Isis could not help holding his breath. His fingers tightened unconsciously, wrinkling the edges of the sheet in his grip.
He clearly had not expected his skills and magic to be this powerful.
And… if he remembered correctly, this looked an awful lot like the Elemental Bomber class.
Was this the perk of being a transmigrator?
Well, not bad at all. Isis accepted it quite calmly.
At the same time, he could clearly feel the changes brought about by the Falna. They were far too direct to ignore.
His thoughts had become much clearer. His mind moved faster than before, and a powerful force now seemed to rest within his body.
And none of that came from his basic abilities, because every one of his stats was still at zero. Naturally, they could not have granted him any improvement yet.
No—
It was the Dark Eyes he had awakened, along with the four elemental powers that had appeared within him.
Isis could feel the changes inside his body. Elemental power flowed through him.
Four completely different forces rose and fell within him, colliding and yielding to one another, yet strangely, they did not conflict.
It was as if an invisible hand had already carved out four rivers inside his body—four waterways that would never cross.
Isis slowly let out a breath.
All it would take was a single thought from him to summon them forth.
But soon, he calmed the excitement in his heart and lowered his eyes to the final line.
That row of text was blurred, as though covered by a layer of mist. He could just barely make out the character for "un-," while the rest was obscured beneath blackened ink.
"Lady Loki, this is…?"
"I know."
Loki's voice interrupted his question. She sounded much calmer now than she had a moment ago.
"A self-sealed Falna. This is the first time I've ever seen such a thing."
"But it probably means that until you satisfy some condition, not even I, as your patron deity, can peer into that skill."
"As for how to trigger it, there's no way to know. You'll have to leave it to luck."
Loki shrugged, making it clear that even she was powerless here.
This was the first time she had encountered something like this. Later, she would have to search through some records and see whether she could find any clues.
Isis nodded in understanding and did not dwell on it any further.
"Alright, get dressed first. As for your magic and skills, you'll understand them better over time."
Loki's tone had returned to its usual carefree laziness, but the light in her eyes had not yet fully faded.
As for how Isis should train, that would naturally be left to Riveria. In that field, she was the professional.
Although, at present, both Isis and Riveria possessed nine spells, the Dark Eyes skill meant his upper limit was destined to exceed even hers.
And on top of that, he was not restricted by the normal spell-slot limit. In other words, he could freely create and learn magic without limit.
Good grief…
Loki had only just gotten her hands on a Thousand Elf, and now Isis had appeared as well. She honestly felt as though she had just pulled a pair of twin magical prodigies in one lucky draw.
Judging by skill alone, Isis and Lefiya were absolutely the strongest among Orario's younger generation. In the future, both were destined to earn the title of great mage, just like Riveria herself.
After all, Isis's potential ceiling was impossible to measure, while his minimum floor was already high enough to guarantee excellence. It was easy to imagine just how delighted Loki was right now.
She was happier than if she had just drunk Soma's divine wine.
"I understand, Lady Loki."
Isis nodded solemnly.
"But keep your head screwed on tight and don't let it go to your head. No one knows how many talented adventurers have died with the words 'pride' and 'arrogance' carved into their graves."
Still uneasy, Loki gave him one more serious warning.
"I understand, Lady Loki."
"Conceit will bring anyone to their knees."
Isis answered with a light smile to show that he truly understood.
Possessing power and being able to wield it in actual combat were two entirely different things. Isis knew that now, of all times, he needed to keep his mindset straight.
"Good. Looks like your head's still on right."
Satisfied, Loki set a hand on Isis's shoulder and gave it a pat.
Throughout history, no one knew how many gifted adventurers had died in the Dungeon because they had been careless—and the source of that carelessness had often been their own powerful skills and magic.
Loki did not want a promising newcomer like Isis to repeat the mistakes of those who had come before.
"Come on, I'll take you to meet the others in the Familia."
"As Riveria's nephew—and a talented new recruit—it's pretty important that you build good relationships with your comrades."
Loki stretched lazily, then, before Isis could even process it, dragged him right out of the divine chamber.
…
Twilight Manor — Courtyard Training Grounds
The blonde girl sat on a bench, wiping down the longsword in her hands, while Lefiya had somehow quietly appeared beside her.
She had come to share the news that a new recruit had joined the Familia, and had also explained who Isis was.
Although Lefiya had only been with the Familia for a month, through sheer persistence she had already become close friends with Ais.
(Well… at least, that was what Lefiya believed.)
And more than that, she admired the girl before her deeply. She longed to become someone as strong—and as cool—as Miss Ais!
"Isis…"
Ais blinked, and from the way her hands had paused, it was obvious that the topic had caught her interest.
Though she had never met Isis in person, she had heard Riveria mention him before, and had even seen some of the letters he wrote to his aunt.
"It's just… how do I put this…"
Lefiya twisted her hands nervously in her lap, as though searching for a word precise enough.
"It was a little unfair."
Ais tilted her head, clearly not understanding why Lefiya would phrase it that way.
"Not that kind of unfair!"
Lefiya hurriedly waved both hands, the tips of her ears turning visibly red.
"I mean… he's unfairly good-looking… Even though he's a boy, when he smiles he looks a little like Lady Riveria. It's the kind of face that… that just makes you stare without even realizing it…"
Her voice grew quieter and quieter until, at last, she simply buried her face in both hands.
"And also…"
Her muffled voice seeped out through her fingers.
"And also?"
"Isis called me senpai."
Lefiya suddenly threw her head up, her eyes sparkling so brightly it was almost absurd.
"No one's ever called me senpai before, Miss Ais, do you know that?!"
"When he looked at me, he looked so serious—like he really saw me as a dependable senior!"
She got that far before suddenly choking on her own words, probably because she realized her voice had become loud enough that nearby Familia members training in the courtyard had started glancing over.
"Anyway… it actually felt kind of nice."
Lefiya finished in a small voice, shrinking back into herself and returning to her earlier sitting posture.
Ais watched her quietly, Lefiya's flushed profile reflected in her amber eyes.
"Lefiya."
"Mm?"
"You're smiling really happily right now."
"I am not!"