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Chapter 99

It wasn’t just shocking that Mara had suddenly cast magic, but that the magic she cast was so strong despite being a mere mortal. At most, her magic should have been at 9. At this level, a human being, even if they studied their entire life with magic, wouldn’t even be able to induce a spark. However, that all changed if that person was an innate mutant. Mara had a mutation in magic, so her magical ability was closer to 90.

From what I had gathered from Erika, not only did innate mutants experience a mutation upon birth, but they also had a strong likelihood of exhibiting additional mutations after each evolution. This earned them the nickname, gifted. These gifted were coveted by the bigger families, who would stop at nothing to obtain innate mutants and incorporate them into their bloodline. It was the equivalent of winning a lottery ticket in life.

Of course, even if her magic was 90, she had only a lesson or two from Erika, as well as permission to read from her books while they were en route. The fact she was able to pick on and cast multiple spells could be a testament to her being a genius, but Abigail would not have known had short a time had passed since she was introduced to magic. All she would know was that Mara could both cast spells and had magical talent despite being a mortal.

Her electric charge had only lasted for ten seconds, and although it had seemed powerful at first, the guard quickly got back to his feet, his body still steaming slightly as looked to Erika for more orders. A mortal might have been unconscious or with severe burns, but this was only at a level where an evolved like him could shake it off. The level between evolved and mortals was vast, but the fact that a mortal was able to even temporarily incapacitate an evolved just showed how powerful her talent could be.

On the other hand, the few moments of using her power were enough to sap all the energy out of Mara. Before another word could be spoken, her body gave out. I moved quickly, grabbing her as her body fell against me, her legs no longer working.

“You have innate talent in sorcery,” Abigail spoke as she stood up and walked around her desk. “I wish to say I’m surprised, but instead I’ll say as expected from our family. I also have an innate talent.”

She waved, causing the guards to back up. The butler seemed a bit embarrassed, quieting down for the moment.

“You do as well?” Mara asked, her body still leaning against mine even though she seemed to regain her footing.

Abigail looked at the pair of us, her lips tightening slightly before she nodded and reached out. “My innate talent is in strength though.”

She reached out a picked up a marble statue that was on a podium next to her desk. The thing was at least a hundred pounds, but she held it in one hand as if it was made of charcoal. She placed it back down with a thud. Mara stared at her with wide eyes. I had to admit I was a bit surprised too, since nothing about her appearance would give away her strength. However, when I thought about it, my strength was likely impossible to predict either. I decided to take special note. Appearances in this world were meaningless.

“My lady,” The butler began. “As an innate talent, it only makes my words earlier even more correct. With her strength added to our branch, you may even be able to make a revival. This miscreant would only be problematic if allowed to stay.”

Abigail bit her lip as if she was struggling with indecision. “Do you care about this boy?”

Seeing them talk about me again, Mara grabbed onto me like her life depended on it. “I won’t leave him.”

Her eyes looked up at me. I could see they were filled with frustration and fear. She was afraid of losing me. As of now, I had already fulfilled my mission to her parents, and even if I had made a promise to her if she was the reason I was forced to leave, one could be forgiven for not following through on my promise. Her frustration came from her inability to explain that their worries were unwarranted. After all, I had already made her promise to keep my origins and abilities a secret. Only Mara even had a hint of my true strength.

“It’s alright,” I told her gently. “I wasn’t planning on staying anyway.”

“Ah!”

Her eyes widened as I pulled her close and whispered in her ear.

“If you want your revenge. I will need to gather information. This place would be restrictive to my investigation…”

“I can come with you.” She held me tighter.

“You will be safe in this house,” I told her. “And more importantly, you’ll have an opportunity to become stronger. Remember the Blanch siblings… they are becoming stronger to change their fates. Only by evolving and growing can you do the same.”

Her body shook in my arms, but after a moment, she silently nodded. Tears fell down her cheeks, and she slowly began to release her iron grip from me. When I glanced back at the others, they all had awkward looks. Abigail was looking away, her face red. Meanwhile, the butler had a slightly dissatisfied look, like he had seen something distasteful he wished he could forget.

“Don’t leave me.” She asked in a whisper.

“I’ll always be there when you need me.” I smiled gently at her.

This was a good thing for her. I knew a maiden’s heart far too well. After the death of her parents, Mara’s attachment to me was growing more intense every day. Soon, she’d be claiming her undying love for me. I only saw her as a little sister. She needed space and time to grow. Her heart would eventually find another. However, I wouldn’t make the same mistake I made with my sister in my previous life. I would remain a presence in her life and keep her developing properly, I just wouldn’t let her fascination with me grow any greater.

Her cheeks turned pink at my words, but then she turned around and finally faced Abigail. “It’s okay, I will stay here with you.”

Abigail let out a hidden sigh of relief and then smiled. “I’m glad. I’m sorry, I hate to separate you from your… friend… um, but let it be known that House Capala does not recognize and reward favors. Sir…”

“Spirit,” Mara muttered to her.

“Sir Spirit.” She smiled. “You will be given a proper reward from our house. My steward will escort you out and make sure you are properly awarded.”

She gave me a nod and then turned to start speaking to Mara. It was hard to say if Mara was listening through, as her eyes were giving me a forlorn look. I felt a bit bad, but I knew that I had to let her go. I couldn’t do what I needed to do to get to the truth behind her parent’s deaths. In truth, even if I didn’t promise her revenge, I planned to find out myself. I rather liked Tanner and Carolina, and I had no intention of forgetting about their deaths.

With Mara, I had to be careful, but now that she was someplace safe, I could start seriously investigating things. As soon as the steward led me out of Mara’s sight, my light smile turned serious. I had several goals I wanted to reach. I thought about splitting into multiple people to get them done, but I had not enjoyed the feeling of being split, and besides it could lead to suspicions if I was seen in two places at once. A card was only useful until you showed your hand, and since I didn’t even know who I was playing against, I had no intention of doing that.

The Capala house was treating me as some kind of country bumpkin. I supposed that in some ways, I was. I might as well continue to play the part. As I had these thoughts, the steward escorted me the rest of the way out of the mansion. As I reached the street, I turned to the steward, who only gave me a sneer before tossing me a bag. I caught it with a jingle, and then looked inside and frowned.

“Gold?” I blinked. “Not joules?”

“A mortal wants to be paid in joules?” He sneered. “Aren’t you thinking too highly of yourself? Whatever, I won’t have some vagrant claiming the Capala family is stingy. This is already far more than you deserve.”

He handed me a kilowatt stone, but it wasn’t even full. Before I could complain, he spun around and slammed the gate in my face. The two old guards then moved to either side, a gentle reminder that I shouldn’t make a scene.

I sighed, looking down at the bag of gold and the kilojoules. I wondered if they were interchangeable and at what rate. I did have a massive debt I still had to clear. It turned out gold was the currency of mortals, and joules were the currency of paragons. It wasn’t just a country versus city thing, but prices were higher in cities so few people dealt in gold here. It seemed like I still had a lot to learn about this world.

However, now was a good time to learn. My eyes grew determined.