Hours after the humiliating duel, Mina and Clarissa were in the mansion, having decided to give Lukas some space to process his defeat. The air in the sitting room was heavy with unspoken worry.
"Tristan really didn't hold back," Clarissa said, her voice barely a whisper. She looked at Mina, her emerald eyes filled with doubt. "Don't you think it's too much that we're asking of Hiro?"
Mina took a slow sip of her tea, the warmth of the cup a stark contrast to the cold knot in her stomach. "I know, asking him to do this when he has nothing to do with Lukas is a bit much. But I believe in him. The Hiruko I saw during our practice duel is filled with unwavering strength."
Clarissa's gaze was fixed on a sparkling chandelier hanging from the ceiling, her eyes mirroring the sad glint of the crystal. "Do you think he'll be alright?"
"Yeah, he better be," Mina replied, though she didn't sound entirely convinced herself. "I think he should be in his room right about now, thinking of his next move."
"I just hope he didn't give up," Clarissa said, the fear clear in her voice.
A soft knock on the door interrupted their tense conversation. Theresa, the head maid, entered, her face a picture of professional concern. "Please excuse my rudeness, but I have a question."
"Go on, what is it, Theresa?" Clarissa asked, a hint of impatience in her voice.
"Is Young Master Lukas with you two?"
Mina and Clarissa exchanged a look of confusion. "No, he's not. Isn't he supposed to be in his room?" Mina asked.
Theresa's face grew more worried. "Actually, I heard that Young Master Lukas has not been seen returning to the mansion."
A cold dread washed over Mina. She shot up from her chair and rushed to the door, Clarissa right behind her. "What do you mean by not seeing Lukas? Do you mean he is still outside?" Clarissa's voice was tight with panic.
"But it's still raining outside," Mina said, the color draining from her face. "Why the hell would he be out there? It's already been four hours."
"Don't tell me he ran away, or did something extreme?" Clarissa gasped, her hands flying to her mouth.
Mina didn't hesitate. She looked at Theresa, her blue eyes filled with a new, urgent resolve. "Whatever it is, we must go look for him. Theresa, call the maids. We are going to look for Lukas." Theresa looking hesitant but seeing as this was Mina's order approved her suggestion.
The hunt began in a flurry of activity and hushed commands. Maids, cloaked in dark, waterproof robes, moved like a disciplined military unit, their lanterns cutting through the gloom of the pouring rain. They fanned out across the vast Tross estate, their worried whispers swallowed by the sound of the downpour. Mina led the search, her sense of urgency a sharp contrast to the maids' professional efficiency. Clarissa clung to her side, her face pale, her emerald eyes darting nervously into every shadow.
The dueling grounds, once a stage for humiliation, now held a new kind of dread. The rain had washed away the evidence of the duel, leaving behind only the churned-up earth and a chilling silence. "He's not here," Clarissa whispered, her voice trembling. "Where could he have gone?"
Mina didn't answer. She rushed through the garden, the mud sucking at her shoes with every step. The minutes stretched into hours.
They searched the stables, the forest, and the servants' quarters, but there was no sign of him. The despair was a suffocating blanket over them, their hope dwindling with every passing moment. Mina's mind, usually so sharp and precise, was a whirlwind of panic. She was running on pure instinct, a desperate, animalistic hunt.
Suddenly, a thought, so simple it was almost infuriating, hit her. She had been searching for Lukas, but she should have been searching for Hiruko. She should have been searching for the man who had faced his fears.
The conservatory forgotten training ground.
It was their training ground. It was the one place where he had faced her head on and found a sliver of hope. She had to go there.
"The conservatory training ground!" she yelled, her voice a sudden, desperate cry in the storm. She ran, her body fueled by a new, frantic energy. She ran through the pouring rain, her shoes slipping in the mud, her lungs burning with every breath. Clarissa, confused but trusting, followed behind.
They found him huddled against a crumbling stone wall. The rain was coming down in sheets, plastering his hair to his face, his clothes soaked through to the skin. In his hand, a defiant spark of orange light flickered, illuminating his face with a pale, ethereal glow. He was casting a fireball. A pathetic fireball that sputtered and died in the rain, but he was casting it.
He raised his hand again, his face a mask of fierce concentration, his body trembling with exhaustion and cold. He was not giving up. He was not broken. He was fighting.
"Hiro!" Clarissa's voice, a mix of relief and a scolding tone, cut through the rain. She and Mina stood a few feet away, their faces pale and their clothes soaked.
"Oh, you two," Hiruko said, a hint of genuine surprise in his voice. "What are you doing out this late at night?"
Before he could say another word, Mina rushed forward and gave his legs a quick, sharp kick.
"Ouch!" Hiruko yelped, hopping on one foot.
"You know how worried we were about you?" Mina said, her voice trembling with a mixture of anger and concern.
Hiruko laughed, the sound a ragged, strained thing that was more relief than amusement. Mina and Clarissa exchanged a confused look.
"Come on," Hiruko said, a sad, knowing smile on his face. "There's no need to be concerned about me. It was just a bad day at work, everyone has it. I just have to work harder to get better."
Clarissa's brow furrowed. "What are you talking about?"
"Don't worry about it," Hiruko said, the sadness in his smile replaced by a new, quiet determination. "Just understand that I'm not the kind of guy who stays in despair or down for long. I believe in making my life better with my own hard work."
A wave of relief washed over Clarissa and Mina. The panic that had been a tight knot in their chests began to unravel.
"You really are so much different than Lukas," Mina said, a genuine smile on her face.
"Of course I am," Hiruko replied, his voice firm and unwavering. "I am Nagasaka Hiruko, not Lukas Tross. But I have decided to make his life better, and that's exactly what I'm going to do."
Mina's smile widened. "How many hours have you been practicing?"
"As soon as you two got in the mansion," he said, the words a raw confession of his humiliation and despair. A flicker of a sad smile crossed his face. "Sorry, Mina. I got your family name down."
"Come on, it was Tristan Tross," she said, her voice filled with understanding. "And you're just an amateur at magic."
"Yeah, you must be right," Hiruko said, a genuine laugh escaping him.
Clarissa, seeing the shift in his mood, looked at him with renewed hope. "How much longer will you be going at this?"
"Don't worry," Hiruko said, his eyes fixed on the flickering ember in his palm. "I know my body. I'll leave when I feel like I've reached my limit."
"This idiot is actually fully fine," Mina said, a genuine, relieved smile on her face. "We should leave him to his training and go."
Clarissa's face, though still concerned, took on a happy expression, mirroring Mina's confidence. "Okay, let's go. And we actually have to get a guard to get you a carriage to get you to your home."
As they began to walk away, Hiruko's voice stopped them.
"Mina... Clarissa," he said. They turned, the rain plastering their clothes to their bodies, their shoes caked with mud. He looked at their rain-soaked clothes and their exhausted faces. "Thank you for caring about a stranger like me," he said, his voice filled with a gratitude so deep it was almost painful. "Sorry for showing my pathetic side. I had my fill of crying. Now, I plan to show my cool side."
Both of them blushed, the color a bright contrast against their pale skin. "Shut up, loser," Mina said, her voice a low grumble. "Who would be concerned about you?"
"I hope you stick to your word, Hiruko," Clarissa said, her voice soft but firm. "We both would like to see your cool side."
Mina grumbled something under her breath as Clarissa took her arm and led her away, leaving Hiruko alone in the rain once more.
He looked down at his palm, at the wisp of smoke that was all that remained of his last spell. "They are too kind," he whispered to himself.
He raised his hand again, his face set with a renewed, fierce determination. He didn't try to be powerful; he tried to be precise. He focused on the ignis, the unique incantation he had created, the spell that was his and his alone. He willed the mana to flow, not in a chaotic burst, but in a controlled, steady stream.
"Ignis," he whispered.
A ball of fire, a deep, vibrant orange, appeared in his palm. It was still far from perfect, but it wasn't wobbly. It was solid. It was contained. It didn't flicker or sputter. It was a clean, controlled flame.
A genuine smile, one of pure, unadulterated triumph, spread across his face. He looked at his reflection in the puddle of water on the ground, at the image of Lukas Tross staring back at him. "That Goldie can't break me," he said, the words a quiet promise. "Not as long as I have those two who care so much about you, Lukas."