Reborn As Noble

Garius waved his back hand, a lazy, dismissive flick. The air behind him shimmered.

Marcellus’s eyes widened. He slammed both palms together and activated his full defensive array. Hundreds of interlocking circles spiraled into existence around him, each one layering over the next, forming a complex, shimmering barrier.

The circles rotated in opposite directions, weaving a cocoon of raw, concentrated mana. It gleamed like polished crystal, catching the light in dazzling refractions. Marcellus didn’t just wait behind it. He thrust one palm forward, firing a concentrated lance of raw mana into the incoming attack, splitting the brunt of the blast before it could fully connect.

The barrier caught the shattered remnants, absorbing the dispersed force with a deep, resonant hum. The mana cocoon flickered, cracks spider-webbing across its surface from the strain, but it held. Marcellus gritted his teeth, pouring more mana into the array as the last fragments dissolved against it.

Cedric planted his wooden sword into the ground and raised his free hand. A paladin defensive circle flared to life beneath his feet, its runes burning with pure white light. Golden scripture spiraled upward around him as he summoned his paladin great shield.

The shield materialized in his grip, massive and radiant, its surface engraved with holy symbols that pulsed with divine energy. He slammed it forward, deflecting the incoming attack with a resounding clang. The impact sent a shockwave rippling outward before he twisted his body and slammed the shield again, then again, each strike precise and powerful, repelling the golden magic before it could reach him. ℴ

Aelius flicked a gold coin into the air with his thumb. The coin spun upward, glinting in the morning light as he nudged his glasses up the bridge of his nose. A magic circle formed beneath his feet, glowing with golden runes that spiraled outward in perfect geometric patterns. He extended his palm, and his special weapon materialized in a flash of light.

The Golden Abacus.

A beautiful, intricate instrument, its frame forged from pure gold, its beads carved with miniature runes that glowed faintly with power. His fingers moved across the beads with blinding speed, counting, calculating, adjusting. Each bead he touched sent a pulse of mana outward, intercepting the incoming attacks one by one.

The golden magic shattered against his counters, dissolving into harmless motes of light.

Heres snapped his foldable fan open and spun it in a wide arc. A barrier of wind and sharpened air currents formed around him, deflecting the attack just enough to send it spiraling off course.

Meanwhile, Javier stood off to the side, arms crossed, watching the duel with a calm, appraising gaze. He grinned as Marcellus unleashed his full power, nodded approvingly when Cedric’s shield deflected the incoming attack, and tilted his head as Aelius calculated each counter on his abacus.

Then his eyes widened.

His father’s golden magic streaked toward him, not one attack, not two, but a dozen woven together in a complicated, twisting pattern. Far more than what any of his other brothers had received.

”Eeeekkk!!!”

Javier leaped. He sidestepped mid-air with a sharp twist of his body, then jumped again, spinning through the air as the attacks carved through the space he had just occupied. He streaked golden mana across his palms and fired counter after counter while still moving, deflecting the ones that got too close.

”Why do I get more than the others!? This isn’t fair! Marcellus had one attack! Cedric had one! Why do I get a whole barrage!?”

He ducked under a streaking lance of golden light, spun around another, then flipped backward as two more converged on him from opposite sides. He landed on one hand, kicked off, and summoned a floating sword to intercept a third blast.

Javier caught a glimpse of his father’s face. Garius was smirking. His lips moved, forming silent words.

This is what you get for running away yesterday~

”Eeeppp!! Focus on the others too, Fatherrr!!!”

Marcellus and Cedric exchanged a glance. Then they turned toward Aelius and Heres, who were already looking at them. The four of them slowly shifted their gaze toward their father.

Garius was still standing in the same spot, arms crossed, his smirk wide and relaxed. His right eye glowed as he launched wave after wave of golden magic toward Javier, each attack woven into an intricate, twisting pattern. He looked completely at ease, like a man enjoying a particularly good morning.

Marcellus turned back to Cedric.

”So? We done?”

Cedric shrugged, watching another volley of golden light streak past them toward their youngest brother.

”Don’t know.”

Aelius nudged his glasses up, reached into his beach trunks, and pulled out a small handkerchief. He held up his Golden Abacus and carefully wiped the polished surface, cleaning off the faint smudges left from his earlier counters, working with slow, deliberate care.

Heres blinked, his fan still open in his hand, watching their father keep launching magic at Javier with growing confusion.

Javier kept running, leaping, and twisting across the field. He deflected some attacks with his bare hands, countered others with rapid-cast magic, and sprinted toward Marcellus, grabbing him by the shoulders and yanking him up as a shield.

”O... oi!!! Let me go!” Marcellus shouted, his arms flailing.

”No! You be my shield!” Javier shouted back, holding him firmly in place.

The two golden missiles that had been chasing Javier curved sharply, arcing upward into the sky. They climbed higher and higher, then turned, locked onto their target with unerring precision.

Javier’s eyes widened. He glanced over his shoulder, watching the missiles twist in mid-air and dive straight toward his back.

”What is this!? Heat-seeking missile!? No... Javier-seeking missile!!?”

He released Marcellus, shoving him aside, and bolted across the field. The golden orbs chased after him, curving in perfect synchronization, their glowing trails slicing through the air as Javier screamed and kept running.

”Faaaathhheeeerrr!!! This is cheating! Magic isn’t supposed to have a personal grudge!!!”

Garius’s laughter echoed across the field, deep and warm.

”You ran away yesterday, my boy. Now you’ll learn the consequences~”

( End Of Chapter )