I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess – Chapter 284

First, Minette revealed how she began her investigation into the Symbol of Dominion.

It was originally thought that the power of the Symbol of Dominion had been diminishing over time, but Ariel noticed that this trend started to reverse after the birth of Serina and Evan.

So, she asked Minette to bring the Symbol of Dominion and investigate it, and since then, she has been working hard to dig into it.

“It’s been about half a year since Your Highness asked me, hasn’t it?”


“Seems about right. I was skeptical at first, but I thought I might as well ask.”

At first, Ariel thought it was just a figment of her imagination.

Even if the Symbol of Dominion’s influence was declining, significant changes wouldn’t occur noticeably in just a few months. Because of this, Ariel noticed the anomaly a bit late.

She had asked Minette with a “why not” attitude, not expecting any real results. Honestly, she was a little baffled that anything had happened at all.

“So after investigating, it turns out to be surprisingly true. Honestly, I didn’t believe it myself.”


“Neither did I. It seemed like Father had given up on understanding the Symbol of Dominion.”

It was indeed a great artifact protecting Hespania, but regardless of how many scholars had dived into it, a clear solution had never emerged.

So, the Robeheim family, or rather, the Robeheim House, worked to prepare for the day when the power of the Symbol of Dominion would completely fade, planning to plant vegetation in the cold land of snow for the future.

But now that hope has returned to that uncertain future, the very fact was enough to make Ariel wear such a joyful smile.

“By the way, didn’t you say earlier it was thanks to me? What does that mean, Minette?”


“Ah, I’ll explain now. Honestly, there’s not much to explain, but… Your Highness, may I ask a favor?”


“Sure.”

Flame!

Even though she hadn’t specified what she wanted, Ariel seemed to be waiting and spread her hands, gathering magical power.

At the same time, the red magical light representing the Robeheim family burst forth like flames, and eventually gathered into a point resting delicately in her palm.

“As you might know, Count Edgar, the Symbol of Dominion has been connected with the head of the Robeheim family through generations.”


“Yes, that rings a bell.”

Although Edgar didn’t know the precise theory, he nodded, as he vaguely remembered Ariel explaining it after her succession ceremony in the past.

“So, after hearing Your Highness’s words, I pondered. If the rate at which the influence of the Symbol of Dominion has decreased after the births of Lady Serina and Young Master Evan is true, then perhaps the change might not lie in the Symbol of Dominion but rather in Your Highness.”


“That’s a possibility.”

“That’s right. As a result, I discovered something. Would you look at this?”

She had an exceptionally proud smile as she presented the phenomena she had uncovered.

Just as Minette pointed out the Symbol of Dominion, the red magical stone gradually began to change to a shade of purple.

“……!?”

Edgar widened his eyes at the unseen phenomenon, looking back and forth between the two.

The first to speak was Ariel, whose face beamed with pride.

“What do you think? Isn’t it amazing?”


“Uh… It is amazing, but what on earth is happening? Why is there such a change in the Symbol of Dominion…?”


“That might be hard to explain, so let me show you directly.”

With those words, Ariel left her right hand, which held the flames of red magical power, untouched, and opened her left hand.

Flame!

In an instant, just like before, a new flame of magical power burst forth, illuminating the surroundings.

But the issue was the color of that magical power.

“…Blue?”

Somehow, it wasn’t the red magical power typical of the Robeheim family but a clear azure hue akin to Edgar’s.

As a result, Edgar found himself dumbfounded a second time.

“Do you think it resembles anyone’s magical power?”


“I was just about to say that.”

Not only did the color look similar, but Edgar felt the strange energy from it closely matched his own, staring at her with wide eyes.

“It seems that shortly after I had the kids, such changes happened to my body. I think some of your magical power, Ed, was absorbed into me.”


“Absorbed? Is that even possible?”

Given Edgar’s somewhat limited magical knowledge, it was hard for him to believe.

After all, magical power isn’t paint; you can’t just mix two varieties with water and expect them to blend easily. So how exactly does that work?

“Surprisingly, it is possible. It happens about once in a thousand people, or rather, once in a generation.”

However, with Minette’s confident assertion followed by her explanation, he had no choice but to believe this strange phenomenon was real.

In other words, it meant that the body of Ariel Robeheim not only contained the magical power of her family’s Symbol of Dominion but also the robust magical energy belonging to her husband, Edgar.

“Giving birth basically implies physical union, but in the field of magical studies, it’s also referred to as a union of magical power.”


“Ah….”

It was a rather simple explanation, but that one phrase was enough for Edgar to grasp some understanding.

Indeed, when Serina and Evan were born, while Serina had almost entirely inherited her mother’s magical power, their son Evan was born with both parents’ magical powers.

If this were the outcome of the process of merging energies as Minette stated, then it wouldn’t be surprising if such a phenomenon occurred within Ariel as well.

“Then, the changes in the Symbol of Dominion…”


“Right, Minette said that my magical power and your magical power merged together and formed a fusion, as a result.”

So that’s why it turned purple.

Only then did Edgar finally understand why the color of the Symbol of Dominion had suddenly shifted. It was because Ariel’s red magical power had combined with his blue magic, resulting in that transformation.

“The strong magical power that has been passed down through the Robeheim family is indeed powerful enough for someone to say it rivals or even surpasses that of the royal family.”

Minette adjusted her glasses and pointed at the red magical power held in Ariel’s right hand.

Surely, the magical power contained in the bloodline of the Robeheim family was formidable. However, such strength could also bring about instability.

In that sense, it’s impressive that the Symbol of Dominion has withstood the immense magical power of the past heads of the family to protect Hespania for all these centuries.

“But the thing is, balance is the most important aspect of magical power. It shouldn’t be too hot, too cold, too strong, or too weak.”

Continuing her explanation, Minette gestured for Ariel to bring her hands together.

As Ariel combined the two magical powers as instructed, the previously formed purple flames transformed into a larger flame of the same hue.

“In that sense, Count Edgar’s magical power was a good match for Your Highness’s. The power of the Symbol of Dominion is fully preserved, while it’s subdued enough not to harm the surroundings, coexisting within one body.”

That change was reflected in the Symbol of Dominion connected to Ariel, and as a result, it was gradually regaining strength.

To put it negatively, it used to be overworked by the strong magical power of previous heads for the past few hundred years, growing frailer, but now it had found a master who would not tire it out too much and was in a relatively comfortable state.

“Hmmm… I feel like I haven’t really done anything.”

Having finished understanding the explanation, Edgar nodded but still seemed puzzled as to why he was considered responsible for this. He hadn’t hoped for such results in the first place; it was just pure luck.

However, Ariel’s thoughts were entirely different.

“Are you silly? Didn’t you hear what Minette just said? Such phenomena only come about once in a generation or so.”

In the first place, Minette even assessed it as a miraculous occurrence. No matter how well-matched magical powers were, this kind of seamless fusion had never been seen even in scholarly circles.

It was something that could only happen to these two individuals in the world, she had argued passionately, and hearing that, Ariel felt her appreciation and affection for Edgar grow even deeper.

“This really must be fate.”


“Did you figure it out now?”


“No, I already knew. I just find it surprising.”

Gently patting the slightly pouting head of his wife, Edgar felt refreshed by her attitude of confidently expressing affection while directly meeting his gaze.

He never thought of that accomplishment as something noteworthy or that he had achieved something great.

What mattered most to him was that as a result, his wife could smile, and he could hear such words from her.