Chapter 602: It Seems Like It’s All Over 

Just as I was about to leave the salon, Mira suddenly latched onto my arm like one of those clinging toy dolls, wrapping herself around me with absolute determination.

…Yeah, there was no way peeling her off was going to be easy.

“Mira, Father might scold us when we get there. Are you still coming with me?”

“Kyuu!”

Mira snorted loudly through her nose as if to say, Obviously.

That little gesture looked exactly like Fabienne’s.

Seriously, when had she become Fabienne’s disciple?

At this point, there was no way I could leave her behind. Since Fabienne was coming too, I decided I might as well bring Mira along as well.

With Mira still firmly attached to my arm, we headed toward Father’s study.

I knocked on the door, and a response came immediately.

At least judging from Father’s tone, he didn’t sound angry.

That alone eased my nerves a little.

When I opened the door, Father and Lionel were already inside waiting for us.

Mother, however, was nowhere to be seen.

Which likely meant Father intended to keep this matter hidden from her for the time being.

Well, considering the nature of the discussion, he was probably struggling with how to handle it himself.

If Father went bald from stress, that would absolutely be my fault.

When that happened, I’d just have to make him an extremely effective hair-growth potion.

“Father, you summoned me?”

“Mm. So Miss Fabienne came as well. Yes… perhaps that’s for the best.”

“Kyuu!”

Father nodded to himself in apparent agreement.

Meanwhile, Mira let out a cry as if to insist that she was present too.

Seeing that, Father’s stern expression softened, the corners of his eyes drooping warmly with amusement.

At Father’s urging, we sat down on the sofa in the center of the room.

Father left his work desk and moved over to the table where we were seated, adopting a more serious posture.

“There are parts of Lionel’s letter I can’t fully make sense of,” he said. “I would like Julius to explain them personally. Miss Fabienne, would you supplement anything he leaves out?”

“I understand.”

“Of course,” Fabienne answered elegantly. “Please ask anything you wish.”

“I believe you already understand this,” Father continued in a low voice, “but nothing discussed in this room is to leave it. For some reason… I have a very bad feeling about all of this.”

As he said that, Father shot me a sharp look.

Unfortunately for him, that bad feeling was entirely justified.

Unable to say that aloud, I merely forced an awkward smile.

Still, judging by his demeanor, it seemed Father had already mentally prepared himself to some extent. At the very least, it didn’t look like he intended to explode in fury.

“Well then,” Father said with a smile that somehow felt more dangerous than anger, “let us begin with this so-called secret magic. If memory serves, House Heine never possessed such a spell.”

Right out of the gate, he went straight for the most dangerous topic.

Fabienne and I took turns explaining everything—the battle against the black giant tree and the magic I had used there: Phoenix Wave.

“Phoenix Wave, hm?” Father muttered thoughtfully. “Lionel mentioned it as well. Apparently it was an extraordinary spell.”

“It was rather flashy in appearance,” I said carefully. “Perhaps that’s why it seemed so impressive.”

“Then why did you use it?” Father pressed immediately. “From what I hear, that single attack cornered the black giant tree. Yet we’ve been told ordinary magic is ineffective against black creatures.”

…Right.

How should I handle this?

Since this was a private family discussion, maybe honesty was the better option here.

Things with the Lazar Empire were already starting to feel suspicious, and there was a good chance I’d have to use that magic again someday anyway.

“Um… actually,” I admitted hesitantly, “Phoenix Wave possesses the same effects as purification magic. It’s a spell that combines both fire and purification.”

“……”

Father pressed a hand against his forehead and slowly looked up toward the ceiling.

Beside me, Fabienne covered her mouth with both hands, her eyes widening into perfect circles.

Wow.

They were so clear and round they looked like marbles.

“Kyuu, kyuu!”

“Mira? Ah, I see. Your flame breath has the same effect too, doesn’t it? Though you still can’t use breath attacks yet, right? We’ll practice once you’re a little bigger, okay?”

Mira tugged insistently at my sleeve, apparently trying to declare that she could do the same thing too.

I gently patted her head.

Mira narrowed her eyes happily, clearly pleased by the praise.

Cute.

Holy Dragons truly were absurdly overpowered creatures. Not only could they use purification flame breath, but they could also wield wind, water, earth, lightning, and countless other elemental breaths infused with purification properties.

They were basically all-purpose divine beasts.

“Julius,” Father said slowly, “what you just said… is true?”

“You mean about Mira being able to do it too? Of course it’s true. Right, Mira?”

“Kyuu!”

Mira puffed out her chest proudly.

For some reason, Father and Lionel both slowly shook their heads.

Meanwhile, Fabienne had somehow transitioned into wearing a strained smile.

…Did I say something wrong?

I mean, I was pretty sure those abilities were written in books about Holy Dragons.

“If that’s the case,” Father continued carefully, “then that means you’ve been capable of using purification magic for quite some time now.”

“Ah… um…”

The moment he said that, my words caught in my throat.

Instinctively, I turned toward Fabienne for help.

But Fabienne merely maintained her awkward smile without rescuing me.

In silence, I began fluffing the fur of the Mira sitting on my lap.

At this point, Mira alone was supporting my fragile mental state.

“Julius-sama…” Fabienne said gently, “that is what this means, isn’t it?”

“…Yeah,” I admitted quietly. “I’ve been able to use purification magic for a while now.”

Yeah.

There was no escaping it anymore.

Trying to hide it beyond this point would just be ridiculous.

And everyone here had probably realized the same thing by now.

If I could use purification magic directly, then technically there had never been a need for me to develop Purification Powder in the first place.

“Haah…” Father let out a long, exhausted sigh. “Absolutely don’t speak of this to anyone else. As for Phoenix Wave, we shall officially classify it as a secret art passed down within House Heine. Naturally, all details regarding it’ll remain confidential.”

Lowering his voice by an entire octave, Father laid down his decision.

Apparently, he intended to keep my ability to use purification magic a secret.

And just like that, Phoenix Wave had officially been registered as a secret technique of House Heine.

…Even though currently I was the only one who could actually use it.

“Ah… I suppose we’ll also have to inform Amelia, Alex, and Lady Daniela about this eventually.”

Father once again tilted his head back to stare at the ceiling as though searching for salvation somewhere above.

I truly sympathized with him.

At this rate, I’d need to prepare an extra supply of strong stomach medicine as well.