The second chance of the uncrowned king - (Isekai)

The cracks on the walls and pillars of my cube remained the same, only deeper. According to my grandmother, that could be even worse; those wounds take longer to heal. "It'll be better to leave this for when I'm completely recovered." It's a shame to stop when I'm so close to finishing.

I can feel the new ability growing, transforming the old one; I just need a bit more understanding and practice to obtain it. I had never felt this kind of sensation when using the bracelets before. Only now, thanks to the new comprehension infused directly into the ability, can I notice the difference.

According to my estimates, it'll take three or four weeks to obtain the new skill. The problem is I don't know how long it'll take to heal all those cracks. I don't want to use mana these days so I can recover completely, but there are always situations that force me to do so. I'll try to reduce those moments to the minimum until I'm healed.

"You still have a few more hours left, or you can stay the whole night healing yourself." Glia understands my feelings perfectly through our bond. I can hide many of them if I want, but right now I'm letting everything flow.

"Are you sure? That doesn't sound like the kind of idea you'd normally recommend." She always tries to keep me from taking these kinds of risks.

"I know you, Maki. Your curiosity and stubbornness could make you use those bracelets again…" I don't say anything because she's right. "It's better to dedicate as much time as possible to healing; that way, there'll be less risk. Focus on closing all the cracks. If someone comes, I'll let you know." I thank her for her consideration and return to my lotus position, focusing on my recovery.

Days went by quickly. I slept the bare minimum so I wouldn't become stupid from exhaustion or lack of sleep. I've only focused on healing during my free time; the rest of the day I spent talking with my family and the Zumis family.

The person I've talked to the most is Matt. He also has an affinity for electricity, like me. He often asks me for advice on how to use it for his abilities. I can say with confidence that I've been a great help—but not enough. He's a tank meant to deliver heavy blows while defending himself, while I'm more of a free and versatile type.

I've helped him improve his mobility and agility through his affinity, and to focus the electricity on certain points to cause momentary paralysis in monsters or people. That way, he can compensate for his lack of speed and land a lethal strike with that slight advantage. He's very grateful for my advice and has been going into the dungeon every day to improve.

"Don't forget to come back for dinner; Sers will be upset if you don't." Glia interrupts my thoughts. My concentration remains firm, sending mana little by little to heal every wound and crack in my cube.

"I know, I'll be on time." Today, Sers's fiancée is finally arriving, and there will be a dinner to welcome her. I'll get to meet her before leaving. Tomorrow, it's time to depart for Marril City, then teleport to Primaver City, and finally make the last jump to Skyblue River City. I'll go with Matt, who'll attend the same school as the girls. I hope they include him in their group; he's only friends with people twice his age.

I can't afford to arrive late to Primaver City. The marquis made it very clear how expensive it is to use the teleportation platform to Skyblue City. They need to gather the exact number of people willing to pay their share, as it consumes many grade-4 cores to cross that distance.

After showering and putting on clothes suited for the occasion, I'm ready to head from the training room to the garden where the dinner will be held. Glia hides inside my cube to rest for a bit—she's been helping me heal faster and always ends up exhausted, and this time is no different. "Sleep a bit. I'll save you some steaks for when you wake up."

Her little eyes shine with excitement; she loves any kind of meat with all her heart. "It's a promise." I smile before watching her curl up inside my cube. She deserves to eat all the steaks she wants until she bursts.

"Where have you been these past days? I haven't seen you much." My mother complains beside me. I haven't been able to spend much time with her; we've both been too busy. She's managing most of the logistics for the large group of people who'll soon arrive with the Moko family. Finally, it was approved by the marquis, my family, and the Moko family—they'll officially join us in the coming days.

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It's extremely expensive to transport all those people via teleportation platform, so Patt and a few sapphire-rank soldiers have gone to Primaver City to escort them. The journey will take two or three weeks. According to estimates, two ruby ranks and about ten sapphire ranks are enough to safely escort a little over a thousand people.

That's not all—my mother's also managing the housing distribution and the new arrivals. Apparently, I've become quite a star in the marquisate after winning the tournament and because of my supposed engagements to the daughter of a marquis, a count, and a future viscount. Many people are betting their lives and moving to our territory.

Everything is growing very quickly—businesses, population, and more. Of course, that brings many problems with it. Fortunately, they were prepared for something like this, so it didn't catch them off guard. Now it's just a matter of time before things calm down again. Why do I feel like I cause this kind of chaos every time I come home?

"I've been training. I've already closed some cracks in my cube." My smile manages to calm my mother a bit. "According to my estimates, I'll be completely healed a day or two before classes begin." If I keep stubbornly closing every crack, I'll be able to start school at 100 %.

"I'm really glad, son. You're leaving again tomorrow… I can't get used to seeing my sons go." My mother's sad gaze drifts to where Sers's other arm should be. "Promise me something, Maki. You'll take care of yourself as much as possible—and have fun." She looks straight into my eyes, her expression serious.

"Yes, I promise." My sincere words make her smile. I know I'm overqualified for school; I'm going mostly out of whim—to meet people, create good memories, and relax a bit. If I stayed here, I'd just keep training endlessly. Once I'm there, I'll focus on many different things—but I'll never neglect my training.

"Fix your tie and shirt, she's coming." I can already feel my grandmother and Sers's fiancée approaching from the distance. I follow my mother's advice and straighten my clothes.

She's quite tall, about my height—around 170 cm. Her hair is long and silky; her skin has a bronze tone, not dark but not pale either; light brown eyes like her hair; and sharp, defined features. Honestly, she reminds me a bit of Sers. They truly make a good pair.

"You must be the star of the Vichag family. Nice to meet you, Maki. I'm Ivad Oter." She had already greeted my parents politely, but with me, she's formal enough not to be disrespectful. Honestly, I feel more comfortable this way—I don't like excessive formality. Her attitude reminds me of Sers; even in that, they're alike.

"Nice to meet you, Ivad. I'm happy to meet my future sister-in-law." We both smile and shake hands. Then we all sit down to eat—it's time to enjoy our chef's cooking. I already asked my mother to set aside some steaks for Glia, and she agreed.

The dinner was lively. Little by little, my sister-in-law gained confidence and began speaking more casually with my parents and grandmother—though she remained quite respectful toward the latter. She told us about her childhood, how she met Sers, how they became friends, and many amusing stories leading up to the final incident in the dungeon.

Her tone became a bit more serious when she reached that part, but she never hesitated. She continued recounting the events from her perspective until the moment they escaped. Apparently, they had been getting to know each other but were too afraid to confess their feelings—until that life-and-death situation pushed them to the limit, forcing them to finally admit their love for one another.

As the night came to an end, my parents and grandmother went to bed. They have to wake up very early tomorrow to finish their pending work so they can see me off before I leave again. I stayed behind with Sers and his fiancée to talk for a while.

"So, are all those rumors true?" I look at Ivad, unsure which rumor she means—there are too many about me. She seems to catch my expression and continues, "Your relationships with Lady Sol, Lady Arisa, and Lady Marga; that you're a breaker of limits; and all those rumors about your strength." Her eyes shine with curiosity as she asks; I can't sense any malice behind them.

"Well, I'm not sure we can call them relationships yet… There's definitely something between us, and I hope it keeps growing." Her smile widens. "As for the rest—yes, I'd say I'm strong. I don't know how much I've improved recently; I just advanced in rank and haven't really tested my strength yet." She nods firmly.

"I've always admired the daughters of high-ranking nobles—they can be so refined and strong at the same time. Those three in particular have stood out within the marquisate. Even at their age, they've earned my respect. I never thought they could become my sisters-in-law one day." Her gestures and smile are so natural that everything she says sounds genuine. "At school, I learned manners, but… I'm still better at fighting." She looks at me seriously, as if analyzing me.

"Your Imra is impressive. I can feel a consistency and weight that aren't common, even among sapphire ranks. Your control is monstrous. At first glance, you look like a weak sapphire, easy to underestimate, but my instincts tell me otherwise. Your ability to keep it so hidden makes you a threat." I'm surprised by her deduction—she's absolutely right.

"Ivad has the best Imra control in our class—it's an innate talent from her family," Sers explains before his fiancée smiles proudly. I'm deeply impressed. Her ability to sense and analyze Imra is exceptionally refined. She'll surely earn her place in my family soon, and I'm genuinely happy for Sers—happier still to see him truly in love, and that love returned.