A Reader's Grimoire In A Novel World

Berlin wouldn't even bother himself with the boys. They were still at the first echelon and were infants when it came to strength.

Julius still had a calm look on his face as he glanced at the prince. He didn't even feel angry, but he surely wanted to get back at them.

"River, Rowan, Cider. You three have no right to always pressure your little brother. He isn't even an official heir yet. Don't let this incident happen again," Berlin said as he walked away with Julius. Cider gritted his teeth as he watched them go.

He banged his fist on the ground as he looked in the direction they left.

"That fool must be feeling cocky," Cider said and stood up before leaving.

River looked at his two brothers with a calm expression on his face. His blue eyes darted towards the door that Julius and their uncle had left through.

He didn't say anything and just left the scene.

...

"Are you hurt?" Berlin asked, walking ahead of Julius.

"Yes," Julius replied as he held his stomach.

Berlin glanced at his calm face and couldn't help but shake his head.

'He didn't even react when they did it. He must be so used to it by now,' he thought, letting out a breath. Meanwhile, Julius had a different thought.

'My body got stronger after I awakened essence, but it seems like it's not enough. If I want to survive after two years, I need to train hard,' he thought, determined to survive what was to come.

Even if one awakens essence, there are certain ways to hone a person's skills. It's different for mages and knights. People who want to master weapons with magic essence, called seekers, have a whole different routine to grow.

Berlin is a seeker, and even if he has a completely different type of essence from Julius, he can still learn the basics from this man.

Upon arriving at the garden, Julius sat down on the grass with Berlin, and the man started to instruct him.

"There isn't going to be any physical training for now. You need to focus on getting to Scheme 3 of the first echelon to get your first skill rune, a very important aspect of a seeker," Berlin said with a nod.

"So, for now, you're going to focus on essence resonance for the first three schemes," the man said, and Julius nodded in understanding.

He took a deep breath and summoned a ball of light atop his hand.

'Essence resonance generally is just knowing the nature of the element while experiencing it,' Julius thought as he sat there, meditating on the feeling he got from the element.

Berlin turned around as he felt a presence and saw a soldier standing behind him.

Wearing a black fur coat around his shoulders and a sword sheathed at his side, the man walked towards Berlin.

"Lord Berlin, there has been a recent sighting of a Tier 5 beast outside the central area in the forests. There might be a new dungeon that opened in that area," the man said as he looked at Berlin.

"Hmm... You can take your men to explore the place. If there are any anomalies, you can report back to me," Berlin commanded, and the soldier nodded.

The man glanced at the prince and raised his brows, as he had never seen this one in the castle before.

"Who... is he?" he couldn't help but ask.

"That's the fifth prince. He awakened essence recently with the Stone of Rebirth, so that's why his hair is that color," Berlin explained. The knight frowned as he heard what Berlin said.

"I know, isn't it a waste? I felt the same way too. But he's got quite the talent, although not up to his sister's level of talent, he's still good," Berlin said with a shrug, and the soldier chuckled.

"That sister of his is something else—beating up warriors that are schemes above her, not to mention the fact that she's still 16," the soldier said, shaking his head as he considered changing professions.

Not everyone is born with an equal amount of talent in this world. You might awaken a powerful essence, but someone with talent for an ordinary essence might surpass your strength—it's just the way it is.

The knight soon left, and Berlin sat down and just watched Julius.

They stayed like that for over four hours, and Julius had already begun to sweat. His breathing became heavier and heavier.

Berlin noticed Julius' essence had only increased, and Julius then opened his eyes and dismissed the ball of light.

"Did I get there?" Julius mumbled as he looked at his hands. Berlin shook his head.

"No progress. Don't worry, boy. As long as you stay diligent," the man smiled at him, and Julius was soon sent back to his room.

"Seems like he won't be a threat. Sasha was able to cross the basic first three schemes in one day," Berlin said as he stroked his beard.

...

'It's hard holding it all in,' Julius thought as he quickly walked through the hallways and climbed the stairs to his room.

He finally let all the essence out, and he could feel his entire body getting stronger.

'It has grown a lot since then, and I also got my first rune. Berlin must not see me as a threat anymore now,' Julius smiled.

He had reached the third scheme today while meditating, and what was even more surprising was that he got two runes.

There were two symbols on his left arm, below his palm and going up to his elbow.

The symbols looked like they were burned into his skin.

Runes in this world are gained through enlightenment from things a practitioner has learned. While it's also possible to learn from spell books, it's more difficult, as one has to actually burn the rune onto their body.

'Runes aren't the same as attributes. Attributes are obtained by achievements or blessings and are more like passive skills,' Julius thought as he stretched. He looked at the door as he felt someone knock on it.

"Prince Julius, your evening bath is ready," Alexa said as she walked into the room, and he stood up and went into the bathroom.

'Even the process of embedding the runes is complex,' he thought as he looked at the ones on his forearm.

He flinched as he touched it and then put his hand into the water again.

'Still hurts,' he thought before relaxing into the big tub.

'After that day, I haven't seen any trace of someone coming after me. Was it just a curious person?' he thought.

After he went to the underground bunker to retrieve the piano, he hadn't seen any signs of being followed or watched anymore.

Also, the shadow guards are always watching over the royals while they are within the castle.

So, it's not surprising that someone would be able to get that close to him.