Chapter 3 Banished.
Shortly after deciding to start training soon, Ella returned with a plate of meat and greens.
Placing it on the table, she explained.
"Here, young master, horned rabbit meat with some fairy leaf salad."
Archer approached the table and sat down, looking at the girl with a confused face.
"Is there something wrong, young master?" She asked.
"What is this fairy leaf salad?"
She looked baffled for a second, but a smile spread across her face.
"It's a salad grown by the elves that have special healing properties."
She explained. Her head tilted to the side as her eyes widened like saucers.
"What's happened to you? Your ears are sharper than mine!."
She looked him up and down.
"You have bumps on the side of your head, and your eyes have changed color!"
Archer looked at the curious girl who was examining him.
After taking a few bites, he replied.
"You've only just noticed it."
He laughed at her confused look.
"To be honest, I don't know. I looked in the mirror just before you walked in and was like this already."
She nodded with a suspicious look in her eyes before moving on as he finished the meal.
''It could be something to do with your bloodline, but we won't know until you reach level 20,'' Ella said.
Nodding in agreement while pushing the plate away, Ella informed him of something he needed to do.
"Well, young master, the master wishes to see you now that you are awake."
"Why does he want to see me? Is it about that stupid beast fight?" Archer asked.
Ella was just about to reply, but Archer cut her off.
"Young master..."
"Just call me Archer or Arch!," He interrupted.
Ella looked baffled, not expecting him to request her to call him by name.
She couldn't understand why he wanted her to do that, but she accepted it nonetheless.
"Okay, Arch, all I can say is he looks angry," Ella said.
Archer sighed, knowing what the old man wanted to do with him.
'They would kick me out as all disappointed parents do in the novels because I'm not good enough,' he thought to himself.
But he didn't bother dwelling on that right now. It was important for him to go to the library and learn some spells before leaving.
"Ella, we'll go to the library first, then I'll go see Father after I'm done. Will you show me the way?" Archer asked.
"Yes, Arch, let's go."
Ella replied, leading the way to the library.
As the two of them walked through the hallways, Archer couldn't help but notice the fancy decorations that were everywhere, with gold trimmings lining the frames of the paintings.
"It seems like a waste of money," he commented.
Upon noticing his strange look, Ella quickly explained.
"The first wife of the Duke, Ksara Ashguard, loves decorating the manor. She spends a lot of gold coins on pointless stuff."
Archer shrugged and continued to follow her until they came upon two imposing doors standing firm in front of them.
She turned to him and said.
"It's behind these doors. It's the biggest library in the city."
As they both entered the room, Archer saw a massive library with rows and rows of books.
"Wow," he exclaimed, "this is impressive."
As he looked around the room, he spotted the spell books stored in one corner and made his way over to them.
Ella followed behind him as he started to browse through the books.
One particular spell book caught his attention.
'Void Blast'.
Intrigued, he took the book and continued to search for more spells.
He soon came across three more books that interested him.
'Cosmic Shield, Cosmic Sword, and Body Enhancement'.
Taking all four spell books, he spotted a table by the windows and made his way over.
After placing the spell books on the table, Archer went to search for a world history book to gain a better understanding of the new world he found himself in.
Ella followed behind him as he walked back towards the table.
As they approached the table, Archer turned to Ella and said.
"If you want to do something else or read yourself, you can do it."
Ella smiled at his statement before going to get a spell book.
Archer noticed that she was holding the Earth Blast spell when she sat down next to him, which made him curious.
He asked her, "So you can use Earth magic?"
Ella nodded and smiled at him. 𝗯𝐞𝗱𝐧𝗼𝐯𝐞𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺
"Yes, I can also use Light magic," she replied.
Hearing her speak, he was shocked.
According to the fragmented memories he received from the previous Archer, most people have an affinity for only one element.
However, those who possess an affinity for two elements are considered geniuses and highly sought after by many kingdoms and academies across the world.
After pondering this for a few minutes, he shook his head and sat down to study the spells he had chosen.
Hours passed as they both read.
Archer looked up from the book he was reading and noticed the sun setting through the window.
Deciding he was done with reading, he dropped the book on the table with a loud bang, causing Ella to jump with a yelp.
He started laughing, and Ella glared at him before joining in on the laughter.
It was then that he remembered the notifications that had popped up while he was reading.
[Void Blast Learned]
[Cosmic Shield Learned]
[Cosmic Sword Learned]
[Body Enhancement Learned]
Learning just four basic spells brought Archer immense joy.
He soon discovered that he had an affinity for two elements: space and lightning magic, and decided to test this theory in the future.
Fortunately, some of the memories he received were not fragmented and taught him how to use magic.
The key was to imagine what the spell looked like and understand how it worked.
Using Mana was already a rare ability, as only about 40% of the human population could use it.
However, every living being on Thyrlos had Mana within them, which benefited them even if they couldn't use it. It made them healthier and longer-lived.
Demi-humans, including elves, were the best adapted to using magic, but most races could use it to some extent.
Humans, being on the weaker side, relied on numbers to gain an advantage in wars.
As he waited for Ella to join him, Archer returned the books to their shelves.
She arrived in her maid's outfit, he couldn't help but admire her beauty even more.
He stared at her as she approached, lost in thought.
When she stood in front of him, she asked, "Hello Arch, are you okay?"
But he was still in a daze and mumbled.
"Very beautiful."
Hearing his words, Ella blushed and thought.
'Oh my god, he called me beautiful. He's never said that before.'
Archer quickly snapped out of his daze and realized what he had said.
They left the library feeling awkward around each other, with Ella leading him to the Duke's office without looking toward him.
As they walked down the hallway in silence, Archer looked out the window and saw the massive trees of the forest bordering Vassia city.
'Those trees are huge, much bigger than Earth's trees,' he remarked.
Ten minutes later, they arrived outside the office, and Ella knocked on the door.
A loud, dominating voice answered the knock.
"Enter!"
Ella entered first, followed by Archer.
The man sitting at the desk told Archer to sit.
"Sit, boy," he commanded.
Archer stared at the middle-aged man with brown hair.
He was 6ft tall, big built, with a strong jawline and stubble on his face.
The man's name was Leonard Ashguard, the Duke of the Western Duchy, and he had 12 children with his three wives. Archer was one of many children.
The man looked at Archer with vicious green eyes before speaking.
"Archer, you failed a simple test and brought shame upon the Ashguard house, a house that has always produced powerful warriors for the Avalon Empire!"
Leonard slammed his fist on the table, scaring Ella but continuing.
He stared at Archer and asked, "What's happened to you?"
Archer looked at him, unsure of what to say. But before he could respond, Leonard dismissed it, saying.
"Actually, don't worry, I don't care."
He continued, "All your brothers and some of your sisters have brilliant talent and are useful to this house, but you, you're useless and not wanted. Your mother even agrees.
"You have no skill for the sword, no skill in magic, and no skill for administration. You are useless to the family. I hereby banish you
"You no longer have the right to call yourself an Ashguard anymore. You shall leave in the morning at first light, and I don't want to see you again. Understand, boy?"
Ella gasped when the Duke banished Archer from the family, but Archer just stared back at the man and said, "Okay, I'll leave."
Archer and Ella left the Duke's office and walked to his room to start packing.
However, they bumped into two of his half-brothers.
Aldwulf and Pallius, who were 14 and 13 respectively and were known to get away with pretty much anything.
When Archer noticed Pallius lewdly looking at Ella, he warned him, saying.
"Take your filthy eyes off her!"
Pallius looked at Archer before scoffing.
Aldwulf spoke up, saying, "I heard what had happened from Mother. It's a shame someone as useless as you were born into this family."
Archer stared back at them before bursting into laughter.
''HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.''
''Fuck off, you idiots!''
Grabbing Ella's hand, he began to walk off, leaving the two boys standing there with shocked looks on their faces.
He entered his room, dragging her along with him.
[A/N - Leave some comments, power stones, and gifts. It all helps support the book. Artwork in the comments or discord]