Vol 7. Chapter 58: A Different Angle

After settling Muse down, Leon spent a day resting in the Empire, then headed straight to the Golden Thunder Clan with Little Brother Hawk.

There were two purposes for this trip.

First, to test how well he’d learned to control the state of “Five-Spirit Sacred Shadow.”

Second, to ask Hera about Muse’s lack of elemental attribute.

Over the past few days, Leon and Rosvisser had combed through a vast amount of high-level literature, and even visited various places in search of answers, yet still couldn’t figure out why Muse showed no trace of any magical attribute.

Leon was a meticulous and responsible man—especially when it came to something so rare happening to his own daughter. He was determined to find an answer.

When they arrived at the Golden Thunder Clan, the clanspeople greeted Leon warmly, calling out “Lord Leon!” one after another.

“Lord Leon, you’re here!”

“Go notify Priestess Hera.”

“Understood!”

Surrounded by the crowd, Leon made his way to Hera’s residence.

He knocked lightly on the door, and a mature female voice came from within.

“Come in.”

Leon pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Hera was seated gracefully behind a tea table, with hot tea and snacks already prepared.

She wore a pure white dress with a pale gold sash. The belt hung loosely from her wrist, where she also wore a floral bracelet of fresh spring blossoms.

Her long blue hair flowed freely like a cloak draped down her back.

Though her eyes carried a touch of weariness, Hera’s quiet, refined grace remained undiminished.

After all this time apart, Leon no longer felt the nervous unease he once had when facing her.

In fact, quite the opposite—he felt rather comfortable now.

“You’re here. Sit, the tea’s freshly brewed.”

Leon stepped forward and sat cross-legged in front of the table.

Golden Thunder Clan’s tea was truly excellent. Leon vividly remembered how, during a past incident, it was the scent of this very tea that first tipped him off about Sumero’s possible connection to the Void.

“Wrote me letters for months and now you finally find time to visit me?”

Hera tilted her head slightly, her eyes narrowing with a teasing smile.

Leon scratched his head sheepishly.

“I was busy with the whole vice principal situation at Saint Heath Academy. Just got some free time recently.”

Hera let out a soft hum and chuckle, then asked:

“What about your little dragon ladies? Didn’t bring them along?”

“Oh, they went off to visit the Sea Dragon Clan. Honestly, coming here was kind of a last-minute decision.”

At that, Hera’s smile paused briefly, and she pouted slightly.

“Wow, Leon. So what you’re saying is, coming to see me was just a casual whim? I get it. You were just passing by, weren’t even planning to drop in.”

That single sentence made Leon feel a headache coming on.

It reminded him of how Rosvisser would act all clingy or unreasonable sometimes.

But to be honest, Rosvisser’s brand of "pouting" and Hera’s were fundamentally different.

The former was flirtation from a wife;

The latter radiated the holy aura of a mother.

After all, from both a family structure and geographical standpoint, Hera had basically become the definition of an “empty-nest elder.”

Since leaving the Empire, she and Leon had only stayed in touch through letters.

And now that they finally met in person again, this foolish boy actually greeted her with “last-minute decision.”

“Hm? So shouldn’t a mother be allowed to complain just a little?”

“No no, it’s not like that...”

Leon was momentarily at a loss.

He might have vast experience coaxing his wife—

But when it came to moms... he honestly had no clue.

Back when he was with his master, she’d just kick his ass and that’d be enough to dissolve any of her lingering frustration.

But Hera wasn’t that kind of fiery personality. Kicking him didn’t suit her style at all.

Watching her own son all flustered like this, Hera felt secretly pleased, though she didn’t push him further. She simply said,

“If you have time, bring your wife and daughters to visit me too, understood?”

“Yeah yeah, I got it, I got it.”

“Heh~ you little brat.”

As she poured Leon a cup of tea, Hera asked:

“So, this so-called ‘spur-of-the-moment’ visit—surely you didn’t come just to chat?”

Damn, Mom can really read people.

Leon nodded.

“Yeah, I wanted to report to you how far I’ve gotten in controlling the ‘Five-Spirit Sacred Shadow’ state.”

At that, Hera raised an eyebrow.

“Huh? With our relationship, you still feel the need to ‘report’ this kind of thing? That’s awfully formal.”

Her lips curled into a small smile.

“Alright then, tell me—what can you do now?”

As she finished speaking, Leon raised his hand, palm up, and five elemental auras spiraled to life above it.

“Water and fire are the easiest. Thunder is my innate element, and fire I’ve practiced extensively, so neither is hard to grasp. Earth’s manageable too—easier than I expected. ...But water and wind—”

At that point, Leon rubbed his mouth. In his hand, only water and wind remained.

The two elements clashed against each other, then collapsed and vanished.

Leon closed his eyes and took a quiet breath.

“So far, I still can’t control water and wind proficiently, let alone integrate them with the other three.”

Hera’s pupils shifted ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) slightly. She fell into thought for a moment, then slowly spoke.

“With your current level of control... well, let’s not forget this is the very foundation of all magic on Samael. To reach the divine realm at your age is already an unmatched feat. There’s no reason to cry or be discouraged.”

Leon lowered his head in acknowledgment. Her comforting words really did help.

And Hera wasn’t just good with words.

Once Leon’s mood stabilized a bit, she continued:

“You said you struggle with water and wind? That’s not surprising. Compared to fire and earth, those two aren’t nearly as concrete.”

As she spoke, Hera used her magic to draw water from the teapot. It coiled gently around her wrist.

“Water is ever-changing and can be used in countless ways. Its form is also diverse—gas, solid, or liquid. To truly master water magic, you have to abandon rigid combat thinking. You need to flow like water itself. And as for wind—”

She returned the water to the pot and rotated her wrist. A small vortex formed in her upturned palm.

“Among the five elements, wind is widely considered the hardest to defend against—so naturally, it’s also the hardest to master. If you dig into the stats, you’ll find that almost no magic user ever chooses wind as their third element. That alone shows how high its difficulty ceiling is. And you want to fuse it with all four of the other elements on top of that? Doing it on your own will be almost impossible. You need a mentor—someone whose innate element is wind—to guide you, Leon.”

Leon listened carefully, then paused before asking:

“You can use all five elements too, right? Can’t you teach me yourself?”

Hera gave a gentle shake of her head.

“My ability to wield all five was a gift from Ancestor Zeus. Like you said, I can use them all proficiently—but I don’t specialize in any one. But even so, that level of mastery is enough for me, because I’ve already hit my limit. You, on the other hand, haven’t even come close to yours. You need someone far more advanced in wind and water than I am—someone who can push you past your barriers. Do you understand?”

To put it simply, Hera was like a balanced five-point warrior—earth, water, fire, wind, thunder, she could do them all. But only to a “skilled” level. That was her ceiling.

Leon, however, was something else entirely.

He wasn’t meant to be a balanced five-pointer—he needed a whole team of six-point specialists to guide him.

Only then could he break past his natural limits—and perhaps, even go beyond them.

Leon thought for a moment, then nodded seriously.

“I understand. I’ll try to find a powerful wind-element user to guide me, like you suggested.”

Hera smiled in satisfaction.

“Good. I believe you’ll soon master all five elements. Once you reach the ‘Five-Spirit Sacred Shadow’ state, you’ll keep pushing your limits. You might even rival the true Primordial Gods.”

“Please don’t flatter me.”

“Flatter you? I’m just being honest.”

Hera took a sip of tea, then asked:

“Anything else?”

“Yeah, one more thing. It’s about Muse’s magic attribute. I mentioned it in a letter—have you made any progress?”

Hera set her teacup down and nodded.

“After reading your letter about Muse, I started investigating. But currently, Samael’s magic system has already excluded the concept of ‘no attribute. Because anyone who takes up magic without exception possesses a magical attribute. It’s as natural as breathing.”

Hearing that, Leon couldn’t help but look disappointed.

“So you didn’t find anything either...”

“Hm? I never said that~”

Leon’s eyes lit up again, emotions swinging back and forth.

“You mean—?”

Hera slowly stood and walked to the window, gazing outside as she spoke.

“I mentioned earlier that earth, water, fire, wind, and thunder are the five base elements of Samael. Every strange, obscure spell ultimately derives from those five. And during awakening ceremonies, those five also serve as markers for a mage’s innate attribute. But Muse has never shown any elemental signs—not in daily life, nor during the ritual. So we assumed she had no attribute. But... what if we looked at it from a different angle?”

As she spoke, Hera turned to face Leon.

Leon looked puzzled.

“A different angle? What do you mean?”

Hera’s lips curved into a subtle smile. Lowering her eyes to her palm, she summoned all five elements, letting them swirl and merge.

Then, she suddenly clenched her fist—and shattered them apart in a burst of light.

“Muse doesn’t lack an attribute. Her attribute... just doesn’t exist among the five base elements.”