We're in Belna's living room now. My eyes are puffy, my emotions spent, and now it's time to be awkward around the table. Belna had called us in after the hug. So now I'm at the table sitting across from Cecelia while Belna fusses around her stove. There is not much to the room, tables, chairs, the stove, storage chests, a stone bed, a pile of straw next to it. The stone bed is in front of the window, apparently enchanted to retain heat. It's a solar powered heated bed, and next to it is my bed, the straw. Cecelia looking at the pile.

  “Is that where you've been sleeping?”

  “I consider it an improvement over a tree.”

  “I can have a …” She notices my stare, it still hurts to look at her, like physically hurts, too much mana. “At least let me bring you a brush.”

  I can accept that, my hair practically matted from my previous week, it's either a seriously painful brushing or shaving my head at this point. I nod, murmur a thanks as I try to not look at her.

  “Why do you keep averting your eyes?”. She sounds hurt.

  I turn towards her waving my hands in an attempt to banish the misunderstanding. “Its not what you think, you're just too shiny.”

  “Shiny?”

  Well now she is confused. Belna arrives with a pot before I can explain.

  “The hatchling has a hole in her eye that's gotten bigger since she spoke with you.”

  “Wait, really its—”

  My jaw is in Cecelia's hand, her face is really too close, she is looking at my left eye, then focuses on my right. I don't have the thought to close my eyes, her grip is too strong for me to turn my face. She lets go.

  “Explain”

  I rub my jaw, “I gained the skill [Arcane Mana Sight], ever since I've been told there is a dot on my eye. I didn't know it got bigger.”

  Is it going to be an entire eye at some point?

  “Do you know what it does?”

  Sure in [English], “as best as I can translate it, the skill allows me to see untyped mana. For example your chest is like super shiny”

  Cecelia looks down for a moment, “Ah, you most likely are seeing the null top I'm wearing under my breastplate, and the word for untyped is arcane.”

  I have no idea what that means, she notices and is about to speak, when Belna beats her to it.

  “You big nose mammals all have disproportionate chests as females, the null top warps the space so she can wear my armor.”

  Huh, so the breastplate was made by Belna. Wait, Cecelia got a bag of holding as a bra … to hold her bags.

  “But why not just shape her armor to her chest?”

  Cecelia is looking uncomfortable with the conversation.

  “Oh that's all fine and good if you're using it for ceremonial wear, but armor shouldn't be made to direct blades to the heart. And before you ask why not a single shelf instead, your just providing a pocket that will collapse into the wearer's breast”

  I thought crumple zones saved lives. So I guess there's pocket spaces. Could I get a bag of holding? They can't be that common, otherwise Belna wouldn't need to carry eight buckets on a rod.

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  My thoughts are interrupted when Belna places a bowl of stew in front of me. It's my focus now, even better is when bread shows up from somewhere. Dip bread, chow down, slurp soup, repeat till none. Ah, I'm already out of soup. Cecelia has a bemused look on her face, Belna ignoring me, as I nibble at what is left of my bread.

  “So could I get a bag that warps space?”

  “Not sure why you would want to spend the mana on such a thing? Why not just bring a bigger bag?”

  “Well if you had a bag that was the size of a cart, that would be convenient right? No one is going to want to drag around the cart.” I mean seriously.

  “Oh, my apprentice who can't carry more than one bucket plans on wielding a cart of goods in her pocket?”

  “What, no . . . Wait, do these warped spaces not change the weight inside them?”

  “So now your cart sized bag also has weight reduction enchantments. You'd be drained within the hour carrying such a thing. I thought Cecelia was crazy to wear a null top at her size but you're just being foolish, apprentice.”

  “Ahhhhh, even with a [Arcane Mana Core]?” The conversation stops, there both staring at me.

  “Sara, how do you know about mana cores?”

  I'm doing my best to make myself smaller in my chair. I murmur that I gained the skill.

  “Speak up, apprentice.”

  “I gained the skill at the same time as sight.” I say in a whisper that is only slightly more audible then my murmur.

  Cecelia pinching the bridge of her nose again, Belna giving me a look.

  “Sara, mana cores are required to evolve to tier two. All tier two monsters have mana cores.”

  Does that make me a monster? I do have a hole in my eye. I don't see anyone else walking around with white dots. Will there be torches and pitchforks in my future? A bounty at the adventurer guild, only right ears accepted? Belna and Cecelia are talking but my brain has been tuning them out. I need a plan for an escape, maybe cut off an ear. A lifetime of eating mandrake sounds depressing but I'll still be alive. Wait, what did Belna just say?

  “What do you mean Cecelia is going to have to adopt me afterall?”

  Cecelia answers, “Your soul level was concerning, without a way to protect yourself, tying you to my house would have provided you at least political power to ward you. Now that you will be entering the realm of nobility, it's paramount that you secure backing. Thinking about it, this might be why Bart wanted you.”

  “I'm still confused, I thought I was becoming a monster.”

  Belna quips, “Isn't that what nobility are?”

  That drew an annoyed look from Cecelia, “Tier two humans are considered to be of the same social standing as low rank nobility, you're not becoming a monster.”

  “So why would my becoming tier two make mister Lancas want me?”

  “If he married you, it would strengthen his position in his house and allow him to make a claim for the head of his household.”

  Ew gross, that is like, way worse than anything I could imagine.

  “Why can't he just make his own mana core and leave me out of it.”

  “Well one, he doesn't even have the minimum stats required, two, waiting for his soul to level is just time his brother could inherit the title, and three having a tier two wife while being tier two would only bolster his claim.”

  Still gross.

  “Wouldn't adopting me just make it more likely that I'm noticed? Couldn't I just, like, be a blacksmith and live a life that isn't full of backstabbing.”

  Cecelia looks at me with sadness, “Unfortantly, you've already established a mana core, it will grow until it is complete, and when it does your very soul will push you towards tier two. After that, even your ring won't hide what you are.”

  “Alright, so I'm damned to be tier two, I don't understand why I need to be adopted.”

  “As a commoner approaching tier two, your potential social standing of a low rank noble alone would make you desirable. Should your mind be dominated there would be no one to oppose the family that kidnapped you. Simply put, there are more powerful Barts in the world.”

  “But I only just got [Fire Tending], I was going to be a blacksmith, I still owe Belna for her knife.”

  “Sara, I'm a guard captain, I'm not offering you a gilded cage. You will be joining the Maxwells, a noble family who bought its title only two generations ago. You'll still be expected to find a trade, and as we are a merchant house, being a blacksmith is just fine.”

  “So I can keep training here? I mean if Belna still wants me.”

  “Hatchling, if you become a princess I don't have to spend so much money keeping you fed, it only becomes a better deal for me. ” Cecelia is giving Belna a rather baleful look at the princess comment.

  This is all happening too fast. Will I ever escape the debt I accrue in others.

  “Sara, I can feel your aura getting stronger, I need to make something very clear. Are you listening, good. This is not charity, nor a kindness, you will be expected to comport yourself as a [Lady] of Maxwell, if you were born into our household you would be training for this since three. As is, you have much to learn before you are fifteen.” My eyes widened at that.

  “What happens at fifteen.”

  “You will debut and since you will qualify for it, you will be sent to the national mage college.”

  “What if I don't qualify?”

  “Sara, you're being adopted, the expectation of the family is that you will produce results.”

  Okay, that's ominous, “So what's the first step.” My acquiesce to a forgone conclusion.

  “First we need to speak to your father.”