"What are your plans now?" Cyril asked after a second.
Myra's bright face became slightly frustrated again. "I don't know... The girls back at the dorm are really mad at me right now."
"I suppose I should return and apologize properly, they are not in the wrong."
"This isn't such a big deal, they can't stay angry for long, right?" Cyril said with confusion.
Myra shrugged in response, "Ruining someone's clothes is pretty bad. Besides, some people can stay mad for the sake of staying mad."
Then she quickly switched topics, "What are you going to do now?"
Cyril already knew what to reply here, "Finish with my studies, then receive a new magic creature."
He decided to warn people ahead of time of a new addition to his menagerie.
"Oh, really?" Myra replied in surprise, "What kind?"
"I don't know yet," Cyril said with a straight face.
Rhamn couldn't guarantee what creature exactly she would make.
"You... don't know yet? But then where are you getting it from?" Myra tilted her head with doubt.
"It's a special service. After you give them the money, they bring you a random magic creature." He continued without any change to his voice.
"Is that so?" Myra could only nod her head to show understanding. "So the surprise mechanics in gifts is already gaining popularity..." She mumbled to herself in contemplation.
What is she on about? Is this a real thing in the future? Cyril could only pretend he didn't hear it.
"I hope you don't pull anything bad." She said somewhat cryptically, which only deepened Cyril's confusion.
"Thanks."
...
After walking for a little more, they said goodbye to each other, and Myra went back to her dorm.
Cyril decided to tell her his findings some other time. Right now fulfilling his promise to Morpho took priority.
Not to mention that he still needed to deal with that piece of Black Tulip, his biggest gain today.
The villa was soon in sight, still looking as orderly and pristine as when he left.
Ophelia was currently tending to the garden, trimming the bushes with an ice-cold face.
A black cat by her side was playing with its tail.
She quickly noticed the approaching Cyril, stopped what she was doing, and bowed in his direction.
Cyril only nodded and went inside of the villa.
She doesn't know yet.
Cyril felt like he was a child again. That familiar feeling of hiding something bad you did, like back when he broke a vase inside of the mansion while playing around with a spear.
"You are an adult already. She wouldn't dare to go against the master of the Felling family!"
Don't be like that...
As he opened the door, the first thing that greeted him was an enthusiastic meow coming from below.
Cyril, with a smile, raised Tigris and put him on his shoulder.
"How have you been?" He warmly asked.
"Yeah. Did anything good happen while we were out?" Rhamn said in a knowing way.
Tigris excitedly bopped his tiger head up and down, eager to show them something.
Cyril's expectations were slightly raised now, and he quickly reached his room.
Once inside, Tigris hurriedly jumped off the shoulder and ran into the middle of the room.
Then he sat still on the ground with his eyes closed.
Cyril, Rhanm, and Morpho all watched with bated breath, their curiosity at its maximum.
The tiger let out a roar—but only a cute meow emerged. A familiar circle of magic flashed briefly, and then in the air above him appeared a fireball!
However, it looked quite unusual. It appeared transparent and wavy, like a vague reflection on the water.
Cyril easily saw through its essence.
"Illusion magic!?" He exclaimed in surprise.
This wasn't an actual fireball, but rather an illusion created by Tigris. It had as much power as an imaginary sword, and it was easy to see through.
However, Cyril's surprise came mainly from the fact that Tigris managed to do even that.
Illusion Magic was a very hard system to learn, requiring deep knowledge of magic as a whole.
Cyril needed personal lessons from one of the most powerful mages of the Empire to enter the introductory level.
But Tigris was already catching up to him, despite still not being able to cast any of the Selene's spells, which were much simpler in comparison.
Ammy could create illusions too, but that was more of a native talent of a magic creature instead of a learned spell like what happened now.
Tigris, able to feel the surprise around him, raised his head high, his tail going sporadically back and forth. His mood was reaching its peak.
"That's amazing! Congratulations!" Rhamn clapped sincerely for his success.
Morpho, too, flew around the room in celebration.
Cyril joined in, clapping for a while.
Then he approached and asked with even greater curiosity, "How did you do it?"
There must've been a trick to it. How can someone who isn't that well versed with magic cast such a complicated spell?
Tigris began meowing enthusiastically and gesturing with his paws in the air.
Cyril had to wait for the only one fluent in cat speak, or rather tiger speak, here to interpret it for him.
Rhamn listened to Tigris's words, nodding a few times in the process.
"That's great! Simply put, Tigris is a genius when it comes to illusion magic." Rhamn made her verdict soon.
What does that mean? He just... knows how to cast it? Cyril asked for some details.
"Something along those lines. During our absence, Tigris desperately tried studying what you left on the table, but no progress was being made. Then, on a whim, he browsed through the notes you left on illusion magic."
Despite Rhamn having perfect memory, which made her theoretically capable of replacing the need to keep notes, Cyril still did that as a habit. It was very useful.
"Whenever he tried it, he discovered that he instinctively knew the correct way to construct a magic circle. It went as simple as running around or eating a tasty meal," Rhamn explained.
So talent is capable of such an effect... Cyril thought in awe.
"Not quite. I have a theory on this." Rhamn interjected.
"There are two things at play here. First is Tigris's natural talent in illusion magic. But the second, and, arguably, more important factor is the connection between us!" Rhamn raised her index finger in the air.
You mean, like how Morpho's proficiency in Selene's spells is closely connected to mine, so is Tigris's understanding of Illusion Magic? Cyril quickly thought ahead.
"Yes. One could say they 'inherited' a part of your powers."
Not bad...