In the original story, Claire and Soleil were held captive in a small house in the capital for a while to avoid detection.

Second thing off... we were taken outside the capital.

They actually rushed us out of the capital and out to a slum area, where we were carried in the cloth bags into a wooden storehouse with barred windows.

How did I know it was the slums?

The sounds.

Every general sort of neighborhood has its own sound... and the sound of the slums has hints of anger and fear.

Honestly, this place was much more well chosen that the city house in the novel.

Three nobles walking through a slum area while being unarmed? It was like begging for trouble.

I curled together as I felt myself dropped to the ground and waited patiently to see if they, as in the story, would let us out of the bags now... and almost unexpectedly, they did.

My eyes clear to the sight of Claire being unpacked by one of our kidnappers... and a bloody and beaten up Soleil leaned against the wall. His breath was raspy... wasn't he... a bit too injured?

I glance to the kidnappers. Their goal in the novel had never been cleared, but I always thought they wanted Soleil's family and spell knowledge, so that they could make Claire use it. Claire had been an extremely naive girl in the novel, so they would likely have threatened her with the life of a child, and made her heal people...

However, Claire now might be better at magic, but they must have taken him for a reason... to let him be injured to this extent was unreasonable.

"Soleil-sama!" Claire calls out as her gag is removed, and she rushes to his side.

All of our hands are bound with cursed cuffs that prevent us from using mana. Claire can't heal him.

I shift into seiza and glance to the kidnappers that leave in a rush.

"Soleil-sama!" She gently shakes him with her cuffed hands while her eyes tear up...

I was about to get up and get a closer look at his injuries when out beloved Heroine ripped off a stripe of her long socks and immediately began bandaging him. Meanwhile Soleil woke up from the pain with a groggy look.

"...Claire?"

His eyes were swimming.

"...by god..." Soleil realized everything in an instant. He began to struggle immediately and tried to get up onto his feet.

"You mustn't! You are much too hurt!" Claire scolded him, and carefully tried to make him lay down instead.

Soleil frowned at her words.

"I can't... I must get you out."

She bit her lip, but didn't retort recklessly.

"You have not found a way out till now. You need to rest for a while."

Soleil stared up at her with light frustration, and took her hand.

"I must protect you, if not then I've failed everything!"

He raised his voice a bit more than I expected, but the guards I assumed were outside the door didn't do anything.

"I... I must protect you. I couldn't take the place by Alstair's side as his light mage. I failed him, and I failed my family. I... I'm weak at fire magic no matter how much I train, and my sword skills are below average at best... I'm merely another branch of shame for a crumbling family. At the very least I must keep you alive and out of their hands."

...

While I'd argue he is talking too much for an injured person, I am surprised Soleil had this sort of background. Had the tough guy act been an act to keep himself from crumbling?

"Don't say that! You are important! Just like everyone else! You are not a shame! You are good with politics and you always work hard! You shouldn't make so light of yourself."

Somehow... this conversation was turning out differently than it did in the book.

Soleil wasn't supposed to talk about why he was like this... he was just supposed to apologize...

Soleil smiled vaguely up at Claire.

"When I was small I always made sure to be the best person I could be... but... since I... wasn't chosen... I gave up... I became a fool and something the former I would never have accepted..." his sincerity was beautiful. Though, I don't actually think he has noticed me yet...

"You can still do it... you can still become the person you want to be."

Claire took his hand tightly as she said those words.

"I am still trying to become a good person, so there is certainly time for you as well," she said while giving him that bright and angelic smile that belongs to only the Heroine... and Soleil folds. He gives a simple nod, and tears up as he quietly lets her tend to the rest of his wounds.

Ah~ it is a refreshing scene though. Beautiful. No love confession, but as I expected it didn't disappoint!

There is just one point bothering me.

If Soleil's family was generally blessed by light faeries, and Soleil has been a good and helpful kid that wanted the best for people, then why had he not gotten the family element?

No, I mean, for a few generations they hadn't gotten any light blessings... but neither had they settled on any other. In fact, their element was completely inconsistent.

I always thought it was his personality... but Soleil had already been blessed by the time I first met him.

I know faeries aren't allowed to mess in politics, but if I can ask his faerie if his personality was no-go for a light faerie, then that would tell me a lot.

With a momentary determination I use sense. Honestly I doubted if it would work or not... but judging by the flying little figures near Claire and Soleil, I'd say for certain that their magic restraint doesn't work on me... it's just...

There are two light faeries over there...

"Sol-Chan~!" One of them is crying out while flying around Soleil who doesn't seem to hear her.

Meanwhile his fire faerie watches quietly from the side.

Still... Sol-Chan?

So the little light female faerie fluttering about in a panic has given him a pet name, but not his blessing?

"Is it impossible to have the blessing of two faeries?"

I ask into the air. Partly to Claire and Soleil, but also to the faeries if they notice.

Claire turns to me surprised.

"No. It's rare, but it happens..." she replies hesitantly.

With that, I stare at the light fairy girl that peeked to me for a moment.

"Then, why don't you contract with him? You seem to like him."

Claire looks confused. Soleil finally realizes that I am here too, and is currently turning paler than he was before.

As for our light fairy, and the two others... their eyes widen in shock at being seen.

The fairy looks at me and then falls into silence. She doesn't say anything...

Mmmm....

"Is he an acceptable person to contract with, personality wise?"

I changed the question.

This time she's debating whether or not to answer while she lands on Soleil's arm... then nods.

In other words... he was acceptable... and she liked him, but didn't contract with him?

"Who are you talking to?"

Claire finally gives in to her curiosity.

I look back to her and then to Soleil.

"Faeries."

I stare at the injured Soleil who is once again attempting to get up...

A question I don't want to ask is forming on my lips...

"Soleil... is your family constitution bad?"

He gives a brief nod while checking himself over.

"The more blessed by light the weaker, I'd say," he answers casually...

I don't need to look back at the light fairy to guess the reason she didn't bless him...