Chapter 3: Summer Inside The Fire Mansion

A year after the visit to the village, summer had finally arrived, with the sun shining as brightly as the flowers that were drawn to its light in the garden outside. However, the strong heat threatened to dry out all the other plants they had carefully cultivated, making their efforts in planting during other seasons seem worthless.

"Summer, huh?" Aurellis complained as she tried to cool herself with a fan. 

"Don't whine, you girl with god complexes." 

"Huh!? What do you mean!? I'm a god, after all! Also, stop reading your book while replying to my comments; it's annoying!" 

"What's wrong with summer, anyway? Isn't it a great time for us to be in this mansion?" I replied with a monotone voice.

"Stop avoiding my question! You know from all seasons, summer is the worst!"

"Did I ask for your opinion, madam?" I closed my book as I smirked at her.

"Y-You... Gosh, why are you like this!?" Her fuming face was now only a couple of centimeters away, and somehow her pouts made it even worse. 

I let out a small snicker that evolved into a giggle just because I couldn't hold it in anymore.

"What's so funny!?" Her face continued to redden, resembling a cherry, while I couldn't help but laugh at her comedic reaction.

Immediately, a knock was heard on the door, with a familiar voice calling from behind it. "Master, may I come in?"

For a moment, we stood frozen, with Aurellis in a position to pounce on me, and me trying to dodge her from below. In a split second, we quickly sat properly on the sofa, like the well-behaved children we pretended to be, as my sister shouted, "Of course, come in, Constancia!"

Moments later, a maid with short brown hair, brown eyes and cat ears potruding out of her head entered the room, carrying a slice of cake that both of us had asked her to bring from the chefs.

"Here you go, Master," she said as she placed both plates on the table.

Unable to contain her hunger any longer, Aurellis picked up her slice and started devouring it as if she hadn't eaten in days. She only realized her manners when I nudged her, as she had almost choked on her own food.

With a sigh, I slightly bowed toward Constancia, feeling a bit embarrassed. "I apologize for my little sister's behavior, Constancia," I huffed, emphasizing the word 'little.' 

"Ah, don't worry about it. It's fine; I don't really mind," Constancia replied.

Both of us then waited awkwardly, with Aurellis coughing repeatedly. It only stopped after I hit her on the back, allowing her to swallow her food once again.

"Constancia, I wanted to ask where does our father went?" I inquired politely.

"He's meeting an old friend, young master"

"Can we see him?"

"He doesn't wish to be disturbed right now, young master," she replied, bowing respectfully.

"I see" I sighed.

We continued savoring our slices of cake while Constancia observed us. Her gaze seemed distant, but we didn't want to pry; she might have felt she was doing something improper. It does make sense in the context considering Ignarion itself release a law that makes any other kin or species like beastfolks or even elves has a much lower autonomy then even human refugees in the country.

After finishing our dessert, we promptly left the room as we were too bored to stay inside the mansion at all the times. We walk around the mansion with Constancia leading and Aurellis peered into one of the room with a slightly open door.

"What are you up to, Aurel?" I asked, intrigued.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm peeking through this door, duh!" She retorted with her face visibly frustrated and a heighten voice.

"Let me also see then" I responded, a bit irked, I nudged her aside to also see at whatever had caught my sister's attention.

Through the cracks, two men sat, sitting on set of chairs and a table, both wearing serious expressions. I immediately recognized that one was our father, the other likely to be his friend.

As we saw both man changes their gestures every ten to fifteen second, we assume that they're in a heated debate. We don't know what kind of discussion that they had but we thought that it's about the situation of the current kingdom from the word "Possession of the Throne", "Prime Minister" and "Economic Situation" was thrown around in the room.

Our father had taught us governance, but those phrases made me ponder. Was he a domestic minister?

Before I could complete my thoughts, the friend turned his attention toward us, startling us. His darken red brownish eyes gazed at us with such intent that we couldn't do anything but to just walk away, trying to pretend nothing had occurred until his eyes shifted elsewhere.

Yeesh, that was one strong and dangerous individual if I ever see one. How does someone with a such slim body size has that much intimidation?! 

One frightened self comment later, we reached into one of the forest that's surrounding the mansion, where we need to be before we were distracted by that whole debauchery.where Constancia waited with an unusually broad smile.

"Master, where were you before you came here?" She asked in a distinctly furious tone, only hidden behind a fragile smile that she put on her face and her not-trying-at-all warm voice. 

Knowing this sign as we seen that particular smile for more times than we ever should in our life, we immediately step back as I shake my hands.

"W-We were just lost, Constancia" I hastily explained, trying to come up with an excuse for our late arrival in a short amount of time.

"Y-Yes, w-we were lost when we try to find you" Aurel chimed, nodding and agreeing to my reason

Her expression turned to one of disappointment. "Fine, I'll let it slide this time."

Relieved, we expressed gratitude as we pull our breath. Usually, if she was mad, she didn't usually show us any leniency, like that time when we had a six-hour-long combat lesson without breaks.

"But!" she exclaimed, folding her hands across her chest.

"But...?" We turned towards her, perplexed about her next words.

"To make up for it and for today's lesson, all you need to do is fight me, or simply touch me."

We hesitated, never having confronted or observed her fighting style. For the past two years, she had only guided us through defeating low-level monsters like goblins or slimes in the forest outside the mansion's field, in which, only upgrading us to level 2 at this point in time.

"Don't worry, you can go all out all you want, Ardent, Aurel!" She shouted, motioning for us to approach

Confident, we readied our specialized fire spells. While were at it, I suppose I'll finally explain how the leveling and magic system I've woven into this world.

"Activate, Flame Notes!" Aurel commanded, spreading her hands and aim it towards Constancia, casting hundreds of small fireballs at her who deftly dodged each one unscathed.

"Thy Spirit of flames, compel to my will and circle my foe. Fire Wall!" I summoned a wall of fire around Constancia, blocking her path to escape. "Now, Aurel!"

"Thanks, brother. You're finished, Constancia! Flame Notes"

Seeing this, with a smirk, Constancia then gets to a stand. "Both of your mana efficiency, and strategic minds always never fails to amused me" 

We were astonished as she rushed through the fire and fireballs without even thinking the risk, arriving beside us. As I about to turn towards her, I felt a strange and slight pressure on my neck to which spread throughout my body, shutting all of the mana connections temporary and knocking me cold to the ground with Aurel followed soon after me.

"But I believe, you guys still has a lot to learn if you wanted to stand ground against someone that doesn't rely on magic to fight" She said, dropping her maid gloves on the ground below her—a gesture of conceding a fight, albeit unnecessary after rendering us unconscious.

***

"How do you assess them?" a man on the mansion balcony asked, observing our fight from a distance with wind breeze through his hair gracefully.

Without a reply, the other man then just continue sipping with his tea, ignoring his friend's question and enjoying his own time.

"For someone who's fought hundreds of bandits and thieves within your life as your work of being a security minister, what'd you think, my friend?" He repeated, this time, with a more eloquent and pressuring tone.

He turned with a cold gaze with a slight smile visible while he turned. "Ah, I suppose my bad habits got on again, my apologies, friend" He chuckled before his face return cold as he sighs. "From your tone, you imply to say especially to the girl...that they're a bit of a waste don't you?"

A little moment later, he continued from the silent "If you wanted reassurance, you shan't fret, my friend...I'm sure they'll grow into an amber that shines throughout the kingdom..."

He chuckled once again, sipped his tea, and strolled back into the mansion while he continue with his snarky tone.

"Besides, you love them both equally, isn't that right? Interior minister of Ignarion, Aldert?"