After Victoria left the room.
I felt something reconnect.
Not physically. Not magically.
More like a pressure returning to a place that had gone numb.
Maybe that was my Spirit Instinct (S) kicking back in.
Then came Nova's voice.
[Now I am curious.]
I stared at the ceiling. "…Curious? About what?"
[About your mother.] Nova replied calmly. [Specifically, her ability to attach an assassin operating at a level comparable to your family's elders to her own son. She must be… quite remarkable.]
My eye twitched.
Of course that was what caught its attention.
Thinking about my mother of this world was already a minefield.
Thinking about her through Nova's lens felt like inviting an audit of my childhood trauma.
Still, I answered without losing my cool. Mostly.
"Well, as far as I know," I said, "she's a very good healer. But also a crazy alchemist, someone who used her own son as a test subject for medicinal bath experiments."
[That is interesting,] Nova said, clearly amused.
"That's not interesting," I snapped. "That's child abuse."
There was a pause.
Then Nova replied, unhelpfully precise.
[And that abuse is the primary reason you possess a stat growth rate approximately 10-20% higher than your peers.]
I closed my mouth.
After a little while.
Slowly.
"…I hate it when you say things like that."
[Accuracy is not obligated to be comforting.]
Fair.
I sighed and decided to change the topic before Nova started calculating my trauma-to-performance ratio.
"Hey," I said. "I get why Lenna is… overpowered now. Dual bloodlines, and some dragon nonsense."
Nova did not object to the phrasing.
"But I still don't understand something," I continued. "Why is Arial so scared of her?"
There was no immediate response.
That alone told me the answer mattered.
[Because she is a mermaid,] Nova said at last.
I blinked.
"…That's it?"
[That is the beginning,] Nova corrected. [Not the end.]
I propped myself up on my elbows. "Explain."
Nova complied.
[Based on the structure, pressure, and elemental behavior of Lenna Ironcreed's aura, her dragon bloodline is most closely aligns with an Ice Dragon,] Nova continued. [A high-tier draconic lineage specializing in wind and water.]
My brow furrowed. "Okay… and?"
[Ice Dragons are natural predators of mermaids.]
I stared.
"…That doesn't make sense."
[It does.]
"No, it really doesn't," I insisted. "Dragons are massive apex predators. Mermaids are… not. Wouldn't they prefer something larger? More filling?"
Nova sounded almost offended by the simplicity of my thinking.
[You are applying animalistic logic to draconic biology.]
"…That's fair," I admitted. "But still."
Nova explained patiently, which was rare enough that I shut up and listened.
[Most dragons do not rely on physical consumption for survival. They can subsist almost indefinitely on ambient spirit energy present in their environment.]
That surprised me.
[They eat for three reasons,] Nova continued.
[Pleasure. Re-energization. And affinity reinforcement.]
I frowned. "So… taste, recovery, and improvement?"
[Correct.]
Nova went on.
[The appetite of a dragon depends far more on type than on prey size. Ice Dragons, for example, resonate with wind and water that's why they prefer prey rich in those affinities.]
My stomach sank as the pieces clicked together.
"And mermaids are…?"
[Extremely rich in water and wind affinities. They are efficient, refined, and resonant sources of both.]
Nova paused.
[Which makes them ideal prey.]
I swallowed.
"…That explains a lot."
It explained the way Arial stiffened around Lenna.
The way her gaze dropped instinctively.
The way her aura curled inward like it was trying not to exist.
It wasn't fear born of intimidation.
It was instinct.
Predator and prey, written directly into their every single drop of her blood.
"…That's messed up," I muttered.
[Biology often is,] Nova replied neutrally.
The thought lingered.
Which reminded me of something else.
Something I'd conveniently forgotten.
"Wait," I said slowly. "I don't need to appraise Arial."
Nova did not respond.
Which meant it had already noticed.
"She's my slave," I said quietly. "I can directly access her status through the System interface."
"…System," I promptly said in my mind.
The familiar blue screen answered instantly.
---
NAME: Arial Seabreath
RACE: Mermaid
LEVEL – 73
CLASS: Aqua Priest, AAA
SYSTEM STATUS(1):
1. Slave, SSS (Master: Augustus Ironcreed)
STATS:
Authority – 8
STR – 102
AGI – 146
INT – 183
Charm – 40
Luck – 39
World Credit – 68 {Claimable By Master}
CLASS SKILLS:
Aqua Blessing, S
Healing Bubble, A
Waterball, A
Aqua Guard, B
Holy Magic, C
SYSTEM SKILLS:
Life Sense, SS
Summon Familiar, A (0/1)
Perfect Memory, A
Wind Walk, A
ACQUIRED SKILLS:
Water Magic, A
Wind Resistance, A
Cold Resistance, A
Poison Resistance, A
Trident Mastery, B
Fire Resistance, C
Life Magic, D
Wind Magic, D
Shock Resistance, D
BLOODLINE: –
Mermaid (100%)
Innate Skills:
Deep Dive (S)
Hydrated & Dehydrated Form (S)
Siren's Call (A)
Healing Tear (A)
Charm (A)
ELEMENTAL AFFINITY – Life, Light, Water, Wind
EQUIPMENT(0/5): //
---
I stared at the screen.
Level 73.
Only a 6-level improvement?