Mirai felt the chill in the teacup Tiffany had handed him and felt a pang of sadness. Though he had only known her for one afternoon, he had discovered that Tiffany was actually a good child.
Her unusual physique prevented her from enjoying her childhood freely like other children. Instead, she could only grow up in an isolated environment.
If Tiffany grew too close to her ordinary friends, he could imagine what her childhood would be like.
"She'd be called a monster..."
Mirai unconsciously touched his left eye with his left hand. When he had been a child, words like "monster" and "one-eyed thief" had often been used by children his age.
Yet the loneliness and isolation of his childhood were still unforgettable to Mirai.
I'll warm up Tiffany's milk tea!
Mirai held the cup in his left hand. Before casting fire magic with his right, he reached out and patted Tiffany's pigtails. Under Tiffany's expectant gaze, Mirai concentrated again, preparing to release the flames.
Although the process of condensing the flames from nothing took only an instant, Mirai still felt a wave of dizziness in that instant, and the soul power within him was nearly at its limit.
For soldiers, depleted soul power meant physical weakness. For mages, it meant sudden dizziness and a drowsy feeling in the mind.
His strong will supported him as he kept telling himself that this would be the last time.
Whoosh—
Tiffany also sensed the flames igniting in Mirai's hand. Even though she could release exceptionally pure flames herself, she still needed a brief casting time, while Brother Mirai needed only a moment.
A gentle, youthful flame hovered above Mirai's right palm, yet it was enough to warm the milk tea.
As the flame dwindled and finally vanished from Toon's palm, Toon reached