Silence. Besides the sound of the blowing wind, Nero and the others were surrounded by silence as they stared in the place Marilyn had blown open a hole. They were ultimately unable to measure the true strength of the card because it was too powerful, which was not what any of them had expected at all.
Nero was extremely pleased with the results. In fact, the better the card performed, the safer he would be, because his actual innate ability had grown too strong. He still recalled that giant hole in the ground it had incinerated, or rather purified back in Perilith.
Although he hadn’t had a chance to test his innate ability to his satisfaction, what remained true was that it was even more lethal than before. Not only did it retain its ability to frighten curses, it could harm other things as well, as long as he could provide sufficient aether. .
"Nero, are you sure you want to distribute that card?" Marilyn asked, eventually breaking from whatever thoughts occupied her mind. "It could be a very powerful secret weapon, and secret weapons are best when they’re kept secret."
Irene nodded, though she was lost in an entirely different set of thoughts.
"Yes. Not only that, but I need it to be known that I am the one who gave you this card. It’ll help me avoid certain questions and other awkward situations if it’s well known that I can make this card myself."
Marilyn raised an eyebrow, not quite sure what he meant. However, she did not probe. If Nero wanted to reveal it, he would have done so without the need for her to ask. Since he had chosen to keep it secret, yet revealed to them that he was confident about giving them this card, it most likely meant that he had thought things through - at least to some extent. That’s all she could ask for.
"In that case, I won’t turn you down. Let’s head back to the town though - we don’t want to attract unnecessary trouble," Marilyn said, looking at the sun that was already touching the tip of the distant mountains.
"This ability is not bad at all," Irene said, finally freeing herself of whatever thoughts kept her captive. "Do you think you could help me transfer it into a tattoo rather than giving it to me in card form? I’ll be able to use it for much longer that way."
"Not a problem, but you’ll have to guide me on what to do," Nero responded.
Irene nodded.
"Naturally. You’d think that it would be easy, but my tattoos are just as complicated as actual card making. Making the correct ink for the necessary Spell Model is the most critical part, though it’s also a lot easier than crafting cards. Honestly, it’s actually superior to cards in my opinion. It’s just a shame no one else can do it," Irene lamented.
Nero turned to study Irene as she spoke. He wasn’t exactly sure what the details of her innate ability were, and it would be best if she kept it a secret - not just from him but from everyone. Her ability to fuse Spell Models with her tattoos was incredible, but there was a lot of ambiguity there as well.
She was restricted to tattoos, or any form of art? What specifically was her innate ability? Did it have to do with tattooing itself, or Spell Models, or maybe the human body?
If it were anyone
When they returned, it turned out that Marilyn and Irene had gotten another room in the very same inn as Nero, so it was quite convenient. Nero would need to make at least two more Pale Virtuous Moonlight cards, one for Marilyn and one for himself to demonstrate where the white light came from. As for Irene... he would help her put the Spell Model in the tattoo.
That would take a long time, for even though Nero had succeeded in making the card once, there was no guarantee it would work every time he tried. If the quality of the ingredients was lacking, or his handling of them, or his control over the aether, the card would fail to form. There were too many ways to fail in card crafting, which is why Artisans were so well respected and valued.
While Nero and Irene returned to the inn, Marilyn parted with them to go report to the local garrison. As a Mystic, even when on break, it was her responsibility to lend a hand when necessary. She would have to go and report her location and duration of stay so that if a situation arose where her help was needed, they would know where to reach her.
Since it wouldn’t take her long, Nero and Irene decided to order an early dinner while they waited for her return.
"So, what have you been meaning to tell me?" Nero asked Irene casually while they sat in the corner of the inn’s restaurant.
Irene smirked at him, not bothering to deny anything.
"You know, you brothers have eerie observation skills. I won’t even ask how you guessed I was pondering talking to you about something," she responded.
"You don’t talk as much when mom’s around, and you’re not nearly as at ease when you do speak" Nero stated. "I mean, I guess something like that is natural. Must be super awkward hanging out with your mother-in-law like that, even if mom is trying to be friendly with you."
Irene smiled, as if she had been caught red handed.
"It’s actually the friendliness that makes things awkward, actually. I’ve heard so many stories of how strict and stern she usually is that now watching her be so polite is kind of... unnerving."
Nero chuckled.
"To be fair, I think mom doesn’t know how to behave around you either," he said with an amused look in his eyes. "Anyway, although you speak less with her being around, at least your body language is natural. However, ever since you saw my card, you’ve been tense. So, what is it? Is it to do with the card?"