Gunmage
Chapter 170: Till death or longer

Chapter 170: Chapter 170: Till death or longer

"It’s been scientifically proven that the practice of magic leads to mental instability."

"Huh?!"

"Huh?!"

Lyra and Sofia chorused in disbelief, their voices overlapping.

"Mental instability? What the hell are you even talking about?"

Sofia leaned forward, scowling.

"Ponder it,"

Madame Cross spoke calmly, unfazed by their reaction.

"Magic, by its very nature, is an unnatural manipulation of the existing laws of the world. Of course something like that would have side effects."

"What?! I’ve never heard of this!"

"Think again. Have you ever come across a normal mage?"

The elf asked, folding her arms.

"Well, yeah,"

Sofia said defiantly.

"They might be a bit eccentric, but I’m yet to see any lunatic amongst them."

"Of course you haven’t,"

The elf replied with a hint of pity.

"You’re humans, after all. Most of the time, your practice is too weak for you to notice. The effects mostly manifest in the stronger, more talented ones—and it’s relative to the individual.

This has been a hot topic in scientific debates that I doubt you’ll fully understand. Let me give an example: I once came across an elf so absent-minded, she had to tattoo her name on her arm so she wouldn’t forget it."

"Her name?"

"Yes. I doubt you’ll ever come across a normal elf. If they seem normal, it’s only because they’re doing a good job hiding their irregularities. Same with humans—though they have it easier, due to their lower magical affinity."

She let the silence stretch out like a spell, letting them process her words. Xhi remained expressionless.

Whether she already knew or didn’t care was impossible to tell—but in that moment, she became the quiet proof of the elf’s theory. Lyra seemed to notice it too.

She glanced toward Xhi, then looked away, rubbing her temples and scrambling for a counterexample.

"How about yo—"

Her gaze drifted to the table covered in charts drafts and percentage equations tracking lady Selaphiel’s reproductive cycle.

"...Never mind"

Then her eyes lit up.

"What about Lugh? Lugh is relatively normal."

Her tone faltered at the end.

Sure, he was odd, more than a bit, actually, but he’d been that way before he ever touched magic. The theory didn’t quite hold up in his case. There were always exceptions.

However, the look on her sister’s and teacher’s faces said something else entirely.

"Lugh. That Lugh... is normal?"

"Hey, he might be a bit odd, but he was—"

"Are you seriously talking about the ’Officer of Death? ’The ’Priest of Blood?’"

"The 15-year-old who slaughtered several beastkin in public without batting an eyelid? The 15-year-old—"

Madame Cross leaned forward, emphasizing his age with a theatrical rise of her brow.

"—who abandoned the comfort of the Von Heim manor to sail the Devil Sea. That’s who you’re calling normal?"

Silence reigned.

Lyra cleared her throat.

"First of all, the manor wasn’t ’comfortable’ to the son of a mistress. Secondly, he stowed away in a resource crate. He had no idea it would get to the Devil Sea."

"Ah, I see. He also had no idea there were enemy troops in Drakensmar when he decided to join the siege?"

Lyra opened her mouth, then closed it again.

"Ah—well—there are reasons for that."

"Give it a rest, Lyra."

The elf waved her off.

"Oh right, we were talking about something. What was it? I always seem to go off-track when explaining things to you girls..."

"Uhm... I think it was marriage?"

Sofia offered hesitantly.

"Contracts,"

Xhi added.

"Right,"

The elf nodded, settling back into her rhythm.

"Since ’forever and ever" became too problematic, they opted to switch it out for ’till death do us part.’ This version accounted for the lifespans of both elves and their spouses.

It worked for a while, but through interbreeding and genetic mixing, some humans started living longer, which brought in a whole new wave of legal complications I’m too tired to explain.

Laws favoring the colonial elves were created, and marriage contracts got more standardized"

She paused for a bit, then she continued

"Standard issue ones became a century long. But most humans don’t live that long, so it changed again—to fifty years. Most still say the traditional vows at weddings, but legally, the contract usually lasts fifty years, with a few exceptions.

A lot of elves don’t bother renewing it. By then, their partners are already too old to keep up. You could feel sorry for the humans, but honestly, it’s their choice. A small price to pay for having an ever-youthful husband or wife."

"Hmm,"

Xhi hummed.

"If,"

She began slowly,

"For instance... let’s say Lugh were to live another five hundred years."

All heads turned toward her. She let the silence drag.

"If,"

She repeated, her tone emphasising.

"Would that vow—’till death do us part’—be used against him?"

"That’s a given,"

Madame Cross answered without hesitation.

"There’s no way Selaphiel would release her icy grip on him. She would also tamper with the contract... or force him to sign a longer one."

"This is not good,"

Xhi said, surprising the others with the quiet finality in her voice.

"What exactly do you mean by that?"

Lyra asked.

Xhi turned her head toward her.

"Can you marry Lugh?"

"H-huh? Me??"

"Yes."

"...No, not really. I can’t even imagine it."

She puffed her chest out, trying to recover her composure.

"That boy is like my adopted son, you know!"

"Aha! So you do know Lugh!"

Sofia jumped on the slip.

"How—"

"That only leaves one option, then."

Xhi’s calm voice cut clean through her question.

They both turned to Sofia.

She felt a chill crawl up her spine.

"W-what?"

Lyra blinked, confused. She didn’t know why Xhi was acting like this, but she could guess a few reasons—and all of them were serious.

"Sofia... you like Lugh, don’t you?"

Her sister’s face flushed bright pink.

"I—I never said that!"

"Come on. There’s no use denying it now."

Lyra grinned, eyes gleaming.

"Ask Dad to send a personal marriage alliance letter for you and Lugh. I’m sure he’ll be happy to. Sofia Cross, the younger sister of Lyra Cross. That part is very important. Don’t forget to add it to the letter."

"Huh??"

"Don’t worry. I’ll support you with all I can,"

Madame Cross added warmly.

Sofia’s eyes widened.

"I—I’ll be right back!"

Then she darted out of the room.

"Father!!"

Her voice echoed and slowly faded through the hallways. The elf turned to the others, brows furrowed.

"So... what’s this all about?"

"I can’t let Lugh get bound,"

Xhi said simply.

"That... doesn’t explain anything."

The elf sighed, glancing at her.

"I’m all for ruining Selaphiel’s plans, but... why Sofia?"

"Because she’s the only other choice."

Madame Cross smiled knowingly.

"What about yourself?"

Silence fell again.

Lyra took a slow step back.

Then—

"Me?"

Xhi asked.

"Yes, you."

Xhi tilted her head. A strange, almost wistful emotion flickered in her eyes.

She asked softly:

"Have you ever tried marrying yourself?"