Reborn As A Nephilim: The Rise of A Manaless Prince

Lykos nodded his head in agreement.

"That is a valid concern…."

Given the hostile relations between the two nations, Arvell didn't know how his former fiance would treat him.

Would she welcome him with open arms?

Or would she shun him just like his so-called family?

Arvell's eyes narrowed as he remembered his father and eldest sister's looks when he had his 13th birthday.

Being betrayed like that was something Arvell never wanted to experience again.

Especially from someone, he treasured even while their nations were at war.

Lykos knew this, so he didn't pressure Arvell to tell her. If anything, slowly probing how she felt was the best thing Arvell could do.

Worst case scenario, they could just become friends again from the start.

The reason why their engagement fell through was because of political issues, not because they were incompatible.

If anything, the two got along quite well.

'Well, that's a problem to deal with in the future.'

Arvell decided to worry about Lily later and instead focused on the present.

"That Was a wonderful fight Arvell."

Arvell heard a voice coming from his right and saw Duke Verlice smiling at him.

"Thank you for your compliments," Arvell politely bowed.

"I agree with my husband. Your ability to think on your feet is amazing for someone your age! Where did you learn this? If you don't mind me asking, of course," Duchess Verlice added.

Arvell had a conflicted expression on his face but nodded his head.

"I became like this because I had to survive in the wilderness on my own."

Duchess Verlice raised an eyebrow.

"On your own? Without help from any adults?"

Arvell nodded his head.

"You see…"

Arvell fed them his made-up backstory, which made the Verlice house look at him in a new light.

"To think you were captured as a slave… You have my condolences."

While slavery wasn't uncommon among nobles, knowing that one of their countrymen was captured as a slave for an enemy nation left a sour taste in the mouths of the Verlice family.

Moreover, Arvell was a young child.

Having to go through those experiences as a kid is too much.

Duke Verlice looked at Arvell with an appraising look.

"Even if you did train in the wilderness, the speed you showed was something else!"

James nodded his head.

"I felt like I was fighting a younger version of Angela. It was quite thrilling, to say the least."

This was precisely why Arvell wanted to avoid showing off his powers.

Because the instant he did, people would try to uncover the secrets behind his abilities.

The only thing he could do was just lie and bs his way out of it.

As long as whatever he said was believable enough, it would work.

It was a proven strategy!

"I'm just quite adept in using body strengthening magic. So while I'm pretty much useless at long range, I can fight quite well at close range."

The two still looked somewhat unconvinced but nodded their heads.

Geniuses often weren't good at explaining themselves, constantly considering their accomplishments ordinary.

They likened Arvell to one of these people.

His skills did qualify him as a genius, after all.

Arvell turned to James, who was standing behind him.

"I almost forgot the main reason for this duel. Were you able to see what kind of person I was?"

James was caught off-guard by Arvell's question, but his expression quickly turned into a smile.

"I did, and I'm impressed. You have a strong, unshakable will and the resolve to never give up, no matter how bad the situation. Having a good grasp of your strengths and weaknesses, you aren't arrogant nor conceited."

'Wow, I'd say that's a pretty good representation of your character,' Lykos commented.

'Goes to show that using your fists is an actual coherent language. Especially for battle junkies.'

'I guess you're right about that. You can learn so much from someone simply by having a nice fight.'

"First of all, let me apologize for testing you like this. I wanted to know just what kind of person you were."

Arvell shook his head.

"It's alright, I understand. Wanting to ensure that the people you care about are safe is only normal."

James let out a sigh of relief.

"Now that the two of us finished our fight, I think we should let Zen and Angela use the arena. We came all this way, so we should use it at least once more before returning."

He turned to Angela and Zen.

"Don't you two agree?"

Angela nodded her head.

"I should give Zen a few last-minute tips. The school term does start in only a few days. The two of us will be busy with student council stuff, so it's not like I'll have much time to coach him later."

Angela stood up and offered her hand to her little brother.

"How about it? Let's go a round."

"Yeah, thanks, sis."

Taking her hand, he followed his sister to the arena where he trained until Zen practically collapsed from exhaustion.

Following that, they all headed back to the Silvercolt estate for supper.

Famished from their respective fights, Arvell and Zen practically inhaled their food.

August, who fell asleep shortly before they left, also joined the group for dinner.

After stuffing himself to the brink with food, Arvell crashed onto his bed.

'The test to see how strong my newly upgraded Nether Body worked out fine in the end. It did raise some questions, though,' Arvell noted.

With the speed increase from the refining grade of his Nether Body, Arvell was considerably faster than before.

Something that managed to surprise everyone who watched their fight.

'That's to be expected. Normal children your age, aren't that fast after all.'

'It seems they have some assumptions of me being some rare prodigy. I guess that can work for now. Sigh… If only I could have laid low a little longer. It would save me from so many unnecessary headaches.'

'That is true, but without that, you wouldn't have gotten that many training resources from Duke Silvercolt. You lose some; you win some. For your purpose, this is a definite win. You may have revealed a portion of your strength, but as long as you get stronger fast enough, it won't matter in the end.'

'I guess you're right about that. I still want to stay lowkey at school, though. Getting pestered by a bunch of snot-nosed brats is something I would avoid at all costs.'

'Sigh… these snot-nosed brats are the same age as you, you know.'