SSS Rank Sword Mage: Awakening Starts with Weakest Mana Affinity Chapter 17: Condottieri

PART 1

It really made them happy that one of us was already on a good start. All that remained was for mine to be revealed

As the sphere of light around my bowl slowly faded, Father pulled closer, still holding Astraya's bowl. We stood together, away from the table, our eyes fixed on the strips. The mana liquid had surprisingly vaporized, leaving only the paper strips behind. Father drew in closer, wanting to see the results clearly.

For Astraya, the strip labeled 'A' (air) was now a pure white, with the color passing through all four segnts. The others showed no change at all.

"Are these strips really that accurate?" I asked, amazed.

"They're the best for determining your core type, son," he said. "Your sister really surprised . She's a very high specialist, in the 100% category. It'll be hard to tell how proficient she'll be until she has a teacher."

"Look, Astraga's bowl is visible now!" Astraya said excitedly. She couldn't wait to hear mine as well.

Holding my hands tightly, Mother's grip was a mix of reassurance and worry. I kept my eyes closed; I hated these tense monts.

Then I heard a loud "Hmmm" from my father. His tone wasn't great.

With my eyes still closed, I spoke. "What... why is everyone so quiet?" A wave of dread washed over . "Am I a Triple-Affinity?…No, Astraga, you're a Quad-Affinity." Father replied.

The word hit like a truck a bitter pill to swallow. I had prepared for the worst, but still, a tiny bit of hope had crept in. I opened my eyes and walked to my bowl. Each strip was colored, but none of them went past the first segnt.

"So, I'm just normal," I said quietly with a hint of sadness.

"No, don't ever say that, Astraga with that tone," Mother said, pulling into a hug. "To And to us, no matter what you have or who you are… you're still soone of value."

My whole family enveloped in a group hug. I'd never experienced this before; I was always the one comforting my siblings . Astraya gave the sa sympathetic look I used to give my siblings back in my previous life, and it made feel incredibly uncomfortable.

Father tried to lighten the mood. "Hey, just like your old man, I see. Well, you already love reading. We can learn manomancy together just you and ." He patted my head. "Just like your mother said."

"Don't let what happened today discourage you, Astraga,"

he added. "You have to think ahead. What's the fun in staying stagnant? Most people lose hope the mont they discover their affinity is average."

I wished I could cry. My four-year-old body wanted to so badly, and tears welled in my eyes. Through my family's comforting hugs, I could only think one thing: I'm the weakest. How will I ever catch up with my twin now that she's a specialist? Dying again wasn't in my plans, and I hated the feeling of being left out, of not being able to truly use mana.

My parents found their own ways to lighten the mood. Mother promised to make my favorite al, rice porridge, the next day, while Father said he had a big surprise for and that I could join him on patrol.

The plan was still there, but Astraya also showed her support. "Don't worry, Astraga, I'll definitely get stronger for both of us," she said.

"Mother, when can we begin training?" she asked. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ NoveI★Fire

After a mont of thought, Mother replied, "I see no harm in starting tomorrow."

I wanted to join, too. Even if I couldn't use mana to the best of its ability, I could at least learn how to channel and manipulate it. The book I'd read said you just had to create a hierarchy among the mana types.

"Mother, can I also join? Just to watch you and Astraya?" I asked.

She was surprised at first but then pleased that I was still interested in sothing that had seemingly ruled out. "Of course, Astraga," she said.

Since white mana wasn't her strongest affinity, she explained that her mana proportion was 40/35/25, with air at 25% proficiency. She knew just enough to teach Astraya the basics. "So, Astraya, all I can teach you is a basic knowledge of channeling white mana, okay?"

Astraya didn't care. She was happy just to be starting her training tomorrow.

PART 2

My family's attempts to cheer up worked. Father's jokes were on point, and Mother's food tasted better than ever. Lying in bed, I wondered what surprise Father had in store for tomorrow. I'd always wanted to join him on patrol and see what it was like outside our house. Astraya was already asleep, but I couldn't rest.

"I need so water," I thought, feeling thirsty.

I crept out of the room and tiptoed downstairs, stopping when I heard my parents talking. They were discussing Astraya and .

"What surprise do you have for Astraga when he joins you on patrol tomorrow, honey?" Mother asked.

"Oh, just a fish pond I've been working on," Father said, his tone light.

I stood there, peering through a cracked-open door. "That's it? A fish pond?" I thought. This old man thinks staring at fish will make forget that I'm probably going to die soon.

Mother's voice was filled with disappointnt. "Honey, I don't think showing our son a fish pond will make him feel better. If anything, he'll feel like we're not taking him seriously. They know what's really happening now."

Father's voice grew confident as he explained his real plan. "I've been trying to develop a mana beast."

"A mana beast?" Mother sounded displeased. "I thought we agreed we wouldn't expose them to that."

"Yes, but until now, we weren't being realistic," Father argued. "What if our children couldn't use mana? At least one of them could have a mana beast to turn into a weapon against that entity after them."

"Fine," Mother conceded. "But I was also following the advice Anaya gave . She specifically told to let our children have a taste of a normal childhood, sothing she and her twin never had."

Father agreed but made sure Mother understood that the protection from the koi fish wouldn't last forever. "Once that happens, there's no more normal life for us. That's why I've been trying to create a mana beast."

"But with fish?" she asked, still doubtful.

Father, ever excited to share his knowledge, replied, "Didn't you find it strange that Anaya's spell was derived from a koi fish and that our children also wear a koi pendant?"

Co to think of it, he was right. I'd assud it was just Anaya's skill, not the koi itself, but now I was intrigued. Mother also agreed. "Yes, I'd never heard of anyone forming spells with references to animals, unless they were ancient mana beasts."

"Exactly, honey! But I asked Anaya, and she said it was a passed-down spell from her ancestors. Not many know why a koi fish was ntioned, and historical records on mana beasts show nothing koi-related."

"Hmm," Mother said. "So, how far have you gotten?"

"Not very far," he admitted. "The only thing I could prove was that carp and koi have a better healing factor against dragon magic tools, along with a few other animals."

"It's okay," Mother replied. "This has definitely made feel better. At least we have plans to protect our children."

"What about the main plan we discussed? Getting a teacher from Manyblood?" Mother asked hopefully. "We've saved a very large amount of gold coins to get Astraya the best aeromancer in Manyblood. We planned on getting two teachers for both our kids."

"Yeah, what would we do with the money for Astraga? Get him a mana tool like a sword? And then he learns how to at least defend himself?"

PART 3

"Well," Father said, "I've thought about it carefully. Even that would require him to know how to manipulate his mana to boost his speed and strength. The best thing I could think of was to get him a Condottieri the best Manyblood has to offer."

A Condottieri? I thought. What in the heck is a Condottieri?

Mother's voice was filled with distrust. "I don't know how I feel about this. Aren't they mostly full-demon race? I don't trust those bloodthirsty elves around my son." From the sound of it, they were so kind of bodyguard.

"Don't worry," Father said. "I'll try my best to get a human Condottieri. Besides, the race doesn't matter to as long as they are powerful. That's what our son needs, since Astraya is already bound to beco a great mage as a specialist. Picking a race now isn't what we need, Ashley. This is what I feel is best for our son. Please, don't argue with on this."

Mother was still unhappy with his decision. "I know the strongest Condottieri are often elves. I hope you're right about this."

"Trust on this," he replied. "I've thought about this carefully. I'll leave in a few weeks to prepare everything for our kids."

"Leaving alone with the children?" Mother asked.

"It's necessary. I'll need to go to Manyblood's capital to get the best."

They continued to discuss their plans: Father would leave in a few weeks, and Mother would train Astraya and watch over while he handled things in Manyblood. Then, Father reminded Mother to prepare another batch of purification water for him. She said she had enough stored in the jug to last for years.

Wait, I thought. That ans the jug was actually holding purification water, and she was just releasing it? Interesting. Why does Father need the water, though?

As they were about to head to bed, I also rembered why I had co out in the first place. I had forgotten about my thirst. I headed back to my room, staring at the wood above my head where Astraya was sleeping. I just had to hope I could figure out a way to work around this Quad-Affinity. How could I create a hierarchy within an evenly absorbed core and mana pool?