"Do you know what today is?" Alexander asked Charles gently, he didn't exert any pressure on him like he had been doing.
"Ritua?" Charles reply, his pronunciation was still off in a lot of words but he was still able to communicate properly.
"Yes, a ritual, but do you know what the Ritual is?"
"To eat with you?" Charles was confused by the sudden questions Alexander was throwing at him.
'This kid is quite something, he doesn't talk or act like a child at all, this is so surprising, how can he even talk this well at this age? Even if it's the blood of a Flameworth, it usually takes about two years before a child of the Flameworth household starts to talk this well.' Alex was shocked, but he concealed the shock on his face expertly and his expression never changed once.
"Yes, you're right. But there's another thing that happens after the food and eating, that is the main ritual." Alex looked at Charles, he was eating the food on his plate with so much etiquette that he wondered if his wife had gotten him an etiquette teacher behind his back.
"What is the main ritua?" Charles asked curiosly as he ate his food.
"It's a ritual where you could die." Alexander said, making the room more silent and filled with tension.
Charles paused the food he was eating as he heard Alex say that.
"So be it." Charles shrugged, he had died once so dying again won't be a problem for him, plus there was a chance he might get reincarnated again if he dies, all he would regret is not getting to master the magic of this world and going back to meet Marcelle.
"Are you not afraid?" Alex couldn't hide the shock on his face now, it was pure absurdity for a child to be that indifferent to death and didn't show any signs of fear whatsoever. This kid talked like a veteran who had experienced life and death over and over again on the battlefield.
"No, I'm not afraid, death is something that'll happen to me evenchlly, it's just that it'll be happny to me earlier." Charles said, even as his pronounciation of words weren't perfect, Alex could still feel it. This child was a genius blessed with godly wisdom at such young age.
"Very well, meet me in my Chambers after lunch. We will commence with the ritual." Alex said firmly as he stood up from his chair.
Alex raised his hands, a flicker of flame ignored in his palm, the flames crackled and shined, casting shadows om his face.
It erupted and grew bigger, wrapping round his body.
Charles was filled with astonishment
'Thats flame magic? The unique magic of the Flameworth household? But isn't he gonna get himself killed?' Charles thought as he watched the flame wrap around Alexander's body.
The flame gradually faded untill it completely disappeared, along with Alex.
"What?!" Charles shouted, he had never seen or heard of such absurdity in his life. How could one explain disappearing in a flame of fire?
"Hohoho, don't be so scared kid, he just used a fifth circle flame magic" The woman that has been quiet since Charles arrived, so quiet that she was almost invisible finally uttered.
"Fifth circle?" Charles turned his face from the spot where Alex just was to focus on the woman and hear her explanation.
"Oh dear, goodness me, I'm not supposed to explain that to you, it'll be cheating if you gain early knowledge hohoho." She laughed heartily as she said.
"Early knowledge? What the hell is even going on?" Charles asked the woman, he was confused as to what she was saying, fifthe circle? Early knowledge? He didn't know what any of that were.
"Don't worry kid, The Duke will explain everything properly to you once you head to his Chambers for the ritual huhu." The woman stood up from her table, she carried an air of dignity around her making Charles wonder why he never noticed her presence properly before.
"May I know your name Matriarch?" Charles asked as she walked out of the dining table, heading towards the door to take her leave.
She smiled a warm smile that went from ear to ear.
"I'm Scarlet Flameworth. You can call me Mother."
"No, I won't." Charles said coldly, he had never known anybody as his mother except Juliet who died in front of him. But his response was cold and heartless.
"What a heartbreaker. Good bye Charles, and good luck with your ritual huhuhu." She laughed and waved from the back as she walked out of the door, leaving only Charles in the dining room.
"That was crazy, it makes me wonder just how bizarre this world might be." He said as he wiped the sweat on his face with his palm.
"Now I have to prepare to die." He said to himself as he stood up from his sir.
"Well at least this time I'm given a heads-up. It is better than just dying painfully in a car accident. Ha! What am I saying, I can't afford to die." He said to himself as he walked towards the door.
"I still have a lot of things to do. So whatever the ritual is, they can bring it on! I'm not gonna back down." He said as he walked out of the door with a resolved expression on his Little baby face.
"It's time I start gathering and absorbing Mana again, I never know when it might come in handy." He touched his chest as he walked through the hallway, preparing to go to his death.
'but where is Alexander's room? I'm just walking aimlessly. I have to find a maid to ask her.' He thought to himself.
"Who is this little kid walking around this hallway like a thief?" A matured voice dripping with arrogance said out in a low tone.
Edward turned his head back to look at who was talking.
'Another red hair? How many are there in this house?' He said as he looked at the young adult who was having a wicked grin on his face.