My System Doesn't Give Power

Bluey tore through the sky at supersonic speed, her enormous wings propelling them forward as the air screamed around her.

Under ordinary circumstances, the sheer pressure would have made it impossible for anyone to remain on her back.

However, Armani had coated Bluey, Carrie, and Martha in a thin layer of Mana that repelled most of the violent air resistance while still allowing enough wind through for them to experience the exhilaration of flight.

Carrie sat near the base of Bluey’s neck, gripping her scales tightly as she gazed down at the distant landscape below.

"This is amazing!" she shouted at the top of her lungs.

Behind her, Martha and Armani sat comfortably on Bluey’s broad back. Martha watched Carrie’s radiant expression for a moment before turning toward Armani.

"Kitty, put up a sound barrier around us. There’s something I want to discuss, and Carrie doesn’t need to hear it."

Armani glanced toward the girl, who was far too engrossed in the scenery to pay them any attention. With a slight movement of her hand, a transparent veil of Mana enveloped the two women.

"What is it, Sister?"

"What do you think about Lima?"

"You mean that red-haired little girl?"

"She’s in her mid-twenties, Kitty. Why do you still call her a little girl?"

"Whenever I see her, I remember that miserable little girl from the Martel family who used to weep all those years ago. Perhaps that’s why." Armani paused. "As for your question, she’s a good person."

Martha waited for her to elaborate, but Armani remained silent.

"Be more specific, Kitty."

"If you want a more specific answer, tell me why you’re asking. Then perhaps I can respond accordingly."

Martha looked directly at her. "Do you think she would be suitable for Zac?"

For the briefest instant, Armani’s expression turned awkward. However, she quickly concealed it and adopted her usual composure.

"No. I don’t think the two of them would suit each other."

Martha tilted her head. "Why not?"

Armani took a moment before answering.

"Lima is talented. She has decent principles, enough pride to stand up for herself, and the strength to justify that pride. She built everything she has through her own efforts, starting as an ordinary recruit and climbing all the way to branch chief at a remarkably young age."

"She can be stubborn and arrogant at times, but she is still a genuinely good person."

Martha raised an eyebrow. "You’ve said nothing but good things about her. So why wouldn’t she suit Zac?"

"I have two reasons. The first is that Lima carries too much turmoil within her."

Martha remained silent, allowing her to continue.

"Her family was already a disaster when she was a child, and even now, nothing has truly been resolved. They attempted to use her marriage to advance their own ambitions, which affected her deeply enough that she eventually fled from them."

Armani’s expression became more solemn.

"She endured a great deal throughout her childhood. It made her independent, but it also left her lonely and uncertain when it comes to trust and emotional attachments."

Martha contemplated her words before shaking her head.

"I don’t think that’s the real reason."

Armani turned toward her. "What do you mean, Sister?"

"I can clearly see that she’s interested in Zac. Why else would a branch chief devote so much time to helping ordinary people like us?"

Armani let out a quiet laugh. "You are anything but ordinary, Sister, especially considering your past and your relationship with Eldric."

"Kitty, all of that belongs to the past. Right now, I’m simply a woman living in a small city, raising two children while working menial jobs."

"You’re right. That is how ordinary people would perceive you." Armani gave her a pointed look. "But Lima knows at least part of your background. And you do realize she belongs to the Martel family, don’t you?"

Martha narrowed her eyes. "Come on, Kitty. Don’t tell me you’re concerned because our families have different social standings."

"No." Armani shook her head immediately. "If anything, the Martel family stands beneath what your family once was. Even now, there are people who would flatten their entire household if you genuinely asked for their assistance."

"Then what exactly is the problem?"

Armani hesitated. "I honestly don’t know. It just... simply doesn’t feel right."

For several seconds, Martha said nothing and merely stared at her. Then she suddenly burst into laughter.

Armani’s expression grew uncomfortable. "What?"

Martha continued laughing. "Don’t tell me you’re still holding on to those old memories."

Armani immediately stiffened as a particular memory resurfaced. "That happened a long time ago. He was only a child back then. I don’t think about it anymore."

Martha’s laughter grew louder. "I never said which incident I was referring to. Why do you keep setting traps for yourself and then leaping straight into them?"

"Sister!"

Martha finally composed herself and wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. "Tell me honestly, Kitty. Do you have feelings for my son?"

Armani denied it immediately. "What are you talking about, Sister? Think like a mother before saying something like that. I’m long past the age of falling in love. Besides, he’s still a young man, while I’m already in my forties."

Martha waved her hand dismissively. "Don’t give me that nonsense. Concerns like those became irrelevant after the apocalypse. A variant of your rank could easily live for more than three hundred years."

She gestured toward Armani’s youthful appearance. "You’ll probably look exactly like this for most of that time. An age difference of twenty years hardly matters anymore."

"Well, it matters to me," Armani replied, her voice growing firmer. "Whatever you say, Sister, it still feels wrong."

"Fine, fine. I won’t bring it up again," Martha said, still chuckling.

Then she leaned slightly closer. "So, if that isn’t the problem, what is?"

Armani released a defeated sigh before continuing. "My second reason is Zac himself."

Martha’s amusement immediately faded. "What about him?"

"Sister, don’t play innocent. You already know what the problem is."

Armani paused briefly before continuing.

"I haven’t spent enough time with him to claim that I understand him completely. But from everything you’ve told me, and from the day I spent with him, I think his personality could create problems between him and Lima."

Martha’s eyes sharpened instantly. "Wait. You spent an entire day with my son without telling me?"

Armani’s expression shifted. "That isn’t important right now."

Martha covered her mouth with both hands. "Fine, fine. I won’t ask. Continue." She said while still struggling to suppress her laughter.

Armani eyed her suspiciously before speaking again. "You told me what happened with the girl he loved in high school and how that experience changed him, correct?"

"Yes, but I don’t think it changed him enough to turn him into a completely different person."

"That’s where you’re mistaken, Sister. Around you and Carrie, he may still behave like his old self. But from everything I’ve seen and heard, he is very different now."

Armani’s expression grew more thoughtful.

"He still speaks casually, jokes around, and helps people whenever he feels inclined to. But beneath that, I believe he has sealed away a significant part of himself."

"When it comes to trusting someone, he is exceptionally guarded. He was cautious even around me. Of course, he listened whenever I told him to do something, but I could tell that he never truly lowered his guard."

She looked ahead, her voice becoming quieter.

"And as time passes, I can feel him changing even further. He is growing more wary, more suspicious, and less willing to rely on others. For the person he is becoming, earning his trust will not be easy."

"But once he does trust someone, I believe he commits himself entirely to that bond."

Armani turned back toward Martha. "That is why I’m worried about Lima. She still doesn’t understand what she truly wants, and her feelings regarding relationships and family are deeply entangled."

"If Zac opens himself to her and she pulls away because of her own fears, it could break him all over again. And I don’t think he’s ready to endure another heartbreak."

Martha contemplated her words in silence.

Then she looked at Armani and asked, "I understand your concern, but you aren’t saying all of this because you don’t want to share him with another woman, are you?"

Armani’s face instantly flushed red. "Sister!"

Martha burst into laughter again.

"You promised you wouldn’t bring that up anymore!"

"I couldn’t help myself."

"If you mention it one more time, I’ll stop speaking to you."

Martha struggled to compose herself. "I genuinely can’t help it, Kitty. Watching a woman feared by entire nations become this flustered over romance is far too entertaining."

She grinned teasingly. "What do you think the world would say if it discovered how inexperienced you are when it comes to love?"

"Please stop, will you?"

Martha’s laughter gradually subsided, and her expression turned more serious. "Kitty, I’m not trying to push you toward him. And I can’t say with certainty whether what you feel for him is romantic or not."

She paused. "But I do know that you care about him deeply."

"You said he doesn’t trust you, but can you really blame him for that? He didn’t even know you existed until you suddenly appeared in his life a few days ago."

Martha’s voice softened. "During those nine years, Zac endured more than any child should have. All that frustration and resentment will naturally resurface whenever he wonders where you were throughout those years."

Armani’s fingers tightened slightly.

"I know your absence wasn’t your fault. But Zac doesn’t know the truth."

Martha looked directly at her. "If you want an honest relationship with him, whether as family or something more, you will eventually have to tell him. Or at the very least, guide him toward discovering the truth himself."

"If the belief that you are unreliable takes root too deeply in his heart, changing his perception later may become nearly impossible."

The words struck Armani more deeply than Martha had expected. She fell completely silent, staring into the distance as countless thoughts churned through her mind.

Several minutes passed before Martha spoke again. "You’re really thinking this through, aren’t you?"

Armani blinked and finally emerged from her contemplation. "What? Did you say something, Sister?"

Martha smiled again. "Kitty, for someone of your age and strength, you are remarkably helpless when it comes to love."

Armani groaned. "Please stop."

Martha burst into laughter once more.

From her position near the base of Bluey’s neck, Carrie turned around and saw her mother laughing. "Mom, what are you laughing about?"

Armani immediately dissolved the sound barrier.