Chosen By The Lover's Constellation-Chapter 89: Mana Ties, Part One

Naturally, the first word that came out of Lianna’s mouth was:

"What?"

The administrator cracked a smile.

"Don’t believe me? Go ahead and check my status. It’s okay, it’ll work this time."

Lianna hesitated just a little. The potential verification was a little too much for her to bear. And yet, curiosity alone fixed Lianna’s eyes on the woman and she did as the lady asked.

Cynthia Taylor

MP: 500/500

---

STR: A+

END: A+

DEX: A+

MYS: A+

L: S+

Lianna was in shock.

Not because this was, undeniably, the strongest individual Lianna had ever come across, but because she was actually her.

Miss Cynthia Taylor. Lianna’s guardian angel, a mere abstract set of letters on a page before this moment, was standing right in front of her.

Lianna felt a tear pop up in her eyes.

"Come on," Cynthia said, smirking down at her. "Put some clothes on. I’d like to treat you to some breakfast."

With a sniffle, Lianna replied:

"Okay."

---

Together, they went to a local coffee shop.

The green-haired woman had ordered a couple of tiny plates of dessert for them, little bundles of bread with cream.

"Don’t eat these too often," Cynthia said. "Unless you’re going on missions frequently, you’ll want to watch your calories."

"... Right."

Then, silence descended upon them again.

Cynthia held back a giggle, putting a gloved hand up to her lips, and then said:

"Is there nothing you wish to ask me?"

"I..." Lianna sighed. "Every day, for like the last ten years, I’d think of stuff I’d want to tell you. Stuff to say if I ever saw you, even if I never thought it would happen. Now... Now, I’m at a loss for words. I’ve got nothing," she said with a little scoff, shaking her head.

"Take your time. Get your thoughts in order. I went to your room this morning with the intent of answering any and all questions you may have, so don’t worry, I’ll wait."

It didn’t take too long before a question did slip past Lianna’s lips, though.

"... How come you never showed up before?"

Cynthia’s eyes widened a little.

Immediately, Lianna put her hands up.

"I-I mean, don’t get me wrong, I appreciate what you’ve done for me, a-and I get that you’re the administrator of a whole guild, but-"

"Lianna," Cynthia cut her off with a soft tone and a warm smile. "You’re allowed to want answers. It’s fine."

Slowly, Lianna’s defensive posture eased up.

"Well, where do I start...?" Cynthia leaned back a bit, bringing her coffee up to her lips. With her other hand, she gestured at the dessert, letting her know she could afford to take a few bites, as this would likely take a while. "When I was 16, I became an adventurer."

In between bites of that sweet bread and cream, Lianna listened intently.

"Originally, I was a member of the Silver Blade. After a while, though, I realized that the Watchful fit my ambitions better. I went on a few missions here and there, did some work. Regular stuff. Then, I went on this one, very peculiar mission."

Crossing her legs, Miss Taylor’s eyes rested on her coffee cup. She stirred it in slow circles, a nostalgic glint in her eyes.

"A mana storm was wreaking havoc in a mountain-based settlement. The people there needed to be evacuated. I, and a few others, took the job."

Lianna pretty much knew this part of the story, but she didn’t want to interrupt.

"We arrived and did as we were tasked. We evacuated everyone, we helped the wounded, we fought off a few Fiends that suddenly appeared. But, along the way, something happened."

"You found me and brought me back."

"No."

"What?"

Cynthia shook her head.

"You were, quite literally, pulled out of me."

Lianna blinked.

A barista who’d been walking by the table did a double-take.

Cynthia’s expression did not change at all. If she was lying or exaggerating in any way, Lianna could not tell.

"W-What do you mean?"

"I mean exactly what I said." Cynthia took a sip of her coffee. "I was walking through a house, looking for any villagers in need of assistance, and a... current of some sort suddenly wrapped around me. Pure mana, most likely. It was, undeniably, the single most painful thing I’ve ever been through. The only way I can describe it is that I was being burned alive. It lasted a few minutes. Just before I could faint from the pain, though, it stopped and there you were. Resting on a dusty bed, covered in a very Fiendish aura."

Lianna was frozen. Staring blankly at Cynthia, a bit of cream on her bottom lip, feeling her heart beating rapidly.

"I nearly killed you," Cynthia said quietly. "At first, I thought I’d spawned a Fiend somehow. But..." She sighed, "as I held a sword over your tiny body, I considered it... But, I couldn’t. That said, I also couldn’t lie about your origin, given how obvious your aura was. So, I took you out of there, brought you back to Telvan, and spent a bit of time wondering what exactly the right thing to do was."

Cynthia’s eyes went back up. Her golden irises met Lianna’s red and green, and she said:

"A lot of ideas went through my mind, not all of them good. I considered handing you over to the army. I considered leaving you on some poor family’s doorstep. I considered raising you myself. For one reason or another, these options just weren’t viable. That last one’s probably the one you’re most curious about, isn’t it?"

"... It is," Lianna replied.

"Well, let me explain. I didn’t keep you myself for two main reasons, Lianna. One, I was 16. I just wasn’t ready to have a kid. But, two, I..."

For the first time since they’d sat down, Cynthia actually looked sad.

"I was an adventurer. Do you know how fragile the life of an adventurer is? Over the course of my career, I’ve nearly died more times than I can count. But, I never stopped going on missions, because it’s all I know how to do. What this meant was that if I kept you, if I raised you as my own child, there was a fairly high chance you’d end up having to live without me anyway. I... I felt that would be unfair to you. To give you a taste of family only to take it away. So, I dropped you off at the orphanage, but, and I know this may be hard to believe but I mean it, I never forgot you."

Cynthia put her head on her chin. Lianna could see the memories flashing before her eyes.

"I worked harder than I ever had. I made as much money as I could, I climbed the ranks of the Watchful, I gained fame and glory... And all of it, I tried to split into tiny pieces, so I could hand a few to you."

Cynthia took a deep breath.

"And, it’s about time I did that."

"Huh?" Lianna wiped away a tear that had been threatening to roll down her cheek.

Cynthia set down her cup.

"Lianna, I want you to come with me."

Lianna, still absorbing the revelations of the morning, blinked in surprise.

"Where to?"

With a sly grin, Cynthia replied.

"A place I’ve been saving for just this very occasion."

Intrigued, Lianna followed Cynthia out of the cozy coffee shop and into the bustling streets of Telvan.

Just a few streets away, Cynthia led her toward an inconspicuous building with a nondescript door. The sort of place one would pass by hundreds of times, on the way to work, on the way back, without ever truly noticing it.

Unlocking it swiftly, Cynthia ushered Lianna inside.

Lianna’s jaw dropped.

[Oh my...]

The dimly lit space revealed a vault of some sort, lined with shelves bearing an impressive array of weapons, each gleaming in the low light. Blades, bows, hammers, maces, nunchucks, chakrams, and even a few guns.

Cynthia gestured towards the arsenal with pride.

"This, Lianna, is for you. Among other things, like that VR training room. I’ll roll it all out for you in time, but there’s a point to all of it. For now, feel free to take a look around."

Lianna’s eyes widened as she took in the sight. Each piece seemed carefully chosen and exotic like Cynthia had picked all of this up from different parts of the world.

"These are yours?" Lianna asked in disbelief.

Cynthia nodded.

"Indeed. Some I found, some I made myself, some I bought. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not giving away all of this, but... I wouldn’t be against you borrowing this stuff every now and then."

Lianna genuinely didn’t know how to respond.

She just gawked at it for a while until Cynthia stepped in front of her.

"I..." Cynthia inhaled sharply. "I understand that none of this is enough to make up for the years you spent on your own. And, I’m not expecting you to like me very much at all. But, I would like to make it clear that I will support you in your endeavors to the best of my ability."