"Oh, and one more thing..." Neron bobbed his head as he turned in my direction.
"The only reason that person chose three Familiars that day was because he didn't find any other one worth his time..."
Neron's smile deepened, and from the way he narrowed his eyes, I assumed he was giving me a hidden meaning to his words.
My eyes bulged the moment I realized what it was!
The one whose record I had surpassed, was none other than my Lecturer himself.
"I look forward to the Exchange, Jared. You grow more interesting by the day. Once you become my disciple... we'll be having quite an interesting conversation."
He opened the door and gave another kind of smile.
"Looks like you have even more visitors. It's a good thing I decided to leave when I did."
I wanted to speak, but words refused to come out. So, as I watched him exit, I played a smile on my face.
He certainly was full of mystery, but that made the man all the more interesting. As for his final statement, that was a lot of crap.
'He must have sensed their presence before they got to the door and coordinated his actions well, timing it to the point that he would be leaving the moment they reached the entrance.'
That was just how scary my Lecturer was!
I retracted my Familiars, who had chosen to remain silent throughout Neron's conversation with me. They ceased their usual chatter and just watched in decorum, waiting to be returned to their Cores.
It made me wonder if they were actually reliable Bonds or just wusses.
"Jared!" A familiar voice called out to me, causing me to sharply turn in the direction of the door.
Edward and Anabelle walked in, with the latter increasing her pace with a relieved smile all over her face.
"Oh, hey. It certainly is nice to see you two."
"Likewise," Edward said with a slight nod.
He closed the door behind him as Ana rushed to my side, thoroughly observing my body with her hands and eyes to confirm that I was well.
"I'm fine, don't be so anxious." I laughed, feeling her small hands course through my skin.
Fortunately, they didn't go anywhere dangerous.
"I'll be the judge of that!"
Still fuming energetically, she maintained her touch for a few moments until she was satisfied.
"Well, looks like you're all good!"
I nearly rolled my eyes in response, but controlled myself. It was good to see them, but Anabelle's overexcited self was something I could definitely take a break from.
"You two succeeded in the Familiar Selection Ceremony, right? Congratulations."
Edward and Anabelle grinned, with the former having teary eyes. One could call it the look of gratitude and debt.
"It's all because of you, Jared. Thank you!"
Anabelle was more casual about it, but she also offered her thanks. As a result of the training they endured with me, those two had achieved a height they couldn't have dreamed of attaining in such little time.
"You two... your Mana Cores seem different. You meditated in the Oasis when the Ceremony started, didn't you?"
The both of them nodded energetically.
"We felt the surge of energy and decided to go with the flow. Of course, after seeing that you were doing it, we followed your lead." Edward smiled.
"Well, the energy was a lot, so I could only take in very little and work on it. Thankfully, I was able to reach the next Core Grade!"
It was amazing how fast they had grown. I was extremely impressed by the initiative they took.
Edward, who was currently in the middle stage of the Yellow Core Grade, had already advanced to the final stages, having an estimate of about 90 percent Yellow and 10 percent White.
Of course, I knew I wasn't being accurate, but considering the fact that I felt his Mana Core being saturated with the Yellow Core energy, it only made sense.
As for Anabelle, her growth was the most astounding. She, who hadn't even been using Mana all her life, had already reached the Blue Core Grade during our training. However, thanks to the Ceremony's bulk of energy, she was now teetering at the edge of the Grade.
'She might reach the next Grade very soon at this rate... how amazing!'
I was certain she could have gone even further if she kept absorbing the Mana in the Ceremony, but Ana must have felt it too...
"I think I've reached the limits of my body, for now. So, I'll focus more on Spells and Mana control." She answered my thoughts on her own.
"Indeed. Edward, you've also reached a decent stage, comparable to talented students. I should focus more on your Sword Arts from now on."
He nodded in agreement.
At this point, they had their seats. My bed was big enough for a person to sit on the side, so Anabelle took the initiative and claimed the spot. Edward used the only other seat in the infirmary and made it his.
"Oh, by the way, how long was I out for?"
"Hmm, it's evening already, so I guess it has just been a few hours."
That made sense since I was restored through the aid of a potion.
'I should develop one of my own... so I don't experience this kind of weakness after intense meditation!'
"How about you, Jared? Were you able to breakthrough? Did you achieve a higher Core Grade?" With eyes sparkling like a child, Anabelle assaulted me with questions.
"No. I still have a White Mana Core Grade. I told you already, that this is intentional. I did achieve what I wanted, though."
They looked surprised by my reply, and curiosity seemed to seep in.
"It was well worth it since I got to have the ideal Familiars... I'm certain your Mana Core progress also helped in obtaining very useful Bonds."
Anabelle and Edward glanced at each other's smiled amusedly, and then looked at me with confident and proud looks. It was as if they shared a secret I didn't know of... well, they were about to reveal it to me.
"Hehehe! Edward and I got ourselves a steal!"
"That's right, Jared. We'll Manifest them for you to see for yourself"
The massive growth the pair had undergone, coupled with the confidence they now displayed, told me I was in for a treat.
'Oh? Now I'm intrigued. Show me what you caught!'
