Chapter 42: The Ice Girl’s Secret

Arielle smiled, her face full of excitement. "An explosion? Ice magic?"

"Absolutely not, Arielle. Now stand up." I chuckled and stood near the mana lantern.

"You’re no fun, Silvester." She sighed and stood up.

"Move it." I pointed at the mana lamp.

Arielle just stared at me with her bratty expression.

"No. That’s boring. A Duke’s daughter needs fun," she said, crossing her arms.

I could feel my blood pressure rising again. I relaxed to calm down, set aside her being hard-headed, and held on to my patience.

"You don’t want to disappoint your father, yes?" I asked, playing my triumph card at her. After several interactions with her and her father, I could definitely say that she was afraid of him.

"Fine. How far do you want me to move that lamp?" she said with full determination.

I couldn’t blame her. Her father was definitely a monster, and I had already experienced it firsthand since the incident in the supply room.

"Good girl. Just one inch."

Arielle’s eyebrow went up, looking offended.

"Just one inch? Are you underestimating my skill? I can move it much farther, Silvester," she said, boasting her skill without respecting my presence.

"Yes. Enough with your big mouth and just move it," I said and sat in a nearby wooden chair.

Her mouth opened, then she closed it. No words came from her, but her face screamed disbelief.

She fixed her posture and closed her eyes.

I smiled with triumph deep inside me.

"Now. Feel your mana. Stay calm and let it flow."

Arielle became quiet and stood still. Her face was more relaxed than before. I could see her mana flowing freely, and there was no pressure building up in her mana pathways.

"Good girl." I paused and pointed at the lamp. "Imagine your mana moving toward it."

Arielle remained silent and slowly raised her right hand.

From my vision, the pure white mana threads from her hand started to move toward the lamp.

However, the moment the mana threads touched the lamp, the collision between the two different manas shook the mana lamp.

Her mana output was too high and disproportionate to the object.

"Alright. You can stop now, Arielle," I said and moved near her.

Her eyes were still closed and her right hand was trembling.

"Arielle! Stop!" I said, my eyes widening. Her mana threads were shaking as if the threads went tight and went loose at the same time.

"I’m trying!" Arielle said, her eyes still closed.

Alexa panicked and quickly hid under a nearby table. Fear was written all over her face.

I stepped back when the lamp suddenly rose into the air.

Fuck.

"Arielle, stop using mana!" I shouted, seeing how her mana was being concentrated inside the mana lamp. It glowed brighter and brighter.

"I am-"

BOOM!

Arielle did not finish what she had to say when the lamp flew toward the wall.

The iron fragments blew fast and struck the walls.

I moved quickly and covered Arielle with my body. The good thing was that no iron fragments pierced my back, but the force of the impact hit my back.

"Silvester! Are you alright?" Arielle held me, about to cry at any moment.

"Young Lord!" Alexa rushed toward us and helped me get up.

I slowly sat on the chair. My head hurt and my hands were trembling.

Fuck this body for being weak.

"Why the hell are you crying? I am still alive, Arielle." I smiled weakly.

"I’m so sorry!" she sobbed, her small hands wiping her wet cheeks.

"Are you hurt?" I asked, handing her my white hanky.

She just shook her head and wiped her tears.

"Good."

She stopped crying and looked at me, confused. "What about you?"

"Nah. I’ve had worse, kid." I lied. That wasn’t completely true.

I assumed Arielle had too much mana, and that was my mistake. The problem here was that her mana was responding to something else. Something that she couldn’t even control.

Alexa helped me stand up while rubbing the back of my head.

I used my Close Skill to lock my pain. I could not suspend this lesson, especially since it was the first day and it was under my care. My pride still mattered.

Close.

The pain completely vanished.

I looked at Arielle like nothing happened.

"Stop crying and let’s try it again."

"Are you out of your mind, Young Lord?!" Alexa said in shock.

I ignored her and clapped my hands. "Chop! Chop! Try again, kid."

There was something that really bothered me, and I really wanted to confirm it.

"Before we proceed, can I ask something?" I asked, but didn’t wait for Arielle’s response. I immediately pointed at her chest. "Your mana isn’t disobeying you because your ice spirit cursed you, right?"

I could definitely say that it was true, since I saw earlier how her mana moved independently, like it had consciousness.

Spirit Curses are the rarest cases of the blessing of elemental spirits. When the host resists surrendering its power to the spirit, it will give the host a reason to surrender the power themselves.

The spirit inside this kid was already awakened, after all.

Arielle’s mouth opened slightly, then closed. She lowered her head, confirming that my theory was the truth.

Alexa stepped forward. "Young Lord, please, you cannot say that. The Duke-"

"Please... don’t tell Father. I don’t want him to send me to the rehabilitation center," Arielle said, grabbing my sleeve with pleading eyes.

I softly gazed at her. "Don’t worry, he won’t be angry-"

"Who’s going to be angry?" A cold voice echoed that sent chills down my spine.

The three of us looked at the door at the same time when it opened. Nobody spoke a single word or even made a single noise.

A tall man in a white suit with the fine posture of a noble stood outside.

It’s Duke Voulstridge.

The room was already filled with a familiar pressure, and I could feel the mana in the air slightly tremble.

The Duke’s eyes moved through the room. From the broken table, the destroyed mana lamp to the scattered chairs, and finally to Arielle.

He quickly glanced at me and turned his attention to his daughter.

The Duke slowly entered. "What happened here?" His eyes pinned on me.

"Do you want the explosion part or the secret reveal part?" I asked and waited for his answer.