Personal Progress, The Unavoidable Meeting and something sinister

I moved towards my reading desk and took a seat, dragging my hand across my face before rubbing my eyes. With a sigh loud enough to fill the room, I acknowledged the necessity of meeting with a girl later whom I would rather not disrespect but could not accept as a fiancée either.

I picked up the Tome lying on the desk in front of me, thinking I could take my mind off the unavoidable meeting while working on unlocking its next chapter. Opening the book, I flipped its pages until I reached chapter 5.

"Only 5 chapters in 3 years, huh?" I mused to myself. "But I guess the old man I talked to in the library would be shocked to know it only took 3 years. Back in the library, I unlocked a new spell from chapter 1, Area-light; 'creating a floating ball of illumination with casters mana, size and range controlled by mana amount used.' Chapters 2 through 4 made my elemental control more efficient, water, earth, fire, and wind proficiency improved vastly."

I placed my hand on the blank page that was to be chapter 6, pouring my mana into the page as I traversed to my inner mind. I found myself standing atop a lush rolling plain stretching endlessly in every direction, the sky without a single cloud, its blue color only describable as perfection. At first glance, there were no visible words or strings of unreadable gibberish. I crouched down to feel the ground, experiencing a strange sensation as my mana seemed to drain at an alarming rate. Quickly, I removed my hand, and seconds later, the grass around me rapidly grew to my height, standing 180cm tall.

With difficulty, I made my way through the thick growth of grass, stumbling upon a four-leaf clover larger than my hand. It was a token representing luck in a vibrant green, emanating a feeling of security and longevity. As I bent down to inspect the four-leaf clover, I noticed the word "Health" written on the lower stem. Plucking the oversized clover, I dragged my finger over the word.

In the blink of an eye, I found myself standing within a pine forest during twilight, the air filled with a mystique aura. Every direction I looked seemed the same, with nothing out of place to indicate any difference, as if an array of mirrors was reflecting a single point. I decided on a direction to walk in and went straight, feeling helplessly lost and confused, losing connection to time, and feeling as if days had passed. Eventually, I fell dreary, taking a seat by a pine tree and slowly drifting to sleep.

In a convulsion of my body, I awoke to find the forest transformed into a singular massive pine touching the sky. On it, the word "Regeneration" was written. I climbed the tree, reaching for the word, and as my hand made contact, I was again transported to a new location. I found myself standing waist-deep in muddy water, with no land in sight and the surface rippling from my presence. Moving was difficult in the mud-covered lakebed.

Slowly, lily pads started to appear on the water's surface as I moved around. Aimlessly, I wandered in the temperate water under the moonlit night until a light emerged from the water in the distance. Making my way over, I found a lotus flower, one of its petals bearing the word "Purity." After I touched the word, I found myself back in my room, the 6th chapter now unlocked.

On the page, just like the past chapters, a description of the improvements unlocked appeared: "Greater Heal," the second-best healing skill recorded by researchers. Prior to this, my healing skill "Heal" would only work on small cuts and bruises, to less severe lacerations, and could reattach lost fingers. With this improvement, I could now reattach entire limbs, recreate missing organs, cure poisons, and it came with a passive benefit for me: ailment and poison resistance.

"Knock, knock."

"Young Master Haruki, may I enter?" asked the head maid.

"Yes, do come in, Miss Anete."

"Your presence is expected in the garden," Head Maid Anete informed me.

I clenched my fist for a moment before taking a deep breath and exhaling. "Thank you, Miss Anete. I shall make my way there now," I replied.

I closed the Tome of Techniques before putting it inside the desk drawer. Standing up, I walked out of my room, and Miss Anete closed my bedroom door before following behind me. Walking down the stairs, I saw my father waiting.

"Don’t disappoint me, son," he retorted before walking away.

Suppressing my annoyance, I continued to the back garden where a grand marble gazebo is found. Supporting the cast iron decorated glass dome atop the gazebo stand nine carved pillars, two at the only entrance, and 7 equally spaced in a circular pattern. In the middle of the gazebo stood a round table of pink marble with 4 chairs placed in each cardinal direction.

On the south facing chair, where the entrance is, sits a young blond woman. To her right side stands one of the households’ maids. She bends down, whispering to the young lady, shortly after she stands up and faces my direction.

As I entered the gazebo, I gave a bow and introduced myself. "Greetings, my name is Haruki Aubert von Halvor, son of Duke Aubert von Halvor of the Halvor Duchy. Forgive my late arrival."

The young lady gripped the side of her dress as she bowed her head slightly, crossing her one leg behind the other while briefly bending her knee.

“Pleasure to make your acquaintance, my name is Sylvie Kettler daughter of Duke Akimitsu Kettler of the Kettler Duchy”

I walked over to the north facing chair, we both took our respective seats, and an awkward silence settled between us, broken only by the occasional chirping from the nearby rose bushes.

"What a beautiful day it is," Lady Sylvie commented, breaking the silence. "It is indeed a fine day to be out in the garden," I responded, hiding the fact that I would rather not be present.

Having a hard time thinking of something to discuss, I was hopeful that she would lead the conversation. But possibly, she had the same thought as I since neither of us were talking. However, we were saved from the awkwardness when Miss Anete arrived with tea and sweets.

"Young master, Lady Kettler, here we have some unsweetened black tea, a jar of sugar, and some small cakes and biscuits. Please enjoy," she said as she set them on the table.

"Thank you," we both responded at the same time.

With a slight grin on my face, I thought to myself “Jinx” but held back saying it aloud as it had no meaning in this world.

"These sweets are exquisite," Lady Sylvie said gleaming with joy.

I reached for the jar of sugar and put 3 teaspoons in my cup of black tea. I had noticed that Lady Sylvie hadn’t used any sugar.

"Do you prefer tea without sugar, Lady Sylvie?" I asked her with a curious tone.

"Indeed, Lord Haruki, I find it more enjoyable keeping the light bitter, malty flavor of the tea, and it contrasts well with the sweetness of the cakes and biscuits," she replied with a soft and sweet voice.

"What is your preferred sweet then, Lady Sylvie?" I asked politely.

"Recently, I came across this wonderful cake called a success tart. It's made from an almond base and has this wonderful yellow crème on top of it," she eagerly replied.

"I am familiar with it, and it is indeed quite tasty," I replied.

Before Lady Sylvie could respond, Merlin came running towards me. He jumped into my lap, frightening Sylvie. Not too long after came my little sister running, trying to catch up. She stopped when she noticed Sylvie and me but entered the gazebo when she saw Merlin on my lap.

Merlin looked up at me and said telepathically, "Master, I sensed a beastly presence nearby; it might be a strong monster."

As Merlin was trying to warn me of possible danger, I could see ripples forming in the tea cup, faint rumbling could be heard towards the fenced off forest behind the garden, and not long after we could feel the ground shake followed by a deafening screech.