"Welcome back," Thunder gently stroked Tifa's head, turning her to face him. Her eyes were red from crying, but she wore a blissful smile.
"You're not leaving again, right? You've been gone for almost a month," Tifa said, rubbing her eyes with small hands.
When Sisi finally saw Tifa's face clearly, she was struck by a wave of shock.
It wasn't fair! How could a random maid have such beauty that could rival hers? Sisi had briefly fantasized that Tifa would have a stunning figure but an ugly face, which would make life much easier. But that thought quickly vanished, and she couldn't understand why she'd even entertained such a cruel idea.
After observing Tifa for a bit longer, Sisi felt a sense of relief. *Ha-ha, the heavens are indeed fair!* Tifa was beautiful and had a great figure, but unfortunately… no chest!
*Kindred spirit!* Sisi found herself warming up to Tifa immediately.
"Young Master, who are these people?" Tifa asked, noticing the others behind Thunder. She quickly wiped away her tears and greeted them with a smile.
Thunder introduced everyone again, and Tifa responded gracefully, greeting each one.
However, when she looked at Sisi and Maria, there was a hint of something indescribable in her eyes.
Leading the group to the outer courtyard's living room, Thunder instructed Uncle Oak to prepare more dishes for lunch. Along the way, they didn't see Carlos or the other guards, who were apparently helping with the wine-making as Uncle Oak had mentioned.
Thunder laid out all the snacks and fruits he'd bought from Faeril City. This time, Tifa didn't shy away and happily munched on the snacks while listening to the lightning class members chat.
Sisi ate quickly, and Tifa wasn't far behind. The two girls seemed to find common ground and soon huddled together.
"Since we're all family here, I want to take this opportunity to teach you my unique cultivation method over the next half-month," Thunder said earnestly. His words were heartfelt now, unlike his initial impulsiveness in Breton Forest.
Though Thunder hadn't known the lightning class for long, their shared experiences in Breton Forest had bonded them into an inseparable unit.
Maria had already discussed this with Eric and Sisi. Thunder was willing to share his exclusive cultivation method with them.
For any mage, having a method to accumulate mana and enhance strength was invaluable. Hearing Thunder's offer, Sisi and Eric's eyes lit up with excitement.
"When can we start?" Eric asked eagerly, wanting to test if the method was as effective as Thunder claimed.
"Tomorrow. Today is for rest, but you still have tasks."
"Young Master, is it the method you taught me?" Tifa asked.
"Yes. Tifa, try releasing your mana so we can observe."
"How do I release it?" Tifa knew how to cultivate but had never delved deeper into controlling magic elements.
"Try to control the magical elements around you."
Tifa put down her snacks, closed her eyes, and focused on her mana flow, attempting to communicate with the surrounding elements. Soon, a faint elemental fluctuation emanated from her body.
Sisi felt a pang of jealousy. What kind of world was this where even a lowly maid could wield magic? Still, she stubbornly said, "It's nothing special. The mana fluctuation is too weak."
Indeed, it was barely enough to qualify as a magic apprentice.
"If I told you that just two months ago, Tifa couldn't even sense magic elements…" Thunder said seriously.
Shock rippled through the group. In this world, sensing magic elements was usually innate. No one had ever heard of someone developing this ability later in life. It was nearly impossible.
The truth was simple: only those who could sense magic elements could accumulate mana and become mages. It was a cause-and-effect relationship.
But Tifa had broken that rule, paving a new path—thanks to Thunder's teachings.
"If that's the case… then anyone could potentially learn magic," Maria said, frowning.
In a world where magic made things colorful, it also brought more battles and bloodshed. If everyone could learn magic, chaos would ensue.
Maria wasn't worried about the prestige and rarity of mages being threatened; she was genuinely concerned about the potential chaos.
"That's not possible," Thunder shook his head. "Only those with suitable talent and constitution can practice this method."
No one knew better than Thunder how stringent the Longhu Sect's training methods were. Otherwise, the sect wouldn't have had so few disciples.
"What's constitution?" Eric asked.
"It's something abstract, but you three definitely have it since you're mages."
Leaving the trio to ponder, Thunder and Tifa stepped outside the living room. Tifa grabbed Thunder's hand and pulled him along.
"Where are we going?" Thunder asked as he followed.
Tifa didn't answer, her face flushed as she dragged Thunder into the inner courtyard's bedroom. She pushed him onto the bed and closed the door behind her.
Thunder's heart pounded. In this dim, intimate setting, alone with a girl, he felt it was necessary to assert his authority and set Tifa straight. Her thoughts seemed too impure.
Before he could say anything, Tifa sat on his lap, her bright eyes staring into his.
Thunder felt Tifa grab his hand, trembling slightly but determinedly guiding it under her clothes, up to her chest.
"Young Master, feel this. Is there a meaty feeling now? I've been eating a lot lately, and I'm growing fast."