Chapter 47

“As you know, the power of the Glorious Sky is a bit dangerous.”

Considering that it could easily blow out a bedroom wall or shatter a few rocks, mishandling its power could lead to unforeseen consequences.

Aneta worried that even a small mistake could blow up the entire office, rose willingly.

“There’s a suitable place on the estate grounds. Let’s go there.”

“You should carry the Glorious Sky.”

“Me?”

Handing over his glory without hesitation and allowing her to handle it was no different from how Tereza behaved.

‘Have I gained this much trust?’

Aneta showed some hesitation, accompanied by a newfound realization.

Yesterday was a different situation, and it was Penetration that had signaled her to grab it first, but not the Glorious Sky.

It was amusingly ironic that she was tensing up now after having asked him to teach her how to handle the glory, but the fear of being rejected was inevitable, especially in a situation where she had no confidence in her abilities.

“Aneta, there’s no glory more favorable to you than the Glorious Sky. I guarantee it. So don’t worry and try it on.”

Carlos’s voice dispelled her tension.

“I wouldn’t lie to you, would I?”

“Right.”

Aneta nodded in agreement to Carlos’ question, and only then was she able to reach out her hand towards the Glorious Sky.

And the moment she grasped the shimmering body, she realized that Carlos’ claim was not false.

Of the two glories she had encountered since discovering the miracle, Penetration and Glorious Sky, the difference was stark.

While Penetration had shown consideration towards Aneta, the Glorious Sky was clearly expressing affection for her.

Aneta felt a refreshing sensation welling up deep within her lungs. A small gasp escaped her at this warm welcome.

Then she looked up at Carlos, who was grinning at her.

“You were right.”

“Of course, Aneta. There’s no way my other half would reject you.”

There is an exchange of emotions between a glory and its owner. Most often, the glory is greatly influenced by its owner’s emotions, so it wasn’t surprising that Glorious Sky regarded Aneta as a second owner.

Repeating what Aneta already knew, Carlos gazed at the Glorious Sky resonating in her hand.

“The Glorious Sky was simply waiting patiently for you to come to it.”

The next thing he revealed was the true feelings of Glorious Sky, which closely mirrored his own.

***

Leading Carlos out of the main house, Aneta walked toward the northwest corner of the marquis’s estate.

With every step, a gentle breeze embraced her, and she couldn’t help but be enchanted by the pleasant sensation.

‘It’s fascinating.’

The wind, which had been merely a nudge because she was in communion with the Glorious Sky, hovered beside her, brushing against her favorably.

Feeling the wind’s affectionate caress like a living creature, Aneta couldn’t hide her amazement something she had only ever read about in storybooks as a child.

‘Has Carlos been living with this kind of sensation all this time?’

Instead of envy, pure curiosity arose. However, he didn’t notice her glance because his eyes were attentively scanning the surroundings.

This was likely the first time he had ventured this deep into the estate.

As Aneta reminisced, their footsteps had shifted from the well-paved path to the slightly overgrown grass.

The still-green grass swayed in shallow waves, stirred by the wind summoned by Glorious Sky.

Amidst this scenic view stood a familiar stone gazebo.

Spotting the gazebo standing alone amidst the rippling green, Aneta looked back at Carlos.

“We’re here?”

“Yes.”

As Aneta’s steps came to a halt, Carlos, who had stopped alongside her, also began scrutinizing the gazebo, the first thing to catch his eye.

The gazebo, built of pure white marble, exuded a restrained beauty without excessive decoration, unlike other luxurious structures of Adenauer. However, Aneta’s chosen training ground was not the gracefully carved gazebo or the matching marble table and chairs within it.

Those had been considered merely as resting areas, while the real site was the small forest and wide open space behind them.

“This place seems suitable. What do you think?”

“It’s a suitable location. It’s wide open with no major obstacles, so it would be good for manifesting our abilities. I didn’t know there was a place like this on the estate.”

“I don’t come here often. I’m not sure when or for what purpose it was built. I had even forgotten this place existed until I was looking for an appropriate site.”

The pillars, untouched for so long, had accumulated black grime. Aneta brushed her hand lightly over one, leaving her fingertips smudged with gray.

“I should send someone to clean this up later.”

She dusted off her fingers and agreed when Carlos suggested they get started.

“I’ll teach you the basics first. It’s always important to build a strong foundation.”

“Alright.”

Aneta didn’t argue. She knew from her continuous learning that mastering the basics was half the battle. Having deeply internalized this fact, his approach was welcome to her.

Aneta’s first request was to confirm the nature of the miracle.

Given the conditions for manifesting abilities, they both agreed that while the miracle’s activation was undoubtedly tied to Elena’s necklace, there was no harm in double-checking.

Aneta unfastened the clasp and handed the necklace to Carlos, mirroring the trust she had shown with the other glories.

If Duke Clorin, who took great pride in his honor, had seen this, he would have lamented the slightest sign of hesitation.

Aneta watched the miracle pass into Carlos’s hands, thinking of the conservative yet not rigid neutral nobles who might be surprised at her ease feeling neither anxiety nor displeasure.

The change came as soon as the necklace left her hand. The wind that had been circling him died down in an instant as if it had never been there before.

Aneta smoothed a loose, feathered bracelet that she had slung over her wrist. Despite still having Glorious Sky, she felt nothing.

“It seems the necklace is indeed the miracle.”

Carlos stepped in front of Aneta, who was relieved only after he had finished checking. It was to hit the player before she could get the glory back.

“Wait, Carlos. What are you doing?”

Aneta called his name as he reached out without warning.

With a long, soothing breath, he grabbed the two ends of the miracle and widened the gap between them.

Carlos’ body leaned toward Aneta. The scattered wind tickled the nape of her neck, which seemed to be carried by his breath.

Carlos draped his long arm around her neck, fastening the necklace with some difficulty due to its small clasp. After a brief struggle, he succeeded in securing it around her neck.

“Did you have to put it on like this?”

Aneta asked Carlos, who took a step back with a satisfied face.

“I had to do it this way to make your heart sway to me.”

“Well. Is that so?”

Aneta leaned toward him, just as Carlos had done to her, leaning in as if to kiss him, his body stiffened with tension.

As the slender neck swayed up and down, Aneta, observing the sharp movements, whispered as she straightened his collar.

“I think it’s your heart that’s shaken.”

“I’ve been caught. Shall we continue with that?”

“Nope.”

Presently she raised her hand and patted his firm shoulders as if to shake off the reluctance he was exuding.

“There’s no next one, so let’s finish the lesson, teacher.”

***

Several days had passed since Aneta started learning how to control her glory from Carlos.

During this time, the investigation had reached its final stages, and the Emperor, seemingly waiting for the right moment, identified Count Gaston as the perpetrator behind the attack.

The noble faction, who had defended Count Gaston, claiming he wasn’t capable of such acts, withdrew their support after seeing the evidence Vernon publicly presented on the Emperor’s orders.

Threatening the Emperor’s life constituted treason. Although they regretted losing a key financier, defending Count Gaston, who was accused of treason, would inevitably brand them as traitors too.

With even their thin loyalty gone and their silence, the verdict for Count Gaston was delivered.

Russell declared that he would pay the price for threatening his life by taking Gaston’s life in return, ordering immediate execution.

It was Louise who stepped forward to behead the Count of Gaston, who was being held in the Count’s villa.

As a knight, Louise wished to personally deal with the man who had targeted her two lords, and with Russell’s approval, she departed for the villa.

Once Louise handled Count Gaston and his remaining followers, the next focus was the assassins who attacked the imperial palace. Although few survived the attacks from the glories of Mercy and Penetration, Russell believed they still had some use.

Thus, under the guise of imperial orders, Russell quietly summoned Carlos, Aneta, and Serce to his office.

The reason for calling these three was straightforward.

“I called you because you seem to get along best. I don’t think it would feel out of place to see you together.”

As soon as the reason for the summons was heard, subtle changes appeared on the two men’s faces.

While Serce subtly raised an eyebrow to suppress his disagreement, Carlos tightened his closed lips even more firmly.

Russell knew better than anyone that this was a habit of Carlos when he felt displeased.

Among them, only Aneta remained calm and composed.

Observing the situation quietly, Aneta spoke in an even tone.

“May I ask why you summoned us?”

As soon as Aneta spoke, the two men quickly erased any lingering emotions.

Russell, who had observed their rapidly shifting attitudes, inwardly congratulated himself for his accurate prediction.

Taken separately, they can be compared to oil and water, but with someone to act as a stabilizing agent between them, the situation would change.

And that stabilizing role could only be filled by Aneta, who was the sole recipient of their gazes and attention.

Russell concluded that if he could leverage their relationship, the task would be easily accomplished. He opened his mouth to answer Aneta’s question.

“Oh, it’s nothing significant. We need to ensure that Erez Bauter believes we haven’t detected his abilities.”