Watching Angus roll out the door, Thunder turned and stretched out his hand to Tifa. "The contract?"
The little girl glanced up at Thunder, saw his grim expression, and quickly lowered her head again, timidly handing over the contract. "Master, Tifa was wrong."
Tifa had been bought by Colin's late father when she was very young. As a slave, she couldn't change ownership without her master's permission.
"What were you wrong about?" Thunder took the contract without even looking at it.
"Tifa shouldn't have acted on her own." The little maid twisted the hem of her dress, her head nearly touching her chest.
"Master..." Old Man Oak tugged at Thunder's sleeve. "Tifa was just trying to help the family."
"I'm not blaming her!" Thunder understood what they meant. He gently tapped Tifa's head. "I knew something was bothering you these past few days. Were you planning to sell yourself to keep this family afloat?"
Tifa stayed silent, tears dripping down her cheeks.
"Silly girl." Thunder sighed and ruffled her hair.
"Don't ever think like that again. I might've been useless before, but starting today, no one gets to bully my people!" His words brought tears to Old Man Oak's eyes.
"The young master can use magic now! The Ulman family has hope again!" The old man sobbed, overwhelmed by the sudden turn of fortune.
Thunder understood their emotions—the whiplash from despair to hope was hard to process.
He glanced at the contract in his hand and gripped it tightly. With a sharp *rip*, he tore it apart before Tifa could even react.
"Master, what are you doing?" Tifa lunged forward, trying to save the scraps.
"From today on, there are no slaves in this house!" Thunder tossed the shredded parchment to the ground and stomped on it.
"It's only right," Old Man Oak nodded. Tifa's dedication over the years had earned her more than just a piece of paper—she was family.
"Master..." Tifa's big, beautiful eyes shimmered with emotion.
Thunder wiped her tears away. "Stop crying. Wash your face and let's eat."
"Tifa's crying because she's happy." The girl looked up with a radiant smile.
Who would've thought the Ulman family's down-and-out young master would become a revered mage? To Old Man Oak and Tifa, it felt like fate had played the grandest joke of all.
The dining hall was bare—just a table and a few chairs, everything else long sold off. As they ate, Thunder piled food onto Tifa's plate.
"Skinny arms, skinny legs—eat more!" When she tried to push the food back, Thunder glared, and she obediently gave in.
"She's suffered a lot these years," Old Man Oak murmured, his face flushed with drink and joy, as if Thunder were already a legendary mage.
"That was my fault," Thunder admitted. Colin's memories told him how the spoiled brat had done nothing but wallow in self-pity while his family struggled.
With no income, they'd sold off everything, and Tifa had taken odd jobs just to put food on the table. Even then, she and Old Man Oak went hungry so Colin could eat. Yet the little bastard had repaid her kindness with drunken beatings, leaving Tifa jumpy around Thunder even now.
*Good riddance,* Thunder thought bitterly.
"You had your burdens too, young master. Oak and Tifa understand," the old man slurred, teetering on the edge of drunken bliss.
Tifa nodded vigorously, her mouth full.
"Let the past stay past." Thunder shoved a piece of meat into Tifa's mouth despite her protests. "Things'll get better."
"Yes, yes, the young master's a mage now..." Old Man Oak's eyes glazed over.
"Wait, why'd you pick up those scraps earlier?" Thunder suddenly asked Tifa, who stiffened like a startled rabbit.
"Ah!" Her face turned red. "I... Tifa wanted to burn them!"
"Burn them? Good idea." Thunder nodded.
After the meal, Thunder lounged in a chair under the sun, half-asleep, pondering his situation.
If he could still carve talismans using magic, then he at least had a way to protect himself. The bigger problem was his body—weak, malnourished, and ruined by alcohol.
The Dragon-Tiger Sect had martial techniques to strengthen the body, but as a talisman specialist, Thunder had only learned the basics. Starting tomorrow, he'd need to train.
Then there was the issue of magic. His old cultivation methods still worked—better, even, thanks to this world's rich spiritual energy. But the energy converted into pure magic upon reaching his dantian, making true cultivation impossible.
*Fine. If I'm stuck as a mage, I'll just stockpile more magic.* With the Spirit-Suppressing Pearl's help, it'd be easy.
Nearby, Tifa pretended to clean while sneaking glances at Thunder. He noticed but ignored her.
*Fifteen-year-olds and their silly crushes...*
*Ugh, if only I'd learned more talismans from that old bastard back on Dragon-Tiger Mountain. Now I'm stuck with just the Five Lights Thunder Talisman.*
*Damn him and his "master one before moving to the next" nonsense.*
Will Thunder unlock more powers—or is he doomed with just one trick?