I Reincarnated to Another World as a Woman Chapter 357: I Can

After a brief pause, Theo breaks the silence. "Have I said anything wrong?"

"Uncle Linus? Liam?"

His call snaps both n back to reality.

Liam, "Uh, no. No, you didn’t say anything wrong, um, Thea." He then clears his throat.

Linus doesn’t say anything, but his eyes are back to focus and staring at Theo.

Theo looks at both of them in turn and clears his throat. "Urm, okay. So, yeah. Um, thank you."

Linus takes a deep breath, calming himself, and says, "You’re very welco, Thea. And if you co here to say that, you don’t really have to."

Theo smiles. "I know, Uncle. I know you’re sincere. That’s why I say thank you." Theo grins.

"And also, I am also here because I want to welco you. You are now the first outsider that knows about us. Congratulations." Theo says.

Linus blinks, he chuckles. "You’re not going to avoid it. I like that. Thank you for the warm welco. And I’d like to help in anyway I can."

Theo nods. "Thank you. But let’s stop with the pleasantries." He turns serious.

"Do you have any questions?" Theo asks.

------------------------------

"My na is Loujt. And I am Sonia’s uncle." Elder Loujt smiles and extends his hand.

Liam’s eyes narrow slightly, but he says nothing.

Theo smiles and takes the handshake.

Elder Loujt uses the opportunity to scan Theo quietly. He is fortunate that Theo has no mana right now. In Caelthorn, probing another mage during a handshake is considered deeply rude. One simply does not do it.

If Theo had his mana, Elder Loujt would have regretted it.

She truly has no mana. And yet that aura. How?

"My na is Thea Montrose." Theo says. "And I believe you have been looking for ."

"Yes, I have, Ms. Montrose. Let us sit down and talk." Elder Loujt gestures and takes his seat.

They are in a warm café in the heart of Solarys, close to the Vaelin’s rented apartnt.

"Mr. Loujt." Theo begins the mont he is seated. "I understand you ca looking for because you suspected I summoned the storm. How did you reach that conclusion?"

Elder Loujt blinks. He did not expect to be walked straight into the subject before the coffee arrives.

Liam blinks too. This is the second ti in a few days that Theo has caught him off guard like this. He heard it with his father and he is hearing it again now.

Thea has beco strong. He turns it over quietly. Part of him admires it. Part of him feels a pang for the fact that Theo cannot simply be a normal sixteen year old.

Sonia sits beside Elder Loujt, her eyes moving back and forth between the two of them. She can feel that this conversation is happening between two people who are operating at a level she is not part of.

It is a familiar feeling. Back ho, the adults always talked without including her. She was always on the outside of the room looking in.

Elder Loujt smiles. "I think we need to start at the beginning." He looks at Theo. "Does this an you are acknowledging that you are a mage?"

Mage? He is using mage and not magus. Theo files it away without letting it show on his face.

Theo smiles. "Mr. Loujt, I believe your niece has already told you that I have no mana. Is it really possible for soone without mana to be a mage?"

"If you have no mana, then how did you summon the storm?" Elder Loujt answers with a question of his own.

"I am not the one claiming I summoned the storm. That was Sonia. And given that you are here, I take it you agree with her. My question is simply this. How did you reach that conclusion?" Theo smiles politely.

Elder Loujt can feel it again. That authority radiating off Theo, quiet and undeniable. Like soone who has spent a long ti holding imnse power and has simply forgotten how to put it down.

What surprises him more is not the authority itself. It is that he wants to answer. That is what unsettles him.

He takes a slow breath, trying to shake loose whatever hold this young woman has over the room.

"Because the storm carried your mana signature." Sonia answers from beside him.

Every head turns to her.

Theo gives the faintest nod. They know about mana signatures. That ans they have more than basic knowledge.

"But I have no mana." Theo responds.

"Yes. That is exactly what baffled . You have no mana, and yet the storm carried your signature. I was not wrong about that." Sonia says.

Elder Loujt exhales quietly. He had not expected his Princess to break first.

"Why do you care?" Theo changes direction.

"I beg your pardon?" Sonia blinks.

"Why do you care whether the storm was summoned by or by soone else?" Theo elaborates.

"Because you must stop it. It is affecting people. That is reason enough." Sonia answers, as though the answer is self-evident.

Theo smiles. "But why does it matter to you specifically? If the storm was affecting you, you could simply leave Solarys. And I know you are capable of purifying yourself. So why did you not do that and leave? Why co looking for to ask to stop it?"

"Did you summon the storm on purpose?" Elder Loujt asks, his tone sharpening.

Liam reacts before Theo can. "Watch your tone, old man."

Theo puts a hand out to stop him. "It is alright."

He looks at Elder Loujt. "No. I did not. I was not even aware it was until I was told. And I am still not entirely certain it was."

He is not lying. Without his mana, he has no way to verify it himself.

Sonia shakes her head. "No. You were the summoner. Of that I am certain. The fact that you have no mana is what surprised . I do not know how you did it. I only know that you did."

Theo sighs. "Alright. Let us say I was. Is that why you wanted to et ? To ask to stop it?"

"Yes." Elder Loujt answers before Sonia can. "But given that you clearly have no mana, Ms. Montrose, stopping it yourself is not an option."

He looks out the café window at the snow. "However, this snow still needs to be stopped. It is self-sustaining. The storm was the sa."

"aning what exactly?" Liam asks. The skepticism in his voice is plain.

Elder Loujt does not look at him. He sighs quietly and answers. "aning that if nothing is done, it will grow. It will spread. The corruption magic is still present in it. Subtle now, but still there."

He turns back to Theo and Liam. "People cannot be exposed to this indefinitely. They have already been under the storm for five days and now this snow. It needs to be addressed. Soon."

"I cannot do it." Theo says plainly. "Can you, Mr. Loujt?"

He asks it sincerely. He can see from Elder Loujt’s eyes and expression that the concern is genuine. This is not a power play. This man is actually worried about people.

"Honestly? I am not certain. And I say that because I have already tried." Elder Loujt sighs. "I thought, the snow is gentler, perhaps I can manage it. As it turned out, I could not."

He looks at Theo. "I was hoping you might be able to help."

Theo goes quiet.

If I really did summon the storm and Liam converted it to snow, then the snow must carry Liam’s mana signature alongside mine. Which ans Liam has to be part of whatever solution there is. He cannot do it alone. And this Loujt, judging by his appearance and his hair, his Water is likely strong. But the two of them together still will not be enough. We need more people.

He looks at Elder Loujt.

And I have no idea whether he has the knowledge or experience to coordinate multiple mages working together at once.

"Mr. Loujt." Theo breaks the quiet.

"I believe you genuinely care about the people here. And you feel it is your duty to help them. If this snow is harming them, then I agree it must be removed. You have already said you cannot do it alone. Do you have a solution in mind?" He asks, half testing what Elder Loujt actually knows.

"It can be done with several mages working together. Among the four of us here, only my niece and I would be able to help." Elder Loujt answers.

"Why not the other two?" Liam asks. Sharp and short.

"Because their elents do not align with the snow. It is Earth." Elder Loujt gives a faint smile.

"I am aware that between you, you have Water, Light, Earth, Wind, and Fire." He continues.

"And you are saying you need our Water and Wind?" Theo asks.

"And Light. For the purification." Elder Loujt adds.

Theo looks thoughtful. Liam says nothing. He will do whatever Theo tells him to do.

"If that is what is required, then I believe my friends will agree." Theo says.

Elder Loujt nods, but his expression does not lighten.

"You do not seem relieved, Mr. Loujt. Is sothing still worrying you?" Theo tilts his head.

"Five mages working together to stop the snow. The process will not be simple. We need soone to lead the coordination. To make sure everyone is in perfect alignnt. We need a conductor."

"Would an open line of communication not be enough, Uncle?" Sonia frowns slightly. She had not expected it to be this complicated. "I an, I worked alongside them before. When we were dealing with Arthur. It felt straightforward."

Elder Loujt’s eyes snap to her.

She told this. Why did I not think of it before?

"You did, Niece? How did it go?"

Sonia nods and glances at Theo and Liam before looking back. "It went smoothly. No problems at all." She looks genuinely confused by his reaction. "I am not making it up, Uncle. Why do you look so surprised?"

"I did not say you were. I am simply surprised that it went as smoothly as you say. At his core, a mage is selfish. Not because he is a selfish person, but because he is trained to protect himself and never to link his mana with another mage. It is a dangerous thing to do."

When Sonia’s expression tells him she still does not fully follow, Elder Loujt continues.

"Imagine you and your friends are walking in a line, all of you blindfolded. Only the person at the front can see. You have to trust your leader to take you sowhere safe, and you have to trust the person in front of you never to let go of your hand."

He sighs. "A mage does not naturally do this. We are trained from the beginning to guard our mana and never expose it to another. The vulnerability required to link with soone else goes against everything we are taught."

"And I have never been a conductor." Elder Loujt finally admits it.

"I can."