Struggling as a Villain

It has been two days since Richard returned from the Capital and received his blessing from the heavens.

Sadly, Amelia had to leave since she also had to prepare for the academy. Although she was reluctant she agreed to go back, with the thought of reuniting with Richard in the academy. Her father was still in the Capital and so were some other noble leaders for the time being. The situation of the Capital seemed very critical at the moment and a foreign invasion wouldn't be too surprising.

Lilia also returned last night. Since the teleportation portal had to be kept open for the Duchess, she traveled on a carriage to get here, and that's why she was late even though she wanted to see Richard as soon as she heard about the capital invasion.

Richard had to spend the whole night with his woman to assure her of his safety. And thankfully, in the morning Lilia was back to normal.

Now, only fifteen days remain before enrollment. And thirteen days at most before they leave for the island where the academy was situated. Richard has decided to prepare as much as he can so he doesn't end up in a situation where he has to rely on others again.

In the first place, in the academy, he would be all alone. His mother cannot come and go, nor would Lilia be there for support. As such, it becomes necessary for Richard to realize the necessity and prepare accordingly.

'Fuee....' Let's see.

Sitting inside the indoor arena he studied the basic working of spell circles for the nth time.

When a person chants a specific activation sequence in the language in which it was created while applying the necessary ether to originate the spell, three magic circles form.

Based on the size of the spell, the primary circle, which generally contains all the vast information of the spell, may vary in numbers. A simple fireball, which manipulates fire and congregates flames to form an orb, wouldn't require more than one circle.

However if considering the Meteor Shower, where several large boulders are coated with a flame and require great mastery to summon, then it would take two to three primary magic circles.

First, to create low pressure above the specific spots from where the large boulders would be plucked out. Then a second circle to coat those boulders with flames.

Now, apart from primary circles, comes the amplification; at what speed should it head towards the enemy? This one is the hardest to manipulate.

And third is the trajectory and navigation. This one requires utmost concentration and mastery over the ether.

Richard was weak in the manipulation of his spell. He has ether in abundance. If based on ether quantity alone then he would be ranked A easily. However, because of the lack of control over his powers, due to the fact that he was new to this whole magic concept, he needs time to improve himself.

'But still, summoning three circles even for a fireball, delays the process...' For a veteran like his mother, she can summon a fireball as easily as she is breathing. He tried recording her chanting time and found it was two-tenth of a second.

Truly astonishing.

On the other hand, because of the third magic circle, Richard needed three to five seconds to bring out a spell, and that was too much for someone who was born into a family of mages. It wasn't like his ego was hurt; rather, he would make a joke of the Scarlette house if he performed like this in the Academy.

'No, this can't go on like this...' Richard got up on his feet and checked the surroundings for a bit.

He was going to experiment with something, and maybe he would end up burning the whole place again. That's why for assurance,

"Mister Geroge," He called out and instantly, a man, tall and tanned, wearing a beret walked inside and asked,

"Yes, young master?"

"Umm, use your spell to extinguish the fire; if I look, I am going out of control."

The man looked surprised before asking, "Are you sure my lord? You may not like getting wet."

Richard scoffed at himself before saying, "Getting wet is better than being dead."

The man looked amused and nodded respectfully and said, "I will protect you, my lord, so go for it."

Richard trusted the man's skill so he didn't hold back and did what he planned.

Setting up a target about fifty meters away from him, a wooden stationary doll to be precise, he chanted a fireball without trying to create the amplification circle.

The incantation continued for three seconds, and the circle of the spell, along with the trajectory one, formed before his hand.

Richard's theory was, if he had to just throw a spell at someone why need to manipulate its speed?

However, because the concept was new and he had never tried it before, the fireball exploded right before his hand

"Akh!"

**SPRINKLE**

A cold wave of water poured on his burnt hands, as Richard, with sweat pouring down his face, looked at the man with thankfulness.

"Young master, here is the healing ointment. It won't instantly heal your wounds but it won't burn as much." George handed him the ointment.

He was about to step back when Richard told him, "You are a good man, George."

The grown-up man with a rugged build instantly froze up, and his eyes began to turn moist.

Nodding slowly, he thanked him, "Thank you, young master. In my entire ten years of service, it might be the best compliment I have received."

Richard laughed at that, but not to make fun of him. Suddenly, the burn didn't hurt that much.

The theory behind Richard's attempt is to reduce the time of chanting without taking away the basic requirements of the spell. The trajectory cannot be affixed manually or by his visual powers, and removing anything from the chanting meant he wouldn't be able to summon the spell.

'Am I fruitlessly moving toward something unnecessary?' That thought came to his mind. However, if Richard can master this and be able to summon a spell much faster than he currently can, half of his problems would be sorted out instantly.

He didn't have the time to get himself a tutor now, nor did his mother have enough time to teach him for more than an hour a day. So yeah, this seems to be the best option.

Wearing fire-resistant gloves this time, he got ready.

'Don't throw in the towel yet Richard...you have a long way to go,' Hyping himself up, he initiated his attempt for the second time.

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Far away from Eldoria, situated in the North was the country of snow, which remained covered under a thick layer of frost for the whole time around the year.

Unlike Eldoria, this continent is ruled by several factions and town leaders. However, the main governing town that controls and manages imperial duties is called Elderbough, where the world tree is situated.

The colossal tree's icy branches stretch high into the sky, their gnarled, frost-covered limbs forming a majestic canopy that casts a soft, shimmering glow over the entire town. Snowflakes drift endlessly from the high branches, blanketing the town in a pristine layer of white, while delicate icicles hang like crystalline ornaments from the wooden eaves and intricate network of bridges.

The town's architecture is a seamless blend of nature and craft. Homes and buildings are carved directly into the world tree's trunk and roots, their wooden surfaces adorned with frost-laden vines and glowing runes.

Elevated walkways and bridges, crafted from woven branches and enchanted wood, connect the various levels of the town, each tier offering breathtaking views of the snow-covered landscape below and the endless sky above.

The race, which didn't exist before the appearance of the strange star in the sky, introduced the world to the concept of magic. With Aembr's emergence, the world tree erupted from the ground, and the elven race was born from the fruits of the tree.

Inside the world tree resides only the pure-blood elves who have emerged from the fruits and not some cross-breeding. One of those tree houses belonged to the granddaughter of the town's chief.

Sitting near the window with her eyes gazing down at the surface, the silvery-blue-haired girl sighed.

Her innocent eyes looked at nothing constant as she pondered over the loss of her twin sister.

Her sister—Yulan, died in the last timeline since her presence was preventing Nora from achieving what she could have if she had been born alone in this world. Nora's soul was torn into a small fragment, which was the result of the elven race to come across the first pair of twins.

After Yulan died in the last timeline, Nora speculated, she saw everything through Nora's eyes despite being dead. After all, Yulan's soul was attached to Nora's after her death.

And that's why, Yulan escaped from the town before the people could have killed her in the name of necessary sacrifice.

In a way, Yulan was also a wandering soul, whom Nora should have exterminated. However, because of her fondness towards her twin sister, she didn't take any action.

'But now...does it matter?' Wiping the small droplet that formed at the corner of her eye, Nora decided to let go of the past and focus on the future.

A new life awaits her and the other three. And this time, Nora would make sure that Ethan doesn't suffer the same fate as he did last time.

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A/N:- Thank you for reading.