Chapter 100: Family Training

The Family Training Array spread across the training wing, quietly changing the environment around them.

The floor adjusted itself to the amount of force they could safely use, while the surrounding barriers absorbed the excess Mana, allowing them to fight without worrying about damaging the mansion.

Emily looked around the training area before turning toward the others. "Since we’re testing this properly, we’ll start with individual exercises."

Nobody objected.

Reinhard stepped onto the training field with everyone else.

Emily looked toward Maki. "You’re first."

Maki stepped forward. "All right."

Emily raised one hand, and the space around her distorted slightly. "Don’t worry about stopping me completely. Focus on controlling where I can move."

Maki immediately began forming seals.

Several intricate markings appeared across the battlefield. Emily moved through them, using her spatial manipulation to change position before the seals could fully activate.

Maki frowned and adjusted her approach. She placed another seal. Emily disappeared and reappeared several meters away.

Another seal followed.

This time, Emily was forced to change direction.

Maki’s eyes sharpened. She didn’t need to stop Emily. She only needed to make certain movements impossible.

Her seals began appearing in places that restricted Emily’s options rather than directly attacking her. Slowly, the battlefield became smaller, forcing Emily toward the paths Maki wanted her to take.

Emily finally stopped. "Again."

Maki took a breath before smiling faintly. "You really don’t hold back."

Emily returned the smile. "Neither should you."

Maki nodded and prepared herself again.

After several more exchanges, Emily stepped aside. "Good. You’re starting to understand the difference between controlling an opponent and trying to overpower one."

Maki gave a small nod. "I’ll remember that."

Yuna stepped forward. "Lily."

Lily immediately grabbed Crimson Fang.

The massive red sword appeared in her hands as the fifteen swords connected to her Gnosis began moving around her.

Yuna watched her carefully. "Come at me."

Lily grinned. "Don’t complain when I win."

Yuna didn’t answer. Instead, she deliberately lowered her Mana output. Her speed dropped as well, bringing herself down to a level where Lily could actually fight against her. T

Lily charged and Crimson Fang swung toward Yuna’s shoulder. But she moved just enough to avoid it. But then one of Lily’s floating swords followed immediately.

Yuna shifted again as she began reading Lily’s rhythm, predicting where she would move before Lily even committed to the attack.

Lily noticed and suddenly stopped, changed direction, and slipped past Yuna’s guard.

Yuna turned and her eyes widened slightly. "That shouldn’t be possible."

Lily grinned. "Skill issue."

Yuna stared at her for a moment before a small smile appeared. "Again."

Lily’s grin widened. "Now you’re talking."

They continued.

Yuna kept herself at Lily’s level, forcing herself to rely on technique and observation rather than the overwhelming advantage of being an A-Rank Awakener.

Lily continued changing her rhythm.

Eventually, Yuna managed to predict another movement and blocked Crimson Fang. She looked at Lily for a moment.

Even while suppressing herself, she had been forced to change how she fought because of Lily.

Then she remembered something else.

During the formation, she would not be the strongest person in the room. She would be one part of it. The thought felt strangely unfamiliar. She had always been strong enough to solve problems herself.

Depending on others had rarely been necessary.

But that didn’t mean it had to be a weakness.

Emily raised her hand. "Enough one-on-one."

Yuna nodded. "Let’s see what happens when you work together."

The five of them moved toward the center of the training field. A combat construct formed several meters away. Reinhard tightened his grip and this time, there was no individual opponent.

They would fight together.

The construct moved first. Emily reacted immediately, using her spatial manipulation to close the distance. Yuna moved in another direction, already predicting the construct’s next attack. Maki stopped for a moment to analyze its movement.

Lily saw an opening and rushed forward and Reinhard moved to cover the gap between them. For several seconds, it almost worked.

Then everything fell apart.

Emily moved into an opening that Yuna hadn’t expected her to take. Yuna shifted to compensate, which forced Reinhard to change position. Maki was still analyzing the construct when Lily suddenly attacked, forcing it backward while Emily had already changed the battlefield.

The timing collapsed.

The construct recovered and struck back, leading everyone to retreat. The construct remained standing.

Emily frowned.

Yuna became silent.

Lily looked irritated.

Maki immediately began analyzing what had gone wrong. Reinhard remained silent and his Combat Analysis had already processed the entire exchange.

Their individual abilities weren’t the problem. Their power wasn’t the problem either. They were all simply fighting according to their own instincts.

Emily trusted herself to handle whatever appeared in front of her. Yuna was accustomed to working alone and solving problems with her superior strength and battlefield awareness. Lily saw opportunities but hesitated to rely on the others, afraid they might not listen to her. Maki spent too much time trying to understand everything before acting.

Reinhard finally spoke. "I see the problem, it seems we have a communication issue."

Reinhard walked toward Emily first and flicked her forehead.

"Ow."

"Emily, you need to stop seeing us as dead weight."

Emily stared at him.

"You’ve always been strong enough to fight alone. I know that. But we’re not here to slow you down." He gestured toward the others. "We’re here to help you."

Reinhard turned toward Yuna and flicked her forehead as well.

Yuna raised an eyebrow.

"You’re doing the same thing."

"Me?"

"You keep trying to solve everything yourself because you’re stronger than everyone here."

Yuna remained silent.

Reinhard gave her a small smile.

"You need to understand that you can rely on us too. You can use us to help you."

He then walked toward Lily.

Instead of flicking her forehead, he reached out and rubbed her hair, messing it up.

Lily immediately tried to fix it.

"And you..."

She looked up at him.

"Why are you being so shy?"

"I’m not shy."

"You are."

Lily pouted.

Reinhard smiled.

"If you want to do something, tell us. Don’t assume we’re going to ignore you or act like your words don’t matter."

Lily’s expression softened.

Reinhard finally turned toward Maki.

Maki already knew what was coming.

"You."

"I understand."

"If you want to analyze, then analyze." Maki looked surprised. "But tell us what you’re seeing. If you need ten seconds to figure something out, tell us."

Reinhard pointed toward the others. "We’ll buy you those ten seconds." He looked directly at her. "Rely on us, Maki."

Maki lowered her eyes.

Reinhard then looked at all four of them. "How can we say we’re a family when we can’t even show it in combat?"

The training field became quiet.

Emily looked toward the others. "I’ve spent so long thinking about what I could do alone that I forgot there was another option." She looked at Reinhard, then at the others. "I’ll trust you guys."

Yuna rubbed her arm. "I’ve gotten used to fighting alone... It became a habit." Her eyes moved across the group. "I will fix it."

Lily tightened her grip on Crimson Fang. "If I see something, I’ll tell you." She looked around. "And you’ll listen?"

"Of course," Emily answered.

Yuna nodded. "Of course."

Maki gave her a small smile. "Of course."

Lily beamed at them.

Maki was the last to speak. "I suppose I do spend too much time trying to understand everything before acting." She looked toward Emily. "So if I see something..."

"Tell us," Emily said.

Maki nodded. "Then I’ll trust you to buy me the time I need."

The five of them returned to their positions and this time, something was different. The construct moved.

Emily didn’t rush forward but instead, she waited until she saw an opening.

Lily suddenly raised her hand. "Wait! Don’t attack yet!"

Everyone stopped as Lily stared at the construct. "It’s going to turn left."

Maki immediately focused on the construct. A moment later, her expression changed. "She’s right."

Lily blinked. "I am?"

Yuna smiled. "You are."

Lily’s expression brightened. "Then listen to me!"

Emily nodded. "Go ahead."

Lily pointed toward the construct.

"It’s going to move toward Emily, then change direction when Yuna blocks it."

Maki watched carefully.

"That would put it directly in my range."

Yuna understood immediately. "Then we’ll force it there."

The construct moved.

Emily manipulated the space around it, forcing it toward the position Lily had predicted. Yuna blocked its escape route. Maki watched the movement without trying to analyze every possible outcome.

"Give me three seconds."

Emily immediately moved to create distance. Yuna stepped between Maki and the construct. Lily held her position instead of rushing forward.

Reinhard moved beside Maki. "I’ll cover you."

Maki’s eyes moved rapidly across the battlefield and the construct changed direction.

She didn’t panic.

She trusted them. "I need two seconds."

Emily created another spatial distortion. Yuna forced the construct back and Lily waited.

Maki’s final seal appeared. "Now."

The seal activated and the construct was trapped.

Emily narrowed its escape routes. Yuna held the battlefield in place. Lily and Reinhard moved with them. His Combat Analysis tracked the entire battlefield, but he wasn’t trying to command them anymore. He was simply fighting alongside his family.

The opening appeared. "Go!"

Lily swung Crimson Fang.

The massive red sword struck the construct at its weakest point.

The construct shattered.

For several seconds, nobody spoke and then a notification appeared before Reinhard’s eyes.

[Combat Synergy Detected.]

He didn’t react.

Nobody else could see it.

Reinhard simply looked at the others. "Not bad."

Emily turned toward him. "Not bad?"

Reinhard shrugged. "I don’t want you getting arrogant."

Lily pointed at him. "You’re literally the most arrogant person here."

"And I’m also right."

Yuna laughed quietly as the tension finally disappeared.

Emily looked toward Maki. "That restriction created the opening."

Maki shook her head. "Only because you forced the construct toward me."

Yuna looked at Lily. "Your timing improved."

Lily smiled. "You predicted me better too."

Yuna nodded. "I had to."

Lily grinned. "See? I’m difficult."

"Very."

Reinhard watched the exchange quietly. For once, he wasn’t the only person giving something to the family. Yuna had remembered what Maki wanted and made it for her. Maki had trusted the others. Lily had spoken up.

Emily and Yuna had relied on everyone instead of trying to solve the battle themselves. The family was beginning to give things to one another without him having to arrange everything.

That realization made Reinhard smile. "That’s enough training for now."

The others slowly relaxed.

Reinhard opened a Space Tear and reached through it, pulling out several Mana Refinement Crystals and High-Grade Recovery Crystals.

"Use these before we finish for today."

Yuna looked toward the other items Reinhard brought out.

"The teleportation relic?"

"I’m leaving that with you," Reinhard said. "It belongs in the security system."

Yuna nodded.

"I’ll take care of it."

The remaining Mana Crystals were moved into the training area for future exercises, while the Home Portal Storage was connected to the mansion so everyone had a shared place for their equipment and supplies.

Reinhard then looked toward the ingredients he had prepared. He had expected to be missing one of the advanced-grade ingredients for the feast. Yet somehow, the exact ingredient he needed had arrived that afternoon.

Reinhard stared at it for a moment.

Convenient.

He opened another Space Tear and brought the ingredients into the dining area.

Lily immediately looked inside. "What’s that?"

"Food."

Her eyes widened.

The Ashcroft Family Feast soon filled the dining area with the smell of freshly prepared food. Once everyone began eating, the exhaustion from training slowly disappeared.

Emily felt her Mana recovering faster than expected. Yuna’s body relaxed as the fatigue left her muscles. Maki’s mind became noticeably clearer. Even Lily stopped bouncing around for a moment as the warmth of the meal spread through her body.

Reinhard quietly observed them and noted the effect was stronger than he had expected. The ingredients were excellent, but that wasn’t the only reason. The more closely they ate together, the stronger the recovery seemed to become.

Reinhard looked around the table. So that’s what the reward meant.

Lily immediately reached for another serving. "This is amazing."

"You’ve already had three servings," Maki said.

"I’m recovering."

"You’ve recovered enough."

"I need more recovery."

Yuna laughed.

Emily shook her head.

Reinhard couldn’t help smiling.

The conversation soon returned to training. Emily discussed how she wanted to improve their formations, while Yuna began considering different combinations for their abilities. Maki started talking about designing seals specifically for supporting the others, and Lily immediately announced that she wanted another battle.

Then Emily looked toward Reinhard. "You should train with us tomorrow."

Reinhard paused. "Why?"

Emily smiled. "Because you’re part of the formation too."

Yuna nodded. "You aren’t allowed to stand outside it."

Maki agreed. "You’ve already helped us understand how to cooperate. You should experience it with us."

Lily pointed at him. "And you have to listen to me."

Reinhard stared at her. "You’ve already learned how to use that."

Lily grinned. "You told me to."

Reinhard laughed. "Apparently I’ve created a monster."

The others laughed with him.

Reinhard leaned back and listened to them argue about who they should train with next. A week ago, he had been building a house for his family. Now, they were already deciding what they would do with it.

For the first time, Reinhard realized that maybe this place didn’t need him to build everything anymore. He had given them the foundation.

They would decide what to build on it.