I slowed my railway alchemizing to a crawl briefly so I could safely send Ilina home. Conservation of momentum seems to apply through the teleportation spells, so sending her into the mansion at a few hundred kilometers per hour would probably be bad for her health.
After I was alone, I finished the railway between Wellick and Eden's northern train station. Then, I teleported back to Wellick and created a train with several passenger and cargo cars. Under the cover of an invisibility spell, of course. When I finished, I dropped the control plates off in Cara's office in the agreed upon spot.
Now, I've just teleported back into the mansion's reception hall. It's been several hours since Ilina and I parted ways, and all the lights are off on the first floor. I summon a light ball for some basic illumination, then start searching the house with magic sense for Ilina's signature. To my surprise, she seems to be upstairs, near the family room, with signatures that I think belong to Nina, Alara, Alto, and Zara.
I make may way to the family room, and I notice light spilling out of its door as I arrive. There seems to be intense debate going on as I approach, but I can't identify the voices or their words. I enter the room, and the conversation dies down as five pairs of eyes turn toward me. Ilina smiles politely to me.
"Oh, Mizuki, you're back? Has it been that long already? I guess we were just about done here anyway." (Ilina)
I nod to Ilina and scan everyone else's faces as I make my way over to take a seat on the couch next to Nina.
"Yeah, it's been a few hours. I guess you all had a lot to talk about? Zara, I see that you got roped into this as well." (Mizuki)
Zara smiles humorlessly and nods.
"With my hearing, I wouldn't be able to stay asleep while they're up here talking anyway. I thought the discussion might be interesting if they were doing it so late at night. Looks like I was right." (Zara)
The mood seems unnaturally tense, and as I study their faces I notice Nina pursing her lips in disapproval. I also sense dissatisfaction from her. That's not how I left her, so something upsetting was obviously discussed.
"Nina, is everything okay? You don't seem happy with the discussion that took place." (Mizuki)
Nina nods emphatically.
"Yes, Mizuki, that's correct. Ilina is suggesting hiding significant information from you...I do not approve of keeping secrets from my mate. I fail to see the need for it." (Nina)
That sounds ominous, but Ilina did mention something along those lines. I promised to trust her if it came to that, and I'm sure she wouldn't hide something from me without good reason. Still, Nina's opinion is important to me as well. I turn towards Alto, who is watching me with a conflicted expression.
"Alto, what do you think? Is there a compelling reason for Ilina to keep this information from me? Do you have any concerns about this discussion?" (Mizuki)
Alto nods thoughtfully in response to my questions.
"I agree with most of Ilina's plans and justifications. I don't think it's an issue to tell you that one of the reasons she wants to hide information from you is because she's worried about your behavior around the nobles tomorrow seeming unnatural at key moments. I agree that them later suspecting you of colluding with Ilina would be a serious issue. It's p-" (Alto)
Nina cuts Alto off with an annoyed voice.
"You see, Mizuki! The idea that you would ruin a simple scheme by being aware of it is preposterous! You've concocted scheme after scheme of your own, and all of them have succeeded. I don't see any benefit to excluding you from this one...it's disrespectful..." (Nina)
So they're worried about my reactions seeming staged? That raises all kinds of questions, but I probably shouldn't ask them right now. The real question is...do I agree with Nina? I'd certainly like to think that my acting skills are up to the challenge, and I don't want to risk ruining something they have planned by accident if they incorrectly judge me.
I glance at Alto again, and I see that she's conflicted, like she's deciding whether to say something.
"Okay, Nina, I hear where you're coming from, and I'm honestly inclined to agree with you. But let's hear what Alto has to say. She looks like she feels differently than me. I trust her, and I want to know her opinion before we go any further. Alto?" (Mizuki)
Alto sighs and looks at me apologetically.
"I'm sorry, Mizuki, but I agree with Ilina. If we are going to put her plan in action, it would be best for you to know as little as possible. You're good at feigning certain emotions, but you're not the best at deciding when you need to do so. For example, you have a bad habit of forgetting to feign fear over things that scare normal people. Also, don't forget that Ilina was routinely suspicious of your schemes early on...you can slip up. Several of the nobles are exceptionally perceptive, and it's likely they'd pick up on something in your responses." (Alto)
Ouch...that hurts my pride a bit. She's right, though...early on in our relationship, Ilina was constantly inferring the truths I was trying to hide from her. While I don't think any of the nobles are quite as perceptive as Ilina, some are close enough to be trouble. Darak, for example.
I glance at Ilina, and she's just looking at me with a calm and confident expression. I guess she's already read me like a book. I sigh deeply and nod.
"Okay, I understand. Nina, I'd hate to admit it, but Alto's right about my shortcomings. I trust her and Ilina, and if Ilina's plan can really accomplish everything she claims, then me being in the dark is a small price to pay. So, I'm on board with this decision. Do you have any concerns about Ilina's plan that relate to its chances of success?" (Mizuki)
Nina looks conflicted for a moment, then shakes her head reluctantly.
"No, Ilina's plan sounds reasonable. As clever as your schemes, even. I just don't like secrets between me and my mate. But if that's what you want, I'll respect your decision." (Nina)
I nod at Nina appreciatively, then turn to scan the others' faces.
"So, what do I need to know about this plan of Ilina's, and the events tomorrow?" (Mizuki)
Alto looks at Ilina pointedly. After a moment, Ilina nods hesitantly, then turns to me.
"Alto has expressed concerns about one part of my plan, and she's insistent that we speak with you first. If you aren't okay with it, then I have alternatives for accomplishing everything I promised. However, it would make things significantly easier, both at the meeting and in your future interactions with the elves." (Ilina)
I direct a hesitant look at Ilina.
"Okay....let's hear it..." (Mizuki)
"Well...how sure are you that you're actually human?" (Ilina)
I'm sure the shock shows plainly on my face. What kind of question is that!?
"Pretty sure. The only race on my home planet is humans, and nobody there ever questioned that I was human. That includes my own parents. Haven't we been over this, like multiple times? Why would you ask me something like that?" (Mizuki)
Alto is quick to interject.
"Mizuki, what Princess Ilina means is...are you sure that you're the same race as the humans on this planet? I understand that your respective races seem to call themselves the same thing, and there are similarities, but are you truly one of them? You have eyes that none of them do, and don't even get me started on your difference in magic abilities, or how your contract with Nina has changed you. Maybe those things aren't as obvious as pointy ears, but they're considerable differences." (Alto)
I raise my eyebrows in surprise. I.....guess she has a point. Although, except for my eye color, I think the other differences are largely environmental. Magic classes outside your natural aptitude assessment can obviously be learned, like with Alto.
I did think that magic power level variations were largely genetic at first. After all, Azazel said that human transfers from planets with less magic than Azura tended to have higher-than-normal magic power levels here. That seemed like a good argument for humans evolving over time to take in magic more efficiently depending on the levels of it on their home planet.
In theory, the different humans would have evolved to similar levels of average magic proficiency on their respective planets – whatever minimum degree helped them survive significantly better. Then, humans transferred from a planet less rich in magic than Azura, who had evolved to take in and store magic more efficiently by necessity, would get a sudden power boost in the relatively magic-saturated environment of Azura. At least, that's what I thought before.
However, considering my abilities, I've had to largely discredit that theory. After all, Earth has zero magic, so there's no selective pressure for humans there evolving more efficient magic use. Of course, it's technically possible that I have some one-in-a-million genetic fluke that was inconsequential on Earth. But that'd also raise the question why the same mutation has never presented itself in the entire history of Azura's human population.
So, it seems exceedingly likely to me that magic power development is largely environmental. That's not to say that it's like magic class, where it can be learned or trained. More so, what I imagine is that more magic in the environment is somehow detrimental to developing humans' adult magic capacity. In other words, if you're conceived, born, and/or raised in a magic-rich environment, it stunts your ability to take in and use magic efficiently.
I have no definitive evidence for this, of course, and it hinges on a single test subject – me. But still, that's what the circumstances suggest. There's probably some genetic influence, since the humans growing up on Azura together can vary significantly in magic power level. Similarly, Elder Dragons have anomalously higher magic power levels than the humans on their home planet, and they're allegedly just modified versions of those humans.
I've even thought of a clever little research project that would let us estimate how much genetic versus environmental influence there is on magic power level, and test my guess about magic-rich environments being detrimental to it. I just haven't yet had the time it will require to carry out. Anyway, that's a worry for a later time. For now, I need to focus on Ilina's/Alto's question.
Do I think I'm the same race as Azura's humans?