Chapter 7 : Spirit – 2

“Found it? What?”

At Ophelia’s sudden words, I was momentarily taken aback.

And for good reason—she was looking at me as if she were a starving wolf that had just spotted its prey.

“I thought something was off… Was it because of this?”

Ophelia once again seemed lost in thought.

I stared at her in silence before exhaling deeply.

I had no idea what she was talking about or what exactly she had figured out, and that was frustrating.

But I couldn’t rush her.

It was unlikely, but if Ophelia were to take my life in a fit of anger, I wouldn’t even be able to resist.

That was the worst-case scenario.

The next worst thing would be getting kicked out of this cabin.

So, I kept my mouth shut and simply waited for her to finish her thoughts.

“Hm? Ah, right.”

As I stood there, warming my chilled body by the heat of the fireplace while glancing around the cabin, I blinked slowly at the sound of Ophelia’s voice.

I had been so lost in the comforting warmth that I had lost track of time.

Maybe it was just my imagination, but I felt like something about Ophelia’s demeanor had subtly changed.

“Oh dear, I was too caught up in my thoughts and left my guest standing.”

But seriously, why did her tone keep changing?

Could she possibly have two personalities?

As I entertained such useless thoughts, Ophelia gestured toward a seat.

My legs were sore from all the walking, so I gladly took her up on the offer and sank into the sofa, surprised by how soft it was.

Of course, I hadn’t expected Ophelia to furnish her place with a cheap sofa, but even at a glance, this one seemed top-tier.

As I was lost in thought, Ophelia, who had been watching my face, spoke in an indifferent tone.

“Since I move this space around anyway, it doesn’t really matter if I use expensive things. Besides, by my standards, this isn’t even that costly.”

“…Is that so.”

Feeling as if my thoughts had been exposed, I let out a small cough to change the mood.

“I have a lot to say, but… first, take this.”

Saying that, Ophelia reached into her coat and pulled something out.

It was long yet rounded… almost like the hilt of a sword.

The unusual part was the large, red gemstone embedded at the end, constantly shimmering.

I briefly wondered if it was some kind of illumination magic but quickly dismissed the thought.

There was no reason to enchant just the hilt with such magic.

If it belonged to an extraordinary being, such as a grand mage, then maybe—but whatever the case, it was beyond the understanding of an ordinary person like me.

With that in mind, I reached out and grasped the hilt.

Though I had never held a sword before, the shape fit naturally in my hand as if it were made for someone to grip.

And the moment I held it—

Flash!

The red gemstone flared with light.

At the same time—

“As expected…”

Hearing Ophelia’s quiet murmur, I found myself mesmerized by the glow.

And in that instant, I finally understood.

Starting from what had just happened, I realized that I possessed something that had caught Ophelia’s attention.

— Of course.

— Though I had no idea what that something was.

Fortunately, there was no need to despair over that fact.

Because now, she was going to tell me.

For a while, Ophelia stared at the brilliant red glow, smiling as if mesmerized.

Then, snapping out of it, she finally spoke.

“To put it simply, this is a device used to find a certain kind of person.”

“…A certain kind of person?”

“More precisely, it finds those with a particular talent.”

Ophelia didn’t just seem fascinated—she looked as if she were truly entranced.

Had she finally found someone she had been searching for?

No, it wasn’t that.

She was simply thrilled that she could finally satisfy her curiosity.

Talent.

Luen silently repeated the word in his mind.

It couldn’t be a talent for magic.

If it were, his mana sensitivity wouldn’t have been the lowest possible.

Besides, magic was the very thing that Ophelia possessed in overwhelming abundance.

Then… what kind of talent was she talking about?

“Luen Phil Kalbrandt.”

“Aren’t you curious why your mana sensitivity was recorded as the lowest?”

Tilting her head slightly, Ophelia smiled faintly.

Luen couldn’t help but frown—not out of irritation, but because she had struck exactly where it hurt the most.

At the same time—

So she knew.

She had known everything from the start.

With slightly lowered eyes, Luen stared at her.

What truth had shaken her so much, despite already knowing everything?

“I am curious.”

“Haven’t you found it strange? You are the son of Hamel Phil Kalbrandt, whose golden brilliance rivals mine, and Luana, a genius magician with an extraordinary mind. So why is your mana sensitivity the lowest?”

Magic was largely hereditary.

Children born into mage families had a high chance of becoming mages themselves.

There were rare cases where children from non-mage families were born with talent in magic, but those cases were exceedingly uncommon.

Conversely, there were also rare instances where someone born into a mage family had no talent for magic at all.

But in the history of Kalbrandt, that had never happened.

So, Luen chose silence.

Before he even had time to realize that something was strange about himself, so many events had occurred that he had completely forgotten about it.

But if he had taken the time to calmly think about it, he would have noticed that something was indeed wrong.

Ophelia smiled once more and slowly continued.

“That much talent, that many elixirs, that much support… Everything your parents did wouldn’t have been meaningless.”

From the moment she first saw Luen Phil Kalbrandt, Ophelia had seen through him.

She knew he would not possess the same radiant golden hue as his father.

But that didn’t mean he should have grown up with the lowest possible mana sensitivity.

At the same time, there was no way Hamel, Luen’s father, had not realized what Ophelia had seen.

Hamel and Luana loved their son dearly.

But they would never have poured water into a bottomless jar.

“Maybe I just take after my mother’s side,” Luen muttered, feeling uneasy at Ophelia’s words.

It was an excuse.

Even he knew it.

And there was no way Ophelia didn’t.

“Nonsense. You know better than anyone that Luana isn’t just some smart woman with no talent for magic.”

Luana may not have had golden hair, but she possessed exceptionally high mana sensitivity.

She was called a genius because she could turn her ideas into reality.

Ophelia, stating this truth so plainly, pointed to the glowing device still in Luen’s hand.

“All the answers are right there.”

“…What exactly is this thing?”

The conversation kept circling back to the same point.

Luen forced himself to remain calm and asked again.

“That’s a Spirit Detector… No, more precisely, a device that finds those with talent in spirit arts.”

Spirit arts.

Luen had heard of them before.

Because of his parents’ knowledge of ancient texts, he knew a little about them.

He had often heard them described as a lost, inefficient relic of the past.

Though, even his parents weren’t certain whether that was true.

But… why was it being brought up now?

With a deepening frown, Luen focused on Ophelia’s next words.

“Yes, spirit arts. You have a talent for them.”

“…And how is that related to my lack of talent for magic?”

“Because those who use spirit arts cannot use mana.”

The reason spirit arts were rejected by the magical world.

There were many reasons, but one of the biggest was this:

Spirit users cannot use mana.

Those who have a talent for spirit arts lack a talent for magic.

A simple, absolute rule.

What is different is shunned.

Luen gazed at Ophelia, his expression growing darker.

“Your talent for magic was devoured by spirit arts.”

“And every elixir you’ve taken?”

“It all went to the spirit sleeping inside you.”

A sharp pain stabbed through Luen’s skull.

He clutched his head, struggling to process what he had just heard.

So—

The elixirs he had taken all his life had been feeding the spirit within him?

And the reason he had no magical talent was simply because he had a gift for spirit arts instead?

Then…

If Ophelia was right—

If this was the real reason behind everything—

His family’s downfall, his broken engagement, the death of his parents—

Then—

“The only Spirit User in the world… This is a blessing.”

At Ophelia’s words, Luen let out a bitter laugh.

And he whispered.

“No… This is a curse.”