Show Me Your Stats!

When they arrived, the owner had just taken the steamed buns out of the steamer. The two of them stood there for a moment, swallowing their saliva as they watched the steaming, plump buns being placed on a plate, emitting a warm cloud of steam.
A few minutes later, each of them had a hot meat bun in their hands.

"Ah, it's hot..."
It was so hot that not only could they not eat it immediately, but it was also difficult to even hold it in their hands. Ayra fumbled as Janus snatched the bun from her hand. Then, without seeming to mind the heat, he held it in his own hands and brought it up to her mouth, making it easier for her to eat. Ayra, her eyes wide in surprise, inadvertently blew on the bun and took a bite. It was hot but delicious... and unexpected.
'What is this?'

Janus, having let the bun cool enough so Ayra could hold it herself, continued to feed her by taking one bite after another. Afterward, he even flicked the crumbs of bread and meat off her clothes. He seemed to notice her mood and went to buy something tasty for her to eat, attending to her, checking on her, and generally being quite attentive—more so than a typical lover.
"Do you always treat your lover like this?"
"Yeah, if I don't, it gets annoying."

"Annoying?"
That was an unexpected answer. Was it not more annoying to care for someone this much?
"There were a few people who cried and threw a tantrum, complaining that I was cold and had no affection. But since they're my lover, it’s difficult to just kill them, so... yeah."

Janus laughed as he answered, and from his words, Ayra realized that 1. To Janus, romance was merely an amusement, 2. The idea of killing was probably something he meant seriously, and 3. On the other hand, he seemed to be fairly lenient toward those he allowed into his circle.
'If he genuinely meant he wanted to kill them, he's a psycho. If it's a joke, then his personality is...'
Ayra briefly paused in thought, both options seeming plausible, before she asked casually.

"Do you dislike magic?"
"I don't really hate it."
"Then why did you act like that the day of the earthquake?"

The three consecutive bad endings that day were so impressive that she had to ask about it. After all, he was a mage. Janus, who had been pondering whether to buy another steamed bun, shook his head at her question.
"I actually like magic and mages. That day, I thought you were casting magic to fight me. I don’t avoid fights that are coming."
He observed Ayra’s expression and, with a charming smile, raised the corner of his lips.

"Why, were you upset?"
Ayra thought she had gotten closer to him, so it was true that she felt a little disappointed. However, because of her pride, she didn’t want to say it out loud. But she also wanted to test how far Janus would go in tolerating her, so she deliberately made her voice a bit blunt.
"...A little."
Then, with a strange sound, Janus laughed and pulled Ayra into an embrace, teasing her, "Cute."

Ayra wondered if to Janus, a lover was like a pet. Taking a step further, Ayra asked:
"So, does that mean I can use magic?"
"Sure. You used some just now, right?"

He smiled, as if to say, "I let you use magic earlier." It was incredibly perceptive of him. This time, Ayra even opened her stat window in a different spot than usual, not by her head, but... Was Janus actually aware of her activation of her Blooming Magic? She wondered, and boldly asked.
"Can I try casting another spell?"
"Is it because I have a mage for a lover? This is a first for me. Sure, go ahead."

Ayra was simply testing him to see his reaction, but Janus generously gave permission. This was truly generous. Even mages of the same magic discipline rarely agreed to become each other's test subjects.
Curious about how far Janus would let her go, Ayra cast a spell. Drawing cold water from the air, she sprayed it like a mist onto her forearm. Janus, who had been watching with interest, suddenly became indifferent and muttered without enthusiasm, "Wow, that’s cool."
Well, it was more like a child’s trick. Ayra slightly increased the difficulty. Dirt suddenly erupted from beneath Janus’s feet. Normally, one would stumble, but Janus didn’t even stagger and took a small step back. The slippery ice he made with his second step didn’t cause him to lose his balance either. He then smiled with amusement.

"Is this what you're aiming for?"
Mages often show a natural aptitude for magic from a young age, especially in non-physical magic, and Ayra was no different. She was stronger in the metaphysical magic than physical. When she cast her third spell, Janus immediately reacted.
"Hmm?"

His gaze followed something in the air, and then, with a snap of his fingers, he immediately understood the magic.
"It’s an illusion."
He quickly grabbed Ayra's hand tightly, dispelling the illusion magic. He had recognized the illusion of a ferocious hound charging at him in an instant and knew exactly how to counter it. His skills were far beyond what would be expected from someone just playing around with magic.

"Well, this too?"
The next moment, Ayra’s hand was freed from Janus’s grasp, only to have his other hand grasp it tightly. As Ayra swiftly pulled her hand out, she noticed his eyebrow twitching. Looking at his hands, he slowly clenched his right fist, then his left, opening and closing them slowly, before smiling wryly.
"Ah, this is definitely interesting. The sensations in both hands swapped. It’d be a problem if this happened in the middle of a fight."

"Right?"
Ayra, feeling triumphant at first, stopped abruptly, realizing her mistake. "Ah, I thought I had a secret move I was hiding... Was I really that easy?" She blamed herself and began to undo the magic that had already started to change Janus’s senses.
"I thought if I did it longer, you'd get fully used to it."

Janus, who seemed disappointed, asked to continue, but Ayra, pretending to be out of mana, felt cold sweat running down her back. "I think if we keep going, you’ll get completely used to it... But surely, that’s just a joke?"
❄
While completing her quest requirements, Ayra and Janus had been talking when suddenly, an alert appeared.

Knight Commander Bloom wishes to report regarding the merchant.
"Feels like I’m really playing an estate management game."

On the way back, Ayra briefly checked her quest status and saw that the task from the stone had almost been completed. She deliberately left the quest unfinished.
Upon arriving at the castle, she saw Bloom talking with Jinas while adjusting his helmet. As Ayra approached briskly, they both nodded lightly and greeted her, saying, "My lord." As expected, Bloom’s expression didn’t look too good.
"What’s going on?"

"Lady Ayra, a soldier who went to gather information on the merchant reported seeing a horde of beasts moving toward the estate from the Dalum Gorge entrance."
No wonder the soldier, who had been dispatched to a village about two to three days away, returned quickly—it was worse news than Ayra expected.
"I’m sorry, we couldn’t gather news about the merchant."

"It’s okay. The soldier must have thought the beast horde was a bigger threat than finding news about the merchant. How bad is the situation?"
Beasts attacking human settlements was a common occurrence in every territory, and it was one of the main reasons mages were dispatched to the outside. While dragons had areas where even beasts wouldn’t dare approach, most territories experienced these yearly invasions, and some territories collapsed because they couldn’t handle them.
"It’s not unusual for beasts to raid before autumn. According to the soldier, a group of around thirty Lamam beasts should be arriving in a day or two. If we finish the palisade, we should be able to deal with them."

While Bloom spoke, Jinas remained silent, looking drained. It seemed he had given up. It made sense because, even if they stopped the beasts, the merchant wouldn’t return, and Solar Estate would be finished. Ayra thought for a moment.
'Lamam beasts are definitely not hard to kill. They’re closer to wild animals than actual beasts. Based on what Bloom said, the soldiers should be familiar with fighting Lamam...'
There weren’t many choices, so Ayra quickly made a decision.

"Alright, Bloom, you’ll oversee the palisade construction and prepare for the battle with the Lamam. If you run short of wood, cut trees from the mountain behind the estate. Jinas, while I’m gone, you’ll take over my duties here."
"Are you seriously leaving the estate in this situation?"
Jinas’s face grew darker, as if he misunderstood Ayra’s statement as giving up on the estate entirely. However, Ayra had no intention of abandoning the estate without trying.

"No, I’m going to handle the merchant situation myself. Because if we fight the Lamam and don’t have 300 Cell, this estate will fall."
"Wait, you’re going there yourself? It’s too dangerous!"
Jinas looked shocked and tried to stop her. For a moment, Ayra saw the vacant look in his eyes, as if recalling the tragic fate of the previous lord, who might have been assassinated or succumbed to the 300 Cell debt. Even Bloom, who didn’t know the details, tried to stop her.

"Jinas is right, my lord. The gorge is dangerous. At least ten soldiers would be needed to ensure your safety. If it’s that urgent, I’ll go myself."
"Don’t be ridiculous. We’re about to fight a beast horde. The knight commander can’t leave. What about the palisade construction?"
"I’ll send knights and soldiers."

"That’s fine, but I can’t let them accompany me."
Ayra’s ability to leave was only possible because of Jinas and Bloom. On the other hand, it also meant this estate had barely enough reliable subordinates to count on two hands, which spoke volumes about the lack of talent. There was a serious shortage!