Soon after the tournament ended, that strange presence disappeared.
Ria and Taz were the winners of the magic and physical leagues.
I wasn't sure if them winning was a good thing or not. Now everyone knew of them and they would be made to serve the kingdom.
I can't be sure about Ria, but Taz and Chase would definitely be made part of the army.
So what the kingdom allocates funding to the orphanage, does that give them the right to force them into whatever roles it needs?
This isn't a problem I can do anything about right now, so I just have to store it away for later.
I jump down to meet Ria on the ground when she comes out, and I can see her light up when she sees me there.
"Dra- Big sister!" She screams.
'You were going to yell something else, weren't you?'
"I know, I know, you were awesome." I praise.
Ria hugs me and wants to follow me everywhere, so I take her back to the inn since I have to get back before Aya realizes I left.
"Did you see my fire?! What's your fire look like? Please show me!" Ria squeals at me.
"Of course I saw it. We aren't in any place for me to be burning down..." I respond adamantly.
'You'll be super disappointed if you see my fire at its current level compared to yourself...'
"I learned so much at the academy, I'll tell you everything!" Ria beams tirelessly.
I sat down and listened for her sake, but it surprised me to hear there were things about magic that I didn't know about...
Like how people could have affinities for different kinds of spells depending on how they viewed the world.
Not even dragons from my genetic memory know that... Maybe it's because dragons are usually so powerful they just brute force every problem, while humans have been exploring the effects of willpower on magic.
I was starting to ignore her to think about it and then I could feel her starting to pet my head.
'Hey! Stop that! This dragon isn't for petting! Especially in human form!'
I push her away and make sure she can't get her little hands back on my head.
She really should be grown enough by now to stop trying that.
"I have another friend I want you to meet!" She says after getting over not being able to pet me anymore.
Aya must be caught up with extra work, so I figured I had enough time to meet this friend she was talking about.
She lead me all the way to her academy, and introduced me to Litz
I immediately recognized him as the one that had to fight smarter to compensate for his lack of Mana.
"This is Litz! He's super smart!" Ria beams.
"Hi, I'm Lava." I reply.
Litz seems really timid, yet somehow is able to keep calm under pressure and think during combat.
If only he was born with a little bit more Mana...
That's when I got a great idea that I had to walk away for a few seconds to enact.
"Alright, Lumen. I have the perfect job for you."
"What is it?" The light spirit responded.
"Follow that boy and lend him your power. I know it's definitely possible with rune magic..." I ordered.
"What? Why would I let a human use my power like that? Especially after everything that church did to me?!" He grumbled in frustration.
"You don't have to make him super strong, even just average for a noble will do. Do you have anything better to do?"
"Well, no... But-"
"Then you owe me for saving you from that place..." I command.
"Fine." Lumen concedes.
The boy is undoubtedly going to be quite surprised the next time he tries to use magic.
"I have to go, Ria. I'll see you later!" I say, remembering I need to get back before Aya does.
I made it just in time to look like I never left.
"I'm back, Lava! I brought you food, too!" Aya announces.
The promise of food lures me out in an instant, I just can't resist the sensitive taste of my new body.
I devour the roast chicken in an instant.
'Ah, it's nice to be a child... I don't even have to worry about money!'
I can't wait to go back home, besides gramps and my sister, there's not really anyone there that can see my exuding Mana.
When I'm in public I constantly have to suppress it so every mage on the street doesn't notice my huge Mana capacity.
After all, it gets tiring at some point, so it's nice when I don't have to do it.
Following the physical tournament, the top finishers began training under the city guard, while the Mage Association took in the fresh and talented mages.
The next day, Aya is leaving early in a hurry.
"Where are you going?" I ask.
"Jora Village was attacked by a very strong magical beast. And I'm the only one the city can send to help with recovery. I can't leave you alone here this time, so you have to come."
I could feel myself getting sick as a chilling realization set in...
'Is this my fault? Did that beast sense my absence and attack?' I froze.
'This has to be my fault... I should have found a way to take care of the beasts long before I ever thought about leaving!'