After accepting that my plan had failed, we decided that I should head back and talk to my aunt and uncle.
But before I left, Brakos told me, "Your powers are growing, but you must be careful. If your mind becomes too unstable, your status as a Primogenitor could be revealed."
"I will, don't worry. Most people know little about spirit magic, so I will blame it on that. It's not perfect, but it will work for now," I said, hoping the plan would work.
"Just be careful," he said back. "Oh, and be more conservative with your spiritual energy. Now that it's so low, you can only summon one spirit a day for half an hour at most before you exhaust yourself."
I waved, thankful for his advice, and watched a gust of wind start to blow as Brakos turned into a bunch of sheets of paper and got blown away.
I was stuck in awe.
Volt rubbed his nose on my hand, breaking me out of my trance.
^If you don't mind, I want to properly meet your family and keep your uncle away. He doesn't seem like the person to give up easily, and he should have woken up by now,^ he said.
"Are you sure?" I asked.
Volt nodded and said, ^Yes.^
"Alright, then let's go," I said, and we started to walk back.
As we got near the mansion, I could see two maids outside hanging some sheets to dry, so I walked over.
"Would you like some help?" I offered, seeing the two having some trouble because of the wind.
They both turned to me with confused expressions. The older of the two took a minute but recognized me and spoke first. "Oh, Lord Jackson, it's good to s—"
I interrupted her and said, "Please don't call me Lord. Like my mother, I hate being called a noble; just call me Jack."
Both looked shocked at my response but nodded. "Jack... it's good to see you are doing well. And no, we are fine here. The wind isn't too bad today."
Just as she said that, the wind picked up again, and some of the sheets almost blew away, but Volt stepped on them, keeping them from getting away.
As the maids noticed Volt, they both let out a yelp of surprise. The older one jumped back, but the younger one fell onto her butt.
"Tiger?!" they both yelled at the same time, not fully comprehending what had just happened.
"Half-right, this is a Lightning tiger. He is a spirit named Volt and a friend of mine," I said with a smile on my face, seeing their reactions.
"Spirit?" the older maid said.
"Friend?" the younger maid said.
Almost all the servants here had heard about how a blue animal attacked Michael while under my command, but none could confirm what the animal was.
Noticing the wind starting to pick up again, I spoke up. "The wind is picking up again. If you don't want the wind to blow away the sheets again, let me help."
The two maids looked at me but nodded. They were too shocked to properly answer but knew what to do.
We worked together for a few minutes and managed to get all the sheets on the lines and clip them on so they wouldn't come off.
huff "Thank you, Jackson, for the assistance, and thank you, Volt, for catching the sheets earlier. The wind is strong today," the older maid said, thanking us.
"Yes, thank you," the younger one thanked us as well.
"No problem," I said.
^It was no problem, but you should pay more attention,^ Volt said, waiting for me to translate.
"Volt says the same, but also you should pay more attention," I said, but then remembered my original reason for coming over to them.
"Do you know where my aunt and uncle are?" I asked.
The maids looked at each other for a second, and the younger one replied, "No, I'm sorry. After what happened with Lord Michael, they have been busy. You might find them in the main study."
I nodded and started to walk towards the side door.
"Wait, can he talk to the tiger?" the two asked each other.
After I entered the mansion, I got a good look at it for the first time in a while.
The tall walls painted white, the fancy red carpet and curtains, the paintings and decorations on the walls.
Personally, I didn't like it. Putting so much into appearances instead of their people is why I hate nobles.
Thankfully, Miranda and Erik are two of the few nobles who put the bare minimum into appearances and focus mainly on their people. Hence why I am fine staying here.
As both I and Volt were walking towards the main study, looking for Miranda and Erik, I saw a young butler walking with a heavy box, going down a flight of stairs.
I noticed their steps were off and realized they were going to trip, so I hurried over as I got confirmation from Volt.
Just as he started to lose balance, I quickly placed my hands on the other side of the box.
"I got you," I said.
"Oh, thank you," he said, thankful.
We walked down the stairs, and I helped him place it down to give him a rest.
"Thank you—" he said and looked at me and flinched. "Lo—!"
I raised a hand to stop him and said, "Just call me Jack. I don't like being called Lord."
He nodded. "Apologies, I didn't realize it was you."
"It's no problem, but if you can, please let everyone else know. It saves me the trouble," I said.
"Oh, of course, and again, thank you for the assistance."
I smirked and helped him pick the box up again.
Seeing him walking with no problem, I turned around and continued.
"Strange he didn't comment on you, Volt," I said.
^I think he was more surprised by you than me. He was present when I shocked Michael,^ Volt said.
"Really? I didn't notice him," I said.
^Your perception is low compared to mine. As you get stronger, you will notice more things like that.^
^Also, your power decreased a bit after we removed everything. Check your power rating; it should be lower.^
I did so and checked my power rating:
{Power Ranking: E Rank}
"You're right. I'm mid-E Rank," I said as I put the book away.
As we continued, I saw several staff members needing assistance and helped them as I walked. I wasn't in a hurry, so I had time.
Some were startled by Volt walking with me. Thankfully, some knew about him thanks to the gossip about this morning, so they reassured the ones who didn't know.
Eventually, after I took 30 minutes instead of 5 to reach the main study, I knocked on the door.
knockknock
"Aunt Miranda, it's me," I said.
I heard shuffling on the other side of the door before it opened, with Miranda on the other side.
"Hi, Jack, come in," she said.
As I walked into the room, I noticed both Erik and Terra were in the room as well, along with a dark-skinned woman with teal eyes and short brown hair, in shiny armor I didn't recognize.
Once I entered, Miranda was about to close the door, but the door was pushed open by Volt, who almost got locked out.
angry chuff
"Oh, sorry, Volt," I said, apologizing.
When I saw everyone's faces, I let out a small smirk.
"Volt?" Erik asked, confused.
"Wait, it's you?!" Miranda said, recognizing Volt from a few days ago.
"Jack, is it safe to summon him twice in a day?" Terra asked, worried about me but not reacting the same as she knew we had a contract.
"A Magical Beast!" the woman in armor shouted, drawing her sword.
I jumped between the woman and Volt and shouted, "He is a spirit I have a contract with, not a Magical Beast!"
The woman was shocked at my bravery but didn't lower her sword. Instead, she tightened her grip and lowered herself down to look me in the eyes.
"Regardless of whether a spirit has a contract or not, they cannot just wander around freely; they are nothing more than wild animals," she said.
^Volt, she needs to learn a lesson. Any ideas?^ I asked, angry at her naivety, arrogance, and stupidity, considering she is in metal armor and Volt is a lightning tiger.
^Agreed. Touch her head, and I can overload her brain,^ Volt said.
I smirked and placed my hand on her forehead, confusing her, before she lunged back, placed a hand on her head, and screamed.
"What was thaaaaAAAAA!" she started to say, but it turned into screams of pain.
I stood there with a blank expression, facing her.
"Stop this, kid, or I will—Argh!" she shouted, clutching her head in pain.
"I am doing nothing. Volt is doing it and will only stop when you apologize for calling him an animal," I explained, showing no emotion.
"Okay, okay! I am sorry!" she said.
^Not sincere,^ Volt said in her head and increased the pain.
I could feel her fear running through her head as she realized she couldn't lie.
It took another 20 seconds of mental pleading as she couldn't speak for Volt to let her go.
The moment he let her go, she collapsed on the floor and passed out.
"What... just happened?" Erik asked.
I looked at him and said, "She was mean, so Volt flooded her mind with so much information it caused physical pain. She should wake up soon, but she will need time to rest before she can return to duty. Who is she, anyway?"
Miranda, still shocked by the act of brutality I had just shown, answered. "A knight from the royal guard."
"Oh shit," I said.