The Smallest Gift with the Biggest Value

After familiarizing himself with the unsaid rules of Divine Arts, Rin can now cast a spell without putting too much strain on his body. If he refers back to when he started casting Waterball for the first time, he could feel that there's so much pressure inside him. But beyond that pressure is a state which they call "Pre-Mana Depletion" and "Mana Depletion".

"Listen Rin, the strategy or the practice that I have taught you is actually a way to conserve your Mana..." Eina stood up and pointed her index finger at him.

"Mana?"

"Specifically saying, it's Magical Power or Innate Energy. The way we cast our spells highly depends on how much Magical Power we possess and how much we discharge based on our construction. Think of Mana as something that we eat or drink before going to work, you realize that after working for a long time, you start to feel hungry, right?" She asked.

"Yes, I always feel like that after working at the workshop..."

"Oh, so you're working in a workshop. Then this should be a great example since crafting weapons or pounding metals heavily requires a lot of energy. We eat a lot of food after working because we expend them naturally by moving a lot. And the reduction would be twice the amount of our minimum consumption if it is hard labor like what you're doing. Now, if we apply that same concept to Divine Arts, you would understand that Mana is the fuel for magic."

"Wait, so if our natural energy comes from food, where does Mana comes from?" Rin asked.

Since food has a lot of chemical energy stored in it, our body would then break down what we eat into smaller components and absorb them to use as fuel. Energy comes from the three main nutrients carbohydrates, protein, and fats, with carbohydrates being the most important energy source.

Of course, most people wouldn't know this information. But if the nutrients delivered by the food that we eat are our main source of energy, what or where is our main source of Mana?

"Hmm, this is a little bit difficult to answer..." Eina mused for a moment.

"Why is that?"

"As far as Education about Divine Arts goes, we still don't really have any conclusive answer about where our Magical Power comes from. Most Sages and even the Archmages from the church assume that Mana came from Yddra, which is the God of this world, in a form of a blessing back in Ancient Times. And then these unnatural energies were passed on from generation to generation."

Since Mana is an unnatural energy that is beyond this world, they couldn't really specify where it comes from based on old data that were procured.

"Some people speculate that Mana is an innate energy and everyone has them. The others would say that descendants of the late Saints from our history have a larger Mana pool than the rest. That seemed to be the most plausible so far but I don't agree with that theory..." Eina heaved a sigh.

"Hmm? You don't agree with their opinion?"

"Surely, their assumption would make sense if we categorize them as our current facts since they wanted to put up a front about it. But I don't believe that people really have Magical Power in the first place. Perhaps the God of Light didn't really bestow humanity Divine Arts. I think it's safer to say that Divine Arts doesn't really exist."

Huh? How is that possible? If Rin wasn't wise, he would've dismissed that immediately. But seeing that Eina doubts the origin of Divine Arts despite having a high affinity with it made it seem that something has gone wrong in their history that no one knows.

"Well, the origin of our Mana doesn't really matter anymore. As long as you know how to control it, you would be fine for the rest of the day. You told me that after casting Waterball your body felt weak, right?" She confirmed.

"Yes, it's like there's a pressure inside me and then after casting it, I couldn't feel my body for a bit..."

"That's actually a major state that we call Pre-Mana Depletion."

"Pre-Mana Depletion?" Rin titled his head.

"Yes. Pre-Mana Depletion is the state wherein our body would begin to consume most of our mana and then instantly unleash them. After that, your whole body would feel numb and you're most likely gonna be experiencing fatigue and hunger. That state is called Mana Depletion. It's the complete exhaustion that you would feel after casting a spell."

"But isn't Waterball a basic spell? Why did it consume all of my Mana?"

"It's true that it is a basic spell, but remember what I told you? When you don't adjust your spells, you constantly release them as pure energy. Since you're still young, your Mana Pool is not that large yet. Meaning that the single Waterball that you fired contained most of your Mana and that's the reason why the effect was strong and it greatly affected you."

Rin gazed through the lake as the memory of him casting Waterball played in his mind. At first, he thought that Divine Arts would be as simple as casting a single spell. He didn't expect that there would be a lot of rules engraved on it.

"If I can use Divine Arts, the other people living in this town can use it as well, right?" He asked openly, not directing to anyone, even to Eina.

"They can. I'm sure they can..." Eina answered as she sat beside him.

How long have they been spending some time here in this lake? She couldn't even remember. A month has passed ever since they met but it feels like a week for her. Perhaps it is because they enjoyed their time too much that she wasn't able to savor most of it.

"Hey, Rin..." As though realizing that just now, Eina turned to him in reflex.

"Hmm?"

"Was I able to prove to you that I'm not a bad Eliad...?"

Rin stared at her in a daze, he wasn't expecting this kind of question. He'd assume that Eina is not concerned with that kind of issue anymore after confirming his stance when they met but he was wrong. She still felt guilt, not because of what she'd done, but because she felt guilty on behalf of all of the Eliads taking advantage of them.

"Sorry, please forget what I asked—"

"I didn't consider you as a bad Eliad, Miss Eina."

"..." Now it was her turn to get stunned. Rin narrowed his eyes and spoke what he genuinely felt deep inside his heart.

"I'm not sure if this is the right way of expressing it but, I don't generalize people based on what they are referred to. You're a kind, beautiful, and intelligent person, Miss Eina. Sure, I was freaked out when you called me but after being with you for more than a month now, I've come to realize that you're the most genuine and sincere person that I ever met from the other side of this world..."

It wasn't a lie. All of it are facts that he'd come to realize as they interact with each other.

"Rin..." Eina couldn't justify her emotions right now. There are tears forming in her eyes, her face is flushed, and she's shaking for a little bit.

As she is often well-regarded because of her stature, this kind of compliment shouldn't actually have that much effect considering that she always receives it. Respectively, even those who hate her still compliment her because she had a rank.

However, as someone who is not included in the upper echelon, Rin's unbiased impression and opinion would be worthier than what most nobles give. Especially since Rin is experiencing a bad life because of people like Eina, his real opinion of Eina would be gladly taken into consideration.

She was afraid that he'd come to hate her but... It looks like that's not the case.

"Oh, before I forgot..."

"Hmm?"

Rin opened the small leather bag attached to his waist and took the mysterious item wrapped in a clean cotton handkerchief. "Here..."

"Eh? What is this...?"

"Open it," Rin smiled as he gave it to her.

Without any more questions, Eina took the item and unwrapped it very gently. She could notice that Rin tried his best to make it as appealing as possible. Although the whole presentation wasn't all that good compared to how nobles from the capital wrap their gifts, the whole item is pulsing with Rin's care.

"You said that you'll be turning twelve this month but you didn't really specify what day so umm... Here's my birthday gift for you. Happy Birthday, Miss Eina..."

What was unveiled after the long wrapping was a small object... Small yet contains a massive outpour of hard work, dedication, and gratefulness.

"A hairclip...?" Eina inspected it carefully.

It is a blue hairpin that is made out of strings of marble with a flower-like gem at the center. Its base was covered in glittering dust and it feels a bit heavy than normal hairclips.

"I apologize if this is all I could give to you after teaching me a lot..."

"Rin, did you pool all of your hard-earned money for this?!" Eina lunged at him.

"E-Eh?! Y-Yes, is there a problem?"

"Why did you do that?! You could've just saved that for your living expenses! You didn't really have to..." With her outburst, Eina began crying...

"W-Wait, Eina?! Why are you crying?"

"Uuugh... B-Because..."

He didn't have to buy something grand with the money that he'd earned from his work just for her birthday. That is what she wanted to say. She feels bad and assumed that Rin probably needed that money.

Eina has been receiving a lot of luxurious gifts after all. It is already common for a noble to have everything even if they don't really want to.

"Sniff... sniff..." With a smile, Rin pats her head.

"It's okay, Miss Eina. I actually wanted to give something to you. I decided it by myself. I didn't feel forced. This little pin contains all of my thanks to you..."

As he said that, Rin grabbed the hairpin from Eina and placed it on her hair himself. He caressed her bangs gently and moved them to the side. After that, he clipped the pin near the corner, granting her a new kind of outlook.

He picked the design carefully and choose what would actually look better as if it is personally tailored for her. He did it because he wanted to preserve her pristine beauty. An accessory that would complement her hair's natural color without ruining her image is what he wanted to achieve.

"There, you look really beautiful..." He'd been so smooth so far that Eina couldn't handle it anymore. She was about to give him a hug but hesitated...

(No... Why am I hesitating? He did this for me... He is the only one who treated my birthday special. He is the reason why I am enjoying my life for the past month. There should be nothing wrong, right?)

Upon removing his hand from her hair, Eina embraced Rin out of the blue.

"E-Eh?! M-Miss Eina?"

"Don't move..."

She dug her head into his chest and squeezed him tightly. If another Eliad saw this, it would be very awkward and embarrassing. Unfortunately, Eina doesn't really care about what they think anymore. If someone were to belittle her status just because she hug a Damniant, she wouldn't do anything. Let them say whatever they want.

This is a major development between an Eliad and a Damniant. She absolutely won't let anyone hamper it.

After ten seconds... actually, it was one minute. Eina finally let go of Rin. He seemed to be startled. A beautiful girl hugging him out of nowhere is a new experience that he probably won't forget for the rest of his life.

"Thank you, Rin..."

"You're welcome, Miss Eina."

If only the whole world would recognize this unbelievable miracle as normal.

Is it really wrong to make peace with them?

Is it really that hard to come to terms with them?

The way Eina sees it, if her people didn't see Damniants as poor and dirty commoners, no would die a meaningless death.

* * *

After a little break, Eina stood up and said goodbye to Rin.

"My father is calling me. Thank you so much, Rin. I'll be back here tomorrow!"

"Mhm! Goodbye, Miss Eina. See you soon..."

With a wave, Eina went the opposite way. He noticed that she's been playing with her hair for some time now, constantly rubbing the hairclip that he gave her. He'd never seen her that excited but it feels like the gift was a successful mission.

Seeing that the sun was about to set, Rin went back as well.

This day was very special to him... Or so he thought.

"Rin! Rin!"

A man who is familiar to him as they work in the same workshop called him. He was sweating profusely, Rin assumed that he'd been running for some time now.

"What's wrong, Mr. Kahlil?"

"I've been looking for you! Your mother... She's getting arrested!"

"What?"