Show Me Your Stats!

"What's this? Is this the first time Janus has asked to meet first?" Ayra reflexively checked her stat window again. The favorability was unchanged. It seemed that the proposal wasn't due to an increase in favorability. If it meant meeting again tomorrow, ...does he have a conscience? Ayra replied lightly with a click of her tongue in her mind.

"Tomorrow is a bit difficult."

"Hmm? Busy with work? The day after tomorrow is fine too."

"The day after tomorrow is tough too."

Janus raised his right eyebrow quizzically after the repeated rejections. Leaning back with his chin propped on his hand, his muscular chest relaxed in an impressive form as Ayra glanced at him and picked up her cloak.

"I'll be away on a business trip to Sobletz starting tomorrow and won't be back for a while."

It wasn't just an excuse; it was the truth. Ayra put on her cloak properly, buttoning up the front. Even though it was daytime, the temperature dropped significantly at night, incomparably colder. At the mention of Sobletz, Janus straightened up, emitting an inaudible grunt.

"Sobletz, huh? When will you be back?"

"I'm not sure... It's my first time there, so I'll return once the work is done. At least two or three weeks?"

Janus got up and placed the hood over Ayra's head, tightening it with a gesture that was surprisingly tender for someone with only three hearts' worth of favorability. It seemed almost like a couple seeing each other off, which made Ayra embarrassingly jest half-seriously.

"Don't go flirting while I'm gone."

"Don't worry. I don't disappoint my lovers in that regard. I might as well get some work done myself."

Janus gently rubbed Ayra's chin as she rolled her eyes. Then she asked,

"What exactly does that entail?"

"Basic duties of a lover. Not cheating, not hitting, not killing."

Uh... well, yes, those are basic duties. But to have not killing as °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° a necessary duty... does he go around killing that often...? Lost for words, Ayra fell silent while Janus tied the hood string into a pretty ribbon.

"Partners are quite important to me."

With that, Janus kissed her gently as he said goodbye to her leaving for the trip.

❄

<Alert!>

Master, it's time to wake up! Your alarm is ringing!

The blaring alarm noise pierced directly into Ayra's brain, waking her abruptly from a deep sleep. She reflexively covered her ears, though the sound wasn't real, and the stone's morning call rang in her head for another minute before it turned off.

"Ugh, ugh..."

Not a morning person, Ayra found the spirit's morning call both effective and torturous. It was still dark outside. Forcing her drooping eyelids open, she shuffled out of bed.

Stepping out of the warm bed, her body shivered in the chill. She wanted to sleep for at least another hour, but forced herself to get moving.

'Today is the opportunity.'

Today was the perfect time to observe the magical circuits of the white Lord's Castle, built 500 years ago. There had been several attempts to examine the bricks, flooring, and tower tiles, but they were always thwarted by the chief steward who seemed to appear out of nowhere whenever Ayra loitered without purpose.

So, she targeted the early morning when everyone was deeply asleep. Ayra quietly dressed and tiptoed through the dark corridor, where only the periodic lantern lights flickered. She stealthily entered the tea room by crossing the corridor on the first floor.

Her target this time was the brick inside the fireplace. Unlike the walls or floors, it wouldn't show if tampered with. Peering inside, as expected, it was full of soot and ash, so she cast a thin layer of air around herself before boldly entering the fireplace and began feeling around the bricks passionately.

"Let's see, hmm... Certainly, it seems impossible to dismantle by conventional means. Hoo, hmm... Ah-ha. Then, I should apply a solvent in the crevice to temporarily deactivate it and then peel it off..."

Stepping out briefly to retrieve the solvent from her subspace, Ayra stopped, puzzled, then crawled back into the fireplace. Her magic-wrapped fingers delicately manipulated the bricks. She was pondering deeply and tilting her head when...

"...What are you doing there?"

"Ah...!"

Startled, Ayra tried to stand quickly but hit her head hard. Stars appeared before her eyes, breaking her concentration and dispelling the magic she had cast.

Covered in soot, Ayra groaned as she crawled out of the fireplace. Coughing and lifting her head, she saw Jinas holding a lantern, looking tired but impeccably dressed.

"Why on earth are you here at this hour..."

"Likewise, what are you doing here at this dawn..."

Eyebrows raised suspiciously, Jinas spotted the solvent Ayra had left out. He bent down to examine the glass bottle closely, his face turning pale.

"My goodness, what on earth is this?"

"This is a magical solvent. It looks like this, but it really works wonders."

Ayra smiled brightly with her ash-covered face. Her already white teeth seemed to shine even more in that moment.

The magical solvent was an artificial biological colony modeled after a type of pest that gnaws away at magical energy, resembling a kind of magical bug. While it could be a bit dangerous for ordinary people, it was perfectly safe and extremely useful for mages who handle magic.

Jinas tried to cover the glass bottle with his sleeve, but by then, he had already seen the tiny, insect-like creatures swarming inside the bottle. His face paled as he stepped back, horrified, and warned her.

"Step away from the fireplace immediately, and put that awful thing back where it belongs."

"Just! Give me one hour, I'll close my eyes for just a bit, peek at it, and then I'll restore everything back to normal."

"No! Don't even think about it! For heaven's sake, the ash powder!"

Jinas screamed and put the lantern down. His face looked like he had seen the castle being eaten alive by termites, with the tiny, cute, but utterly terrifying creatures resembling ravenous ants. As he began to call someone, Ayra, realizing what was happening, stiffened her face and confronted Jinas.

"Is this your castle or mine? Are you defying me, the lord?"

At her words, Jinas stiffened and stared at her.

"My lord..."

A moment later, Ayra was trudging back to her bedroom, her footsteps heavy. Unlike Bloom, her command of Jinas was not one that could be ignored in the slightest.

Jinas, firmly ignoring Ayra's words, immediately called for Botello. The loyal steward, who had been up early to oversee the castle, rushed to her side, shaking off the ash and preparing a warm bath for her.

"Would you like to rest a little more? You’ll be going out of town for a while."

The person who cared most about Ayra in the estate spoke with concern as he helped her into a thick outer garment. Ayra answered as she put it on.

"No, I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep anymore. It’s better to prepare early and leave early."

The spot where she hit her head against the fireplace still ached. Fully dressed, Ayra rubbed the small bump on her forehead as she made her way to the dining hall. The attendants were already out, preparing her meal before sunrise.

As she sat down, Ayra snapped her fingers while looking at the steaming food. Immediately, small clusters of light in the shape of dolphins slowly swam through the air. The attendants, who were setting the food and dishes down, widened their eyes in surprise as the light swam in the air like it was underwater, eventually splashing into the water bottle and causing it to overflow.

The water swirled and soared, and moments later, three beautiful ice flowers bloomed from the water bottle. Botello cleared his throat, and the attendants snapped back to attention, though their eyes kept sneaking glances at the ice flowers as they placed the food down.

Ayra had been showcasing her magic in front of the people of the estate whenever she had the chance. The "fairy magic," which was completely impractical and solely visually appealing, was quite effective and caused the average favorability of the estate’s people to rise slowly. This effect was especially true for symbols related to Morunka Temple.

'Moreover, there’s not much to see around here. Does my magic look interesting?'

She smiled contentedly in her mind as she continued eating calmly. By the time she finished her meal, the steward appeared with a pile of luggage. Although she could have stored it in her subspace, Ayra, mindful of the people around her, continued walking with the attendants following her, carrying the luggage.

It was unusually cold for the early morning, with frost-like mist covering the walls and ground. Yet, neither the attendant, dressed in only a single layer of clothing, nor Jinas, showed any sign of discomfort. As they walked through the quiet, serene dawn, Jinas quietly called Ayra.

"I don't know about the others, but I'm happy you're a mage, Ayra."

Ayra’s eyes widened at the unexpected words. It was the first time she had heard someone say they were happy she was a mage since coming here. Letting out a hum, the young steward added in a somewhat gruff tone.

"As long as you're not trying to dismantle the castle, that is."

"Mm, thanks."

Ayra pretended not to hear the latter part of his comment and thanked him. A small crease appeared on Jinas' forehead, but he sighed and let it go. Now that she noticed, there was a bit of soot on Jinas' sleeve, so Ayra casually used magic to dust it off.