Author note - Changed the mana core to simple mana in the last chapter. Luna formed mana and has not yet formed a mana core. Also steps in ether body will now be called stages. So instead of step 1 it will be stage 1.
Luna and Karl were standing face to face in the training ground Karl always trained in.
"You sure you will not use a sword Karl?" Kevin asked in annoyed tone.
Karl just nodded.
"Luna, I meant my words." Derek reminded Luna as he was also annoyed by Karl's behavior.
Luna was giving Karl a sorry look.
'She thinks she has already won? It would be nice lesson for her.
With my stage 1 ether body defeating a tier 0 mage will be a walk in the park.
Explaining my victory will be a problem but I can somehow get around that.
The biggest issue is how to ask for 'that' after I win.'
"Start." Kevin said in a calm yet loud voice.
Just as Kevin gave the start, Luna extended her hands towards Karl as a blue energy, which was mana, shot out of her palms towards the still figure of Karl.
"Karl you will get hurt if that hits you." Kevin spoke but Karl stood still.
The mana slowly enveloped the whole area where Karl was standing but he did not buzz.
Luna and others were shocked at the sight.
Luna because she thought Karl was hurting himself and others... for a different reason.
Luna got scared and closed her eyes as she hurriedly tried to remove the mana but got startled when she suddenly felt something touch her neck.
"I win." Karl made a playful chop on Luna's neck as he looked at her with a smile.
Luna as she opened her eyes looked at Karl in shock and then relief, relief that Karl was not harmed.
But as her father's words came to her mind, her face went pale.
She quickly turned to look at his father who, like everyone else, was looking at Karl with mouth and eyes wide open in shock.
She did not even look at their expressions and just started crying as her father's words kept ringing in her ears.
Her cries broke everyone out of their stupor as they looked at each other and then again at Karl trying to understand what had happened.
Karl himself was shocked, but unlike others who were shocked by what he did he was shocked because of Luna crying her eyes out like a little girl.
'Oh well she is a little girl. Did she get scared by just that?' Karl thought.
Karl did not think any further and hugged Luna, patting her back trying to calm her down.
Luna understanding it was Karl hugging her started crying louder.
"I-I lost." Luna uttered in between the cries.
Karl was dumb founded by her words.
'Does losing hurt that much? Maybe because she is still young.' Karl interpreted.
"Do not worry. You can work hard and win the next time."
Luna after hearing Karl's words started crying louder which startled Karl.
She continued crying which started to make Karl feel annoyed.
'Fuck, I did not think of her as the prideful type. Did I judge her wrong?
I fucking planned this whole shit for her but she is crying for losing!
Should I ditch the plan of helping her?'
As Karl was thinking, his face turning uglier by each second, he suddenly heard Derek's voice from just behind him.
"Luna, it is fine. You can still meet Karl." Derek said loudly as he caressed Luna's head which was on top of Karl's shoulder.
It took Karl a moment to understand what Derek meant and when he did, his face softened as a smile replaced his previous grimace.
After hearing Derek's words Luna's loud cries turned to a quieter sob as she started rubbing her eyes trying to wipe the tears off her face.
'So cute.' Karl admired the figure of Luna between his arms.
"Re-Really?" Luna looked expectantly at Derek still sobbing a bit.
"Yes." Derek spoke with a wry smile.
Luna's eyes widened at Derek's affirmation as she felt all the pain in her chest vanish.
The next second as she looked around, her eyes fell at Karl's face, so close that she could feel his breath, smiling at her.
She yelped and buried her face in Karl's chest as she tried to calm her heartbeat which kept getting faster.
'Damn.' Karl's heart skipped a beat at Luna's action.
Aria and Ercia smiled at Luna while Derek and Kevin stared at Karl in deep thought.
"How did he do it?" Derek asked Kevin.
"..."
Kevin kept trying to understand how such a thing happened but still failed to think of a reason.
He put his hand on Karl's head trying to feel any presence of aura or mana as he had done with Luna but sensed nothing.
"It should not be possible." Kevin said in a heavy tone.
'At least ask me so that I can shrug it off as talent why the fuck are you guys trying to play detective!' Karl cursed in his mind.
"Is this something in your bloodline?" Derek asked Kevin, making guesses.
"Even though hearth bloodline is famous for its strong physical potential, it is 'potential'. No one is born with a body to ." Kevin spoke turning towards Derek.
"Then does he.... does he have one of those?" Derek asked Kevin in a low voice.
'Those?' Karl thought trying to think of what those could mean when he suddenly felt a sharp sensation on his shoulder.
As Karl turned and looked at his shoulder he saw a cut and blood coming from there which startled him.
"It does not look like it." Kevin spoke as he took back his hands.
'Did he just cut me with aura to check my physique!?' Karl was shocked by his father's action.
"How did you do it Karl?" Kevin asked Karl as he saw him looking towards him with a betrayed gaze.
"I would have told you if you did not cut me!" Karl shouted acting hurt while inwardly he whistled at the perfect excuse he had got.
"Karl, I apologize for him. Now tell us how you did it." Derek asked.
'Shit why are you coming in between. This is not how this should have played out. Do I have no other choice than to use that plan?'
"Do what?" Karl asked tilting his head as he kept thinking of excuses.
"The fire. How were you able to stay safe inside fire. That is something one can not do unless he has aura or mana."
Derek spoke calmly and clearly as he tapped Luna's head and signaled her to step aside when she peeked at him.
"It was a method I made." Karl said, speaking the answer he had thought of if he could not dodge answering as Luna struggled out of his hug and ran towards where Aria and Ercia were standing.
"Explain the method." Derek said as he walked and stood face to face with Karl.
'Fuck I have to use the last resort. I would have preferred to not act rude in front of mine and Luna's parents but that is the only way out without spilling the beans.' Karl thought making up his mind.
"Why should I?" Karl spoke in an annoyed tone with a grimace.
"Karl! Manners!" Kevin shouted as he slapped Karl.
*smack*
Karl's face shifted another direction but he quickly looked back at Kevin.
"You all were acting as if I was too arrogant but now that I have won you just act all mighty." Karl spoke his voice cracking up and his eyes tearing as he stared back at Kevin.
'Fuck this is a bit over the top. Why are my eyes getting teary!?' Karl tried to control his tears but could not control his body.
Kevin and Derek looked at Karl and then at each other and then sighed.
"Karl, I apologize. It was my lack in judgement." Kevin said as he sat on his knees and hugged Karl.
Karl though had a straight expression, tears were coming out of his eyes.
'FUCK! TEARS! STOP!' Karl could not understand why he was crying even though he was just doing something he had already planned out.
Karl with one swipe of his hands wiped away all the tears on his face.
Luna got startled when Kevin suddenly slapped Karl but could not see Karl crying as she was standing at a distance along with Aria and Ercia .
"I also apologize Karl. It was us who were arrogant." Derek spoke with a sorry expression as he saw Karl wipe away the tears.
Karl nodded to Derek as he got out of his father's embrace.
"I am going to sleep." Karl spoke as he started walking towards the exit of the training ground.
"Karl, Luna will be going tomorrow so why don't you talk with her more?" Ercia spoke aloud to make sure Karl hears it.
"No need." Karl spoke without turning back as he continued walking.
'I can guess her misunderstanding my words but she will understand it all tomorrow. Right now I need to plan out the next step and also I don't want her to see me crying.' Karl thought as he left behind the training ground.
Inside the training ground,
Aria asked Ercia "Is he angry?".
Ercia nodded to Aria with a sad smile.
"He does not get angry a lot but when he does he stays angry for a long time." Ercia replied back.
"It is not because of you Luna! He is angry at the two of them. Do not worry, he will talk to you when you meet him in the morning." Ercia quickly added as she noticed tears forming in Luna's eyes which were already red from crying.
While Aria and Ercia were trying to calm Luna down, Derek was talking with Kevin.
"I still have no idea of how he could perform such an act but nonetheless he is a genius.
If he has actually made such a method at such a young age then he is a monster.
His confidence was justified." Derek spoke to Kevin.
"No." Kevin shook his head as he continued.
"I agree he is a genius, even greater than what I had thought but he was overconfident and ill mannered there.
It was his first real spar.
He does not even know about mana." Kevin spoke his thoughts to Derek.
"Maybe he knew. He has already proved us wrong once. I would rather ask him tomorrow than making guesses standing here." Derek spoke as he looked at Aria and Ercia hugging Luna.
"...Even if he knew he would win, life is not something to bet on. But yeah we will just have to ask him tomorrow." Kevin nodded back.
"You up for a drink? Ercia will show Aria and Luna to their rooms, though most likely Ercia and Aria will just keep gossiping whole night." Kevin spoke as he looked at Ercia and Aria trying to calm Luna down.
"Sure lets have a drink." Derek nodded as he smirked at Kevin's guess.
***
Karl was changing his clothes after bathing but his mind was still having the same thoughts he had been having since yesterday.
'Fuck do I really have to ask like that!? Something else. Please some better way.'
As Karl was thinking, he heard a knock on the door.
"Young master, duke is calling you." A butler's voice came from behind the door.
"Ok" Karl replied.
'I have been thinking the same thing since last night without even sleeping.
It is not necessarily a bad plan.
Just I might get a bit beaten before it succeeds. But the profit will be worth it.'
Karl made up his mind as he opened the door and followed the butler.
***
As Karl followed the butler he reached the training ground where he had sparred with Luna last night.
"Did you sleep well?" Derek asked with a smile as he saw Karl.
"Yes. I apologize for yesterday." Karl said with a slight bow.
"It is fine. We were the insensitive ones. After seeing what you did we forgot that we were talking to a 3 year old." Derek smiled as he gave a side eye to Kevin whose face also softened at Karl's apology.
"Karl, do you know about a mana?" Kevin asked to which Karl nodded.
"Another thing you overheard from the maids?" Kevin asked again.
This time Karl shook his head as he explained.
"I pestered big brother to tell me." Karl spoke very quietly.
"Which big brother?" Kevin asked his eyes sharpening.
Karl just looked down as if telling that he will not speak anymore.
"Was it Ralph?" Kevin asked again but Karl did not reply.
Kevin sighed at Karl's action and continued,
"Even if you knew that you will win you should never bet 'everything', we were doing the betting part as a joke it was not a matter that was to be taken so seriously." Kevin continued in a cold tone.
"I was not worried because you both were family and also because the wish has that much value." Karl spoke in a serious tone.
"Ok, say your wish. I want to know what you thought is worth as much as your life." Kevin frowned.
"...The method I used, I want you guys to give your 'complete support' as I teach that method to Luna." Karl spoke.
Kevin's frown deepened at the answer and Derek also frowned hearing Karl's words.
"Karl even if you meant good, words should not be used carelessly. Your words decide your worth." Derek spoke.
"Did you do it because of what I said yesterday?" Kevin asked as he remembered the 'talk' he had with Karl the day before.
Karl understanding Kevin's words shook his head and replied.
"No. It was not due to that. It was because... to use my method one needs to not have any mana or aura in the body." Karl spoke.
As Derek and Kevin understood Karl's words, their expressions changed but Karl continued.
"We will have to remove mana from Luna's body-" Karl could not continue as he suddenly felt all the air leave his lungs.
Next second he felt the air around him thicken and his body getting numb.
"Do you know what you are saying?" Derek asked in a low voice which made Karl's hairs stand on end.