Even Adeline gasped. The Chosen One, up for Selection? If she managed to get him to her side, all her problems would be gone.

Picking up a piece of crystal, she decided to offer up everything for him.

…

Winter went through all the stages of grief in a few seconds.

Why?! Why do you need to act up right now, Dian?! In front of all the mages, nonetheless!

She repressed the desire to wring the chosen one’s neck. Looking in fear at the High Queen seat, just next to the Director’s, she found the queen relaxed, not a sign of anger in her face, even after this public humiliation.

Was she expecting this? Winter sighed deeply, calming down.

The mages next to her weren’t doing anything, all of them Arhontissian, but the others… They were scribbling on some pieces of crystal, making their offers. Once they found them satisfactory, they tossed the crystal pieces to the mist that was moving on the floor.

The pieces disappeared before touching the floor, reappearing on the table in front of the Director.

Winter wanted to cry, the crystal mountain becoming larger and larger.

One by one, the Director grabbed them, checking that the offers were truthful.

Lying at the offer was prohibited. Any offer made to the mage was of obligated compliment. Trying to find loopholes or denying what was written was an offense to the Mergifari’s Director.

It seemed that some selectors tried to lie. Winter felt the room emptier, but she couldn’t remember who was seated in the now empty seats, no matter how hard she tried.

Their presence was gone. Not even a cry was heard. Winter was sure that they weren’t dead, maybe the Director just sent them home, of course, that depended on the lie.

Slowly, not rushing for anyone, not even for Winter’s own sanity, the Director checked the remaining crystals, before waving her hand, making them disappear and appear in front of Dian, arranged in straight lines.

Winter saw him flipping the crystals, not bothering with the offers, but with the names of the ones offering. It seemed he didn’t find the one he wanted, a disappointed sigh coming out of him once he was done.

“Muirenmaith.” Winter sighed in relief when he said the queen’s name.

Was she so sure about him not sending an offer? Winter looked down.

Sitting in a reclining position, as if he was in his own damn office, at the lowest level possible, was the man Winter was hating the most at this moment.

The Embarrassment of the Mergifari, the jobless, shameless, apprenticeless, son of the Director, who never picked any apprentice, even when several nobles gave him offers to be someone useful in society and teach their descendants, Ceres the Unemployed.

Why does Dian want him so bad? Winter grimaced.

Even the Director was so ashamed of him she put him at the most hidden seat, even when he could be way higher.

…

Velvet was almost at Wishbell. Everything had gone relatively fine, except for two things.

One, her Esca had opened a bit more. She wasn’t such a joke of a mage anymore, a quarter of Esca opened.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Two… eating a familiar had consequences. Physical consequences.

Looking at her face in a mirror, her beautiful, perfect eyes, with pupils round in a pretty, adorable… circular circle, had become a bit… sharp. Like a snake.

It wasn’t exactly like a snake, just a bit. But she didn’t like it.

Her fangs had also become sharper.

Hyde and Baraviodos tried to console her, telling that it was barely noticeable. And they were right.

Still, it was noticeable for Velvet. She was a knowledge mage, of course she knew exactly how she looked!

“This is fine. It’s not thaaat bad. It does give me a dangerous cutie air, doesn’t it?”

“...” She could just feel the uncomfortable silence of the two demons.

“Doesn’t it?” She repeated.

“I don't like young people.”

“I am a spider. You don’t have enough legs.”

“Wow, the support I’m having. Amazing.” Finishing dressing up, she picked this time the good hat that Couger gave her, and Madam Dorna’s clothes.

She had to board an airship towards the Mergifari, so she had to look good to her fellow mages!

…

The train arrived at Wishbell.

Velvet went to take Niko to his family. She had helped him dress up, just like she did with the orphanage kids.

He still looked tired and sad, but that was something time would change.

Leaving the station, she knew that his family was waiting for him a few streets away, so she took her luggage, going in that direction.

A member of the Scales was waiting with Niko’s family. Velvet had seen him before, taking Nathaniel's corpse and belongings.

That saved Velvet from explaining what happened to them. Good. She didn’t like being the one to give the bad news.

Niko went running towards them, hugging the one Velvet supposed was his mother.

The father nodded at Velvet, as a thanking motion.

They were polite, offering Velvet to stay a few days with them, but she refused, not wanting to be in the middle of a grieving family.

“Velvet,” Niko was bidding farewell to her. “By the next time we see each other, I hope you got the thing you are chasing.”

“I hope you do too.”

And so, the two travelers parted ways.

…

“Saliman Ramis, Blue Python…” Velvet mused, walking from place to place. She hoped he was currently at Wishbell, and not flying somewhere.

She went to the offices that took care of selling flight tickets, asking for the man.

Viroa wouldn’t lie to me. Deciding to stop searching and going to eat breakfast, she went to a fast food stall that said ‘Paraiso style fish’.

…

“It’s so spicy!” Velvet cried, drinking from the carton vase the stall owner gave her.

“That’s how real Paradisian food tastes!” Laughing at her suffering, the man kept on adding spice to the fish he was cooking to another customer.

“I-it’s really good, don’t get me wrong… But I’m delicate.” Velvet liked honey, not… What did he call this? Chilli?

“Haha, this isn’t food for kids!” A customer said. “Gin! One of mapo tofu!”

“Saliman, nice to see you.”

Velvet choked on her fish, coughing on her napkin.

“C’mon girl. If you can’t eat it, you can’t. Stop forcing yourself.” The man took a carton filled with that ‘mapo tofu’, paying Gin and starting to leave.

“W-wait wait!” Forcing the tears back, Velvet stopped him.

“Hm? Need something?”

“Are you Saliman Ramis?! I came here searching for you!”

Saliman smiled, “Am I that famous of an adventurer? the last one that wanted to find me was…”

“A child of yours, if I recall. From one of your ‘adventures’.” Gin interrupted, making Saliman’s smile freeze. “Your wife went nuts.”

Saliman looked at Velvet, who was coughing. She was young, and around the age when he…

“For god's sake!” He didn’t name one in specific, so it seemed a ‘To whom it may concern’ type of complaint. “A-are you Maris daughter?! … Farin’s? … Serina?”

Velvet stopped coughing, taking a sip of water. Then, she looked at Saliman.

“Really? Everyone says I have my mother’s eyes… Have you forgotten her already?”

The poor man froze at the sad voice that Velvet used.

“I-I’ll make up to it, I swear!”