Auxiliary Skill- Affinity Marbles

Before going to check on what Fath- I mean 'Dad' was doing, I first decided to meet the person who I'll be taking with me outside the Swordwick Household.

My 'Uncle' so to speak...

"Why do you want to leave the household so suddenly? Did you get your Mother's permission." Mark asked in surprise and didn't even mention about Dad's opinion on this matter...

"You should already know about the assassination attempt... She's not safe in this household." I answered with a formal tone to persuade him to help.

"If she's not safe here, where will you take her? Trust me when I say that there's no safer place than this fortress of a Noble Household." He assured me before patting my shoulder casually.

"There IS a safer place than this." I looked him in the eyes and smiled.

He seemed to not like the look in my eyes. A cold chill ran down his spine...

"You can't be thinking-"

"Exactly right. I'm taking Merilin to grandma's house~!" I interrupted with an eager hum under my breath. There is no way anyone could forget that my grandmother was too overpowered!

She's an Archmage after all!

"If your asking me to escort you to your grandmother's house. Then I wholeheartedly refuse!" Mark stopped me there with a hint of fear in his tone. I kinda expected this...

It looks like he's trying to escape... I could tell from his movements that he was about to leave. I'm not sure I'd be able to stop him if he just walked out.

"Come on~! My grandmother doesn't bite." I tried to swindle him into going.

"But her pet spiders do!" Mark's tone was firm and tried to escape quickly.

Looks like Plan B it is!

"Merilin, why don't you request your uncle to go?" I nudged my little sister so she would help me out.

Merilin, who was messing with the book about Magic Circles I gave her previously, awoke out of her daze in fright as she realised what was going on. She then quickly jumped at Mark while looking as 'pitiful' as she could.

"Please, Uncle...?" She said cutely with adorable eyes. I have to hand it to Merilin for knowing how to handle people... Especially our good 'Uncle'.

"Come on, Uncle. Aren't you going to help your niece out~?" I also grabbed him but not in an adorable way. What I was actually trying to do was restrain him before he tries to run off on us...! He's a fast guy after all.

"What did you just call me...?" Mark froze momentarily upon hearing me.

Well... I guess it can't be helped.

Even after I found out he was my mother's blood-related brother and how the Greenlock Family he once told me about was my own... I still refused to refer to him as my 'Uncle'...

He was careless, cowardly, and had a near extreme phobia of insects. The me of the past really had a hard time accepting him as an adult, much less a 'Uncle'. There were a lot of suspicious parts about him I'm still unable to understand... but I have decided throw it all aside from now on.

He doesn't need to be sincere to me. I only hope that he will do his duty.

"I hope you aren't thinking that this place is safe for Merilin as she is right now... You should have already experienced what it's like to lose 'family' yourself." I ignored his bewilderment and tried my best to persuade him. However, it was only after I spoke did I realise my mistake.

The atmosphere around Mark changed as his casual demeanour dissipated... There was a hint of malicious darkness in his eyes.

"You went too far with that." Despite the fact that we were both holding him by the waist, he still slipped out of our grasp. It was almost like he teleported as he moved to grab me in a headlock before I even noticed.

"Okay, okay! I get it, so stop putting pressure on me!" Although the muscles on my neck couldn't be trained to withstand force, the Muscle Enhancement Skill Overlay I had hidden in my physique activated and allowed me to ignore his grapple.

"Is this the kind of magic you used against that assassin?" Mark suddenly asked as looked at the faint ruby-like radiance my neck was giving off.

"Awesome right." I was quite proud of this technique considering its effects.

"But I've heard you created a Light Attribute Skill Root, how are you still able to use the Fire Attribute?" He might be asking this question curiously but he was also tightening his hold... Is he testing my limits?

"I don't really know... Stuff happened and my technique somehow became part of my Skill Root..." I didn't elaborate too much since my Sun Attribute wasn't information I could tell just any. It's not from the lack of trust but more along the lines of it being too tedious to explain.

"Uncle! Stop bullying Big Brother!" A voice interrupted us. Mark quickly let go and tried to console the little girl who separated us before she burst into tears. Mom would not be happy if she found out Mark was 'bullying' us even if the two of them WERE blood-related.

"I'm not bullying him... Really! This is just how we get along~!" Mark smiled and comforted Merilin before turning to look at me with curious eyes.

It looks like he wasn't shocked at the fact I kept my personal technique hidden from everyone but instead felt surprised by how I retained it.

This must mean keeping one's affinities after creating a Skill Root is rare but not unique... Now that's just disappointing... I thought my personal technique was the best on Sphera!

"Sorry..." I apologised for what I said before since I really was out of line...

"Forget it..." He waved off what I said.

"Are you still relying on the quantity of your techniques rather than their quality?" Mark continued as it seemed like his 'Instructor Mode' was still on.

Now that I think about it more thoroughly, isn't his 'Instructor Mode' similar to my 'Combat Mode'? It's not like a split-personality but more like a part of him that he doesn't shows often. A 'persona' so to speak...

Wait- No, they aren't actually that similar. How could this side of him even start to compare to the 'Combat Mode' mindset I usually take on when getting serious in the midst of battle?

Ever since I erased Sylphy's mind-control 'worm' from my brain, I found that there is a side of me that's different from my everyday self...

One side of me is goofy and fun-loving while the other is depressingly cold...

Hah... I really didn't like the coldness I felt while killing that assassin... It may have felt more 'real' than my usual childishness, but it wasn't comfortable whatsoever.

"Hey Simon, are you even listening?" A voice woke me up from my daze.

"Sorry... Okay so: Why are you suddenly calling my techniques crude all of a sudden?" I changed the subject by preforming 'Bending Rivers to save the Nation' at maximum power!

"I never called them 'crude'. Although I can't see them, I can at least understand that you're using Aura more 'intricately'. However, a complex technique isn't as useful as a simple but powerful one." Mark said while putting what I harsh words from before to the side. It looked like he didn't want to bring up anything about his past anymore...

Mom never talked about the Noble Household of the Greenlock Family so I never brought it up with her. Only Mark was the one who ever mentioned the fact that Mom was once a Noble before working here...

"I don't know what you mean." Putting all that aside, I really couldn't comprehend what he was talking about when bringing up my magic's 'quality'. What so bad about having complex techniques at my disposal?

"Hah..." He sighed before holding his temples as if he got a headache.

"I guess it's my fault for not explaining to you properly." He shook his head.

When he was finally done showing his disappointment, his body suddenly moved at an extreme speed and appeared at the corner of the room before returning back to his position.

Both me and Merilin looked on in shock as he demonstrated his speed once again. I couldn't even see him use Mana as it was like he was ignoring physics and all forms of air resistance to silently wizz about.

"This is a high-level technique I call 'Velocity'. The reason I'm respected among those of the Noble Household we serve despite my ordinary Magic Talent and extreme arachnophobia is because I am able to use this unique Wind Attribute Intrinsic Art.

Don't bother asking why I didn't teach you this technique since Intrinsic Arts can't be replicated without rigorous training and 'insights'. I'm not like the Duke and don't have the heart to make you go through what I experienced to comprehend this powerful yet extremely simple technique..." He explained while making me note that Intrinsic Arts passed down through lineages weren't the same as normal ones.

"I still don't get what you mean though... What does your Intrinsic Art have to do with my techniques?" I couldn't help but ask in response.

Mark opened his mouth but couldn't find the words to express his thoughts.

"Are you able to explain 'how' you are able to use that muscle strengthening technique you just used?" He asked after a long moment of silence.

Merilin was intently listening as well as she used her 'pitiful' eyes against me...

Seriously, you don't have to do that. It's not like I don't trust the two of you.

"I used my Affinities to enchant certain parts of my body depending on their qualities. My nervous system, immune system, muscles, organs, and skin become enhanced by Affinities as soon as I use my technique." I said while activating my 'Combat Body'.

My eyes turned amethyst, and my body started to glow four gem-like colours as soon as I released the Mana that had been assimilating into my physique. Even my hair seemed to take on a glowing colourful radiance.

"Do you know why your personal technique survived this way as you created a Skill Root?" Although Mark was as amazed as Merilin after seeing my technique, he still asked calmly.

"Not really..." I scratched my head.

"It's because that technique you created has never actually been an 'Intrinsic Art'. As you've already seen, I didn't even need to use Mana to increase my speed since it had already been 'fused' into my Mana Flame upon its creation. Yours on the other hand must've existed separately from your Mana Flame despite being active, right?" Mark asked with certainty. His guess was accurate because I do remember that gem within me representing my Secret Art before I had created my Skill Root.

Wait... Now that I think back to it, I can remember something else... Didn't I also merge kinetic energy into my one of my Skill Roots upon their creation? What happened to that? I can understand how my Mana Storage and Ether Storage 'abilities' fused into the Elemental Marbles I created... but why can't I sense my most important 'Innate Ability'?

"So you're trying to say that intricate Spells or Arts morph upon creating a Skill Root?" I didn't let this question stop me from gathering information.

"The answer to that question is both 'yes' and 'no'. Only Rank F Magical Talents would be able to use the opportunity created when their Mana Flame extinguishes to morph their Secret Spells or Arts into an Auxiliary Skill..." Mark's answer was mixed with complex emotions as he gazed at me like I was a freak of nature!

Well... I guess he'd think of me as one hell of a monster if he knew I created two Skill Roots instead of one. Wait... I think I got it!!! Could it be my Kinetic Energy merged with my second one?

I'll have to check this out later.

"Doesn't that mean there are many who can create an Auxiliary Skill?" I shrugged while pretending it was no big deal. A vein popped on Mark's head as looked ready to beat me up after hearing my casual response.

"Do you think that... What was the name of your technique again?" He cooled down momentarily to ask me about the name of my old Secret Art.

"Combat Body Universal Art." I replied while turning off my Skills.

"Yeah...! That...! Do you think Arts on the level of your 'Combat Body' technique grow on trees?! Not only would it be IMPOSSIBLE for anyone else other than a Universal Specialist to pull your technique off, but do you think they would be able to create a Skill Root on top of that? Are you kidding me!?" I couldn't help but smile upon hearing this praise.

Of course I know I'm awesome, but hearing someone else acknowledge my greatness feels so great! It was then I remembered I forgot something as he was about to make his quick escape!

Damn...! I have to say something to persuade him to come with us now.

Although we don't 'need' him, I'll feel like I've lost if he doesn't listen to me.

Time for my final trump card!

I didn't want to use this, but I have no choice...! My pride won't let me lose!!!

Time to implement Plan C...

"I'll invite Anna along with us."

"Deal!" He immediately turned around and grabbed my hand with sparkling eyes... His sincere joy in knowing he'd be able to go with Anna ticked me off. It seems a Bro comes second to him skirt chasing...!

What happened to your arachnophobia all of a sudden? You scoundrel! Now I'm going to have to deal with painful cheeks along the way...! (Joking) ...But in all seriousness: Can you let go already?!