Novel I Didn't Even Want to Live, But God Forced Me to Reincarnate!

And thanks for always reading XD

 

Too cute~ thanks for the chapter~

 

Chapter 26

The Messy Independent Training​

Spoiler: chapter 26

After some sessions of magic training with Mom, I was given the thick book of basic magic. (Obviously, I requested for it! Mom was surprised, but she delightfully handed her book over to me. It’s a hand-me-down book from Mom!!)

In my free time, I read the book and noticed Mom’s handwriting. The writing wasn’t as neat as Mom’s current handwriting, so it must be from when she was a child, too.

Somehow, I feel as if my bond with Mom is strengthening, just by discovering things like this.

I feel so happy for getting her old book, compared to getting a new, unused version of the book.

It’s weird, but that’s what I feel.





The thick book is quite like the dictionary of basic magic, containing information on all types of magic inside, along with the basic chants.

“Lyra, don’t forget to read them carefully, especially the rules. For now, just strengthen the magic we’ve already practiced.”

“Rules... page... hmmm.”





[1. Pray before you practice!

2. Read each section carefully and consult your tutor if there is something you don’t understand.

3. Injuring others in training is a no-no!

4. ...]





I flipped the page after reading some points that are way too obvious. No wonder, this book is written so that children can easily understand them, but I’m mentally older, so stop telling me something very obvious!

“Geh, boring, it’s just some stuffs I already know, let’s just move on!”

I skimmed through the pages in the book.

Surprisingly, the book has a section for [Void]!

…Oops, the section for [Void] is only one page long.

Hmm, I wonder if Alt-nii trained using other more complicated book? Or a more ancient book? He wouldn’t be able to train using this book. No wonder Mom handed this book to me, not Alt-nii.







Ah, right!

Let me clarify this. I am not a diligent person. It’s just that I will pursue the thing that I’m interested in.

But I can force myself to learn something if it’s required. I’ve been thoroughly trained to do that~!

Eh? It’s kinda sad for me to announce it proudly?

Uhhh, but it’s something that not everyone can bear to do, after all.

So, obviously I’m proud that I’ve developed that skill~







During my break time—meaning: my time to leisurely relax at home, I decided I would try to do an independent magic study, in addition to the independent Hartmann secret arts training~!

It’s been almost half a year since I started training my magic.

Within these months, Mom said I have quite a good aptitude in learning magic. Is this the gift from God, or is this the influence of being born from two amazing magicians?

Regardless, looks like I will be able to skillfully use magic this time!







So far, I have learned the basic of magic and trained my [Ice] and [Life] magic with Mom.

I still have [Light] and [Water] affinity, as well.

Without a doubt, I will be able to easily invoke those types of magic. Furthermore, I have trained the two strongest affinities I have (forget about [Dark]!)—so it should enhance my magic power, regardless of my mana capacity that I have yet to know.

It’s being hypothesized that training your magic before you reach your full mana capacity at the age of 6 will strengthen your mana capacity. Obviously with the development of the training safety tool, more people are not afraid to train their children’s magic even before the age of 6.





Okay, uhm… [Light] and [Water], is it… I flipped the book towards the explanation of light magic.

Let me try with basic spells!

[Leoht] (Light)

And a small ball of glittering light appears on top of my palm.

“Whoa…”

As my concentration broke due to my amazement, the light got dimmer and finally vanished.

Ah, but that means I can use light magic just fine.





Now, let’s try water. It will be exciting to be able to do water show, like what Dad showed me from time to time.

[Holm trinda!] (Water ball)

This time, a ball of water is being formed on my palm.

…Can I drink it?

I stared at the ball of water while closely approaching it with my face.

I lightly touched the ball of water to my face.

“!!”

Aiyah, it’s cold!

--and then the ball of water dissolves.

I can still feel the freshness of the water.

Does that mean, I will be okay even if I got lost in a vast and dry desert? Yay~!

But, wait what, why would I end up getting lost in the middle of a desert, anyway?

That’s ridiculous!







Okay, anyway... it’s not that energy-consuming and I can produce them just fine. Which means, I really have great affinity to the two elements.

The tester is accurate, after all! It accurately measured my magic affinities!

Argh, stop reminding me about the [Dark] element, I am not interested to try it in the slightest bit.





The tester didn’t tell how strong was my affinity to the other magic elements, but I could try them out one by one, right?

It’s written in the page that explains affinities that…

“For magic with weak affinity, it may be possible to produce result with the chants, but it may be quite tiring and harder to do, so it’s advised to enhance your magic first. For medium affinity, it will be slightly harder than the strong affinity, but easier than producing weak affinity magic.”





Okay, time to find out my affinity to other magic!

The parameter is the difficulty in producing the magic, and the energy-consumption. I have gotten the hang of the strong affinity magic, so I should be able to judge the rest.

All that’s left is either weak and medium magic—or the element I can’t use at all.

Oh, and, there is no need to try Neutral magic at all. Normally, every magic user will be able to use it to a degree. So, in short, I will be able to use basic neutral magic without any hassle.

The easiest one is enhancement magic—to enhance a magical power or physical strength.

It’s like trying to use the most basic form of the most basic magic.





This time, I want to learn my affinities to other elements, not to train them, so yeah, there’s no need to try it! Now, moving on.

I think I should start with fire, then wind, earth, plant, thunder... and lastly, void.

Now that you think about it, the method of trying everything one by one is the fastest way to figure out what magic elements you can do, and what you can’t do!

I wonder why hasn’t anyone practiced this one-by-one trial?

Because it is quite an inaccurate method and one’s magical power hasn’t been fully developed yet? The mana capacity is still not yet final, so with weaker mana, we can’t do weak affinity elements at all?

Hmm, that might be why.

Anyway, let’s not think too much about why and... let’s try~!





[Sweoloð clîewen] –fire ball. It formed, although not forming a perfect ball and was quite dim. It doesn’t seem to be that difficult to form. I certainly feel more fatigue compared to when I practiced my known affinities.

I can use fire. But from the looks of it, it’s... normal, maybe?





[T¯æcing becierran] –summon wind. I can feel a slightly refreshing breeze on top of my palm. Again, it is not as easy as ice or light magic.

My affinity is normal to wind magic, I think.



...For earth, plant, thunder, I think it’s better for me to go outside, to the garden to practice them.



[Togînan sê befæstan]—crack the ground. A slight crack formed on the ground. No matter, I can close the crack with the sand afterwards.

Normal affinity to [Earth].



[Spîr hnipend]—leaf bending. One leaf is being bended slightly towards me. ...I didn’t kill the leaf just by bending it slightly, right?

Normal affinity to [Plant].



[Lîgetung wolcen]—lightning ball. A yellow electric ball is formed on top of my palm just fine---fine, huh?! Ouch, ouch, it stings me! I’m being electrified by my own magic!!

Luckily enough, the ball quickly disappears.

...normal affinity to [Thunder].





Uhm, wait what, so far, I have had majority of normal magic for the other affinities I’m not so strong with?

Isn’t the result... suspiciously good?

Just how much is my mana capacity, really?

I shuddered in a horror. Being gifted with great power means more responsibility.

...hopefully... I won’t be exposed to various dire situations in the future, with this.





Oh, right! I almost forgot [Void].

...if I also can use [Void], no matter how weak... I... would be categorized as a really gifted magician, huh? I don’t think there’s anyone who can do all magic elements besides [The Greatest Magician] so far...





***





I chose to drink some water to calm myself and to energize my body.

Afterwards, I went inside the second floor’s living room and sat down on the carpet, put down a glass of water, and proceeded to read the only page detailing void magic.

The only known spell in the book is [Hagorûn undôn]—a spell to cancel magic.

It can be used to return any magical power to void—to nothingness.

I bet Alt-nii has developed more spells and forms of magic—but the only [Void] magic publicly known is that spell.





Let’s try, then.

Oops, I got to cast any magic and interrupt myself—wait... that’s not how it works.

Oh, I know.

I will just form something with my ice magic and continue to supply it with magical power, while chanting the void spell.

Let’s try forming an ice book! Luckily, I can use the thick magic book I’m reading as a model.

[Hîwung w¯ælrâp!]





The ice imitation of the book is quickly formed in front of me. Let’s not call it off, let it stay there~ Yup, I can now retain the icy form I’ve created with an ease~ It might as well stay there until it melts by itself~! But then again, ice produced by magic will be harder to melt in the room temperature. It can still melt, but it will take a longer time.

Even when my concentration and energy isn’t being directed there, the icy form I created will stay! Mom praised me at that time, and tried thawing my ice. She said I should focus on creating an ice that’s harder to thaw in the future.





Next...

I inhaled. Let’s try this! Whatever happens, happens!





[Hagorûn undôn...]





...I opened my eyes, slowly. Is the icy book still intact, or some parts of it disappeared?





And the answer is...





The whole icy book is fully intact. I don’t feel any surge of power coming out from my body. It’s a complete failure.



Ah, so I can’t use [Void] magic at all.







Even so, I have strong affinity to 5 magic elements (this time, I’m including [Dark]), normal affinity to 6 elements, weak affinity to 0 element, and zero affinity to 1 element.

...Isn’t this result way too amazing?!

Is my self-diagnosis wrong?

Is there anyone who can use almost all magic elements like me...?





Hmm, it’s no use to think about something I don’t know.





Now, I want to experiment further with my [Ice] magic. It’s fun to create things! Now, I think I should try to use other basic spell of Ice.

[Frêosan]—freeze. And thus, the water inside the glass was frozen.

Now, let’s try chantless magic and freeze the glass. It should be easy to project in my mind.

Soon, the glass is covered in ice.

This is great!





I want to freeze a larger object, but am I capable of doing it?

I stared at the table and just laughed it off.

“No way I can do that, right?”

...For practice, let’s try focusing on the table, and do a mock-freezing!





“Freeze.”

I didn’t use any Spraec chant because this is just a focus practice. For practice’s sake, I will just normally say the word in daily language. I still recall the image of [Ice] magic circle—as I feel like I might be able to produce stronger magic by always imagining the magic circle.

I focused my whole attention and energy to the table, pointing my index finger there and imaging it as slowly being enveloped by my ice—and... at the same time, the exact same thing literally happened to the table.

Soon, the table is completely covered in my ice.





...wait, what, what?!

“?!”

I didn’t even chant it in Spraec... How could it be...?





I feel slight fatigue is building up in my body. Wait, is it a voiceless incantation?

I shifted my focus to the sofa and this time, I tried to do the same thing with only the power of imaging and focus in my mind. The symbol of [Ice] magic circle is...



“...”



...Nothing happened.





“I want it to freeze for real this time, though!”

--and then, it is slowly freezing.

...let’s think about it. What did I mention before the phenomena happened? The same word that I mentioned... could it be that the trigger was [Freeze]?

“Gotta ask Mom about this... but before that, let’s try more examples to make sure my hypothesis is right!”





Practicing with sword is fun, but experimenting with magic is even more fun!

Next up is to create any form of ice I want to.

Let’s start with creating small ice balls.

I posed myself, kept my mind focused, and swung my index finger.

“Ice balls.“

Shortly after that, a few balls of ice are forming on the floor.

My hypothesis should be correct... but anyway, let’s try more!





***





--in the end, by the time I am satisfied enough with my training, various forms of ice sculptures are there in the second floor’s living room—alright, let’s make it shorter, the second living room, then.

Cat, apple, stick, sword, teddy bear, boxes, provice immitation, pen, feather, and even icy bone.

Before long, the temperature in this room also gets colder.

However, being the owner of the ice magic, I don’t really feel bothered at all with the cold. Yes, the cold never bothered me anyway!

I lightly swept my sweaty forehead with my hand—yes, I even dropped some sweat due to the fatigue that’s building up after doing all that practice, despite the room being so cold—and I put my hands on my waist, smiling proudly at my masterpieces.





Now, let’s thaw them all and tidy up the room~

I approached the various ice I created and started to thaw...

...

...

How do I thaw them, again?





How do I call of all my magical power to the ice, after I tried to retain their form and instructed them not to just disappear? I mean... I can’t feel any connection to the ice I created...





“Uh... uhm...”

Having only a normal affinity to [Fire] magic doesn’t help me at all!

My [Ice] is stronger than my [Fire]!

...

Well, we never know, so I might as well try!





But wait a minute...

Do I have to really start a fire here?

But it’s dangerous if I can’t control the fire!

My family will have no house to live in!!





“...Uhmmmm...”

I am standing in the middle of the icy mess I’ve created, dumbfounded.

Help, help me feel the magical power I used to create them, so I could call them off!!

I really forgot the fact that it was always Mom who thawed my ice for me!!

I also forgot to ask her to teach me that! I thought I could always feel the magical power in the ice sculptures and easily cancelled them—but hey, I forgot that I am not used to using magic yet!





Now, now, the room is cold, but I am starting to sweat even more.

What a mess I’ve created...?

Mom isn’t even home yet—what do I do?

...All I wanted to do was just to train independently, but now I’ve created a mess in my house...

 

Kekeke it's remind me of little children who build a snow house but trapped inside it

 

She's adorable and confused. Love how she keeps saying she's mentally older, even though at this point she really is just a little girl.

 

Thanks!
foolish lyra

 

Lyra!!!! CUTE!!!!

I remember I did something like that before

(When I was a kid)

I filled the room with baby powder and covered the entire floor. I treated it like a skating ring but at the end I didnt know how to clean any of it and got scolded.

Edit: I was reminded of my childhood and got a ton of sweetness so I bought u waffles!
Hope ya dont mind @LynneSuzuran

 

Same~ I and my sis got thoroughly scolded by my mom because it was a mess to clean up afterwards

On Lyra's case though, I don't think she'll really get much scolding. They might feel that she inherited Cassie's passion for knowledge and magic with how doting they are.

 

Yeh I just found her situation very cute and similar to my own conundrum before hahahah

 

Whoa, checking NUF and suddenly finding people commenting on this thread makes me so happyyyy

Huh, that really happened for real? XD That's kinda cute to imagine!

Ahaha yup, and she really deserves to enjoy life as a normal little girl this time around! (But, could it be that we have to drop that "normal" part, seeing how she is not too normal? XD)

Thanks for reading and commenting as always XD

Thanks a bunch!!
I'm glad the chapter could induce sweetness in your taste buds >w< I've always been a fan of fuwafuwa and sweet novels myself~!
But your idea with baby powder and skating ring is amazing! I could imagine how slippery it got!

Whoa, how can I not think of that idea when I was a child? I was also naughty but in different way, I think, haha~
Yup, they are way too doting, especially Cyan, though.

Lastly, thanks for reading, guys! Hope you will continue to enjoy the story

 

Chapter 27

A Gift from God​

Spoiler: gift27

I made a mess in my independent training, and now I don’t know what I should do...

Can this mess be undone?

While I was busy thinking of various possibilities to solve the problem, suddenly there’s someone calling out to me.





“Lyra~ Are you sleeping?”

Clavis-nii’s voice!

Which means, Alt-nii is also coming home! He will definitely be able to help me make the ice disappear!!

After all, he is a [Void] user!!





“Clavis-nii, I’m at the second floor’s living room! Is Alt-nii with you?”

I can hear footsteps approaching the room I’m in.

“No, he had something he needed to do at school, and I didn’t want to accompany him anyway, so he asked me to go back first and to play with you!”

...what a bad timing, Alt-nii!!





Oh, right, both Alt-nii and Clavis-nii were finally admitted to special class!

(Actually, Alt-nii half-forced Clavis-nii to accompany him to study and such... Alt-nii is dead set on making Clavis his aide, eh?

Also... Clavis-nii seems to be quite smart that he can also get into the special class, through my brother’s enforcement—or that he received one hell of Alt-nii’s pestering and tutoring?)





...Let’s get back at the current situation. Clavis-nii’s footsteps are getting closer.

“Uh, uhm, Clavis-nii, wait a second, don’t come here—“

But my warning comes too late.

Clavis-nii finally climbed up all the stairs, and now he’s standing frozen in front of me, looking at the room in his confusion.









“Uh, uhm, this...”

I... feel awkward looking at his confused expression. He notices that I’m the source of this ice mess, and he looks at me, worried on what to do.

“Can... you help me... Clavis-nii?” I smiled awkwardly.

“...Uhhhhh... My attribute is [Neutral], so...”

“...”

“...”

We are both standing still, face-to-face, looking at each other’s face, with puzzled expression.





“L, let’s move the ice into the trash bin!” He suggested.

“But, what about the table, the glass, and other things that are covered in ice?”

“...”

We can definitely wait for it to melt by itself or melt until Altaire or Mom comes home, but the frozen big objects are the major contributor to the mess. Yup, definitely.





After the long silence...

“...I will bring in a wooden torch and we shall thaw them...?” He suggested, again.

“What if we start a fire and burn the whole house, instead?”

“...”

Uuuh, I appreciate his worries and his earnest thinking to help me, but... we are both stuck!

His tail is not wagging, it’s completely stiff. Both of his ears are also standing. If I’m not wrong, it’s the sign that he’s also nervous.

Our expressions clearly stated this: ‘What do we do?’

“Wait for them to naturally thaw....?” He asked.

“It... might take quite a while, as they won’t thaw quickly in room temperature. Not to mention, winter is approaching so the air is colder—and... if it thaws naturally, it might create a mess of water...?”

I gave him my thoughts about his suggestion—which I have thought before he even mentioned it.

“...”

Finally, the long silence dragged on and on...





***





Perhaps wondering what was going on with the silence, Niina decided to go upstairs to take a look.

“Clavis? You’re here? Why are you and Lyra-sama being so quiet? Huh-“

She stopped talking when she saw what a mess we’re in.

Then, as soon as she realized what’s going on, her expression turned to be a dreadful expression.





“Forgive my rudeness, but... Lyra-sama?! What on earth did you do...?!”

I smiled as wide as I can, as a response.

Normal maids or workers would risk their chances of being fired if they were to say the remarks that she said just now—if they were working in normal nobles’ house. Yes, my family’s noble house can’t be categorized as normal. Unlike the typically stiff attitude the maids and workers of other houses have—in order to prevent anything from going bad that would lead them to stop working or considered to insult the nobility—the workers in my current house are really, really friendly, just like part of my family.

So, of course my response would turn out to be as friendly, and I would obey her as she’s older than me. Okay, responding by honestly admitting your mistakes is not an easy feat to do.







“Uhm, I was just practicing my magic... independently... and... I forgot I haven’t learned how to thaw them myself... I... can’t control my own magic... yet?”

I ended my sentence with a question mark because I wasn’t very sure of what I thought of.

Now, there are one human and two beastmen standing still in silence, wondering what to do to get out of the mess.





“Me, Chloe, and Vince... all of us naturally couldn’t thaw the magical ice... we had to resort to the traditional way of thawing ice, I guess? We have no choice but to clean up the mess afterwards,” Niina finally decided the course of action we’d take, rather than waiting and let more time to waste.

“S, sorry, Niina...,” I can’t do anything but to apologize for troubling her.

“It’s alright... Maybe next time you can practice outside, Lyra-sama...?” She smiled to me, trying to give her suggestion which sounds good, to be honest.

I nodded.

Yes, that’s definitely a nice idea.

“I will go down and prepare the wooden torch.” Niina then went downstairs.





But, shortly after that...

“I am finally homeeee~ Lyra, Clavis, let’s play~!”

Oh my, big brotherrrrrr!!

Big brotherrrr, thou art the most wondrous brother ever! Thanks for coming to my rescue!

“Alt-niiiiiiiiiiii---!” I quickly ran downstairs to welcome my big brother with open arms.





***





“Ahahahaa, ahahahaha! That’s so funny, Lyraaa!!” Alt-nii couldn’t stop laughing at my miscalculation after he helped to dispell all my ice magic to the void.

“Uuuuhh, I didn’t think that we could feel so disconnected to our magical creation like that! I thought I could just cancel the magic just fine!” I pouted.

“Haha, guess you should ask Mom to teach you that, so you can do independent studies at ease~,” he patted my head.

“I will still do the independent training outside from now on, though!”

Yes, no more indoor independent training until I am good enough at controlling magic!







In the end, Alt-nii and Niina told the whole story to Mom and Dad, who just laughed at what happened.

After that, I told them the full details of my findings regarding my affinities. Nobody is uttering anything, I wonder why?

Their bodies just went stiff, as if somebody paralyzed them. Altaire’s jaws slightly opened, and his eyes are widening. Mom and Dad’s eyes are now vacant—they seem to be looking far away in the distance, but I wonder what are they looking at?

Without waiting, I proceeded to ask them the important question.







“Why won’t everyone try the other magic elements one by one to find out their full affinity before the age of 6, if we can already use all of them just fine?”

At my question, finally, Mom snapped out of it and responded.

“That’s because not everyone can really control the other magic just fine, Lyra... Some may exert too much energy to try the other affinity that they are not strong with, and trying such uncertainties may cause serious damage to them... And that’s why, Lyra, I never give you any encouragement to try them one by one, and told you to focus on training your strong magic as we have practiced.”





Geh—so that can happen?!

I shuddered, thinking about what might happen if I failed in my attempt...

So, the reason everyone else was completely silent while I elaborated the details of my findings was because... they are having the cold sweat on my experiment?!

Mom sighed and shook her head lightly. Her glance now shows a hint of nostalgia, as if remembering something she’d experienced from her past.





“I won’t scold you for that, all that matters is that you’re safe. ...oh well, I did the same thing as you did when I was a child, so that’s why I can’t be angry at you. But please, don’t do it next time...,” Mom explained.

“T, thanks, Mom, and I will consult you every time I want to do something new... but I think you should have warned me...”

“The book I gave you already had a warning written about it, and I told you to read the book carefully... Ah, you are just like me, aren’t you? You skipped on the boring first page of training precautions, right? The first few points only detailed unimportant thing such as ‘don’t try any damaging magic to other people’, ‘don’t try burning your house’, ‘pray for safety’, and such, right?”





...Mom, you know me so well.

Yes, yes, I skipped the page after reading those tedious details!





“...like mother, like daughter,” Dad says, in his amazement.

“...Perhaps I should try writing a better magic guide book for children like you and me...,” Mom started to consider on writing a magic guide book on her own.

Yes, I fully support your decision, Mom!

“Ah, but Lyra, she didn’t experience any kind of difficulty in experimenting with her magic like that... could it be...?” Dad said.

“Hmm?”

What is it, Dad?

“Ooh, you’re right, Cyan!” Mom agreed.

Wait, wait, what are you talking about?

“That means, your mana capacity is high enough, Lyra!” Alt-nii answered my question.

“I, is that so?!” I was surprised at the sudden revelation.

So, that’s the parameter?

“Yes, Lyra. We can be sure that your mana capacity will be superior than the majority... So, that’s a good thing,” Mom smiled.





Is that so?

That’s great~!





“...wait a second, you said that you suspected yourself of being capable to use all magic within normal to strong range, with the exception of [Void]?!” Mom just realized that part of my explanation.

“Uhhh, I am not sure, but it doesn’t take me so long to chant them and I’m not too tired... It’s stated that using weak affinity magic would surely cause anyone to get tired more, right? So...”

“Really? Wow, I can’t wait to find out the results of your second test~!”

Mom clapped her hands—her expression shows that of an excitement and nervousness at the same time. Dad shook his head lightly.





“That’s absurd, nobody could have--...”

Dad seemed to murmur something, but I couldn’t really hear what he’s saying clearly. He must be talking to himself. Mom looks very happy and excited to hear my answer, and Dad’s exasperated expression hasn’t left his face just yet. I hope my family members won’t develop any muscle spasm on their faces... I think they had quite the same expression on their faces during when I developed my fluent reading skills at the age of 3, and how fluent my speaking got after that point.





Anyway... does that mean that being able to use all magic (except Void) without any weak affinity is really a rare thing to have?

I mean, I didn’t pay any attention to magic and magic users in the past, I was way too consumed on swordmanships, so...

But when I think back on how my parents described their affinities and how they were considered great for their multiple affinities—I think I can safely deduct that what I found about my magical abilities is quite awesome?

Oooh, finally, is this the cheat God granted to me? I didn’t ask for it, but...

If it is, then, it is a nice gift to be born with!

...only if I don’t end up being too overpowered, though. Being overpowered equals to having lots of troubles!



But wait a second. I think I forgot to ask something else. Something... oh, right!





“Mom, I didn’t chant the spell in Spraec, but I managed to cast my magic just fine. Can we actually do that?”

“Wait, you, what?” Mom is suddenly taken aback.

Her excitement seems to be increasing at a higher rate, but Mom... your face... you don’t have any muscle spasm, right? I’m worried that she would wrinkle quickly because of me, that’s such a waste for a beauty like Mom. Her doll-like features would disappear if she were to contract chronic muscle spasm—or wait, would she catch a nerve disease because of the spasms?





“Huh, but how...?” Dad is also surprised.

“Eh, Lyra can do it already, all on her own?” Alt-nii also looked at me in awe.

“...Yes?”

...I need some explanation, please.

What exactly happened? How is it possible? Has nobody else managed to accomplish such a feat?



Mom inhaled a deep, deep breath and exhaled it slowly. She then opened her mouth. Yup, your daughter is ready for the explanation!

“I have told you about voiced incantation and voiceless incantation—basically chanted magic and chantless one, right?”

“Yes, Mom.”

“There are another two variations whose levels are in the middle of them. One is half incantation, in which someone can cast their magic with only reciting the shortened version of the incantation. The second variation is [Nonspraec Incantation]—that you just managed to do.”



...Wait, I have ever heard of half incantation before in my previous life, I think.

I am not sure, as I only knew people who were capable of chanted magic back then. Nah, I didn’t even pay any attention to whatever they chanted as I had no knowledge about it at all.

[Nonspraec Incantation]... such thing exists?

“It’s great for people who can’t remember Spraec language!” I said in excitement.

“Yes, but it still costs more mana. Therefore, I want you to try that after we have practiced a bit more, or after your second test’s done...,” Mom explained.

From her eyes, I can sense that she’s thinking, ‘I can’t believe you tried it out without even knowing it.’ Seems like I would be trained to do either Nonspraec Incantation or Half Incantation—or both in the future.





“Yes, Lyra~ The secret of [Nonspraec Incantation] is to imagine the effect of the magic plus the magic circle~ The more vivid they are, the better~,” Alt-nii chimed in.

...Magic circle? It’s still my habit to recall the image of them whenever I practiced. Though the version that I remembered may not be the detailed version of the circle itself. Still, ...I fulfilled the requirements without even knowing.

“Altaire’s [Void] element is rare and there are not a lot of spells known, so he’s mastered the use of Nonspraec Incantation,” Mom explained.

“Yup~!” Alt-nii smiled happily.

Ah, understandable. With many of its spells remain unknown, Altaire would have more benefits if he were to produce his magic without the needs to know the spells.





“Then... Lyra’s mana... can we safely assume that it’s more than 600, already?” Dad asked.

Huh?

How did it come to that?

“Yes,” Mom answered.

How did you come up with an exact number?!

“Eh, how do you know?” I asked, unable to wait for them anymore. Well, they have a habit of hanging me in the dark for the things that they might be familiar with, and would explain later on, after realizing that I have no clue about it.

“Well, only those with more than 600 mana capacity are capable of using half incantation and Nonspraec incantation, Lyra,” Mom said.

“Heee, there is such a parameter based on mana capacity?!”

That is... cool!





“Yes. And only those with more than 800 mana capacity are capable of voiceless incantation,” Mom explained further.

Which means, Mom is definitely capable of voiceless incantation. No wonder, as expected as the Head of Magician. However...

I stared at Alt-nii.

Alt-nii, then, he can easily...?

The moment our eyes met, somehow, Alt-nii seemed to understand what I was thinking about. Could it be that I am too easy to read? I would like to consider myself not easy to read, though...





“Ah, voiceless incantation is extremely tiring and hard to use, you know? I’m still in practice,” Alt-nii puffed his cheek.

“Haha, yes. Being able to use it doesn’t mean that they will be able to easily do so, Lyra. Practice is still needed, even more so to accomplish difficult things,” Mom patted Alt-nii’s head.

“But still, Lyra’s discovered a lot of things in just a day. That’s awesome,” Dad lifted my body and put me on his lap. He then hugged me from behind and patted my head.

It’s... warm.

“What to do, our children are both so talented...,” Dad questioned it.

“We are very lucky, indeed. I think we need to thank the God more, haha,” Mom answered.

“Ah yeah, then... let’s close our eyes for a little while, clap our hands, and thanks Aion-sama for this amazing discovery,” Dad said.





...Yes, such a custom is normal. We can’t claim ourselves as religious people, but we still believe in our God, after all. We have routinely prayed and gone to churches at times, but that’s all part of the routine we have. It’s not something special.

Aion-sama is the name of the god that most humans would worship. It is said that Aion-sama is the creator of all life, the beginning of everything—the Alpha—and is often portrayed with the image of a pure, innocent child.

Alt-nii closed his eyes in an instant and clapped his hands.

“Aion-sama, thank you for your blessings!”

“Aion-sama, thanks for the blessings!”

Everyone recited it together.


In my past life, I was raised to put my faith in Aion-sama, too.

...The god that I have met doesn’t seem to be Aion-sama, yes, I can’t picture that little light as a being as divine and as gentle as Aion-sama is portrayed to be.

Aion-sama—our God’s gender is unspecified—some may address Aion-sama with ‘he’, while some may address Aion-sama with ‘she’.

Aion-sama can predict the future or see the possibilities of the future the world would have, and thus, Aion-sama will always pick the best route for the greater good, of the whole nature and all living beings. Aion-sama never made any mistake. Sometimes, we call His plan as [Fate].





...yup, that light—the one claiming itself to be god—is definitely not Aion-sama. It can be a different deity all along, or part of Aion-sama’s governance...?

Did that meeting with the light-sama shake my faith to Aion-sama? ...I believe that Aion-sama is out there, probably scolding the little light that I met—yup, that god I met, he is probably Aion-sama’s subordinate or what... As he meddled with someone’s life and death—which should fall under Aion-sama’s jurisdiction.

But anyway, I should also thank the god that forced me to reincarnate, since I believe it might be the little gift I received from the tiny spectre of light that I can still remember up until now.

I thought I didn’t ask for anything, though.

Thanks for the present, God who is in the form of the tiny spectre of light!





Unbeknownst to them, a spectre of light is flying outside the window, then landed on the nearest tree’s branch.

Before long, the light disappeared and a transparant figure of a mischievous child could be seen in the place where the light was formerly at, smiling while observing the family who are giving their utmost gratitude towards their god.

“You’re all very welcome.”

 

Thanks for the chapter~

 

This was so good! We finally know the cheat Lyra got, and the god is the most mischievous one.

 

Chapter 28

Winter Holiday​

Spoiler: chapter 28

After the mess of my first independent magic training, I managed to not create such a mess in the next independent training.

Oh, and even after all this time, the mysterious egg-like object that Alt-nii got hasn’t hatched at all. Alt-nii began to call it as [Eggie] and often spoke to it.

“Hurry up and be born, Eggie... Aren’t you tired of being called the lame name of Eggie?” Alt-nii would often say.

...I honestly think that the name Eggie is okay... but be patient, Alt-nii!



Taking that aside, the most important thing that happened was... how I finally mastered the way to undo my ice magic!



“Lyra, usually you would still be able to feel the remnants of your mana in the ice you instructed to remain as you did it with the portion of your power, but...” Mom paused her explanation.

“Am I... lacking in my magic because of it?”

“No. I mean... The suspicion’s been answered the other day, so let’s not say it as a deduction. So, because your magical power is superb...”

“!!”

“You lost control of it. You didn’t feel tired despite producing the ice, as it only took an insignificant, tiny portion of your power. So, before you noticed, you lost your connection to them.”

“Yes... I couldn’t feel them and command them as I wish...”





That is true.

“Such cases often happen with great power. Therefore, the recommended way to reestablish that mana connection is...”

“Is...?”

“By pouring a little mana to the ice. By doing so, your mana will reconnect with the ice that you produced, and now you’ll be able to synchronize yourself with your own magic, thus, commanding it to cancel won’t be that hard.”

“!! I didn’t think of doing that!!”

Magic was a wonder, truly.

“For now, you can try it by touching the ice with a part of your body—preferrably your index finger. But you can also let out a magic essence to touch the far ice and cancel it, once you’re better at doing it. Ah, but, in the end, you should be able to reconnect your magic to the ice with ease, without having to pour in any magical power at all. That’s the output we’re hoping to gain in this lesson.”

“I, I will try hard!”



***



At the end of Month 12, as Alt-nii got his school holiday, snow has piled up.

Perhaps I’m affected by my [Ice] affinity, but the winter doesn’t feel as cold as it used to be, from what I can remember.

I guess I will still spend my winter holiday by sitting near the heater and playing around the house.





By the time Mom and Dad got their New Year holiday, we could spend time leisurely as a family at home. At our home, sweet home.

Winter seems just like the perfect time to laze around and take a rest from the world, especially on cold, snowy white winter like this.

New Year holiday is always closely linked to family time.

Even as Reinst, it was like the only time where all of my family members were home the most...



***

“Mother, can I have a break time for this holiday, or should I practice something?”

As Reinst, it was the question that I asked each time all of us got holidays.

“You can take a break, Reinst. For now, I need to tutor Domi. However, you might want to ask your father about your swordsmanship training.”

“Thank you, Mother. Well then, I will go to Father first.”

I took a glance at my little brother who had to spend his holiday to learn things—when he was just a small child.

The earlier you learn mannerism, the better it would stick to your mind, and it would be a subconcious thing to implement in your daily activities.

So Mother used to say—and Domi started to have his behavior monitored when he just turned 3, aside from teaching him to speak better without lisping and introducing alphabets to him.

I have forgotten, but did I undergo that training, too, when I was a small child?





“Father, what do you suggest I should improve in my swordmanship for this holiday?”

“Ah, Reinst. You already did well so far, just try practicing alone. I will summon you when I can train you first-hand. You can also try sparring with Clyde if you want.”

“Alright, thank you, Father.”

Father seemed busy with his work, so I left him without asking anything else.

I never really spent much time with Clyde except for sparring.

Perhaps I could ask him to spar with me.





--but often, I stopped in front of the door whenever I saw him who seemed to be enjoying his leisure time with Kania. That pair of mother and son—they always seemed so close to each other—they had things that I didn’t have.

When I looked at them smiling at each other, I couldn’t bring myself to interrupt their time and took Clyde away to spar with me.

Oh well, I guess that means I could read some stories and play by myself.



--Yup.

In the end, we spent most of our time doing our own activities—especially when it got too cold to practice swordsmanship.

Me and my mother with additional studies before Domi was born—or sometimes I was included in their sessions.

So, most of holidays, I could relax a bit and spend most of my time in front of Provice or my books. Clyde was with Kania-san, as usual.

And Father, reading the newspaper, in front of his Provide, sometimes thinking about work... and before Domi’s birth, he would take equal turns to see both of my and Clyde’s improvement.

After Domi’s birth, needless to say that he spent more time with Domi and automatically, Mother. He needed to see how his heir was doing, after all. It was important for the head of the family to oversee the next head’s development.

I guess... that was also good for Mother. She got the position she wanted, and she got Father, too.

***

But enough reminiscing. As Lyra... I could spend my time with all my family members.

Even Vince, Chloe, Niina, and Clavis.

Ah, though Niina and Clavis spent more time at their own home! They wouldn’t want to make Clavis’ papa or Niina’s hubby lonely, haha!





Vince and Chloe also occasionally take their days off.

So, I wonder... For this year’s holiday, will I spend my time with just my family members, or with all the others, too?



Ohh...

Luca would finally get the quality time with his family that he’s always wanted.

That’s good for him.



While lying down on the sofa and staring to the white scenery outside of the window, I noticed that my parents are home!!



“Welcome back, Mom, Dad!” I greeted them enthusiastically.

“Mom, Dad, welcome home!” Alt-nii also followed.

My parents who looked tired—suddenly seemed happy upon seeing us at the doorway.

Yes, we love seeing the change in their expressions.

“I’m home. Altaire, Lyra... I should probably tell this bad news...” Mom said.

...eh?





“I was summoned by the magician in Chinosato border... The former barrier that protected the border was breached, somehow. It seemed like an unidentified entity attacked the barrier. And they requested the Royal Magic Court’s assistance to repair and enhance the barrier so that whatever it was—won’t be able to breach the barrier again. I can’t just send out my subordinate because a high mastery of [Life] magic is required to do what they requested for. Yeah, I must go, myself...,” Mom explained, once we are inside.



“Eh?” I couldn’t hide my surprise.

“It will be after New Year, though. But I will be gone for a few days... A week at maximum, perhaps...”

Neither Mom or Dad were summoned during the holidays time like this.

Furthermore, Chinosato town is located in another island in the East, the Estrada Island. Which is why she would be gone for quite a while.

But, since it was an urgent matter, so... nothing else could be done.





“Don’t worry, Dad will be here!” Dad said, happily.

Though that means I won’t be seeing Mom for at least consecutive 7 days, which is a first time for me, plus it was supposed to be during the holiday, I was kinda disappointed.

Hmm well, at least Dad is still here~

Needless to say, that means I can have more time to practice Hartmann’s secret arts with Dad. That’s still good.







However... a few days later, it’s Dad’s turn to go back home while looking troubled.

“What’s wrong, Dad?” I asked.

Alt-nii tried to massage Dad’s shoulders, thinking that Dad was too exhausted.

“Uh... So... I was also summoned... There was an information leak on the illegal trade that would happen near Chinosato... So, uhm... The time... is during Cassie’s...”





...both of my parents will be out at the same time?!

Furthermore, their destination is close by each other’s?

Ah, they might as well have their second honeymoon there. Or so my classmates back then used to tease someone whose parents were absent for holidays.

Should I prepare myself to have a little sister or a little brother?





“Should we stay with grandma and grandpa? Or, with Niina? Or, just stay at home with Vince and Chloe? They should be able to get back before that, right?” Alt-nii asked.

Dad sighed.

“Well, I am thinking of options...”

“Wait, Chinosato... isn’t it...?” Mom suddenly chimed in.

She then signaled Dad to come there for a moment.

Seems like they are discussing things.



“I can’t just let the children stay at home with Vince and Chloe—or at Niina’s. Who knows if someone might be targeting for the children? They will get dragged in this, too. And your parents, as well, should they stay there...,” Cyan explained his thoughts.

“Well... Aren’t you just being too paranoid?”

“Maybe. I can’t help but be suspicious at this perfect timing.”

“True, it might also be timed to keep us away from home, from our children... But... Chinosato... I think I have a suggestion to make,” Cassie said.

“Oh, what is it?”

“Chinosato is a city bordering Riviera’s territory to Naraka’s, in Estrada island. Basically, the city is closely linked to Oni and there are minglings with [Dark] magic...so I think, for them, [Dark] magic is something common—if not something to be proud of.”

“Are you telling me...?” Cyan started to get where this is going.

“Plus, they will be safer with us... If their plan was really to keep us away from the children so that they could do anything nasty to them, then their plan would be soiled the moment we took our children with us, don’t you think?”





Cyan stopped to think for a while.

True. If they really want us to be away from the children, then us being together with them, will make their plans go awry.





“Yes, I think so. Anyway, you want Lyra to learn that not all people hold bad prejudices against [Dark] magic?”

“That, too. It’s a good chance.”

“...true. But what about the protection to our home? And, what about Vince and Chloe?”

“Ah, I can arrange Fenix to stay at home. I will request Meredea to place her Familiar at the treasury. The treasury should also be fine since there are the palace guards. Also... shall we let Vince and Chloe have their days off extended?”

“...sounds good...,” Cyan is still unsure.

“Besides, we can think of it as our family holiday, right? They have never been to far away places, especially to other islands.”

“Family vacation...,” Cyan liked that idea.

Finally, they have reached an agreement.



After having quite a long discussion, finally my parents turned their backs and faced me and Alt-nii again.

So, in the end, where would we stay at, during their absence?



“Altaire, Lyra. Listen...,” Dad spoke.

“Yes, Dad?” Alt-nii responded.

“We have come to a conclusion that...,” Mom continued.

“That...?” I asked.

“Say, let’s have a family vacation in Chinosato!” Dad said.



...huh?!

Boy, I totally didn’t think of that option! They are going there for work and all...



“Yayyy! Vacation!! I always wanted to see how Estrada island looks like!!” Alt-nii clenched his fist.

“Is that okay?” I asked, unsure.

“It’s fine. I mean, we feel like it’s the best option, Lyra,” Mom patted my head.

“Ah, but things might get a bit complicated... Just wait for the itinerary and plans that I will devise,” Dad said.



And, that is how the Hartmann family will be having their family vacation, all the way to Estrada island!

News~ I also published my novel in Webnovel (chapter numbering and parting is different), and if you'd like to give additional support, please do give your vote or powerstone daily to my novel XD In an unlikely scenario where my novel can actually get to top 3 weekly original ranking, I will release more chapters~
As always, thanks for reading and drop a comment please

 

Thanks for the new chapter as always! Can't wait to see the family vacation ^.^
I was wandering around in the explore tab of Webnovel and actually found your book it gave me a surprise! (this was before you announced it here hahahaha)
Hoping that you get to the top 3 soon!

 

Thank you!
Last week's result's been decided already, and this novel was in #10! Maintaining that position is quite hard so I wonder about the Top 3 thing X"D

 

Chapter 29

The Plan​

Warning: this chapter is slightly longer than the usual ones.

Spoiler: chapter 29

“You know, you can entrust your children to us, if that’s the case,” King Titus said to Cyan after hearing Cyan’s plan.

“We can’t afford to bother the royal family that much. The other nobles might get angry if we continue to receive special treatment,” Cyan answered.





“But, Cyan, Ophelia... Wouldn’t it be risky?” Shaula asked.

“Queen Shaula... Yes, it would still be risky. But it’s better than letting them get what they want. And we can’t afford to cause any more troubles in the noble society for getting special treatments from the royal family,” Cassie answered.

“Besides, you would be visiting your parents in the royal villa this holiday, right?” Cyan asked the king.

“Yes, but still, when we return, we can take care of your children. Furthermore, we can keep it a secret from the others.”

“There is no need to rush, you can take your time there. The previous king and queen would be sad if their grandchildren only visited them for a short time. Besides, it would be troublesome if the news of our continued special treatment is being spread to the others, so let’s not take that long-term risk.”

The two men kept debating.





Cassie then heaved a long sigh and decided to cut them off.

“Besides, it’s a good chance for the children to take a look at the other places far away from here. I think Lyra really needs that experience.”

“Ah, so you also had that in mind?” Shaula asked.

“Yes. I don’t know what caused her to have that extreme insecurity... since the East Area of Riviera is the border of Riviera to Naraka, the Oni country, most people are not bothered by [Dark] magic at all... though some may still be prejudiced.”

“That is true. Bad prejudices against [Dark] magic is more severe in West Area that borders Riviera to Cielle, the elven kingdom. I know, since I originated from there,” Shaula made a wry smile.

“And that is why we devised this plan.”

“I see... But still, please be careful,” Shaula finally gave in. King Titus sighed.

Both Cyan and Cassie are so hard to persuade once they have made up their minds. However, they know that the two of them won’t be so careless.





“Cyan, make sure to check the Habbah city’s port while you’re at it. Who knows we might be able to gain some information regarding the activities there.”

“Yes, yes, Your Majesty~,” Cyan replied in an obvious tone.

It has been years since he’s worked as a spy, so he would know what to do without being told.

“Oi, oi, you really have a good manner in front of the king, you know?” Titus teased Cyan a little.

“Of course! I have always displayed my best manner in front of the king, way even when he was still a mere crown prince!”

“And that is what I like about you, haha!” Titus grinned.





“...your taste is so weird, Titus,” Shaula inserted her comment. One that she’s going to regret.

“Oh? But you are included in that weird taste of mine, then!” Titus used his wife’s comment back.

True, they are not in an arranged marriage.

“...,” Shaula went silent. She regretted her words, and she can’t say anything back after that remark.







***







Lyra’s P.O.V

Before long, the New Year holiday finally came. Chloe and Vince are gone to visit their families, while Niina (+Clavis)’s visit has become less and less... until she is fully taking the days off, too! And that is how the Hartmann family will be helping one another to do household chores!

Because we will be going to our family vacation not long after the said holiday, Vince, Chloe, and Niina all get their days off extended.





A few days before our time to depart, Mom brought Fenix over.

“Fenix, it’s weird seeing you here.”

I said while looking at her, with the background of a normal room. The great background of Royal Magic’s Treasury Room looks all majestic, which suits her so much.

“...I will just take that as a compliment.”







And then, both my parents let me and Alt-nii sit down in the meeting room for a briefing on how the plan is going to go on.

“As I will be off to do some spying work, I can’t go as Valkyane—the head of the Hartmann family. I will disguise as a traveling merchant, along with my fellow spies.”

“As I am summoned as a representative of the Royal Magic Court, I will be going with Meredea as I am.”

“Huhhhh?”

This is no ordinary family vacation, of course!





“We have booked rooms and arranged them to be next to one another. We have set it all up, so let’s say we are acquainted there and then would walk around the city together if we have the time to.”

“Question! So, that means we will also be disguising?” Alt-nii raised his hand and asked.

“Correct. The spies plus you children will be putting disguises as a traveling merchant family. We will come up with the names and appearance after we have gathered.”

Which means, it’s like a practical exam for the Hartmann’s secret arts we’ve been training all this time!

The thought kinda excites me.

Well, I can also sense a little fear, but the excitement is more apparent.





“Also, the other spies only knew that we are adept in illusion magic, so please just use that,” Dad added.





...fwe?

What do you mean??





“Alright, Dad, it’s easier to do illusion magic, anyway!” Alt-nii responded.

“As I have warned you—better try to keep that part about transformation a secret, okay? Only do it in urgent cases such as if you are being targetted by someone with illusion magic detection.”

“Okay, fingers crossed, it’s a secret!” Alt-nii crossed his fingers in front of his lips.





“Eh, Dad, I don’t understand--,” I protested.

“Ah, Lyra... that’s right. I also had Altaire practice illusion magic and only told him more details of our o—secret arts when he was around 5,” Dad explained.

“So, I’ve been doing illusion magic? Then, what about transformation magic?” I urged him to explain.

“Okay, okay, then I’ll let you try it, to experience the difference between the two.”

And it has become a sudden training session.







We are standing in front of the big mirror right now.

“All this time, you’ve been practicing to alter yourself by covering your body in mana, right?”

“Yes~”

“That’s the art of illusion magic. As for transformation magic... the two of them are quite similar but the essence is different. In transformation magic, you pour your mana to your body and change it. Yes, it won’t just be an illusion, but your actual body will feel the sensation of changing.”

“...Pouring... my mana?”

“Yes. It is harder—but wanna try it?”

I nodded, and proceeded to close my eyes—trying to pour my mana to one of my eye—yup, changing the color of it seems the easiest thing to do.





When I tried to pour my mana in my eye—I feel a tingling sensation! It feels weird!!

Perhaps it showed in my expression, as Alt suddenly asked.

“Are you feeling weird, Lyra?”

“Uhhh, yeah, it’s... ticklish or... I can’t really explain. It’s weird.”

“Well, this is the tricky part. Try to focus even when you are feeling that sensation and try altering your body part that you just poured your mana in.”

“Okay—“





I tried to do as instructed and opened both of my eyes once I felt like I’ve done it.

“!!”

My red eye turned slightly blue—yes, slightly.

“Congrats, Lyra, you’ve got the feel of transformation magic. How is it?”

“...it is harder to do... and my body feels weird.”

“Well, of course, since you’re essentially altering your body... and that is why, for normal people, transformation magic is hard to do and dangerous. Since we have our or—I mean, secret arts, we can actually do transformation magic without such difficulty. That’s why I told you two to keep it quiet—even to my fellow spies that would come along.”

“G-got it, Dad!”





Before, Dad seemed to slip on some words—and I had my suspicion on it—but how should I confirm it? That the secret arts could be... And that he’s slipping because he is conflicted as he hasn’t fully explained it yet to me, but there’s Altaire that seems to already know a lot.





“Eh, Dad, if you and Mom are working, will we be left alone or will we come along?”

Alt-nii’s sudden question made me lose my chance to confirm my suspicion.

“No worries, at least one of the spies would be staying to take care of you two when we are departing for the action.”

“Is... it really okay for us to come? Won’t we just hinder your work?” I asked timidly.

“No, it’s the common practice for us during group operation. At least one person will be left behind, so just in case we got into some kind of troubles, we can always have back-ups.”

“...will they be fine with babysitting, though?”

“Hahaha! It’s fine. They are my comrades—my best friends.”





“Whoa, so we will be traveling with spies? Cool!” Alt-nii’s eyes sparkled.

“...Altaire, you do remember that your dad is also a royal spy, right?” Dad asked, I can sense that he feels a little bit down hearing Alt-nii’s remarks.

Alt-nii only laughed mischievously.





It’s time for me to ask—

“Speaking of which, seems like they will be here soon,” Dad said and all of us went towards the guest room—causing my question to end up being in my mind.





And his hunch is just right.

Two young spies arrived at our home after walking... geh, did they walk all the way here or...?

I can’t see any carriage nearby when I peeked from the door.





“Cyan, we are here~!” The man which seems to be younger—shouted energetically.

“...sorry to intrude,” says the one who seems older—and calmer than the former.

Whoa! The older spy is so pretty, tall, and slender! The big sister type?





“Rupert, Gale, welcome. It must be your first time in forever to come here, right? Please go and have a seat.”

Dad then lead them towards the living room, where everyone has gathered.

“Ah, you two must be Cyan’s treasured pride and joy, Altaire and Lyra, huh?! I’m Gale, nice to meet ya!” The younger one introduces himself.

Based on his look, he seems to be a young adult—somewhere around 16 years, I guess?

A fresh-graduate spy?

But he seems to be overly familiar with my dad...





“It’s nice to meet you, I’m Altaire!” Alt-nii responded, and that’s my cue to also respond.

“N, nice to meet you. I’m Lyra,” I slightly bowed from my seat.

“Haha, no need to be that formal—wait, I don’t need to formally address you, too, right? Well, you are all nobles and all...”

“It’s fine, Gale. No worries. Just like how the Royal Spies don’t uphold formalities inside them, there is no need to act too formal to my family,” Dad reassures the flustered Gale.

“Phew, thank goodness. I’m bad at being all formal and stiff!”

“...I’m Rupert, it’s a pleasure to meet you all,” said the pretty spy with brown skin.





Rupert’s brown skin really goes well with her cold grey eyes and her short ashen grey hair. She let her right bang grows until it covered her right eye. She is definitely the cool type.

In contrast to Rupert’s cool vibe, Gale’s soft peach skin, his light brown hair and his friendly matte brown eyes reeked off youth.





“Both Rupert and Gale have always been my best comrades in the Royal Spies—and they have guided me a lot when I first started,” Dad said.

Oh, I see.

...wait, what...? Both of them—guided Dad?

It’s understandable with Rupert as she’s brimming with a mature aura although she sure looks young, but Gale should be younger than Dad, right?!





“Eh? Wait, what? But Gale...,” I shifted my eyes at Gale.

He chuckled.

“Haha, you’re not the first person to think that I am still young, eh?”

“...Huh?”

“Young lass, there is the blood of dwarf and elf in my veins—although the human blood is more dominant.”

“...what?!”





Whoa, mixed breed!

The combination of human-beastman, human-elf, human-dwarf, human-oni hybrid is not that rare. However, the combination of elf and dwarf...? Hmm, it is still possible as they are living in coexistence since the olden days.

Oni-beastman hybrid should be there, as well, if the theory of coexistence holds some truth.

However, I have yet to see the other combinations.

Not to mention, oni-elf hybrid seems impossible.

After all, oni have bad blood towards elves—and since dwarves side with elves, and beastmen side with oni... well, no wonder that the other combination is not that common.

Most of the mixed breeds have human blood—well, we humans are the neutral faction, after all~

We can meld with anyone, that way!





“I am way older than I look, hehe,” Gale rubbed his nose and smiled.

“Oh, hey, Rupert, you should also—“





Before Gale can finish his sentence, Rupert shoved his index finger to Gale’s lips. He then turned to face me and the corner of his mouth slightly formed a smile.





“Gale, there is no need to tell unnecessary information,” he said.

“Hmm? Ah, Rupert-san, you’re so pretty!” I tried to express my fascination to her. I definitely want to be a cool woman too!

“Drop the -san, please... And... huh?” Rupert showed her wry smile.





What’s wrong?

Should I tell her that she’s cool, instead?





“Whoa, Mom, aren’t you jealous that Dad is working with a woman like Rupert?” Alt-nii tried to tease Mom.

“...hmmm, so you’re suggesting that Cyan has something with Rupert?”

Mom’s answer was totally unexpected. Her voice is very, very calm.

I thought that at some point, Mom would hold some kind of jealousy against Rupert.





“Well, the three of them seemed close and all... Ah, maybe Rupert is with Gale, instead?” Alt-nii asked.

“Eh, no, I’m not into something like—,” Gale quickly retorted.

“Uh, Rupert, I mean...,” Dad was stuttering.

“No problem. I’m used to it already. Instead, I am happy that I can captivate the others without using any trick,” Rupert’s wry smile remained.

“...Huh?”

Alt-nii and I are looking at each other with confusion.





“Fufu, it would be funny if your dad is indeed smitten with Rupert. Okay, I shall encourage him to that path instead~,” Mom chuckled.

...wait...

This reaction...

...now that I can take a closer look at Rupert... could it be that Rupert... is a man?!

A beautifully handsome man?

...Her body built is slender and slim so I can’t really tell—her skin is beautiful, too—no way...





“Could it be that Rupert...,” I started to speak.

“...Eh?!” Alt-nii seemed to notice it, as well, as he kept observing Rupert.

“Yes. Rupert here, is a man,” Dad clarified for us.





“S-sorry, Rupert!” Alt-nii and I both bowed our heads to apologize.

“No problem.”

“But, but, you look so alluring and beautiful that I—uhh, I mean, as a man, you’re also good-looking! But your aura...”

Alt-nii is babbling. He’s trying to hide his embarrassment.

“No worries there,” Rupert gently smiled.







***





“Then, let’s proceed to discuss our plan!” Dad clapped his hands together.

“I will be going with Meredea on a separate carriage,” Mom’s voice slightly hinted her sadness, looking at both me and Altaire bitterly.

“Meredea will arrive using a carriage from Capicastle. So, we’ll be going ahead of you.”

“We have devised a disguise plan, so listen carefully,” Dad said.

“We will be going under the disguise of traveling merchants. I will be taking the role of the father—let’s say, I will name my disguise Marvel Rashad,” Dad then proceeded to use his illusion skills.





Dad then turned into a shorter and fatter man with a beard. His black hair is really in contrast with his real appearance. His eyes are now brown.

I don’t think we have to really think about our disguise’s names, but perhaps it’s there to make sure we don’t call one another with our real names in public?





“Next, I will be the mother figure,” Rupert stood up and chanted.

[Gliderung, sâwolhord wendan] (Illusion, body alter)

Then, he turned into a beautiful woman. His formerly ashen grey hair turns into beautiful silky silver hair—as long as his waist, but his right bang still covers his right face.

His lips turned into seductive red, the same as his eyes—but his skin is still brown.

“The name’s Ruby.”

After that, he called off his disguise and returned to his true self.





“Eh?”

He isn’t going to keep his disguise?

“Lyra, using illusion magic to disguise themselves cost lots of mana. Therefore, they won’t be in disguise when it’s just us.”

Dad patted my head—wait what, no, not with that appearance, Dad.





Rupert smiled at me.

“That’s right. Both Gale and I use additional magical tools to regenerate our mana and to make our disguise perfect.”

“I, is that so?” I asked.





“Anyway, let me pose as the eldest son of you two.”

It’s time for Gale to take on the spotlight.

[Scinna, scîene wandrian] (Illusion, light alteration)

Huh, different spell?

He then took on the form of a teenage boy, with brown skin, silver hair and matte brown eyes.

“Voila, that’s it, the name’s Robert, the first son! What about you kids?” He then asked me and Altaire.

“Well, Altaire and Lyra should just be the second and third children, then. And to keep it easier, don’t change into your opposite gender. Just try to think about your desired appearances,” Dad encouraged us.





“Oh, I got an idea!”

Altaire-nii stood up and quickly transformed—nah, used his illusion magic to disguise himself in front of us.

His navy blue hair turned black, and his eyes turned both red. He also added some freckles to his face. He’s become the cute younger brother!

“The second son of Rashad family, Rye~”

...which leaves me.





“Uhm, then I will be the third so—wait, third child and the only daughter... uhm...”

I stood up and focused myself to alter my appearance by illusion magic—let see, use my mana to cover my body and...

I turned my hair into the same long silver and silky hair that Rupert chose—and my eyes would turn both red. No changes to my skin.

“What about this?” I asked.

“Lyra is still cute, no matter how she’s turned to!” Dad’s remark. As usual.

“Good!”

“Well, you will certainly look like my daughter that way,” Rupert added.

It felt kinda wrong, but okay.





“T, then call me... Murphy?”

“That’s cute!” Gale said.

“Murph, Murph... That’s nice! Hi, Murph, oh, just call me Rye or Nii-chan~!” Alt-nii took my hands and shook it up and down.

He must have taken a liking to the name that I chose.





“Eh, come to think about it. Gale used a different spell than Rupert?” I asked before I forgot.

“Ah, yup. Gale’s affinity is light, so he’s manipulating the light to create an optical illusion to disguise himself,” Dad explained.

“Yes, Lyra! The three elements known to be able to show illusion are [Neutral], [Light], and [Dark]~!”





Neutral... well, the same mechanism as for how our Hartmann secret arts could act—manipulating mana to control our appearance, but it is limited so that it wouldn’t be able to transform ourselves to such extent.

Light... As Dad explained, by manipulating the light, it’s possible to generate optical illusion.

...What about dark?





“Uhm... Neutral... Light... I know how, but Dark...?”

“Dark magic can manipulate the light by absorbing them into darkness, or by using illusive suggestion to the target’s minds,” Rupert explained.

“Oh, I see... So, those are the only three elements that can use variations of illusion magic?”

“Exactly. Mine was a [Neutral] magic.”

“I see... That’s awesome...”





I was really in awe. The fact that the two of them can skillfully change their appearances is the undeniable proof that they are powerful in terms of magical power.

“Do all members of the Royal Spies have such powerful magical power?” I asked.

“Hmmm, well... No, there are people who rely on magical devices, potions, or other disguising tools. We all have different specialties and roles,” Rupert kindly explained it to me.

“Well, if proficiency and excellency at magical power is an absolute requirement to be a spy, then there would be lots of Royal Magicians who are doing double-job as Royal Spies as well, right?” Alt-nii deducted.

“True. But being excellent in magic such as illusion magic alone is not enough for the magicians to be spies,” Mom replied.

“Of course! You’re gonna need lots of guts, and nice acting skills!” Gale said it with pride.





Oh my... I am really looking forward to seeing how they operate!

And no wonder Alt-nii and I are instructed to just disguise ourselves as the children—since basically, it’s the same as our role right now. It will be easier for us—who are untrained in terms of underground activities—to disguise ourselves.









“Excuse me.”

The front door is being knocked three times and a familiar voice could be heard.

“Ah, that would be Meredea. Be at ease, Meredea’s position is high enough that she also knows about the Hartmann’s illusion.”

Mom then quickly opened the door and let the expected guest in.





“Meredea!” I exclaimed.

“Hi there... though you are disguising yourself, you must be... Lyra!” Meredea crouched down to pat my head—and as she does that, her permy brunette hair lightly grazed my cheeks.

I lightly brushed it aside as to not let it tickle my nose!

“Yes, you got it right!” I responded.

“Ah, excuse me, where are my manners? Sorry for intruding on you all. I’ve come to pick up Ophelia-sama,” Mereda lightly raised the hem of her skirt.

“It’s okay, Meredea. Please take care of Cass,” Dad said.

“...though your appearance right now is way... too different... I will, Cyan-sama.”

“Fufu, well then. Guess it’s my time to depart. You guys feel free to take your time.”

“Mom, mom! Are you going with just Meredea? I thought there will be some other magicians! Will you two be okay?”

I am worried.





“No problem. We are just going to fix the barrier and discuss things with the magicians of Chinosato city. Only Meredea and I will do.”

“Isn’t it dangerous? No guard at all?”

“Going with lots of people will just hinder us in case something happens. We are strong enough to defend ourselves, and once we arrived, the other magicians will be there, on our side.”

...Mom is the top magician here, so her argument is valid. ...and Meredea seems to be a nerdy magician, but she is also strong, then, based on what Mom said?





“Be careful, Mom!” Alt-nii gave his hug to Mom.

“I’ll be off then.”

Mom then lightly brushed my head.

“I’ll be okay. Take care, too, Lyra.”

“...be careful, Mom.”

“Be careful, Cass—“

“Cyan, no, not in that form.”

Before Dad can even approach Mom in his current chubby form, Mom stopped him from doing so.

“Uuuh...”

“It’s okay, we’ll be seeing one another again, though we are taking different ways to get there. So, see you.”







With that, Mom and Meredea entered their carriage and departed. With our currently transformed forms, we didn’t send them off, but we did say our goodbyes properly.

No worries, we will soon meet!

After quite a while, finally, as the carriage has arrived, it’s our time to depart.

I’m so excited!

“Let me go out and make sure the situation’s safe,” Rupert held me back from going outside.

“Oh... okay!”







***





Rupert stepped outside and calmly observed the surroundings. Only the carriage and the carriage driver could be seen there. The brown horse that the driver is using looks like a normal horse, but one has to admit that its built is quite tall and sturdy, compared to the normal horses portrayed in the picture books.

The air feels refreshing as usual, because there are lots of trees in the premise. The birds are chirpling—it is yet another normal, peaceful day.

However, that doesn’t stop Rupert from being alert to his surroundings.





“!!”





He noticed the presence of something that might pose danger, as he could feel that there are eyes observing him. In that instant, he nimbly moved his hand and chanted at the same time.





[Earp scytel!]





A black magical arrow appeared from the hand that he swung, as its sharp blade moved rapidly towards the direction in which he sensed something odd.





“Kwaaaah!!”





The agonizing cry could be faintly heard from where Rupert is standing. Even though the hill where he pointed his magical arrow is way taller than him, he could still see the bush on top of the hill moving, and then the creature exposes its black wings.

At the same time, the same creature with its black wings escaped from the location, leaving its dying friend behind. Its three legs and long black tail can be seen by Rupert, as the tail flutters due to the wind, trying to help its owner to fly. A glimmer of red can be seen on the edge of its tail.





Meanwhile, the dying creature exposed its head out into the daylight, its beak being open, exposing its sharp teeth. The creature’s three red eyes are dilating—before it finally collapsed and stopped reflecting the light on its pupils.

“...what, it’s just Falsanzuwu...,” Rupert sighed out. He worried for nothing.





The presence of the Falsanzuwu is certainly odd in comparison to the normal, peaceful atmosphere outside, but it is no big deal. Falsanzuwu—or the fake yatagarasu is a normal monster that can appear anywhere from time to time, but they normally hide their presence from their potential predators. The two Falsanzuwu that he just saw—they just happened to be there, so Rupert thought.






“Rupert, is something the matter?” Cyan—with his newly modified voice to match his appearance, asked.

“Ah, it’s nothing. Just some normal monsters that I mistook for something dangerous. Let’s go.”





As the remaining four went out of the house and entered the carriage, Rupert couldn’t get rid of the uneasiness that he felt—and glanced lightly at the spot where a Falsanzuwu met its demise—before he finally joined the rest of them to the carriage.

 

Thanks for the chapter!

 

Chapter 30

Journey to Chinosato City​

Spoiler: another long chapter!

Before long, the shaky journey on the carriage led us up to the harbor in Habbah town. It’s been so long since I last went on a journey with a ship, so obviously, I’m excited. During the journey on the carriage, I finally got used to be called as Murphy, and got used to the others’ disguises, as well. It was quite hard to get used to Rupert’s disguise—I mean, he’s totally a beauty when he disguised as Ruby.

We arrived in the biggest harbor of the Habbah Port City. There are so many ships, and it’s lively here. Cargo ships, ferries, even normal boats are there.

We have to wait for our ship to depart, so during that time, after taking a lunch in a nearby restaurant, Dad and Rupert decided to check on something around the harbor, leaving me and Alt-nii alone with Gale still at our table—eating desserts.





“Ga—Robert-nii, what’s the matter?” Alt-nii asked out of curiosity, a while after Dad and Rupert went off somewhere we couldn’t see.

“Ah, Mom and Dad have to check on something related to their work, Rye. Anyway, Murphy, you want more ice cream?”

“Eh? Uh, no, I’m full,” I replied.





Something related to their work—does that mean that they are off to check on underground activities that might be happening here? This harbor is so lively and buzzing with people... any suspicious activities would surely be exposed quickly, right?





Anyway, Rupert and Dad soon came back. Their expressions seemed to show a little disappointment. Seems like they got nothing that they expected here.





“How is it, Dad, Mo~m?” Gale asked while teasing the two of them. Pretty sure Gale teased Rupert way more than he teased Dad.

“We found nothing,” Rupert calmly said that, smiled, while extending her hand to pat Gale, who’s now supposedly her first son.





Right at the moment she touched Gale’s head, I felt that Gale’s expression was distorted for a moment—Rupert must have either pulled his hair or put a little bit pressure upon patting him.





“The intel we got only gave us the information regarding Chinosato’s suspicious activities, no wonder that we still have no evident lead over here,” Dad explained.

“Anyway, it’s about time. We should go to the ship.”

Rupert calmly announced.





“Mom, grab my hand!” Gale continued to tease Rupert.

“Oh Robert, I have to hold your little brother and sister’s hands for now. You are the eldest, aren’t you? Wait for another moment, okay?”

Rupert is now seen as a mother smiling lovingly at her spoiled first son, but I can sense that he’s really upset. Seems like his expression is telling us, ‘Just you wait and see...’





When we boarded to the ship, I immediately started to run towards the deck, feeling the breeze and the smell of the sea. Alt-nii, in his disguise as Rye-nii, quickly followed me. Dad—with his now-fat-belly, tried to chase after us. But as the fat body is just an illusion, he can quickly chase after us.

I just learned about the difference between illusion and transformation the other day, but I still have questions...





“You two sure are excited, eh? I wish Cass would be able to see you two like this…”

Mom should have departed in a ship that sailed just right ahead us. Too bad we couldn’t board on the same ship…

“Hey, we’ll be resting in the small room we rented downstairs. Feel free to take your time,” Female Rupert—I mean, Ruby said.

“Oh, right. Take care, Ruby and Robert,” Dad didn’t even stutter upon calling those two. That’s… awesome.

“Huh, why won’t you two join us? The view here is amazing!” I asked. It’s such a waste… well, it’s not everyday that we can see the waves and the seagulls very nearby. If we are lucky, some beautiful sea monsters could leap from the sea.





Rupert and Gale both smiled bitterly.

“The thing is, we need to conserve energy,” Gale said.

“Huh?”

Dad then lightly brushed my head and whispered in low voice.

“They will take off their disguise and rest in the room.”





…Right. Since they are using magic, not the Hartmann secret arts, of course they need to conserve their mana and stamina. They would deplete more rapidly than us, who are using our family’s secret arts.

And that’s also why, although the journey is only a few hours long, we are renting a small room to rest. It’s good to take a nap, too.

The two of them then went downstairs and the three of us sat down somewhere near the ship’s railings.

...Seems like Rupert will finally pay Gale back for everything he did earlier!







“Hey, Dad, can we transform into anything we want, just like illusion magic?” I asked as an opening statement—before I asked the question that’s been bugging my mind since earlier. Well, seeing that transformation magic was way harder to do, I guess there would be more limitations?

“Well, Lyra… Generally speaking… where should I start explaining?” Dad furrowed his eyebrows.

He may not expect that he has to explain more to me right now. He did explain more to Altaire when Alt-nii turned 5.

“Well, alright, I’ll probably explain the details now. So, Lyra, have you heard of the term [Oracle]?”





[Oracle].

I remember.

Yes, my suspicion and the word that Dad lisped earlier—it’s all clear now. It is [Oracle].

It is the term used to explain special abilities and power that someone might possess. Like how someone can predict things right. Like how someone can solidify something they touch. Not to be confused with magic, as normally, one would feel easier to accomplish something that their [Oracle] let them do.





“Yes. It’s like, special power?”

“Uh huh, listen, Lyra!” Alt-nii jumped from his seat and raised both of his hands high.

“Our family’s secret arts is actually [Oracle]~”





…I have had this suspicion since before but since Hartmann’s Illusion and Transformation Oracle was something that required training to master, I thought it was just their secret arts or techniques... Since the type of [Oracle] that I know doesn’t really require training to use—the only training needed is to switch it on and off.

I wonder if they are going to let me know more about Hartmann family’s Oracle?





Dad patted Alt-nii and then continued his explanation.

“Yes. And our Transformation Oracle’s got its limitation. We may be free from the risks it may pose such as shortening our life span, great exhaustion, and other things, but we can only transform into other sentient races and some few animals we are compatible with. Of course, yours and Alt’s are different. So is mine. ...but somehow, we all can turn into cats just fine.”



Eh? So, a cat is the default animal transformation for us? Is there a story behind that?



“…Eeh? How do I know what other animals I can turn to?”

“Well, through trials and error, Lyra~,” Alt-nii seems to be very familiar with it by now.

“Is that so? T, then I should try to see if I can become a bird or not... Wait…so we can’t turn into monsters using transformation oracle?” I asked.

“Well, under normal circumstances, we can’t. It is still risky and hard even for us to do. But under some conditions... oh well, let’s save it for later,” Dad seems to be hesitant to explain further.

“Ah, Lyra, we can’t turn into a werebeast or real dragon’s forms… I was disappointed when I discovered this, so I think you might want to know,” Alt-nii said, his eyes were cast slightly downwards.

“I see…”





Hmm, makes sense that there should be limitations to our powers. I wanted to try transforming into some monsters, though. Guess I can try some Transformation Potion in the future, if there is even any safe one…?





“Ah, thanks for the explanation, but let’s go back to the original topic!” I clapped my hands. Well, originally, it was Alt-nii’s topic. But he seems to forget about it, too.

“Oh, right! So, Rupert and Gale only know that we have Illusion Oracle?” Alt-nii asked his question again.

“That’s right. Only a few people know about our Oracle, while the public simply knows that we are blessed with great magical power, as a magician’s family. Just like how they know that the other ducal families have their own specialties,” Dad explained.





That’s right. I only know that about the Hartmann family back when I was Reinst Carnatia Grabberton. I know that the public understands that the royal family and the four dukes are blessed in different ways—as that’s how they were able to stand at the highest hierarchy of the society, besides their past contribution in the history.

Not many have the idea about their oracles. [Oracle] is something unique and quite rare.





I fully understand Grabberton family’s inherited oracle as I was a Grabberton, but I didn’t expect the other ducal families to possess their own inherited oracle. I thought that it was something in Grabberton family with small chance of occurrence or inheritance (not that I inherited it, hehe!).

And yup, it’s exactly Grabberton’s oracle that I talked about before—the one requiring training only to control it, not to practice and make the oracle’s power perfect.





Anyway, after confirming that the Hartmann also has inherited oracle, I am more convinced that each ducal family has different oracle than simply being blessed with any strong point or power.

I wonder what Oracle do the Fumitsuna and Loera family have? It’s not like I can ask them directly, though… And I wonder about the royal family’s oracle?



While the ship is getting closer to the destination, I tried to recall the facts about the royal family that I know from my interaction with Luca and about the Loera family from my interaction in the past with Nicole—and I can only speculate, but my speculation won’t be verified yet.

I do take a mental note on their oddly superb qualities that might seem too strange and unusual for other normal people. Those being the blessings of their [Oracle] might answer the peculiarity.

Will I ever find out about their oracles in this life, I wonder?







***



The moment we stepped back to the land, we quickly moved our bodies and it’s time for another carriage journey~

So, by the time we finally arrived in Sakura Inn where we will be staying, the sun’s already setting. To be honest, before I even noticed it, I fell asleep in the carriage journey. I think Alt-nii also fell asleep.

We jumped down from the carriage and arrived in front of a medium-sized, fancy inn in the middle of Chinosato town. The building is quite tall—let’s see, I think it consists of five floors. I can see from where I am standing that some rooms will have balcony! I sure hope that our room will have it—not that I can go out without any disguise.

After waiting for Dad and Rupert to handle the reservation at the receptionist’s desk, finally, we are going up to our room~ I wonder if Mom is already there, and that we can finally be together? But how exactly are we going to do it without being found out?





Our room turned out to be at the third floor. It was a very spacious family room, capable of containing four to five people. There are two queen-sized beds inside, separated by a small table with a lamp on top of the table.

Across the beds, there is a hologram device so we can watch any show that we want. There is also a wardrobe near the bed, available for use. On the right corner of the room, there is a door that I guess would lead us towards the bathroom.

All is looking good. There is also another wooden door that I suppose will lead us to the balcony!

Alt-nii quickly jumped towards the bed without any restraint. I quickly followed and sat down on the bed. It’s fluffy!





Dad and Rupert put down two trays full of food on top of the other table provided. It must be the dining table here. It’s set on the left side of the room. Since it was near dinner time when we arrived, the receptionist must have given us the choice to take in the dinner or eat at the provided restaurant on the first floor. It must be quite a hassle to get down to the first floor to eat, so maybe that’s why we’re bringing the food in.

Rupert and Gale once again reverted to their original forms back—wait, Dad’s also reverting back? ...and so we followed, this time.





“Okay, now, it’s time for moving operation!” Dad said.

“Oh, Mom’s here, too?” I asked.

“Yes, let me contact her.”

Dad then concentrated and called out.



“Phyllo, come out!”



And in front of him, bubbles of water formed, and a tiny turquoise seadragon appeared from amidst the bubbles. His size is around the size of Dad’s palm. His blue, round eyes opened and observed his surroundings.

When he faced my way, I noticed that his yellow small horn in the middle of his head is quite sharp. His body ends in a curled up tail in front—and instead of any legs, he has two big fins similar to wings. He is floating on the air—with the help of the water bubbles surrounding him.





“That’s Phyllo?”

“That’s right. Phyllo, go greet the children.”

Phyllo turned to look at Dad and he slightly nodded and in that instant, he swiftly moved to approach me and Altaire—his movement is similar to swimming, but he’s swimming on the air!





“Nice to meet you, Phyllo!” Altaire and I smiled at the small seadragon.

“Pi piri pii!” He replied our greetings.

Ah, so Phyllo is the type of familiar that can’t speak. Familiars that can speak our language fluently like Mom’s Fenix usually possess more power than familiars that can’t speak in our language.





“Okay, Phyllo, can you go to Cassie? She should be in the room next to ours.”

“Piiii!”

What is this cute voice?!





Phyllo obeyed Dad’s command and quickly ran full speed towards the wall bordering our room to the room next to ours—but wait, Phyllo, won’t you just ram into the wall and got injured?

...or so I thought, but his body quickly dissolved into water and could somehow trespass the wall, letting him through the room next door with ease.





“Awesome...”

And shortly after that, Mom appeared in our room along with the magical circle that mysteriously appeared at the floor of our room.

“Mom!!” Altaire and I quickly ran towards her and hugged her legs.

“Altaire, Lyra!” Mom crouched down and returned our hugs.

Phyllo quickly appeared, following Mom, and he returned to Dad’s side. Dad thanked him and lightly patted his head, carefully as he tried not to injure himself with Phyllo’s sharp horn.





“Alright, let me set up some magical portals first,” Mom said, as she took out two devices, opened them to form some kind of carpet with inscribed magical circle, and imbued the two devices with her magic. Soon, the carpet glows in two different colors—red and blue.

“It’s all done. The red one will lead to Meredea’s room, while the blue one will lead to, uhm, what was formerly my room.”

“Which will be mine and Rupert’s room!” Gale suddenly responded.

“Yes, that’s right. The room’s equipped with a queen-sized bed so you two could fit just fine there... Sorry for the trouble,” Mom smiled politely.

“No problem,” Rupert replied.

“Well then, we’ll be off to set our rooms~,” Gale walked away along with his bags and stepped on the blue carpet. Once he did, his body and bags slowly disappeared. I guess he’s being transported to the other room. Rupert followed him right away.





Which leaves the Hartmann family alone~ Family time, coming right away~!

After we take turns to take baths, eat dinner together, and play with magic, we lied down on the bed. Oh, we also modified the structure of the interior—as we combined the two queen-sized beds together, so the four of us can sleep side by side. Dad is lying down on the left side, followed by Alt-nii, and then me... with Mom on the right side of the bed.

I observed my surroundings carefully. As I moved my body to the left side, I could see my big brother and Dad—and when I turned right, I could see Mom, so close to me. Mom and Dad are both looking at Alt-nii and me, with their usual warm gazes.

As Dad and Alt-nii talked, I decided to roll over to the right side—to Mom’s side and converse with her. We looked into each other’s eyes as we did it.





Late night chat with my family.

Me being so close to Mom, sharing the same bed.

Back when I was Reinst and when my family had a vacation together, we’d sleep in separate beds if we rented a very spacious room or apartment—or separate rooms, if each room is small. Even when Mother and I shared rooms—we’d sleep in separate beds. ...I remember that I slept with her when I was a child, back then, but I don’t think I feel as affectionate as it is, right now, with Mom, as Lyra.

...ah, perhaps it’s also because the ones tasked to take care of my daily necessities were the maids...





I turned over to see Mom.

Whoa, she is so close!

My kind and loving Mom... with her doll-like features. She may not have the same noble air and elegance as Mother, and may seem odd at times, but she’s my mom. And I love her with my everything. I can’t compare Mother with Mom—and I know that the part of me that was Reinst definitely loved Mother with her everything, too.





I noticed that Mom’s age isn’t really that far from Reinst’s age—and I often wonder if only we’d meet back then, would we be able to get close to each other? Would I know this side of her?

...or have I actually met her, but didn’t take the chance to get to know her, as Reinst? I regretted that I wasn’t paying attention to other noble children back then. I would love to know how Mom and Dad were like, as children or teenagers.





...who would have known that I’d end up here, though?

Even if I have the ability to time travel and tell this to the past me, I bet 100% that she won’t believe any of my words. Pretty sure she’d think I’m just a weird child spouting nonsense. And if I were to give her concrete proof that I was her in the past, I bet she’d think I stalked her!





“Mom, will you go directly for work tomorrow?” I asked while looking at her face.

“Well, we’re going to Chinosato’s Magic Associations in the evening, so we can spend time together in the morning and afternoon. Maybe we can take a look around the city.”

“Eh? But me, Altaire, and Dad would be on disguise, right?”

“That’s right. Which is why we should share tables during the breakfast next morning and got acquainted enough to walk around the city together? Of course Meredea and I wouldn’t wear our flashy magician clothes before it’s work time.”

“Eeeh, so Mom and Dad can’t be so friendly in public, then? Me and Lyra would be okay to be really friendly towards Mom, but Dad...”

“Alt, don’t remind me that...,” Dad’s dejected voice could be heard.

We laughed at Dad’s words.





“I should have disguised as a woman... Aaaaah...”

Dad seemed to regret his choice. True, he can be very friendly and affectionate to Mom if they were fellow women—but!!

Oy, Dad, don’t you start the rumors about Mom being attracted to women or what... nobody else but us would know that it’s just you in disguise, after all. Don’t make Mom’s honor in the noble society to plummet with any weird gossip...





Anyway, walking around Chinosato, eh? I really can’t wait to do that! It was rare occasions for me in the past to be walking around the Eastern area, and I’ve never been to Estrada island before! I am excited to see what I can find out in this Chinosato City.

When everyone has decided it’s bed time, all of us stopped talking and we turned off the lamps. I snuggled up in my blanket—shared with Mom, while Alt-nii’s blanket is shared with Dad. I woke up in the middle of the night after I experienced what seemed to be a nightmare (couldn’t remember the content, but there is a recurring nightmare that I often have) and silently stared at the ceilings, rolled over to see my family members.





I thought back to everything that I’ve been through... and I was amazed at how this event here—a happy family vacation, this close family bond... is actually happening. I am not dreaming, right? This is all real... right?

I rolled over to face Mom and snuggled up closer to her. I really love her smell—I mean, won’t most children love their mother’s nostalgic smell? Her warmth really helped me to get back to sleep. I gotta store up energy for tomorrow!





***





Meanwhile, in an unknown dark forest, the Falsanzuwu that survived Rupert’s dark arrow flew and landed at the arm of a tall and slender man. His untidy beard grew long, in contrast to his tidy hair. The cold air that passed by him due to Falsanzuwu’s wings combined by the breeze that passed through the trees surrounding them didn’t even make the man shudder.





“...it’s just you, number two?” The main said, in his deep and low voice.

“Kwaaahh!”

The Falsanzuwu responded, but the man couldn’t understand what it was talking about.





“Seems like number one was killed by one of them.”





A voice could be heard from behind the man. A young boy—perhaps in his teen, is standing silently behind the tall and slender man. Somehow, he could understand what the Falsanzuwu wanted to say. His dark red short hair resembles the color of the dried bloodstain. His slanted eyes seemed as if they were glowing in the darkness of the night—it glowed a neon yellow. The young boy calmly leaned on the big tree next to him.





The older man noticed his voice and slightly turned around to confirm the boy’s identity. It is actually something that he doesn’t need to do—as that voice and the content of his words couldn’t be imitated by anyone else. But still, he turned around and once his gaze met the boy’s for a moment, he turned to face the Falsanzuwu again.





“I see... so, tell me, what have you found?” The older man spoke again to the Falsanzuwu.

“Caw, caw, caw!”

The young boy calmly listened and then acted as if he was the Falsanzuwu’s spokesman—translating every word that he heard.





“...seems like everyone’s away from the house. That includes the children.”

The boy translated the Falsanzuwu’s words indifferently with his cold voice. His intonation when he said that made it feels like he doesn’t care about it at all, but in a very short instant, his eyes showed a sliver of disdain and profoundness, hinting that he was also upset at this unexpected result.





“Tch, they brought them along?”

Contrary to the young boy, the middle-aged man clearly showed his anger, clicking his tongue several times, and proceeded to curse the Hartmann family in his heart.

“That’s right. And that’s how... you really need a change of plan if you still want to proceed.”

The boy walked over the man without even lifting his gaze to the pissed off man at all. He continued to walk away from him, ready to leave. He slightly lifted his left hand, and upon seeing the signal, the Falsanzuwu flew away from the man’s arm, free from his mission.





“Yes, don’t worry. I have properly arranged another plan. I will succeed!”

A glimmer of ambition and conviction welled up in the man’s eyes. He was very, very sure that he would succeed with whatever plan he’s scheming. He clenched his right hand tightly and brought it closer to his chest, signing the full determination he’s had.





“That’s good. Well, that’s the only assistance I can give you. Good luck,” the young boy indifferently said that and left the man. After putting some distance, he discreetly smirked, his eyes clearly indicated that he felt happy. Happy because the middle-aged man actually thought of a back-up plan! And that the man seemed very confident that his plan would still go through!

The boy has always looked down on the middle-aged man that he just talked with. Who would have thought that the old man was brilliant enough to have arranged another plan in such a short moment’s notice?

As various thoughts swirled around the boy’s mind, he walked steadily under the darkness of the night, not feeling disturbed at all by the eerie atmosphere that the dark forest emitted.





Whoever that young boy is, he is no ordinary person. To be able to understand the words of a common monster? The Falsanzuwu is not a divine beast that can be summoned to obey his words, and it’s not a familiar, either. Had it been a familiar or someone’s summoned beast, Rupert would have sensed its magical essence.

No one would have expected that there was somebody who could communicate with the ordinary monster, let alone command them to spy on someone. If such a person exists, clearly words would have spread about them. However, the fact that the higher-ups weren’t notified of the young boy’s ability clearly indicates that the boy’s identity is shrouded in a complete mystery, hidden from everyone else.

As always, don't hesitate to comment XD
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