CHAPTER 38: THE FUTURE

"Kyaaaa! What kind of perverted spell is that, master?!" Lena cried out, immediately pulling her skirt down as her face flushed bright red.

"I-I’m sorry for shouting, master. I was just startled," she stuttered, suddenly realizing she shouldn’t have reacted like that—after all, it was her master who cast the spell.

"Haa, there’s no need to apologize, Lena. We’re just testing my Mana output, right?" Dapper replied with a grin, clearly pleased with the spell’s effect.

’That spell is definitely going to come in handy someday.’

"Master, I can’t assess your efficiency with that spell just yet. I think it’s better if we test with Fireball first," Lena suggested, her voice turning serious.

She took a step forward and held her palm out, conjuring a small flame that flickered and hovered over her hand.

"Mana is the fuel required to cast magic. Without Mana, there’s no spell. Every being in this world is born with it—either in tiny traces or overflowing amounts. Even the air around us is filled with Mana. To truly control it, though, takes a lot of training and practice. It’s simple in concept, but more control equals more Mana efficiency. For example, using a small fireball to achieve what a big one can."

"In life-or-death battles between mages, the one who runs out of Mana first loses. That’s why mages train hard in Mana management. Take the Fireball spell—you don’t just imagine fire, but its shape, size, temperature, and density. It takes strong focus and mental control. The only limit is your own mind," Lena explained before dispersing the flame from her palm.

Dapper nodded and closed his eyes, visualizing a fireball the size of a ping pong ball, heated around five hundred degrees Celsius. Then he whispered, "Fireball."

Immediately, a small red fireball flickered to life above his hand. After a few moments, he dismissed it and checked his Mana, it had cost him five points.

Their training continued for several hours, with Dapper exhausting his Mana repeatedly and waiting to recover each time. They lost track of time completely, only realizing it when the sky had turned dark.

"Lena, have you eaten anything today?" Dapper asked, his stomach growling loudly now that he was finally aware of the time.

"No, master," Lena replied calmly.

"Argh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize how late it got... I should’ve asked earlier," Dapper apologized, rubbing the back of his neck. One thing he vowed never to do was starve anyone. Food was essential, too precious to be weaponized, regardless of someone’s status.

"Please don’t apologize, master. The more Mana someone has, the less they feel hunger. I can go days without eating. It’s only after a full week that I’d even begin to feel it. The reason you didn’t feel hungry till now is because your Mana was being constantly stimulated through training," Lena explained, causing Dapper’s eyes to widen in realization.

"Anyway, go whip something up for us in the kitchen. Something fast is fine," Dapper said, and Lena nodded before teleporting away.

’Is Lena showing off with that teleportation again? Now that I really think about it... she’s extremely skilled. She’s been casting fireballs for hours and still had enough Mana to teleport. Kinda reminds me of Elena, whose Mana felt limitless. What if I trained Lena in real combat? With everything I know from my past life, she could become the perfect combat maid!’ Dapper thought, his mind beginning to race with possibilities.

Moments later, Lena reappeared before him, head bowed slightly.

"Master, your wife said she’s made dinner for everyone and asked me to tell you to come and eat," Lena announced.

"Oh... that’s surprising. Did she forgive me?" Dapper muttered under his breath.

Lena, standing beside him, watched as her master spoke to himself. It was clear something was going on between him and his wife. If everything were fine, Ruth would’ve been clinging to him affectionately like she usually did.

’This is the first time I’ve spent alone time with my master. He’s kind, but... there’s something about him I can’t quite shake.’ Lena thought, eyeing Dapper carefully.

"Let’s go inside, Lena," Dapper suddenly said, and Lena gave a quiet nod, trailing behind him closely.

Once inside, Dapper headed straight to the dining area. There, he spotted Ruth arranging dishes on the table. The moment she saw him, her eyes briefly lit up, but she didn’t say anything and continued setting the plates with calm precision.

Dapper took his seat at the table. "Thank you," he said genuinely, acknowledging her effort.

"Y-You’re welcome. Ahem, Lena, why don’t you sit down too?" Ruth asked after noticing the maid standing silently behind Dapper.

"I’m sorry, but I can’t dine at the table with my master, especially in your presence. If you don’t mind, I’d prefer to take my meal to my room," Lena replied with a blank, unreadable face.

"Oh... okay," Ruth responded softly, then dished Lena’s food into a round bowl, covered it with the lid, and handed it to her.

"Excuse me, master," Lena said as she took the bowl and walked off to her room. For some reason, Belinda didn’t come down to eat either, though Ruth planned to take food to her room after she finished eating.

Ruth soon took her seat opposite Dapper at the table, serving him his portion and dishing hers as well. As they began eating, Ruth suddenly paused, her gaze locking on Dapper.

"W-We need to talk after this," she said in a low voice.

"Okay."

’What could she want to say? Damn, I can’t sit still for some reason.’

Ruth was the first to finish, then she waited patiently for Dapper to finish his food. Once he was done, she cleared the table, took the dishes to the kitchen, and returned.

"Let’s talk now."

---

Dapper and Ruth sat on opposite sides of the room—Dapper lounging on the couch while Ruth sat on the bed, dressed in a black and white pajama set with a net cap over her head. She had already closed all the windows and drawn the curtains, making sure their conversation stayed between them.

Then she began.

"I’m sorry for how I acted yesterday... and for ignoring you this morning. I feel really bad about it," Ruth said sincerely, guilt visible in her expression.

"It’s not your fault, darling. You were shocked—anyone would be, especially hearing something they despise so much. Honestly, I didn’t think you would call for a talk this soon. I’m not mad, and I should be the one apologizing for not telling you sooner," Dapper replied gently.

"Thanks for forgiving me, honey. But the real reason I wanted this talk... is about our future." Ruth paused, her face unreadable. "When are we going to start having kids?"