Elarielle's graceful figure seemed to blend perfectly with her surroundings, the long pale leg revealed beneath her robe flawless in its elegance.
Every movement she made radiated a natural, effortless beauty.
She stepped before Leo and gave a slight nod.
"Lord Leo, the matter is resolved."
Her curious gaze turned toward Lilith.
Lilith instantly held her breath, eyes wide, nervous and excited all at once.
"Thank you," Leo nodded, then looked to his daughter.
"Lilith, this is Lady Elarielle—your future mentor.
Lady Elarielle, this is my daughter, Lilith."
Lilith quickly let go of her father's hand and clumsily executed as proper a curtsy as she could manage, her voice trembling slightly from nerves.
"Good day, Lady Elarielle. I… I am Lilith Grey. It is an honor to meet you. P-please take care of me in the future!"
Elarielle's gentle gaze rested on Lilith.
With just a glance she felt an indescribable sense of kinship, similar to how elves felt toward the elements and the source of the world itself.
She could sense the pure vitality within the girl—and the power buried deep inside her.
As expected of Lord Leo's child.
"Rise, Lilith."
Elarielle stepped forward and helped the girl up.
The more she looked, the more she liked this adorable human girl.
"From today, I will guide you in uncovering the mysteries of magic."
"Yes! I'll do my best!" Lilith's sapphire eyes shone with delight.
Leo smiled at the scene, content.
With Elarielle as Lilith's mentor, he could rest easy about his daughter's magical path.
"Lady Elarielle," Leo said, "our home is humble. I fear it may be beneath you for now, but I will soon prepare a more fitting residence."
"…"
Elarielle's expression turned complicated—puzzled, curious, incredulous.
She had already scouted Dalton Town thoroughly on her way here: an ordinary place, lacking in resources, the people hard-pressed, progress backward.
For the elves, such a settlement would be considered ruinous, a place to be torn down and replanted with purifying trees.
She had expected a peerless figure like Leo to live in a palace, a grand tower, or a hidden sanctuary beyond the world.
Could it be he simply enjoyed playing at humility?
Not that it mattered—after millennia, she cared little for appearances.
"It is no matter, Lord Leo," she replied softly.
"A quiet place is all I require. In fact…"
She paused, her tone laced with curiosity.
"I wish to see what kind of town could nurture a being such as you—and a child like Lilith."
Her senses stretched outward, touching the streets.
They were plain, yes, but remarkably clean and orderly.
Though the townsfolk bore the marks of labor and hardship, their eyes shone bright with hope.
This was nothing like the lifeless, oppressive human cities etched in her memories.
Leo smiled faintly.
"Then Lilith, take your mentor to look around. Prepare a quiet guestroom for her. I have matters to attend to. Come when I call."
"Yes, Father!" Lilith answered eagerly.
"Mentor, come with me! First, let's visit Ms. Timan's bakery—her strawberry cream bread is the best!"
As his daughter led her new teacher away, Leo's expression slowly hardened.
Fabian Weir had been completely unraveled by Elarielle, reduced to base particles, dissolved into the world with no trace left behind.
The disappearance of an Intermediate Magus might stir small ripples in the royal capital, but no one would trace it here to this remote border town.
And even if they did—so what?
Leo's mind sank once more into the system interface.
"System, analyze all information on Lilith's Heart of Stars talent."
[Ding!]
[Analyzing…]
[Unawakened talent: Heart of Stars]
[Deep-dormant star source]
[Requires the gentlest of guidance to avoid backlash]
[Potential assessment: ∞ (limited by current world rules and perception)]
A series of flashing keywords, enough to drive any legendary mage insane with obsession.
Leo's gaze swept across them calmly, without a ripple of greed—only the deepest concern for Lilith.
Within the Oak Hall, time seemed frozen once more—charged with expectation.
Leo Grey's consciousness, precise as an engineer, interfaced fully with the system's boundless depths.
A detailed report of Lilith's constitution unfolded into streams of starlight and three-dimensional rune-models within his mental world, now a vast starry sea.
"System," he commanded.
"Retrieve the optimal awakening plan. Core principles: absolute safety, zero risk, full release of potential—resource cost irrelevant."
[Command confirmed.]
[Searching trans-dimensional solution library… Optimal match located: Star Bloodline Resonance Ritual.]
[Principle: With supreme power, construct a stable resonance channel between target's soul and a highly compatible stellar source domain. Channel the origin force of the stars into a gentle "stellar current" that washes away inner seals, awakening talent and completing a perfect life-level ascension.]
[Requirements:
Precise coordinates of a stellar domain with ≥99.999% bloodline resonance.Immense quantities of pure energy to build and maintain the resonance channel, protecting the soul absolutely.A law-grade shielding field to block all interference and prying senses.]
[Feasibility: 100%. Required points: 918,093,100,850,000,000,000. Execute?]
"Execute."
Leo did not hesitate, as if such a staggering expenditure of points were nothing more than dust.
[Command confirmed.]
[Initiating Star Bloodline Resonance Ritual… Deducting points… Establishing connection to Stellar Net… Locking target domain: Castarella Nebula… Resonance rate: 99.9997%… Requirements met… Constructing trans-dimensional channel… Generating law-shield field…]
In that instant, change erupted.
Not with thunder or cataclysm, but with a deeper quake—from the rules of the world itself.
At the Grey family's garden, countless silver-white filaments, finer than hair yet brighter than the sun, streamed into being.
They were not mere light, but living embodiments of law itself.
With impossible precision and speed, they laced through walls, floors, ceilings, even the air—engraving, weaving, embedding.
A vast, intricate, breathtaking multi-dimensional array took form in moments, rotating and flowing ceaselessly.
Each rune a miniature star, each shift aligned to cosmic law.
An ocean of energy surged within, silent yet boundless, perfectly contained.
The sacred, overwhelming aura of creation spread across the garden.
…