Shadows

Three months later

At this time, on the training grounds of the Golden Gate Academy, the trio lay with their backs on the ground in exhaustion.

"Already? I didn't even sweat" Lisa said with a sigh.

"But we're still kids, unranked mages. How would you expect us to last long against an elite mage like you?" Leon complained as he slowly got up

Leon back in the village lacked self-confidence and frequently stuttered. Perhaps it was magic that gave him confidence. Perhaps it was when he learned that he had an affinity for one of the supreme elements which gave him a huge boost in confidence. Or maybe it was really just a rapid character development after his first fight against a magical beast.

In any case, he had changed since then and he was now able to talk back to the Golden Gate Academy's Pink Demon, Lisa.

Carla's growth in personality was stable. She didn't undergo a rapid personality development like Leon did but her growth never stopped.

As for Rick, he was supposed to be the most mature one in the group but he actually had little to no growth in terms of personality. Sometimes, he acted like a kid while at other times, others would praise him for his mature ideas, judgment, as well as quick thinking.

As someone who lived two lives, Rick was able to notice this. He surmised that as long as his age in this world reached the same age from when he died back on earth, his personality development would grow once again.

Nevertheless, he didn't worry about it that much.

"A man named Italy massacred his clan at the age of 13. Karashi graduated from the Golden Gate Academy at the age of 5. Charlotte the Giant gained a bounty of 50,000 Gold at the age of 6. I could name a few more people who were stronger than you three" Lisa said with her hands on her hips.

'They're monsters, not kids!' Carla inwardly said.

'Hold on, aren't they familiar?' Rick thought to himself as he rubbed his chin.

"You guys are already 10 years old yet you can't even make me sweat" Lisa said as she grinned from ear to ear.

"Lisa, they're not normal kids like us." Leon said with a shrug.

"You aren't normal kids either. You're the village's finest talents. Furthermore, the two of you have affinity for supreme elements. You shouldn't be judged as normal kids" Lisa said with a frown.

"Even so, we just started learning magic about a year ago. Those guys you mentioned were gifted with unique magic while we had to learn magic from scratch" Leon retorted with an annoyed expression.

Lisa raised her right eyebrow as she looked at Leon before she sighed.

"Do you know why the village was sealed?" Lisa said with a solemn tone. This time, Rick's eyes lit up while Carla and Leon's attention was piqued by Lisa's words.

"About 200 years ago, a small clan of Sealers rose to prominence. Back then there was an evil organization called the Shadows organization. For some reason, they tried to annihilate this small clan, forcing them to escape to Milan Village and sealed themselves within, at least, that's how the public information goes" Lisa added.

"Can you guess the name of that clan?" Lisa asked.

The trio's eyes lit up in unison and said "The Godon clan". Leon and Carla then turned their gazes to Rick.

"I assume the villagers told you not to reveal that you are a descendant of this clan, Rick?" Lisa said as she looked at Rick.

"Teacher Narlie mentioned it in the letter, yes" Rick said as he nodded.

"What does this have to do with us being too weak?" Carla asked.

"Could it be.. the Shadows" Rick guessed as he rubbed his chin.

"Correct. We received word that the Shadows are up to something big" Lisa said.

"But we didn't reveal that we were from the village, much less my connection to the Gordon clan" Rick said as his brows furrowed.

"They don't know that but that doesn't mean they won't set their eyes on you" Lisa said.

"Unless you plan to never learn and use Spatial and Life spells, then that's the only way for you two to be safe from the Shadows' eyes" Lisa added as she looked at Rick and Leon.

"I see. In that case, we have to grow as fast as we can before they discover our affinities" Leon said as he clenched his fists.

'Shadows... An organization that could force the Gordon clan to hide within the village of Milan.. This is troublesome' Rick inwardly said as his lips curled up to a bitter smile.

Meanwhile, Carla just looked at Rick and Leon as she clenched her fists. Her eyes flashed with determination, to never get left behind by the two of them.

"Is there something special in the village that made the Gordon clan take shelter in it?" Rick asked.

"Indeed, there is something special. But I'll keep my mouth shut about it" Lisa said with a grin.

The trio then recalled the loud roar they heard before they were sent outside.

Suddenly, a black-haired girl in a white uniform appeared. Lisa noticed the girl's arrival and smiled.

"Mom, I'm back" the black-haired girl said as she hugged Lisa.

"MOM!? YOU HAVE A DAUGHTER?!" the trio exclaimed with a dumbfounded expression on their faces.

"Hey, what's with your reactions? That's rude" Lisa said as her eyes twitched. She then patted the black-haired girl's head and said "Welcome back".

"Let me introduce you. This is Lina, my daughter" Lisa said as she pointed at the black-haired girl. Lina courteously smiled and waved her hand at the trio.

"These are Carla, Leon, and Rick." Lisa said as she pointed at the trio.

"Ahem.. That makes you my cousin" Carla said as she smiled.

Meanwhile, Leon's gaze locked on Lisa and Lina's figures as he compared their features but he didn't find any feature that resembled each other.

'Cousin? Come to think of it, she somewhat resembles Mom' Lina thought to herself as her eyes widened for a moment.

"Wow, I didn't know I had a cousin." Lina said as she extended her hand forward. Carla shook hands with Lina and replied "Me neither"