The Broken Crystal Orb
The next morning.
"Good morning!"
"Did you sleep well, son?"
Mom greeted me with her usual warm smile. I ran straight to her and clung to her side, spoiling for affection.
"Mom!"
"I'm sticking with you all day today!"
She stroked my hair as she answered.
"I'd love that too."
"I want to stay with you all day, but…"
"Mom has something she needs to take care of, so I have to step out for a bit."
"Something to take care of?"
"Mm-hmm. So I won't be able to stay with you today."
"Oh…"
After everything that had happened yesterday, I'd wanted to stay glued to her side even more. The disappointment sat heavy in my chest.
"I was so excited about playing with you…"
"I'm sorry, sweetheart."
"It's okay!"
"I'll guard the house really well."
"Good."
"Then I'll go with your mother as well."
"You're going too, Dad?"
"Of course!"
"I'm the only one who can protect her!"
Mom would probably be fine on her own…
"Fer, you stay home."
Mom's refusal was firm.
"But, Armel."
"I beg of you — may I not come along?"
"Haa… fine."
"Stop staring at me like that."
"Hmm…"
"Still falling for me, are you?"
Thud.
"Even so, that fist was a bit much…"
"I—I don't know what you're talking about!"
Dad's probably not long for this world…
Mom seemed to accept, however reluctantly, that Dad would be going with her.
"Thank you."
"Well then…"
"I'm worried about our boy being home alone…"
"Then I'll come too—"
"Just leave him with Serina downstairs."
I suddenly hated Dad a little.
"I wanted to come along too."
"You're still a patient."
Dad brushed my protest aside as if it were nothing.
"Tch…"
"Serina, huh…"
"She's home today, right?"
"Seems so."
"I heard she was taking the day off."
"Shall we go ask her, then?"
Knock, knock.
"Serina, come out for a second."
"Hold on, I'll be right there."
The door creaked open.
"What's going on all of a sudden?"
"Did you get slapped again?"
"It's nothing like that…"
"Armel."
Auntie covered her mouth in surprise at the sight of Mom.
"Hello."
"Hi, Auntie."
"Well, hello…"
"But what's this about?"
"Did the little one get hurt badly?"
"No, nothing like that."
"We were wondering if you could look after our son for just today."
"Ah…"
"I can, but where are you headed?"
"We have some business at the guild."
"Got it."
"You two go handle your business and have a nice date while you're at it."
"It's not like that…"
"Thanks."
"Serina, I'll go enjoy a lovely date."
"You don't get to enjoy anything."
"Only Armel gets to enjoy herself."
"Just work Fer to the bone."
"Haha."
"Understood."
"I'll work him so hard he withers right up!"
Auntie laughed with hearty delight.
"Then take care out there."
"You come on in too, little one."
"Thank you."
"We'll be back, son."
"We'll return before the sun goes down."
"You can come back even later than that."
"Take your time and enjoy yourselves!"
"Be careful, Mom!"
I could see my parents waving from a distance.
"Little one."
"What should we play, you and me?"
"Then tell me about your love stories, Auntie."
"Huh?"
"Kid, I don't even know how old you are."
"Eleven."
"Right…"
"Honestly…"
"I can't keep up with Serina."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"Haa…"
"If you had even half of Serina's sense…"
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"You still don't get it?"
"I'm happy to be on a date with you too."
Armel turned away with a prim little huff, her ears flushed red.
Really… both my son and my wife.
Why are they both so adorable?
"Then let's get going."
"Alright."
"To the guild, quickly."
In front of the guild—
Bang—
"Lizette…"
"You haven't gone anywhere, have you?"
The noisy guild hall fell silent at the presence of a single woman.
"It's Armel…"
"She's here looking for Lizette over yesterday's mess."
"Today's her memorial day, isn't it."
"I should've paid my respects in advance."
Thud. Thud.
Armel walked slowly into the guild.
"Armel, maybe calm down a little…"
"Oh my, Fer, I am perfectly calm."
"Which is why…"
"Even with me standing right here, my disciple is still hiding…"
Thud!
"…and you're covering for her, aren't you?"
She struck the counter hard. The wood split open, and Lizette, who had been hiding behind it, tumbled out.
"Greetings…"
"Lady Armel."
"Oh my, Lizette."
"Have you finally lost your mind?"
"Calling your master's name so casually now?"
"No!"
"Master."
"We still have… quite a lot to talk about, don't we?"
Armel looked composed on the surface, but fury seethed just beneath.
Footsteps descended from the second floor. The Guild Master was coming down.
"Armel, is it? It's been a long time."
The Guild Master seemed genuinely pleased to see her again.
"It has been a while."
"Guild Master."
"Haha!"
"I hear you raised quite a storm yesterday, Empress."
"Well…"
"Lizette did something that deserved it, didn't she?"
"Even so, making your little sister tremble like that…"
"I do feel sorry about that."
"I'm joking, just joking."
"From what I heard, Lizette was largely at fault."
The Guild Master said as much, though he still seemed a little troubled underneath.
"Still, be more careful next time."
"For all her faults, she's my little sister."
"Guild Master."
"It's Lizette who needs to be careful — not me."
The Guild Master could only laugh awkwardly.
"Right…"
"But I'm asking as her older brother."
"Haa…"
"Fine."
"Thank you."
"Still, we should address what's been weighing on us, shouldn't we?"
"Lizette?"
"Yes!"
"Why did you go that far yesterday?"
"Releasing killing intent and fighting like that?"
"That's…"
"Guild Master, might we borrow your office?"
Lizette kept her mouth tightly shut, as if she couldn't say it out here.
The Guild Master stroked his beard, lost in thought for a moment.
"If you don't mind…"
"Might I listen in as well?"
They nodded silently.
The Master's office—
The moment the door closed, Lizette hurriedly prepared tea.
"I've prepared tea."
"Master."
"Seeing Lizette act like this is almost awkward."
"Don't worry."
"I feel awkward too."
"Lizette, pour me a cup as well."
"Make it yourself."
"I'll spit in it."
"Lizette."
"Pour tea for the Guild Master and Fer too."
"Yes!"
"Master."
"Here's your tea."
"You drink some too, big brother."
"Thank you."
"Alright, Lizette. Let's get to the point."
"Why did you do it?"
"……"
Lizette only hung her head in silence.
"Lizette."
"Look up."
The moment she raised her head, her eyes met her master's. Those fierce eyes had softened into something parental.
"It's true that… I wanted to see his swordsmanship."
"But something else bothered me more."
"Something else?"
"What was it?"
"His mana."
"His mana?"
"Is that a problem?"
"That child…"
"His mana capacity… surpassed Lady Armel's at her peak."
"What?"
"At such a young age…"
"His mana capacity is higher than Armel's?"
"Yeah…"
"But the real shock came after that."
"Our crystal orbs are special, right, big brother?"
"They are."
"They measure not only mana capacity and stamina, but also a person's elemental attributes."
"Is that so?"
"You bought something quite expensive, then?"
"I spent a fortune and stocked a few of them."
"But it broke."
"Huh?"
"It broke?"
The Guild Master fumbled in shock and dropped his tea.
"Those things are made so they can never break."
"I know…"
"But it broke."
"Lizette."
"What exactly are you trying to say?"
"Master…"
"How many magical attributes exist in this world?"
"There are six elemental attributes, but…"
"There are also elements derived from those, so…"
"There are at least ten or more."
"It didn't react to any attribute…"
"That child is attribute-less."
Bang!
Fer shot up from his seat, face contorted with rage, and seized Lizette by the collar.
"Attribute-less?!"
"What kind of nonsense is that!"
"You— right now…"
At that same moment—
"Little one?"
"I'm telling you a perfectly good love story here."
I had been staring blankly out the window. Slowly, I turned my head. A strange chill ran down my spine. Once again, I felt as though someone was watching me.
"You— right now…"
"Are you saying our son is dead?!"
"Answer me, Lizette!"
"Darling, calm down."
"Fer, let go of her first and talk."
"You expect me to stay calm right now?!"
"You know what she's saying as well as I do!"
"I know, which is why…"
"I'm telling you to calm down."
"Fer."
A faint thread of mana slipped from Armel, weighing the air down until it felt heavy as stone.
"Tch."
Only then did Fer release Lizette's collar.
"Lizette. So what exactly does that mean?"
"After the attribute-less result appeared…"
"Cracks formed in the crystal orb."
"And that's why you released killing intent at our son."
"And fought him."
"Yes…"
"Having no attribute at all is strange in itself, isn't it?"
"So I wondered if something was controlling an already-dead body."
"Haa…"
"If something like that worried you, you should have told Fer."
"I'm sorry."
"From the day that child was born, we have never once…"
"Left his side."
"So he is not dead. He is alive."
"I understand."
Silence settled over the room for a while.
"Attribute-less, of all things."
"As expected of the Empress's son."
"Guild Master, I'd prefer you not use that title."
"You know why."
"You know why I hate that nickname."
"My apologies."
"It's become a habit. Slipped out without thinking."
"Let's end things here for today."
"Thank you for lending us the room, Master."
"Please keep this matter secret."
"Of course."
"I won't breathe a word of it."
"Thank you."
Armel simply watched Lizette, who still looked uneasy.
"Haa…"
"Lizette."
"Yes, Master."
"I know you did it for my sake."
"But you understand that the one whose forgiveness you need to seek… isn't me, right?"
"Yes. I know."
"And, Lizette."
"Yes."
"If you truly feel sorry toward me…"
"You'll face that child in the next test as well."
"Yes — but why?"
"Because from now on, I'm going to teach him myself."
"Going easy on him will not be tolerated."
"Understood?"
"Yes! Understood!"
With that single sentence from Armel, every last shred of Lizette's anxiety melted away.
When the door closed, the tension in the room slowly dissolved. The Master shot his little sister a sidelong glance.
"You should've known when to stop."
"It's not like anyone was going to hate you for it…"
"But…"
Tears began to well in her eyes, one by one.
"I'm so glad."
"That she doesn't hate me…"
"Aigoo."
"What a complete mess."
"You're ugly when you cry. Stop it."
"Shut up!"
"Hmm… was I too harsh?"
"I'd say you went easy on her, all things considered."
"Still, I didn't expect her to cry that hard."
"Well, that girl too…"
"It's proof she's growing, isn't it?"
"I suppose so."
"Shall we head out, then?"
"Let's."
"Attribute-less, though."
"He really does feel like our child."
"Being unusual — that part is just like us."
"Right?"
Armel snorted softly.
"More importantly."
"The entire guild found out."
"Indeed."
"I'm not particularly worried, but…"
"Will it be alright?"
"It's fine."
"The rumor that I lost my mana has held up this long already."
"And if it comes to it, we can handle things."
"My wife is so reliable."
"I think I might fall for you all over again."
"W-what are you saying!"
Wham!
Fer clutched his back in agony.
"I still…"
"Haven't quite gotten the hang of mana control."
"Sorry."
"It's fine."
"Then how about we go on that date and chat for a while?"
Armel skipped several steps ahead. She turned back and beamed at him, bright as sunlight.
"I'd love that!"