.

'Let's rile him up...' Raven had not yet given up. She must work this elder brother of hers to the core as a test subject. She must know her limit in this weak body of hers!

''Is this all fourth elder brother can do?'' Edwin's fatigued figure reflected in her gleaming eyes like ruby ''After all that fourth elder brother bragged to everyone, this younger sister is quite disappointed.''

'Come on Edwin...show me more...' Her ruby eyes glinted in desire. 'Show me what I desire right now.'

Be a better test subject than her new subordinate Damon.