Chapter 34: Letting Off Hook
"You... you didn’t happen to have some mysterious woman, a ghostly figure, a spirit-like existence guiding you in secret, did you?"
"What?" he blurted out, his brow furrowing. He wasn’t angry, just utterly bewildered. Of all the things she could have asked, this was the last thing he’d expected.
Azalea cleared her throat and leaned in slightly, her expression unusually serious. "Did you or did you not?"
"No! Obviously not!" Lumien exclaimed, throwing his hands up in exasperation. "Why would you even ask such a ridiculous question in the first place?"
Azalea’s sharp gaze softened, and she waved her hand dismissively. "Just wanted to make sure,"
Then, without missing a beat, she continued, "So, what’s your plan from now on that you’re an Aspirant?"
"Huh?" Lumien was caught entirely off guard by the sudden change in topic.
He had readied himself for a long and exhausting battle of tongues with his sister, fully expecting it to take hours to convince her. After all, she had been acting like a true interrogator, and sounds like she wouldn’t stop until she dragged the truth out of him.
But then, out of nowhere, she dropped the subject entirely. It was as if she’d decided to accept his flimsy excuses and move on, just like that.
Lumien blinked.
Was that it? Was she really just letting it go?
Azalea must have noticed his confusion because she tilted her head and smirked knowingly. "What? Did you think I’d keep pressing for answers?"
Without thinking, Lumien nodded instinctively. His head bobbed up once before he realized what he’d done. His eyes widened, and he quickly shook his head in frantic denial, but it was already too late.
Azalea caught the motion and burst into soft laughter, her previous seriousness dissolving into playful amusement. "You’re terrible at hiding your thoughts."
"Can you blame me? You looked like you were ready to interrogate me until next week."
Azalea’s laughter softened, and her expression turned affectionate. She reached out to pat his head, her tone warm. "You’re right; I was. But as much as I’d love to pry the truth out of you, I love you more. If pushing you would only make you resent me, I’d rather turn a blind eye to your secrets—so long as they don’t harm you."
Her words left Lumien momentarily stunned.
"So, just answer me this one question: Will your condition get worse because of this or does this affect your health in any bad way?"
Lumien hesitated for only a moment before shaking his head firmly. "No."
If anything, I’ll only get stronger, he thought to himself. But he didn’t say it out loud, afraid of alarming her even more. Azalea was already struggling to digest what he’d revealed and had even entertained the idea that a ghost or some other supernatural entity might be guiding him.
If she knew his powers were set to grow at a rocket-like pace, who knew how she’d react? She might start believing her little brother had been possessed by some freakish alien entity and wouldn’t be able to hold back her curiosity. At that point, even if he could lie, his guilty conscience would gnaw at him.
Azalea exhaled a visible sigh of relief, her shoulders relaxing. "That’s good. That’s really good,"
She glanced at the spot beside him, her gaze lingering on the grass.
Lumien caught on immediately. Without a word, he shrugged off his coat and placed it neatly on the grass where she’d been eyeing.
Azalea’s lips curled into a warm smile, her crimson eyes softening. "Little brother, for a moment there, I almost mistook you for a gentleman~"
"A gentleman? I thought I was just a kid in your eyes," Lumien quickly retorted with the words she used to mock him.
"That’s why I said it was just for a moment," Azalea sniggered.
Without hesitation, she settled down beside him, making herself comfortable. As she adjusted her skirt, she muttered almost absentmindedly, "Ah, I wonder... will you treat your future girlfriend this way too?"
"Err, I don’t know. I’ve never thought about it. But if it were my girlfriend... I guess I’d treat her special?" Lumien said offhandedly.
Azalea pouted slightly, resting her cheek on her raised knee. Her crimson eyes drifted toward the scorched marks and shallow craters left by his fireball experiments.
Unaware of the subtle shift in her mood, Lumien hesitated before steering the conversation back to what had been nagging him. "So, uh... will you tell Father and Mother about this?"
Azalea turned her head toward him, blinking softly, her long lashes fluttering. "Do you want me to?"
"No," he answered quickly, shaking his head.
"Then I won’t." Her response was straightforward, almost too easy.
"Really?" Lumien couldn’t hide the skepticism in his voice. He found it hard to believe his mischievous sister would agree to his demand without conditions.
Azalea chuckled softly at his doubt. "At first, I felt obligated to tell them, thinking it was the best way to keep you safe. But after talking to you, I realized that telling them might not be the best idea. You know, I’m someone who can accept strange things more easily than most, and even I was shocked by all this. If I tell them, they’d definitely overreact—and probably make things worse for you. They’ve got so much on their plate already. I don’t want to add more stress to their lives unnecessarily."
Lumien nodded, feeling a wave of relief wash over him. He was grateful that Azalea seemed to share his reasoning.
"Thank you, sister,"
"There’s no need for ’thanks’ between family,"
"I’m just saying it out of courtesy."
"So, you weren’t being sincere just now?" Azalea deadpans him.
"Uh..." Lumien became momentarily tongue-tied.
Azalea smirked, enjoying his flustered reaction.
As they continued to engage in casual conversation, their topics gradually drifted back to the main topic.
"So, what’s your plan from now on? You still haven’t answered my question. You’ve awakened into an Aspirant at just ten years old. You do realize that the Kingdom and the Churches set the minimum age for awakening at twelve, right? What are you going to do about this?" reminded Azalea.
"This..." Lumien struck dumb, his mind reeling. He had completely forgotten about that particular rule, only now recalling it as Azalea brought it up.
Yes, the Kingdom of Liurnia had strict regulations regarding awakening. No one under the age of twelve was allowed to awaken, as it was considered dangerous for young children to handle the burden of mana.
If someone under twelve did awaken, they were required to report to the Church’s monastery, where they would serve until they reached the appropriate age. Once they turned twelve, they would have the option to return home or continue serving the Church as part of its clergy.
For those unwilling to serve the Church, the Kingdom offered an alternative: service in the military. If they performed well, they could rise through the ranks, become knights, and even be given land. For commoners, this was often seen as the best path to elevate their status without sacrificing too much freedom, especially since the Church was notorious for having stricter rules than even the military.
Yet, both choices still came at the cost of personal freedom, just different in intensity. Lumien wasn’t naive enough to think everyone willingly followed these arrangements. Surely, there were people who preferred independence over being bound to an organization’s orders.
Including him.
"Well, what if I just... kept it a secret? Would that work?"
He glanced at Azalea, his eyes silently asking for her opinion. For someone as clueless as he was about the kingdom’s laws, affairs, and societal norms, Azalea was his best source of guidance.
"Hehe, it’s amusing to see my little brother, who claims to be all grown up, now coming to me for advice," Azalea chuckled, her crimson eyes narrowing slyly like a fox.
"Why can’t an adult ask for advice from another adult?" Lumien countered, raising an eyebrow.
Azalea’s lips curved into a mischievous smile. "Hehe, fair point. Too bad you didn’t fall into my trap. Anyway, keeping your status as an Awakened hidden shouldn’t be much of a problem as long as you don’t cause trouble. I’ve seen it myself—people who awakened early, much earlier than you, still managed to register themselves as adventurers at the Adventurer’s Guild. And guess what? They used obviously fake identities and ages, yet the receptionists didn’t expose them."
"Why not?" Lumien asked, intrigued.
"Because it doesn’t matter to the Guild who they actually are. What matters to them is what the adventurers bring to the table. The Guild isn’t in the business of enforcing Kingdom laws or exposing adventurers with suspiciously fake identities. It’s in the business of making profits. Monster parts, rare resources, completed quests—that’s what they care about." explained Azalea.
She leaned back, crossing her arms as she continued, "To put it simply, it’s like a transaction. Both sides want something. The adventurers want to keep a low profile while using the Guild to earn quick money, and the Guild wants capable individuals who can complete jobs and bring in resources. As long as both parties benefit, nobody asks too many questions."
"And the Churches and Kingdom officials? They don’t do anything about it?" Lumien asked.
If Azalea knew this much already, then surely the Churches and the Kingdom, with all their connections and resources, must be aware of it as well.
Azalea shrugged. "Well, as far as I know, they tend to turn a blind eye to it. I can’t say for sure why, but if I had to guess... it’s probably because they’d rather see a wild awakened operating under a neutral organization like the Guild than becoming a rogue criminal. You know the saying—’Better to keep your enemies where you can see them.’"
