Before I could even say anything to Aurelia, my silence by another Gamer Notification.
[Ding! Due to Gamer Naoto activating two or more Occupations for the first time, a new Skill has been acquired. The Skill Endurance is now available.]
[Endurance]
Effect 1: Reduces Damage received by 10%.
Effect 2: Once HP falls beneath 50%, the effect is doubled.
'Sweet, another Skill obtained. Endurance too. Definitely a needed skill for one using the Gamer System. This will help me in the coming future, but System, now is really not the time to be giving me a new Skill like this!', I inwardly retorted seeing this message appear. This time it appeared inside my mind. I half-expected the System to speak back to me, but all I heard was silence.
Ignoring the Gamer System for now, Roselia just stared back at us. Her face remained calm.
"What, would you rather have me inscribe my insignias on your frontside instead?", Roselia questioned.
"T-That isn't the issue at hand here!", Aurelia immediately responded, being the first one to do so.
"Miss Aurelia is right. It isn't just you and me Rose.", I also said, shaking my head in disagreement.
"...We don't have to remove it all, do we?", Aurelia said, shooting her eyes back my way, and to Prince Olivert. Prince Olivert chuckled seeing the supposed "Demon of Thors" react like this.
"Don't look at me. I'm not the one receiving the spell here. You two are. I'm just a guest of honor.", Prince Olivert replied, musing at the sight before him.
Seeing us exchange this, Roselia simply laughed. "Pfft. 'Tis is true. We are dealing with intricate spellcasting here. The less obstructions, the better the result. A little piece of cloth won't trouble you so, will it?", Roselia asked, directly asking her. In the end, she could only sigh.
"Fine. I've already come this far. I won't let some clothing interrupt my chance at becoming stronger.", Aurelia responded, admitting her defeat. She stood up, and grabbed one of the nearby pillows. Instead of throwing it at me, I saw Aurelia use a lot of her strength, hurling the pillow directly at Prince Olivert. A muffled bang echoed around the room, causing Prince Olivert to almost tumble backwards.
"You peak bub, and you're dead.", Aurelia said, shooting a death stare at the pillow-faced Prince.
"Right...", Prince Olivert muttered. He looked at me, and I could only nod my head in silence at him. It was then he felt his spine run cold.
I inwardly chuckled seeing Prince Olivert's reaction. I guess me being a little kid again has its perks? I am interested in quite a few girls here in Zemuria, and Aurelia is one of them. She's strong. She's smart. She has status. She knows how to handle everything through her own means. What is to not like about her? She might be much older than me by over a decade, but it will do me well to remain on her good side. Age matters little when it comes to nobles, since most of a noble's path is predetermined from birth. Marriage status included.
To go along with Roselia's words, I parted ways a bit, and approached the bed frame. I took off my Phoenix Robe. Seeing this, Aurelia smiled. Prince Olivert didn't say anything, and kept his body turned the other way, keeping the pillow with him. Along with me, Aurelia too began stripping her Thors Military Academy uniform. It was sporting purple, and not the red and white you'd see with Class VII. With a plop, her skirt fell down, revealing some white lingerie. I won't lie, amongst all of the girls in Trails, Aurelia had one of the biggest racks, and she was growing well already. There are still some girls who outclassed her here, like Rixia Mao.
That does ponder a question, though. What exactly is the legal age here? Trails is based on Japanese customs since the game company was founded in Japan, not other countries like America. There are certain events that take place like Rean finally going out to drink his first sip of alcohol when he turned twenty, so that might be when people turn adults. People enter relationships far earlier than that though.
For now, I remained polite, and continued looking the other way, despite the presence of a naked girl beside me. Well, almost fully naked. She kept her panties on. We mostly needed our backs aligned in front of Roselia, so we didn't need to take them off fully. Aurelia even took the ribbons that tied her twin tails together. As to how Roselia put it, she is letting no cloth obstruct her.
Staying near the bed, we both entered a cross-legged position, just like before.
"Umu. The two of you are ready. Naoto, remember the breathing technique I taught you before? Since you can already feel the flow of Mana, it will be easier for you to enter Meditation. Please do so, as it will help ease the requirements of this spell. As for you girly, I will start with you.", Roselia began to say.
"Understood.", I replied, lowering my arms. I cusped my fists together, and began to calm my breathing. I remembered what Roselia taught me. Normally if you'd read those eastern stories, one would call this "cultivation", but here, it is simply meditation. My breathing gradually slowed down, and it entered a steady rhythm.
It didn't take long for me to hear some Gamer Notifications to sound off inside my head.
[Ding! Gamer Naoto has activated Meditation on his own without assistance for the first time. +200 EP. Max EP has increased.]
[Ding! Gamer Naoto's Skill Meditate is currently active.]
[Ding! One experience point has been received...]
[Ding! One experience point has been received...]
Almost matching my breathing, the notifications added a nice touch. I stopped paying attention to how much experience I was earning from this, and solely focused on trying to gather Mana. Seeing me no longer bothered, Aurelia raised her eyes. Me shutting my external senses off so quickly like that surprised her.
"Impressive. It isn't easy to enter a meditative state so easily. You mentioned this little child is your apprentice?", Aurelia asked, keeping her face forward while she observed me.
"Indeed he is. Feeling jealous already?"
"I am not sure if this is jealousy that I am feeling. Perhaps it is admiration?", Aurelia responded, unsure herself.
"Well, it doesn't matter. Like I said, I will be starting with you, Aurelia. Are you able to enter a similar meditative state like Naoto's?", Roselia asked.
"Of course I can. Both Master Vander and Master Arseid have various breathing techniques their respective schools use to help develop their battle qi. I am sure this will be no different to that.", Aurelia replied, full of confidence.
"Very well then. Let's put your words to the test. And just so you know, the pain you will feel will likely far outstrip Naoto's, as you haven't an ounce of Mana in your body. One that you can't tap into yet, anyways.", Roselia said, remaining serious.
"...You aren't suggesting this boy has more talent than someone who has yet to meet her equal?", Aurelia shot back.
"Higher talent? That I cannot answer. Instead, what I can tell you is that Naoto is more experienced in this state of mind. He far outclasses you. Compared to him, you are a frog in a well.", Roselia said, praising me in a rare light. "To which, by the way, I won't be teaching you this. You're just a stowaway."
"Indeed I am. I won't ask you anything in return. I will strive to achieve in unlocking what you call a "Mana Core". Feeling the flow of this so-called Mana shouldn't prove that much of a challenge. I can endure a little pain along the way.", Aurelia responded, remaining confident.
"Umu. Let's see how long that confidence lasts, girly.", Roselia retorted back at her. "For now, match your breathing with Naoto's."
Aurelia nodded, and turned quiet. She closed her eyes, and began to breathe in a certain rhythm too. Each breath was held at specific intervals, which was quite different from my own breathing. Still, she tried to match my pace. As for Roselia, she suddenly approached Roselia's back. A rather complex magic circle appeared beneath the two. Prince Olivert felt the atmosphere around him twist and retort, bringing him more shock. But he remained courteous and didn't disturb the three.
"O to the one who dwells above, please listen to the whims of your lowly servant. Hear ye, for I bear my crest to one bound by mortality. Let me be the truth to the eye who seeks it...", Roselia began to chant. As she continued, the circle beneath her grew brighter and brighter. The aura turned rampant. In the middle, she slowly took her staff, and held it, only to point it directly at Aurelia's back.
A beam of light shot out from Roselia's staff, a bright crimson red. It swiftly found its destination. Slowly but surely, Roselia began to etch something onto Aurelia's back. It was then Aurelia felt a big shock, and became tingly...
But at the same time, deep inside Aurelia's mind, she began to hear the sound of chains being unbound...