Mana Threads and Sudden Closeness
It seemed like my relationship with Lady Bellias had grown remarkably close in a short time. About a week had passed since our first meeting with Bellias.
There was still plenty of time before the Nebula Ducal House succession ceremony.
I was attending heir classes, but unexpectedly, the lessons were so lax that I had more free time than I'd imagined.
To be honest, as a noble, I'd braced myself for tedious etiquette training, so this was pretty deflating.
Curious, I'd asked the Duke directly why the education was so leisurely.
And his response was a sight to behold.
"Why should we, as dukes, bother with etiquette and courtesy?"
"What?"
"They're the ones who have to bow to us anyway, and don't we already have the basics covered? The only ones we need to show respect to are the imperial family."
The Duke said this while looking at me as if wondering why I'd worry about such things.
"Uh, is that so?"
I somehow bought into his tyrannical logic.
As one of the four great dukes granted autonomy by the empire, his status was more than sufficient.
Moreover, the Nebula Ducal House was the king of the underworld, fully dominating it.
This meant they knew all the dirty secrets of the nobility.
Combining underworld intel with the house's own intelligence network was a natural outcome.
There were hardly any nobles who didn't have skeletons in their closets, so in a way, the Nebula Ducal House was their natural predator.
"We have their weaknesses laid bare, so if we act all polite, they'll freak out. Imagine if I suddenly spoke formally to you and bowed deeply."
"Ugh."
"Puhaha! Exactly that reaction. Even you feel it, so think about the other nobles. We've already gotten permission from the imperial family long ago anyway. Just keep basic human decency."
The Duke spoke in a low voice, his illness-ridden face unyielding.
"You're the man who's going to become Duke Nebula."
And that marked the start of what was called a tea party with Bellias—but really meant mana training.
"Nngh."
[Now, imagine drawing out your mana thin and long, like a thread—delicately.]
Her voice echoed in my mind.
In response, the mana pouring from my hand began morphing into a thread.
Mana Thread.
The technique of spinning mana into a thread.
It was so advanced that people said mastering Mana Threads proved extreme precision in mana control.
[Good. Now split that thread even thinner. Imagine one thread dividing into dozens more.]
[You need to succeed at this to move to the next stage.]
The issue was that, to her, Mana Threads were just a stepping stone.
"Hoo."
Imagining the Mana Thread in my hand splitting into dozens of strands.
As if responding, the single thread began fracturing into dozens.
Snap.
But that was it.
The split mana lost control and scattered into the air.
"Haa..."
Sighing at the sight, I leaned back in my chair and stared at the ceiling.
On the first day of training, I couldn't even produce a Mana Thread, let alone split it.
From the second day, I managed splits, but the number was too few, and they dissipated in under five seconds.
Today, our third session, I'd finally split it into dozens—but still no full success.
[That's still impressive. Most mana awakeners take years of basics to reach this precision.]
Bellias's voice rang in my head, filled purely with genuine praise.
Hearing it, I sighed again and drew out mana once more.
Training mana control helped me in multiple ways, after all.
Plus, the whole process was genuinely fun, so there was no reason not to.
⋯
[He's really amazing...?] Bellias kept marveling inwardly.
She knew she was a genius.
Having taken over as boss of Dark Shadow and handled countless missions, she'd long assessed her own prowess.
She'd seen many: mana engineers pushing precision to the limit, barrier mages weaving intricate spells, even grand archmages with overwhelming power.
Yet none matched her control—except perhaps now, this man before her.
No, no one else would even think to split a Mana Thread into dozens more.
It was a technique only she could use.
And Abel was knocking on its door—in just a week!
[This...]
Talent?
Or could it even be called that?
She watched him smile faintly, sipping tea with one hand while emitting mana from the other, splitting threads once more.
The new threads were noticeably more refined than the last.
Normally, manifesting mana drained mental energy.
So most treated mana exercises like workouts—and it wasn't wrong, since mana flow toughened the body.
But occasionally, someone shattered that truth: those who enjoyed honing mana, even craved it.
Genius or eccentric.
People just like her.
[This...]
"Hm?"
She muttered via telepathy without realizing.
Abel, having finished his tea, looked at her—but she ignored it, lost in the thrill of meeting someone she could truly connect with.
[You're doing great!]
"Uh?"
It was the first time.
Not even with her siblings from other ducal houses.
She'd met similar personalities, but none with Abel's talent, so they felt distant.
[Yes. Split it like that, then make tiny holes in each split Mana Thread—like syringe needles!]
And then Abel appeared.
Smiling through the intense focus required?
Some might call him a training fanatic.
No, not at all.
He enjoyed the act of manipulating mana itself, not the training.
She knew the difference intimately, having felt it herself many times.
Similar disposition, astonishing talent.
Chin.
That's why.
Seeing someone so like her for the first time, she felt instant intimacy—and grabbed his hand without hesitation.
Her hypersensitive mana perception made it uncomfortable at first, but her joy overrode it.
[Alright, shall we try again?]
⋯
The distance between us had suddenly closed dramatically.
"..."
I'd always kept a considerate space, since she flinched whenever I got too close.
From the first day of serious training this week to now, that distance had held steady.
I had no intention of pushing closer than necessary, so it stayed constant.
But now.
Her shampoo scent tickled my nose.
The softness of her hand and her warm body heat against my fingertips.
Her alluring voice echoing in my mind.
Dull purple hair filling my vision.
[Yes, like this. You're doing well. Keep it smooth.]
Sight, sound, touch, smell—every sense except taste was overwhelmed by her.
"..."
I couldn't control my trembling eyes and stared blankly at her.
***
Mist, arriving right on time for the end of their usual tea session to attend to Abel, widened her eyes slightly at the scene and stared straight ahead.
Abel emerging from the room, Bellias seeing him off.
To anyone watching, it looked like a wife waving goodbye to her husband heading to work.
Observing quietly, Mist spoke slowly as Abel turned back to her—calmly, to avoid suspicion.
"You've grown quite close to the boss, haven't you?"
"Hm? Ah, yeah. I'm a bit dazed myself."
'Truth.'
"Lady Bellias suddenly got close to you, Master Abel?"
"Yeah, pretty much."
"So you don't know why she got close so suddenly?"
Abel nodded readily at her question.
'Truth again.'
Mist was one of the few who understood Bellias's nature well.
Her extreme sensitivity to mana.
No issues in daily life, but she inherently avoided others' mana due to it.
Yet she'd suppressed that and closed the gap in just two weeks?
'No way.'
Her master Abel had said clearly: he was building rapport with Bellias for mana technique advice.
No lies there, and Mist prided herself on knowing his personality.
Her doubts only grew.
Mist knew.
Sebastian and Nella's scheme to secretly pair Abel and Bellias had been obvious for ages.
They hadn't even tried hiding it, so she'd let it slide.
But she'd expected no real progress between them.
Knowing both personalities, it was obvious.
Yet they'd grown this close, this fast?
'Hmm...'
For the briefest moment, Mist's gaze unfocused ever so slightly.