Chapter 203: Chapter: 202 Making a breakthrough.[1]

"Phew...what a tiring and useless day..."

Nathaniel muttered those words while leaning back in his chair with the exhausted face of a man who had already lost against life itself.

Right now, he was alone inside his office.

Tall shelves filled with documents surrounded the room while the evening sunlight slowly entered through the large windows behind him.

Papers were stacked everywhere across the desk in front of him like tiny mountains created purely to destroy his happiness.

Normally servants would come and go to help organize things, but Nathaniel hated people disturbing him while he worked.

So the entire office was silent except for the sound of papers flipping and his occasional miserable sighs.

"I don’t even know how my life turned out like this..." He grabbed another document, signed it quickly, then threw it onto another pile with dead eyes.

"There’s Eli...then there’s Kat..." A strange smirk slowly appeared on his face.

A very self-satisfied smirk. The kind old men made when remembering their glorious youth.

"Both of them are completely in love with me..." For two whole seconds, Nathaniel felt proud.

Then reality returned. "...Which is actually terrible." His face immediately became tired again.

After all, this was not a situation any sane man wanted to deal with. He could not tell Elizabeth that her own younger sister was secretly in love with her husband.

And worse...He could not even reject Kathlyin anymore.

Or more accurately...He did not have the courage to reject her. Nathaniel still remembered the first time he tried many years ago.

At first, Kathlyin cried...Not normal crying either. She cried like the world had ended.

Her tears were everywhere. Holding his sleeve dramatically while asking why fate was so cruel.

At the time, Nathaniel actually felt guilty. He thought maybe after some time she would recover from heartbreak and move on peacefully.

What a stupid thought that was. Because after crying for nearly an hour...Kathlyin suddenly stopped.

Then she wiped her tears. Then she smiled. And then she beat him so badly he almost met his ancestors.

Nathaniel still remembered flying through three walls that day.

"She said she didn’t care if I rejected her..." Nathaniel muttered while rubbing his forehead painfully just from remembering it.

"She even said she felt guilty toward her sister...but she still refused to give up..."

And the worst part? Kathlyin had apparently decided the perfect solution was simply sharing him.

Nathaniel still remembered hearing those words while half-buried inside a broken building.

At the time, he genuinely wondered if he had finally gone insane.

"Though..." Nathaniel sighed deeply, "...she still doesn’t have the courage to actually tell Elizabeth."

Honestly, that was probably the only reason the world was still peaceful.

"Haaah...what a messed up life..." He grabbed another document weakly and continued working.

Just like that, the room stayed quiet for a few more seconds.

Then....The sound of footsteps echoed outside the office. Nathaniel paused slightly.

Before he could even raise his head properly.....THUD!

The office door suddenly closed loudly.

Nathaniel looked up immediately and froze.

A woman stood there calmly near the entrance. She had a gentle smile on her face.

Her eyes curved into soft crescent shapes while her lips carried that familiar dangerous smile Nathaniel knew far too well.

To normal people, her expression looked warm and beautiful.

To Nathaniel? It looked like the final warning before disaster. His soul almost left his body instantly.

"...Kat?" he asked carefully. His voice already sounded nervous. "What are you doing here?"

Kathlyin kept smiling. That somehow made things worse. Slowly...She took one step forward.

"You said you would give me a reward, didn’t you?" Then another step.

Nathaniel’s chair creaked loudly as he leaned backward slightly. Cold sweat instantly formed behind his neck.

He knew this was coming. Earlier outside, when Kathlyin kept snorting at him with narrowed eyes, he already felt danger approaching.

That was exactly why he escaped so quickly before. But clearly...Not quickly enough.

"Kat..." Nathaniel spoke weakly.

Kathlyin kept walking closer slowly like a hunter cornering prey.

Nathaniel’s survival instincts started screaming. "Kat, listen carefully..."

"Kat..." His voice shook slightly now.

Meanwhile Kathlyin looked completely calm. Actually no...she looked excited. Which was much scarier. Nathaniel could already feel his lifespan decreasing.

"Kat..."

"Shhh."

WHOOSH.

Kathlyin appeared directly on top of his desk. Nathaniel almost jumped out of his chair. Papers flew everywhere into the air dramatically like a scene from a rom com comic.

One document even slapped him directly in the face before sliding down slowly.

Kathlyin leaned down slightly and pressed one finger softly against his lips.

"I asked you to go on a date with me..." she whispered softly. Her voice was barely above a whisper now.

"But you didn’t."

Nathaniel’s eyes twitched violently. "That’s because normal married men don’t go on secret dates with their wife’s sister..."

"Ignoring details again," Kathlyin sighed disappointedly.

"Kat..."

"Now," she said softly while smiling even wider, "let me take my reward."

Nathaniel immediately felt danger. The kind soldiers sensed before dying heroically on battlefields.

"Wait..."

But before Nathaniel could even understand what was happening....Kathlyin finally began her terrifying game.

*******

Meanwhile, far away from Kathlyin’s completely lawful and definitely not terrifying "reward collection," the rest of the family had gathered inside the estate’s massive training grounds.

The evening sunlight poured down gently from the open roof above, painting the stone arena in warm orange light.

A soft breeze drifted through the area calmly, moving clothes and hair gently while the distant sound of ocean waves echoed faintly from outside the estate.

Right now, two people stood facing each other in the center of the arena.

Julius and Rosalina.

Both of them remained completely silent for the moment while mana slowly flowed around their bodies naturally.

Off to the side, Elizabeth stood with Rosel beside her while watching the scene quietly.

"You two are only one step away now..." Elizabeth said calmly. Her sharp eyes carefully observed both of them before continuing.

"I think this spar will be enough for both of you to finally enter the Void Core Stage."

Void Core. That was the stage countless spell casters dreamed about their entire lives.

And these two monsters were apparently about to casually reach it by beating each other up.

Scary people.

"So don’t hold back," Elizabeth finished while folding her arms.

Both Julius and Rosalina nodded slightly.

After receiving the inheritances left behind for them, the two had completely entered secluded sleep for several days while absorbing everything.

When they finally woke up again...Their cultivation had already reached the absolute peak of Spirit Core Stage.

Not only that, they had also inherited completely new spells, techniques, and understanding connected to their paths.

Since then, they had been sparring against each other almost every day. Partly to adapt to their new strength. Partly to test their new abilities.

And partly because both of them were extremely competitive people who enjoyed bullying each other.

Most importantly...Both of them could already feel it. That final wall was very close now.

Julius quietly stared at Rosalina. She was wearing black training gear that fit tightly around her figure, designed purely for movement during battle.

Her long black hair flowed wildly around her without being tied down.

But strangely...The hair did not move naturally with the wind. Instead, it floated beautifully around her body like living paint strokes from an ancient artwork.

Almost unreal. "...Color Path," Julius thought quietly.

Rosalina had clearly activated one of the techniques from her inheritance already. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Honestly, it suited her perfectly. Especially with such absurdly long hair. At this point her hair alone probably qualified as a separate lifeform.

Julius was pretty sure Rosel could hide inside it and survive for three business days.

"Try not to lose, babe," Julius said casually while stepping into position.

Rosalina slowly raised one hand. A shimmering magic circle instantly appeared in front of her palm.

The air vibrated softly. Then....SHIIING.

Her sword appeared inside her grasp.

Mary.

The silver blade reflected the evening sunlight beautifully while faint spiritual ripples spread across the arena.

Rosalina smiled faintly. "If I remember correctly..." she said calmly. "It’s currently six wins for me and two for you, honey."

Julius immediately looked offended. "That sounds incredibly manipulated."

"It’s called reality."

"You’ve clearly edited the score."

"Are you crying already before the fight even starts?"

Julius slowly cracked his neck while mana began rising around him in waves.

The ground beneath his feet trembled slightly.

Rosalina’s hair floated even higher now as countless tiny colors shimmered faintly through the air around her like scattered light from gemstones.

The atmosphere inside the training ground slowly changed. The playful mood disappeared little by little.

Elizabeth stepped forward slightly before raising one hand.

"Alright," she said calmly."Now that both of you are ready..." A faint smile appeared on her face.

"...begin."