Fantasy Family Simulator (FFS)

"Of course, there is. As I've said before, the pursuit of spellcasting proficiency never ends. But as for the next phase, I can't reveal it to you just yet," Rhett said as he stood up.

"Alright, I'll work hard and strive to learn it as soon as possible," Relay replied, a bit disappointed.

"Keep it up! I believe in you!"

After a brief chat between father and son, Tuck, Tadel, and Kurs came in from outside the training grounds.

Tadel and Kurs, who had been joking around moments before, quickly adopted a respectful demeanor upon seeing Rhett. "Good afternoon, my lord!" they greeted in unison.

Tuck grinned broadly and said, "Father, now that we've all mastered the first level of Phantom Retrace, I'm planning to spar with these two!"

"Sparring is always a good idea," Rhett said with a smile. "I hope you all make some progress!"

"Not only will we spar with Young Master Tuck, but Tadel and I will also have our own match to settle things once and for all," Kurs added, giving Tadel a challenging look. "I suspect Tadel must enjoy losing. He lost to me last time, and today, he wants to experience it again!"

"Tadel blushed slightly and shot back, 'Last time, I lost by half a point because I had a stomach ache. This time, you better be prepared to lose and pick up your teeth from the ground!'"

"Oh, please! Are you really using a stomach ache as an excuse?" Kurs exaggerated his reaction. "I suggest you go to the bathroom now, just in case you lose again and need another excuse!"

"That won't happen!" Tadel responded, his face turning even redder.

"It definitely could!"

Watching the two bicker like old friends, Rhett chuckled silently and slipped out of the room.

Tuck called after him, "Father, aren't you going to watch my amazing performance?"

"If you win, you can tell me all about it at dinner. If you lose, I'll be too embarrassed to hear it!" Rhett's voice echoed back, leaving Tuck muttering to himself, "Hmph, Father doesn't believe in me. How could I possibly lose?"

Turning to Relay, who was still standing there, Tuck's eyes lit up. He threw an arm around his brother's shoulders and said, "At least you understand me, Relay. Come on, let's go see me in action!"

Relay hesitated for a moment but then nodded and followed along. He was also curious to see what a duel between knights using Phantom Retrace would look like.

Since the deepest part of the training grounds was occupied by Frano and Laurin teaching archery, the three of them chose an open spot in the middle area.

Tuck, holding his sword and shield, clashed them together with a sharp, metallic sound.

"Which of you two wants to go first?"

Tadel thought for a moment before responding, "Young Master Tuck, why don't Kurs and I settle our score first? Then, the winner can spar with you."

"Sounds good," Tuck agreed, tapping his sword against his shield three times to urge them on. "Hurry up and get started!"

Kurs grinned as he turned to his long-time partner. "Tadel, are you ready to lose to me again?"

Tadel gripped his sword tightly and taunted, "Come on, Kurs, let's see you try!"

The two exchanged some trash talk, but the next moment, their eyes sharpened, and they charged at each other!

Clang!

Their swords clashed, sending sparks flying as they collided like two meteors.

Both of them gripped their swords with both hands, their auras of battle energy intertwining as they locked gazes through the glow.

Though it wasn't a fight to the death, they knew each other too well and understood that losing would mean enduring taunts for days. So they both gave it their all!

Tadel and Kurs's faces turned red, their arms bulging with veins from the strain.

But after a tense standoff that lasted several seconds, neither could overpower the other.

Finally, they both broke away, steadied themselves, and charged again.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The sound of their swords and shields colliding echoed through the air. During the fierce exchange, Tadel suddenly flashed red and appeared behind Kurs.

But Kurs only smirked, as if expecting this. He used Phantom Retrace himself, the red light flickering as he reappeared behind Tadel. "I knew you'd try to get behind me! Give up!"

As he spoke, he thrust his sword straight at Tadel's back.

Of course, Kurs was ready to pull back if Tadel didn't react in time.

But then Tadel's voice rang out. "You talk too much. Don't you know that makes you more likely to lose?"

In the next moment, Kurs blinked in surprise as Tadel vanished from sight, leaving Kurs's sword to strike empty air!

Sensing danger, Kurs turned around, but not before Tadel's shield slammed into him, sending a gust of wind rippling through the air.

At the last moment, Kurs dodged backward, avoiding the blow.

The two knights, using Phantom Retrace, launched several attacks and dodges in rapid succession!

Relay, watching from the side, could barely keep up with the action. The speed they displayed was rare even among first-level knights, making the duel all the more thrilling!

"You sneaky bastard! All you do is ambush me!" Tadel spat.

Kurs shot back, "Look who's talking! You ambushed me first!"

Without wasting any more words, he charged at Tadel again.

...

Half an hour later.

The duel was winding down. The two knights stood ten meters apart, panting heavily, each staring at the other with defiance in their eyes.

"Come on, Tadel!" Kurs taunted, beckoning him forward.

"You come here! I'll be waiting!" Tadel retorted.

Both of them were exhausted, and whoever attacked first would likely end up at a disadvantage. They knew it and waited for the other to make the first move.

"If you need to go to the bathroom, Tadel, just surrender, and I'll let you go," Kurs teased with a smile.

"If you're dreaming, Kurs, I'll slap you awake," Tadel shot back, using his sword to prop himself up as he tried to conserve energy.

Seeing the two of them too tired to fight, Tuck grumbled, "Hey, are you two going to finish this or not? You're both too worn out to fight me, and that wouldn't be any fun!"

With a sigh, Tuck glanced at the setting sun, his eyes twinkling with an idea. He quickly said, "You two keep fighting. Whoever wins can spar with me next time. I'm done for today!" With that, he dashed out of the training grounds.

Relay, puzzled, stroked his chin and followed after him, wondering what Tuck had in mind after seeing the sunset.

"Father, where's that mirror? I'm ready to learn the second level of Phantom Retrace!" Tuck burst into the fifth floor of Deep Rock Castle, his loud voice echoing through the halls.

"Father?" he called out again when no one responded.

"Stop shouting! Your father's not deaf!" Rhett emerged from a hallway, giving Tuck an exasperated look. "No matter how many times I tell you, you can't seem to lower your voice. I'm really worried that my grandson, Dick, will go deaf from your yelling!"

Tuck scratched his head with a sheepish grin. "Hehe, Father, Relay didn't copy down the second level of Phantom Retrace before. But I've already mastered the first level, and now, with the sun just right, it's the perfect time to learn the second level!"

"Alright, just give me a moment."

Though Rhett couldn't help but chuckle at Tuck's enthusiasm, he was pleased with his eldest son's boundless energy and determination.

He headed to his room and soon returned with the mirror, setting it ten meters away on the carpet near the window.

In an instant, the familiar scene appeared again.

Red light reflected off the ceiling, revealing a dense array of text and diagrams.

Relay, sitting by the fireplace, quickly grabbed a pen and started copying it down.

Tuck, on the other hand, stood motionless, focusing intently on the mirror.

As the text and images imprinted themselves in his mind, Tuck's entire body tensed up. Studying the second level's content, he soon realized it was more challenging than the first.

Unlike last time, when he could quickly start practicing, he now stood still for a long while.

Sitting in his soft chair, Rhett watched as Tuck's thick eyebrows furrowed, his feet shifting as if he was about to move but then hesitating.

This internal struggle continued for half an hour.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting the room into shadows, beads of sweat formed on Tuck's broad forehead. His eyes seemed glazed over, and he gasped, "This... is too hard... way too hard..."

Relay, having just closed his notebook after copying the dense diagrams and text—a task only he could handle due to his decent drawing skills—walked over to Tuck and patted his shoulder. "Come on, sit down and take a break."

"Ugh." Tuck sat down with a heavy sigh.

Once he'd calmed down, Rhett asked, "Judging by your reaction, the second level seems much more difficult?"

"Yeah!" Tuck replied, his eyes serious. "The difficulty has increased by several levels! The energy flow is far more complex than in the first level, and the technique itself requires a completely different method. I've only grasped a small part of it, and I'm still miles away from fully mastering it."

"And its effects?" Relay asked curiously.

"The second level... seems to allow you to place a technique mark anywhere you want," Tuck explained thoughtfully. "But there are many limitations, and since I haven't finished reading it all, I can't say for sure what they are."

"One thing's clear, though—once you master the second level, it's way more powerful than the first!" Tuck added confidently, thumping his chest.

"That sounds promising!" Rhett mused, tapping his fingers on the table. "If what you're saying is true and you can place a technique mark anywhere, that would completely eliminate the limitation of having to follow the same path. The implications for real combat are huge!"

Relay nodded in agreement, recalling the frequent use of Phantom Retrace in Tadel and Kurs's sparring match that afternoon.

He thought to himself, "If there really are no restrictions, this technique would be incredibly powerful."

Five days passed in the blink of an eye.

On the morning of June 6th.

As dawn broke, Deep Rock Castle was a hive of activity.

Stewart, the butler, was rushing around, making sure everything was in order.

"Leo, Bella, hurry up and spread these flower petals along the left corridor," Stewart instructed the young servants, handing them baskets filled with colorful petals. "Remember to spread them evenly. Start at the far end, where it connects to the other part of the castle, and work your way back. And don't step on the petals!"

Leo and Bella, who had just finished unloading two crates of wine, took the baskets from Stewart with a serious nod. "Got it, Mr. Stewart," they said as they hurried down the corridor.

"Slow down, don't spill the petals!" Stewart called after them, his anxiety showing as he headed toward the kitchen. "Ms. Maru, I know today's tasks are overwhelming, so I assigned Bessa and Tinian to help you. But where are they?"

"They went to ask Master Relay for some ice. I have a lot of ingredients here that need to be kept cold for a few hours," Maru replied, her back turned as she carefully took a stack of plates from a wall cabinet.

Suddenly, Maru slipped, losing her balance.

As she braced herself for a crash, a pair of strong hands caught her from behind, steadying her.

Maru managed to save the plates from falling, placing them down with a relieved sigh. "Oh, that was close!"

"Thank you, Mr. Stewart!" Maru turned around with a grateful smile. "You haven't had breakfast yet, have you? I have some cheese here, why not have a bite?"

"No need. Just be careful," Stewart replied, already mentally moving on to his next task. He nodded a quick goodbye and headed to the hall, where he oversaw the arrangement of decorations on the dining table, ensuring everything was perfect before giving a satisfied nod.

As he stepped outside, a gust of autumn wind blew off his hat.

Startled, Stewart quickly jumped and caught the hat in mid-air, frowning at the few dark clouds overhead. "Oh, why can't the weather be a bit more cooperative? Today's supposed to be a day of celebration..."

He walked over to where Rachel, one of the garden maids, was trimming the flowers. "Rachel, the wind's picking up today. Keep an eye on any fallen leaves or trash that might blow in."

Rachel, her bright eyes shining, turned and replied, "Got it, Mr. Stewart!"

The sound of rolling wheels caught Stewart's attention.

A horse-drawn cart rolled into the estate, and George pulled the reins to a stop.

Immediately, six attendants began unloading crates of milk, moving swiftly and efficiently toward the castle.

"Ellie, you really should rest. Let the others handle the milk deliveries," Stewart noticed one of the shorter attendants, easily recognizable even with her cropped hair.

Ellie smiled as she carried a milk bucket. "Mr. Stewart, I volunteered for this. Today's an important day for Master Relay, and I just had to be involved!"

"Oh, what a thoughtful child," Stewart said with a warm smile.