Show Me Your Stats!

The newly awakened Pebble in Ayra’s hand twitched as Botello’s gaze wavered in fear.
“C-Cute, indeed.”
Even though it was by far one of the most adorable artificial lifeforms Ayra had ever created—lacking wriggling tentacles, having exactly two normal-looking eyes, and a single mouth—Botello still couldn’t bring himself to look directly at it. Clearly, he was only humoring her out of respect for the future lord.

"Is it because it doesn’t have a nose? I think it looks neater and cuter this way."
Regardless, Ayra deliberately kept the Pebble out so that he could get used to it over time. As the little spirit bobbed around lazily in the air, circling her, Botello’s trembling hands gradually steadied.
Lying in bed, lost in thought about how to manage the estate, Ayra suddenly raised an eyebrow. The clothes Botello had dressed her in were far too thin.

“Don’t we have anything thicker?”
“A thicker outfit? But in this weather, you’ll overheat.”
“No, absolutely not. I’ll be fine.”

Ayra turned around firmly and immediately knocked something over. With a loud clang, a brass basin and a comb tumbled to the floor.
“Oh, my bad.”
Without a second thought, she instinctively cast magic, effortlessly returning the fallen objects to their original places with a mere flick of her hand. Botello’s eyes widened in shock. Though he was experienced enough to keep his composure, Ayra could see his pupils darting about in barely concealed panic. She pretended not to notice.

Eventually, the people of the Solar Estate would have to get used to having a mage as their lord.
Seeing Botello’s hands trembling even more than before, Ayra had no choice but to dress herself. Only after layering on a thick coat did she finally feel some warmth returning to her body. She muttered about being hungry, and Botello, finally regaining his senses, promptly led her to breakfast.
The Solar Estate, a grand white castle, had changed little since Ayra’s childhood. In mourning for the sudden tragedy that had befallen the Solar family, black cloths were draped around the castle, fluttering in the cold wind.

Ayra’s gaze fell upon the family portraits hanging on the walls. Every single portrait except her own was covered in a black veil. She stared at them for a long while before finally moving on, with Botello following behind, his expression somber.
The banquet hall was located on the first floor, meaning Ayra had a long way to descend. As she walked, she absentmindedly traced her fingers along the castle walls, lost in thought.
"This castle… a mage must have worked on it."

There was a reason why its pristine white walls had remained largely untouched by time. She tried to recall when exactly the castle had been built—more than five hundred years ago. The thought of a five-hundred-year-old magic circuit made her heart race with excitement.
There was definitely research potential here.
"I wonder if I can convince Jinas to let me pry out a brick somewhere…?"
With a five-hundred-year-old magic circuit in her hands, the possibilities would be endless. The very idea brought a giddy smile to her lips.

Lost in happy daydreams, she soon found herself at the first floor. In front of the banquet hall doors, the ever-stern Jinas was speaking with a knight clad in cold, polished metal armor. Ayra quickened her pace, trying to figure out how to bring up the idea of taking a brick for research.
But then… her foot met thin air.
Distracted, she had mistaken a step for solid ground and misstepped.

“Wah—!”
For a brief moment, she felt like she was falling through the air. Then, pain exploded in her knees as they struck the edge of a step, and with a sharp thud, her forehead slammed into the stone railing. She tumbled down a couple of stairs before coming to a stop.
Botello, who had been following closely behind, let out a horrified gasp.

“Lady Ayra! Oh dear, my young lord!”
“Ugh…”
Rubbing her throbbing forehead, she lifted her gaze. The knight, clad in heavy armor, had moved with impossible speed and was already kneeling before her on the step below.

His piercing green eyes gleamed from beneath his helmet as he looked up at her.
“Are you all right?”
Jinas, who had stood frozen with his mouth agape at the sudden accident, belatedly rushed over.

“Lady Ayra!”
“I—I’m fine.”
Aside from a dull ringing in her skull, it wasn’t anything serious. Feeling embarrassed, Ayra quickly waved off their concerns and got to her feet. For heaven’s sake, she wasn’t a child anymore, and yet everyone was fussing over her just because she tripped.

Jinas narrowed his eyes, staring intently at her forehead.
“I will summon a physician. You’re still unwell—you must have overexerted yourself.”
“No, really, I’m fine. Perfectly fine.”

Ayra hastily stopped him. It wasn’t a matter of being unwell—she had simply been too lost in thought and missed a step.
But now Botello was panicking, insisting she needed a physician since she had hit her head. Ayra hesitantly reached up, but there was no blood—just a small bump.
Only after repeatedly complaining that she was starving did she finally manage to dissuade them from calling for a doctor. But now she was too embarrassed to bring up the whole “Can I take a brick for research?” idea.

“If you ever feel unwell, please let us know immediately.”
The knight gave her a solemn warning before finally pushing open the doors to the banquet hall.
Ayra’s face burned with humiliation all the way up to her ears, but she forced herself to remain composed as she stepped inside.

A long wooden table stretched across the hall. As she took the seat at the head, her eyes scanned the room—most of the attendees were familiar from the funeral. Among the guests, Shinje sat as well, offering her a polite nod.
"What am I even supposed to say in a place like this?"
She had little experience standing before a large group of people. At most, she had given research presentations to senior mages and a handful of peers back in the Mage City.

It would be nice if someone else spoke first, but the silence made it clear that, as the highest-ranking person here, she was expected to open the conversation.
Reluctantly, she parted her lips.
“Good morning, everyone. What a strong and lively morning this is…”

Throwing out the first thing that came to mind, Ayra covertly began summoning Stat Windows for the people seated closest to her. One by one, she attempted to check their stats—
Only for her mana to be drained without anything appearing.
“……?”

Ayra stared blankly at the empty air where the Stat Windows should have appeared. Seeing this, Jinas, seated beside her, cautiously asked,
"Is your head still hurting?"
Immediately, the gazes of everyone in the banquet hall shifted to Ayra’s forehead, which had turned a conspicuous shade of red. Her pale complexion only made the swollen bump stand out even more. Embarrassed, she slowly raised a hand, letting her silvery-white hair fall over the injury to conceal it.

"I'm fine," she muttered.
But the damage had already been done. The retainers were whispering among themselves, and even Jinas, now seeing the bump up close, seemed a little startled by how bad it looked.
"I just didn't sleep—"

Midway through her excuse, a new System Window suddenly popped up before her eyes, causing her words to slow. Jinas furrowed his brow.
[Loading…]
"—very well."

Loading? What the hell? Just as the thought crossed her mind, another window appeared.
[Tip: Checking multiple Stat Windows at once significantly increases processing time and mana consumption.]
Ah… so that’s the issue. Apparently, she still wasn’t skilled enough to use multi-viewing effectively. Suppressing a sigh, Ayra quickly spoke up before anyone could suggest summoning a physician again.

"Anyway, I’m really fine. Why don’t we start eating?"
She lifted her spoon and took a sip of soup. Only then did the others begin picking up their utensils as well. The clinking of silverware filled the silence until Jinas addressed her again.
"Since we didn’t have a chance for proper introductions during the funeral, may we take this opportunity to formally introduce the retainers while we dine?"

"Sure," Ayra replied absentmindedly.
Jinas began the introductions from the seats closest to her—Steward, Knight Captain, Administrator, Scribe, Elder, and then his son, daughter, daughter, son, another daughter…
"Wait, is this all of them? There aren’t that many retainers, are there?"

It seemed like there were fewer than twenty people in total. Nearly half of them were too young to be proper retainers, likely the children of the household staff. Since she had left the estate at such a young age, she barely remembered anyone, and now, knowing nothing about how the estate functioned, she tilted her head in confusion.
She was about to ask Jinas if this was normal when he deliberately cleared his throat. Then, pointedly, he glanced downward.
Perplexed, Ayra followed his gaze.

"Eh? …Oh."
While she had been momentarily distracted, the edge of her sleeve had dipped into the hot soup. She hurriedly lifted her arm, clicking her tongue, and instinctively cast a spell. The liquid soaked into her sleeve floated upward, forming into a perfect sphere of soup.
The banquet hall, which had been studiously ignoring her minor blunder, collectively widened their eyes.

Although she had only extracted the soup without damaging the fabric, the thought of drinking it again was… unappealing. She casually let the soup sphere drip onto a napkin, then looked up—only to find that everyone who had been watching her quickly averted their eyes.
They were all still eating, but their expressions were uneasy.
The uncomfortable silence dragged on until the administrator nudged his son in the ribs. The boy, who had striking pink hair, flinched. Eventually, unable to endure the prodding any longer, he gathered his courage and asked,

"Y-Your Lordship… um… that ghost-like thing… w-what is it?"
"Oh, this?"
Taking the opportunity to both change the mood and progress her Quest, Ayra beckoned the Pebble over. The little spirit had been floating lazily around her, but now she pulled it closer, cradling it in her hands.

"This is an adorable spirit I created. Its name is Pebble, and it’s going to stay with me from now on. Don’t you think it’s cuter without a nose?"
She hadn’t expected them to welcome the spirit enthusiastically, but she also hadn’t anticipated such an icy response.
A tense silence settled over the room. A few people forced awkward smiles, quickly averting their gazes, while others made hasty signs of the cross beneath the table.

Ayra was taken aback.
The retainers, who had served under the Solar lord for years, were reacting like common townsfolk who had never encountered magic before. Some even treated it like an ominous presence. The fact that they had gone as far as making holy gestures in reaction to it was honestly a bit shocking.
The Pebble, frowning with its tiny, mouth-like crease, suddenly displayed a new message.

[Tip: Most humans are ignorant, superstitious, and prejudiced. :( ]
The cutting remark was accompanied by the Pebble slowly sinking onto Ayra’s shoulder, looking oddly dejected.
"Maybe I’ve been stuck in the Mage City too long and lost touch with how the outside world works."

Or perhaps the estate had barely seen any mages in its history, and the few that had visited had done something so terrible that it left a lasting impression.
Something about this whole situation felt deeply unsettling.
Just then, the loading finished, and a row of Stat Windows popped up beside each retainer’s face.

As Ayra scanned them, a chilling thought crossed her mind.
"These people… this estate… is this really okay?"