(Master Obrone's Perspective)
I returned to my room after speaking with Elvira's friends, but I didn't linger. Kneeling on the wooden floor, I pried up a loose plank and pulled the hidden lever beneath. The stairwell yawned open, leading into shadow.
I descended, closing the hatch behind me with another lever. The underground chamber hummed faintly with dormant mana.
"So, you were right again, Master Obrone," Rein's voice echoed from the dark. "You stalked her routes like some obsessed detective."
"That's not stalking," I replied, calm and measured. "That's information gathering."
"Call it whatever you want. Still looks creepy from my perspective."
"It doesn't matter what you call it. What matters is that I never lied."
"Yeah, yeah…" Rein leaned lazily against the stone wall. "But how were you so sure she'd only tell those two friends? She could've told her mother."
I smiled faintly. "I gave her the option of telling two people. And I knew exactly who she would choose. Friends are safe—at least in her eyes. They'll come if she needs help. But her mother? That secret would've slipped the moment her father pressed her. This way, the information remains contained."
Rein's silence stretched for a moment before he asked, "So, Mr. Mastermind, what do your calculations predict next?"
"She is determined to master swordsmanship with mana control. Within five days, a week at most, she'll cut a tree clean through."
"Average," he muttered. "Fine. Do your work."
With that, Rein pulled the lever and vanished back upstairs.
I turned to the Mana Information Storage device, its glow painting the chamber in pale blue. Files flickered open, data streaming before me: Elvira Visbon. Every line of her profile. Training records. Possible trajectories. Potential outcomes. Branches of the future I had already mapped.
I whispered to the silent room, "She's just like her father…"
---
(Elvira's Perspective — Living Room)
Noomi's brow furrowed, her voice soft but sharp. "Don't you think he's strange?"
"Yes," Tindra agreed. "It feels like he's… predicting the future."
I sighed. "I know. Some days I can't even sense his or Rein's aura nearby, then suddenly they're both right there. I never find the right time to ask how he even learned about me."
"You should keep an eye on him," Noomi suggested.
Before I could answer, Tindra let out a shriek. "Is that a snake!?" She practically jumped out of her seat, just like I had the first time.
Noomi's eyes went wide as Shimi slithered into view, her little bow bouncing with each movement.
"Don't worry," I reassured them quickly. "She's Master Obrone's mana pet."
Tindra pressed a hand to her chest. "Oh… thank goodness. I thought she'd bite me."
"Of course not!" Shimi chirped. "Why would I scare our guests?" She glided closer, tail flicking.
"Your bow is adorable," Noomi said warmly.
"Thank you, sis! What are your names?"
"I'm Noomi, and this is Tindra."
"Pretty names for pretty people," Shimi cooed. "Would you like tea or coffee?"
"Just water is fine," Noomi replied.
Shimi slithered away toward the kitchen.
"She… does chores?" Tindra whispered in disbelief.
"Yeah," I muttered. "She's more capable than some people here."
After a short while, both of them stood to leave. "If I don't get back soon, my parents will panic," Tindra said.
"My brother will too. I didn't even tell him I was coming," Noomi added.
I hugged them each in turn. "It was short, but it's fine. Take care." I watched as they started preparing the Teleportation magic.
At the threshold, Noomi paused, her eyes narrowing thoughtfully. "One tip before I go: if you want to cut through a tree, don't spread your mana across the whole blade. Focus it at the tip." She gave a faint wave and disappeared with Tindra in a shimmer of light.
I stood still, her words echoing in my head. Then I picked up my wooden sword and headed back outside.
Breath steady. Mana circulating. Focus—tip of the blade. Swing.
The strike bit deeper than ever before. A clean groove cut across the bark. My lips curled into a grin. Finally.
I repeated the motion again. And again. With each swing, my resolve burned hotter.
Meanwhile.....
Shimi came back with water and found no one. She sighed "they're so mean...."
---
(Rein's Perspective)
Ugh. Lunch already. Aloe Vera should've prepared something by now.
Grumbling, I pushed open the door to the training ground, expecting to see her sulking after another failed attempt.
"Oy, Aloe Vera, what's for lun—"
The words caught in my throat.
Three trees lay split clean through, trunks sliding apart like butter cut by a hot knife. Elvira stood there, chest heaving, wooden sword glowing faintly at the tip.
Didn't Master Obrone say she'd need five days at least?
What I was seeing couldn't be an illusion.
She had cut down three trees at once.
---