"This... this is my Falna? I really have one Magic and three Skills?" Lorie held the parchment with a shocked look on her face. Her mind had gone blank.
Ronan had "cheated" a little during the transcription by hiding Emblem of Favor.
It was still too early for Lorie to know about that skill. It would not be too late to explain once she noticed later that she was improving too quickly.
"Lorie, you can start looking forward to the future now."
Jeanne leaned closer and warmly congratulated her as well. "Congratulations, Lorie."
"Thank you..." Lorie blushed and thanked her in a small voice.
As a newcomer to Orario, she might not know the city well. But as an elf from an old lineage, she knew enough about Falna to understand the basics, even if she was not an expert. So she knew exactly what it meant to receive one Magic and three Skills the moment she got her Falna.
My future really does look bright... Lorie thought happily.
"Oh..."
Maybe their voices had been a little too loud. The silver-haired elf girl slowly woke up, her consciousness finally pushing through the haze.
She saw an unfamiliar ceiling, magic stone lights, and caught the clean smell of dry blankets. Aura's expression shifted from confusion to shock. Her pale purple eyes were still unfocused.
"Where... is this?" She had gone too long without water. Her lips were cracked, and her voice came out rough.
Noticing the movement, Jeanne quickly walked over to Aura's bedside. "So you're awake, Aura? Hello. I'm Jeanne d'Arc. You can just call me Jeanne."
"You can relax. This is our Familia's home. You're safe now."
At the same time, Lorie, still excited about joining the Familia and receiving such a strong Falna, noticed that her friend had finally woken up.
"That's great, Aura! You're finally awake! I was so worried!" As she spoke, she ignored how weak she still was, moved to Aura's side, and hugged her tightly.
Ronan smiled at the sight. He quietly slipped out of the room and left the girls some space. Glancing out the window at the heavy rain, which still showed no sign of stopping, he felt even better.
"I love rainy days."
He stood under the eaves and listened to the rain for a while. Once enough time had passed, he went into the kitchen to prepare breakfast. Like many people from where he came from, he ran into the same daily problem whenever it was time to eat: What should I make today?
"Breakfast for four, and two of them are elves... Hmm, I don't really know what elves like to eat."
He hesitated for a moment.
"Forget it. Something light should be safe. Elves... right, a fruit salad should work."
He went into the ice cellar next to the kitchen. Looking at the ingredients stacked inside, an idea came to him, and he snapped his fingers.
"I'll make tacos for the main dish, plus fried eggs and corn chowder. Perfect. If they don't like that, I can slice some toast and put out butter too. Hmm... For Jeanne, I should also prepare coffee, milk, and jam."
"Let's see... small tomatoes, onions, parsley. I've got everything I need for salsa."
"Oh, and two avocados. Red, yellow, orange, and green bell peppers too. Good, I have everything."
He tied on an apron, lit the stove, and set a pot on it. While waiting for the water to boil, Ronan picked up a kitchen knife and began preparing the ingredients with practiced ease.
In the guest room.
The strain of the past day, the drained strength, and the tension had worn Aura's body down completely. She had never been especially strong to begin with, which was why she had collapsed halfway through their escape.
Now Jeanne carefully helped her sit up against the pillows, then handed her a cup of warm water.
"Drink some water first. We can talk later."
"Thank you..."
Aura pressed her cracked lips together and weakly reached for the cup. Her fingertips accidentally brushed against Jeanne's fingers.
My body... didn't instinctively reject her? Aura, who was still a little slow to react, looked at the human woman in front of her in disbelief.
She knew that her own instincts about contact with others were even stronger than Lorie's. Jeanne noticed her surprise and only answered it with a gentle smile.
"I'm Jeanne d'Arc. Just call me Jeanne."
"Thank you, Miss Jeanne."
Aura kept a calm expression and nodded slightly in thanks. Watching Aura's attitude toward Jeanne, Lorie, who knew her personality well, muttered, "Old-fashioned," under her breath.
Then her eyes darted around, and she leaned in with a mischievous smile. "Hehe, Aura, isn't it strange?"
Aura looked at Lorie but said nothing.
"...Hehe, actually, I don't know why either! But I just don't feel that usual discomfort toward Miss Jeanne. Isn't that amazing?" Lorie explained with a grin.
Aura: "..."
That small episode about elven habits passed quickly, thanks to Lorie's energy. Then, without waiting for Aura to ask, Lorie began explaining everything that had happened after Aura fainted.
...
"So that's what happened..." Aura's face still held traces of fear. When she looked at Jeanne again, her eyes were full of gratitude.
Now that she understood everything, Aura felt an overwhelming sense of relief. If Ronan and Jeanne had not appeared when they did, they would have fallen right back into the hands of the slave traders. She did not even want to imagine what kind of future would have waited for them.
"Lorie probably already told you my name, but I should still introduce myself properly. I am Aura. Aura Moriel."
"Thank you very much for helping us, Miss Jeanne, and Mr. Ronan as well. I will never forget your kindness. Please trust the promise of an elf."
After drinking the warm water and getting some strength back, Aura set down the cup and gave her introduction with great seriousness, following proper elven etiquette. Compared to the innocent Lorie, Aura's personality was clearly more traditional. Her way of speaking matched the usual image of elves well: polite, proper, and a little stiff.
Jeanne did not mind at all. She could get along with almost anyone.
After Aura finished thanking her, Jeanne smiled and spoke.
"Aura, Lorie has already joined our Familia. What about you? Do you want to join too? Our Familia is still small right now, but the future looks promising. And as you can see, Lorie already gets along well with us. I think the atmosphere is pretty good. What do you think?"
"Join your Familia..."
Aura fell silent for a moment. Her gaze moved between the two of them and lingered on Jeanne for a second. Very quickly, she made up her mind.
"If I say no, I assume Lorie will keep bothering me about it?" Aura gave a helpless smile, and that was her answer.
She knew her best friend's personality far too well. Of course, that was not the only reason she chose to join. The real reason was that the atmosphere here, and the people in this Familia, felt right to her.
"Welcome to the Veyr Familia, Aura!"