Lumina

When Auric woke up, his maids went to inform Elysia. As Auric was lost in thought, Elysia entered the room with a worried look. She came to him and hugged him. She started to tear up as she apologized for not being able to stop Avalon.

Auric already knew that Elysia couldn't do much because she still had to take care of her daughter, and could not oppose Avalon. Even though she had promised his mother that she would take care of him like her own child, he didn't have any expectations to begin with. Or at least, that's what he told himself.

Despite knowing that we shouldn't expect anything from others because it can lead to disappointment, almost everyone subconsciously does it. It's not easy to stop expecting from someone, and Auric, without a doubt, hadn't overcome his memories of loneliness and betrayal yet.

Auric accepted Elysia's apology and respectfully asked her to leave since he was still exhausted and wanted to rest. He didn't realize that he was creating distance between them because he had lost his trust in her. He didn't want to depend on anyone now or owe them anything.

Depressed, Elysia left the room and called out that Avalon had left again and would not be returning for a few years.

Well, that's good news, Auric thought.

When Elysia left, Auric asked the maids to leave too. They told him to call them if he needed anything since they would always be outside his room.

Auric was lost in his thoughts. Luna would be starting school next month, and he would be left alone. But maybe there would be a private tutor, just like Luna had one.

In Gaia ( the continent he is currently living in, the human continent ), there is a custom followed by nobles. When a child turns five, they are tutored for a year about the general knowledge of their world, different stories about the world and the nation, previous demon kings and heroes, the Great Cataclysm, and the present different nations etc. Even though Auric knows most of these through the novel, he too would have to take the lessons.

And it turned out to be true. A butler came into the room and told him that his tutor had arrived. She would be coming to his room to introduce herself since Auric was currently unwell, and Auric agreed.

After some time, a woman in her early twenties entered the room, blonde hair, beautiful oval face. -She had a bounty chest with full curves around the body, and she had a motherly and affectionate aura. She was very beautiful. 10/10. Overall, it seemed like she would be quite comfortable to have around.

Auric quickly assessed her using the system.

[

Name - ??

Age - ??

Level - ??

Strength (STR) - ??

Agility (AGI) - ??

Dexterity (DEX) - ??

Intelligence (INT) - ??

Mana - ??

Element - ??

Artifact - ??

]

Tsk! Still got nothing, he thought.

She introduced herself with a beautiful smile.

"Hello, little boy. I am Lumina, and I will be your teacher for the next year."

"Let's introduce each other, alright? I'm Lumina, a C-grade healer and adventurer from the Church of Sun. I'm a light elementalist and can use all magic at the intermediate rank. And, um, I'm also your mother's best friend. We were like siblings, her the big one and me the small. She was my beautiful big sister..." Tears started to well up in her eyes, but she stopped them. "It was 16 years ago when she saved me from a Thunderjaw near the Mists of Eldrak, bordering our nation with Drakoria. She helped me survive then as I was gravely injured, and we've been friends since then."

"Well, enough about me. Tell me about yourself, Auric," said Lumina.

I was flabbergasted, not just because I found out that Lumina was my mother's best friend, but also because of what she told me about the Thunderjaw.

"Mam, were you with your party?" I asked.

"Well, they were a temporary party. We were supposed to only scout a dungeon, but because of a trap in that dungeon, we were transported near the mist of Eldrak. My team members betrayed me but died first, and I was gravely injured. Your mother suddenly came out of nowhere and saved me. She carried me in her arms and sprinted away so fast. Maybe you won't understand it, but even running away from a Thunderjaw is difficult for B rank adventurers."

< Fuck! Of course, I know. Even in the novel, an B ranker was killed by a Thunderjaw!>

"How old were you and Mom back then?" I asked, astonished.

"Hm?" She giggled and said, "I was 17, and your mother was 18 back then."

Shit! How strong was she at that age? Was she an S ranker before her death !!?

"If your mother was a male, then I would have fallen in love at that time. She was so charming and dashing~ And looking at you making such a face seems like you know what sort of accomplishment that was. Well, for your information, I came to know that she could even injure that Thunderjaw if she wanted to, but seeing me injured, she prioritized my life, so she saved me," she explained.

Now I won't be surprised anymore. But how the hell was she so strong at that age?

"Now tell me about yourself," Lumina said.

"As you already know, I am Auric Everlight. I am five years old. If I must say, I am pretty intelligent for my age but also very weak physically, and I can't use magic," I replied.

"Well, Auric, what I am going to say now is pretty important, so listen carefully," Lumina said, waving her hand around, and a dome-like blue luminescent aura covered us.

"What is this?" I asked.

"This? It's just some magic. Dont mind it. Let me get to the point. The reason you cannot use magic is because of a curse, and it's also the cause of your physical prowess," Lumina explained.

Well, that came out of nowhere... Although I already knew that, I made a shocked face to not act sus.

"Five years ago, when Evangelina was pregnant with you, she got cursed. It was draining all her mana and also her life energy, which caused her to weaken up tremendously. When I came to know that, I went to find a way to lift the curse. I realized with my current strength I can't find the way to lift it but instead found the way to just temporarily suppress it, and it's the pendant you are wearing right now. I gave it to Big Sister and went again to find a permanent solution, but I couldn't, and she lost her life, and you also passed on the curse. I am sorry," she said, and was crying pitifully.

Even I was influenced and started crying. She hugged me, and we both cried pathetically. Then she released me and said she would definitely find the curse lifter. She turned normal and calmed me down.

"Now rest. I will be starting our lessons from tomorrow."

"Mam, what will you be teaching me?" I asked.

"Oh! Yes, so I will be teaching you about Arcanum, the world we live in, the different races and other things. Do you know about Elves, Dragon Kin, and Beast Men?" she asked.

"Yes, I have heard stories about them from my nanny," I said.

"Hmm, I will also be telling you the legends and stories. And don't call me 'mam.' Since I am your aunt, call me Aunt Lu And Auric, don't worry, I will save you.," Aunt Lu said.

"Yes, Aunt Lu," I replied.

"Well, that's cute. Take care, Auric. I will come tomorrow," Aunt Lu said before leaving the room.

Lumina, huh? Her name didn't ring a bell. Maybe she was just a side character in the novel. I don't remember reading about her even though A-rank healers were in high demand and most of them were major characters. Or maybe she didn't make it past B-rank.

I don't care much about the curse lifter she is trying to find for me, as I will be able to do it soon. However, I'm still very grateful to her for being there for my mother and for helping me live.

But I wonder, just how was my mother so strong at that age? To even run away from a Thunderjaw requires quite the skills, and she must have been a B-ranker to achieve that. So she should have the strength of a B-ranker at 18.

What a monster. Since she was so powerful at that time, she should have progressed and should be very powerful now. If she were alive today, I wonder how powerful she would be.

But why did she marry Avalon? Just why? Why was she near the Mists of Eldrak? How did she get so strong?

All this new information is making me crazy. I really want to know the answers, but I don't think Aunt Lu would answer even if I asked, saying I am too small to know these things...

Let's just wait until the right time; maybe then she would answer that. And for now, I must focus on lifting that curse off me.