The Magic Twins Ch. 9: A Double Engagement
Next Location: In the von Claude's mansion interiors…
After the incident last night, another new day starts, only that many new changes are about to take place for a handful of people among them…
"Aaaagh," Shin yawned drowsily with sinking bags underneath his eyes as he strolls down the corridor. 'All that happened last night was directly burned into my memory that I couldn't make myself sleep. Chin got to pass out at least to avoid Granny's rage, but still…'
Not long after, he bumps into Sizilien who was passing through a passage beside him, catching her attention and staring affectionately towards one another before being very conscious of each others' presence, especially after last night's mishap.
"G-good morning!" Sizilien frantically greets.
"M-morning!" Shin nervously greeted back.
"Huaaagh…! Geez, what's noisy?" Maria yawned behind Sizilien.
"M-morning, Maria," Shin greets nervously, still conscious of Sizilien.
"Huh? Oh, yeah, morning," Maria greets back as she starts herself and fixes her somewhat messy bedhead.
"A-anyways, we better head down. Breakfast is being served!" Sizilien quickly suggests.
"A-ah yeah! Yes! We shall!" Shin replied back.
"Maan, so loud," Maria drowsily groaned. 'I never thought I'd do something like that. Will Chin hate me for that, after being a couple with him for just a day or so…?!'
"Ah, wait, Maria, on second thought, you should go get breakfast without me and Shin," Sizilien replied.
"Hm? Why though?" Maria pouted.
"I have a favor that I would like to ask of Shin to do for me, for us. Will you please?" Sizilien begged.
"It's fine, just make sure you get back fast or else your breakfast will get cold by the time you get back. Take care," Maria smirks, thinking that Sizilien may have some ulterior motive with Shin as they enter through Shin's summoned "Gate."
"Maria!" Chin calls from afar, catching her attention as he runs to her. "G-good morning, Maria."
Upon looking at Chin and his flustered face as he avoided eye contact, a vivid memory of that accidental incident last night suddenly came into her mind, making her look down at the ground and blush as hard he did.
"G-good morning, Chin. S-slept well?" Maria sheepishly wondered.
"Huh!? Y-yeah!" Chin responded nervously as he clearly remembers the soft sensations on his cheeks and whole face that night. "Are you...on your way to breakfast?"
"Y-yes," Maria answered.
"Let's go together then, shall we?" Chin kindly suggests as he leaves his hand out to her, after calming down his affectionate nerves.
"Yes, we may," Maria cutely answered with blissful content as she took his arm and walked with him to the dining hall.
After sitting down with their meals before them, they were unintentionally displaying signs of closeness for minutes, which caused discomfort and unease with some of the single women in their study group.
'Geez, I wonder what Sizilien was doing, leaving me out so early in the morning with Shin. Just what could be more important…'
Suddenly, it hit Maria's mind when she realized about Sizilien's intentions, making her blankly release her grip on the spoon, which was quickly caught by Chin's quick reflexes.
"Whoa, Maria, are you alright?" Chin asks with concern.
'I forgot…' Maria mumbled.
"You forgot?" Chin repeated in confusion, catching Maria off her guard. "Forgot about what exactly?"
Immediately, Maria grabs Chin by his cardigan and leaves the dining area quickly with him for a moment, concerning a serious matter that should've been resolved sooner.
"Chin, I truly apologize in advance for what happened," Maria apologizes.
"Um, for what exactly?" Chin wonders, clueless about Maria's train of thought.
"For my careless thoughtlessness. I forgot about...well, introducing you to my family," Maria embarrassingly answered.
"That's what you're worried about? Huh, I was thinking of something far worse than that," Chin joked a bit, not being able to lighten up the mood.
"This is serious, Chin," Maria answered seriously. " I just fear about how my parents would react to someone like you, and possibly dislike and reject you. If ever that happens, I—"
Without hesitation, Chin embraces Maria tightly and lets her head rest on his chest, with no intent of letting go.
"Maria, please avoid thinking of that. That is a pain unbearable for someone like me," Chin replied before looking straight into her eyes. "Maria, I truly love you. I am willing to do anything for you, even at the cost of my own life if so."
"Chin...thank you," Maria cries a bit, hiding her face as she sheds and wipes her tears on his chest.
'Oh man, she is becoming cuter today!' Chin internally screamed before recomposing himself. "So then, what should be our next move, Maria? Shall we go ahead and meet with your parents?"
"Umm, about that, ehehe, my place is pretty far. I mean, really really far," Maria nervously answered, despite wanting to introduce Chin to her family.
"Hmmm, aha! I got a way!" Chin recalls and slams his palm with excitement for another experiment.
"What is it Chin?" Maria wondered.
"Maria, I think I know a way, but I need your help and consent on this one," Chin requested before being embraced by Maria.
"I'm all yours, what's this big idea you have in mind, Chin?" Maria responded, nudging his shoulder.
"W-well I, um, I have to borrow your memories for a bit," Chin embarrassingly requests.
"M-m-my memories!?" Maria gasped in embarrassment as she covered herself, being wary that Chin too is a man with "urges."
"B-b-but I only need to see a few memories, memories of your homeland and area. If I can get a picture of what your place looks like, I may be able to use "Gate" for us to travel through there," Chin briefly explained, catching Maria by surprise.
"A-a-are you serious!?" Maria excitedly asks. "Can you really do that?!"
"Well, sorta. I have read a few history books and some grimoires for spells back at the academy's library," Chin replied half-truthfully. 'Technically it was from a fantasy series I loved watching and reading, but I hope I could be able to use it well out here.'
Chin then discusses the process of this spell experiment and afterward, they commence their small gamble.
"You ready Maria?" Chin asks, getting a nod from her as a response. "Alright, now remember, just think of the memories of your homeland: their landmarks, setting, anything."
"Okay," Maria replied as she reminisces and recalls about her homeland. A place full of ports that are crowded with boats, busy wet markets with loud fish vendors, and most importantly a large manor that appears to belong to the housing lord of the state.
Chin leans his forehead over to touch Maria's, and then tries casting "Memory Capture," a spell that supposedly enables the caster to peek into another's mind and view the person's memories through any means of contact.
"Thank you Maria," Chin thanked before limbering himself up for the tricky part of their gamble. "Now, open!"
A "Gate" was then summoned before them upon Chin's command. Maria stood beside him nervously before feeling her hand gently caressed and assured by Chin's touch.
"Let's go," Chin replied.
"Right, here we go," Maria worriedly replied as the two of them entered through the "Gate."
Next Location: In the city owned by the House of Messina...
As Chin and Maria quickly stepped out of the portal, what she saw made her heart drop from nostalgia. Before them is a humble manor that's covered and walled with red brickstone. There's even a small garden that appears to be similar to the one found back at Sizilien's place. Everything else overwhelmed Maria with deep joy, all thanks to Chin and his risky experiment.
"This is...this is my home….my home!" Maria exclaimed excitedly as she prances around by her manor's gate. "I am home! I am finally back home! Oh thank you Chin! Thank you!"
She tackles Chin into a tight hug, with him responding back with a tight embrace.
"I love seeing that overjoyed face you have right now," Chin teased, getting a light kiss on his cheek from Maria, which caught him off guard, until she releases her hold on him.
"Idiot, there will be plenty more from where that came from, as long as you're with me," Maria teased back cutely before taking his hand and leading him right by her side in front of the manor's entrance.
Next Location: In the Messinas' manor's library…
After a brief explanation for seeking her parents, they meet while sitting in chairs facing in opposite directions with a table separating them in between. Maria's parents are sitting on one couch while Chin and Maria are on the other.
"Maria, is there something you would like to say to us?" the redhead woman asked, who has a face similar to Maria's that has matured into a beauty.
"Come now, my daughter, feel free to tell us anything," the redhead man suggested, who has a red-haired mustache over his lips while wearing a formal attire that's fit for nobility.
Mustering all of his courage, Chin gulps down his fears with a bold request.
"Ma'am, Sir, my name is Chin...and the thing is…" Chin then musters up his confidence for another blow. "Maria, is willing to let me have the privilege of dating her. I am here to ask if you approve of our relationship."
From those words, Maria's parents were very much taken aback from that heartfelt request. More importantly, they appeared to be ecstatic from the request concerning their daughter that the man immediately stood up and walked towards Chin with a stern look in his red-colored eyes.
"Chin, is your name, correct? Do you really think you are worthy to court my little girl?" The man interrogated Chin with his stern glare.
"I...I honestly believe that I am not worthy of your daughter, sir," Chin plainly answered before swallowing his fear and looks straight into his eyes with deep conviction. "However, it won't stop me from giving her my all! If things don't look good for me, I will make it so for her to stay with me, as long as she continues to love me...as I love her."
Upon hearing this, Maria nearly bursts into tears, barely containing the sudden rush of affection, embarrassment, and other intense feelings in front of her parents. After Chin gave his answer, Maria's father chuckles gallantly with a smile cracking.
"Hmph, young man, you are surely the first among the finest that I've met, aside from Prince August of course. I look forward to greater things with you in the future," the man replied, confusing Chin from his last statement.
"Wait, with you? ...In the future? ...What?" Chin and Maria looked at each other and then her father in confusion, causing Maria's parents to chuckle excitedly in their library. "Sir, do you mean….!?"
"Yes, young man, I approve of your relationship with my daughter. A man such as yourself is proven worthy to date my daughter. However, there are, erm, things to follow after then," the man trailed off with concern, which worries Chin.
"What's that?" Chin asks. "Please tell me."
"Honey, please sit down," the woman kindly requested, making her husband sit beside her.
"Ye-yes dear," the man responded.
"Now, continuing from where we left off, there are some things that need to be clarified before we could really allow you to be with Maria," the woman said in a serious tone, catching Chin's anxious attention. "You see, we are a family of viscounts, high ranking nobles in the kingdom. Hence, since Maria is born into such a family as ours, we have to take into account another important matter for you to continue courting our daughter."
"Please tell me," Chin kindly asks.
"It is marriage, Chin," the woman plainly answered, catching Maria off her guard upon hearing the word so suddenly whereas Chin remained unfazed, but rather knowing the gravity and importance of it. "Don't need to be so restless so early about it. But one thing for sure is that we can't let you date Maria unless the two of you are engaged."
The woman smiles and chuckles lightly upon the serious look of Chin.
"Well, your face already shows how important Maria is to you, willing to do anything for her sake I suppose," the woman smiled, getting a stern nod from Chin, agreeing to her conditions.
'Oh wow, please tell me I'm not dreaming!? This escalation is way too quick!?' Maria thought to herself hysterically while looking down to hide her flustered face.
"Daughter, congratulations on your engagement!" Maria's father exclaimed before turning to Chin. "Your presence will always be welcomed in our family, son."
"W-w-wait, son!?" Chin responded hysterically from the man's nonchalant response.
"Why not? You will be our son as we treat Maria as our daughter," the man nonchalantly deadpans.
"We did it, Chin! We did it!" Maria exclaimed with joy that she tightly embraced Chin by his neck, neglecting the fact that her smiling parents are still present while displaying their deep affection in front of them before being completely conscious of their presence.
Next Location: In the wilderness…
After the two couples quickly settle their personal relationship matters, they immediately return to prepare themselves and the rest of the study group for another day of training in the wilderness. They first commence warm-up exercises with some target practice against the mountains.
"You're good," Tony complimented Thor's casting skill.
"You too," Thor replied back.
The warm up session went on smoothly while under the surveying guidance of the Wise Man, the Guru, and their twin grandsons. However, they are not the only spectators around…
"W-w-what kind of magic is this!? What are you guys even doing!?" Elisabet screamed in awe and fear of the group magic exercises.
"Don't worry, wait till you see what will happen later," Chin assures, caressing Maria's head leaning on his shoulder, who's still ecstatic and excited from their short conversation with her parents.
"Yeah, this is just a warm-up session," Shin continued.
"What!?" Elisabet gasped hysterically.
"Hohoho! Well, what do you think? You did come here to observe, but would you like to try as well?" Merlin kindly suggests to Elisabet and May.
"Um, I'm afraid I have to say no, because I know myself well that I don't have an aptitude for magic," Elisabet declined the offer.
"I would like to try it!" May eagerly accepts.
There, May starts joining in the training camp by testing her magic control, to see if she does have the aptitude to possess and wield magic. Lo' and behold, she was able to gather magic power, condensing and manifesting its power in her fingertips as she concentrates with her mind.
"Splendid job well done, May!" Chin compliments with a thumbs up. "Not bad on your first try."
"Wow, this is amazing!" May screamed in awe.
"Oho, this is incredible," Merlin said.
"Quite outstanding for your age," Melida adds. "May, you have great potential in becoming a magician."
"Wow, I think Princess May could become an amazing magician," Alice stood in awe.
"I won't give up! I won't be outdone!" Lyn thought out loud, burning hard with motivation that she unintentionally gathered and leaked her magic power.
"Hohoho, seems that May inspired y—Oh no Lyn! You're trying too hard!" Merlin warns upon noticing Lyn's erratic lightning magic.
"Eh?" Lyn noticed.
"Oh boy," Chin thought out loud.
Immediately, Lyn imploded herself from her erratic magic bursting violently, cinching her hair and clothes until Chin cools her down with "Foam Blast" and sprays extinguishing foam on her.
"You have lots more to learn Lyn," Chin sighs.
Melida laughed out loud in response to Lyn's unfortunate accident, which somewhat made both Shin and Chin to think twice about Melida's sense of humor.
"See, what did I tell you?" Merlin added.
"Do not worry, you should keep at it to May from getting ahead of you in the later future to come in more ways than one," Melida assures.
"In more ways than one?" Alice and Lyn wondered in their parallel train of thought before glaring daggers at May, scaring the new young magician in the process and making her hide behind Shin.
"Why are you hiding behind Shin instead of me, your own brother?" August wondered out loud.
"Maybe because Shin's more reliable?" Chin joked with Maria, only to get elbowed to the gut by August, causing him to fall on his knees and gasp a bit while making Maria laugh in response.
"I believe a punishment is in order," August menacingly replies towards the oblivious Shin and the terrified May.
"Awawawah, Shin, please protect me!" May cried out to Shin behind him.
"Both of you guys are crazy," Shin thought out loud before looking at Chin. 'Help me please.'
'She picked you, the choice is yours,' Chin plainly answered back with "Telepathic Voice".
"Nah, I'm just kidding," August joked.
"Are you sure about that?" both Shin and Chin thought out loud.
"Ah! I almost forgot!" Shin shouts excitedly, scaring May and August.
"What is it brother?" Chin asks curiously.
"I was so wound up with training that I just had an idea from my dreams as of late, and I want to test it out!" Shin brimmed with excitement.
"Wait, what are you saying? Are you—"
"I thought of a new magic! But I'm planning to test it out first," Shin plainly stated, scaring their classmates that they immediately clumped together to share three giant reinforced magic barriers—excluding Chin, Merlin, and Melida.
"Ummm, why are you all being so wary again?" Shin wondered upon noticing everyone so backed up together in their magic barriers.
"B-because Wolford, we heard that you are going to test a new magic right?" Elisabet points out.
"I am not not waiting to be blown away like the wind ever again!" Maria thought out loud in fear.
"Yeah, this is just an appropriate measure," Tony continues.
"May, this time, you should really stay behind me," August sternly ordered, making Elisabet follow his command.
"Relax, if things go south, I will be your first line of defense to clean up his mess," Chin assures as he readies his ice magic.
"I can assure you, that this is not going to be too dangerous this time," Shin assured.
"What do you mean? You won't use offensive magic?" Chin asks for clarification.
"Yes, 'cause what I had in mind is something cooler," Shin answered—which calmed everyone's nerves and let their barriers disperse from hearing this—as he finds a rock to test out his new magic.
There he starts accumulating a great amount of his magic from the environment, which worries some of the classmates and members among them.
"I knew it, it's dangerous isn't it!?" Elisabet hysterically thought out loud.
"Wait, this seems familiar," Chin thought out loud as he fixes his spectacles.
Shin then immediately casts an unfamiliar spell to the rock, causing it to float midair above his arm, shocking and surprising everyone in the process—Chin included, making his spectacles tilt in surprise. "It worked! Success!"
"What kind of magic is this exactly?" Lyn and Elisabet ask in fearful confusion.
"Floating magic, I mean—"
"Anti-Gravity Magic!?" Chin geeked out as he immediately dashed to Shin and watched the floating rock like a curious child until he came up with a realization. "Wait, did you think of that time when we fought Schtrom, who was giving us quite a hard fight back then?"
"Yeah! From there!" Shin answered back excitedly, leaving and ignoring the study group behind them before being conscious of their presence.
"Um, this is called "Anti-Gravity Magic", Shin answered.
"But this type can be otherwise called "Levitation", a magic that when casted upon anyone or anything, it can enable the casted target to float in midair," Chin adds.
"A visualization of the opposite of things falling," Shin adds, which confused the study group.
"A-as usual, I do not get exactly what you mean, but I understand that you've gone and done something amazing again," Maria replied in fear.
Suddenly, Chin's face lit up as if he also thought of an idea before turning to Shin.
"Shin, I'll be back, I just thought of something crazy as well, it will be quick," Chin assures as he uses "Gate" to return to the Wise Man's manor for some scheming experiment.
"Okay, anyways, the fun has yet to begin," Shin goes on to show off his great experiment before the study group in the absence of his brother.
Next Location: In the Wise Man's manor back at the capital…
Back home, Chin returns with a brilliant idea after learning from Shin, he searches high and low in the manor for something to enchant.
"Hmmm, I need to find something that is suitable to enchant. Something sturdy, durable, and thin," Chin thought before opening his wallet. "Crud, I am low on funds, so I can't pay for anything from the smithy, hmmm."
"Oh, Master Chin! Why have you returned so soon?" The head butler asked.
"Oh hi! Yeah I've returned, but only for a second. Wait, I just wanna ask, do you have something that is metal, thin, flat, and somewhat long?" Chin asks.
"Hmmm, I may be wrong, but I do recall of possible plates that should've been used for certain occasions, but I do not think Master Merlin nor Mistress Melida would use it anytime soon, so please if you would like to, it is our joy and honor," the head butler answered.
"Really!? Thank you! Please show me!" Chin asks, bursting with excitement.
From there, the head butler gladly leads Chin down the hall and into the kitchen, where the head maid happens to be present.
"Oh my! Master Chin! What do you require of us today?" The head maid kindly asked.
"I hope it won't be much, but would you please show some of the metal plates that we could use for certain occasions?" Chin requested.
"Ah why yes! Is there going to be an occasion?" She asked.
"Ah no, I have other purposes for that," Chin quickly replied.
"Oh yes! Use them as you will, they are all yours!" The head maid kindly shows a huge shelf filled with trays and plates, all made with silver that are intricately designed.
Chin looks through the shelves for the plate he wants until he notices a plate that has the length fit for a whole roasted pig or a couple of roasted suckling pigs. He immediately takes the plate upon noticing it.
"Perfect! This can do the trick!" Chin exclaims. "Thank you guys for helping me!"
"It is our humble pleasure and honor," the head maid and head butler replied.
Chin then returns to his room in the manor and commences his experiment.
"First, let's trim away a bit of the plate's width," he then casts "Water Scythe" to utilize its strong jet water pressure to slice and cut off the unnecessary width on its sides and easily bluntens the sharp vertical ends.
"Now let's first add a little something on the surface," Chin thought out loud as he gets a wooden board along with some graphite-like surface that's similar to sandpaper and a couple of metal rivets.
He then starts sticking the materials together, all held intact thanks to the rivets that have been placed with the assistance of Chin's ability to use water pressure for puncturing holes on solid metal with ease on the edges and the center.
"Great, now for the final touch!" Chin yells with excitement as he takes out his personal enchantment pen wand and starts writing down some enchantments on his handmade board. "First, let's line this up with some durability magic first to keep it strong for just in case since it's too thin. Next would be an enchantment to keep it bending too much. Now the finale: let's try to add "Levitation" along with wind magic on this thing, and hopefully test it out if it could really work."
He then takes his handmade board, mumbling a prayer of desperation as he strolls down the stairs while making his way to the manor's garden. He then stands on top of the board and exhales deeply.
"Please work with me…." He prayed as he inputs his magic on the enchanted board, triggering the enchantments as they're empowered by his magic.
Suddenly, the board slowly lifts Chin up from the ground, which caught him off guard and made him almost hysterically lose his balance.
"Wh-whoa! I-it is working…!?" Chin geeked out. "Okay, time for a test drive."
He then tries maintaining his magic power on the board and elevates midair to the height of the manor, propelled up high with the force of wind magic.
"This is freaking cool!" Chin screams with joy before utilising wind magic to throttle and zoom over the nearby cottages and infrastructures, scaring some of the nearby residents and villagers with his magic device. After a moment of sightseeing atop his "hoverboard"—as he would love to call it—he realizes that it is time to return and meet with everyone back at the training grounds.
"Shoot, I forgot to tell Maria that I'm gone!" Chin thought out loud and panics as he immediately casts "Gate" in midair and teleports away.
Next Location: In the wilderness…
"I'm back!" Chin exclaims joyfully as he arrives and exits out of the "Gate", greeted silently by a lone furious Maria, her arms crossed accompanied by a stomping shoe and a burning glare in her eyes. 'Awwww, crap.'
"Where, the hell, have you been, huh Chin!?" Maria slowly crept closer with a rage so strong that her fire-attributed magic leaked out violently, emanating an angry and intimidating aura.
"M-Maria, please calm down, I can explain," Chin stutters in fear as he immediately puts away his hoverboard in his dimensional space and drops to his knees like a ragdoll.
Suddenly, Maria slowly calms herself down and just exhales in frustration before holding her forehead in disappointment.
"Good grief Chin, next time, just please let me know when you will be out on your own," Maria pleaded with a hint of anger. "I was the only one left waiting here for you, knowing that you might return who-knows when."
'Man, now I'm really glad I love her,' Chin thought to himself and slowly gets up on his feet and hugs Maria tightly. "I am sorry about that, Maria. I apologize for keeping you waiting, but you will not believe what I just made. Trust me, you are gonna enjoy it!"
"I understand, but now is not the time. Maybe some other time perhaps," Maria suggests before nervously playing with her fingers. "We have other important things to deal with…"
"...Alright…." Chin seriously replied with an assuring tone as he takes and grasps her hand tightly.
Next Location: In a certain room…
Another day of training wraps up, but not everyone is resting for the night because there are pending important matters to discuss between the newly made couples and their grandparents in a private room….
"What!? Both of you got engaged!?" Merlin hysterically exclaimed upon hearing the news with Melida at his side.
"Yeah. Grandpa, Granny, I'm sorry I didn't tell you beforehand," Shin deeply apologizes.
"Me as well, we made our own plans in advance too and the same thing sort of happened to us," Chin confessed with a hint of guilt.
"I-it's my fault! I didn't want to wait to tell my parents that we were dating!" Sizilien apologizes guiltily with Maria nodding in agreement.
"Ah no, like I am blaming any of you for anything," Merlin assures.
"Well, I was already expecting this sort of escalation in development at this point, so I'm not surprised," Melida deadpanned, which surprised both the twins and their engaged partners.
"However, before you go on making both of your engagements publicly known, there are more things to settle first," Melida sternly replies. "Also, since we cannot be at two places at once, Merlin and I will move with either of you separately."
The two couples were dazed from her statement. After that, Melida stands up with a decision…
"Merlin, you go with Shin and Sizilien," Melida ordered before turning to Maria. "Maria, I apologize for a request this late, but I need to visit your home." ]
"Sizilien, I would also like to ask to visit you home right now," Merlin requests.
"Wait, huh!?" The twins reacted hysterically.
"W-w-wait, Granny, are you—"
"Mmhmm," Melida cuts off Chin.
Immediately, the twins started casting "Gate" separately and teleported into their separate ways for a moment.
Next Location: In the Messina's estate…
As Chin, Maria, and Melida enter out of the "Gate", Maria immediately searches for her parents on a late and unexpected notice and then leads them down the stairs to meet with Chin and Melida. The master and mistress of the Messina were ecstatic to hear that the Guru personally came to visit their home at this hour.
"My goodness, we are greatly honored that the Mistress Guru graced our home with her presence!" Maria's father replied.
"I was thinking of coming here someday, but it seems that day is today due to the circumstances. There are urgent things that need to be discussed," Melida calmly replied.
"Oh please! Relax and make yourselves home," Maria's father greeted back.
Next Location: In the Messinas' private meeting room in the library…
In the room, Melida ends up confessing to Maria's parents about Chin's circumstances, most particularly the part where he is actually not their grandson by blood.
"...and that is how things stand," Melida finishes explaining.
"So wait, Chin is—"
"Not my actual grandson," Melida answered to Maria's father, which astounded Maria upon that realization and caused Chin to turn his eyes away from her. "Your approval for Chin's engagement to your daughter is—and forgive me for saying so—most likely due having him named as my grandson."
"However, there is no blood relation between me and this boy," Melida adds. "Will you still approve of Chin being Maria's fiance?"
However, things went on unexpectedly when the master of the Messina household sighed in relief.
"Father?" Maria wondered from his calm reaction.
"For a moment, I had thought of something else much more than that, but if that is all, then it is fine," Maria's father replied with a smile.
"I beg your pardon, sir?" Melida asks in confusion.
"Mistress Guru, we are humbled by your great honesty to our home and family for sharing this matter with us, but actually, it is of little concern to us. I believe my daughter knows that too," Maria's father answered.
"Huh?" both Chin and Melida reacted in confusion.
"Mistress Guru, you see, Chin, whether we witnessed it or not personally, is a capable young man compared to the other young noblemen," Maria's father replied, confusing the vigilant guru from his choice of words. "Now mind you, I don't mean to be condescending in any manner. I just find him to be quite splendid in his own way with great potential. I know by the episodic moments I've learnt from my daughter's heartfelt emotions while she was writing to us from the academy."
"Fa-Father!" Maria shrieked to her father's face in embarrassment with a steaming head and tears in her eyes.
'Oh man, that's too cute…!' Chin blissfully thought to himself upon glancing at Maria's predicament.
"I do find my daughter's choice to be quite the keeper for her," Maria's mother blabbed, embarrassing both Maria and Chin. "So I support whatever my daughter chooses with the boy, as long as she loved him as he loved her."
"Oh, my dearest apologies, for having the wrong idea about you. Please forgive me," Melida apologizes as she bows her head.
"Oh no! No no no no no," Maria's father begged.
"Please, it's okay, Mistress Melida," Maria's mother halted.
"U-um, Chin, I love you, just the way you are, weirdo and all," Maria embarrassingly confessed to Chin, making his head burst with steam from those heartfelt words. "I mean, at the back of my mind, I was only hoping that you'd be one of their grandsons, but before all that, you were already my first hero and first guy who treated me like a girl."
'Now I'm feeling guilty about that 'suspension bridge' episode back then, but thank goodness for this development!' Chin thought to himself joyfully while keeping himself composed from bursting to tears before exhaling calmly with a serious look.
"Ma'am, Sir, thank you for accepting me," Chin replied. "I will always take care of Maria with all my life and all my power, and live up to your expectations!"
"Why of course!" Maria's father replied.
"We are counting on you, Chin," Maria's mother responded.
Chin then looks straight into Melida's eyes. "Granny, I am forever grateful for you taking me in as your grandson. I wish to repeat it again: I am glad to be your grandson, teaching me everything you know while caring for me."
"W-What are you talking about…?" Melida choked from her tears of joy upon hearing his words.
Next Location: In the von Claude's entrance hallway…
As another new day starts, everyone in the study group gathers around, donning new uniformed cloaks, which astounded their eyes with how simple they're seemingly made.
"Mmhm, they look good on all of you," Shin complimented everyone donning the handmade enchanted cloaks.
'Shin, I demand an answer as to why you would make these kinds of, well, clothes,' Chin demanded using "Telepathic Voice" and glared daggers at Shin for his possible motives as he questions the appearance and utility of the cloaks.
"These are enchanted with your defensive magic, right Shin?" Yuri points out as she looks and stretches the cloak's garment, cluelessly revealing her skin to her adolescent male classmates whereas Maria infuriatingly cups Chin's glasses to shield them from his sight.
"Maria, please don't touch my—"
"Not another word," Maria angrily replied while glaring at the somewhat airheaded Yuri.
"Okay," Chin shuts up with his hands behind his back.
"Yes, they can help you hide, thanks to "Optical Camouflage" and "Cozy Temperature" to keep you at a constant comfortable temperature," Shin answered.
"Not only that, I added "Magic Power Bank" so that you may be able to store more magic power in case you need the extra juice for fearsome spells, along with "Regeneration" to help you endure a fight and mend your wounds during battle," Chin adds.
"So you're saying that our national-graded uniforms have been upgraded even more?" Alice asks for confirmation.
"Yes," "Yeah," The twins plainly replied.
"Ugh, what a chock full of secrets we all have now," Maria sighs.
"Now about the boots, Chin enchanted them with ordinary wind-propelling magic that can be manually activated when necessary," Shin replied. "I could have enchanted them with the same enchantments of my jet-boots, but I think they might prove to be a little tricky."
"A little tricky you say," Chin and Maria wondered from his last words, pressuring Shin so much that he cleared out his throat in embarrassment.
"Anyways, with these clothes and the accessories we've received earlier, all our defenses and passive spells are perfect," Shin declares.
"This way, we are "armed and ready" for any circumstance," Chin adds.
"Which also suggests why today's training is going to be dangerous, yes?" August clarifies.
"You got it," Shin replied.
"And this time, we're on our own, meaning Merlin and Melida won't be around to supervise," Chin adds, spooking the team for the upcoming session. "But it's alright! Shin and I got your back, in case something happens."
"Yeah, so everyone, get ready for some combat training! We're going up against a catastrophic-class," Shin warns.
"C-catastrophic-class!?" Mark yelped.
"T-that's impossible for us to handle!" Olivia protested.
"But if we never try, we'll never know when we'll ever be ready," Chin sternly warns with his arms crossed.
"Yeah, besides, I believe you guys are already doing great. We just wanna really see how great you all did!" Shin assures. "Moreover, you are all wearing the maxed-out combat gear we made, so you won't get easily hurt."
"It's so mean of you to leave us here!" May cried, getting the attention of her brother and the twins.
"May, we have an abundance of good reasons why it is best that you should stay here for now," Chin gently scolded. "Don't worry, we got your brother's back, so help your sister-in-law while he's away, okay?"
"Geez, Chin, I am clearly capable of taking care of myself," Elisabeth pouted.
"Do what brother Chin says, May. Just wait for us in your room," August sternly ordered.
"Stay with Elizabeth until we come back," Maria continues, but didn't satisfy May's tantrum.
"Hmmm, I got it!" Shin exclaimed.
"What is it this time?" Chin looked at his brother with a curious look.
From his "Dimensional Storage", Shin pulls out what appears to be two cups bounded together by a string at their bottoms. He then gives one of the cups to May.
"Here May, take this," Shin suggests.
"What is this thing?" May asks, taking the cup.
"This is a long-distance communication magical device," Shin explained, opening the lid of the cup and reveals what seems to be a built-in speaker and microphone. "It's enchanted with magic that can transmit and receive sounds."
"Wait, is that why you were collecting Demon Spider Silk a few weeks ago?" Chin deadpans.
"Well yeah," Shin plainly replied, spooking the team and causing Chin to facepalm for his reckless antics.
"Here it is easy: put it over your ear like this if you want to talk over the device," Shin explains, putting the speaker device over his ear. "Go on, May. Try it."
Now, they tried the device's practicality as May communicates with Shin over the device from her room, which surprised the study group with another scary revolutionary device.
"Yet another revolutionary magic item was introduced," Thor deadpans.
"Mmhm, it will make info gathering much easier," Tony adds.
"May, why don't you keep this and use it while we are out until we get back," Shin suggests, talking over the device.
"Just try not to use it too often though. Might give away our position to unexpected bumps in the middle of our training session," Chin warns, talking over Shin's device.
"Yes brother Chin!" May complied.
"Good point," August thought out loud.
"Ah! Mistress Melida! Look! Shin made something amazing for me!" May exclaimed over the device, sending a chill down his spine upon hearing about his grandmother's presence.
"Oh no," Shin shuddered.
"You've gone and made another ridiculously radical item, haven't you!?" Melida screamed and scolded over the device. "A magic device that can remotely deliver someone's voice!? I outta—!?"
Suddenly, Chin fires a bolt of ice to the device, instantly freezing it and temporarily disrupting the flow of the enchantment's ability, just to spare them temporarily from their grandmother's loud scolding.
"Let's just get going and finish training before things get even worse. You'll thank me later once I'll get all the beating," Chin suggests, getting everyone's nod as an answer.
"Thanks brother," Shin thanked.
"You owe me….again…." Chin sharply glared as if it were Melida's glare, petrifying his brother with his gaze.
'Wow, he's mad now,' everyone thought to themselves.
Next Location: In the dark forests where they had their joint training exercises…
After transporting themselves instantly to the dark forests using Shin and Chin's "Gates", they follow along a trail while staying within the vicinity of the twins' "Search Magic", hoping to find worthy demonized animals to spar and slay.
"Ah, is that?" Sizilien thought out loud, noticing a disturbing presence of corrupted magic power nearby.
"You noticed? Sizilien?" Shin wondered.
"Yes, it is very large," Sizilien replied.
Hiding behind the trees in front of the study group of the Ultimate Magicians, loud growls and a great evil aura lies in waiting.
"A catastrophic-class right off the bat. That saved us some time," Chin points out while looking up at the bright sunny sky before turning to the rest of the study group. "Everyone, take note: what we'll see is a Demon Lion. Although much less agile and slower than a Demon Tiger, it makes it up with its greater strength. Therefore….?"
"Magic attacks from a distance?" Sizilien answered.
"Exactly," Shin complimented before patting Sizilien's head with glee. "Nice one, Sizilien."
"Ugh," Chin facepalmed at them being in their own world, cluelessly annoying the study group with their dumb love.
"Ah! Ahem, s-shall we get going?" Shin broke the moment.
"Yes," Chin plainly replied before turning to the group. "Alright, Julius, Yuri, Mark, Sizilien, Olivia. The five of you will go first."
"Wait, don't they all shine in support roles? Is this alright?" August asks with concern.
"Don't worry, we know what we're doing, trust us," Shin assures.
"I can lend support just in case, but I won't carry the burden too much," Chin assures.
"It's alright, have faith in them," Mark assured Olivia.
"Good luck, Sizilien," Maria bade.
"Thank you," Sizilien replied.
Now, the five chosen members get in close proximity with the agitated Demon Lion, where it senses their presence and roars loudly to flaunt its intimidation.
"Get ready guys, here it comes!" Chin warns.
There, the chosen members start charging their magic power, waiting for the twins' call to fire.
"Fire!" Shin ordered, making everyone discharge and direct their magic blasts to the Demon Lion, which resulted in a small-scale explosion almost as tall as a mountain's height and a huge cinched crater with no remains but fallen leaves and ashes.
"That went quite well as expected," Chin noted, scratching his chin.
"Ehehehe, though it seemed that we kinda overdid it," Shin nervously added.
"U-um, w-what happened to the Demon Lion?" Sizilien wondered.
"Ashes, reduced to ashes now," Chin answered.
"We—took down a catastrophic-class demon!?" Julius wondered hysterically.
"Yes, as you guys can see, the support role members were able to take it down," Shin points out. "Now let's see what those that specialize in attack magic can do. Each of you should try to take down one individually."
Without hesitation, the six members that specialize in offensive spells are able to take down six catastrophic class demons on their own without breaking a sweat, leaving an ashened place littered with corpses of demons.
"You did well Maria," Chin praised, hugging Maria's head and letting her lean on his shoulder while caressing her head. "You did well."
"Thank you...Chin," Maria smiles with content while feeling his gentle touch.
"Yeah! You did great out there Tony!" Alice praised.
Now everyone huddles up around complimenting and praising each other for achieving their milestone as a team, pumped up for what lies ahead of them.
'Alright, they are ready for the next level,' Shin thought.
'Agreed,' Chin looked at Shin with an impressed smile.
"Shin, Chin, it's your turn now," August warned.
"Hm? O-oh, right," Shin remembered.
"Riiight," Chin thought out loud.
"I can't wait to see you two at your engagement party," August replied, looking at both Maria and Sizilien.
Next Location: In a dressing room of the von Claudes' manor…
"Uh-uhm, is this how I'm supposed to look like?" Shin nervously thought out loud while looking at the mirror, trying to adjust his blue blazer suit.
"Close, let me," Chin offers, straightening up his collar after being finished with fixing his violet blazer suit.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, just right after Chin helped his brother with his attire.
"C-Come in!" Shin permitted.
As the door opens, Sizilien and Maria are found standing by the door in their dazzling dresses, a huge eye-candy for the twins to behold. Sizilien shone in her white ribbon-laced dress with a white rose brooch and a decorated ponytail that left Shin dumbfounded. On the other hand, Maria sparked Chin's heart so bright that his mind blew up from gazing upon her red dress and a crimson silk-lined choker while wearing a red-violet rose hairpin.
"U-uhm, Shin?" Sizilien whimpered.
"Ah sorry! You look so cute that I was mesmerized," Shin thought out loud.
"Eh!? Th-thank you Shin! You look quite handsome yourself!" Sizilien replied.
Awestruck and shocked that his spectacles were startled and tilted, Chin tries to compose himself while walking up to Maria.
"Ehehe, this dress makes me look kinda stiff, doesn't it?" Maria joked about her appearance.
"Beautiful...just...beautiful," Chin replied, trying to keep his cool. 'Oh man, this is too much for me to handle…!'
"O-oh...I-I see…" Maria was left speechless from his calm response, trying to modestly hide her blushing face from his words.
"Shin…" Sizilien stared at Shin's handsome appearance.
"Sizilien…" Shin gazes at Sizilien's beauty.
"Ahem…?"
Suddenly, it clicked that Shin and Sizilien weren't the only couple present in the room...
"Maybe it'd be wise for us to dress in separate rooms next time," Chin suggests, staring at his brother and future sister-in-law.
"Mhm, definitely," Maria agrees, nodding her head in response.
"Come now, everyone, it is time for us to enter the dining room, yes?" Sizilien's mother called at the doorway.
"Yes ma'am," Chin responded.
With that, Shin escorts Sizilien while Chin escorts Maria down the stairs with their arms gently locked with their partners as they enter a bright hall where everyone—including Maria's family, thanks to Chin's "Gate"—that is invited cheers on their double engagement as they walk on the red carpet. After that, everyone is served with a wine glass for a certain custom…
"Does everyone have a glass?" Diseum asked, making everyone hold onto their wine glasses while standing in between the two couples before everyone in attendance. "Shin Wolford, Sizilien von Claude; Chin Bowen, Maria von Messina. I hereby acknowledge and stand as a witness to your engagements. This is my declaration as the king of the Kingdom of Earlsheid. I offer a toast to a wonderful start for these promising youngsters. Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
The engagement celebration party went well without a hitch and slowly died down in the night. With separate plans in mind, Shin and Chin went their own ways around the manor with their partners in hand for more important matters…
"That was fun, wasn't it?" Chin broke the silence, walking with Maria while holding her hand as they strolled through the moonlit corridor.
"It really is, and it happened so fast," Maria sighed with satisfaction. "Now, there will be other things to worry from here on out."
"Yes, but...there's just one last thing that must be done," Chin sternly thought out loud, reaching for a small box inside a pocket underneath his suit.
"Oh yeah? And what would that be?" Maria smirked sassily with her arms at her waist.
"Maria…" Chin trailed off before turning to Maria with a stern look and kneeling down on one knee with the black box in his hand left open and revealing a silver ring shining under the moonlight, catching Maria off her guard. "I know this whole relationship went all the way backwards, with the party all over. But Maria...would you please marry me."
Tears of joy immediately fall down Maria's face, with her hands shielding her mouth from squealing and screaming out of sheer happiness. And with a composed voice that's barely holding on from her tears, Maria nods her head like a little girl.
"Yes...I do, Chin…! Please, take me as your bride," Maria choked on her tears, letting Chin help her wear the ring on her ring finger. "Chin...I'm...so happy...right now…"
"I'll continue making you happy….staying with you….now and forever…" Chin swore, getting up from his knee and holding both of her hands before sharing a long kiss under a tall moonlit window.
-To be continued-
A/N: Happy April Fools Guys! Hope you still enjoy reading with me. Take care during this pandemic. God bless!
Memory Capture- a null spell that is based on a spell similar to the one in the anime "In a Different World with a Smartphone".