A Blank Arcane Card signifies a complete absence of both Talent and Aptitude.
In simpler terms, those who were bestowed with Blank cards were regarded as failures, or even abandoned by the Arcane Herself.
That’s the harsh reality this society believes.
“I see… so there’s no point in obtaining these Crystals?” Aether inquired, his voice tinged with curiosity and resignation.
“Yes,” Taylor confirmed with a nod, delicately picking up one crystal and summoning her Arcane Card. It shimmered into existence, revealing a stunning Gold Arcane Card.
“Wow, gold!” Aether exclaimed, his eyes widening in disbelief. He had heard that gold aptitude, rare and almost epic card-like in games. The idea that a mere maid could possess such a card seemed beyond comprehension.
Taylor smiled awkwardly, then her face turned serious, “Don’t be too surprised. Look, I have only four stars, which means my maximum level caps at 60. Someone with silver aptitude and a level of 90 could easily beat a shit out of me!”
“I see…” Aether nodded, already familiar with these details. His eyes then drifted to the corner of her card, noticing three stars glowing brightly while one remained empty, a hollow star, “So your current level is around 30 to 45, right?”
“Yes. The number of empty stars present on the card determines your maximum level, while the number of stars shining indicates your current level, though it’s more of an approximation. My current level is 40,” she elaborated, placing the golden crystal atop her card.
“ssshhhhiinnggggg!”
The golden crystal crumbled into shimmering particles before being absorbed into the card.
“Oh!” Aether’s eyes widened in awe as he watched the magical display. The way the particles dissolved into the card was truly mesmerizing—
“Wait! Did you just use my golden crystal to level up?!” Aether’s voice was a mix of disbelief and shock as he realized he had lost his hard-earned crystal so easily.
“Tsk, don’t be silly. It’s just a Golden 1-Star Crystal; it’s not even enough to significantly increase my attributes, let alone level up,” Taylor replied, her tone slightly annoyed, though inwardly, her lips trembled with suppressed laughter.
Seeing Aether’s judgmental and deadpan look, Taylor couldn’t hold back any longer. She burst into laughter, “Pffftt… Hahahahaha…”
“Haha… What’s so funny about that?” Aether was annoyed, feeling thoroughly duped by this cunning girl.
“C’mon, Aether, it’s not like you could use it anyway, right?” Taylor asked, her laughter subsiding but her eyes still sparkling with amusement.
“Oh? Even so, I could have sold it and made some money, right?” Aether said, his face serious as he thought, ‘Also, my Modified Arcane Card might make a difference!’
“Well…” Taylor hesitated not wanting to answer, but when Aether extended his hand and asked, “Money?”
“Tsk, don’t be stingy, Aether! It’s just one crystal, you know,” Taylor said with an amused smile, trying to sneakily grab the remaining golden crystals.
She really wanted to annoy him for touching her chest earlier!!
Aether’s eyes widened as he saw her trying to take the crystal, ‘That sneaky thief!’ he thought before exclaiming,
“You sneaky little…!” Aether grabbed her hand. Startled by the sudden touch, Taylor jerked her hand, causing Aether to fall on top of her,
‘Thud’
‘Thud’
“….”
“….”
Their faces were mere inches apart, and they stared into each other’s eyes, their breaths mingling in the heated air. Taylor’s cheeks flushed a deep crimson as she felt his warm breath against her skin, her glasses were disoriented.
‘H-he’s… quite handsome…’ she thought, her heart racing. She swallowed hard, feeling a strange heat spreading through her body. Then, her eyes widened in surprise, ‘Arrgh! What am I even thinking?’
… ‘Gulp’
Just as she was about to push him off, Aether gently removed her disoriented glasses and stared deeply into her eyes.
Taylor suddenly felt all the strength drain from her body, her shyness overwhelming her, making it difficult to even meet his gaze.
… ‘Gulp’
Aether couldn’t help but be captivated by glimmering purple eyes, “Your eyes… they’re truly gorgeous,” he whispered, his voice low and husky.
“!!!”
‘Ba-Dump’
Taylor’s heart skipped a beat. She immediately pushed him to the side, her voice trembling with a mix of embarrassment and indignation, “W-what are you doing, y-you womanizer?!”
Aether just smiled, seeing her blushing face. She almost looked similar to the Empress, in her flustered state.
Seeing his smile, Taylor’s face turned even redder, ‘This womanizer!’ she thought, gritting her teeth in frustration.
… ‘Gulp’
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Both of them frowned, hearing that gulping sound once again. They turned their heads toward the source…. only to see Snowflake happily gulping down the Golden 1-Star Crystal.
Aether’s face turned horrified, “M-my money…”
However,
“Stop her, otherwise, she’ll die from eating too much!” Taylor shouted, her voice filled with urgency.
But before either of them could move, Snowflake swallowed,
… ‘Gulp’
And suddenly,
“HHHHIIISSSSSSS!!!!!!!”
She screamed, her body writhing in pain. The sight was agonizing to watch, her form contorting in distress.
“W-what should we do?!” Aether shouted, his heart breaking at the sight of her agony. He felt utterly helpless.
Taylor shook her head, saying, “I think… it’s already too lat—” Before she could finish,
“Crack”
Snowflake’s skin cracked as if she were about to burst. The next second, her body suddenly went still.
“S-Snow…”
With trembling hands, Aether slowly walked towards her. When he held her motionless body, his eyes became vacant, devoid of hope.
Ignoring Aether, Taylor examined Snowflake’s body carefully before sighing in relief, “She just went into hibernation due to the overload… don’t worry, she’ll wake up in a day or two.”
“She might evolve during this time!” Taylor said with reassurance.
Hearing that, Aether’s eyes regained their light. He gently placed his ear on her body and heard a faint sound,
‘lub..dub…’
His body relaxed as he looked at Taylor and, overcome with emotion, suddenly hugged her. Though Taylor was taken aback, feeling his trembling body, she sighed and hugged him back.
Her eyes suddenly turned cold and calculating as she muttered inwardly, ‘He is weak!’
She already got the info on what happened while she was busy treating Timmy. From what she heard (eavesdropped) from Lia and Selene, it seemed they almost died if not for Aether’s clumsiness.
Then, with a glance at Aether, who was now separated from her, his expression softened as he said, “Thank you.”
She watched as he gently placed Snowflake on the empty boxes with utmost care, his movements tender and deliberate. Aether even went a step further, placing his new clothes inside the box, ensuring Snow could stay warm throughout the night.
With a weary sigh, he finally decided to retire early, the exhaustion of the day weighing heavily on him.
However,
‘BANG!’
‘BANG!’