The gate swung open, and four pairs of eyes locked onto Leon in unison.
"Uh... what exactly is going on here?" His mouth twitched as he pulled off his hood and mask, taking in the scene.
"This invitation is your handiwork, isn't it, Mr. Hart?"
Before Laurier or the others could explain, the woman with blue braids styled much like Jeanne's stepped forward with an easy smile.
She held a black envelope stamped with a Familia Crest between her fingers, and she addressed Leon directly, clearly already aware that the man in charge of this little organization was standing right in front of her.
A Familia Invitation?
A trace of power that matched his own drifted from the envelope. One look and Leon confirmed it was genuine.
His gaze shifted back to the woman. Bright blue hair, a face so striking it bordered on unfair, and an air of quiet refinement that set her apart from any ordinary girl. The full package.
A beautiful girl showing up at his door the moment he got home. Life didn't get much better than this.
"That's right," Leon said, blinking and smiling. "Since you're here, that means you've read the letter and signed the contract. So... you accepted?"
Her smile widened, her voice trailing off in a playful lilt: "Are you saying you don't want me?"
Leon's smile froze. Alarm bells went off in his head. She's gorgeous, sure, but why does she feel like she's got a mischievous streak a mile wide? He recovered fast.
"Of course not! Welcome to Hart Familia."
"Rose. Rose Marbleheart. Nice to meet you, my lord."
"Miss Rose."
Leon corrected himself on the spot.
Their brief exchange wrapped up the matter neatly enough, but the information it revealed was staggering, especially for Laurier and Aura, who were only now getting their first glimpse of how this worked.
The magic circle that had summoned Rose had appeared right in front of them.
Even Laurier, who wasn't well-versed in magic, understood the implications. And Aura, an actual mage, had gone pale with shock.
...
...
The living room. The couch.
Jeanne, Aura, and Laurier sat in a row. Leon and Rose each took one of the armchairs on either side.
Aura sat next to Laurier, listening quietly as Leon and Rose talked. Her eyes kept darting between them, her mind racing.
This Miss Marbleheart was summoned here by some kind of mysterious ritual the captain performed? Good god, magic like that exists? That's insane. Even a high elf, supposedly a god's mortal vessel, probably couldn't pull that off.
The moment she considered what would happen if this secret got out, Aura pressed her lips tight and resolved to bury it forever.
Our captain is getting harder and harder to figure out...
Jeanne caught the shifting expressions on Aura's face and guessed what was churning through her head. She placed her hand over Aura's where it rested on her lap, gave it a gentle squeeze, and leaned close to whisper in her ear.
"Don't overthink it, Aura."
"...T-too close, Jeanne!"
Aura's cheeks flushed bright red in an instant, the tips of her ears trembling.
Laurier giggled at the sight and wrapped her arms around Aura's waist.
Leon: "..."
Do you three just not care about my feelings at all?
He sighed, stood, and waved Rose over.
"Come with me. I'll engrave your Falna first."
"Okie dokie, dear captain."
Rose followed him into the back room with that same easy smile.
The movement drew the attention of all three women. They exchanged a look and silently agreed to stay out of it. A Falna was every person's most closely guarded secret, and without Rose's permission, they wouldn't intrude. Her situation was different from when Aura and Laurier had joined.
...
...
"Take off your top."
Leon laid out his tools, his tone matter-of-fact.
"My! Aren't we moving a bit fast?"
Rose covered her mouth in mock surprise.
"..."
"Lie down."
"Okay then."
"I'm starting, Rose."
"This ritual is so embarrassing. I'm a maiden, you know? Nobody's going to marry me after this. Boo hoo..." Rose lay face down on the bed, dragging out a theatrical whine.
Another drama queen...
Leon kept a straight face and played along, but his hands didn't hesitate for a second.
A drop of blood fell onto the smooth, pale skin of Rose's back, and sacred light flooded the room.
He'd done this enough times that the engraving was second nature by now. The work finished quickly. He copied the Falna data onto parchment as usual, then sealed it.
"Congratulations, it went smoothly. Here's your Falna information, Rose. I think you'll be pleased." He set the parchment on the edge of the bed and turned away like a gentleman, waiting for her to dress.
...
Name: Rose Marbleheart Age: 20 Title: - Race: Human Class: Holy Knight, Adventurer Affiliation: Hart Familia Level: Lv. 1 Floors Reached: -
Basic Abilities: Strength: I0 | Endurance: I0 | Dexterity: I0 | Agility: I0 | Magic: I0
Development Ability: -
Weapons: -
Equipment: Casual: White lady's blouse, brown waist cincher, deep blue high-waisted long skirt, mid-heel ankle boots Combat: -
Magic:Golden Oath: Single-handed fist raised in prayer and oath. Self-cast: Massively boosts all Basic Abilities and greatly increases defensive power. Group-cast: Moderately boosts all Basic Abilities and moderately increases defensive power. Prayer Magic. Chant: "O Gold!" Pure White Kite Shield: White light envelops the body, reducing and absorbing damage while simultaneously healing the caster. Single-release magic: blocks one attack of any magnitude, including attacks that exceed the shield's capacity. Holy Magic. Chant: "Barri!"
Skills:Beloved's Crest: Disrupts detection. A facade of normalcy that deceives divine lie-detection and investigation. Increases potential and vessel capacity. Accelerates growth to extraordinary speeds. Saint in White: Boosts all defense-related abilities. The lower the user's stamina or vitality, the greater the defensive boost. Continuous regeneration of stamina and Mind. Improved stamina efficiency. Steel Knight: Boosts Strength and Endurance. During melee combat, Development Ability rank increases. When counterattacking, attack power and speed increase. Pure White Maiden: Boosts Agility and Dexterity. Increases resistance to negative status effects. Enhances magic effectiveness. Sheltering Hand: Massively boosts all Basic Abilities. Grants minor damage reduction to all allies and Familia members.
...
...
Leon listened to the rustle of fabric behind him, eyes closed, barely containing himself.
Another SSR pull.
Between the synergy of Beloved's Crest and Beloved's Blessing, plus a little nudge from his cheat, he'd expected a strong result. But seeing those stats laid out for real still sent a rush through him.
"Leon, I'm dressed now."
Rose's voice came from behind him, and the way she used his first name had changed, just slightly.
Leon was too elated to catch the subtle shift in what that familiarity meant. He turned around and found himself face to face with a pair of smiling eyes barely centimeters from his own.
Their noses almost touched.
Rose tilted her chin up, the line of her neck long and pale, hands clasped behind her back, every ounce of her charm on full, unapologetic display.
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