I AM A MAGE BUT WITH MILF SYSTEM

Clara’s eyes sharpened. The irritation did not vanish, but it was now joined by something sharper and far more focused. The implication was clear. Whatever method had taken him from a disgraced young master to an Arch Mage in a handful of years was not limited to himself. It could be shared.

For a mother who had watched her daughter pour years of blood and effort into reaching Peak Sovereign, the possibility was impossible to ignore.

She did not speak immediately. Her fingers tightened slightly against the fabric of her gown as she processed the claim. Outside, the afternoon light continued to shift across the floor of the room, but inside the air had grown heavier with the sudden shift from riddles to something concrete.

Julian did not rush her. He simply waited, the faint smile still present, as if he already knew the calculation now running behind her eyes.

Clara finally drew a slow breath.

"You are claiming," she said carefully, "that whatever raised you to Arch Mage... can be used on another person."

Julian met her gaze without looking away.

"Yes."

The single word was simple. But in the silence of the room, it was heavy and deep.

For a long moment neither of them spoke.

During this time, Clara’s expression shifted through several stages. At first it was clear skepticism. Then came calculation as if she was thinking whether it was possible or not. Then, finally, a clear, almost offended disbelief.

"And you want me to believe that?"

She gave a short, humorless shrug, as if the very idea offended her.

"No matter how lucky you may have been, obtaining a technique like that is too far beyond reality. It goes against common sense. If something capable of accelerating breakthroughs for both the mage and another person truly existed, the entire structure of cultivation in this kingdom would have collapsed long ago. Everyone with even a shred of ambition would already be at Grand Mage. The balance of power would not look the way it does now."

Her words were sharp and scolding. She had drawn a clear line: the claim was too large.

Julian only shrugged in response. There was no visible need to convince her.

"Well," he said, "believe what you want. The truth is right in front of you."

He left it at that.

Clara’s mind immediately began to race.

He was not defending himself. He was not rushing to offer proof. He simply sat there with that same calm, almost lazy expression, as if what she believed was not bothering him in the slightest. That carefree demeanor unsettled her more than any passionate argument would have.

People who lied usually tried harder. People who exaggerated usually grew louder when challenged. He did neither.

Is he really telling the truth?

The thought arrived.

But how? How is that even possible?

A second, more cautious voice followed quickly behind the first.

Should I ask for more details? No. I just finished saying it was impossible. If I start pressing now, it will look like I am interested. Like I am already considering it.

Pride and caution pulled in one direction. Curiosity pulled hard in the other.

...

Curiosity won.

When she spoke again, her voice had dropped lower:

"Are you really telling the truth?"

Julian’s eyes met hers.

He nodded once.

"I can show you," he said, "if you want."

The offer hung tantalizingly in the air between them.

Clara did not answer immediately. Her knuckles had whitened without her noticing. The rational part of her mind continued to list every reason this could be a performance. Yet another part could not quite look away from the possibility.

An inheritance that could accelerate not only the user’s cultivation, but another person’s as well.

If it was real... the implications for Elara were enormous.

If it was a lie... she would walk out of this room and never give him another opportunity.

She took in a deep breath, calming herself.

"You speak very casually about something that should not exist," she said at last. Her voice remained controlled. "If you are going to make a claim of that scale, then yes. Show me. But understand this, Kraven... if I sense even the slightest attempt to deceive or take advantage, I will not only leave. I will make certain my husband and the duke hears every detail of this conversation."

Julian’s faint smile returned.

"I would expect nothing less, Aunty Clara."

He did not rise yet. He simply watched her, giving her the final moment to change her mind or to commit.

The silence stretched once more.

Clara’s heart beat a little faster than she preferred to admit. She had entered this room to protect her daughter. Now she was on the verge of allowing the very man she distrusted to demonstrate a technique that, if real, could change everything she thought she knew about cultivation... and about him.

She gave a single nod.

"Then do it," she said. "Show me."

Julian held her gaze for a moment longer, then slowly rose from his chair.

Clara remained seated, watching him with that same wary look she had ever since she stepped in this room.

"Relax," he said quietly.

Clara’s eyes narrowed a fraction, but she did not move. Julian stepped around the small table that separated them and walked behind her chair. When he stopped, she could feel the warmth of his presence at her back even before he touched her.

Then his hands settled on her shoulders.

Clara stiffened at once. Every muscle in her upper body tightened. Her breath caught for half a second before she forced it back under control. This was the instinctive reaction of a woman who had not allowed a man other than her husband this close in years.

"Calm down," Julian said, his voice low and close enough that she could feel the faint stir of his breath near her hair. "And breathe."

Clara’s jaw tightened. She remained rigid beneath his palms, the heat of his skin burning hers.

"This is already more contact than I agreed to," she said.

"I know," Julian replied. His thumbs shifted slightly and settled more firmly on her shoulders. "But the method requires direct contact. If I stay in front of you, you will only watch my face and try to read deception. From here, you can focus on the sensation itself."