Magus Supremacy

Chapter 927

Chapter 927

"I’m sorry, Brother Grey!"

Jesse came to a halt in front of the warrior mage, a somber and sorrowful expression etched onto her face as she watched the crimson droplets fall from her brother’s cheek.

Alas!

Contrary to her fearful expectations, Grey wasn’t angry in the least.

His face was split with a wide, triumphant smile as he crouched down in front of the little girl.

"Oh Jesse, there is no need to apologize to me."

Jesse looked up at him, her expression a mask of pure confusion.

"But—bu..." she stuttered, her small finger pointing toward the jagged cut on his face.

Lifting a brow, Grey moved his hand toward his cheek and wiped his thumb over the blood before bringing it back before his eyes to inspect the stain.

"This is a small price to pay for what I wanted to see."

Jesse’s brows furrowed immediately as she searched deep into his gaze.

Grey then heaved a tired sigh, wiping the bloodstain onto his clothing before gently cupping the girl’s face in his hands.

"I’m also sorry for what I said to you earlier. The truth is, I needed to see for myself what magic you would manifest."

"Huh?" Jesse frowned, taking a slight step back from him. "That’s all? You could have just asked, though; I would have told you."

The girl facepalmed at her brother’s apparent stupidity.

"... Jesse wanted to talk about this but didn’t get the chance to, either."

Grey’s eyes lit up for a moment as the realization of his own foolish actions dawned on him.

"Oh? Oh!"

Shaking his head at his own blunder, he reached out to hold the girl’s hands.

"I’m sorry, Jesse. I thought you were unaware of what was brewing inside you, so I wanted to force it out. I’m truly sorry for hurting you with my words. Please, can you forgive me?"

Grey offered his apology while holding his ears, looking at the girl with a genuinely somber expression.

Jesse smiled at the sight and walked toward the mage, gently prying his hands away from his ears.

"Jesse will forgive you on one condition alone."

Grey lifted an inquisitive brow. "Sure. Anything for you. What is it?"

A mischievous glint appeared in her gaze, followed by a greedy gleam that flashed momentarily through her golden eyes.

"Get me two full chickens to eat."

"That’s all?" Grey asked with a confident smirk.

Jesse nodded firmly.

Grey then held out his hand for a formal shake, which Jesse welcomed with a grin.

"Deal."

The duo shared a smile before Grey transitioned from crouching to sitting down on the bare ground, tugging at Jesse to join him.

A mild silence settled in the room as Grey reflected on the brief spar and the sheer destructiveness of Jesse’s magic.

That was a truly powerful display for someone who wasn’t even twelve yet—the standard age for any human to even begin awakening an affinity.

And here he was, a man who always prided himself on being a genius.

Though he had awakened later than some, he had always grasped concepts faster and more efficiently, which cemented his status as a genius among geniuses.

This fact had been proven beyond doubt when he shattered expectations and manifested a domain in less than a single day.

But now, it seemed as though Jesse was on the verge of surpassing him entirely.

She had already set her own record, one that nobody might be able to break for a very long time.

An eleven-year-old child possessing a mana core and already having such a firm grasp of her affinity? It was absolutely crazy!

’What should I have expected? After all, she’s my sister. Even though we aren’t related by blood, my influence has clearly rubbed off on her. Hahaha!’

Jesse was twirling her finger on the ground in pure boredom while her brother remained deep in thought, wearing that same peculiar smile he always sported—one reminiscent of a lunatic of some sort.

She didn’t know what to make of the expression, hence she kept quiet while fantasizing about the sumptuous meal she had been promised.

... Besides, she mused that perhaps his weird behavior or that specific smirk was the secret to why he was so formidable.

Coming to that conclusion, Jesse lifted her head to stare at Grey for a moment, observing the ridiculous smile frozen on his features.

She decided to replicate it, and the result?

Well, it was tragic and somewhat terrifying.

Feeling the intensity of a gaze directed at him, Grey turned around to look at Jesse, only to yelp for a moment at the face the girl was pulling.

She resembled a scary clown—almost.

She was the kind of clown that gave children nightmares.

"Jesse? What happened to your face?" Grey gently asked.

Quickly shaking her head, the girl dispelled the smile with an awkward chuckle.

She had been so engrossed in what she was trying to perfect that she hadn’t noticed that Grey was done with his reverie.

"It’s uh... nothing, Brother Grey."

"Hm."

Grey was about to turn away when a sudden thought occurred to him.

Turning back to face the girl, he began: "By the way, how did you learn light magic? And when?"

Jesse thought for a moment before replying:

"It was Elara’s father. He taught me how to cultivate a mana core. It was incredibly painful to do, and I excreted some strange, black goo from my body which reeked badly."

As she spoke, the girl shuddered in disgust at the mere thought of the experience.

Regardless, she continued:

"After that, I got cleaned up, and from there, he was training me daily for months. I joined his children in training every day. Whenever he was busy, I would be taught by Elara’s older brother. They even said something about me being a genius of some kind."

She spoke with a certain smugness, puffing her chest out while looking at the mage before her.

But then, the pride died back down as a hint of sadness clouded her features.

"Too bad that Jesse can only use one spell. I wish I was as strong as Brother Grey."

The Supreme Magus stared at her with a thoughtful look.

Then, he did something he didn’t think he would be performing on his sister anytime soon.

’I never wanted to do this but... Appraisal.’