The secret system of the Gallant Heir

"So, why is the princess at the Gallant Estate today? I guess there must be a reason behind it."

Lucia paused for a moment before replying in a playful tone, "There's no need to be so formal. I'm your fiancée now. As for why I'm here today... I just wanted to see my fiancé. It's been two years since we last met, after all."

I stared at Lucia, still trying to process her words. Fiancée? The engagement had only been decided yesterday. I barely had time to react before she appeared at the Gallant Estate as if we had known each other forever.

She lifted her teacup, her long silver hair shimmering under the sunlight as she took a slow, deliberate sip. Her piercing blue eyes flickered toward me—calm, unreadable. It felt like she was studying me, but the moment our eyes met, she quickly glanced away, focusing on her cup.

"You seem surprised," she said, setting it down with a soft clink. "Did you think I wouldn't come?"

I frowned slightly. "I just didn't expect you so soon."

Lucia tilted her head, a small smirk playing on her lips. "Then you don't know me very well. When I want something, I don't wait."

Her tone was teasing, but something about it felt forced—like she was trying too hard to sound indifferent. It was subtle, but I caught it.

"You're awfully comfortable for someone whose engagement isn't even official yet," I said, watching her reaction.

Lucia let out a soft chuckle. "And you're awfully stiff for someone who just got matched with a princess."

She was good at deflecting, I'd give her that. But I couldn't shake the feeling that she was hiding something.

I exhaled, glancing away. Marriage had never been on my mind. Between training, my family's expectations, and the mysterious system that would eventually come, I had bigger things to worry about. And yet, the princess herself was here, acting as if this engagement was already set in stone.

"As for why I'm here," Lucia continued, tapping a finger against her cheek, "I simply wanted to meet my future fiancé. It would be strange if we were engaged and barely knew each other, don't you think?"

That was reasonable. But something about the way she said it—the way she avoided my gaze right after—made me wonder if that was the whole truth.

I studied her for a moment, but she only smiled, as if daring me to question her.

After that, we talked for a while. Nothing too serious—just casual conversation. Strangely enough, Lucia didn't do anything unexpected. No schemes, no hidden motives, no sudden requests. And then, just like that, she left.

It was almost like she had come here just to see me.

I leaned back in my chair, staring at the spot where she had been sitting moments ago. That didn't make sense. Why would a princess—who surely had more important things to do—go out of her way to visit the Gallant Estate for something so trivial?

Is it possible… she actually likes me?

The thought hit me out of nowhere, and I immediately shook my head. No way.

Lucia was unpredictable, but she wasn't the type to wear her heart on her sleeve. And besides, we had only spoken a handful of times before this. It made no sense for her to feel that way about me.

Still… something about her visit bothered me.

I replayed our conversation in my head, trying to find a hidden meaning in her words, some clue as to why she was really here. But no matter how much I thought about it, I came up with nothing.

"Shaking off my thoughts, I turned and headed back to my room. I had more important things to do than dwell on a princess's whims. Or at least, that's what I told myself."

As soon as I entered my room, I called out, "System!"

Instead of a screen, a small, glowing figure appeared before me, fluttering in the air like a tiny fairy. Its translucent wings shimmered, and its voice was crisp yet emotionless.

"What would you like to do, Host?"

I hesitated for a moment. "Hmm… I want to train, but I don't have a proper place for it. What should I do?"

The system responded instantly. "Host, you can train in your Inner World. Since it was created by the system, it exists in a separate subspace, allowing you to practice freely without external interference."

I blinked in surprise. "Wait… I know about the Inner World, but I can enter it?"

The fairy-like system hovered closer, its glow pulsing faintly. "Yes, Host. It was always possible, but the system lacked the intelligence to inform you before."

I rubbed my temples. "Seriously? You could've told me this earlier."

"Apologies, Host. Would you like to enter now?"

"Of course! Move me to the Inner World."

"Understood, Host. Transferring now."

The fairy waved its tiny hand, and the world around me blurred. When my vision cleared, I found myself in a vast, space. A colossal stone platform stretched endlessly in every direction, so massive that I couldn't see its boundaries.

I took a deep breath, steadying myself. "Alright, first things first—let's try forming my fourth magic circle."

I was already a third-circle magician—the only one in the entire kingdom. But to everyone else, I was just a first-circle magician. They had no idea how far I had truly come. Still, it wasn't enough. If I wanted to be prepared for the Red Task in five years, I had to reach at least the fifth circle before then.

Closing my eyes, I concentrated, trying to form my fourth circle. But something wasn't right. No matter how much I focused, I couldn't break through. Frustrated, I asked, "System, why can't I form my fourth circle? What's the problem?"

The fairy fluttered in front of me. "Host, while you possess the required mana and understanding, advancing beyond the third circle requires battle experience. The fourth circle is the first true step toward becoming a combat mage."

I frowned. "So that's the issue… I don't have enough real battle experience. I guess it's time to fix that."

Then, a thought struck me. "System, where is Ignis?"

"Host, Ignis is within this subspace, but some distance away. You can locate him by resonating with your beast bond."

I nodded and closed my eyes, focusing on my connection with Ignis. Almost instantly, I felt a strong, familiar presence—burning with energy and excitement.

Moments later, a red figure shot through the sky toward me. A medium-sized dragon, slightly larger than myself, soared down with powerful wings. My breath caught. Ignis had grown a lot over the past two years.

He let out a joyful roar and tackled me in an embrace, his warm scales pressing against me. I laughed, wrapping my arms around him.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" I murmured, feeling the heat radiating from his body.

Ignis let out a deep, pleased rumble. His golden eyes gleamed with energy—he had been training on his own all this time.

I smirked. "Well then, Ignis… let's see just how much stronger we've both become."

I stepped back and took a deep breath, steadying myself. I knew I needed battle experience, and there was no better way to get it than through real combat.

"System," I said, glancing at the fairy-like figure hovering beside me, "activate Combat Training Mode."

The fairy's glow pulsed slightly. "Understood, Host. What difficulty level would you like to start with? Beginner, Intermediate, or Advanced?"

I crossed my arms, thinking. If the fourth circle required combat experience, then I had to push myself beyond easy fights.

"Intermediate," I decided.

"Confirmed. Generating opponents…"

The air around me shimmered. A deep rumbling sound echoed through the empty space, and suddenly, humanoid figures began materializing in front of me.

At first, they were nothing but silhouettes, but within seconds, their forms solidified. They looked like armored warriors, each wielding a different weapon—one had a sword, another a spear, and the last carried twin daggers. Their armor was dark and expressionless, their movements unnervingly smooth, as if controlled by something unseen.

"Training session initiated. Objective: Defeat the opponents. Warning: These constructs are programmed to mimic real combatants and will not hold back."

A thrill ran through me. This was exactly what I needed.

The warrior with the sword moved first, dashing toward me with surprising speed. I barely had time to react before he swung his blade down.

I jumped back, barely avoiding the strike, but the spear-wielding opponent immediately followed up, thrusting his weapon toward my chest.

"Tch!" I twisted my body and conjured a quick Wind Step, boosting myself sideways. The spear missed by inches, stabbing into the stone platform with a sharp clang.

No time to rest—the dagger wielder was already closing in.

I gritted my teeth and gathered mana in my palms. "Firebolt!"

A streak of flame shot from my hands, aimed directly at him. But to my shock, he dodged it with a smooth sidestep, almost as if he had predicted my move.

Damn, these guys weren't simple training dummies.

"Host, be advised: Combat Constructs adapt to your fighting style. Repetitive attacks will become less effective."

I smirked. "So I have to outthink them, huh? Fine by me."

I clenched my fists, feeling my mana surge. This was my chance to fight, to learn. If I wanted to become a true battle mage and break into the fourth circle, I had to push myself further than ever before.

And I wasn't going to lose.

"So normal attacks won't work, huh? Guess I have no choice but to use third-circle magic."

I turned to my loyal companion. "Ignis, hold them off for ten seconds while I cast a spell!"

With a fierce growl, my dragon spread his wings and lunged at the approaching enemies, unleashing torrents of fire to keep them at bay. Meanwhile, I focused, channeling my mana as heat swirled around me.

"Scorching Nova!"

The moment the spell was ready, I shouted, "Ignis, get out of there—fly high!"

With a mighty flap of his wings, Ignis ascended just as a devastating explosion of fire erupted from me. A scorching wave expanded outward, engulfing everything in its path. The ground trembled under the sheer force, and the battlefield was left in ruins, the enemies reduced to nothing but ash.

Or so I thought.

Just as I let my guard down, a lone warrior—his armor scorched but his resolve unshaken—emerged from the smoke, spear in hand, charging at me from behind. Before I could react, something completely unexpected happened...