Chapter 32
Thirty minutes later, they finally arrived at Willowess City.
The horse carriage rolled through the bustling streets before coming to a stop in front of the Warrior Guild of Neltan. The large stone building stood proudly among the surrounding structures, its guild emblem displayed above the entrance.
Damnern stepped down first, followed by Elina. He then helped Elyra and Eldern out of the carriage before the family headed toward the guild entrance together.
"Today, we'll be checking the dominant elements of your Fue," Damnern said as they walked.
Eldern blinked.
"Didn't I already do that before?"
Damnern nodded.
"That was two years ago. Back then, it only showed that your strongest affinity was Light."
He glanced at his son.
"Things have definitely changed since then."
I wonder what element I'm dominant in...
Elyra thought quietly.
Beside her, Elina simply smiled and gently held her hand as they entered the guild.
The moment one of the guild employees noticed Damnern walking through the doors, his eyes widened in shock.
"C-Count?"
The employee hurried over and bowed respectfully.
"Is there anything we can assist you with today?"
"We're here to check the elemental dominance of my two children," Damnern replied calmly.
"O-Of course."
The employee immediately stepped aside and gestured for them to follow.
"Please come this way."
The family followed him deeper into the guild.
Soon, they arrived at a room specifically used for Fue examinations.
At the center of the room stood a crystal about twenty centimeters tall. Soft light shimmered from within it, illuminating the surrounding area.
Elyra stared at it curiously.
What is that?
I've never seen anything like it before...
The employee turned toward the back of the room.
"Bina!"
A young woman with green hair and golden-yellow eyes looked up from her desk.
"Coming!"
She quickly approached.
The moment she noticed Damnern, she respectfully lowered her head.
"Welcome, Count."
Then her gaze shifted toward Elyra.
"Young Lady hasn't visited the guild before, has she?"
Elyra shook her head.
The woman smiled warmly.
"My name is Bina Cayo. You may simply call me Bina."
She bowed slightly toward Elyra.
Before Elyra could respond, Eldern proudly crossed his arms.
"Even though it looks ordinary, she's actually very skilled at controlling Fue. That's why she can detect elemental affinities."
Bina immediately became embarrassed.
"Young Master Eldern, you're praising me too much..."
Ignoring her flustered reaction, Eldern continued nodding proudly, looking as though he had personally trained her himself.
Bina could only let out a helpless smile at his behavior. Shaking her head slightly, she picked up the crystal and then crouched down until she was at the same eye level as the children. Holding the crystal out in front of them, she prepared to begin the examination.
"Please place your hand here."
Eldern immediately stepped forward.
"This is called a Fue Crystal."
He confidently placed his hand on its surface.
"Then you channel your Fue into it."
The way he explained it made him sound like the instructor rather than the student.
Bina couldn't help laughing.
"You really are a genius, Young Master Eldern."
She placed her own hand against the crystal and began supplying a small amount of FUE to activate it.
"Zasco!"
The employee from earlier hurried over.
"Yes, yes, I'm here."
He handed a sheet of paper to Bina.
The moment she accepted it, faint lines of light began tracing themselves across the page. One after another, glowing words slowly appeared, as though an invisible hand was writing them in real time.
As expected...
Bina lowered her gaze to the results.
Just like two years ago.
The sight brought back a clear memory. She still remembered the day Eldern had taken the examination for the first time at the age of three. Even then, his results had been extraordinary enough to leave a lasting impression on her.
Fire = 1%
Water/Ice = 0%
Earth = 1%
Wind = 1%
Lightning = 1%
Light = 12%
Darkness = 0%
Total Fue Energy = 6%
At the time, she had been shocked.
A child with five elemental affinities and such strong Light dominance possessed extraordinary potential—and now he was already five years old.
Bina handed the paper over.
"As expected from the young genius."
Eldern accepted it proudly before showing it to everyone.
Damnern and Elina leaned closer to read.
Fire = 9%
Water/Ice = 0%
Earth = 3%
Wind = 6%
Lightning = 7%
Light = 19%
Darkness = 0%
Total Fue Energy = 14%
Bina's eyes widened slightly.
Most people focused only on their strongest element.
Yet in just two years, Eldern had improved every single affinity he possessed. That level of growth was extremely rare.
"Wow!"
Elina's eyes sparkled with pride.
She pointed excitedly at the results.
"Eldern's Light affinity reached nineteen percent! That's amazing! And his Fire, Wind, and Lightning affinities all increased so much too!"
Damnern chuckled.
He gently rubbed Eldern's head.
"Not only that. His total Fue Energy reached fourteen percent."
His smile widened.
"For a five-year-old, that's incredible."
Elyra stared at the numbers. Even though she couldn't fully read them yet, she could tell from everyone's reactions that they were impressive.
I wonder what mine will be...
Beside her, Eldern let out a smug little laugh.
"Hehe."
Bina smiled before turning toward Elyra.
"Now it's your turn, Young Lady."
She carefully handed over the crystal.
Elyra accepted it and placed her hand against the smooth surface.
"Young Lady, please channel your—"
Bina suddenly stopped speaking.
Her eyes widened.
Elyra had already begun circulating her Fue perfectly. There was no hesitation, no confusion, and no need for guidance.
This is her first time...
Bina stared at her in disbelief.
Yet she's already doing it naturally?
Elyra, meanwhile, ignored everyone's reactions.
I've spent a days learning to sense my Fue since Eldern taught me...
In my previous life, I depended too much on my sigil because nobody ever taught me properly.
If I had mastered Fue back then...
Maybe I wouldn't have died.
The thought lingered briefly before she pushed it away.
For now, she simply waited. Several seconds passed before glowing letters appeared on the paper.
Bina stared at them, her mouth slowly falling open.
"T-That's impossible..."
She looked at Elyra.
Then at the results.
Then back at Elyra.
"She's only two years old…"
Her voice was barely above a whisper.
Damnern, Elina, and even Eldern fell silent.
The room suddenly felt strangely quiet.
Why is everyone reacting like that?
Elyra thought nervously.
Did I do something wrong?
Before she could understand the atmosphere, Eldern reached out and grabbed the paper, his eyes scanning the glowing letters before he began to read it aloud.
Fire = 0%
Water/Ice = 0%
Earth = 0%
Wind = 0%
Lightning = 0%
Light = 20%
Darkness = 0%
Total Fue Energy = 12%
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then—
"MY DAUGHTER IS A GENIUS!"
Damnern immediately pulled Elyra into a huge hug.
Elyra almost disappeared inside his arms.
"Ugh—"
"You and Eldern both inherited Light affinity from me!"
Damnern declared proudly.
Eldern looked at the results.
Then at Elyra.
Then back at his own paper.
His eyes immediately lit up.
"I have to train harder!"
Instead of feeling discouraged, he looked even more motivated. Elina laughed softly and applauded, and Bina soon joined in as well. The sight of the two children left her speechless.
As expected of the children of the Strongest Warrior...
Their future would be terrifying.
Thirty minutes later, the family finally left the Warrior Guild of Neltan.
"Please visit again next time!"
Zasco waved energetically from the entrance.
As the carriage disappeared into the distance, he finally released a long breath.
"Thank goodness..."
The pressure of serving Count Damnern had nearly exhausted him.
Meanwhile, the horse carriage continued through Willowess as the night grew deeper. Warm lantern lights illuminated the streets, casting a golden glow across the city.
The roads were crowded with citizens enjoying the evening, merchants calling out to potential customers, and the aroma of grilled meat drifting through the air.
Children ran through the streets laughing, while adventurers and travelers moved between shops and taverns. Suddenly, the carriage came to a stop.
"Hm?"
Elyra looked outside.
The entire family stepped down from the carriage as the lively sounds of Willowess City surrounded them. Elyra looked around at the bustling night market, her small brows knitting together in confusion. The examination at the guild was already over, and night had fully fallen.
Why did Damnern bring us here now?
As she looked up at her parents' smiling faces, Elyra realized she had absolutely no idea what her family's true purpose was this time.
End of Chapter 32