The thought of Anabelle knowing I was the very man she worshipped, and actively competed with, made me throw away any idea of revealing my true identity.

Besides, it was too risky to begin divulging such secrets.

‘Haa… how long do I have to put up with this, though?’

I looked at Anabelle and saw that she was still talking. She looked almost as a child would, and her cheeks were already getting red. The girl was most likely getting angry and flustered that I hadn’t said anything.

‘I better quickly end this…’

“Shh… that’s enough. You’re right.” I quickly interrupted her while removing my magical ear blocks at the same moment.

Slightly raising my hand to her face, one of my fingers planted itself on her lip. With this gesture, and my words, Anabelle finally fell silent, her eyes bulging in surprise and her face growing even redder than before.

‘What? She’s getting more flustered? Why?’

I was an expert at reading people, especially women. During times when I wanted them to keep quiet, it was best to agree with anything they said, even if I really didn’t feel that way.

Still, doing that would make me seem like a pushover and it would encourage her to try something similar next time.

To curb that, I asserted some dominance and made a bold step. Telling her “Shhh” and placing my finger on her lips would allow her to know I was serious and didn’t want any more words slipping out of her mouth.

But what was this?

Her child-like face was bright red, and her expression showed immense shock… it felt like I had done something wrong.She made a short breath from her lips, causing the tip of my fingers to feel the heat that came from within her.

‘Maybe I embarrassed her. Did I go too far?’

I removed my hand from her lip and dropped them, still intensely gazing into the extremely cute expression she currently had.

“I-I see… so that’s how it is…” A whisper leaked out of her mouth before she finally placed both hands atop her desk and buried her head in between them.

“Uh?” Was she upset or something?

I couldn’t read this girl.

“W-wow, I didn’t know you had that side of you, Jared,” Edward mumbled, his voice quivered in a little surprise as he spoke.

I looked in his direction and saw a somewhat uneasy smile form on his face.

“But, I support the action you took. It’s a good thing you let her know now!”

Was he talking about what I did and said to Anabelle? It was really nothing spectacular, though. In any case, I was glad he understood the importance of making the girl shut up before she became a nuisance.

“Well, it had to be said one of these days. The sooner the better, right?”

Edward coughed hard the moment I said this, like he was caught off-guard, but he quickly regained his composure and nodded.

“Hey, are you okay? Still nervous?”

“Yeah… I’m fine…”

With that, he smiled softly and also buried his fade underneath his arms, following Anabelle’s lead.

I had a faint feeling that I had done something more than I initially thought was necessary, but there was no need to push the issue.

‘I should think about the course of action to take from here on out…’After all, the concept of Familiars… was one of the very few things I wasn’t so knowledgeable on!

************************

Familiars, also known as Bonds, are beings and creatures that contract with humans, forming a form of symbiotic relationship.

The origins of Familiars are diverse. They are basically souls of creatures who possess lingering attachments to the world and have egos powerful enough to allow them manifest as Familiars.

In essence, when a being dies and had a strong attachment and powerful ego, such being becomes a Familiar.

However, just as all humans aren’t equal, Familiars are the same. Power varies depending on the type of being a familiar was before death, as well as the Ego they possess.

For this reason alone, Magic-Users often search for the more powerful Familiar to make it their Bond. Unfortunately, another issue arises from this.

Familiars and their Hosts have symbiotic relationships to which both must agree! No matter how desperate a Host is, if the Familiar refuses to form a contract, it is all in vain. Likewise, Hosts could also refuse to form a connection with proposing Familiars.

Just as people had various personalities, Familiars are the same. Some are endearing, some are harsh, some are kind, and some are proud.

However, it is usually expected that a powerful Familiar has a degree of pride due to the great level of Ego it possesses. As a result, they do not settle for just any Host.

The power of a Familiar is indispensable, and they are often known to be life partners. This is why nearly all Magic-Users and Martial Artists possess one.

Since a person’s power is often inadequate and requires assistance, it would be best if they had a partner to assist in their endeavors. As such, Familiars have made their mark in the world.

Now, as for why I know so little about these creatures that have gotten so widespread and the reason for me not having one in my past life… it all stems from one single fact.

Familiars were not very famous back in my day.

**********************

In the past, contractual magic was very complex, so only top-tier Mages could use it. Plus, while the existence of Familiars was known to us, forming a Bond with one was something most Magic-Users couldn’t do.

Only those of the highest caliber could form contracts with Familiars, and they were revered as the pinnacle of the realm of Magic… The Grand Mages.

I once aimed for that position myself, until I found out I was inept.

Grand Mages, and a few other exceptions possessed familiars, and they were quite powerful, while those of lower status didn’t. Also, since Familiars had symbiotic relationships with their Host, they required something in exchange for the power they would give.

A home to reside in called the Mana Core!