It was half an hour of my pointed ears cowering and my father's cheeks slowly becoming ever more flushed in embarrassment before great uncle Arco stopped and coughed expressionlessly.
"Alright, now is not the time for lectures. Behave yourselves," great uncle Arco walked over to sit on the fourth biggest chair as he spoke, "now is the celebrated 16th birthday of our young master! We should finish breakfast and head for the main event soon."
"Wait, there's another main event?"
The disciples and elders trying half-to-death to hold back any smiles or laughter while the great elder preached could no longer hold back at the confused look on my face. Even Caleb, who had returned to his waist sometime in the middle of the prea—lecture is now vibrating and fluttering in a soundless presumed-laughter. Great uncle who nearly sat on his chair froze and looked back at me. Father also snapped his head to me before growling deep yet softly at the others in the dining hall. Everyone immediately shuts up.
It was yet another moment of silence in the dining hall.
This time, no one in the room broke the silence. It was the abrupt entrance of a certain fis—Siren with a nearly-mentally-impaired hybrid that broke it.
"Now, who's up for breakfast?~" the lovely singsong voice of my mom rang in the twice-silent room as she slithered out from the kitchen.
There were unknown purple smoke leaving the kitchen before it was flown back with a flap of her highness majesty Lady Siren of Selvano's tail. The hybrid with half-lidded eyes did not stop mumbling incoherent things while servants from the sides began taking out prepared food for breakfast. It was conspicuously taken from a place other than the kitchen and distributed to the forty-something disciples and few elders, including great uncle Arco. My mom smoothly placed a cake on an intricately made cake stand on the table-end where my parents and myself will sit around.
Father who has regained his fac—honor went to the Head of the Family chair in a swift stride. As a result... his face was met head on with a coil of snake-like tail before they rested down and the upper body of my mom sat on that large chair.
"How nice of you all to prepare a large enough chair for me to sit on! It's truly difficult to sit like you humanoid creatures with such restrictive chairs~" my mom cooed and leisurely pecked my father's cheek before winking at him, "I see that preparations over there still needs some tending to, I wish you luck my handsome husband~"
The third largest chair was thrown away easily by my mom to god-knows-where before the tail fins urged me towards the second largest chair. I stifled a laugh and smugly looked at father. He simply stared with a dull look at the food before sighing and waving his hands as if that would wave all the headaches off.
"If that's the case, I should head out first," father lovingly stroked my mom's tail that he could reach with that eternally stern expression while mumbling, "just because shadow walkers as timekeepers does not need food does not mean I dislike eating."
Although my father is a doting husband and affectionate (in his weird way) father, his slightly dejected face nearly made my mom coo in pity as father left the hall and I poked her tail first. It was enough embarrassment for the Head of the Selvano family in one morning anyways. She restrained herself but kept her usual lovingly carefree yet flirty looks as my father sank to the shadows. I cleared my throat after all the morning rowdiness calmed down. It was time to take the place of the young master for once.
"Thank you, everyone, for taking your time going up to the main house of the Selvano family. It has been a long time since we've opened our doors for anyone so I hope all inner disciples and elders here today can enjoy the breakfast we've prepared. As for the main event that great uncle has mentioned..." I trailed off, raising an eyebrow in the elder's direction as a cue.
The old man smiled genially and spoke while he sat on his chair, "it is your coming-of-age ritual. Although you have not awakened your magical potential and bloodline's innate potential, you must go through the ritual."
I nodded, "if it's the ritual then I know about it. Wasn't it going to be conducted in the main house?"
This time, my mom interjected, "of course not! We've invited each Houses' representatives, as well as some other special guests and our one and only, the people of Central Town~!"
I was stunned. The scale of that is unquestionably large, going as far as announcing to everyone in Central Town of the Central Lathen Plains as well as the Houses' from the other regions of Lathen that I was now sixteen. I looked worriedly at my mom instead, "is that really okay, mom? The whole Magic World will hear that your only son haven't waken up his innate talents, you know?"
My mom dismissed the gesture and picked up her knife and fork, "we are of the Selvano House. What could go wrong?"
I held back the words on the tip of my finger that anything could go wrong before sighing and waving my hands at the people sitting around the long dining table.
"Then, let us enjoy this feast."
* * *
The area around the main house of the House of Selvano remained busy. There were disciples everywhere and servants bringing tables, chairs and occasional food. Some of the grumbling that the disciples share in their brief "break" while walking was how they weren't early enough to be considered part of the young master's birthday breakfast feast. The servants were diligent as usual though.
"Ah! I'm sorry, could you pick up that box?"
A certain mute elf heard the female voice behind him and looked back. There was a fairy struggling to bring a tall stack of boxes and one of them had fallen on the floor. The elf picked it up and placed it on top of the stack. He considered how he should try to ask this fairy if she needed help since he could only ask with sign language. Unfortunately, the stack of boxes covered most of the fairy's line of sight.
"Thank you! You're a lifesaver. I wish Oliver was even a teaspoon bit like you! Anyways, I need to bring these to the portal heading for the ritual's site. Mind telling me where that is?" the fairy smiled and peeked at the elf who began waving his hands and signalling that he couldn't speak.
He remembered the young hybrid who couldn't understand his sign language and tried to signal with a more generic gesture for the fairy to understand. Instead, he heard the giggle of the fairy.
"It's alright, I understand sign language. One of the bests in the fairy cave, actually!" the fairy bragged with a smile to encourage the mute elf, "if you have nothing important to tend to, come accompany me!"
The mute elf sighed in relief and signed to the fairy, "I can take you there, do you need help with those boxes?"
"You're really too nice. You can grab half of the stack!" the fairy moved her head back behind the stack to try and fly closer to the elf, "my name's Shelia by the way. You are?"
"I am called Renne, a servant of the main house," Renne came closer to take half of the boxes from Shelia and they came face to face, "my voice was stolen by a curse so even Lady Selvano could not restore it, but I am used to it."
Renne used one hand to reply to Shelia and used the other to prop the boxes on his hips. An extra appendage slithers out from a slit on the back of his waist that keeps the boxes from falling off. While doing so, both of the servants headed to the south side of the large courtyard. Shelia looked at the translucent and smooth tentacle-like appendage for a bit before beaming another smile at the elf.
"A wraith elf? How rare," Shelia began her mindless chatter as she flew a little bit behind Renne to let the other lead the way, "I heard there are lots of elves and fairies under the House of Selvano but even the Elves' Moon Sanctuary outside of Lathen rarely has wraith elves."
"Yes, I was saved by Lady Selvano back when I was almost finished off by the one who took my voice," Renne chuckled although only puffs of air left his lips, "any servants of the main house knows. They are all kind people and I am glad to help."
Renne learned sign language when he first arrived here as a servant of the House of Selvano. Since he became mute, he had no choice but to do so. The other servants were very kind, they also practiced sign language with him and allowed him to take many breaks to write down his words back when he was still learning. He was now fluent so he did not need to write things down and so are most of the servants in the main house.
Since they were originally near the "castle" entrance, they walked on the corridor lining the outer wall, passing through the fountain and the beautiful garden that never ceases to bloom all year round. They passed the stables as well as a vast clearing which is currently doubled as a hub between the disciples going in and out of the portal and a literal hill of things to transport. Renne nodded at a few other servants and signed to Shelia, "if there were no further instructions, you should just hand the boxes over to the elders there. They should know what to do. Otherwise, tell me who you need to find."
Shelia giggled in her usual ever-cheerful way before nodding, "alright. Thanks for all your help, Renne! If you ever come to the fairy cave near Lower Helvana Peak, I'll give you a tour!"
Shelia flew to the elders Renne had pointed and dropped the boxes there, chattering about other things to other servants. Renne also dropped the boxes near the elder and nodded at the elder respectfully. The elder nodded back and turned around to manage other things.
Renne walked back towards the corridor's shadows to bask in the comfortable energy. He was a wraith elf and thus have lesser affinity for bright and warm places. It wasn't that he couldn't but he preferred the shadows whenever he could choose. A few moments later, a ripple of shadow magic alerted Renne. He stood still as a figure materialised from the darkest shadows.
"You said you are Renne?" a deep voice whispered directly beside Renne's ear with an undertone of amusement, "how cute."