Prologue

Hey, you there. Are you getting enough sleep?

Are you eating your vegetables?

Are you making sure to exercise?

I had been eating my vegetables, at least...

That day, I woke up to the sun shining brightly outside my window. I berated myself for having fallen asleep even though I had intended to pull an all-nighter and cursed myself for having added more pages even though the deadline was the day after tomorrow. Suddenly, I realized my body wasn’t moving quite right.

Oh no. What’s happening? Is this because I haven’t been getting enough sleep? Am I ill? No, no, calm down. Let’s just check if I have a fever first.

But when I went to put a hand to my forehead...

What’s with this hand? It’s so small and pudgy. Am I a Kewpie doll now?

The room I was in had a high ceiling, and there were pictures of fairylike creatures drawn all over the place. The walls were a peppermint green accented with patterns of white and gold. Both the pillow and canopy of my bed were decorated with frills... Wait, a canopy?! I’ve never seen one of these in person before.

This was definitely not my room. Just what was going on?

Heart beating wildly, I tried to sit up, but just like before, my body wouldn’t move as I wanted it to. Usually, an adult wouldn’t have cried over something like that. I might have gotten a bit teary-eyed, but all-out wailing? That was something you stopped getting away with once you started middle school.

And yet, cry was what I did. It almost felt instinctual, the tears spilling from my eyes before I knew it. I couldn’t stop them either.

“Oh my, Lady Deirdre. Whatever is the matter?”

From beside me appeared a young girl with pale skin and large blue eyes.

Oh, she’s white?

I’d passed by foreigners in the streets before, but I’d lived such a sheltered life that I didn’t have a single non-Japanese friend. Having a foreigner suddenly so close startled me. She gave me such a fright, in fact, that I forgot about crying.

“Don’t worry. I’m right here. Did you have a bad dream?”

She was talking like you would to a baby. I recognized her tone—that was exactly how I spoke to my friends’ and my sister’s kids. It was hard not to instinctively put on a baby voice when talking to younger kids...or cats.

I took those pudgy little baby hands of mine and opened them, closed them, opened them, closed them.

Well, these are definitely my hands.

I was so confused that all I could do was laugh.

“Aww, she’s laughing! She’s so cute!”

“Dana, don’t shout like that. You’ll scare the young lady.”

“But she’s just so cute, Cynthia.”

And now there was another girl, one with red hair. They were both very cute themselves. Judging by how they were referring to me and by the clothes they were wearing, they must have been my maids.

Pulling off being a maid was an immensely difficult feat— Wait, this isn’t the time for that.

Why was I in this situation to begin with? What day was it? Where was this? Who on earth was I?!

◆

I had been a logistics operator working for a manufacturer—just a run-of-the-mill office worker. There had been a period of time when I’d really wanted to rise up the ranks and had started attending programming lessons, but then I’d realized how much I valued having free time for my hobbies. I’d ended up quitting.

To tell the truth, I’d actually published my own short doujin before. I hadn’t been a real fujoshi, though. People shouldn’t just assume that all women who are otaku have those interests. Not that I’d necessarily been against that perception of me. I might have had one foot in that world at some point... Was that enough to have been considered a fujo? I supposed it made me a half fujo.

I’d had so much free time as a student, but the moment I’d become a working adult, the amount of time I’d had for my hobbies had dropped dramatically, and that’d meant there was no way I could sleep if I wanted to meet the deadlines. Consuming energy drinks to make it through all-nighters had been the natural course of action.

I’d preferred surfing the net to going outside. Whenever I had gone out with a friend, I’d tended to treat it as a special event. Holidays had meant spending time at home by myself. At work, I would remain at my desk for the whole shift; back home, I would lounge around until I went to bed. Even on weekends, I would spend the whole day sitting in front of my computer.

Exercise? I’d always had to climb the stairs at the station on the way to work so I’d thought that would be enough...but then apparently, a blood clot had formed and caused a blockage in my brain. My memories surrounding the situation were hazy. I just vaguely remembered hearing someone say something along those lines.

What did they call it? Economy class syndrome? I’d known that it was bad to stay sitting in the same position for long periods of time, but time flies when you’re fully engrossed in something. There’d been days I hadn’t left my seat other than to go to the bathroom.

I had still been just shy of thirty. I felt so bad for my parents. At least I’d asked my younger sister to make sure that she was the one who got rid of my computer. I would’ve felt so much worse if they’d ended up reading what was on it. Either way, I was already dead, so there was no way for me to apologize to them.

Now, I appeared to have reincarnated, free of any worries, into the body of a rich family’s daughter.

No, really, I felt so guilty. If it were possible, I’d have gone to visit my family in their dreams to say both sorry and thank you. If only I could’ve become a guardian spirit for my niece and looked out for her until she was all grown-up...

I spent a couple of days wriggling around, but nothing changed. In other words, this wasn’t a dream. This was reality. I had no choice but to live in this world whether I wanted to or not.

I have to strengthen my resolve. This time, for sure, I would live a proper life, act as a daughter should, and fall in love! It didn’t have to be all dramatic like in the fairy tales. Just a normal romance would do me fine.

I wanted to marry someone I could be myself with! We’d have a nice, stable relationship and live a long and peaceful life together!

Now that I’ve been given this chance to give my life another go, I want to experience love!

Chapter 1: A Boring Baby Life

Five days had passed since I’d been reincarnated, and I’d learned a lot during that time.

My first night, I’d gotten to meet my family. I’d thought my maids were cute, but seeing the insane levels of beauty among my family members, I began thinking my maids might have been merely average.

That wasn’t to say they weren’t still cute to me, though. They had an approachable cuteness, the kind that you’d expect from an idol group whose meet and greet you weren’t intimidated to attend. But my mother was so pretty, she had to rank among the top ten most beautiful people in the world. Her hair was this dazzling blonde that glittered wherever light fell upon it, and her eyes were a deep emerald green—so deep that it felt like you were being pulled in just by looking at them.

Don’t get me wrong—they weren’t creepy to look at or anything. It was such a deep dark green you couldn’t help but be captivated. Those almond eyes framed by long golden lashes definitely had double eyelids, and her nose was shapely and well-defined. She didn’t look at all like a mother of three. Even her lips were healthy and plump.

My father was incredibly beautiful as well—he’d fit right in with those pictures of Scandinavian models I’d sometimes seen while scrolling through social media; people would definitely have been raving about how handsome he looked. His platinum blond hair was slightly long, and the way his bangs were swept back was attractive in its own right.

Even though he was technically my dad, I still didn’t quite see him that way, so I couldn’t help but feel a little flustered whenever he picked me up—despite the fact that I was still a baby.

My brothers were absolute angels. I’ll accept no criticism. Chris was my eldest brother, at five years old, with platinum blond hair that was so smooth and silky, and emerald green eyes the same as our mother’s. I guess you could say his beauty had a purity to it. It felt as though he always had a natural spotlight on him, though I couldn’t tell if it was just my eyes or my mind playing tricks on me.

“Wow, she’s so cute. I hope we get to play together soon.”

You’re the one who’s cute! thought the zero-years-old baby.

My second brother, Alan, was quite big for being only two. He had auburn hair and our father’s gray eyes. He was overjoyed to be an older brother now and constantly dropped by to talk to me and touch my hands and face.

What caught me most by surprise, though, were everyone’s clothes. Was I in medieval Europe? Why do these people look like they’re wearing period costumes you’d see in a museum?

I could easily tell that each of those outfits had cost a pretty penny. The fabric had a glossy finish, and there were very fine details embroidered into it. Will I have to wear the same type of clothing when I grow up? It looked so tight and hard to move around in.

Please let me wear something else. That’s gotta be bad for your body. I want to actually live a long life this time, thank you very much.

If we really were in medieval times, then people’s life expectancies would be much shorter than during my old life. Why would the world have reincarnated me in the past? At least make it the future. Let me go to space. Let me live past a hundred!

Hang on. They weren’t using candles to light up the room. It didn’t look like they were using those oil lamps that burn animal fat either. I didn’t know what I was looking at, but the light fixture sure didn’t seem to have anywhere to pour oil in at the very least. There was also a very perfect ice cube in my dad’s glass of liquor, so that had to mean there was a freezer somewhere, right?

Either way, there was way too much I didn’t know yet, so I made sure to pay attention to everyone’s conversations to see what I could figure out. To be honest, I struggled to understand what they were saying at first, but I kept the words in the back of my mind, and then when they showed me picture books, I stared at those letters like I wanted to devour them.

Being a baby was so boring. All you did all day was eat and then sleep. It was like being chained to your bed and then left to your own devices. Not gonna lie—it was pretty painful. At least it meant I had all the time in the world to learn the language.

Eventually, I learned that I was in the Azelian Empire, and that meant this wasn’t a democracy. There was apparently an empress ruling the country. Games and anime hadn’t helped in creating anything but an evil image of empires for me.

I belonged to the family of Margrave Belisario. I was Deirdre Abel von Belisario.

What even was a margrave, though? How much power did that give us? And what did a margrave do—oversee graves or something?

Oh, and there was no way this was medieval Europe on Earth—everyone was using magic. To be more precise, it was the spirits that used magic, with most of the empire’s citizens constantly accompanied by spirits they’d made contracts with. While this included many commoners, it seemed that all nobles had their own spirits.

I’d thought they were dust balls or fireflies when I’d first noticed these strange little round creatures floating above everyone’s shoulders.

I wasn’t quite sure what you did to make a contract with a spirit, but before I knew it, I had my own little blue ball of light floating by my side. Just when had I done that?

Apparently, it was a water spirit. I decided to blame all instances of wetting myself on this little guy. Don’t question it. It wasn’t like I wanted to wet myself, but it would have been really strange if a baby who’d just been born had been able to indicate they wanted to go to the toilet, so I had no choice but to just let it go. Not being able to go anywhere under my own steam was bad enough, but this was so much worse. I need to become an adult already.

“Look, the young lady already has her own spirit!”

“She is my child, after all. I have no doubt her mana will be boundless when she’s all grown-up.”

“I can’t wait to see it.”

Mana! I knew what that was. Apparently if you used up your MP, your mana reserves would increase. I’d seen gamers talk about that on the internet before. You gained muscles by using your arms and legs, and you gained stamina by exercising, so it was the only logical conclusion.

May as well work on building up my mana, then.

It wasn’t that I was planning to fight—and preferably, I would never have to—but it wasn’t as if I had much else to do. If I used up all my energy, I’d pass out and that would make it so much easier to sleep. What’s a baby if not a creature that spends its days sleeping?

I realized afterward that using up my mana like that was probably terrible for my body, but being able to feel my mana increasing was so fun I just couldn’t stop. That must have been how people felt when they were so motivated by feeling their muscles bulk up that they couldn’t stop using their exercise equipment.

The other thing I’d done to pass the time was exercise. The bed I was lying in was one of those cribs with high wooden bars around it to keep me from falling out. I kicked those bars. I kicked them over and over.

“Oh no. I didn’t notice you were so far down the bed. I’m sorry! No wonder your legs were hitting the bars.”

But then Dana dashed in when she heard the racket and moved me back to the middle.

I refused to give in, though. All I had to do was keep wriggling my whole body so it shuffled enough to hit the side and then use that to turn myself around. It took forever, but I had all the time in the world. I would tire myself out so much that I’d end up falling asleep along the way sometimes, but sleep took priority. I’d only kick the side when I could and without pushing myself too hard.

“Again, my lady?”

“Is she kicking the cot again?”

“Do you think it’s too narrow? She looks like she’s having a lot of fun, though.”

“So she does. Maybe this is how she plays?”

Yes, that was exactly it. I’d learned that if I wanted to do as I wished, I needed to find a way to express my desire. When kicking the crib, I had to look like I was having the time of my life—that meant laughing away and waving my hands about while I kicked, kicked, and kicked some more.

To learn about this world, I needed people to speak in my presence, so if someone was having a conversation nearby, I would act happy and even sometimes make noises as if I were joining in. I could only make baby noises, but I’d make them as close to the words as possible. I’d talk even if the other person had no idea what I was saying.

Look, I’m so happy when you read books to me!

I’d do what I could to get them to show me the book properly. I’d look as happy as possible any time they used a finger to show what they were reading. I would listen to them calmly, smiling all the while. Eventually, everyone realized how much easier it made babysitting me, so they constantly read me books.

Anytime I used my mana, I’d give a little to my spirit. Apparently, spirits fed on our mana. My spirit took mine without my permission and had also decided to hang around me without my permission, so it might as well have been a mosquito or a leech.

I’d heard that people with strong mana attracted strong spirits.

My spirit seemed like it was getting a little bigger, and I suddenly had another little light floating around me, this one red.

It’s like feeding a wild animal, isn’t it? Releasing my mana all the time got the spirits to warm up to me.

◆

That was how I became one hell of a noisy little baby. I wouldn’t cry, of course. Once I was able to speak, there was no need to cry, after all. Even when I could only make baby noises, I was able to communicate what I wanted with the tone of my voice, so much so that people often had fun with how talkative I was.

But then those noises became words. And those words became strings of words. I still hadn’t memorized a lot of verbs and adjectives, but I knew enough to convey what I wanted. When I did, whoever was around would respond enthusiastically, and that only increased my vocabulary further. They kept reading books to me too, so I was gaining all kinds of knowledge.

The speed at which babies could learn things was insane.

My recent experiments with using my mana had resulted in me discovering I could move magic tools, so I spent my time moving each of the magic tool toys dangling above my head, expelling my mana, and naturally, feeding my spirits.

The red and blue balls of light would joyfully dance to the tune of my toys while I strung words together, kicked at the crib, and waved my hands about. Think about how that must have looked—it was basically a scene from a horror movie. Anyone would have thought I was possessed by some demon. Even I did.

But because I was the daughter of a noble family, there was always someone by my side, and that meant that I at least wasn’t just staring at the ceiling talking to nobody. I would talk to my maids while being as expressive as possible, excitedly swinging my arms and legs around. I made sure to listen to what the maids were saying and respond properly so that no one would end up thinking I had gone absolutely insane.

I’d always been a lively child, and I was quick to learn how to roll over, so I was allowed out of the crib quite early as well.

It made me happy—my world had expanded just a little bit more. They’d already started carrying me out to the garden as well, so being allowed on the floor meant I was more than ready for the next level. I managed to start crawling within the day, and I was zooming. Freedom of movement was amazing!

The room was big, which only made me more excited to move around. Whenever my knees ended up all grazed from the carpet, I had my spirits heal them up for me and back off I went. I was on top of the world. I’d gotten so bored of doing nothing but sleeping up until then.

Thanks to all that crib kicking I’d been doing, my muscles had developed well for my age, so everything after came quickly. On my third day of crawling, I went straight on to trying to stand up with support—and aced it the first time. After that, I was able to stand, sit, roll around—I kept moving any way I could in order to strengthen my muscles further, and then at just six months old, I was already walking.

That first night I was able to walk, I cried. I was just so happy.

◆

Thanks to all my efforts, by the time I was a year old, I was able to hold a proper conversation—though I had a bit of a lisp, and my grammar wasn’t the best—and so long as someone held my hand, I was able to walk around the manor on my own two feet.

I was growing way too fast, wasn’t I? I must have seemed completely unnatural. But I just couldn’t hold back!

It turned out I’d made things worse for myself by doing that.

“She’s only a year old and yet she can already talk. The young lady might be a genius!”

“My dear little angel isn’t just adorable. She’s got talent too!”

“There’s not a single person in the world who could walk so steadily at this age.”

“Mm-hmm, not even Chris or Alan started walking this young.”

“She already has two spirits of different elements contracted to her as well. Lady Deirdre is a special little lady indeed.”

“Perhaps I should tell Her Imperial Majesty about all this at the next tea party.”

“The first prince is six this year, just as Chris is, while the second prince is two, yes?”

Oh crap. Was our family high enough in rank to be considered for marriage by the ruling family? Nuh-uh, no way could I marry into power like that.

It was always the women who were the face of the ruling family at social functions. I’d be expected to learn the proper rules and etiquette. Tea parties and soirees weren’t simply for leisure. Even modern Japan saw politicians meeting up at fancy Japanese restaurants—those were gatherings where history could be changed.

No way. I didn’t want to be in a position to change history. I’d definitely say something I shouldn’t.

Bearing the nervousness of standing in front of a large audience while wearing a suffocating dress, and on top of that having to speak tactfully and figure out the real intentions of everyone present at the same time? That would practically be torture! I had to think of a way out of this.

Chapter 2: An OP Skill and Radio Calisthenics

I had a sudden, terrible realization when I turned two.

Sure I’d been extremely slow to notice it, but this world had no TV or internet. That meant I was faced with the huge dilemma of what I was meant to do with my free time.

There was chess...and there were books—though the books weren’t printed like in Japan but transcribed from someone’s original version using magic. Naturally, they had protective magic in place which prevented people from copying books without permission. Paper was expensive, so while the books that nobles read were made from only the highest-quality materials, commoners had to read books made from rough, yellowed paper that were as flimsy as magazines.

A commoner’s life was spent waking up at the crack of dawn to go to work, and then, after work, going out drinking with their friends. Once they were appropriately drunk, they would go to bed, only to repeat that all again the next day.

Instead of using their time on labor, nobles would spend their days improving themselves, going to tea parties and soirees and balls. At least, that was how the adults spent their time. If they were married, then there were all kinds of ways to spend their nights, if you catch my drift. Wait, what are you making a two-year-old say?

Speaking of two-year-olds, my nights consisted of eating my dinner and then, after a short reading session, being told to go to bed, even though I wasn’t tired since I took naps during the day. After that, all I could do was roll around and laze about in bed.

I’d pass time by reaching out my arms trying to catch my spirits while giving them mana. I wasn’t actually trying to catch them—any time I was about to grab them, I’d pull back—and my spirits seemed to understand that, so they’d adjust their speed appropriately for me.

“Huh?”

On a certain night when I couldn’t sleep and was passing time with my spirits, my hand stretched into the air above me while I lay on my back, and then something suddenly flashed. I heard a little beep, and then this clear floating screen with writing on it appeared, just like I’d seen in sci-fi films. It was like a tablet was floating in the air, but only the screen part.

“Whoa, it’s in Japanese. That’s nostalgic.”

The markings I was seeing were Japanese characters, lined up in alphabetical order.

Out of curiosity, I typed in “Azelian Empire,” and what do you know? All the info I could have ever wanted appeared—about its founding, major historical events, its industries, domestic arts, previous rulers... There were even links to pages about the imperial family.

Hang on. This is just Wi**pedia.

This is what you’d call an OP skill, right? This is that thing you get as the strongest main character sent to another world! I’m not going to become a fighter, though! I’m not going to get involved in politics either!

Wasn’t it strange to give me an ability like this? Why reincarnate me with something like that? We should have been leaving the people native to this world to develop it naturally.

Or, what? Are you telling me the greats of our world back on Earth were all people from different worlds themselves? Is that just how things work?

Even if that were the case, all I wanted was to live a healthy and peaceful life together with a wonderful husband—at least this time! Last time I hadn’t even gotten to experience love properly! I’d only had 2D boyfriends! No, I’m not crying!

Maybe I hadn’t ended up transported to a game world, but I’d been transported to a world with handsome men all around me. I just needed to snag one of them. Could the world not have given me the ability to, say, make anyone I threw a rock at fall in love with me? I’d have preferred that way more than Wiki**dia. It would just need to work on one person. One person is all it would take.

I know what you want to say. My partner should have the right to choose as well, right? Damn it all!

Anyway, I wanted to fall in love during this life. Instead of just experiencing romance through dramas and stories, I wanted to experience it for myself. I wanted to be blessed by my family, get married, have kids, and make my parents overjoyed upon seeing their grandchildren. I wanted to live a long life too. I wanted to spend my golden years at peace. That was the sort of calm life I was after.

There was no time for me to be fighting using some overpowered skill; trying to enter a happy marriage and live an idyllic life was already going to be hard enough.

No point looking a gift horse in the mouth, though. I’ll take what I can get. It gave me something to read to pass the time, and it would ensure I wouldn’t lose my Japanese ability despite being unable to use it in this world.

What I read about the empire surprised me. The current ruler of the country was an empress by the name of Ephenia who was currently twenty-eight years old. When the previous ruler had passed away, she’d been only seventeen, and her younger brother had only been five. Under those circumstances, empires would usually have declared the brother emperor under a regent, but it turned out the women of Azelia were higher in status than they’d been in most places back on Earth, with three whole empresses having existed in their history.

To add to that, Empress Ephenia was a very talented woman. Upon noticing that foreign countries were taking advantage of the chaos surrounding the question of succession to prepare to invade and snatch territory from Azelia, she’d stood up and declared herself empress. Then she had used her powerful leadership to eliminate those stuck in conservative ways of thinking and unite the country.

The man standing by her side was her husband, General Maximilian, who’d formerly been the younger son of a marquess.

This country’s singular military general was a handsomely muscular man tied to the empress through deep bonds of love. He was an outstanding warrior, having become commander of the imperial forces for the sake of his beloved empress and succeeding so thoroughly in forcing back all those who’d tried to invade that he’d ended up expanding the empire’s territory in the process.

He’d temporarily taken the throne when the empress was with child, and though he was praised for his political talent, he believed that his role was solely that of someone who protected the country and so would ordinarily avoid giving his opinion on such matters.

Little Wiki over here had photos on its pages as well. I was desperate to know how on earth someone had managed to do that, but either way, the general was yet another great catch. He was really tall too. There was a picture of him and the empress together, and she only stood about as tall as his chest.

The muscles on foreign martial artists and military men are incredible. His biceps were the size of a woman’s thigh. He looked so rough and tough, with beautiful but incredibly stern facial features, and yet, he was head over heels in love with the empress.

The empress herself looked like a strong-willed woman and she had beautiful red hair. Is she a tsundere? What the hell, this was the perfect couple! You could write three whole books about a couple like this.

Ah, I personally wasn’t big on bulky men, though. I preferred my men lean.

It seemed a part of my Japanese self remained within me because I found myself feeling a little lonely that there wasn’t a single fellow Asian around. I wanted even just a glimpse of someone with a different skin color.

All of that said, I was still only two years old—it would be a long time until men would start to notice me, even if I found a good one.

In any case, thanks to all of this, it appeared the country I was in was stable. If any country showed even the smallest sign of attacking, the empress would use her political power and the general his military might to crush that country before it even got the chance. Most places much preferred trading peacefully with us to starting a war.

I looked up info on my family too while I was at it. As it turned out, margraves were in charge of the areas that bordered foreign countries—known as marches—so on top of being given large swathes of land, they were also permitted their own military forces. Since they served as border guards, they had a lot of sway it seemed.

Despite what you’d think, we weren’t out in some remote region. The west and south of Azelia were bordered by the sea, so we had a navy and a large port. To the south was the large island nation of Luftanen, and to the west was the Kingdom of Stark, separated from us by a channel. If a war were to begin, we would be on the front lines, but right now, the only front lines we were on were the front lines of trade.

What was more, since it was a pleasant temperature here year-round, summer saw people coming from all over the empire to escape the heat. In other words, all the social gatherings moved to our land. There was no way the imperial family wouldn’t put special care into this area.

Oh, and it turned out that the March of Belisario, our domain, was the greatest producer of tea in the empire. Not green tea, though—black tea. But even I knew that the difference between black tea and green tea was merely the length of fermentation.

Aren’t Japanese teas amazing? Hojicha, and matcha too! We have access to so much seafood as well. Bouillabaisse is the best!

All right, back on topic...

There was no way we alone could handle all this land when we had work at the imperial palace and other functions to attend, right? Well, those of the rank of marquess or above could apply for the appointment of noble titles, which gave them the power to divide their territory among various counts and lower-ranking nobles and assign them as lords of towns to help manage the land.

The imperial family was like the managing family of a company, which made us branch managers. We were valued because we were helping to manage a massive branch in a huge city, so they took special care of us. If we did anything questionable, though, we would be fired.

That meant that the nobles within our domain viewed the Belisario family as their direct superiors. Hell, our manor house was so big you could probably call it a castle. Seriously, the first time I saw the floor plan, I practically jumped out of my seat.

To prevent invaders storming the castle directly, it was built on top of a hill with a gently sloping path circling it. Within the outer castle wall was the nobles’ residential area, and then behind the inner wall lay the castle itself and the sprawling parcel of land dedicated to it. There were various buildings within that land, including the lodgings for the knights who protected us and their training grounds. There was a lot of space dedicated to the stables and parking for carriages as well.

My brothers and I all frequently had other noble children coming to visit us, likely because their families hoped their children could one day become our attendants—not unlike how the leading noble families wished to do the same for the imperial family.

Given that I was still only two years old, I estimated that I had two more years before my peace would be truly broken. The real challenge would come in the winter of my tenth year. That was when I would have to attend the academy on the outskirts of the imperial capital, and I could already see things getting much more troublesome at that point.

It might be good to become as strong as I can while I still have the chance.

◆

Another year passed and I turned three years old.

I was now Deirdre, the problem child of the prestigious Belisario family. Honestly, they’d doomed me the second they’d named me Deirdre—that was so clearly a villain’s name. It wasn’t a problem, though. Just because my name made me sound like the bad guy, it didn’t mean I would pick on my maids. Dana and Cynthia were both bright, bubbly girls that I wanted to keep around. Why would I be mean to them?

The problem was that normally, noble girls weren’t granted much freedom. I doubted they would have fretted over me so much if I had been a boy, but because my parents’ first two children were sons, all the hopes and dreams they would have for a daughter were piled onto me—except, I had taken those hopes and dreams and shattered them to pieces, ha ha... Oh man...

I made sure to listen to the warnings that I wasn’t supposed to run in the corridors and so only ran outside. That led to me trying to think of where I could run at full speed safely without fear of falling over, which was when I discovered the outside training field for the knights on the other side of our courtyard and decided to borrow a little corner of that wide-open space. My brothers were training in swordsmanship there, so I decided it was probably fine for me to run about in.

But anywhere I went, I had to be accompanied by at least one maid or valet and two guards. Never once was I allowed to go out on my own.

For the record, my valet was an eleven-year-old boy named Rex, the grandson of my father’s majordomo. My brothers’ valets were more experienced boys in their late teens, but then there was me. I wouldn’t be working when I was older, and I already had many maids attending me, so it felt more like he was here on the off chance that there was a task that needed a man’s help. It sounded like he was still being given proper education for the job at least.

I felt bad for him. I doubted any boy of his age would want to be stuck looking after a girl who was only three. He probably would’ve preferred being with someone like Alan. That would be much more promising for his future prospects, wouldn’t it? Despite that, he made not a single disgruntled look as he diligently carried out his duties. He even made sure to listen to everything I had to say. He was a good egg.

It seemed a little absurd for me to need two whole guards while I was within castle grounds, but my guess was that it was more in case I went too far. They’d need one person to forcefully carry me back to the castle and another with their hands free.

I’m really sorry. I just want to see what kinds of places there are inside the castle grounds. I keep forgetting I’m only three now that I can walk properly. I often found myself suddenly tumbling into ditches or slipping and falling and ending up sliding along the lawn; grazes and scratches were a given by now. Every time something like that happened, my mother and maids would scream and cause a big fuss. My water spirits could cast healing magic, though, so there was no need for them to react like that.

I was once again going for my daily run at the training field with Dana, Rex, and two bodyguards in tow, just as I’d been doing for the past few days. I always made sure to do some warm-up exercises first so I wouldn’t injure myself, but honestly, I wasn’t sure of the correct way to do it.

By the way, don’t you think PE classes should teach kids how to enjoy exercising? They should teach kids basic exercises they can do at home every day so they can prevent diseases when they’re older. Instead, they always teach you in ways that make you hate it instead.

Me? Oh, I despised it. Now, though, I understood exactly how hard it was to begin exercising as an adult. I’d learned the importance of exercise. It was because I hadn’t before that I’d practically shortened my lifespan.

In this life, I would make sure that I was doing exercise every day as a kid. I’d get my strength and stamina built up so that it wasn’t painful to exercise as an adult.

What was I talking about again? Oh yeah, warm-up exercises.

What came in clutch was the exercises that everyone in Japan knows: radio calisthenics. We’d always been made to do them before PE, so I remembered exactly what to do. When you stretched, you needed to stretch as far as you could. When you bent your knees, you had to bend the right amount and at the right angle. It was a well-thought-out exercise routine that stretched every muscle in your body and also got you sweating.

It was about a month after I’d started using that corner of the training grounds when a knight came up to me and asked, “Lady Deirdre, what are those exercises you’re always doing?”

“Warm-up exercises.”

“Oh my. I’ve never seen such exercises before. Did you think them up yourself?”

“Uh... Kind of?”

“May I do them with you?”

“Huh?”

Why, why, why? Were my movements that strange? Maybe he had his eye on Dana? She was very cute.

For the record, there were women among the knights, but because they were aiming to become knights, they were often big and muscular and wore their hair cut short. Either way, if a cute girl wearing a maid outfit walked into your life, of course you’d want to get to know her.

I see everything, mister!

“I believe that the exercises you have chosen are very smart.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I would appreciate if you could teach them to me.”

Oh no, he was being serious. I’m sorry. For a three-year-old, I have a tainted mind.

“It’s time to exercise! One, two. Next, hands like this.”

I didn’t want to talk too much since I had to make sure I didn’t say words that were too difficult for someone of my age. The best option was for me to just demonstrate the movements.

“Legs, bad! Not right!”

At least do it properly. You had to stretch your whole body even for just one body part.

Still, trust a knights’ order to have nothing but bulky people. They were huge. Their average height had to be around, what, 180 centimeters? That’s gigantic. Holy crap!

“This is quite something.”

“Huh? Was that what she was doing?”

It turned out that because my limbs were so short, most of the knights hadn’t realized what I was doing. Now that an adult was doing it, the other knights were curious enough to come look.

That’s strange, considering I’m already this big. I’d thought that kids in this world grew a lot more quickly than Japanese kids. It might have been a difference in ethnicity, but it would’ve taken until I was five to reach this size ordinarily. Oh, but even then, five-year-olds are still only in nursery school, huh? Oh well, guess there’s no helping it, then. No matter how seriously I’d devoted myself to my exercise, it would still have looked entirely different when an adult did it.

“My body’s all warmed up now. I think it’d be good for us to do this before our training in the winter.”

“Someone learn the exercises from Lady Deirdre and memorize them all.”

Wait. Huh? The knights were going to use these exercises? Did that mean the first thing I was going to pass on after getting transported to another world was radio calisthenics?

NOOOOOO! ANYTHING BUT THAAAAAAAAAAT!

Chapter 3: A Wild Child Who Triggers Everyone’s Protective Instinct

Just like in my previous life, in this world, it was traditional to throw parties and send presents on someone’s birthday. Since my family were high-ranking nobles, even the children were given magnificent birthday celebrations.

Up until now, my birthdays had consisted mainly of gatherings of our closest relatives, and even then, it had only been the adults. I would start hosting bigger parties like my brothers’ once I turned four this year. At three, I’d still been too young to be expected to entertain guests for hours on end; at that age it was still a coin toss whether a kid would even be able to play with other kids for very long.

But perhaps because life expectancy was much shorter here, we seemed to grow up much faster—when I turned four, I already looked like I was in the middle of elementary school. Alan was only six, and yet he was almost as tall as Chris. Chris was nine and looked like he was just entering middle school. Of course, I needed to keep in mind that Asians tended to look younger in general.

The empire’s educational institutions all stood on the outskirts of the capital. Children would begin their elementary education once they turned ten, and then they would proceed to higher education when they were fifteen. More-affluent commoner families were able to send their children to school, but usually only until the age of fifteen—the majority then went on to help their parents with their work and learn the tools of the trade.

For nobles, the battle for a marriage partner commenced once you turned fifteen. Until then, parents were forbidden from choosing partners for us. I was sure arrangements were being made behind the scenes, but there seemed to be a lot of couples who were together because they’d genuinely ended up falling in love. Personally, I felt it was a good system—there was really no way to know what a child’s future prospects would be before their late teens anyway.

A lot of people would search for a partner while completing their higher education, and it was practically expected for a noble lady to get married upon graduation. Most got engaged when they were fifteen.

Who will I end up getting married to? I hope I’ll get to have a real romance.

Four days before my fourth birthday party, I was seated in front of the dressing table my father had gifted me.

Who gives a four-year-old a dressing table as a birthday present? Don’t get me wrong, the mirror that had come with it was a good quality one. It was big, with no noticeable clouding. But, you see, this big round mirror was all decorated around the outside with a bunch of small lights, and the dresser had drawers for jewelry and makeup. What child of my age needed something like that?!

Now, to be clear, I made sure to say thank you and that I was very happy with the gift. But he could’ve given me this in ten years rather than now.

At the very least, thanks to me having this now, I was able to see my face properly for the first time. I’d gotten glimpses of my face before now—there were mirrors in the corridors, and some of the walls in the manor were paneled with mirrors as well. But it would look really weird for someone of my age to just stand and stare at mirrors in the corridor, right? At most, I’d taken little glances from afar and seen that I was blonde and maybe looked a little like my mother.

When people said I was cute, I didn’t think much of it because, really, what else were you supposed to say to a young noble lady? Now that I was seeing my face for real, though, I understood exactly how cute I was. Honestly, given how my parents and my brothers look, there was no way I wasn’t adorable.

My hair was a platinum blonde closer to the color of my father’s. It stopped around my chest, and whenever the light caught it, it sparkled like I had a halo. My brow was shaped nicely, like my mother’s, and my nose was on the smaller side. Because my eyes were big like a little kitten’s, and the corners of them were turned down a little, I gave off a cute, friendly aura. My irises were purple, and my eyelashes were so well-defined it looked like someone had taken five matchsticks and stuck them to my lids—I practically looked like a doll.

While my mother looked beautiful in a refined, out-of-your-league way, I was the cute young lady people wanted to protect—as far as appearances went, that was.

A wild child who triggers your protective instincts? A young girl with large eyes like a kitten’s...hiding the personality of a woman in her late twenties, who sometimes threw up because she ran out of mana... Yeah, this appearance is a total scam.

Hold on a minute. The reason Rex was being so serious about looking after me was because he wanted to become a respected valet as soon as possible, wasn’t it? It wasn’t because he wanted to entertain a beautiful young lady, right? I could trust him, right? And the reason that I had two bodyguards following me around all the time was just to remove me if I acted out, wasn’t it? It wasn’t because I was at risk of being kidnapped because of how cute I looked...right?

Oh yeah, there was a new valet who’d arrived recently, a guy named Brad who was turning twenty-two this year. The look in his eyes was so sharp that there was no way he was a regular civilian.

Did they increase my security because I’ll be interacting with more people now?

Back when I was Japanese, I’d been so average that I hadn’t stood out at all. Since our company had required us to wear a uniform, anything that was uniquely me had been buried, resulting in no one even remembering my name. The sudden change from total nobody to adorable noble lady hadn’t had enough time to sink in. Not that I needed to focus on it too much—it wasn’t as if I would be looking in the mirror at any time other than the morning.

Today, I’d come to understand why my family sometimes seemed almost regretful when they looked at me.

I asked Cynthia to braid my hair, got changed into some nice loose-fitting clothing, and headed straight out to the training field again. Now that I had lessons from a home tutor every morning, covering topics from magic to manners, my free time had been reduced to only the afternoon.

Anytime I went for a run, my guards ran along with me. For some reason, even Brad joined me. You really aren’t a normal valet, are you?

I did five laps around the field while watching the knights hard at work on their own training. It was a sight for sore eyes, let me tell you—all those manly men sweating under the sun while they put their all into improving. A lot of them were handsome too. I could get my fill while working on my own stamina; it was wonderful, really.

The contrast between the little round balls of light and the big, strong men they hovered near was also cute to witness. Apparently, there were two types of spirit in this world: sword spirits and magic spirits. The spirits that usually made contracts with people were magic spirits, including the two that had contracted with me.

It was likely that no one here was feeding mana to their spirits, so theirs were only about four centimeters wide. Mine were much bigger than that.

Chris had asked me once why my spirits were so big, and when I’d told him that I fed them my mana, everyone had been shocked. It seemed they hadn’t known. After that, they’d said they’d try that out just within our family, and if their spirits really did grow bigger and stronger, they’d teach it to the knights and nobles in our domain. They’d also said that this was the kind of information that gave you an advantage in society, so I shouldn’t tell anyone about it.

I would much rather not attract attention, so I gladly stayed quiet.

Chris’s spirit was already getting bigger, though, so surely it was about time to start teaching the knights how to do the same. It’s good for them to get stronger, right?

The only one in our family who hadn’t gotten a spirit yet was Alan. It seemed to be bothering him a lot, or perhaps he was just entering his rebellious phase, because he’d been avoiding me recently.

Chris probably had a high IQ. Unlike me, who only seemed smart because I had my previous life’s memories, he was just a naturally intelligent kid. Not only did he have a good memory, but his brain also worked quickly. It had apparently alienated him from other children his age a little.

That made Alan the second son sandwiched between the genius oldest, who would likely go on to receive honors at school, and the strange youngest who was choosing to forge her own path. I really felt bad for him.

It wasn’t as if Alan weren’t smart, and when it came to the blade, his talent was definitely greater than Chris’s, but the two of us just stood out too much. That might have been why he hated me. I loved him, though—he was so kind and diligent.

Those thoughts went through my mind as I watched my brothers learning swordsmanship from the knights. All the while, I kept up my running, still surrounded by my two massive guards and one valet.

And then, Alan’s hands suddenly shone green after he’d finished one of his slashes. I thought I was seeing things, but when I stopped and stared, they shone again. I wasn’t just seeing things.

“Are you tired, Lady Deirdre?”

“Lady Deirdre?”

“I have to tell him.”

“What?”

After that, my jog turned into a full-on sprint. For some reason, I even ended up doing a crouching start. I might have been only four, but I’d done my research on proper form, so I was fast. My bodyguards were completely flustered. The knights also ended up staring. But you should all get back to your training. That’s your job, don’t forget. Stop wasting your time on a little girl.

“Deirdre?”

Chris was usually the perfect image of calm, but even he couldn’t help widening his eyes in surprise as he saw me running toward him with beautiful form, three men trailing behind. Alan, on the other hand, started walking away as if he were going on break the moment he saw me, probably because he didn’t want to be around me—but I wouldn’t let him escape.

“Alan!” I shouted as loud as I could.

“Huh? You’re after me?”

Is it that surprising?

“Are you...going to stop training...already?” Unsurprisingly, running at full speed was exhausting, and I’d been left wheezing as I gripped Alan’s arm tight and tried to speak.

“Are you okay?”

“I want to see you train!”

“Sorry, but I’m...”

“But you’re so cool!” This cruel, grown-up little girl wasn’t afraid to use her cute looks here. I forced tears to well up in my purple eyes and gazed up at him with a pleading look.

I was sweating at the same time, though. And also incredibly out of breath.

“You’re so strong and cool. I want to see you train more.”

“Well... If that’s what you want...”

“Yaaaay!”

“Huh? What about me?” Chris asked from my other side, but I needed him to shush for a minute. He was definitely already being told by all the girls around him how great he was. He didn’t need his little sister complimenting him too.

Oh, come on, don’t look so sad.

All of the sudden attention on him clearly made Alan a little nervous, but those nerves only increased his focus as he readied his stance. When he swung his sword again...

“It lit up!” I yelled dramatically when those green lights appeared around his hands again, grabbing Alan’s hand as he froze in shock. “It’s a sword spirit! A wind sword spirit! You have a talent for the sword after all, dear brother!”

I’d suddenly ended up speaking a little like a noble, but everyone was stunned into silence, so they probably hadn’t noticed. I was safe.

“A sword spirit? Really?”

So you were worried about being the only one without a spirit. Alan’s eyes were filled with such tentative hope as he gazed at me. He was so cute! I wanted to squeeze him tight!

“Really! Try whooshing mana into your hands, like when you’re using a magic tool!”

“Like this?”

Alan returned his sword to its sheath and then held his hands palm up in front of his chest. When he gathered his mana, a green light enveloped his hands. That was his sword spirit. When they matured, sword spirits became powerful beings that could cover your whole body in a defensive barrier and even add an element to your weapon—they were exceedingly useful. However, just like magic spirits, they needed to be fed mana, so neglecting one’s mana studies to focus on the sword wouldn’t help them get stronger.

Apparently, you could learn defensive magic using magic spirits too, but when you had multiple sword spirits, those defensive effects stacked and could get really strong—according to my favorite Little Wiki, at least.

“How did you even notice that?” Chris asked.

“It was all shiny and sparkly,” I said, tilting my head slightly. I’d thought anyone would notice if they were paying enough attention.

“Um, can you tell that I have a spirit too?” the middle-aged knight that had been teaching my brothers asked.

“Uh-huh. You have a sword spirit too, right? It’s yellow, so is it an earth one?”

“Why, yes. I had a mage tell me once before, but I can’t see it for myself.”

“You just need to do what Alan did and push your mana into your hands.”

“Deirdre,” Chris said.

“What about the other knights in my unit? Do they also have spirits? A lot more of our recruits have been without spirits as of late.”

“Are you sure? Most of you have—”

“Deirdre, let’s go tell father that Alan acquired a sword spirit.”

“Oh...okay.”

Was I not supposed to say that? It wasn’t as if I’d revealed that they needed to feed their spirits mana.

“Captain, we’ll look into the status of the knights’ spirits another day,” Chris said.

“Would you really be willing to?”

“Of course. Our knights becoming stronger is just as much of a joy to us as it is to you. However, Deirdre is still young, so asking her to do this all at once is too great a burden. As such, please discuss it with my father first.”

Sorry, is this kid really only nine? That eloquence wasn’t something you’d expect from someone his age. His smile was so sinisterly calm, silently insisting that this wasn’t something they should discuss further here.

“Take Deirdre back, please.” Perhaps out of habit, Chris ordered one of his own guards to escort me back, but as the man approached, Brad moved between us.

“Pardon me, but this is our job. You may be Lord Chris’s bodyguard, but I must ask you not to touch Lady Deirdre without permission.”

Huh? What’s going on? Is it that serious?!

My guards were nodding along like what he was saying was natural...

“Of course, my apologies. You are absolutely correct.”

Things got a little tense for a moment, but Chris finally relented, which was really quite like him. His smile looked entirely devious, though. Ahhh, this boy is one of those scheming types—showing everyone a smile and yet secretly coming up with all sorts of plans inside his head.

“Alan, Deirdre, come with me.”

“Yes, brother,” Alan replied promptly.

“Okay. Can you carry me, Brad?” When I held out my arms, Brad couldn’t hide the shock on his face.

He averted his gaze and cleared his throat uncomfortably. “Understood, Lady Deirdre.”

“Hold on. I think I should be the one to take her after all.” This time it was Chris getting in between me and Brad.

“You mean you’ll carry me?”

“I’ll give you a piggyback ride.”

“Okay, then.” I was relieved to see that Chris was back to his usual kind smile, and when I wrapped my arms around him, he happily patted me on the head. I’d be really sad if all of this kindness was calculated, even my own family’s.

“It is quite the distance, so please do not strain yourself.” Staring at Chris as he patted my head, Brad casually placed a hand on my shoulder. Honestly, even I thought he would struggle.

But why is everyone looking so serious? Even Alan was looking at us strangely.

“You aren’t thinking anything strange about our precious sister, are you?” Chris was gazing sharply at Brad.

“Of course not. I was just surprised because children are usually terrified of me.”

“Well, if that’s all, then...please carry her.”

“Leave her to me.”

Okay, it’s not that big of a deal, but can the two of you stop only putting on the nice smiles when you’re looking at me?

Why did everyone turn up the kindness when looking at the little girl? And what was with that suggestive exchange?

“Wait, Deirdre, you’ve got a new spirit,” Alan suddenly said. I turned around, and right enough, there was a little green ball of light floating beside me. “That’s a wind spirit, like mine.”

“Maybe it’s friends with yours.”

“Then if we go back to the manor together, they won’t be lonely.”

Being around Alan always healed my heart. I had to hurry and get Chris on my side too.

Our domain’s climate was warmer than the Kanto region of Japan but cooler than Okinawa. There were other areas in the empire that had great blizzards in winter and others that had hotter temperatures than ours. The Azelian Empire was big, so that contributed to the differences, but the varying altitudes were another big factor. Apparently, the marches to the north were part of a vast, sprawling region, truly suiting my idea of a frontier land.

Just like in my previous world, a year here was made up of twelve months, and from November to February was the time for winter social functions. The majority of the high-ranking nobility would gather in the capital, and children above ten years of age would attend school and stay in the dormitories, which held all the students regardless of age.

During spring—from March to June—and autumn—from September to October—most nobles, apart from a few of the highest-ranking nobility, would spend weekdays in their domains and then use a teleportation array to return to the capital on the weekends.

Meetings would be held over the weekend during which that week’s issues would be discussed, and the civil servants and bureaucrats would spend the next week acting on whatever decisions had been reached. Civil servants and knights were chosen from among talented nobles who weren’t their families’ successors, so there was no need for them to return to their domains.

The two months of summer were spent on yet more social functions. Soirees were held aplenty in the capital at this time of year, and the more affluent would travel to holiday resorts far from the summer heat. Those from the same clique tended to travel together, often being invited by the lord of the territory they were visiting and staying in a hotel there or in their own villas.

Thus, summer was an important time of year to areas like ours that were seen as resort locations. The more people visited our lands, the more money we made, and the more we could show off how valuable our lands were for attracting tourists.

The other most important part of summer socializing was where the imperial family chose to visit each year. There were rumors that they would be visiting the domain of Marquess Johannes this year.

And in the midst of all of that, I’d suddenly started to spout new information about spirits—how they fed on mana, how you could learn powerful magic if you raised them well, and now, the fact that I could see weak spirits that others couldn’t.

We would celebrate my birthday at the end of March. That meant we currently had a bit less than three months until everyone would start traveling here for the summer. It would be a nice surprise if we managed to power up our domain’s spirits before then, right? And they’d all be grateful to us if we gave them the information on how we’d done it.

Imagine if I were to help Chris gain all these massive spirits of all of the elements before he has to start attending school in winter. Everyone would want to get to know our family, and then there would be tons more tourists next summer, and then our people would be happy.

I had no idea if things would actually go so smoothly, though, and I didn’t feel like it would be enough to just rely on the spirits as a way to attract more visitors. We had to think about how to make it work as a tourist location.

Whatever we decided to do, we just had to work on the plan bit by bit.

Chapter 4: Genius and Folly Are Two Sides of the Same Coin

The moment we returned to the manor, I was made to take a bath and get changed into a dress. Given the status of my parents, it was important for me to meet them in the correct attire.

Our family was a lot more relaxed about etiquette when we were alone, but it seemed likely that the higher the rank of a noble family, the more distant its members were from one another. It was the wet nurses and ladies-in-waiting who looked after the children, and depending on the season, we sometimes only saw our parents once a month. Even now, Chris’s valet had been the one to come to my room and pass the message on to Brad, who then passed it on to me while I was drinking my tea.

“The meeting with His Lordship the Margrave shall be this evening. He must attend a soiree tonight, so it will only be for a short time, but Lord Chris has said he wishes to talk to your parents as soon as possible.”

I almost wanted to complain that he could’ve just told me that directly, but this pomp and circumstance was what made nobles nobles, I supposed.

Besides, wasn’t it kind of cool? Brad had stood straight beside me in his black uniform and then carefully leaned his upper body down to tell me the message. I felt just like a noble lady. I was starting to understand why there had been butler cafés in Japan.

“I understand. The message has been received,” I said as I held out my empty cup. Rex swooped in with a tray and took it away. He left nothing to be desired in his performance.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t keep up this noble lady mode for very long. The moment Chris’s valet had received my answer from Brad and the door had shut behind him, I immediately pulled my feet up onto my chair and leaned lazily on the armrest.

“Lady Deirdre, may we have a moment of your time?”

“What is it?” I remained in my relaxed position, moving only my eyes to look at Rex. He had sent the ladies-in-waiting away, so it was only us three now.

“There was something Lord Chris wished for me to inform you of before you speak with your family.”

“Is this gonna take a while? You can have some tea if you’d like.”

While I was rearranging the cushions behind me to make the chair more comfortable, Brad and Rex prepared their own tea before seating themselves on the other side of the table from me.

I was surrounded by so many beautiful people that I appreciated Brad’s appearance being a little more on the normal side. I didn’t mean that he was ugly, by the way. He was tall, fit, and attractive. He just didn’t fit into the “beautiful” category.

Handsome men are creatures to be observed from afar—they’re too blindingly bright for me. My brothers were still children, so as someone who was really an older woman inside, they were too young for their prettiness to mean much to me, but I still got nervous when meeting my father. That was why having Brad around relaxed me, even if he looked a little scary.

A frightening man who looked more like a gang member than a civilian becoming a valet—there were definitely ladies out there who would have loved that.

And me? I was one of them.

Rex was still only twelve. By Japanese standards, he looked old enough to be in his last year of middle school. He was a bright young boy with his brown hair tightly gelled back. He wasn’t the beautiful type either, but he wouldn’t have looked out of place dancing in an idol group. It was really hard trying to imagine him in any clothes other than his valet uniform by this point, though.

These two were my dedicated valets, and I was very thankful for that. Had I managed to build up enough good karma in my previous life? Maybe there’s some otaku or doujin god out there...

As I was observing the two of them, they glanced at each other and then straightened up and turned back to look at me.

“Then allow me to deliver the message from Lord Chris.”

“Go ahead.”

“‘Alan and I are far from acting like normal children ourselves, so our parents are used to it. We’d rather you prioritize ease of communication, so don’t force yourself to speak like a child.’”

What?

WHAAAAAAAAT?!

Where had this come from?! Had my isekai-ness already been clocked?! In just four years?!

No, calm down. I know what this is. He’s speaking under the assumption that I’m a prodigy like he is. He thinks I’m a genius. That has to be what this is all about.

“Lady Deirdre? Is everything all right?” Rex asked.

“When it’s just the two of us here, we’d rather you didn’t force yourself either,” Brad chimed in.

“Um... Do you both feel the same way?”

“Yes,” Rex answered at once.

“You’ve never really come across as a child.”

“Wait... Seriously?”

Brad nodded with a smile, while Rex was looking at me like I was insane. I really try, you know? I tried to speak like a little kid as much as possible, even though it was wearing me down inside.

“You’ve been moving magic tools by yourself pretty much since you were born, and you’ve always been able to put together words. That isn’t normal for a child,” Rex explained.

That was where I’d gone wrong! I’d messed up from the moment I was born! But, come on, I was bored! I wanted to learn the language!

“I was surprised to hear the tales Rex had to tell of you, Lady Deirdre.”

“Do you find me creepy?”

“No, quite the opposite. It makes things much easier on me being able to talk to you as if you’re an adult.”

He hadn’t even tried to hide that sentiment. Why’d he pick up this job if he doesn’t like kids? Rex hadn’t had much of a choice, given that his whole family worked for us, but surely Brad had other jobs he could’ve chosen.

“Now that I think about it, were you and Chris not rather snippy with each other out in the training field? And yet you still spoke to each other after.”

“Oh, so a four-year-old describes us as being ‘snippy,’ does she?” Brad sounded amused.

“This young lady knows even more difficult words than I do.”

“You’re making me not want to talk like this. Please stop, or I’ll go back to normal.” I narrowed my eyes at Rex.

“No, please keep speaking as you are,” Brad requested.

“Didn’t you already talk like—”

“Rex.”

Why was he suddenly acting so familiar? What had happened to him treating me carefully like I was some fragile doll? Is it the running? Or maybe the vomiting?

“Lord Chris appears to have been wary of me because I am both an ex-adventurer and a commoner.”

“You were an adventurer?! Why are you suddenly a valet now?”

“Around half a year ago, one of my friends was gravely injured in a monster hunt and couldn’t continue their work. Right after that, my wife told me that she was with child, and it made me realize that I had to find a different way of life. My party talked it out, and we decided to disband.”

“Oh god, you’re going to have a kid?”

“All right there, four-year-old...”

“Shut up, Rex.”

“Yes, Lady Deirdre.”

Stop looking so happy. Stop smiling.

“So anyway, you went with valet instead of bodyguard?”

“I’m an assassin.”

“I see.”

In other words, he was here to protect me in a different way from the knights. Valets did have the unique advantage of being the only ones allowed to stay with me on some occasions.

“On the training field a moment ago, I was wondering if perhaps my child, should she be a daughter, would allow me to spoil her in the same way.”

Ahhh, so that was why he felt a bit off, then—off enough for even Chris to be suspicious. Curse you, normies.

“Does your wife live within the castle grounds as well?”

“Yes. There is thankfully a doctor here too, so I can relax while working.”

“I see. I’d love to meet your child when they’re born.”

Now, what was the correct move here? There was no way I could just quit acting like a child like they’d suggested and start acting like an adult woman. Chris might have gained the impression that I was different from most children, but that didn’t mean he knew what conversations I could keep up with or just how much knowledge I had. He was probably using this as an opportunity to figure that out.

“Young miss—uh, I mean, Lady Deirdre?” Rex seemed to slightly stumble over his words.

“Wait, say that again.”

“Young miss?”

That’s so good! It’s like I’m the daughter of a yakuza family!

“Call me that when it’s just us!”

“O-Okay...”

“Anyway, continue.”

“There’s one other thing concerning the incident in the training field.”

“Yes?”

“Please do not rely on family bodyguards who are not assigned to you. They prioritize their masters first. In an emergency situation, you would not be their first thought. However, we are here primarily to protect you. The only ones you can truly trust are your own valets and bodyguards.”

“That makes sense. Between the heir to the family and me, one is definitely more important than the other. Wait, I guess my life is actually the most expendable one in this family, huh?”

My parents were the margravial couple, so they were important. Chris was their vital successor. Alan was the spare in case something happened to Chris. Even if he didn’t have to stand in for him, he’d still definitely be useful as a future knight. In comparison, I was useful as one of the pawns on their board but not so important that it would be a big deal were I to be discarded.

“Your quick understanding saves us a lot of trouble,” Rex said.

“Things would’ve been much easier for you had you been one of my brothers’ valets instead of mine.”

“Perish the thought,” Rex replied at once. “There is no position that seems anywhere near as interesting as this one.”

“I fully agree,” Brad added. “Lord Chris is talented, but he’s just as harsh on others as he is on himself. I’ve heard he’s fired many of his valets and bodyguards already.”

Oh god. I guess even if he is smart, he’s still a kid.

My brothers never showed me anything other than their kind sides, so I had no idea what they were like with everyone else.

“His reputation isn’t bad, is it? Is he making sure to stand up for his staff?”

“He doesn’t appear to care about people’s age, gender, or status so long as they’re skilled at what they do, so he’s got a good reputation among those whom he has chosen.”

“He’s good at pretending to be nice, at least,” Brad muttered.

“He’s a frightening child good at using people for his own gain,” Rex said.

“Like his message to me?”

The two valets flashed sly smiles at me.

“It really is just like you said,” Brad murmured to Rex. “This little lady is interesting indeed.”

“Right? And our job grants us front-row seats.”

Well, I was glad I was making their workplace fun at least. I’d been looking for people I could trust anyway. Because my family worked so hard to protect me, it would have been easy for me to end up sheltered; I barely received any information on what was happening in the wider world. An ex-adventurer would be a useful asset indeed.

“What kind of person do you two think I am?”

“A weirdo.”

“Are you picking a fight, Rex? I’ll take you on anytime.”

“I would never,” he said with a nasty grin.

“I believe you are more suited to the title of child prodigy than Lord Chris,” Brad cut in. “However, things might not turn out well should that become known to the public. Could that be what he’s worried about?”

Even Brad thought that I was just a child prodigy. Well, it’s not as if we’ve known each other for long.

“Rather than a child prodigy, I’d say it’s more like...her imagination works in a different way than everyone else’s,” Rex said.

“Is that not what makes a child a prodigy?” Brad asked.

“No, I think it’s different.” Rex shook his head. “Like, when she fed her spirits, I think she was just playing around, but no other child would do it every day until they passed out. She’s still doing it until she feels ill. Her actions are spontaneous and far too fueled by curiosity.”

“Right... Even if she is a child prodigy, she’s not quite the same kind as Lord Chris.”

Stop looking at me with such pitying eyes. Are you two implying I’m really the fool of the family?

They were thinking to themselves that genius and folly were two sides of the same coin, weren’t they?

“What about Alan?” I asked.

“I haven’t had the opportunity to interact with him much, so I’m not quite sure,” Brad said. “All I can say is that on my first day here, I bumped into him in the corridor and he introduced himself and then asked me to look after you.”

“Oh, how sweet.”

“He was definitely lying in wait for you,” Rex said.

“He probably wanted to see for himself who would be assigned to the young lady, yes.”

Hang on. Alan was the last true innocent in our Belisario family, wasn’t he? He was just a regular adorable little boy, no?

“He might not be the same as Lord Chris or the young lady, but he’s another child that doesn’t quite feel like a child,” Brad mused. “He may be the most mature of the three, in a sense.”

“He’s kind and very considerate of others, so personality-wise, I’d say he’s the best of the three, but he’s also very perceptive and seems very intent on walking his own path.”

These two were ones to talk, given how thoroughly they’d analyzed my brothers and me. And anyway, it wasn’t as if Alan had any other choice but to walk his own path when sandwiched between me and Chris.

“Okay, well, I have enough of an idea now. From now on, please tell me when you hear any interesting rumors around the castle or the town. I’ll buy any tidbits that are of use to me.”

Pushing myself off the chair, I held my hand up to stop my valets as they began to frantically stand up after me, and grabbed a piece of paper from my desk before returning to the table.

“Could you write this down for me?” I asked.

“A magic contract?!”

“Because you now know I can speak like this. You are to tell no one that I have knowledge matching Chris’s. We’ll set the effective period as...five years. Surely by the time I’m nine, the staff of the castle will be so used to my brother, I won’t even take them by surprise.”

“What will happen if we tell someone?” Rex asked.

“If you even so much as try to tell someone, you will be unable to speak until I dispel the magic. Write a contract like that and then sign it.”

“You really have no faith in us,” Brad muttered.

“I barely know you—how much faith did you think I’d have in you?”

While I was having fun bantering with Brad, Rex genuinely looked upset. He had been with me since I was born.

“Rex, this is for both of your sakes as well. If my brothers ever try to interrogate you about me, you can always fall back on the fact that we have this magic contract and therefore you can’t speak.”

“Does that mean you intend to ignore Lord Chris’s message?”

“I don’t even know what my brother means. I’m always talking normally.” I furrowed my brow, put a hand on my cheek, and tilted my head down.

Hey, don’t look so disgusted.

“I do think this is pointless, though,” Rex said.

“Why?”

“Surely you’ll struggle to keep it up almost right away, young miss.”

“Right,” Brad agreed. “The one who’ll blow your cover first is you yourself.”

What? I was the least reliable one here?

“May I ask why you wish to deceive your family?” Brad continued.

“It appears my mother wishes to marry me into the imperial family.”

“And you don’t want that?” he asked.

“Do you really think I could survive princess lessons? I’d end up rampaging through the imperial palace of all places.”

“Oh...” Rex replied.

“I can already imagine it...” Brad was gazing off into the distance.

“I absolutely want to prevent that from happening! So, I’m just a normal four-year-old!”

“Not only is that impossible, it’s also pointless.” Rex shot me down at once.

“It’s already too late for you,” Brad agreed.

Shut! Up! I am a normal four-year-old!

Chapter 5: The First Family Meeting

When I arrived at the room where my family was meeting, everyone else was already seated around a large marble-topped table. They were sitting on those big evil sofas that were terribly hard to get up from once you sat down.

“Sorry I’m late.”

When Brad and Rex entered behind me, the room’s occupants all narrowed their eyes; everyone else had only one valet with them. My family tended to spoil me, though, so they wouldn’t say anything about it out loud.

My parents were happily sitting together on the same sofa while my brothers were sitting on a sofa opposite them. I sat at neither, instead going to the special one-person birthday seat. The moment I stood in front of it, Brad swiftly stepped up and lifted me onto it.

Even if I sat with good posture, the chair was so big that my feet didn’t touch the ground. I couldn’t help but want to swing my legs. The size also meant that even if I leaned back as far as I could go, only my head and shoulders touched the back. That was why Rex quickly grabbed some cushions and filled in the gap between me and the backrest.

Brad then prepared some tea, and Rex grabbed the treats. My family must have realized at that moment why I required two people to attend to me, and their narrowed eyes soon turned to looks of pleased admiration.

See, the thing with these two was that they were actually having their own bit of fun here. They’d been planning in advance how to split up their duties and look cool as they did it, so I ended up having to try and stop myself from laughing when I was handed my cup with extreme reverence.

“May we start the discussion? There is much I wish to ask you, Deirdre.”

“Me, father?”

I took a sip of my tea and passed the cup to Brad—the table was too far away for me to reach it myself. I’d much rather they just let me sit on the floor at this point. The carpet was so thick my feet almost sank in up to my ankles, so I imagined it’d serve as a comfortable seat.

“You were able to see Alan’s sword spirit while no one else could, yes? Does that mean you can see free spirits that don’t belong to anyone?”

“No, I can’t.”

“Hmm, so you can’t find new spirits to contract with?” Father sounded a little disappointed.

“When you say ‘contract,’ do you mean feeding them?”

“Yes, I suppose so. I mean giving them mana in exchange for them protecting us. The Knight Commander asked you to give the knights’ spirits a look, didn’t he? And you said you could see spirits next to most of the knights.”

“Yes, but some of those spirits will disappear soon.”

“What?!” father cried.

“They’ll die if you don’t feed them, you know? So if you don’t feed them, they’ll leave you.”

I picked up one of the madeleines that Rex had served.

Thank god. I’m so hungry after all that exercise. I had been starting to worry that my stomach would rumble during the meeting.

“But our spirits have always remained with us even though we haven’t consciously fed them mana.”

“Are they the same spirits?” I asked, tilting my head. Everyone’s eyes went wide at that question.

“Is it possible for spirits to suddenly swap places, or for a spirit to die and a new one take its place?” father asked.

“Maybe?”

“I never realized... We must deal with this without delay. Tell all the knights and those attending the birthday gathering in four days to feed their spirits mana immediately,” he ordered.

“You can tell them, but I think we should have them sign a magic contract so they don’t go around telling everyone else,” Chris interrupted.

“Need we go so far?” father asked.

“Why not make it a contract that remains effective for a set amount of time? We should also make it clear that we were the ones to discover this fact when sharing it with others in order to give more power to our name and to stop strange rumors from spreading and causing misinformation.”

“Quite right.”

I listened to my father and Chris’s exchange while I nibbled away at my madeleines; the cookie was soft and moist, and I could smell the butter as I ate—our chefs knew what they were doing.

Head of his own house and nearly thirty now, my father had gained a great deal of confidence, giving him a manly sort of allure. There was also something captivating yet dangerous about Chris, with the undeniable maturity behind his childlike gaze and expressions. The cakes only tasted sweeter when enjoyed alongside the view I had of them both from my birthday seat. Nothing beats gazing at those who are beautiful, after all.

I needed beautiful people above twenty-five to stay away from me, though—they’d cut my lifespan in half with how fast my heart would start beating.

“I may have to speak with the empress and inform her of what we have discovered,” father said, brow creased.

“I agree,” Chris replied. “Though the imperial family’s biggest crisis right now is the princes still not receiving their first spirits, right?”

What? They were princes and yet they didn’t have spirits? Didn’t all nobles have spirits? Hey, Little Wiki, you’re spreading fake news.

I could give the Wikipe**a in my world a pass for having misinformation since it was all user-sourced information, but what good was my Wiki skill if it was wrong?

“Deirdre.”

I had been in the middle of biting into a madeleine when Chris called my name, so I tilted my head in response. When I did, Chris gave me a very kind look. Beside him, Alan looked like he was trying to hold back his laughter.

Laugh if you want. It’s fine with me.

“You’re able to see weak spirits that people ordinarily can’t see, and that means you may be able to determine whether the imperial family have spirits nearby that just aren’t visible to them, right?” Chris asked.

“If you give mana to spirits you can see, the ones that want to become your friends will grab some of it for themselves and then they’ll appear,” I explained.

“And if they don’t have even one spirit with them?”

“Then they should go bwaaah with their mana.”

“Go...bwah?” Chris repeated.

“You get stronger if you use it, so you should go bwaaaah.” I emphasized each of my sounds by spreading my arms wide, but then Chris glanced at Brad with a frown. Did he think I hadn’t understood him properly? I had. I had, but I was trying really hard to seem like a four-year-old. It took way more mental power than you might think. It was embarrassing enough that I kind of wanted to cry.

“What you’re trying to say is that they should expel their mana,” Chris said.

“Ex...pell...” I repeated slowly.

Come on, Deirdre, you can do it. Don’t look as if this was the word you expected. Wait a couple years first. Then you can go, “Expel!” while you’re grabbing a hose and shooting water everywhere.

Still, I realized that I had misunderstood. I’d thought the reason my family were trying to figure out how to have the imperial family visit in summer was to increase tourism to the area, but it seemed the reason was much more serious than that. Wasn’t it pretty dire for a prince of the imperial family to not have a spirit of his own?

“Does the empress have a spirit?” I asked.

“Fire and wind spirits, I believe,” Chris said.

“And the general?”

“He’s mastered using a fire sword spirit.”

“But the prince doesn’t have one,” I confirmed.

“Exactly. It’s quite a troublesome situation.”

Here was where the real hassle began. There were a lot of things written in Little Wiki that no one here knew. Have you ever been talking to someone from overseas and they told you something and you were like, “Whoa, that’s what that was for?!” So many facts like that had existed in my previous life that we’d ended up with quiz shows on TV. And then there was knowledge that used to be commonplace but had ended up fading away, like things written in old pieces of literature that no one realized the importance of until much later.

My idea of common sense was still very rooted in my previous life. I was basically in the same position as that person arriving from overseas for the first time, so a lot of things stimulated my curiosity, and I ended up challenging myself like it was all a game. If I hadn’t been approaching it all with that mindset, I doubted I would’ve tried expending my mana until I passed out simply to make myself stronger.

There were a lot of things I looked up in Little Wiki because I viewed them as strange, yet no one else here questioned those things because to them, they were common sense. I was sure there must have been more people in the past who’d lived closely with spirits, and yet people here in the present day had no idea how to even communicate with them. How was I supposed to express that idea to them, though?

“Deirdre?” Seeing me lost in thought, my mother called out to me in a worried tone.

“Is there anywhere near the castle that has a lot of water and trees and flowers?” I asked.

My mother and father looked at each other and then back at me.

“There’s a lake west of the castle that fits that description,” father said.

“The flowers are beautiful at this time of year,” mother added.

“Is it close?”

“It’s within the castle grounds,” mother told me.

There was a lake just sitting on the castle grounds?! How big was this place?!

“I’d like to go. I want an earth spirit.”

“What?”

“Spirits are found in nature, aren’t they?”

“Why do you know such a thing, Deirdre?” father asked carefully.

“It was written in a book Dana read to me.”

“A picture book?” Alan asked. I gave a big nod.

“There were always flowers growing where the spirits appeared,” I elaborated.

“I imagine that’s because it’s a picture book...” father muttered.

“But she has a point, father,” Chris cut in.

“It was the same in the book I read,” Alan chimed in.

See? Those kinds of lessons taught long ago tended to be hidden in books!

Please view it in that way. I can’t tell you I just looked it up on Little Wiki.

“So spirits can be found in places of nature, then?” father confirmed.

“When was the capital expanded again, dear?” mother asked.

“About ten years ago.”

And because of that, the number of spirits around the palace would’ve dropped. If I recalled correctly, the oldest prince was the same age as Chris, so the dates lined up. There was no way the destruction of nature in a world where humans coexisted with spirits was a smart idea.

“If we require an area still filled with nature near the capital, there is always the area around the school,” father said.

“Ah, there is that shortcut to the academy from the capital that passes through a wood,” mother agreed.

But even if there was nature nearby, that didn’t mean you could necessarily take time out of your busy schedule to go there every day. It was a common story. Even in our domain, the lake was so close and yet barely anyone visited it.

“I’d like to go to the lake,” I repeated.

“Will you acquire a spirit if you do?” father asked.

“I’ll go every day until I do.”

Don’t be so naive. A spirit won’t so easily fall for your bait unless your mana is strong enough. On the other hand, even a baby could acquire a spirit if their mana was strong, just as I had. I wondered how strong the princes’ mana was.

“It’s certainly worth giving it a shot,” father mused.

“Yes. Let us have those we have invited to Deirdre’s birthday party try it as well,” Chris suggested. “They’ll likely work with us if we tell them they and their children may acquire a spirit.”

“If it turns out to be true, then they’ll owe us.” Father nodded. “It might be worth doing this regularly.”

“In other words, you won’t let them do it freely?” Chris asked.

“We’ll need to make the lake off-limits to regular visitors so as to protect the environment,” father replied.

“It would be prudent to let the knights and gatekeepers acquire spirits, but they can be quite the rowdy group,” Chris said. “We’ll need to supervise them.”

Father and Chris continued chatting away between themselves. Alan held a cookie out to me now that I’d been left with nothing to do.

“Thank you.”

“You have to make sure you get your energy back after using your mana, after all,” he told me.

“But we have dinner after this.”

“It kind of looks like we’ll be having a late dinner.”

He was right. Our father would likely rather come to a decision here first before going to the soiree, even if it meant being late. The soiree he needed to attend was among our domain’s counts anyway, so just showing his face would likely be good enough.

“Say, Deirdre, how did you know that spirits use mana as sustenance?” Chris suddenly asked.

“Sometimes after I was put to bed, I wasn’t sleepy but I couldn’t turn the lights on, so I went vwooom with my mana instead.”

“You made the room brighter.”

“And then the spirits flew to my hands, so I thought they wanted some mana.”

“I...see.”

“Ah, you have an excellent imagination, then.” Father smiled.

Oh, I see what he’s doing. Chris wanted to check where my oddities were coming from. Since I was still forcing myself to act like a four-year-old even after he had told me to stop, he wanted to see if I couldn’t talk any differently or simply wouldn’t.

“I’d thought your knowledge a little outlandish, but now I see it was just a unique viewpoint and imagination,” father said.

“That would explain why there are some things you don’t seem to know that you should, and why you’re always running around like a regular child,” Chris concluded.

“The one being injured most out of you three is always Deirdre,” mother said with a nod of agreement.

Sorry. I still can’t tell you the truth, I apologized to them internally. I had to wait until I was an adult and could defend myself before I let them know that I held information as dangerous as wisdom from another world. My own knowledge had its limits, but with Little Wiki, I could find out anything. I wanted to trust my family, but there was far too much to gain from such an ability. It was the type of knowledge that could shake a whole empire to its core.

“Is there anything else you’ve noticed about the spirits?”

At my father’s question, I put my hands on my hips and puffed out my chest.

“You have, haven’t you?” he prompted.

“Ooh, what is it?” Mother leaned forward in excitement.

“Heh heh.”

“Tell us, Deir.”

“Oh, Deir’s a cute nickname. I might call her that too,” Alan chimed in.

“Not now, Alan.” Chris shushed him, before adding, “I will too, though.”

They’re going to give me a nickname? They could just call me Lady Deirdre if you asked me.

“So what would you like to tell us?” Chris asked.

“If you want to become friends with the spirits at the lake...”

“Uh-huh?”

“You have to talk to them.”

“Huh?” Everyone was staring at me blankly.

“‘This wind feels so nice. It’s because of the spirits. Thank you, spirits.’ Like that.”

“Who do we say that to...?” father asked, hesitant.

“The wind or the water?” muttered Chris.

Can they stop looking at me with such pitying eyes already? I could tell they were thinking I was going crazy, that they’d taught me wrong somehow.

“Is that how you became friends with your wind spirit?” Alan asked.

See? Alan really was our family’s last true innocent! I was definitely just imagining the way his expression said that he was simply humoring me!

“Mm-hmm. You also have to make sure you talk to your own spirits. Oh, little fire spirit... Come here, buddy.”

When I turned my palm up, a red light floated down on top of it.

“Over here, little water spirit.”

The water spirit landed on my other palm.

“When you talk to them, they answer,” I declared.

“Whoa, let me try!” Alan’s eyes were practically sparkling as he called out to his spirit, and his palm lit up green as if in response. It was a little different from mine since sword spirits didn’t float about in the same way magic spirits did.

“If you don’t make sure to feed them, they won’t listen to you,” I warned.

“I see...”

“So we just talk to the spirits that we want...”

Father and Chris each placed a hand to his chin in thought, while mother and Alan sat there trying to communicate with their spirits. It was so easy to tell who resembled whom in this family.

“I’d much rather become friends with someone who spoke to me than someone who ignored me, after all.” I smiled when my family looked at me in surprise. “Just once isn’t enough. You have to keep going until they want to become your friend!”

“Hmm, so you have to keep visiting until they understand,” father murmured.

My family all looked very serious as they began to discuss what I had said. They made sure to check in with me throughout the conversation in case I was getting bored, and toward the end, my father said that I could talk with Alan at the side of the room, going so far as to carry me to another sofa himself.

Wow, did I feel so horrifically bad that I was fooling my family like this... I can feel a stomachache coming on already.

“What did you think about my family’s reactions?” I asked my valets after the meeting ended. That was why I’d had them join me, after all.

“You’re very well loved, young miss.”

“Do your brothers not seem a bit too attached to you?” Brad frowned.

“That’s not what I’m asking about. Do you think they’re any less suspicious of me?”

“Definitely not,” they answered in unison.

Yeah, no heckin’ surprise there!

Chapter 6: Birthday Party

After that meeting, my family started visiting the lake daily. Chris managed to acquire spirits of all elements except for wind, and Alan managed to acquire a fire sword spirit. Our parents were so busy with work that they couldn’t spend as much time there as we did, but while they didn’t gain any new spirits themselves, their current spirits were growing well now that they were making sure to feed them plenty of mana.

As for me? Well, I’d caught them all! Fire, water, wind, and earth spirits were all twirling around my shoulders now.

Everyone was looking at me with respect for my achievement, but honestly, the spirits could be kind of annoying. Any time we were having a meal, they would all start playing around with each other, so the table was always rowdy, with these balls of light flying everywhere.

Are you children or something? Will you calm down when you get bigger? Now that I thought about it, in comparison with my new spirits, the fire and water spirits that had been contracted to me since I was a baby didn’t fly around very much.

We’d made sure to have the birthday party guests sign a magic contract. There were far more people attending than I’d assumed; there were the families of important persons within our domain, and families with children around my and my brothers’ ages, so even only counting the children, there were around fifty guests. Add in the adults, and it was closer to two hundred.

We started by gathering everyone in the great hall and giving a simple explanation before bringing them to the lake. The water was a mystical turquoise color, glittering in the sunlight. We were headed to a meadow filled with colorful blossoms, which was located in the middle of a forest. There were paths made from fine gravel and seating areas furnished with wooden tables and chairs, all set up carefully so as to disturb the natural setting as little as possible.

Sebas had told me that my grandparents used to have guests here all the time when they were children—proving my point yet again. As I’d suspected, there had been a time in the past when it had been natural for children to gather here to meet spirits. Really, that meant it hadn’t even been that long ago—but I remembered that in my previous life, I personally hadn’t asked very much about the times before the war, so I wasn’t one to talk.

Chris led the children down the path while answering questions from his friends.

With one hand held by Alan and the other by Rex, I was being dragged along like a captured extraterrestrial on her way to the lab. Since it was an outside party, my outfit today was one that was easy to move around in—an airy calf-length mint-green dress with white sleeves and collar, complemented by white socks. Many of the girls were wearing similarly bright dresses, and the boys were wearing shirts and trousers with light jackets so they could easily run around.

One day, I would have to pick my ladies-in-waiting and retainers from among these children. Children born to knights, or to barons or viscounts—nobles who either held no territory or held only a very small amount—tended to become the retainers, bodyguards, or ladies-in-waiting of more affluent nobles. It was there that they would receive further education, and then if they were successful, go on to become staff of the imperial palace or find a loving partner and get married.

That was why their decision of whom to serve was important. It was impossible to network if your master didn’t hold enough power in social circles. I doubted there would be many boys who would choose to serve me over my brothers—their future prospects wouldn’t be the brightest with me. At least with ladies-in-waiting, I could become friends with them as fellow girls and help them find someone to marry. Playing Cupid actually sounded fun.

The weather was nice, and the temperature was hot for spring, so it was the perfect day for a breezy garden party.

When we arrived at the lake, the children did as instructed, strolling through the abundant nature while slowly releasing their mana and talking to the spirits. We had tables set up with food where they could go and rest when they got bored or tired. It almost felt like we were a cult with how many people were gathered. I’d expected the guests to be totally skeptical or mock what we were doing, but surprisingly, a good number of them were taking it seriously, especially the kids that were currently pursuing higher education—they didn’t want to lose to their rival domains, after all. They would’ve just learned how to use magic as well, so they were likely more desperate to gain some new spirit companions.

With Chris able to show off his newly acquired spirits, and Alan demonstrating how his hands glowed with the rare sword spirits he had obtained, everyone was filled with motivation.

What about me? Oh, they just all looked at me like I was a monster. A four-year-old having the mana capacity needed to raise spirits of all four elements was apparently unheard of. I was probably the one with the most mana in the castle, honestly. I hadn’t been using up my mana every day since I was born for nothing, you know.

After another hour, the guests were starting to catch their first spirits. Unsurprisingly, it tended to be those who were already learning magic at school or used magic for their jobs. There were those who had managed to find sword spirits after following Alan’s advice too.

“There’s no need to rush. Make sure to rest so you don’t use up all of your mana.”

“As long as you children have at least one spirit by the time you graduate, you’re fine. There’s no pressure to have more.”

I could hear Chris’s and my father’s voices from afar.

Growing worried when you saw the people around you succeeding while you still hadn’t was entirely understandable. But seriously, with this many people managing to form a contract with spirits no problem, how little had they been talking to them before now?

People can’t use magic back in Japan even though we wish we could. There aren’t even spirits there. You’re living in such a beautiful world, so put more effort into becoming friends with the spirits!

They’d probably started taking the spirits for granted because they were such a natural part of their world.

“Um, excuse me...”

Someone called out to me as I circulated, helping the children that looked to be struggling. When I turned around, I was greeted by a beautiful girl who looked just like a doll. She had silvery hair and sharp blue eyes.

“I understand it is really quite rude for me to strike up a conversation like this, but...”

“Didn’t you hear my father say that such manners are unnecessary today?” I reminded her with a smile. “There is no need for you to worry.”

“Of course. My name is Iris, and I am the oldest daughter of Baron Lloyd. I hope you are having a wonderful birthday.”

“Thank you very much. How old are you, Miss Iris?”

“Five,” she told me.

“Oh my, you’re a year older than me, then. Let’s become good friends.”

“Yes! Um, and...”

“You’re struggling to find a spirit, aren’t you? What kind of spirit would you like?”

“Water...?” she murmured.

Why does she sound so uncertain?

Really, though, this girl was adorable. Noble children were often quite beautiful, largely because their parents had the money and power to choose beautiful wives or mistresses. But this girl was a standout even among them. She also came across as very honest and upright.

Would you like to come marry my brother? I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s why your parents asked you to talk to me.

“Oh, look, look, they’re gathering. Just add a bit more mana to your palms.”

“Like this? Oh, it lit up!”

“That’s your water spirit. Talk to them and become friends—then they’ll join you.”

“Will you become my friend?” she asked in her soft voice.

The way she tentatively asked the question with a tilt of her head was also adorable. I wish I could take pictures here.

At some point, her parents had come to watch over their daughter with trepidation, but before long, the spirit had had enough mana and landed joyfully on the girl’s shoulder.

“Oh, how wonderful, Iris,” Lady Lloyd congratulated her.

“Yes, it is all thanks to Lady Deirdre instructing me.”

“Thank you so much, Lady Deirdre,” Baron Lloyd said.

“Not at all. I believe Miss Iris would even be able to raise a spirit of another element alongside her water one.”

“Is that so?” Lady Lloyd asked, then added, “How blessed we are.”

“Please be good friends with our Iris.”

Whoa, not so forward, please. I understood that everyone here wanted to befriend us, but why were they saying that to the four-year-old and not her family?

“We would greatly appreciate it if you would let our daughter remain by your side, Lady Deirdre,” Iris’s mother cooed.

No, seriously, say that to my parents.

“I never imagined the young lady would be as cute as a little fairy,” someone else added.

“I’ve never seen someone who’s acquired spirits of all elements before,” another person chimed in.

“I’m excited to see what she achieves in the future,” yet another parent declared.

Stop, stop, stop! Can all the adults not surround me like this? What? You’re all after me? C’mooooon!

“Please halt. We will arrange a time for you to have these discussions, so please, I must request that all adults head over in that direction!” Rex and Brad kindly chased away all the adults that had begun gathering around me. The other valets also cooperated, and we somehow managed to turn it into a kids-only zone again.

“That surprised me,” I sighed.

“Do not let your guard down,” Rex warned me. “There are many people targeting you, young miss.”

After that, Rex never left my side, while Brad kept a close eye on me from a short distance away.

“I never thought they would come after me and not Chris...”

“Please don’t forget that you unfortunately have cute looks that are going to waste,” Rex said, “and you are also the only person in our country to hold spirits of all elements.”

’Scuse me, buddy, wanna say that first part again? He was right about me being cute, though. I had forgotten about that.

Wait.

“What did you just say?”

“You have good looks that are going to waste,” he repeated.

“Shut up! Not that. The second part.”

“You didn’t know, young miss? Right now, you are the only one in the entire empire with spirits of all elements.”

Crap. I’m sticking out like a sore thumb. I’d been so busy recently I hadn’t even had the time to open Little Wiki. Well, I guess it would be more accurate to say I’ve been trying not to.

“That’s incredible,” Iris said. “So no one else has spirits of four elements besides you, Lady Deirdre?”

“Right now, at least. I’m sure it’s just a matter of time before I’m far from the only one. If you work on strengthening your mana, Miss Iris, you will be able to control four elements too.”

“I will work hard, then. So please let me become your retainer.”

Now even the girl herself is trying to persuade me.

“I want to become your bodyguard!”

Someone else suddenly charged into the conversation.

“Umm...”

“I’m Harry—Harry Buckland.”

Buckland... I think...that’s a knightly family?

“I’ve even acquired a sword spirit. I’m gonna become a knight,” he said, while he showed off his outstretched palms bathed in red light.

“How old are you, Mr. Harry?”

“Four.”

Seriously? He’s the same age as me and he’s this big? His palms are all calloused too.

“I’ll protect you too!”

“I’d like to become your friend!”

Now I was being surrounded by children. Rex had no idea what to do either.

I’m popular. With children. It kind of felt like I was working at a day care.

“How about we go and have lunch?” a woman’s voice suddenly suggested.

“Yaaaaaaaaay!”

“Food!”

My mother’s two ladies-in-waiting had seen my predicament and called the children over. Rex let out a great sigh as the children ran away. You’re doing a good job, Rex.

There were still a few people trying to summon spirits around us, but only Iris and Harry remained near me. I supposed they had no intention of leaving. Did they really want to work for me?

“Hey. Kid.”

Who was that? What fearless idiot had the guts to address the person with the most authority in this group in such a rude manner? I would show all the kindness in the world to the kids who were nice to me, but if they wanted to be rude, I would return that tenfold.

“Say something, would you? I’m talking to you,” the idiot continued.

The child trying so rudely to get my attention was a menacing-looking boy probably around ten years of age with short dark-green hair. He had pretty good looks, but that only managed to make him look even more full of himself.

“You aren’t talking to me, are you?” I demanded.

“I am. You’re pretty cute, ain’tcha? Let’s go have lunch together.”

He was here to hit on a four-year-old?! Why was he talking like a dirty old man?! Sure, my father had said we could ignore formalities today, but ordinarily, those of lower rank were forbidden from initiating conversation with someone of a higher rank. This boy might have been only a child, but that didn’t mean he could be so rude to me within our castle grounds. If the other boys had heard the way he was talking, he’d be getting his butt beaten by now.

“Who are you?” I asked.

“You mean you don’t know? I’m Dennis, the eldest son of the lord of Horn.”

I see. That meant my father was the one who’d appointed this boy’s father to be lord of the Horn region. I thought I heard that the lord of Horn is quite the sharp man... Maybe this was one of those situations where the lord was so busy with his work that the child’s education had all been left to the mother.

“What’s your name, kid?” he asked.

You don’t deserve to hear my name!

“Are you not going to search for a spirit?” I asked, putting on as haughty an air as I could.

“I already have a sword spirit—an earth one.”

“Then...would you mind making it glow?”

“Sword spirits don’t glow.”

“Did you listen to our explanation before coming here?”

“Oh, hush up. What’s a girl know about sword spirits? You oughta shut your mouth.”

You know, I was trying really, really hard to keep my cool, but surely it would be more than fine to give him a punch right about now...

“Sword spirits do too glow,” Harry piped up from beside me. He was a tall boy, but even his height couldn’t compare to a ten-year-old’s. It was incredible that he could still talk to Dennis without fear regardless.

Rex remained by my side, just in case he needed to restrain Dennis, but it appeared he wouldn’t do anything if someone was just being rude, at least not without my command. I was pretty sure he’d immediately pick Dennis up and fling him into the lake if I gave the word, though.

“Yeah right. My father has a sword spirit, and it’s never glowed.”

Whoops, and now the father was being caught in the cross fire. If it had never glowed, that had to mean his father didn’t really have a spirit and his kid had just blown his cover.

“You’ve been rude to Lady Deirdre every time you’ve uttered a word,” Iris said. “She is the young lady of a margravate, did you know?”

“Ugh, she’s only the daughter of a margrave?” he scoffed. “Man, she’s so cute too. Why’s she gotta be so low-rank? What a shame.”

“Huh?”

Was this boy mixing up a margrave’s rank with a knight’s?

“I’m from the family of a count!” he declared.

Oh, he is definitely mixing up the ranks.

Counts were the most plentiful of the nobles, and that meant there was quite the hierarchy among them. There were counts who received large areas of land and held important positions in the imperial palace, and then there were counts who would even plow the fields alongside their people. The title of count alone didn’t instantly tell you how much power and wealth the family had—though this was true of the other noble ranks as well.

The Belisarios controlled an important area and were permitted to have both a navy and a border army, so we were at the top among the margraves and were treated far more like the family of a marquess, the next rank up from a margrave.

“Mother said that our current margrave is useless because he’s young and inexperienced.”

Oh no, not another parent being caught in the cross fire. Dennis was like those kids who tell their kindergarten teacher that their mom and dad kiss at the door every morning right when their mom comes to pick them up—except the things Dennis was saying right now were far from harmless.

“Goodness, she said that?” Rex remarked.

“Father’s way smarter than him, y’see. He said the margrave can’t do anything by himself.”

“Fascinating,” Rex replied. “Now I see why the lord of Horn is rumored to be so talented.”

“Well, obviously,” Dennis continued digging. “Our domain gathers tons of tax money, so my mother’s so rich she can always buy new jewelry.”

That’s not what tax money is for! Was anyone keeping proper records of where their money was going?

“Rex, stop egging him on,” I hissed.

“I thought it best for us to put an end to this as pleasantly as possible.” The smile Rex wore on his face was eerily calm.

Yup, there’s suddenly a whole bunch of people around. Your family’s donezo, mister. You’re being way too loud.

“I shall remain here for a while longer, so you may go eat without me,” I said.

“I told you to come with me,” he protested.

“And I’m saying no.”

“You wanna say that again?”

“I do not wish to speak to someone who would mock my father. Goodbye.” I tried to leave, but this boy seemed determined to dig his grave as deep as possible.

“Get off your high horse!”

I wasn’t sure if Dennis was trying to hit me or grab me, but the moment his arm was raised, Harry seized it, Iris screamed, and Rex shielded me.

And then...

(Is this child your enemy?) spoke a voice I’d never heard before.

(Shall we do away with him?) another new voice chimed in.

The fire and water lights floating above me vanished, and in their place appeared a large fenrir with a flaming pelt, and an Eastern-style dragon with a long blue mane of light trailing like flowing water from its head all the way down to its tail.

“Huh? Um... Who are you?”

(You can’t tell?) asked the fenrir.

(We’ve been by your side since you were an infant,) said the dragon.

So they were my fire and water spirits. The wind and earth spirits I’d recently acquired were still floating around as little glowing balls, but they seemed like they were trying to protect me too, trembling in the space between me and Dennis.

“We can have conversations with spirits when you get big enough?”

(Correct,) the fenrir confirmed.

“And this is what you turn into?”

(We can take many different forms.)

(We can even become humanoid,) the dragon added.

Wait, wait, wait!

“Deirdre! What’s happening?!”

“Father, apparently spirits can take a human shape once they grow up enough!”

“Incredible!”

“I brought my spirits into the bath with me! They saw me in the bath!” I’d known they had emotions, but I hadn’t realized they were this conscious! They should’ve told me they could become human! “Oh, but they’re my spirits, so please don’t kill them.” My father seemed to be seeing red all of a sudden.

Don’t whip out your sword like that, father!

The rest of my family had run over out of concern, and everyone else had gathered around out of curiosity about the commotion.

Dennis—the one who’d caused all this commotion to begin with—was now frozen on the spot, half driven to tears by the sudden appearance of a giant wolf and a dragon in front of him. I doubted he’d expected the situation to get so crazy when all he’d done was threaten a weak-looking girl a little.

Harry was still grabbing Dennis’s arm, and though he also seemed rooted to the ground, his eyes were positively sparkling at the sight of the large creatures that had appeared in front of him. He probably wanted to ruffle the fenrir’s fur. Don’t worry. I’ll give you a shot later.

Iris also stood stock-still, eyes wide as she clung to me, and Rex also seemed paralyzed where he stood, sandwiched between the spirit beasts. In other words, everyone was frozen in shock.

Except for me, that is. Round of applause, please.

Because of everyone’s fearful reactions, though, my father was ready to strike the spirit beasts down. My priority right now was to get him to stop.

“Calm down, father. I’m perfectly fine.”

(Why is your father so angry?)

The fire fenrir really was quite big—both sitting and standing, they towered above me. When they nudged me with their head, they almost knocked me over. Even though their body was covered in fire, it strangely wasn’t hot to the touch, and it was really cute when they rubbed against me.

“Because you’ve seen me naked in the bath.”

(The bath?) The fenrir didn’t seem to understand what I meant.

(Are you referring to when you wash yourself?)

The water dragon felt a bit out of place in this very European-style world, but dragons definitely fell under the category of sacred beasts in my mind. Since they were a dragon, their eyes were bright and large, and they had a long beard. Their large mouth featured sharp fangs. It was the type of face that would make any kid cry. But because this dragon was so small, it was very cute instead. Are they still a child? Or can they change their size at will? Their eyes appeared kind, and their scales were glittering prettily in the sunshine. Coupled with the light that looked just like a river flowing atop their scales, it was a beautiful sight to behold.

The dragon was gently wrapping their tail around me like a snake.

Am I becoming Tarzan? Is this okay? Are we not drifting a bit too far from the medieval European aesthetic?

While I was busy playing with my spirit beasts, my brothers calmed my father down and got him to sheathe his sword. Wasn’t there an issue more pressing than them having seen me in the bath? I realize I was the one who mentioned it first, admittedly.

“You’re forbidden from going in the bath with me again!”

(That is fine,) said the fenrir. (We will wait in the neighboring room.)

“You’ll be okay apart from me?”

(Such a distance is more than fine.)

(Only spirits without a sense of self cannot leave their master,) explained the dragon. (The ones near you will pose no problem.)

(If you cannot speak to them, they are yet to possess their own will.)

So I had been right—talking to them was important.

“Is it all right if I touch you?”

(But of course.)

(We are your spirits.)

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! They had already been leaning against me, but I hadn’t been sure if they would be okay with me touching them back. It seemed to make them happy, though. The fenrir was all floofy, and the dragon was cold but nice to touch. I’d love to use their body as a bed when summer really hits.

My wind and earth spirits were floating around as if trying to make sure I wouldn’t forget them, so I gathered some mana in my palm for them to eat. I wonder what kinds of spirit beasts these guys will become.

“We’d better let everyone know about this issue, especially the girls,” my father said.

“Yes, father. What shall we do about him?” Chris’s cold gaze had naturally turned to Dennis.

I’d taken Iris’s and Harry’s hands and pulled them away from the conversation, letting them play with the fluffy and cold beasts as thanks for trying to protect me. If their minds hadn’t changed in five years, I’d decided I’d let them serve me.

“How about we hear exactly what was said from Rex back at the castle?” father suggested.

“Goodness, do forgive this fool of mine,” Sebas, the head steward of the Belisarios, said.

“But it was a worthwhile conversation, wasn’t it?” Rex shrugged.

Sebas was bowing in apology, but Rex was smirking without even a touch of guilt. Sebas was Rex’s granddad, by the way.

“Just what were you letting these children overhear?” father demanded.

“He most likely thought that the children wouldn’t understand what they were hearing,” Sebas sighed.

“Excuse me?” father objected. “Deir could understand such a conversation easily.”

“My lord, that is because the young lady is especially gifted. It would be difficult for most other children.”

“Will Lord Chris and Lord Alan not be bored when they go to the academy?” Rex asked. “They’ll be surrounded by no one but children.”

“They’re children themselves, you know,” Sebas pointed out.

My father looked pleased by Sebas’s and Rex’s words. People tended to see their own relatives in a more favorable light, but it was true that we siblings were strange. We stood out like crazy when we were among all these normal children. We were getting along well, though, and my brothers seemed to have made friends too.

The only thing making me unique was my memory of my previous life—one day, all the others would catch up, and I would become just a normal adult. You’re only called clever while you’re still a child.

“Could you come here for a moment?” Chris said, grabbing Dennis by the upper arm and dragging him away from the rest of us.

“And what do you want?!”

Dennis might have been shouting, but the spirit beasts had scared him enough that he had nowhere near the amount of bite as before. The rude way in which he spoke did annoy me, but he hadn’t actually hit me, and as far as I was concerned, all he needed was a warning.

That being said, the nature of what he’d revealed was, uh...really bad. If his family really was attempting to overthrow us, they’d likely be stripped of their rank. Even if they hadn’t gone quite that far, this would still count as lèse-majesté.

“Dennis?!”

The woman screaming the name of her child was a beautiful one, with jewelry jangling all over. To tell the truth, she looked exactly as I’d imagined. Even the gentleman walking beside her was as I’d thought he would be—a slender man with glasses who looked high-strung. He appeared to be desperately taking in the scene as he approached, trying to grasp the situation and gather his thoughts.

“Well, hello there, Count Coleman. Your son is quite the entertaining little lad.”

I had never seen my father truly angry in all the time I’d been alive—he was super sweet to me, after all. But that was the day I realized he was the kind of person you never wanted to make an enemy of. I’d never expected he would pull his sword on the spirit beasts, and right now, though he sounded casual, there was an undeniable aura of intimidation radiating from him. Everyone had gone quiet.

“Sebas, please escort the count and his family to the castle. They shall be our guests for a while.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Have our staff look after them. Gather anyone who accompanied them in the same room.”

“Just what are you—?” Count Coleman attempted to object, but father cut him off.

“We will talk later...very thoroughly.”

Sebas gave out orders as instructed, and several of our staff dashed to the castle, while several others surrounded the count and his family and escorted them away.

“Why are you obeying that man’s orders?” I heard Dennis’s voice demanding.

“Be quiet.”

“You’re more important than he is, father!”

“Shut your mouth!”

Dennis was kind of incredible; it was rare to find a kid who was this bad at reading the room.

While our father was busy assigning people jobs, Chris stepped forward. “Everyone, it appears that if you keep talking to and feeding your spirits, they can one day become spirit beasts and even speak with you. We still have time. Continue searching without pushing yourselves.”

Need I remind you that my brother is younger than Dennis? Maybe by just one year, but isn’t that crazy?

“We’ve prepared some cold drinks and snacks.”

“Please help yourselves.”

The valets began directing everyone to the tables, so we could finally relax. This is beginning to feel less and less like a birthday party.

“Iris, Harry, thank you for looking out for Deir,” my mother said. The two of them looked very bashful as they were taken back to their parents.

That’s two friends in the bag!

“Deir.”

“Yes, Alan?”

“What should we call your spirit beasts?”

“Oh right. I never asked for their names.”

(Names?) repeated the fenrir. (We were just born. Why would we have names already?)

(You should give us some.)

Ooh, I can name them myself?

I had expelled mana many times in order to explain to our guests about the spirits, so these two must have taken advantage of the confusion to eat it all and then managed to evolve. Greedy little spirits.

“Deir, could I speak with your spirits for a moment?” father asked.

“I’m not sure. Can he?”

(Our master’s father? Of course.)

(Just don’t turn your blade on us anymore.)

The fenrir and the dragon moved from beside me, and the yellow and green balls of light floated toward my father’s spirits and began fluttering around as if saying hello. Just watching them warmed my heart—what a kind world this was.

“You can see the crowds of people gathered here today, yes? I was wondering if this would cause problems for the spirits. I wanted to continue having gatherings like this one, but would it be all right?”

(You’re willing to hear our opinion on the matter?) asked my fenrir.

(Wonderful,) said my dragon. (Our master’s father is a good human.)

(Everyone appears to be enjoying themselves, but you’d do best to ask the Spirit King.)

“Who?”

(Let us try to call him. If worse comes to worst, we will give our own answers.)

Suddenly we had some new info. Does Little Wiki have any info about this? I’d looked up spirits before I could even walk, so I couldn’t remember.

(Your Sacred Majesty, are you here?)

My father and I followed the fenrir as they walked toward the lake. It was very noisy behind us with everyone gathered there, but the lake was so calm and quiet.

(It may be impossible with this many humans around.)

(I forgot that could be the case...)

(No, I do not mind at all.) A new voice had spoken. (How many decades has it been now since the last spirit beast was born in this land? I am more than willing to listen to the wishes of the newly born.)

The surface of the lake glimmered with a faint light, and then that light shot up into the air. When it faded, there stood a beautiful man with shoulder-length hair of a smoky blue.

His skin was so pale as to be translucent, and his eyes were like little icy-blue balls of glass. His white robe fluttered gently as he floated above the lake. He looked positively divine, the way his whole body emitted a faint light.

And here we have yet another beautiful man. And one that looked to be about the age I’d been when I’d died. He was so otherworldly it was hard to feel nervous, though.

(Is that child your master?) the new hottie asked.

(Yes, Your Sacred Majesty,) said my fenrir.

(She possesses a strange soul. What is your name?)

“My name is Deirdre,” I answered promptly.

(Deirdre? Thanks to you, we have gained new friends, and it appears we will only make more in the times to come.)

With the arrival of the Spirit King, everyone behind us had gone silent. It was no wonder. They were probably wondering what the hell was going on. I imagined they hadn’t even known someone like this existed.

Now that he was the center of attention, the king’s eyes narrowed warmly as he glimpsed all the little balls of light dancing around everyone gathered in the meadow.

(I thought this land had long been forgotten. I am pleased to see this has once more become a place for humans and spirits to interact.)

Seeing him so pleased when we’d just sort of been making things up as we went along, I started to feel a little guilty. It felt like a waste to not encourage human-spirit interaction in a world like this, though, right? Of course he would want everyone to get along.

“May I ask a few questions? I am Margrave Belisario, the lord in charge of this march. I am also the father of Deirdre.”

(Belisario... How many generations ago was it now that I met the last Belisario? What a nostalgic name. Allow me to welcome your family. Please, this way.)

Three beautiful women appeared around the Spirit King, and when he waved his light-filled hands, tables, chairs, and a white folding screen appeared upon the surface of the water.

“Rex, go bring some cakes.”

“Yes, my lady.”

Rex piled some cakes and sandwiches into a basket and handed them to me, and I then stepped out onto the lake. The color of the lake had changed between where we stood upon the shore and where the table had been set, so I imagined it was walkable.

“Deir, wait. I’ll carry the basket,” Chris said at once.

“Let’s go together, then,” Alan added.

So overprotective—I’ll be totally fine. But Chris was just hopeless, so I gave him the basket, and my two brothers held my hands as we walked.

Honestly, I felt like a ninja using some sort of forbidden technique. The surface we walked on felt like a marble floor.

The water turned back to normal after we’d walked over it so no one else could follow. Naturally, my spirit beasts had accompanied me. Actually, they’d already dashed to the king’s side while I was waiting for Rex to hand me the basket. I was their master, but even I couldn’t beat their ruler when it came to their loyalty.

(Make yourself comfortable.)

A comfy-looking beige sofa and a table set with tea and fruit had been prepared in the middle of the lake.

“Are you able to eat human food?” Chris asked as he took the food from the basket. The Spirit King curiously took one of the cakes and gave it a try.

(This is rather delicious.)

“I’m glad to hear that.”

(Now what do you wish to ask?)

“Would large groups of people coming here to look for spirits like today cause trouble for you in any way?” father asked. “I would like to give the knights and the castle staff the chance to come here as well.”

Hopefully, Rex and Brad would get that chance too. Rex already had a wind spirit, but Brad had none. He’d said that since he’d previously worked as an assassin, he hadn’t been training his mana, but he should be able to handle at least one. He could just take his time and feed it gradually.

(If you were to come every day, I would naturally start to find that a bother, but if the visits are intermittent, then I encourage them, in fact. Spirits evolve through consuming the mana of humans. If more spirit beasts are born in this land, the mana in the area will increase, and crop yields will improve.)

“We would very much appreciate that as well. In that case, we’ll make sure to organize which days to visit.”

(Please do. That said, there is no need to think you must come here all the time—there will always be spirits where nature is abundant. So long as you aren’t trying to destroy their habitats, the spirits will always listen to your call.)

“I see. So are there spirits near the imperial palace?”

(That is not my territory. In this world, there is a Royal Spirit of each element within each country. On the island to the south, humans and spirits live together in harmony, whereas in the west, humans destroyed the natural habitats in which the Spirit Royalty lived, leading to the desertification of the land and its ultimate unsuitability for human life. In other words, there are three Royal Spirits other than myself in this country. The Earth Royal used to live near the imperial palace, but then the empress had the forest destroyed. Nowadays, she has cut her ties with all humans and moved to a different dimension.)

“Does that mean there are no spirits living in the forest near the academy?”

(Some certainly exist. But out of respect for their queen, they do not approach humans.)

And that explained why the princes couldn’t find a spirit. Deforestation in this world was super scary—to think that alone was enough to make the spirits angry and cause everything to dry up. Wait, does that mean the capital is at risk of turning into a desert too? If at the same time provincial areas became friendly with their spirits and began flourishing, it was obvious the situation could turn nasty.

“But people need to build places to live as well. I highly doubt Her Imperial Majesty thought the forest was home to a Royal Spirit.”

(Then she should have consulted with us before she destroyed it. It is unthinkable that she is unaware of our existence. It was not all that long ago that humans lived alongside us. Why do you all forget so quickly? Your lives are so short that you should ensure you are passing on everything you must to the next generation.)

It was the painful truth; that had always been difficult for us humans to do.

“How can we lessen the Earth Royal’s anger?”

(I couldn’t tell you. How would you forgive someone who ran you and your family out of your home?)

“I...might never forgive them.”

“Father,” Chris spoke up. “I believe we have little other option than to simply deliver this information and allow Her Majesty and the Earth Royal to negotiate between themselves. We still do not even know how much the empress will prioritize the spirits.”

“You have a point. But at least we should learn to live in harmony with them. We’re counting on your generation to maintain our ties too.”

“Of course.”

Apparently, the Wind Royal lived in the highlands to the north, while the Fire Royal lived in the great plains to the east. Once we’d made our report to the empress, we would provide the same information to the nobles in the regions where the other Royal Spirits lived.

“If the empress were to visit this land, would you meet with her?”

(I refuse. The class system of you humans is meaningless to us. I will only meet with your family, as the rulers of this area. If there are meetings in the future pertaining to the coexistence of spirits and humans, however, I will attend as many as I must.)

“We’d really like to serve as a bridge between the other Royal Spirits and the humans who rule their lands...”

(Hmm... Allow me to contact the other Royals, then. You contact the humans.)

“Um...” I interjected.

(Your name is Deirdre, correct? The humans remembered how to connect with us because of you, yes? Allow me to grant you my blessing as thanks.)

What? Won’t that make me stick out even more? Was this okay? No, no, beyond that, it seemed like the Spirit King had taken a liking to me. Both his tone and expression when he spoke to me were entirely different from when he was talking to my father. So even you treat little girls differently, spirit ruler man!

“I’d rather you met with the imperial family just once instead of giving me a blessing. Everyone in the empire will change their mindset immediately if the imperial family are the ones who give the explanation about the spirits. All the spirits of this country may gain the ability to get along with humans as a result.”

I’d had no idea how to say any of that like a kid, so I hadn’t bothered. I’m so sick of it. Just think of me as some crazy smart kid, okay?

(You do not require my blessing?)

“I do not.”

(But it is a status resistance blessing. Poison and disease will lose nearly all effectiveness against you.)

“Mmmngh... But I want to live in a world where there’s tons of spirit beasts!”

(I like you. In that case, I’ll meet them just once. I’ll grant you my blessing as well.)

Yaaaay, blessing from the Spirit King acquired.

But why did I get the feeling I was going to draw even more attention now?!

Chapter 7: A Close Encounter with the Imperial Family

My parents departed for the capital the very next day and only had to wait two days to be granted an audience with the empress. Apparently, this was highly irregular; both the empress and her consort, the general, had their schedules determined months in advance, so any last-minute arrangements were almost impossible to accommodate. But given that we’d told them we’d met the Spirit King, it was only natural that they’d expedite my parents’ audience with them.

We abruptly ended up very busy on our end too. Those who had to travel many hours by carriage to reach our castle requested that we search for spirit spots in their own regions and help create an environment where their people could easily communicate with spirits without great disruption to their daily lives. Not only would it make people more indebted to the lords of the land, it would also increase the population of spirit beasts, strengthen both our naval and border forces, and improve crop yields—there was no way we could refuse.

It was impossible to be understood by the spirits without a spirit beast around to translate, and that meant that, for now, I would always have to be present. But I was still only four years old, remember? It would be out of the question for me to go alone to all the locations requesting assistance.

It was possible to teleport immediately from the castle to the imperial palace or the academy thanks to the teleportation arrays, but they only connected predetermined locations that couldn’t be changed. Since the technology used to create those arrays had been lost to time, new ones couldn’t be created. That made them useless for traversing within our own domain. It was like how you could travel to other regions of Japan in two hours using the bullet train or a plane, but there were places within the same prefecture that took longer than two hours to reach.

“I’ll go find someone who has a spirit that looks close to evolving into a spirit beast!”

If we find spirits that can control ice, scorching heat, gravity, or tornadoes, then having conversations with them should let them evolve!

“I’m fairly sure there’s one person who can use ice magic, but that’s about it,” Chris said.

What?!

“Why is our military so pathetic?”

“Wait, you’re including the army in your search?!” He sounded shocked, but...

“You told me to check everyone,” I pointed out.

“No, no, you misunderstood,” he backtracked. “Well, no, you didn’t misunderstand, but I meant you should check them all gradually, over the course of the next six months or so.”

“The people who get checked last will complain.”

“True...”

Everyone would want to be prioritized for something like this. Whom we chose first would affect the perception of whom our family deemed most important to us.

“Who’s the person who can use ice?” I asked.

“Alyssa, a professional mage.”

Apparently, Alyssa was nearing her thirties, just like me in my last life! Her husband had passed away seven years ago, and since then, she’d been living by herself. It would be a little sad if that was why she had been talking to her spirit, but if I helped her turn them into a beast, she could hold a proper conversation with them. Surely she’ll work with us!

“Still, the army, huh?” Chris was murmuring. “If we could get just two people, would that be enough?”

“I’d say one person from the navy, one from the knights’ order,” I suggested. “I’ll teach them how to evolve their spirits into spirit beasts. If I can find a place with plentiful spirits, maybe they could meet some new ones.”

“Good sales pitch, but Deir, have you given up on acting like a child?”

“Bring up that topic, and I’ll never talk to you again.”

“What?” He blinked at me. “Sorry, I’ll stop, then. It’s not fair that it’s only Alan you’re always being buddy-buddy with, though. Oh, I know. How about we go searching for spirits together?”

Chris spoiled me so much that Rex and Brad had started calling him a siscon, but I wasn’t so naive as to blindly believe that my brother would understand me without fail. After getting a job and living alone in the big city of Tokyo, I’d seen tons of terrible news stories and met loads of horrible people, so I couldn’t help but be wary. If Chris learned that I had knowledge of another world, would he try to keep me under his thumb to take advantage of it?

If this had been a world in which political marriages were taken for granted, I might have been okay with that, but knowing that even many nobles here had married purely for love left me wanting the same. I had remained single to the end of my previous life, after all!

That was why I was remaining just a child who had a unique imagination, a strange child who thought up the craziest ideas. I didn’t want my family to view me in any other way.

“Deir? Did I make you mad? I really won’t bring it up anymore,” Chris was saying.

“No, I’m not mad,” I quickly answered. “I was just wondering where it would be good to go.”

“Let’s go wherever you want to go.”

“Hmm. I want some cheese.”

“What?” Once again, he was staring at me blankly. “Why cheese all of a sudden?”

“I want to go to the northern highlands,” I added.

“The associations your mind makes are as interesting as always...”

◆

The next day, Chris managed to nab me two more people as well as Alyssa—that brother of mine really was talented. Now it’s time for my training from hell to begin... Or so I’d planned to say. Alyssa and the two soldiers already knew how to use magic as part of their jobs, so all that was left was for them to communicate with their spirits.

I had them spend a whole day doing nothing but talking to their spirits to make sure that they evolved into beasts. Having to keep up a one-sided conversation with floating balls of light under the watchful eye of a little girl for so long seemed to really wear them down, but everything turned out all right in the end.

If we all split up, the four of us can easily cover the whole of Belisario!

Or so I’d thought...

“The imperial family will be visiting in one week,” my father announced upon his return from the capital.

A second family meeting had been called because the imperial family would be visiting in a week. Weren’t they meant to be busy people? Oh, also, it turned out my spirit beasts could revert back to being little balls of light. Very convenient.

Apparently, my spirit beasts had been taking a smaller form this whole time—they could adjust their size mostly at will, it seemed. If they’d had to remain in those forms forever, planning how to expand buildings to accommodate everyone’s spirit beasts would have become a huge pain.

“I thought they weren’t coming until summer,” I said.

“They will return home immediately after meeting with the Spirit King,” father explained. “Deir, I need you to go to the lake with your spirits and confirm whether His Sacred Majesty would be willing to meet with them.”

“Yes, father.”

“They will be accompanied by several court mages on the day, so I would like you to be present for that meeting as well.”

“What is this about?” Chris asked, voice low. Our father looked a little caught out as he scratched his cheek and sighed.

“Even though there are written records of the Royal Spirits and the spirit beasts, there is currently no one in the court who has physically met either. The court mages especially are not terribly happy that all of these events are suddenly happening in our domain alone.”

“They likely see themselves as the highest authority on spirits,” Chris speculated.

“They can’t quite believe everything that has happened to you either, Deir,” father added.

Well, a four-year-old had just completed the full spirit set, had two of said spirits become spirit beasts, and was so favored by the Spirit King that she’d received his blessing. Considering how hard they’d probably had to work to get to this point, they likely couldn’t accept that someone like me existed.

“Can they use ice or tornado magic?” I asked.

“The chief mage and his deputy each hold three elements, while the others each have two. I believe they would be capable...”

“Then I need to give them some special training so they have a nice spirit beast to take home as a souvenir.”

“Um, they’re quite high in status—” father equivocated.

“Special training!”

If they have time to complain, they have time to train! Throw up your guts! Pass out from mana loss!

No, seriously, it was going to be a real problem if I were permanently labeled irregular. I’m counting on you guys to step up your game!

“Not one of them objected when the Spirit Queen’s forest was destroyed,” father said. “That’s why they refused to listen to me the moment I insisted that area of land used to be hers.”

“Even though that’s what will inevitably come up when they talk to the Spirit King?” I asked.

“They’re likely thinking we’ll make up some reason that they can’t meet the Spirit King at the last minute. There were those who thought we were making things up just to attract more tourists. We are merely a popular resort with nothing much to our name beyond an abundance of seafood—to their way of thinking at least.”

“Father, please make a list of anyone who holds that opinion,” Chris said, his expression looking quite wicked.

To be honest, though, I didn’t particularly like being treated as a punching bag either. If we just endured all of their abuse and never did a thing about it, they would never come to understand us. It was best for us to convince them that they would be on the losing end if they raised a hand against us.

When I’d consulted Little Wiki after meeting the Spirit King, all the locations of the Royal Spirits had been clearly marked on its maps. Should there not have been books in the imperial palace that had those locations recorded as well? Had they been deliberately disposed of because of a previous power struggle, perhaps?

The only reason I had become more knowledgeable about spirits than the native residents was because of Little Wiki, but I hadn’t been using it recently, primarily for three reasons.

First, I was so busy nowadays I didn’t even have time to look at it. Unlike when I was a baby, my days were filled with lessons from home tutors and my regular training, so by the time night came, I was so tired I would fall right to sleep. Plus, I barely had any alone time. There was always someone with me, as if they thought I might do something crazy at any moment, so I almost never had the opportunity to bring it out.

Second, I’d decided to stop looking up specific people. When I was a baby, I’d looked up my own family, right? So obviously, I’d read the entry about my parents. It spoke about how the two had met each other at school, fallen madly in love, and gotten married. In short, all the records were focused on how greatly they treasured their family.

The moment I’d read that, I’d been relieved. I’d been so glad that I’d only had to read happy stories. If I’d learned that there was a secret lover somewhere or some sort of tragic accident had happened in their past, I might not have been able to interact with them the same way again. Besides, if the roles had been switched, I wouldn’t have wanted to become friends with someone who had learned about something deeply personal without my permission.

Third—and this was the biggest problem—Little Wiki actually updated in real time. There was new information being added constantly. The moment I’d realized that, I’d felt a chill run up my back. Isn’t that spooky? Who could be updating it?

If it had been a skill that made my magic stronger or let me run faster, then sure, I could understand it getting stronger through training. But what kind of crazy skill gave me constantly updating information without me lifting a finger—information I could learn without doing even a bit of espionage? Wouldn’t that be overpowered in a war? Not that I was actually sure how useful it would be, and I didn’t even have the authority to make use of anything I learned in the first place.

Also, there was no information that could lead to an industrial revolution or destroy the environment, and that felt deliberate. I’d decided that if the one who’d given me this skill was a god, they’d reincarnated me here because they wanted the relationship between humans and spirits to change. Had everyone remained unaware of how to grow and evolve their spirits, then the empire might’ve turned into a desert before long.

But my number one goal was to spend this life peacefully with my family and fall in love. I wasn’t going to get involved in anything dangerous. It was the god’s mistake, picking me for something like this—I needed them to go ahead and give up.

Wait, what if this is exactly why they picked me?

◆

And then, as planned, the day of my fateful first encounter with the imperial family arrived. Apparently, Chris had been to the imperial palace many times before, so Alan and I were the only ones meeting them for the first time.

I was woken early in the morning, forced into a bath after breakfast, subjected to a hairstyling session, and then shoved into a dress.

“You look truly wonderful.”

“Just like a fairy.”

Dana and Cynthia were sighing in satisfaction, but I was already getting annoyed, glaring at the mirror in contempt. Was it really necessary to braid my hair this carefully when we would be going outside? They knew I didn’t like my scalp being pulled tight, so they’d at least been kind enough to tie it loosely at the back, but the ribbons... So many frilly ribbons...

No. Don’t forget. I’m four. Of course they would be covering me in ribbons. My fluffy white dress also featured pink ribbons—that had to be cute too.

“Who bought this dress?” I ventured to ask.

“It was a souvenir from His Lordship the Margrave’s visit to the capital,” Cynthia informed me.

So my father’s to blame!

“Uh... It really does suit you,” Rex said.

“No running around today, okay, my lady?” added Brad.

Be quiet, my valets! I can see the way your shoulders are shaking. If you want to laugh, then laugh already!

“Oh?” said Chris with a raised eyebrow. “I see you’re playing the young lady today. What a transformation.”

“You shouldn’t run around,” Alan warned me. “Shall we help you onto Ifri?”

My brothers knew me well, but was that really something to say to your sister?

Ifri was the name I had given to my fire spirit. My water one I called Levvy. My wind one was Jin, and my earth one was Gaia. As for where I’d taken those names from...well...y’know? I was an otaku so I’d taken them from all over the place.

In any case, I had to get to the end of my first meeting with the imperial family and the court mages without drawing too much attention or leaving a bad impression. That was the objective of this quest!

We would meet our guests in the room just outside the teleportation array. I had never been in here before, so I looked around curiously at the minimalist room whose furnishings seemed mainly focused on security.

We were left waiting for about ten minutes before the two doors to the teleportation room opened, and the first to step out were two knights of the imperial guard. Alan wants to join them when he grows up, doesn’t he? Their navy blue uniform with its black-and-white lines was very cool.

So Alan will get to wear this one day, will he? It’ll suit him.

The two knights spoke to my father, but I didn’t really listen to what they were saying. When I stared up at the knights while hiding a little behind my father, their eyes started to wander uncomfortably.

Next, Empress Ephenia entered, escorted by General Maximilian.

The general was as big as I’d thought he’d be. Big! Tough! And scary! I had to practically look straight up just to see his face.

The one who really caught me by surprise was the empress. I’d thought she would be much more imposing, but she didn’t feel all that different from my mother. She looked like a strong-willed woman with vibrant wavy red hair and light brown eyes that looked gold when the light hit them. She was wearing something like a suit jacket with a narrow waist and splayed collar, and a finely pleated ankle-length skirt made of a double layer of thin cloth. It was the kind of outfit that working women tended to wear.

Naturally, there was no need for a corset—that was for official tea parties, soirees, or balls only. That, or for when meeting someone of much higher status than you, which was why my mother was wearing a proper dress.

The first prince, Prince Andrew, was around the same age as Chris, and they’d met many times before now. They’d be classmates starting this winter and appeared to be good enough friends that, when they were introduced, they exchanged little smiles.

Stop it—my inner fujo’s gonna freak out.

The princes had inherited their father’s bulk, both being quite big for their ages. Prince Andrew wore his long red hair tied at the back, his masculine face resembling his father’s while his piercing golden eyes matched those of the empress.

And there right beside him stood my brother, a beautiful boy with silky platinum blond hair.

This is so damn gorgeous. Can I go hole myself up in my room and write for a while?

Ah, wait, wait, no! I’m not rotten! I’m a healthy young girl. I’m a cute little four-year-old.

The second prince was Prince Eldred. He was one year older than me—in other words, he was just a kid. He was big for his age, though, and with his red hair and golden eyes, he’d probably be surrounded by girls when he grew up, but as for me, I’d prefer it if he kept his distance.

A prince? And beautiful to boot? I wanted him nowhere near me. I’d rather not have to focus on remembering to breathe. If he ended up thinking I thought he smelled or something, I’d never recover.

“And this is our daughter, Deirdre,” my father said.

Suddenly, I was being introduced. This wasn’t the time to be thinking such terrible thoughts.

“I am greatly honored to make your acquaintance. My name is Deirdre Abel von Belisario.” Pinching my dress between my fingers, I dropped a curtsy. When I looked up again, everyone was staring at me as if I were some rare species of animal.

“So, this is the Deirdre I’ve heard all about? She’s adorable.” Empress Ephenia took in first my face and then the balls of light representing all four elements lined up above my head, smiling all the while. Mother was always saying that the empress was a wonderful lady, but that was because they were friends. I had little doubt that what lay behind those piercing eyes was a mind firing on all cylinders to scheme all sorts of plans.

But that made sense—she was the empress, after all. Just one wrong decision from her could destroy the whole country.

The general’s eyes were similar to his wife’s. Rather than me, though, it was my father he was intently watching. As the commander of the army, he was naturally worried about what kind of demands my father would make and how much stronger his sway would become within the imperial court now that he’d formed a relationship with the Spirit King through me.

Prince Andrew smiled kindly at me and then turned to Chris. “I see why you were so proud of your siblings, Chris.” It was likely that the prince wasn’t able to remain truly calm inside either. If nothing changed, neither he nor his younger brother would be able to obtain their own spirits. Hopefully it helped reassure him to know that it was the fault of the adults who’d destroyed the woods and not the young princes themselves.

“These five behind me are court mages,” the general said then. “I apologize for having brought so many. When they heard about the spirit beasts and the Spirit King, they all clamored to see them for themselves.”

The imperial family moved to the side, and five black-robed men exited the teleportation array next. The man at the front looked to be in his mid-thirties. He had a gloomy face framed by shaggy chestnut-colored hair. He was probably the chief mage—he had spirits of three elements floating above his right shoulder.

Directly behind him was the deputy chief, a man in his mid-twenties with quite a pretty face, but he looked unhealthily thin, and his posture was terrible. He was also watching me with intense curiosity.

The other three seemed just as disinterested in the upkeep of their appearance as the chief and his deputy, despite their fervor for magic and spirits. For them to be this enthusiastic and still have never realized they could talk to their spirits, they must have been so focused on research that they’d developed tunnel vision.

Honestly, I felt like I was looking at a gathering of otaku. To me, an otaku wasn’t just someone who liked anime or games, but rather someone who was fully obsessed with their interests. They didn’t simply like anime—they looked up everything about the directors and the voice actors and the animation studios. In that respect, academics were also just otaku in a sense. The difference was more about whether you made your interest your job or kept it as your hobby.

“Is this the child we’ve heard about? Where are the spirit beasts? Please show them to us,” the chief mage urged, taking a couple of steps forward. I didn’t sense any hostility from him; he was just overly excited to see the spirit beasts.

I feel like I could get along with these mage guys. I’d literally died because I’d delved so deeply into my interests that I’d even messed up my daily life just to release my own work. Nevertheless, this current scene was giving a really bad impression. There was no way you could look at a man rushing toward a young girl and not think it looked dangerous. What didn’t help was that if I messed up and said the wrong thing here, things would only get more complicated, so I decided to grip tightly onto my father’s jacket and hide behind him.

“To think the chief mage would threaten my child directly without even offering a greeting or a name. I was unaware your position ranked so high.” I could hear the anger in my father’s voice as he gently patted my head.

Wait, did I just make things worse by not answering?

“You will get all the time in the world to see the spirit beasts later.” Chris’s tone of voice was just as cold as he stepped in front to shield me. “There are already three people apart from Deir within our march who have their own beasts.”

Alan moved around behind my father to take my hand and reassure me that everything would be all right.

This is bad.

The chief mage was becoming enemy number one among my family for having scared their four-year-old little girl.

See, this is why appearances matter. At least comb your hair.

“You are all in the presence of Empress Ephenia. Do not show your anger over something so trivial,” my mother urged.

“No, this is the fault of our chief mage. If you’re going to take such a rude attitude, return to the palace,” the empress scolded him.

“I apologize. When I heard I could meet the spirit beasts, I was unable to hold back my excitement.”

Thanks to mother and Her Majesty, the tension began to dissipate, and my father brought the conversation back to the point. “I’ve heard that you and your deputy can use ice magic.”

“Yes. All five of us can use ice magic.”

“Then you should all make sure to acquire spirit beasts of your own before you return home.”

“What?” The man’s eyes widened.

“Deirdre has said that she’ll help you evolve your spirits. Isn’t that right, Deir?”

When my father lovingly patted me on the head, I peeked my face back out, looked up at the chief mage, and nodded. “Yes. I’ll do my best.”

The second I said that, the robed mages all smiled at me with expectant gleams in their eyes.

Yeah, uh, your smiles are pretty scary too. My brothers look about ready to jump you all. But there was no way for researchers with nothing but their research on the brain to have any idea how to interact with children. They didn’t even seem to have much experience interacting with women.

I hate this. I feel like I’m looking at my past self. I’m on the verge of tears here.

“Can sword spirits become beasts as well?” the general suddenly asked in his deep voice.

“They can,” I confirmed. “In that way, they are the same as normal spirits.”

“Ah, is that so?”

He must have been curious because he had a fire sword spirit of his own.

“We don’t have much time,” father said then. “Let us make our way to the lake.”

“Excellent point,” the general said with a nod. “Please, lead the way.”

We met up with Alyssa after leaving the castle—she was going to help us explain to the court mages how spirit beasts worked. Since she had her water spirit at the ready in its beast form, the mages caught sight of it the moment we stepped outside, and they all made a sudden dash toward it. It gave me one hell of a fright. They looked like they barely ever set foot outside, yet there they were, running at full speed.

The most shocked person, though, was Alyssa. Imagine how scary it would be to suddenly have all these robed men surrounding you.

“All of you, quit it!”

The empress could shout all she wanted, but I doubted they understood what they were doing wrong.

Alyssa’s spirit beast looked like a blue goldfish. Its tail fin was large in proportion to its body, and it fluttered about as the beast swam gracefully through the air. The deputy was so desperate to study the floating goldfish that he was practically dancing all around Alyssa as she walked to the lake, trying to get a good look.

Stop that. You look like a creep. And you, chief man, I get that you want to talk to me, but you need to stop hovering around me like that too. You look just as creepy.

Chris was talking to Prince Andrew while Alan was talking to Prince Eldred as we made our way to the lake. They’d be attending school together, so it would be good for them to get to know each other ahead of time. It seemed like their personalities meshed well too.

As usual, I was being guarded by my two valets. We had so many people gathered today that I didn’t have any personal guards this time. I have my spirit beasts with me too.

The sunlight filtered through the trees as we walked down the little lane, a refreshing breeze blowing by as Empress Ephenia—who didn’t get many opportunities to go outside—chatted joyfully with the general. Now that there wasn’t a birthday party going on, the meadow was quiet, the lake still and endlessly beautiful.

“If you could,” I said to Ifri and Levvy. My two spirits turned into their beast forms and were immediately approached by the mages, who had to be held back by the imperial guard.

Come on, guys, you’re looking so dangerous that even your own knights are moving in now. You’re all so hopeless.

(Your Sacred Majesty, are you present?) Ifri called.

(Oh, have they arrived?) came the now-familiar voice.

The surface of the lake shone bright, and together with the rising lights appeared that beautiful man with the smoky-blue hair. I’d met him so many times now that I couldn’t help but view the Water King as basically just the nice man who lived down the street, but as familiar as he was to me, this was the first time the imperial family and the court mages were meeting this ethereal being. His beauty, his stately presence, his imposing aura—they were standing speechless in the face of his otherworldliness.

“Your Sacred Majesty, we thank you for listening to our request.”

(It is of no bother. Are you the empress who destroyed the Earth Queen’s forest?)

“Yes. Though I was unaware at the time, it does not excuse my actions. I apologize.” When the empress lowered her head, the general, the princes, and the mages all knelt in turn.

My family moved to the side and observed quietly so we wouldn’t get in the way of their conversation. Father had already warned me not to say anything without thinking, so I was too scared to say anything at all.

(I am not the one who requires an apology. That land is not mine. Upon request from the margrave, I attempted to bring it up to the Earth Queen, but she turned away and refused to listen. If you truly wish to speak to her, you will need to restore the forest to its former state and return the land to her.)

“That...”

...would be impossible. Even if they began planting trees straightaway, it would still take years upon years before it turned into a thriving forest. Plus, there were already new houses built on that land and people living in said houses. But from the spirits’ perspective, the humans had been happy to destroy their habitat, yet didn’t show the same willingness when it came to their own settlements—it was a very straightforward reason to not cooperate.

(They have already found a new location to settle. Should they complete their migration, the imperial capital will turn to dust, including the forest near the academy.)

Seriously?! It’s that bad?

“I understand,” Her Imperial Majesty said. “We will ask those living there to move out immediately and return the forest to the way it once was. I must ask that you give us time.”

“I must also request this,” her consort continued. “Though it was our ignorance that brought about these events, we meant absolutely no ill will toward the Spirit Queen. Please, allow us to speak with her just once.”

(I have repeated this over and over, but this has nothing to do with me. I already said I would only pass on the message once.)

“Ngh...”

“Please, I beg of you...”

(If you are that desperate, then show it through your actions.)

Even though the empress and the general had stated that they would move their people, the Spirit King was still behaving so coldly. He was like an entirely different person compared to when he interacted with my family.

(While you are here, Deirdre...)

No. Stop. Don’t bring me into this.

(When I boasted about you to the other Royal Spirits, they were very clear about wanting to meet you.)

“Ruri...” I whined.

(Heh heh heh. When I informed them that you had named me, they all said they wanted names as well.)

Then they can give each other whatever names they want. I’d only given the Spirit King a name because he’d been acting envious of my spirit beasts.

(I believe even the Earth Queen would relax her stance should we have a meeting consisting of only you and the Spirit Royalty of the empire.)

The imperial family immediately lifted their heads and gazed at me hopefully.

Huh? Won’t this be crazy bad if I mess up? Won’t it be even crazier if I succeed? Would that not make me the girl that prevented the ruin of the capital?

I’d already said I didn’t want to stand out. Could they please all just leave me alone?

(Should you attend this gathering, the four of us will become your guardians.)

“Um... What do you mean by that exactly?”

(We will eliminate anyone who dares do anything that goes against your wishes. Should the empire do anything that you do not wish it to, the spirits will all leave without delay.)

Huh? Excuse me?

“Deirdre, I think you should very gratefully accept,” Chris urged. I looked at him in surprise, and he nodded with a serious look on his face. “There may come a day when you need the protection of the Spirit King. You’re already garnering far too much attention.”

“Oh... You think so too?”

(What say you, Deirdre?)

“Then I’ll go to your meeting—happily. But, uh, I don’t really have the confidence to speak to Her Majesty, the Earth Queen.”

(Ha ha ha. Don’t worry so much. Let us end this discussion here.)

Huh?! Even though the imperial family had come all this way?! We were finishing with that?!

“HUH?!”

(I will come to collect you when the Royal Spirits have gathered.)

“Wait, you’re just going to completely ignore whether the time suits me or not?!”

The Spirit King looked positively pleased with himself, laughing away as he disappeared, leaving us all standing there in horror.

I was feeling very ready to lob stones into that lake right about now.

“Chris,” I muttered. “This has become a really troublesome affair.”

“I wouldn’t say that. It will probably mean a lot for you to simply put in an appearance at that meeting. You’re really interesting just the way you are, so don’t worry. What’s important is that you’ve managed to get the four Royal Spirits as your backers.”

But wasn’t that crazy? How much more were they going to increase the weight of my words?

“I’m sorry for placing such a massive burden on such a young child, but we must ask you to go through with it,” the empress told me.

My father frantically stepped forward when the empress began to bow to me. “Oh, please don’t, Your Imperial Majesty. We are also citizens of the empire—we cannot simply overlook the destruction of the capital. If my daughter can be of use to you, nothing would make us happier.”

“Margrave Belisario, do let us know if there is anything you desire. Had you not been here, our country may have turned out like the Republic of Pendelus.”

Pendelus had originally been one unified country, but the desertification had made travel perilous, which had resulted in various regions of the land becoming independent. They’d converted to a republic in order to maintain an appearance of order.

“I do not believe there is anything in particular that I desire...” Father paused, then said, “Oh, that’s right. I would appreciate it if Your Majesty could call a meeting among the lords of each of the lands in which a Royal Spirit resides. Only those of our march and a few of the people from the imperial palace are aware of the current situation. We need to inform the other domains of the Royal Spirits’ existence before they unwittingly invite their wrath.”

“Are you asking for us to host this gathering?” the empress confirmed.

“Yes, that is what I am asking for.” If the imperial capital didn’t take the lead in these discussions, all achievements would be attributed to my father, after all. Plus, it would be dangerous if the domains with access to the Royal Spirits joined hands behind the imperial family’s back, and there was still the matter of relaying the information about the spirits and giving lectures on how to raise them in the other domains.

“I see. I understand. We will prepare a location for such a meeting as soon as possible.”

“Thank you very much,” father said. “I also have a request concerning Deirdre.”

I have once more become the center of attention. They weren’t looking at me with either contempt or delight anymore and instead were now just looking at me as though they were wondering what on earth I was. I could almost hear them wondering why the spirits seemed to like me so much.

That’s what I want to know! What the hell is going on here?!

“If you wish to inform another domain about the spirits, please have your court mages do so. This is also why I hope for them to acquire their own spirit beasts before they return to the palace. Deirdre is still only four years old. I would much rather the knowledge of her relationship with the Spirit King not be spread around the empire.”

Thank you so much, father!

I really didn’t need any more attention than this.

After gracefully accepting my father’s requests, the imperial family returned home. It wouldn’t have been strange for us to make more demands, so the fact that all my father wanted was for them to not tell others about me made it easy to accept.

As you’d expect from a group of otaku, the court mages had high levels of mana in their bodies, and they’d had a lot of fun talking to their spirits. So much so that it was almost difficult to watch.

It turned out they had a magic tool that could be used to measure one’s mana, and when they’d tried it on me, they’d discovered I had more than they did, which had definitely shocked them.

“For more than three years since her birth, Deir has been playing with magic tools and her spirits, and using up all her mana until she passes out over and over again. Of course she would have higher levels of mana than anyone else,” Chris explained.

Geniuses really were scary—how had he known what I’d been up to?

Thanks to him, the court mages started calling me “wise one.”

Chapter 8: My Brothers Are Mega Cheat Codes

An undeniable tension still lingered in the castle even three whole days after the imperial family’s visit. One of the reasons for that was the court mages. They kept popping up day after day despite having already acquired their spirit beasts. The deputy was especially guilty of this.

Why are you dropping by every day? You have your eyes on Alyssa, don’t you?! You fell in love with the widow! If you want to stand a chance, do something about that shaggy mess on your head. Get yourself a proper meal too. Oh, and get rid of those bags under your eyes.

For some reason, I was starting to root for a guy I hardly knew, though I was pretty sure Alyssa was barely even acknowledging his existence right now.

The second reason for the tension was that summer was approaching, which meant that everyone needed to prepare for the hordes of tourists that would soon be arriving.

Her Imperial Majesty had officially announced to the empire the importance of giving spirits mana and having conversations with them. The problem was that the announcements hadn’t explained the details of what to do and where, or how much mana they should be giving their spirits, so people had been left with loads of questions. That was where the court mages were supposed to come in, but they were still studying under me.

It didn’t help that the number of spirits Belisario’s nobles held had increased dramatically. Our spirits were much bigger than anywhere else in the empire, our lands were now populated with tons of spirit beasts, and the imperial family had made space in their busy schedule just to come visit us—and word of all of that had spread. With all those rumors flying, who wouldn’t want to see if they were true?

To add to the pile, the number of reservations for summer accommodation in our castle’s annex was increasing day by day. There were those who wanted to come and stay right away, but since we were still getting ready, we had to come up with a reason to make them wait.

“The margraves of Kolkett and Noland will be coming in five days, yes?” I asked.

“That’s what I’ve heard,” Brad said.

The northern highlands of Kolkett, where the Wind Royal resided, and the great eastern plains of Noland, where the Fire Royal resided, were both marches, the same as Belisario. In other words, they were way out in the countryside.

Kolkett was our northern neighbor, so they had a similar climate to the northern part of Belisario. The highlands were a lot like Hokkaido—not that Hokkaido itself had been in the highlands, but if I remembered right, there were towns there that had more cows than people. Kolkett was the same.

Farms stretched out as far as the eye could see, and white birch trees were planted as markers for the roadways. An idyllic world where cows and horses roamed free, grazing without a care in the world—that was Kolkett. They were famous for their dairy products, such as cheese and milk, and they hired many adventurers to protect their livestock from monsters.

Noland was the definition of the boonies. Monsters roamed everywhere, from the plains to the surrounding forests. Wyverns flew in the skies, and there were even sometimes dragon sightings. Imagine weaponsmiths, armorers, magic tool makers, and the adventurers who gathered materials for them living tucked away in cities protected by high castle walls. Suddenly sounds just like your typical fantasy, right?

Our land was much more urbanized than the other marches; you wouldn’t find monsters here unless you ventured far into the woods or climbed to the tops of the mountains.

“The adventurers would have more firepower if they had their own spirit beasts,” I mused.

“Farmers and merchants would feel much safer if they had their own too,” Rex added.

Brad also chimed in with his own two cents. “Commoners often have lower mana reserves, so it would be difficult for them to keep several, but many people owning a single spirit would be good for the crops too. That’s the important part.”

Even though the empress and my father had explained everything to the margraves already, they were insistent that they get to meet me. Thus, a meeting had been arranged in five days’ time that would include me, the general, and the three margraves.

“They wanted to learn how to interact with the Royal Spirits or something, right?” Rex asked. I nodded while absentmindedly watching him prepare the tea.

“Though it’s questionable if the Royal Spirits would even want to meet them,” Brad said.

We’d given the castle staff the opportunity to speak to the spirits by the lake before the knights, so Brad now had his own earth spirit. Once you knew how to do it, you could talk to the spirits anywhere, really. It was likely there were spirits in the castle gardens, even.

“More importantly, I want something for the summer,” I murmured.

“Like?”

“We have many guests coming all this way to see the spirits, so I want to find something that will make them want to come back. What’s our annex building like?”

Rex shrugged. “Who knows?”

Dealing with guests wasn’t a valet’s role, so I supposed it made sense that he and Brad wouldn’t know.

“I want to go see for myself.”

“The young lady’s asking for the unreasonable again,” Rex said.

“If anyone asks, I can just go, ‘Whoops, I was just taking a stroll and ended up here!’”

“Do you understand how big this castle is? You can easily get lost in here.”

Really? It’s that big? Could someone pop off back to Japan and grab me a bike or a Segway, please?

“Wouldn’t it be a little boring if the place you stayed on holiday just looked the same as where you live? I think Marquess Johannes has got the right idea. So I was thinking we could renovate our annex too.”

I’d originally had no intention of getting involved with politics or spreading details of things from my world, but in my travels around our march to give lectures on spirits, I’d visited many settlements that had become ghost towns due to a decrease in tourists. The villages and towns that focused on farming or growing tea were doing fine. We needed to do something for the towns whose main business was tourism.

“And how exactly do you intend to propose that to the margrave?” Rex asked, one eyebrow raised.

“Yeah, uhh, that’s kind of my problem...”

“Shall I mention it to him?” Behind me, the door slid open just as a new voice joined the conversation.

“Oh, so you speak like this with your valets, but when I point out the way you talk, you get mad at me?” another new voice added.

Why are my brothers both here?! This was my bedroom, not the living room or tea room where we tended to gather as a family. What boy thought it was all right to just barge into a lady’s room without warning? I had been caught completely off guard.

“So you get along better with your valets than with brother and me,” Alan said, face drooping with sadness.

I jumped to my feet, frantic. “Th-That’s not true!”

“It’s because you don’t trust me, isn’t it? I wonder why that could be?” Chris pushed Alan into the room and then closed and even locked the door behind him.

Oh god, he’s terrifying when he’s mad.

“How long were you there for?” Brad was frightened for a whole different reason—he was an ex-assassin and yet he hadn’t even detected their presence.

“When your lady-in-waiting left, I told her that there was no need to close the door as we would be going in,” Chris openly admitted.

How long ago did Cynthia leave the room again? Either way, they’d definitely overheard me saying I wanted to renovate the annex.

“Naturally, that’s not all.” Chris held out his palm, beckoning his earth spirit, while Alan’s hands also glowed green. “Earth spirits are proficient in defensive magic, right? I experimented with it and ended up figuring out some magic to hide my presence.”

“And wind spirits help carry voices far,” Alan added.

My brothers were living cheat codes. I’d never imagined there would be people more overpowered than me, someone who’d come here from a different world. Aren’t they only nine and six years old? That’s crazy!

“It appears you all still lack an understanding of the situation Deir has been put in,” Chris declared, “so how about we have a nice little chat, hmm?”

“Sorry, Rex, do you mind making us some tea as well?” Alan asked apologetically.

I could only watch, dumbfounded, as my brothers walked straight past me to the sofa on the other side of the table and sat themselves down.

“Deir, don’t stare at us like that. Sit down before you faint.” Usually, in moments like these, Chris would pretend not to notice my expression because he knew I didn’t like it, but it seemed I wasn’t getting away with it today.

“Chris, um...”

“I was intending to approach this discussion a little bit more peacefully, but knowing that you aren’t acting like a child in front of your valets naturally annoys me.”

“I think your attitude toward those outside your private circle is much worse if you ask me,” I fired back. “I’ve been hearing some odd rumors about you.”

“Yes, and I wonder who told you about that.” A corner of Chris’s mouth lifted as he sneered at Brad. He was onto us.

“But after that, Brad told me that you two spoil me and really love me!”

“I will admit I was the one to bring up the rumors concerning you,” Brad stepped in. “But after I saw you together with your family, I corrected my judgment of you to someone who treats family and staff differently.”

“That isn’t quite right,” Chris countered. “I treat those whom I trust and who are good at their jobs with respect.”

“Um, but is it also true that you’ve fired a number of your servants?” I asked.

Chris gave a light nod of thanks as Rex served the tea and then looked back at me. He always made sure to uphold his courtesies, at least.

“That is true. The shortest time someone has lasted under me is twenty minutes.”

“Well, no wonder there are rumors, then.”

“Deir, who do you think sends me candidates for the positions of retainer or valet?”

Well, given there were no job boards for that sort of thing...

“Do nobles within our domain introduce them?”

“Precisely. There’s someone behind each and every servant in this castle. Ah, well, not everyone. We’re slowly increasing the proportion of staff hired directly by either father or myself. But I’m still young, right?”

“What?” Brad blinked.

“Huh?” Rex looked just as surprised.

All right, you two, don’t look so shocked. My valets didn’t get many opportunities to speak with my brother, so they were both in shock at the maturity of his speech and bearing.

He’s not normal, right? He’d totally be in Mensa if he’d been born in my world.

“It’s only natural I immediately fire those who are being blackmailed by their backer, or who are incapable of doing their work properly, or have a problem with their attitude.”

“Excuse me.” Brad spoke up then. “May I say something?”

“Please, go ahead, Brad.”

“Not everyone can know what to do from the start. Have you never considered training them yourself?”

“Oh, please,” Chris scoffed. “Why should an adult need to be trained by a nine-year-old boy?”

“That’s a good point. Honestly, I’ve started to forget what age you are...” Brad muttered.

“The biggest problem with that is that, if I did manage to train them well, then that would be fine. But say I kept them on even though they weren’t good at their job—by the time I’m an adult, they’ll have accrued years of working for me, even if only on paper. They’d end up higher in the hierarchy than those newly hired, even if they were worse at their job. Dealing with the fallout from that would be troublesome.”

Oh man, I really am just an ordinary office worker. I hadn’t thought of it from that angle at all. As our family’s successor, Chris had to think well into the future to make sure he could keep a leash on the nobles and protect our people and our borders. In comparison, I was very much taking things as they came. I was constantly winging everything. That was how I’d ended up standing out so much that the Spirit King and the imperial family had noticed me and gotten me involved in this mess.

“I apologize,” Brad said. “I hadn’t been thinking that far ahead.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Chris waved his apology aside. “Your job is to protect Deir. I know that gathering information that she can’t gather herself is also part of your job. The way I went about things was flawed and that was what led to Deir being so wary of me. That was a failure on my own part.”

“Besides, even if brother is harsh to the servants, he’s always kind to Deir,” Alan pointed out. “Actually, he likes Deir so much that it starts to get creepy sometimes. Why were you so worried?”

“You’re one to talk,” Chris said. “It’s because you haven’t told her anything either that she’s just as wary around you.”

“Me too? Why?”

How had a six-year-old been able to keep up with this conversation? That was just weird. Alan seemed normal when around the anomaly that was Chris, but when you considered him on his own, he was someone worth keeping an eye on too, just in a different way.

What the hell kind of brothers do I have? Was there some crazy gene in our blood? Did this world even know what genes were yet? Should I be asking if there was something weird with my father’s sperm instead?

Wait, never mind. That isn’t something a lady should say, let alone someone of my age.

“Deir, are you listening?” Alan called, snapping me out of my thoughts.

“Yes.”

“I don’t quite understand what reason you have to be wary of me. What is the problem?”

The problem is that I still have my memories of my previous life. You both are just so smart that I’m not confident I can keep it hidden. That’s why I didn’t want to have a conversation like this with you.

Like hell could I just say that!

“We were actually curious about that too, young miss.”

“Right. It’s clear it would be much better to have these two as your allies.”

Now even Rex and Brad were speaking up.

Huh? So you don’t mind if I just blurt it out? Shall I get it all off my chest, then?

“Don’t tell me...” Upon my silence, Chris made his own suggestion. “You’re after the title of margrave?”

Brad and Rex turned to me wide-eyed, while Alan tilted his head a little as he stared at me.

“The title?” I’d barely registered what Chris had said, so I could only stare at him in confusion.

Yep, that is the face of an angel. He’s a total pretty boy.

“I was just wondering if you were wanting to become father’s successor instead of me.”

“Huh? Wait, what?!” It had finally clicked.

“Oh? Am I wrong?”

“Yes, you are absolutely, positively, completely wrong!” I said. “Besides, I’m a girl!”

“Yes, and the empress is a woman,” Chris pointed out. “Women are allowed to take official titles in Azelia, you know?”

“I have absolutely no desire to do so!”

“Really? I think you would handle the work perfectly fine. I would be more than willing to pass the title on to you if you wanted.”

What are you saying, kid?! What you’re suggesting is so wild that even Brad and Rex are stuck with their mouths open in shock!

“Please don’t shove all that trouble onto me!”

“Trouble...” Chris repeated slowly.

“All I have to do is look at father to see how busy a margrave is. Not only are there piles of desk work, but he also has to deal with all the annoying nobles and even worry about our harvests. There’s no way—I have no desire to take on a job with so much responsibility.”

“I’ll have to take on that work next, you know,” Chris said.

“Then thank you for your service!”

“Aww, but I was considering becoming a chancellor or foreign minister.”

“Oh, becoming a foreign minister sounds good,” I said. “I want to travel abroad.”

“Then how about we have Alan succeed our father and we go on a trip together?” Chris suggested.

“Hey! Travel and the succession have nothing to do with each other!” Alan objected.

See? He’s still keeping up with the conversation perfectly fine. Rather, my valets were the ones struggling.

“Hmm. Well, if it’s not that, then I can’t think of any other reason you should be wary of us,” Chris concluded.

“Um, I’d like to ask about what you wanted to discuss in terms of the position I’m in,” I said instead of answering his implied question.

“Your cuteness by itself is enough to turn you into a target,” he explained. “When you add in the fact that you’re smart, hold spirits of all elements, and even have your own spirit beasts... I mean, all of that alone is pretty incredible, right?”

“I’m not so sure about that...”

“Ahh... I guess it would be hard to notice while stuck inside the castle. Father is trying to keep you out of the public eye as much as possible, but we’re a resort location, and when you reach school age, you’ll have to meet a lot of children from different domains directly.”

I’d have to meet any guests that came over the summer too. And once I went to school, I’d probably be spending even more time around nobles my own age, though I wouldn’t know for sure until I got there.

“Foreign royals also come here as exchange students.”

Seriously? It was that prestigious of an academy? If we’re talking royals plural, how many of them are there?

“You should be prepared for a lot of people to start trying to get their hands on you in the coming years.”

“Isn’t that a bit of an exaggeration?” I cocked my head at him.

“Why would it be?” Chris asked. “You could easily destroy a whole country if you wanted to.”

I blinked at him. “What?”

“Blame that Spirit King over there.”

I turned to where Chris was looking, and standing behind me was the Spirit King, laughing away as though this were all very fun for him.

(What a terrible way to put it. Were you not the one to recommend she accept?)

I’d only ever met with the king outside before now, so seeing him in my bedroom of all places felt so surreal. The pale light enveloping him was so mystical that it ended up making him feel even more unreal.

Seriously, though, this was a little girl’s room. This is unlawful entry.

“The moment you suggested it, she had no choice but to accept. If Deir had refused under those circumstances, the imperial family might’ve apprehended her to prevent her becoming a real threat.”

Wait, I was in that much danger? Someone tell me these things! At least give me a little more time to think.

(I had already decided I would support her regardless of what she said. If the empress had gone against Deirdre’s wishes, then all the spirits of the empire would’ve become the empress’s enemies.)

Hang on, hang on, don’t suddenly drop a bomb like that in the middle of such a breezy conversation. I can feel the stomachache coming on!

“You like Deir that much?” Chris asked, hesitant.

“But you wouldn’t cooperate with me if I was going to use my power for evil, would you?” I asked the Spirit King.

(And what constitutes evil? What seems evil depends on one’s own position. We have decided to believe in and stand by you.)

In other words, even if I were deemed the worst person to exist by other people, if I had decided on a course of action, they would carry it out without question?!

“No, no, no way. I definitely can’t use power like that. That’s way too scary.”

(And that is precisely why I chose to trust you.)

After saying that, the Spirit King smiled gently and began to approach me, but before he could get any closer, Alan leaped over the table and picked me up. He paid no mind to the clattering of cups falling to the floor, instead passing me straight over to Chris while keeping his eyes glued to the king. Chris took me and placed me on the sofa beside him, refusing to let go.

(What is the matter? I informed you of our meeting, did I not? I simply came to collect her.)

Alan was kneeling on the table on one knee—he was clearly in position to fight.

“Alan? What’s wrong?” I asked.

“Your Sacred Majesty, surely you do not intend to take Deir away to the land of spirits?” Instead of answering me, Alan directed his question to the king.

(What is this all about?)

“There is a book that says there are cases of people being kidnapped by spirits who have taken a liking to them.”

(Ah... So that is the cause of your wariness.) The Spirit King laughed at Alan’s insinuation. (Deirdre, it seems your brothers are deathly afraid for you.)

“Excuse me?”

(Let me ask: Do you have any intention of leaving your family and coming with us for good?)

“What? No, not at all. I don’t want to leave my family.”

(And there you have it. As her supporter, I would never do anything to sadden her. I will, however, take her away if she ever desires it.)

Alan finally let out a sigh of relief and leaped off the table again to sit beside me.

“Take her away?” Brad was clearly holding back a cry of alarm over the realization that such a danger existed, but beside him, Rex had simply been watching my brothers’ teamwork with excitement. I couldn’t blame him. Weren’t they cool? I looked like a heroine, right? I didn’t look like a piece of luggage being hauled off to get packed into a delivery truck, right?

“Excuse our rudeness.” Chris bowed his head, as did Alan after a bit of a delay. Despite their willingness to apologize, the two of them still had a hold of my arm and shoulder and refused to let go.

(Deirdre, are these two not worthy of your trust?)

The Spirit King probably knew that I’d come here from a different world; I imagined that topic would come up during our meeting.

I looked from Chris to Alan. For all their smarts and maturity, they were both still children, after all. Yet they thought only of protecting me, even while up against the Spirit King, someone whom even adults would struggle to handle.

“They are. They’re my beloved brothers, after all.” I grabbed both their arms tightly. “You might hate me after this, but there’s something you both need to hear.”

“Hate you? That could never happen,” Chris stated with full confidence.

“Right,” Alan chimed in. “We’re on your side no matter what happens.”

Oof, I felt bad that I’d hesitated to bring this up for so long.

(Shall we go, then?)

“What?”

Now?! He really doesn’t care about our circumstances at all!

“Your Sacred Majesty, you’re a long-lived being, right? Do you feel time like a dragon?” I asked.

(Like a dragon?)

Wasn’t it pretty common in fantasy stories for races with very long lives to feel time differently than humans? You’d tell them to wait a bit and they’d go, “A bit? So about a week?”

(Hmm... I think I understand what you mean, but everyone had a lot of free time on their hands, so the moment I mentioned you to them, they came straightaway, saying it seemed fun.)

So, to him “straightaway” was three days later. It didn’t seem huge but there definitely was a difference in our perceptions of time.

(Tell the margrave that I’ll be taking all of his children away.)

“Don’t make it sound like you’re going to kidnap us!”

“Wait!” Brad called out. “Please let me come too.”

(Deirdre was originally the only one who was meant to be joining us. I can’t push it any further than I already am.)

“Tell father we’ll be back by evening,” I ordered.

(You know you can spend as many days with us as you wish, correct?)

Honestly, it probably wasn’t a good idea for all three of us to leave at once like this, especially if something were to happen to us while we were there, but neither of my brothers were willing to stay behind and they still hadn’t let go of me. I waved my hand to reassure my two valets we’d be fine, and then my vision was enveloped by a soft light.

Chapter 9: The Reason for My Reincarnation

The light slowly faded, and the first thought that went through my mind once I could see again was: This isn’t the lake.

It’s...a corridor, right? The walls and ceiling were white, and the floor was dark gray. All of it was glowing slightly with a gentle light; it had a bit of a sci-fi vibe.

I didn’t want to dirty any of it, so I gave my hands a wipe with my handkerchief before lightly touching the wall. It wasn’t smooth, but it still felt nice to the touch. And the floor seems to be made of polished stone...

“What are you doing, Deir?”

I whipped my head up when I heard Chris’s voice and saw my brothers, the Spirit King, and a cute girl who had suddenly appeared all staring at me.

“I was just wondering what this was made of.”

“I don’t think it’s very polite for a lady to suddenly kneel down on the ground and touch the floor.”

Though Chris was clearly troubled by what I was doing, Alan and the Spirit King were keeping their faces turned down, and their shoulders were shaking.

You can laugh if you want, you know.

(Are you satisfied?)

“Yes!” I bounced back up, and the new girl guided us down the corridor. It had a slight curve to it, and at the end was a white wooden door. I recognized the material, but the door itself was an unusual oval shape. There were no corners and no door handle.

(Please wait a moment,) the girl said.

It turned out it was an automatic door—and not the kind that opened to the left and right. It was a door that just automatically disappeared.

On the other side was a large room, its ceiling shaped like a dome. Everything was glowing slightly here too.

“Are we underwater?” Alan asked, having suddenly dashed off to a nearby wall. When I turned to look, I realized that the blue wall in front of us was quite literally water. There wasn’t even any glass—if you held out your hand, what you touched was liquid, and yet for some reason, none of it was flowing into the room. I could even see the fish swimming through it.

“That’s so cool,” I marveled.

(Is it to your liking?) a husky masculine voice suddenly asked. It was then that I finally realized there were other people in the room besides us.

There was a table at the center of the room that looked like a flattened mushroom cap with three people seated around it on cushions. They must be the Royal Spirits, and those cushions look like the type that are so comfortable, you become incapable of doing anything if you dare sit on them. The cushions looked like those big beanbag chairs that wrapped perfectly around your body.

Oh man, I really want to sit on one.

“And this is our younger sister, Deirdre. Deir, introduce yourself before you get lost in the cushions.”

Oh. Chris had been giving introductions the whole time I’d been daydreaming about the cushions.

Come on, I couldn’t help it! It was so nostalgic. This type of big plain beanbag chair wasn’t something I’d seen since coming to this world.

“It’s nice to meet you.”

(You’re Deirdre, then? You’re so small,) one of the ladies said.

(Belisarios are such interesting humans. I’m almost jealous,) the other remarked.

(Isn’t she wonderful? Now, you must all call me Ruri from now on.) The Water King was preening.

(We have no need for names,) the man with the husky voice grumbled.

(Then you may remain without one.)

(Humph...)

The husky voice belonged to a man with blazing red hair and brown skin, his muscles as defined as a Greek sculpture’s. This was the Fire Spirit King. Did being the Fire Royal give him a naturally higher body temperature—and was that why he was wearing so little? He wasn’t even wearing sleeves. His shoulders and biceps are really nice to look at. He was wearing perfectly fitting pants and boots, maybe because he preferred comfort over all else, but...y’know, there was this real contrast between how he and the Water King looked that was beautiful to behold. If I took a picture of these two and uploaded it on social media, they would definitely gain a set of really passionate fans.

The two women were the Earth and Wind Royals. It was amazing that I could look at the Wind Queen’s green hair and yet not think it looked odd. Her voluminous hair was tied into a ponytail adorning her shoulder like a fluffy cloud, and her big curious eyes were watching me. Her body was like a model’s—slender, but with noticeable curves. She was wearing a gauzy white dress with a length of sheer turquoise fabric draped over it.

The first word I would use to describe the Earth Queen was voluptuous. That is a full-on hourglass figure! Even though she was wearing a robe of plain cloth that barely showed any skin, she was still oozing sex appeal. But nothing about the queen herself appeared flirtatious, and instead her gentle aura seemed to envelop us all like a kind embrace. In contrast with the simple clothes and the plain braid binding her light-brown hair, she had gone heavy on the accessories she wore upon her head and around her neck.

Put briefly, this was a convocation of absolute babes. With this many unearthly beauties gathered, I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d wandered into the world of 2D.

(Sit wherever you please.)

Excited to finally be given permission, I ran toward the cushions, leaving my brothers in the dust.

It turned out trying to climb up onto a big beanbag as a kid was ridiculously hard; I had to practically crawl my way up. When I was finally sprawled out atop it, the angle was so bad that I could only see the ceiling. I started wriggling about, trying to get up, but then the Earth Queen picked me up and helped me sit at a better angle.

“Thank you very much.”

(Oh, you’re just so adorable. I’d love to bring you home with me.)

“Absolutely not!” my brothers protested as they ran toward me. This time, the Fire and Water Kings had to step in to pick up my brothers and sit them down on the same cushion as me.

Isn’t it pretty impressive that I managed to climb up a beanbag that’s big enough to fit all three of us by myself?

(They’re even cuter when they’re all together!) the Wind Queen squealed.

(Try this fruit,) the Fire King chimed in next.

(Your name’s Alan, right? You don’t seem to have an earth sword spirit. Let me—)

(All of you calm down. You’re scaring them.)

It turned out what had awaited us here in the Water King’s home was a warm welcome. My brothers were frozen to the spot, both clinging to me.

Leave this to me. I’ll show you a woman’s bravery.

I sat up as straight as I could and said, “I must offer you all my most sincere gratitude for inviting us here today. May I begin by posing a question?” The Royal Spirits were all seated on their cushions now, listening intently.

(Speak,) the Fire King said, everyone else nodding after him.

“Do you all know just exactly what I am?”

(We do,) the Earth Queen replied.

(The shape of your spirit is odd,) the Wind Queen added.

(You hold the memories of your life before you were transported here, correct?) asked the Water King.

He’d dropped the biggest bombshell like it was nothing!

“STOOOOOP! You’re getting ahead of yourself! At least let me explain it to my brothers first!”

(Oh, you haven’t told them yet? Then I shall wait.)

Ugh, talk about making things harder for me. I was sandwiched between my brothers, who were now naturally staring at me in shocked confusion, wondering what the Royal Spirits had meant.

The way the Royal Spirits were watching this play out with warm smiles on their faces was like... It was so... Actually, you know what they were like? They were like centuries-old grandparents excited that their grandchildren had come to visit. They were so desperate to stick their noses into our business.

“Transported as in...reincarnated?” Chris ventured.

“Yes. Chris, I actually have the memories of my previous life. The world I used to live in was one without magic and spirits, but it had a highly developed civilization.”

“Does that mean you’ve died before?” Alan asked.

I’d been hoping Chris wouldn’t be disgusted, but instead it seemed like he had a ton of questions. Alan, on the other hand, seemed worried that I still had memories of dying.

“Yes. It was an illness...I think. I died young, before my parents. What a terrible daughter I was, huh?”

“Parents? Did you have siblings?” Chris asked.

“A big sister and a little one,” I confirmed.

“You must miss them...” Alan said.

“When I was first reborn in this world, I missed them dearly, but now I have you two by my side, and I love my mother and father in this world too.”

My brothers hugged me from both sides. See? They’re utter angels.

I might not have been able to go back to Japan anymore, but I was living happily enveloped in the love of my family. This time, I’d be a good daughter to my parents, get married, and live a happy life with my husband.

“And that’s why you didn’t seem like someone your age?”

“Personally, I think I’m much more like a child than you are, Chris.”

“What age were you when you died?” he asked.

“You should never ask a lady her age,” I returned with a huff.

To be honest, I just really didn’t want to tell them I’d been in my late twenties. Wouldn’t that creep them out? That was a truth I would take to my grave.

“You probably weren’t an adult, right?” Alan speculated. “You’re always running around everywhere, and you’re a bit airheaded.”

“You’re right,” Chris agreed. “She’s smart, but she doesn’t really act like an adult.”

“Wait, that was just because I needed to act like a child!”

“Huh? That was acting?”

I really didn’t want to tell them I had been in my late twenties...for a completely different reason now.

(You were ill, weren’t you? Of course you’d want to run around if you suddenly ended up in a healthy body,) the Earth Queen chimed in.

(Did you have a lover? What about marriage?) the Wind Queen asked.

“I wasn’t married, and I didn’t have a partner either.”

“Oh, because of your illness...” Alan said, sounding a little sad.

“And that’s why you come across like a child,” Chris concluded.

Oh no. Why were they starting to view me like I had been some frail, hapless little girl?

What happened to me not seeming like a child? What changed? I don’t understand.

Two girls—one who floated instead of walking and the girl who had guided us here—brought us fruit and all-natural fruit juice since we couldn’t move from the beanbag.

Our spirits seemed to be scared in the presence of all four Royal Spirits, so they were huddling behind us. The fact that their lights were shining brighter than usual regardless must have been because of the high mana levels in this place.

“I didn’t think you’d believe me so easily,” I said.

“Why would you lie under these circumstances?” Chris countered.

“It also explains why you’re so strange,” Alan added.

(Then could you now listen to what we have to say?) the Water King asked.

Now that the hardest part was out of the way, I felt much better. I hadn’t realized how much lighter I would feel with my brothers as understanding allies. It seemed a little pathetic to be so relieved by the support of young children when I was almost in my thirties. Sure, my old world might have had its share of crime and disturbing incidents, but I really had been living an easy life back there.

(You seem to believe you are the only one to have reincarnated in this world, Deirdre, but that is not the case,) the Water King said. (All humans of this world are either those who have reincarnated or their descendants.)

“HUUUUUUUH?!”

(You are simply the only one who currently has memories of your previous life,) he continued.

(Your world had too many humans. The only option left was for us to take in those who reincarnated here,) the Fire King explained with a stern expression and folded arms.

(You destroyed so much nature over there. No spirits live there anymore,) the Earth Queen sighed with disappointment.

First, humans had destroyed nature in their own world, and now they were here destroying the homes of the Royal Spirits. This must be why Little Wiki doesn’t have any entries tied to the destruction of nature.

(Don’t misunderstand. We have no intention of criticizing you for a different world’s matters,) the Earth Queen reassured me. (Our responsibility is this country in this world. And I choose to believe that the gods let you keep your memories so you could reestablish communication between humans and spirits.)

(This country’s citizens had forgotten how to live with us, after all,) the Water King said.

(So we wanted to thank you for reminding them,) the Wind Queen added.

(The Water King’s smug face does not sit well with me, though. How dare your land be the only place with a sharp increase in spirits?) The Fire King was glaring at his fellow royal.

(I told you to call me Ruri.)

Place the kind and voluptuous Earth Queen and the curious and expressive Wind Queen next to the Fire and Water Kings and this was just a hit parade of moe. My heart had been beating a mile a minute as I excitedly watched their exchange. Now that there was nothing to hide, I could relax into basking in their presence, completely, utterly, and without distraction.

Wait. There’s nothing but distractions right now.

“In other words, everyone who dies in that world comes here?” I asked, overcome by curiosity.

(If that was how it worked, this world would be the one overrun by humans. We will not let this world develop any further. Do be careful about what knowledge you choose to bring over,) the Earth Queen admonished me.

(She won’t be a problem. It seems people are reincarnated in different worlds depending on race, nationality, occupation, and motivations. Of course, the vast majority will reincarnate in their own world. The people who reincarnate in this world tend to be more laid-back,) the Water King explained.

Hmm, so was this the world where those who liked heroic fantasies would be reincarnated? Like the “Yippee, I get to live the slow life!” type people? I guessed that meant there was a world out there all about advancing civilization with science, or a lawless world where everyone had guns like in a shooter game.

Yeah, I’m glad I reincarnated here. Whatever god is up there, I thank you.

“Do monsters exist to keep the human population down while spirits exist so humans don’t destroy nature?”

(It’s nothing that complicated,) the Earth Queen said. (We just want to live in harmony with humans. It’s because you chose to acknowledge our existence and begin talking to us that we’re able to begin raising many more friends. Look forward to autumn—I’ll make sure you have bountiful harvests!)

Oh man, if we’re the only land with good harvests, we’re gonna cause a whole new fuss. The empress’s standing’s gonna grow even worse. What are you going to do now, court mages?

“Your old world was more developed, right?” Alan asked. I nodded. “Does that mean you find it difficult living in this world? You might have more knowledge than even this world’s scholars. Does that not make it annoying to speak with them?”

Alan was so cute worrying on my behalf that I couldn’t help but throw my arms around him in a tight hug.

“Deir?”

“It’s not difficult to live here at all,” I told him. “Every day is so fun.”

“Really?”

“Really. Chris is much smarter than me. I do have a lot of knowledge, but I’m keeping everything to myself unless I think it’s safe to share. Think about it. What would you two choose to share if you ended up going to a different world?”

“Huh? I dunno.”

“There isn’t really much we could tell them as children...” Chris muttered. “Oh wait, you were a child too.”

“You couldn’t run because of your illness.”

Not quite. But regardless, there wasn’t much information an ordinary person could really spread that would be of use. Maybe a craftsman or someone with specialist knowledge would have something of value to teach people, but I’d been nothing more than an office lady. Sure, I had Little Wiki, but I had no intention of using it like that. I was not prepared to take on the responsibility of completely overturning all of this world’s knowledge. Besides, my number one goal was to live peacefully with my family!

If the reason I’d been transported here was to teach everyone how to live with spirits, then my work was done. Spread that information domestically, and it would only be a matter of time before it spread beyond our borders too, right? That meant I was a free woman only four years after being reincarnated!

And then I remembered what else I wanted to do. “Oh, I want to turn our land into a hot spot for tourism.”

“A hot spot?” Chris repeated.

“I can cook, so I want to increase the number of special dishes our region is known for.”

(Cooking from a foreign world, you say?) the Water King cut in. (That does sound interesting. Do allow us to try some as well.)

“I also want to change my underwear,” I continued.

“Huh?”

“My dress is so cute, and yet my underwear is so ugly. It’s unbelievable!”

Don’t you back away from me now, boys! Underwear is important. Cute comfortable underwear makes a girl happy, and it makes her lover just as happy.

“While we’re at it, what kind of underwear do the men of this world wear?” I asked.

(What kind? I can just show— Bwuh!)

When the Fire King started to lower his pants, the Wind Queen silently used her magic against him. If he’d been human, a blow like that would’ve knocked his lights right out.

(Don’t show her that, idiot!)

(But I’m wearing underwear. What’s the problem?)

(That doesn’t make it any better!)

Someone give me a camera! A video camera would be even better! Let me record this!

“Can’t you talk about that once we’re home, Deir?” Chris interrupted the exchange.

“Yes, you don’t have to act like a child anymore, so you can bring all your concerns to our brother,” Alan said, patting my head with a very happy look on his face.

Despite telling them that I had reincarnated, my brothers were treating me no differently. Why? There was no way they were still viewing me as simply a precocious child, right? I’d pretty much stopped acting like a kid recently because of how much of a pain it was to keep up. Had I stopped too late?

But what did that mean for me as an adult if they still saw me as a child once I’d revealed my true self? Did that mean I had been mentally immature in my previous life? Oh god, I can’t even deny it.

“There are far more pressing matters we must discuss.” Chris was the only one here seriously trying to move the conversation forward. The Royal Spirits had all the time in the world, so they didn’t feel pressured to move things along, and they’d merely wished to meet me to begin with.

(We should talk about our names, then,) the Fire King declared.

“Huh?”

(Oh, right, right. I was so frustrated seeing the spirits of Luftanen gushing over receiving names and then the Water King waltzed in with his own name too!) the Wind Queen huffed.

“Luftanen is the island country to the south, right? Do the Royal Spirits there have names?” Chris asked.

(A reincarnator with memories appeared there about two hundred years ago,) she explained. (Which reminds me, the only type of spirit you don’t have is a wind one, right? Do take one home with you.)

“Ah, thank you very much.”

The Wind Queen placed one hand before her mouth and blew gently across her palm, sending a soft green light fluttering over to Chris. Now Chris can join me in having a full set of spirits.

(Then allow me to provide a spirit as well,) the Water King said, looking toward Alan.

(Hold on. Rather than leaving the boy with nothing but sword spirits, you should give him a magic one. It would let him use healing magic,) the Earth Queen suggested.

(Oh, you have a good point.)

(Earth spirits have good defensive properties, though, so I’ll give him a sword spirit,) the queen added.

(How about we make them spirit beasts?) the Water King said.

“Wait. Stop right there. We’ll stand out even worse if you do that!” I cried.

Now all three of us had spirits of every element—which meant we were the only people in Azelia with the full set of spirits.

Margrave Belisario had a huge territory and army! He had strong ties to neighboring countries through trade! If it got out that we’d received spirit beasts from the Royal Spirits on top of that, the whole country would be in an uproar!

“It’s the process of raising a spirit into a beast that allows one to form a precious connection, so we must refuse the beasts,” I said. “Thanks to your gift of our remaining elements, we can dedicate the time we would’ve spent searching for them to visiting other regions instead.”

(Are you planning to drop by Kolkett? If you do, I wouldn’t mind meeting the humans there,) the Wind Queen said.

(There are spirits near the human settlements of Noland, but there are a lot of monsters roaming my land,) the Fire King warned. (If you wish to come see me, you’ll need to ride a spirit beast.)

Don’t look at me like that! Don’t make a little girl go galloping off into monster-infested plains just to see you!

(What does ‘Ruri’ actually mean?) Since all four Royals were simply bringing up whatever they were curious about, our conversation wasn’t progressing at all. The Wind Queen was the one to eventually return the conversation to the topic of names.

“It’s the name of a color,” I explained. “In Japan—that’s the name of the place I used to live in my previous life—lapis lazuli would sometimes be referred to as ruri. We also used that to refer to pretty blues that are the same color as a lapis lazuli stone.”

(I see. A lapis lazuli stone, you say?) Ruri nodded in seeming approval.

(It’s a good name,) the Fire King declared.

(I believe the name of the Water Royal of Luftanen was Moana,) the Wind Queen mused.

After that nice, friendly chat, all of them immediately turned to me with expectant eyes.

Don’t you worry. I made sure to come prepared. I’d worked Little Wiki much harder than I had in a while.

“Like with Ruri, I picked names related to colors. I hope you’ll like them.”

(Ooh, what am I called?) the Wind Queen demanded.

“Hisui.”

She would be called Hisui. Just like with lapis lazuli, it was the name given to a gemstone, in this case jade.

The Earth Queen would be called Kohaku—amber. We often referred to the color of high-grade whisky as amber. As a stone, amber was fossilized tree sap that sometimes had bugs or ammonite fossils preserved inside. To be honest, I found that kinda gross, but at least it was a pretty color.

The Fire King would be called Suoh. This was the name I’d really struggled with. Suoh was the name of a flower—redbud—and its color was far removed from that of fire, but the only Japanese names that evoked more appropriate colors were Hiiro and Beni. Neither of those had seemed like they would fit, and the only stones I could find with similar colors were coral and ruby, so I’d eventually decided to just go for Suoh.

(These names are all quite fitting,) Kohaku said.

(Okay, then let’s refer to each other with these names from now on,) Ruri said.

I’d taken my name for granted since I’d had it since birth, but this whole experience made me realize just how important having your own name really was. If there are four Royal Spirits per country, how have they been referring to each other before now?

(Thank you, Deirdre. I’m very happy with this name.) Kohaku smiled at me.

“I’m glad you like it. Also, um, about the possibility of you meeting with the empress...”

(Right, of course.)

(You wouldn’t mind at least meeting with her, would you?)

(You could voice your complaints directly.)

The Water King—no, Ruri and Suoh both tried to encourage her, but Kohaku was still staring at the ceiling in thought. I completely understood how difficult it would be for her to forgive the destruction of her home and the deaths of many of her spirits, but I didn’t get the sense that she hated humans; she’d been very kind to me and my brothers.

“The empress has two sons, but neither of them has his own spirit, and that poses a problem for the succession,” Chris said then. “If nothing changes, the country will fall into ruin, and that will affect the spirits too.”

Go, Chris, you can do it. I’m rooting for you! And that’s all I can do!

(Oh, those children are no good.) Kohaku shook her head.

“What? But why?”

(They have too little mana,) she said.

(You can see someone’s mana capacity, can’t you? Look. Allie has the least among you three, but those princes don’t have even half of what he does,) Hisui explained.

Was she serious?!

“Ack, they must’ve slacked on building their mana because they were working toward more physical pursuits in the future!” I cried. “But shouldn’t the general know you still need mana even for sword spirits?”

“Allie...” Alan was murmuring to himself.

Don’t get so depressed over a cute nickname, Mr. Six-year-old.

“Um, please just call him Alan,” I requested. “My brother—”

“Deir!” he burst out.

(Ooooh, you’re so cute!) Hisui gushed. (Alan, let’s go eat some sweets over here.)

(He’s going bright red,) Kohaku observed.

Perhaps I’d said more than I should’ve because now Alan was being kidnapped by Kohaku and Hisui. He was flanked and had no choice but to surrender to their pampering. Rest in peace, brother.

“What were we talking about again?” I tried to redirect the conversation.

“Mana capacity,” Chris said, smirking as he observed Alan’s fate. If it’s so funny, why not let yourself get caught too?

“Chris also wants to—”

“Deir,” he cut me off.

“Right, sorry.”

“Let’s get back on topic,” he said. “The general is on a completely different level. He built his mana capacity all so he could marry the empress. It’s believed that the greater your mana capacity, the healthier and more talented your children will be.”

Oh my, so the general had worked on his mana to bag the empress and accidentally ended up raising sword spirits in the process. No one actually knew that sword spirits needed mana in the first place!

“Why did everyone forget so much?!” I couldn’t help but yell.

“The better question is how did you know?” Chris pointed out. “I thought there were no spirits in your old world.”

“Because it was fun.” I shrugged. “Magic and spirits were like this new mystery, so I wanted to try out a bunch of different things.”

“And that’s why you ended up using up your mana until you collapsed,” he concluded.

“Excuse me. We’re here to talk about the princes, not me.”

“There’s nothing else we can do but get them to build up their mana capacities,” Chris said. “The chief mage is your apprentice, so we’ll have him do it.”

Do those mages really think of me as their teacher? What was going on with this imperial court?

(The empress has stated that she would willingly move her citizens to make way for restoring the forest,) Ruri pointed out.

(Won’t that just make the humans resentful toward the spirits?) Kohaku fretted.

“Um, is the forest by the academy not good enough?” I asked.

(Do you know how deserted that place is?) Kohaku’s tone was mournful. (The children only come by in the winter, when it’s too cold for us to even go out. The only people that drop by during any other season are those in charge of maintaining the buildings. Nevertheless, they exterminated all of the large animals in the forest, just in case. Since the forest is completely surrounded by human settlements, no new animals migrate there either. It’s like a desolate island in the middle of the continent, with no animals left to thrive there.)

All right, tell me who the one responsible is! Lemme at ’em! I don’t care if she’s the empress anymore! There’s not a single thing left to help the princes get a spirit!

◆

By the time we returned from the meeting with the Spirit Royals, it was already dark and the stars were twinkling in the sky.

The manor was in complete uproar. Our mother and father wept as they hugged us. They’d already known that the spirits had wanted to speak with me, but it was natural that they’d never imagined we would just suddenly get snatched away like that.

An urgent letter was sent to the imperial palace and a reply then sent back with exceptional speed. This back-and-forth continued for a while, but I wasn’t privy to any of the details. However, I did hear that the empress, the general, their aides, and the chancellor had all agreed to participate in the meeting among the margraves that held the territories where the Royal Spirits lived. Apparently, when they’d been asked to meet at the imperial palace, my family had managed to persuade the imperial entourage to meet at the academy instead.

Good. I really don’t want to go to the palace. It felt as if nothing but disaster awaited there. Every single vase in that place had to be ridiculously expensive. If I knocked any of those over, my head would literally be sent flying.

One day, I said, “I wonder how many days’ wages a single teacup from there would provide a commoner family.”

To which Chris replied, “You could say the same about your own, Deir,” with a smile on his face.

“Please swap all of my dishes with wooden ones!”

“I was just joking,” he said. “They’re not worth that much.”

“Oh, I can just go buy some myself,” I said, ignoring him. “I’ll be back.”

“Listen, I’m sorry, okay?” he rushed to say. “Don’t suddenly try to leave. Brad!”

Why panic so much over a visit to a crockery shop? I felt like I was old enough to be allowed to leave the castle. I wanted to know what the town I lived in was like anyway. Just looking down at it from above told me nothing.

“Father, Deir has started showing interest in the outside.” Chris had snitched at once.

“What?!” father shouted. “We must inform the gatekeepers.”

“Would that be enough? I’m pretty sure Deir could clamber over the walls.”

Now, hold on one second! How do you expect me to climb a wall that’s, like, three stories high?! What sort of a monster do you think I am, Chris?! Slipping out in secret would cause trouble for everyone. I was a fully grown adult inside, so of course I wouldn’t do anything that could risk my staff being fired.

Chapter 10: A Spiritless Forest

The day of the meeting finally arrived. Following my father’s lead, I entered our castle’s teleportation room for the first time and stood on top of the magic circle.

The school grounds were generally closed outside of winter and, usually, those younger than ten were forbidden entry, so this was also my brothers’ first time visiting the campus.

“Teleporting now,” announced one of the staff.

Unlike the time when Ruri had teleported us, there was no enveloping light when using the teleportation array, just an immediate change in scenery that happened faster than I could blink. When we exited the teleportation room, we were suddenly in a large hall with an atrium open to the second floor and several sofa sets dotted about. It was like the lobby of some huge corporation’s offices.

Since Chris would be attending school this winter, father gave a brief introduction of the dorms; there was a cafeteria farther inside the first floor, while the second floor and up contained the dorm rooms. That meant there was a cafeteria in both the main school building and here. Apparently, meals were free so that those less well-off could still eat.

The guards opened a large door decorated with stained glass, and several people walked through it ahead of us. Each of us had our own valets, and my father also had brought one of his aides—this, I could understand. But why did we have so many guards as well for just us four? They were surrounding us so completely that I couldn’t even see my surroundings properly. I was so small that if I didn’t look up, all I could see was people’s backs.

“You’re a little overprotective, father, aren’t you?” I couldn’t help but remark.

“What if some insolent bug decided to attach itself to you? What if you got kidnapped?”

“Wouldn’t the Royal Spirits deal with them?” I pointed out.

“They already have a record of entering your room and taking you away without permission!”

Ruri, you’re seriously gonna have to apologize. I don’t want to upset father, so if you don’t say something, I’ll never get to see you all again.

One of the main reasons we wanted to hold the meeting at the school was because it was a good opportunity to check on the state of the nearby forest. When we stepped through the door, we were greeted by a large park surrounded by a whole circle of buildings—other dormitories, one for each domain of the empire.

An elderly gentleman wearing a valet’s uniform bowed his head deeply as he introduced himself. “Welcome to the academy. I am Rudolph, a custodian of the school. Allow me to guide you.”

We cut through the park to a little path flanked by beautifully maintained flower beds. Father had requested that we hold the meeting in the forest, so they’d prepared tables and chairs for us there. The forest was quiet. From what I could remember, this was what it had been like back in Japan when I’d visited a forest in my neighborhood or on trips with friends.

Honestly, I’d never quite realized until now just how lively the forest around the lake back in Belisario always was. Even if you couldn’t see any spirits, there were many of them present, shaking the leaves or sparkling away or creating waves upon the water. There were so many strange phenomena that if you weren’t used to it, you’d think you were on the set of a horror movie. It had become so natural to those of us living there that it never surprised us anymore. When something happened, we’d write it off as another of the spirits’ little tricks.

There wasn’t a single sign of anything like that here. I couldn’t even hear the sound of birds chirping.

“This is...” I heard someone murmur.

“Ruri said that the spirits here wouldn’t approach humans, but he never said that there were no spirits at all, right?” I said.

“There really aren’t any here, though.” Chris shook his head as he looked around.

The leaves swayed with the wind, rustling in the breeze. The gentle warm rays of the sun filtered through the branches, the sunlight seeming to sparkle as they swayed. Yet this forest was the one that felt like a horror movie scene. I’d never imagined an absence of spirits would feel so unnatural.

In the center of the clearing was a large wooden table covered by a beautiful, embroidered tablecloth, with tea and snacks set out in preparation. Two middle-aged men had already been seated when we arrived, but upon noticing us, they stood up and even walked over to greet us.

“Oh, you’re already here,” called one.

“It has been quite some time, Margrave Belisario,” called the other.

The broad-shouldered, slightly balding man in his mid-forties was the margrave of Kolkett, the highland area where the Wind Queen resided. Upon learning that increasing the spirit population would lead to bountiful harvests and improve the taste of their livestock’s milk and meat, he’d become very enthusiastic about assisting with the efforts. The earth spirit floating by his shoulder had gotten quite big, so he must have been doing his best to feed it mana.

The other man was the margrave of Noland, the land where the Fire King resided. Noland was known for its sprawling wilderness and monster-infested plains, which was exactly why it was impossible to visit Suoh without a spirit beast. The margrave was a well-built man who could even fend off monsters himself. I’d heard he was in his fifties, but he looked much younger than that. He had both a wind magic spirit and an earth sword spirit. It looked like he was making sure to feed them well too.

After exchanging some brief introductions, they both came a few steps closer, looking at us as if they had something to say.

“Can you feel it?” Margrave Kolkett murmured.

“This forest is strange,” Margrave Noland said in the same hushed tone. They were lowering their voices even though there wasn’t anyone else around to hear them.

“We were just discussing that ourselves,” father said.

“I see.”

“So it wasn’t our imagination, after all.”

Their eyes went to the four spirits of differing colors floating above Chris’s head, then to the spirits perched on my shoulders, then to Alan’s.

“You all really do have spirits of every element. And just look at the size of them all.” Margrave Kolkett looked impressed.

“You have a sword spirit, don’t you?” Margrave Noland asked Alan. “I also have an earth sword spirit. Would you mind if we chatted about them later on?”

“It would be my pleasure,” my brother replied.

After we finished our greetings and began walking to the table, for some reason, their eyes landed on me again.

“I’d heard the rumors, but she truly is an adorable young lady.”

“So few people have seen her that there are those who have begun to wonder if she’s some sort of a fairy.”

Me?! These old men were so smooth. I really didn’t like this flamingo pink dress I had been forced into, but my tolerating it was paying off. I’d never have worn such a frilly, lace-bedecked dress back in Japan. It did suit this body, though. You’d think I was trying to be Elizabeth Taylor with my violet eyes. Even now I’d look in the mirror in the mornings and marvel at my face. Dana and Cynthia observing the way I admired myself with disappointment in their eyes was a daily occurrence now.

“Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Ephenia, has arrived.”

Upon being informed of the empress’s arrival, we all lined up in front of the table and bowed our heads. The men bowed their heads with their right hand on their chest while I had my right hand on my chest and my left hand slightly lifting the skirt of my dress.

The etiquette of this country demanded that at personal gatherings, soirees, tea parties, or balls, I was to curtsy with both hands on my skirt. At official gatherings or audiences with the empress, I was to only use one hand on my skirt.

“No need to be so formal,” the empress said graciously. “Please speak your mind today with no regard to social status. That includes you, children. I promise you that nothing you say here will lead to any punishment.”

What a statement to make. What kinds of things was she expecting we’d say?

Empress Ephenia and General Maximilian sat down first, and then their aides took up posts behind their chairs, two for each of them. Beside the general sat Count Dalimore, the chancellor of the imperial court, and next to the empress sat the chief mage. Behind the chief mage stood his own aide and his deputy. There were two more magicians present besides them, and since we had our own valets and aides, there was quite a crowd gathered here today. There were guards stationed both outside our circle and within the forest too, so the staff of the school looked two seconds away from fainting out of sheer nerves.

“Shall we begin our discussion, then? I’ve heard that the young children were invited to the Water King’s domain.” The empress was looking right at none other than me.

“Your Imperial Majesty, do forgive my rudeness, but there is something else I wish to discuss first,” father interrupted. He held greater power than any other margrave here.

“Speak.”

“Do those of the imperial court feel anything amiss with this forest?”

When father said those words, they all furrowed their brows as they looked around them, confusion painting their faces.

They really didn’t know. They didn’t visit forests enough to have any idea what was normal.

I guess that’s the difference between being out in the countryside and living here in the central region. It’s natural that they have no idea.

“Is there something strange here?” the empress finally asked.

“Speak clearly,” the chancellor demanded.

Father’s eyes narrowed at the chancellor’s clear displeasure. Count Dalimore was a man in his late fifties who had held the post of chancellor since the previous emperor’s reign. He was the third son of a marquess but had managed to catch the eye of the previous emperor who’d assigned him the title of viscount and then later count.

Based on title alone, father held more power. But since Count Dalimore was the chancellor of the imperial court, he held more power when it came to imperial matters.

It was these little nuances in power differences that I struggled to keep up with. It didn’t help that the one with more authority would change case by case. If you didn’t make sure to do all your research ahead of time, you’d gain the ire of so many people without realizing it.

“Then allow me to speak plainly. There are no spirits in this forest.”

“Excuse me?!” the chancellor cried.

“What do you mean by that?” the empress asked.

Why are you looking at me? It’s not like I represent all the spirits.

“Do you know what’s going on, Deir?”

Oh, and now father was asking me. Then maybe it was okay to say it? Surely.

“How do I say this... You aren’t going to treat anything I say as a crime, right?” I was four years old. I had a tendency to forget since I spoke normally with my brothers, but I had to make sure I didn’t use advanced vocabulary. “It’s okay, isn’t it?”

“Of course. Say whatever you’re thinking.”

I looked at the empress, then at the general, then at everyone else and let my head tilt to the side.

“It’s been about ten days since I last met with Your Imperial Majesty.”

“To be precise, it’s been eight days,” she said.

“The topic of spirits had come up well before then,” I continued.

“Yes. And?”

“So why have the people in the imperial palace not raised their spirits further? Do none of you give them mana? Your Majesty’s spirits are still so small, and the spirits of the people over there look like they’re about to disappear.” The chancellor’s little earth spirit was already half gone. Do you even realize that the Royal in your area is the Earth Queen? Are you trying to pick a fight? “They aren’t going to give spirits to people who ignore them and don’t even feed them food.”

“O-Oh, well, we’ve...been a bit busy, you see,” the empress said.

“Right. We’re much busier than you country bumpkins,” scoffed Chancellor Dalimore.

“And that’s more important than your spirits? So important that you couldn’t spare the tiniest bit of time to feed them?”

“We’re talking about work that is vital to the running of the empire. Of course it’s more important,” the chancellor said.

“This is why children shouldn’t be involved in these talks,” muttered his aide.

The empress was sitting speechless, her eyes wide, while the general was frowning with his arms crossed. At least they understood that it was bad. Unfortunately, there was an unscalable wall between the imperial palace staff who had never met the Royal Spirits and whose only spirit beasts were those owned by the chief and deputy mages, and those of us living in our castle where we saw spirit beasts every day.

Ugh... I guess my quest is far from complete after all. The path to harmony between humans and spirits is long indeed.

“Then why do you require spirits?” Chris asked with an angelic carefree smile.

What was that face? He looked like he was challenging them. Should I join him in battle?

“As a proof of your status?” I asked. “As an accessory?”

“The Belisario children seem very taken with the spirits,” the chancellor said with narrowed eyes.

“It may be necessary for you living out in the countryside, but we have magic tools that reduce our need to use magic,” his aide added.

“So you don’t need the spirits, then?” I said. “Okay, I’ll make sure to tell Her Sacred Majesty that.”

The air went cold the moment I said those words.

Take that! Flash freeze!

“You can speak to the Spirit Queen?”

“Are you able to meet with her that easily?”

The chancellor and his two aides were staring at me in shock.

Hey, I’m the one who should be surprised here. Didn’t the empress already mention that we were invited to the Water King’s domain?

“Ah, I must not have told you about it,” Her Majesty cut in. “I’ve been so abnormally busy the past few days, you see, that I forgot to inform you. This is the child who received the blessing of the Water Spirit King and who has also received the backing of all the Royal Spirits of our empire.”

Huh? Was this...deliberate? Were the empress and the chancellor engaged in a power struggle? I was still acting like a child around my father, so I wasn’t well-informed on those sorts of conflicts. But I was sure that Chris would tell me anything he knew that was important, and there had to be a reason for why his and father’s moods had suddenly soured dramatically. Why, though?

“It appears not all the members of the imperial court are fully informed on the current situation,” father said. “There are only four Royal Spirits, so the Earth Queen is in charge of not just the capital, but also the surrounding territories. Your family, Count Dalimore, lives in the territory of Marquess Trier, which neighbors the capital. Were the Earth Queen to hear that you do not believe you need spirits, then she would ensure that the spirits who live there would not approach humans.”

Father’s words had clearly ruffled the feathers of the chancellor and his aides, their hostility far from hidden. The other aides had looked nervous from the start of this whole argument, and the court mages had visited our castle several times over by now, so they all had to know the situation.

“Are you saying that the reason all the spirits disappeared from this forest was to prevent them from approaching us?” the chancellor demanded.

“Is it not highly likely that Her Sacred Majesty is angry?” father countered.

“There is also something you appear to be forgetting...” Chris was directing his signature smile at the chancellor again! This nine-year-old boy was flashing a cold smile at an empire’s chancellor! This was about to give me a heart attack for more than one reason!

“We have been told that areas with large spirit populations are guaranteed to have a bountiful harvest,” Chris began. “The Earth Queen guaranteed that this year’s produce in the March of Belisario would be blessed. Starting from next year, several other regions will also have successful harvests, I imagine—apart from those lands on the edges of the imperial capital it seems.”

“Are you insinuating that we would be to blame?!” spat the chancellor.

“Not simply insinuating.”

H-Hold on. This isn’t like you, Chris. Why are you so angry?

That wasn’t to say that I wasn’t mad too—both at the empress for using the spirits in her silly power struggles and at the chancellor for acting so flippantly toward them, even though all it would’ve taken was a bit of interest to have realized he was missing a report.

Isn’t this pretty bad? On the one hand, we had the imperial princes unable to obtain even their first spirits, while on the other, we Belisario children had managed to gather spirits of every element. Then there was the empress, who had angered the Royal Spirits, versus my dear papa here, who was building a good relationship with the Water King, even if it was through his child.

If the imperial capital ended up falling to ruin because of all of this, were we not at real risk of the empire splitting into two?

“The capital’s impending desertification is of far more importance to us than whether there are or aren’t spirits,” the chancellor said.

“Were you even listening? If the queen is so enraged that she is even refusing an audience with Her Majesty, then the desertification is as good as done.” Margrave Kolkett had finally entered the fray.

“Her Majesty is willing to use the Belisario children as a bridge to apologize to the Earth Queen for destroying her forest, and yet here you are trying to say that you have no need of spirits because of magic tools. How utterly arrogant.” And there was Margrave Noland also joining the fight. His cold voice was very intimidating.

I didn’t know heads from tails when it came to politics, so I was staying out of it.

Isn’t there something strange going on here, though? When we’d met with the Water King, the empress had knelt in apology without hesitation. Hell, she’d interrupted her schedule just to dash straight to our march. Why would she not have grown her spirits? The general’s spirits were coming along pretty well—enough that they were close to turning into spirit beasts. They lived together, so how had only one of them managed it?

I couldn’t push down my curiosity, so since I wouldn’t be arrested for anything I did today, I threw caution to the wind, stood on my chair, leaned forward over the table, and looked right into the empress’s face.

The table was as big as a meeting room’s, though, so there was still quite a distance between us.

“Deirdre?”

“Your Majesty, are you eating?” I asked in as innocent a voice as possible. “Are you forgetting to feed not just your spirits but yourself as well?”

Everyone’s eyes suddenly gathered on the empress. Father and Chris exchanged furtive glances with solemn faces.

“That’s exactly right. Her Majesty is so busy she can’t even sleep. I’m concerned.” The general’s nods were enthusiastic as the empress turned to him with a troubled look.

“You must make sure you get plenty of rest,” I admonished her. “Without food, you’ll collapse. Is everyone in the imperial court so busy? The chief mage is always dropping by our castle, so he must be quite free.”

The chief spit out the tea he had been in the middle of drinking, which was followed by an explosion of dissatisfaction from the margrave duo.

“That is odd indeed,” declared Margrave Kolkett. “I’ve heard that the aide, Dudley, has frequently made appearances at soirees.”

“You look healthy, Your Excellency,” said Margrave Noland to the chancellor. “You look so youthful I’m almost jealous.”

So, uhhh, am I to read this situation as the empress having extra work forced on her? Is that how the chancellor intends to crush her? So cunning!

“Wouldn’t your inability to complete your duties be a sign of your lacking skill as empress?” The chancellor directed his response to the empress rather than the margraves.

“Precisely,” his aide jumped in. “If we will not be held to task for anything we say here, then allow me to be blunt. Prince Jean turned sixteen this year. Is it not about time you pass the throne to him?”

Hey, those two went and completely veered away from the topic of spirits.

“Alan, who’s Prince Jean?” I murmured.

“Her Majesty’s younger brother,” he said.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, Prince Andrew is already ten, isn’t he? Now that I think about it, is he not the standing crown prince? The eldest son would have a higher claim to the throne than the empress’s younger brother, right?

Wait, this isn’t even the time or place for this discussion! Don’t get my family involved in your mess.

“Well, this is a surprise,” Margrave Kolkett said. “Aides don’t usually make such remarks. You should be aware that the ones who protected this country from foreign invaders eleven years ago were the empress and the general.”

“And yet you were deliberately forcing extra work on Her Majesty?” Margrave Noland asked.

If we were open to say what we wanted, I wasn’t about to pass up the chance. I’m a kid—you can’t blame me!

“Were you mean old men bullying the empress?” I asked in my most adorable voice.

“Mean old men...” repeated Count Dalimore.

That wasn’t the part they should’ve been taking offense at!

“I never thought you would come out and say it yourselves,” the general murmured.

“They must have had their own complaints building up,” the empress sighed. “It appears they weren’t happy having someone who could be their daughter’s age ordering them around.”

“You heard all of that, right?” the general said, and he and the empress both turned to look behind them. Standing beneath the trees was a young man with the same majestic red hair as the empress. He was tall with an androgynous face, and he’d brought with him two spirit beasts perched on his shoulders, one a water spirit seahorse and the other an earth spirit owl.

“Your Highness! You have your own spirit beasts?!”

“Incredible. This is why you are the person most suited to taking the throne,” the chancellor announced.

“Didn’t you just say spirits were unnecessary?” Jean returned in a chilly tone, his cold stare instantly shutting up the chancellor as he and his aides swallowed nervously. The prince sauntered up between the empress and the general and placed a hand on his sister’s shoulder, peering at her with worry. “You really do look unwell, sister. Have you lost weight? It’s because I left everything to you, isn’t it? Thanks to those annoying gnats who won’t shut up any time I appear.”

“Don’t worry, Jean. I’m all right.” The empress laid a hand over her brother’s.

Uhh, what’s going on here? Did he announce his participation in this meeting late so they could trick each other? Was this all a ploy to get the margraves on their side? That’s kinda horrible, you know? This has nothing to do with the spirits.

“You’re Deirdre, yes? Why do you not let your spirit beasts out?”

For the millionth time, why did everyone keep returning the conversation to me? And anyway, spirit beasts weren’t some freak show.

“I see you had time to feed your spirits, Prince Jean,” I observed.

“Ha ha ha, I certainly did. Thanks to Her Majesty, I had the time to both raise my spirits and live my childhood years as I should. That whole time, she alone—no, she, together with the general, propped up this country. Now, it is my turn to support the empress. In truth, the general already has a spirit beast himself.”

“I thought his spirit looked ready to become one!” I exclaimed.

“Oh, you’d noticed.” The general’s arm glowed red as particles of light floated upward and transformed into a fire bird.

“Ah, a phoenix.”

“Even if Her Majesty does not yet have her own spirit beast, Jean and I can protect her. I ended up pushing myself a little too hard in a rush to evolve it, though.”

He’d had to make sure the imperial family wasn’t inferior to the Belisarios, after all. I could already imagine him exhausting his mana as he spoke to his spirit, all to protect the one he loved.

I wonder if he passed out. Maybe he even barfed everywhere. Bet he couldn’t stop himself from retching. He must’ve felt like a right royal wretch. Or would he be an imperial wretch...?

Having apparently read my thoughts, the general added, “I didn’t vomit.”

“Wow.”

“Please wait, Your Highness,” the chancellor interrupted, standing up from his seat. Here we’d just gotten a more whimsical atmosphere going and the chancellor had to go and shatter it. “The reason Lady Ephenia was acknowledged as empress was because Your Highness was still too young. Surely you are old enough now to—”

“Chancellor,” the prince cut in.

Count Dalimore begrudgingly acknowledged the interruption. “Yes.”

“Neither you nor your aides has the power to decide who should or should not be ruler,” Prince Jean said. “Her Majesty became empress through all the proper procedures. She is incredibly popular among the people. I will not allow you to cause more problems because of such a ridiculous reason as not wishing to take orders from a woman. I choose to acknowledge Prince Andrew as the crown prince.”

The chancellor’s hands gripped tightly together as he glared at Prince Jean. Given how cleanly the prince had rejected him, it was likely he’d already refused him before, so why had the chancellor thought he had any chance of putting the prince on the throne?

I was becoming much more suspicious all of a sudden. Eleven years ago, their political situation had been in dire straits due to how many people in power had been replaced all at once. I couldn’t help but think that the prince had shown interest in the throne at some point in order to weed out any remaining opposition.

If that were the case, had he chosen this meeting as the moment to finally betray the chancellor?

“There is one other thing we must discuss here.” Father spoke up then.

“Speak, Margrave Belisario,” Her Imperial Majesty commanded.

“Your Majesty ascended the throne eleven years ago. The Spirit Queen’s forest was destroyed ten years ago. I investigated what happened back then.”

“What?!” Chancellor Dalimore cried.

“The destruction of the forest was carried out to rehome those who had run from the fires of war along the borders.”

“Yes, I remember that.” The empress gave a slight nod.

“Now, who exactly chose that location and suggested the land be developed?” father asked. “It may help if I supply the fact that the development of that land gave easier access between the domain of Trier and the imperial capital, and that many buildings owned by Marquess Trier can be found there.”

“I...am aware of this too, yes.”

“What are you implying?” demanded the chancellor. “I went through all necessary procedures involved in developing that land.”

Now the only ones remaining in their seats were my brothers. Alan especially looked entirely disinterested. He was listening to what was being said, but his attention was completely taken up by the spirit beasts. I was also still sitting with my feet on my chair, holding my knees while I watched how events unfolded.

“I believe the chief mage has something to say on that matter,” father said.

The chancellor immediately turned pale. “That man’s words mean nothing!”

“Be quiet. I will be the judge of that.” The empress’s voice was deeper than usual. Even the general was standing intimidatingly between the empress and the chancellor.

“Before the decision to develop that land was finalized, we found documents that noted that area was a Royal Spirit’s place of residence and told the chancellor as much,” the chief mage explained.

Whoa! That’s crazy important! You knew all along?!

“But the chancellor stated that the documents were mistaken and that the Royal Spirit actually resided in the forest by Arlon Falls, claiming that was the reason it was the empress’s private land. He even showed me physical proof of this.”

“I don’t recall ever saying such a thing,” the chancellor countered. “Do you have those documents on hand?”

“Yes, I do. What we handed back to the chancellor was but a magically transcribed copy, so we still have the original. Believing the discussion to be important, I also recorded our conversation with a magic tool.”

“Then why have you remained silent on this matter for so long?” demanded the empress.

“Because I truly believed that the Royal Spirit’s land was the forest by Arlon Falls. I never imagined that the chancellor would truly plot to have the imperial capital fall into ruin. When I heard what the Water King had to say eight days ago, I thought it possible that the chancellor would try to find those records and destroy them, so I cooperated with Margrave Belisario to bring this truth to light today.”

Hell yeah, chief! I knew you weren’t just an otaku!

“You knew about this all along, didn’t you, Chris?” I asked, turning to my eldest brother.

“All of this was set in motion the day we met with the Spirit King,” he confirmed.

“You could’ve told me,” I grumbled.

“Are you prepared to tell everyone the truth, then?”

Ugh... He has a point. It was getting really hard trying to pretend I was a kid. If I’d gotten involved with this plan, I was pretty sure I’d have been busted. Besides, it had only been five days since I’d come out to my brothers.

Each day felt so packed with reveals recently.

“Chancellor, did you intend to go so far as to let the capital turn to desert merely to pull me from power?!” Her Majesty demanded.

“Of course not,” the chancellor huffed, barely minding the empress’s fury. “Prince Jean is loved by the spirits so I had planned for you to gain the ire of the Royal Spirits and then have His Highness ask for their forgiveness so he could become emperor in your stead. But then those filthy Belisario children had to stick their noses where they didn’t belong!”

(Ah, the one who destroyed my forest was you, then.)

A sudden strong wind blew through the clearing, rustling the trees as the light began to shimmer. What had felt like the set of a horror film was abruptly filled with the twittering of birds.

(Henceforth, I will give not a single spirit to you nor to your bloodline. Nor to yours.)

In the air just behind Empress Ephenia, the Earth Queen materialized, beige robes fluttering in the wind. She held out her hand toward the chancellor and his aides, and the small spirits by their shoulders dove straight for her.

(Empress. In addition to these three, there should be five more people who have lost their spirits. They are also responsible for the destruction of my forest.)

“I deeply apologize. This is all due to my incompetence.”

Though the Earth Queen was wearing such a plain dress, had wrapped herself in only a faint glow, and had brought no accompanying attendants, her presence alone was enough to impress us with the difference in power—enough so that the chancellor had knelt upon the ground, turning pale as it sunk in that this was whom he had been attempting to use for his own gain. The queen glanced at me and my brothers—who still sat watching from their chairs as the adults became well acquainted with the ground—gave us a kind smile, and then winked.

“She’s terrifying...”

Alan was starting to realize just how frightening a woman could be.

(For what was that an apology?) intoned the Earth Queen, returning her attention to the empress. (For involving these children whom we Royal Spirits have sworn to protect and turning the spirits into an excuse to resolve your little political squabbles? Or for not managing to discover who had destroyed my forest by yourself?)

The empress, the general, and the prince were all looking up at the queen with faces drained of color. They turned their eyes toward us, realized that we weren’t being expected to kneel, and then with shocked expressions, quickly averted their gazes back to the ground.

The two margraves were stuck looking between us and the queen with their mouths hanging open in shock. They’d gone far beyond a simple double take.

Father glanced at us from where he knelt and smiled uncomfortably.

When we had been invited by Ruri to his domain and been told to come back anytime, they’d said we didn’t need to kneel to them since we were friends. That was why even my brothers were able to sit in their seats as normal.

I was a girl beloved of the Royal Spirits, someone who’d been offered their backing. Nevertheless, I was also just a four-year-old. The imperial family might have thought that they were safe to ignore me so long as I didn’t do anything disagreeable. They’d likely never imagined that the Earth Queen herself would so readily appear before humans like this.

Come on, now. You literally came here with your own new spirit beasts. Do you know how happy Ruri was to see spirit beasts appear again after decades of the knowledge of them being lost? Do you know how jealous the other Royals were of him?

Prince Jean’s spirit beasts had likely been born before mine, but the queen had only gotten to meet them today because she hadn’t wanted to visit the people who had destroyed her forest. He and the general probably viewed the spirit beasts as their personal belongings, but to the Royal Spirits, humans were the ones owned by the spirit beasts, I imagined.

(Though the culprits have been found, my forest is still destroyed,) declared the Earth Queen. (We will turn the forest by Arlon Falls into our new residence. So that this forest does not remain isolated, I will have you connect this forest and the one by Arlon. Consider that your apology to us.)

“Come again?”

Yup. We hadn’t told them yet, but Kohaku’s request had been that a path be built for the spirits between this forest at the academy and the one by Arlon Falls. An easy way to visualize what she wanted was as a strip of land about the width of a road leading up to a large shrine—except rather than being paved with stones, it would be filled with trees.

Basically, so long as they connected the two areas with a row of trees and forbid humans from entering, it would suffice. The problem was that it took about twenty minutes by foot to travel between the two areas; this would be a massive undertaking.

“Is it possible for us to start a tree farm?” I asked.

“The Republic of Pendelus regularly imports saplings to prevent the further desertification of their land. All those saplings are grown in Noland,” Chris told me.

Huh?! They already have tree farms and reforestation projects? My old world’s technology is useless yet again! That’s odd. Isn’t this usually where I would show off my knowledge and then get exposed as a person from another world? Are radio calisthenics going to be my only achievement in this world?

(This forest is lacking in mana. Provide people who can supply mana until the forests are connected. The more concentrated the mana in the air is, the faster the forests will connect. When that is completed, I shall grant you your spirits.)

“What? Hey, you didn’t mention a condition like that,” I objected.

“Shhh!” Chris hushed me.

Kohaku had said that if we could get them to agree to connecting the forests, she’d grant them spirits. This is because they got the spirits involved in their silly power struggles, isn’t it? The princes weren’t even going to be allowed spirits for three years at best now.

(Belisario.)

“Yes, Your Sacred Majesty.”

(It was your skill that allowed us to find the culprits. You should make it clear that the imperial family owes you a great deal.)

My father accepted the queen’s words in silence.

(Oh, and before I forget. Empress, you should move quickly. The desertification of the capital has already begun.)

Is Kohaku actually super angry? She was sitting in the air, legs crossed, and had whipped out a feather fan that she was now elegantly waving.

Suddenly, the motherly Earth Queen was starting to look much more like a demon king.

◆

The imperial palace was in complete disarray after the meeting. The Trier and Dalimore families had their titles revoked, the chancellor and eight others were sentenced to death, and their families were subject to further investigation. Prince Andrew was officially named crown prince, while Prince Jean received the former lands of Marquess Trier, took his mother’s maiden name of Stanfield, and became a duke.

Ah, right, and apparently, all of the plants in the area of the spirits’ former forest wilted. Those who had been happily taking their time suddenly entered a great panic; work on the tree farm really kicked into high gear.

For at least three years, the empress would likely be in a difficult position, but she had an even more pressing issue to consider: She had to determine how to handle the Belisarios now that we were being given special treatment by the Royal Spirits. It wouldn’t be good if someone completely unaware of that fact incurred our wrath, so our family was now given the same treatment as a duke’s family. Apparently, that placed us only a step down from the imperial family in terms of precedence.

Father had been left with his own worries, though. The Earth Queen had outright declared that the imperial family owed us a great debt, and she’d even allowed my brothers to not kneel. I had Ruri’s blessing and the vow from the four Royal Spirits that they would be my guardians. If someone made one wrong move, the country could be completely destroyed, so the imperial family would very much have liked to make me one of them, whether through adoption or marriage. So long as I said no, however, they couldn’t force me into anything, no matter how many times they offered.

The entire country could fall into ruin if someone annoyed this one particular four-year-old. Even I was starting to see myself as a nuisance. Who does this kid think she is, hmm?

And so, the imperial palace decided that if they couldn’t pull me into their family, they would take father instead.

“They are suggesting I take up a position in the imperial palace, such as the role of chancellor.”

“I see,” Chris said. “Well, I wouldn’t mind you leaving the matters of the march to me, so good luck.”

“This is no laughing matter! I’ll barely get to see you all anymore. If I can’t see Deir, then work has no meaning!”

But the nobles of our march were overjoyed. If the margrave gained more power, those below him naturally did too. We already had a ton of people visiting us over the summer to learn how to raise their spirits. Never mind a holiday resort—we’d become the land of the spirits.

The imperial family had taken their vacation in the lands of Marquess Johannes, but some officials from the marquess’s domain had visited us to take part in our lessons on caring for spirits. Most of the land along the coast was Ruri’s territory, so it was like we had sacred land within our castle grounds.

Then autumn rolled around and as predicted, the March of Belisario boasted a record-breaking harvest and massively successful catches at sea. Our domain burst into celebration, and all the towns and villages gifted us food and alcohol. Our knights’ order and the soldiers of our army even set up stalls in the castle town for a day and gave out free food.

With such bounty, we had plenty of reserves for worst-case scenarios, and we were able to sell our crops at high prices to the areas surrounding the capital whose harvests had suffered.

When the city was happy, the knights and everyone else working in the castle were happy. When everyone else was happy, I was also happy. I hope I get to go see the castle town myself soon.

“Deir, would you like to join me at Empress Ephenia’s tea party?” mother asked as I mused on recent developments. “The crown prince will be attending as well.”

“Father said I shouldn’t go to tea parties until I’m six,” I reminded her.

“Another letter has also arrived from His Grace, Lord Jean,” she pressed.

“I will read it in due time.”

At the end of the meeting, I had asked the empress, “Had you really been forgetting to give mana to your spirits?”

She’d looked at me in shock and said, “I really had. I’ll make sure to do it from now on.” But honestly, the doubts I’d begun to harbor about her had yet to clear. What if she deliberately hadn’t fed them in order to use us and the Spirit Queen? What if the general had pushed himself to grow his spirit into a beast only to help alleviate any of the inevitable anger? What if Kohaku had caught on to that, and that was why she’d made the conditions for giving them spirits harsher?

And now, the empress knew that a little kid like me was suspicious of her. She had also noticed that it wasn’t just me—father and my brothers had become just that little bit colder toward her too. The change was so small that if she hadn’t known them personally for so long, she’d likely never have noticed.

As if in an attempt to repair relations, mother always invited me along whenever she went to tea parties.

Sorry, mother. I can understand Her Majesty’s position in my head, but my heart can’t forgive her for trying to use the spirits in that way. Nor can it forgive the imperial family for abandoning the spirits without a second thought for all these years.

It was expected that a noble would have at least one spirit—they served as a status symbol. The more you had, the more impressive you looked. But that meant that they viewed them as mere decoration.

It didn’t matter how hungry or lonely spirits were, they couldn’t voice their needs until they became beasts. You had to treasure those tiny lives. Take good enough care of them that they became a beast, and they would protect you for life.

Until we could see that Her Majesty and the others who served in the palace were taking proper care of their spirits, we couldn’t be as friendly with them as we were before, but I didn’t want anything to happen to them either. Once the forest was back to normal and the princes had their own spirits, I was sure we could greet each other with a smile just as before.

“Chris, you need to go to the academy soon, don’t you?” I asked as I pondered the situation. “Will you be all right?”

“You should be asking them that. Andrew’s recent tea party was horrific.”

Chris was more often in our domain than in the imperial palace, so even though he was acquainted with the crown prince, he wasn’t his retainer. All his life, the prince had been constantly surrounded by the children of nobles from the central regions or the second and third sons of high-ranking noble families, all of them competing to become his retainers. Anytime a prodigy like my brother had shown up, there had always been someone who would try to interfere with him getting close to the prince.

In other words, you’re telling me these boys were fighting among themselves for another boy’s affection? Could I merge with a tree and watch them? I’d even become dirt if I had to. I wouldn’t dare do something so blasphemous as breathe the same air as them.

“This time, they treated me like I was one of Andrew’s relatives and had me sit right beside him,” Chris recounted. “Some were even asking if they could become my retainer.”

Damn, they’re desperate.

“Andrew asked me about the spirit situation, and I told him that he should start going to the forest by the school and keep using his mana or having picnics there. He’ll leave a much better impression if he’s been going there for years rather than only showing up for the first time when it’s time to receive his spirit.”

“Great idea, brother. Now, when did you two get so close that you stopped calling him Prince Andrew?” I quizzed him.

“It was quite a while ago.”

What?! How careless of me to never notice!

“Does that mean His Imperial Highness drops your title too?”

“Of course,” Chris said. “Is that a problem?”

“Huh? Oh, uh, no, I was just thinking I don’t have any friends like that.” I offered him my most innocent smile.

“You don’t have any friends?!”

“Uh... I do!” I racked my brain. “There’s Elda!”

“Isn’t she more like a cousin? We’re only acquainted because our domains neighbor each other.”

“W-Well, there’s...”

NOOOOOOOOOOOO! I really don’t have any friends who are just human children!

“They’re all scared of me, apparently,” I sighed.

“Oh,” he said. The silence that followed spoke volumes.

“Even when their guardians give them permission to play with me, they’re always too scared to.”

“What’s that term everyone’s been using again? The fairy princess loved by the Royals?”

“Now who could that possibly be?” I made a show of gazing off into space in apparent confusion.

Hang on a sec... Speaking of second sons of high-ranking nobles, don’t we have one of our own? You know, a son who’s only one year younger than the second prince?

“Huh? A retainer?” Chris said when I voiced my thoughts aloud. “He’d be much better staying here to train with the knights.”

“Wasn’t he going to join the imperial guard, though? Wasn’t the plan to become best friends with the prince and serve as his bodyguard?”

“Things are much more interesting here than in the capital and I’ve been busy recently anyway,” Alan said with a shrug.

That was fair. Alan was having to run himself ragged explaining spirits to people just like the rest of us.

Chapter 11: FairyCo.

It was about time we moved on to the next step. Chris managed to persuade father that we needed to start making more money and proceeded to establish FairyCo. I wasn’t the one who gave it such a cringe name, by the way—the culprit was my father. Don’t look at me.

FairyCo. would be a company that would draw ideas from my active imagination and good eye and transform them into products to sell. The concept was so airy-fairy that I quite liked it. Possessing the wealth to view starting a business as a mere side project sure felt amazing.

The reason that I of all people—the person who kept saying she wouldn’t get involved in politics and wanted to stay as incognita as possible—had decided to take an active role in our domain was because our land had been slowly shifting from a tourist destination to a holy site. I was glad we were getting more visitors than before, but the vast majority were here to learn how to get along with their spirits. Even if they visited our port town, they weren’t bothering with any of the nearby tourist locations. The price of having become famous for our spirits was being paid by our tourism industry.

I decided I wanted to create new jobs for the locals affected by that change while also creating some other specialties that we could become known for.

We gathered all of the company’s founding members in our manor’s living room in October. Father had, with great sadness, told us that he was about to be appointed as a minister of the empress’s cabinet and headed off to the imperial palace with his shoulders drooping, so the only members of our family attending this meeting were us three children.

Despite our age, not a single person here was looking down on us—not that there was anyone within the castle walls who dared treat Chris like a child in the first place.

Our initial members included Sebas, father’s proxy and his ex-majordomo. He was now going to primarily be stationed at the annex we were currently refurbishing into the company headquarters. Rex, now my former valet, was in the same boat. On Chris’s orders, he had been studying furiously since the spring. Though he was still assigned to me, he now served as my personal aide within the company.

Then there was Nick, who used to be Chris’s valet. He was the third son of a viscount. Since his family’s holding was small, he had experience in keeping ledgers and calculating taxes. He had the look of a sharp-witted young man, glasses and all, and seeing him side-by-side with my brother always healed my soul.

Alan’s former maid Moira was the daughter of a knight. She had a large build and was skilled with a sword, but she loved cute clothes and little ornaments. I wanted her help in creating the products so that we could add a bit of a feminine touch.

All the people I’d mentioned so far had ties to the castle—in other words, they were all either amateurs or had only basic experience. Knowing that there was no way we would last like this, father and Chris had headhunted some merchants and managed to grab two professionals.

The first was Glen. He was a former traveling merchant in his late thirties who had brought many fascinating foreign goods to our domain. Our offer had come just as he’d been preparing to settle down, so he’d accepted and moved his wife and children to a new house closer to the castle.

The second was Hugh, a playboy in his mid-twenties. He was a strange one, having originally been on the verge of going independent after learning the tools of his trade. Then he’d heard the rumors that we were starting up a new business—he’d thought it sounded fun and decided to come along and see what it was all about.

“First, let me be clear: Do not forget the magic contract you signed alongside the employment contract. It is absolutely forbidden to mention anything discussed within the company or details of any of our projects outside of these premises.” From where he stood beside the window, Chris looked at each of the gathered members as he spoke. “Also, you do not need to treat Alan or Deir as if they are children. Simply treat them as you would me.”

Glen and Hugh weren’t the only ones who looked at me in surprise; the valets standing by the wall were also glancing my way. Since mother and father were both starting to grow suspicious of me, Chris had said that I should start gradually acting less and less like a child. Of course, I would still keep the matter of my reincarnation secret.

“The young lady here?” Glen asked. “I should treat her the same as you, Lord Chris?”

“Deir has a much more creative imagination than I. In fact, you could say this company was built for her. That said, if you have your own ideas, don’t hesitate to bring them up. We’ll use them if we think they’re good.”

The room’s atmosphere suddenly morphed into one of concern for the health of this business. Perhaps they were all thinking that they’d gotten tangled up in nothing more than an attempt by father and Chris to spoil me—they were both already well-known for their tendency to do so.

“Deir, perhaps you should tell them what you’d like to do?” Alan took my hand and patted me lightly on the back.

“Heh heh.”

I’d been waiting for this moment. Four years had passed since my birth in this world. It was time to prove that radio calisthenics weren’t all I had in my arsenal.

“The first thing I want to do is to change women’s undergarments. I intend to get mother’s help to involve everyone who usually makes our dresses. Can I put you in charge of that, Miss Moira?” I tilted my head sweetly and flashed a smile but got no response. Instead, her eyes were open so wide I thought they were going to fall out of their sockets—she was clearly starting to question what on earth I was.

“Well, you wasted no time in getting to the point,” Alan said.

“You are welcome to place Moira in charge,” Chris told me. “Get mother as involved as you can. We’ll need her influence to help spread the word.”

The only ones who said anything in response were my brothers. Rex was too busy laughing at everyone’s horror to do anything useful. Brad was only here in his capacity as a valet so he couldn’t contribute to discussions pertaining to the company...but even he was laughing.

“Glen, you were a traveling merchant, yes?” I pushed forward with my speech regardless. There was no time for dillydallying. If I took too long, I’d end up forgetting everything I wanted to bring up.

“Yes, Lady Deirdre,” Glen managed.

“In the countries to the south, is there any tree sap with strong elasticity?”

“What? Uh, I’ve heard that there is something like that in a small country far to the south, beyond Luftanen.”

“Acquire a sample, please.”

“O-Okay...” he stammered, clearly still flustered.

“The underwear women have to wear right now are a pain to deal with, and I’ve heard that it gets freezing cold during the winter soirees in the capital. Unmarried men likely have no idea what the underwear situation is like, but there are a lot of girls whose legs are bare. So I say we do away with bloomers and make way for stockings that cover your legs up to the thigh.”

It would be impossible to make tights or pantyhose like we had back home, but surely some thin stockings would be fine. For the panties, they could use the granny-style ones that went up to your belly button. I would make sure that they encased our bottoms so well that they felt like girdles. Without that, the uptight noblewomen would never wear them.

In this world, women rarely showed even their ankles until they were married. Lightly touching an unmarried woman could be enough to get someone a right telling off, even if it was only their shoulder or hand. Now imagine a man in a society like that lifting his wife’s dress to discover formfitting underwear and a garter belt instead of the usual bloomers! The birth rate would skyrocket.

“Are you all keeping up?” Chris asked the room, chuckling slightly in a way that lightened the mood.

“I’m starting to think I need to focus my full attention on this meeting,” Glen said.

Hugh nodded enthusiastically to Glen’s response. “This is amazing, honestly. I’m glad I came.”

At least the two merchants had managed to quickly adjust to the conversation. You can do it too, our former valets.

“Chris, you managed to get the kitchen built in the company annex, didn’t you?” I asked.

“Mm-hmm, just as you requested. We’ve also carefully selected several cooks to work there.”

“I want us to have a proper store eventually, so once the first cooks have learned the recipes, have them teach the others,” I instructed.

“A store?” Chris asked. “Shall we reserve some land for it?”

“Not yet. We don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves before we’ve even finished building our new company headquarters.”

“That’s true. Where shall we begin, then?”

“There is one thing I wish to get started on with haste!” I excitedly raised my hand and announced, “I want to modify our carriages.”

“But...what happened to everything else you just suggested?” Chris’s brow was wrinkled.

“What part of them are we modifying?” Moira asked.

“I want to get rid of the wheels.”

I truly had a talent for bringing conversations to a standstill.

“No more horses either.”

“But then it’s not a carriage!”

Perfect comeback, Miss Moira. I think I’m gonna like you.

“I’m going to summon my spirit beasts, so don’t be scared, okay?” After that warning, I had my beasts materialize.

“Oh my... These are much bigger than the spirit beasts I’ve seen before,” Glen marveled.

“I’ve never seen one so close before,” Hugh said, eyes wide with a similar fascination.

They were looking at my beasts in amazement, but they had their own spirits too. Glen was a commoner, yet he had an earth spirit and a wind spirit. Our domain was slowly becoming a haven for these little guys.

“Your spirits are always floating around, right? Well, beasts can do that too.” At my command, Ifri and Levvy both floated off the ground. “They can make me float too.” My body rose into the air while I remained in a seated position. “And they can levitate the sofa.” They floated the sofa that Alan occupied until I too sat on it, in midair. “So they should be able to float a carriage. Right?”

Ifri and Levvy were nodding in agreement, and above them, my two other little balls of light moved up and down in unison. It seemed they were starting to gain their own sense of self, so I’d need to forbid them from entering the baths with me from now on.

“You’re kidding,” muttered Nick, the sly-looking, bespectacled valet.

That’s how you speak? I didn’t realize you’d just be a normal guy.

“May I ask some questions?” Hugh spoke up then.

“Of course. Status is of no importance here. Speak whatever is on your mind.” Chris circled around behind our chairs and settled himself on a love seat there.

“Okay. In that case, could I first ask if the maximum possible height is about where you’re floating now?”

“Yes,” I confirmed. “We aren’t flying, just floating. I want to make it possible to move smoothly across rough terrain. If we want to fly up to high places, we’ll need to establish aviation laws.”

“Aviation laws?” Hugh repeated.

Chris’s eyes lit up in understanding. “Oh, of course. It wouldn’t be good if, say, military bases ended up being trespassed on. If castle walls can be flown over, then there’s no reason for them to exist. We’d have to create no-fly zones around the imperial palace and the castle.”

His fast-working mind really made conversation so much smoother.

“I see, I see.” Glen was nodding.

“What is the mana capacity required for floating?” asked Hugh.

(Barely any mana is necessary,) Ifri answered. (Even a normal spirit that has been raised to the point that they can use ice or gravity can do it.)

(You would need mana to make the carriage move, though,) cautioned Levvy.

Everyone other than the merchants was mostly listening quietly to the discussion without actively participating, but it was still only the first meeting. We’d teach them as we went.

(Not much, though,) said Ifri. (Deir could recover most of the mana required with just her natural recovery rate. She could move it for a whole half a day.)

“But that’s the young miss you’re talking about. What about a regular person?”

Whoa, that was Rex. He speaks!

(It depends on one’s capacity. Alyssa could manage for two hours.)

“That’s quite the difference,” Glen murmured.

“Alyssa is the magician who became chief of the new Bureau of Spirit Affairs, right?” Hugh asked.

Alyssa’s promotion was of great note. She stood at the top of our domain’s mages, who already had a connection to the court mages in the capital. The woman herself had hated the idea so much that she’d looked like she was about to burst into tears at the mere thought, so I’d gone to great lengths to get some of her friends involved and train them until they had their own spirit beasts too.

Now, my brothers and I were free from the work of having to give lectures on raising spirits within Belisario. Hell yeah.

And then we’d been hit with requests from outside of our domain. Hell yeah...

“What’s different about Lady Deirdre’s mana?” A question from Hugh interrupted my thoughts.

“Deir has the blessing of the Spirit King, remember?” Chris reminded him.

“Oh, of course,” said Hugh.

“I understand now...” Glen nodded to himself.

“Well, you know, two hours sounds like plenty if you ask me! Even horses need to take breaks along the way,” I said, trying to salvage the proposal.

“But none of the coachmen are mages,” Glen pointed out. “If you’re a mage, your options are to either become an adventurer or join the military.”

I shook my head. “That’s not quite right. Mages nowadays have no choice other than to serve nobles in order to continue their research, or to train to fight in the army or as an adventurer if they want a job.”

Since the number of people who could use magic had decreased when humans stopped coexisting with spirits in the same way, they’d developed various magic tools instead. That had led to people seeing magic as something mainly used to take down enemies. But there had to be plenty of mages—especially the women—who wanted to use their spirits for something other than fighting. It wasn’t as if spirits were weapons, after all.

“That’s... That’s true,” Glen said. “Do excuse me. It isn’t good for me to get stuck thinking that this is just the way things are.”

Hugh brought a hand to his chin in thought. “Two hours, hmm? In that case, the merchants would need to make multiple transfers as they went from town to town.”

Our domain was the kind of place where the moment you stepped out of a town, you were greeted by sprawling tea plantations and other farmland, and it took multiple hours to reach the next town. Central Azelia wasn’t much different, I believed. Their towns were just a bit closer together. In that respect, I could understand the concerns about the time.

“Adventurer escorts can’t afford to waste their mana, so horses would still be necessary for them. If the carriage had two coachmen, they could alternate,” Alan suddenly jumped in to suggest.

“At the very least, travel within towns doesn’t seem like it would pose any problems,” Hugh mused. “Nobles who like trying the latest thing will probably jump on it.”

“What if we made the carriages smaller?”

Alan was oddly enthusiastic about all this. Was this the kind of thing boys liked talking about? Or was he simply sick and tired of his butt hurting after long carriage rides?

“What if we made it like this, for two people to ride?” I drew a rickshaw on one of the pieces of scrap paper I’d brought, but no one seemed to like it. They said it might work for commoners, but nobles traveled with both a lot of luggage and a lot of people. They simply didn’t like carriages that were too small, apparently—in that sense, it was reminiscent of rich people and their cars back in Japan.

Wait, does that mean they’re not thinking about it from the angle of how viable it is?

“It would be perfect for us to use at the very least, so how about we just make one?” Alan suggested.

“Good idea, Alan,” I said. “We’d need a seat for whomever is directing the spirits, but since we don’t need horses, I’d like to think about air resistance.”

“Air resistance?”

“Let’s make it look cooler.”

“Oh, okay!” He liked the sound of that, it seemed.

“I want somewhere we can put our feet as well. It’ll feel more comfortable if we raise this bit like this.”

“That makes sense. You always put your feet up on the seat.”

“Now, hang on.” Chris interrupted our excitement over the carriage. “Do you intend to use this for your trips to the other domains this winter?”

“Yes. I want to dazzle them with my horseless carriage blazoning the Belisario crest while floating down the road with spirits pulling us along like nyoooom!”

Why was Chris holding his head in his hands?

“Wouldn’t that be practically issuing a challenge to the empress? Are you sure it would be all right?” Hugh asked nervously.

“The imperial family can’t accept the challenge either way,” Glen pointed out. “Not with the fairy princess here.”

“But even presenting one to Her Majesty as a new product would leave a bad taste in their mouths.”

“We also had our own misconceptions about spirits until not long ago, after all. We may be getting along with them now thanks to Lady Deirdre, but I do feel sorry for those in the central region.” Glen gave his spirits a little mana, and they began happily flying around. Everyone watched the display with fond expressions and then gave their own spirits mana.

Our spirits? We’ll just keep drawing them in, no hesitation. Sorry, Your Imperial Majesty, but I want my carriages.

I needed to travel all around the domains along the coast this winter to give lectures. Since they were in the south, the temperature wouldn’t be an issue, but being jostled around in a carriage for so long was tough on a child’s body.

“Our carriage will be the first prototype we’re testing during an estimated five-year development period for this new product,” I declared.

“Ohh.”

“It will also help show off what people can do if they work together with spirits.”

“I see. It’s a very basic but effective example for you to use when giving your lectures,” Glen mused.

I turned to my spirits. “Ifri, Levvy, can I ask a question? There’s no lightning element, is there?”

(That would require further maturation,) Ifri answered.

(Lightning is a compound element acquired upon mastering all four elements,) explained Levvy.

(With all elements at your command, you can develop all sorts of magic.)

“Right. It would be a bit pointless if all we could gain by raising you guys further was your human forms!”

“They can take human form?!” Nick exhibited quite the reaction.

Hey, glasses, sit down. What trope are you trying to fit here exactly, huh?

“One more question, then. Is spatial magic possible?”

(It is possible,) Ifri said.

Oh, hell yeaaaaah! We’re in! We’re soooo in!

Before I realized what I was doing, I was standing on top of my chair waving my fists triumphantly in the air, and everyone was gawking at me with eyes and mouths wide open.

“I do apologize,” I said sheepishly before I asked that the sofa be returned to the ground because we really didn’t need it floating forever.

Stop looking away from me like that. My dear brothers, I also need you to stop laughing so hard.

“This is no laughing matter. Logistics are what make or break a merchant.”

Glen suddenly realized what I was considering. “Oh, that’s a good point. If we can make carriages float, then we can transport fragile goods as well.”

“Yes, exactly,” I crowed. “And if one driver can only move a carriage for two hours, then we just need to make sure we build stations where drivers can swap shifts. We can start up a whole delivery company. And that’s where spatial magic would come in!”

“A driver?”

“I mean a coachman,” I quickly clarified.

“I’ve never heard of spatial magic before. What does it do?” Chris asked.

“Imagine you could stick a whole carriage’s worth of luggage into your jacket pocket.”

And once again a stunned silence blanketed the room. You guys need to develop an immunity to this already. We’re in a fantasy world. I’m talking about an inventory. If we could use spatial magic, we might even be able to use teleportation magic at will. I’m suddenly getting fired up about it all!

(Deir, something of that level could definitely only be managed by a very limited number of mages,) Ifri cautioned.

“Then what about something the size of a box that a person could easily carry?”

(Then, yes, the number of mages who could manage it would increase.)

“And what if we made carriages half the size?”

(You could store more luggage than a regular carriage.)

See, look at that!

“I think...we should prioritize this idea,” Glen said after a moment of thought. “We should establish a logistics company first.”

“We have a lot of ports here,” Hugh pointed out. “I’d be surprised if this didn’t succeed.”

“Wait, it’ll still take a while before we can manage spatial magic,” I warned them.

“You said that the carriages would have a five-year development period, didn’t you? In that case, we should begin training the mages as soon as possible.”

Chris spoke up next. “First, let’s keep it within our domain. We are doing far better than we should be right now. If other domains try to copy us, simply let them. For now, we’ll only let Deir’s carriage travel out in public. Don’t get ahead of yourselves until we confirm all of this with father.”

The logistics company is coming first, huh? But I really wanted to make something cute and pretty, something a girl would prioritize... This was the safer business decision, though.

“Chris, there are people in the central region who received spirits more than a decade ago, right?” I asked.

“Yeah. I’ve heard they’re rushing to raise their spirits.”

“In other words, those older than eleven have spirits there?”

“Well...it seems quite a lot of them have had their spirits disappear on them since they hadn’t been tending to them this past decade.”

No wonder Her Sacred Majesty was so mad.

“I have a request!” I shouted, standing up and raising my hand with my usual enthusiasm. “If anyone asks who came up with the carriage idea and the logistics company, please say that we all came to this conclusion after exchanging ideas here in this meeting. Or you can say my brothers suggested them. That’s fine too.”

“I’d rather not,” Chris cut in.

Alan made his concurrence clear with a “No way.”

“If they ask about me, say that I suggested yummy sweets and cute clothes,” I pleaded.

Why was everyone looking so upset? Those gathered here were part of our inner circle, so it was okay for them to know about me, but it wasn’t a good idea to let other domains know.

Don’t forget you all signed a magic contract.

“Isn’t it fine to let everyone know you’re all prodigies by now?” Rex asked.

“I’d rather do it gradually. If you wait until I’m six, people won’t find it too strange, right?”

“No, they will,” he shot back immediately.

“It’ll seem strange until you’re an adult,” Nick put in.

“You’re already well-known within the castle as the strange young lady,” Rex said with a shrug.

“How about we blame it all on the spirits?” Monica suggested.

Why were even those who had been quiet before speaking up now?

“I don’t want to stand out.”

Excuse me? Can you all not look away from me with such pitying expressions on your faces?!

◆

I spent the whole year after my fifth birthday on my preparations. While everyone predicted that I would receive an overwhelming number of invitations to tea parties once I turned six and was allowed to attend them, my two ladies-in-waiting only knew how to take care of me at home in my personal quarters; my valets had been doing everything else, including guarding me. But there were times that male valets weren’t allowed to attend a women’s tea party, and Rex had already switched to working at the company. Plus, Dana and Cynthia had both found boyfriends among the knights, so it was probably only a matter of time before they got married.

That was what led to me hiring a female valet who could protect me.

Plus, next year, I’d have to decide on which of the kids around my age I’d like to appoint as my retainers. The children who would become my brothers’ retainers and bodyguards had already been showing up at the castle almost every day. Soon, those I selected would also be joining them, so it would be tough work for the trainers who had to prepare all these children to serve us by the time we were adults.

Our family’s horseless carriage had become famous in other domains for changing shape each time it appeared. Rumors even began to spread that it was a lucky carriage that would grant you good luck if you caught sight of it.

We’d decided to prepare several smaller fiacres as well as some carriages fit for nobles so that our various tourists could use them to tour the march when summer came. The company was aiming to begin offering the service in two years.

Small problems had also been cropping up now that the spirit population had increased. There had been multiple cases of spirits getting caught in entryways or people tripping and hurting themselves because a spirit beast had given them a fright. Many commoners hadn’t given much thought to their mana until now, so some had ended up collapsing or vomiting in the streets.

Transitional periods like this were great for producing stories that people of the future would find hilarious. I’d heard that when trains were first introduced in Japan, people would take off their shoes at the platform and then get angry when their shoes weren’t waiting at their stop.

There were also preparations to be made for visiting the other Royal Spirits in their respective territories. The other margraves seemed to be well on their way to receiving their first spirit beasts, so next year would be busy indeed.

And then, during my fifth autumn after being born into this world, Chris called me to his study saying he had something to discuss with me.

“Would you be willing to have a meeting with Andrew?” was the question he posed upon my arrival.

I’d never imagined that my brother’s request would be that I meet with the crown prince.

Epilogue

Honestly, I hadn’t realized just how much attention I’d gathered or how much I was being spoken about. My family and everyone else in our march had been taking great care of me, and my daily life remained as peaceful as it had always been.

But it turned out that I had become the talk of the imperial court. The only people who were privy to the imperial family’s conversations were their own attendants or guards, and they wouldn’t dare leak information. My only source was the people who met me to learn about spirits.

And so, that was how I learned that I was being treated like a cryptid.

There were rumors that since I was the younger sister of Chris and Alan, I must be much calmer than a regular child. Others thought that, given who my parents were and that I was loved by the Royal Spirits, I must be a child of unparalleled beauty. Still others were of the opinion that I was a selfish child who would snitch to the empress about a person if I so much as slightly disliked something that they had done. And then there were the rumors about how I could fly or run faster than a horse. I wouldn’t even be human at that point!

When people found themselves grasping for a topic of conversation, they would turn either to the weather or to the cryptid of Belisario. I really had become the girl of the hour.

It was even worse among the imperial family and their staff. I’d met the general and the empress twice now, and since I hadn’t wanted to talk like a kid, I hadn’t said anything more than necessary either time. But since they were already raising two children themselves, both they and the staff who saw the princes and their young retainers every day had immediately realized that the way I behaved was nothing like a normal child.

I’d been so caught up in thinking about the way I was talking that I’d forgotten to think about the way I walked and held myself. The fact that I had trained my body had likely alerted them to some strangeness as well. Most little girls wouldn’t be out doing circuits of a training field every day with their guards. I always took some runs up and down the stairs too.

I was a young girl with a polite smile permanently plastered on my face, speaking only when necessary, yet moving about energetically with full control of my limbs.

Yeah... I can see why that would be terrifying. I pictured a French doll wearing a cute dress gliding smoothly around the place, and the image freaked even me out. How did I keep managing to find myself starring in horror movies?

Now, keep in mind that I had, with an innocently cunning face, looked to the empress and asked, “Had you really been forgetting to give mana to your spirits?” No wonder the empress was frightened. This had come right after I had been clearly getting along with Mama Kohaku right in front of everyone—that must have made it even more terrifying. It was like I’d thrust a knife to Her Majesty’s throat and threatened her with death if she’d been doing it on purpose.

I’d refused all invitations to the palace following that meeting, and after they’d finally managed to pull father into the court, they’d received several reports that a horseless carriage bearing the Belisario crest had been sighted dashing around city streets. No wonder they’d begun wondering what the hell kind of child I was.

Despite that, mother was still friends with the empress, father had been appointed as a minister of the imperial court, and Chris would soon be classmates with Prince Andrew. Since the Belisarios maintained the appearance of friendly relations with the imperial family, so long as the central region continued the tree replanting project and everyone held out for one more year, things would start looking up for them in the same way as the rural areas. That promise had prevented a barrage of complaints—for now, at least.

Our country as a whole had become the most profitable among our neighbors by far, and so, the heroic Prince Andrew had stepped up and volunteered to confront the final boss. Since that incident with the school forest, I had been cooped up in the castle without interacting with a single noble from other domains. It must’ve been unsettling not knowing what I was thinking or planning.

For some reason, though, he was coming here alone without telling any of his family.

Yeah, this is the kicker.

He was coming to visit me. The crown prince himself, alone, in secret, was coming to our home.

“Why is he keeping it a secret?” I asked.

“If he succeeds in getting what he wants here, that would mean the prince alone was successful in becoming friends with you, and that would result in trust in the empress decreasing even further. If he fails here, then keeping it secret means it won’t cause problems for his family. At least, I think that’s why.”

Apparently, Chris hadn’t been told of the prince’s intentions either.

“I can’t see how this would benefit the crown prince in the slightest.”

“Just getting to talk to you is probably worth it.”

I don’t grant blessings or anything, you know?

“I gave special permission because Andrew said he’d come alone,” Chris continued. “If he says anything strange, I’ll immediately kick him out. I’ve told him a little about your ideas, so it should be okay.”

It would be troublesome if we suddenly had all these members of the imperial family dropping by. But even though the crown prince would be alone, apparently even Alan would be sitting in on the meeting from our side.

It turned out the actual meeting wasn’t held for another month, after the school term had already started. Not having smartphones was really inconvenient. Humans were much more laid-back than the Royal Spirits.

“You’re all ready, Lady Deirdre. What do you think?”

I’d told my maid that Chris would be returning to the castle for a bit as there was something we urgently needed to discuss about the company. Our parents were currently away in the capital.

I looked at myself in the mirror. On either side of my face, my hair had been separated into several small braids and fastened at the back with a clip. My simple grape-colored dress had white sleeves and a white bodice, and around my neck was a large fluttery ribbon.

It had been five years and yet I still couldn’t believe that this adorable face was my own. I looked like I could be a child star in Hollywood. Instead, I was a cryptid in this world.

My maid escorted me down the hallway, and then, when we reached the exit of my living quarters, Brad took over. He knew exactly what was about to happen, and he wore a tense expression.

“Good morning.” Alan was waiting for me in the corridor outside of the teleportation room. Alan’s valet and Brad would wait out here. Only Alan and I would continue on to the meeting.

Doesn’t this feel like a spy movie? I’m starting to get excited.

Along the same corridor that held the teleportation room were several meeting rooms for guests, both official and personal. In front of the most luxurious of them stood a young boy in uniform who appeared to be around Rex’s age. He’d looked very upset as he turned toward us, but the moment he saw me, his eyes widened.

Are his pupils dilated? Is he okay?

“Good morning.”

When Alan greeted him, the boy came back to himself and frantically gave his own greeting. You’re the prince’s bodyguard, aren’t you? And you’re older than us too? Hang in there.

“Good morning.”

“Good morning!”

When I spoke my own greeting, the boy responded while gluing his arms stiffly to his sides.

This isn’t the army, you know. You don’t have to be so scared of me.

“Brother, it’s Alan. May we come in?” Alan called out after knocking. Chris said something in answer.

Alan held open the door and let me through first.

What a perfect escort. As I admired how cool my brother was, I entered the room and immediately froze upon the threshold.

In the pure, brisk early morning air, Crown Prince Andrew sat leaning back against a soft chair, gazing at me nervously. Even though his hair was as brilliantly red as always and his eyes as sharp and strong-willed, he still seemed to exude warmth and kindness. Is it because of his expression?

Chris was standing behind the prince’s chair, leaning lightly against the backrest and smiling gently at me. He was as ridiculously beautiful as always, glimmering in the natural spotlight.

In this early morning room with no one else present, these two beautiful boys were getting up close and personal. They were even wearing the same navy blue uniform. What an amazing sight. I clenched my fists to resist the part of me that wanted to simply drink the view in.

I’m supposed to enter this room? No way. I’d just taint the purity of it. I’d have to apologize to every girl in the world.

“What are you standing around for?”

Hey, don’t push me. I’d have to take back what I’d said. Alan wasn’t the last true innocent of the Belisarios anymore—he was just the straight man.

“Thank you for making time for me so early in the morning.” When the prince stood, I noticed he was a bit taller than the last time I’d met him. In just a few more years, everyone would be all grown-up.

“Good morning, Your Imperial Highness,” Alan said.

“Good morning,” I echoed, making sure to do my proper greetings alongside Alan.

“Sorry for rushing you, but we don’t have a lot of time. Please sit.”

Alan and I sat side by side across from Prince Andrew. Chris moved to stand behind me. It was now three versus one.

“I came to confirm both how you view the imperial family and what exactly your desires are.”

Now that we were sitting face-to-face, I realized how nervous I was. The last time we’d met, I had only given a simple greeting and watched him from afar. This was the crown prince of a whole country. He was, like, a super VIP. And I was sitting right across from him.

Since he was already attending official functions and diplomatic meetings, he had a mature calm that withstood comparison even to my prodigy of a brother, and an inoffensive haughtiness typical of those in power. They had a kid this mature around and they still noticed that I was unnatural? Kind of impressive. Maybe they’d been comparing me to the younger prince’s retainers.

“There’s no need to hold back. You needn’t take care with your words either. I want to hear exactly how you feel.”

“Okay,” I said with some hesitation.

“I hear you’ve been refusing invitations to Her Majesty’s tea parties.”

“I’ve been refusing all invitations,” I corrected him.

“May I ask why?”

“Because I hate tea parties.”

“Then what do you like?” he pressed.

“Exercising in the training field, riding the carriages at the company, and making sweets.”

Many people had approached my parents and Chris asking to meet me. The only reason we’d been able to refuse them all was that my father had made it clear that I wouldn’t attend tea parties until I was six. Nobles from all across the country had been itching to get their hands on me, a young girl. There was no way I could just mindlessly wander out into that minefield.

We were waiting for the people to get used to the presence of spirit beasts and the Royal Spirits, though that didn’t mean anyone thought I should stay locked up forever. That was why father had set the deadline for when I turned six.

Chris’s line of thinking was that it would be a good idea for me to make friends with members of the imperial family who might support me once I started attending social functions. I could understand that, and I could also understand the necessity of ensuring that the Belisarios and the imperial family got along. That was why, given that I was technically the oldest person here, I was trying to think of a good compromise. I was squeezing my brain cells for knowledge I didn’t have.

Unfortunately, there was a big problem: In my previous life, I’d been an otaku. As you could guess from how I’d died, I’d spent more time sitting in front of my computer than going outside. I’d had friends, yes—friends whom I’d asked to help man booths every Comiket, and whom I’d spent nights raving about our current obsessions over drinks with.

But the only reason we’d been able to hold those conversations was because we’d had interests in common. How on earth did I talk to a royal VIP in a way that wasn’t rude but also not unnatural for a child? Did I set the difficulty level to extreme without realizing?

“I see. So you don’t hate Her Majesty?”

Who could say yes when asked something like that? I didn’t hate her...but I hadn’t quite gotten rid of the doubts I’d harbored following the spirit fiasco, so I couldn’t say I liked her either. Instead, I merely tilted my head at him with a look of surprise on my face.

“Her Majesty forgot to feed her spirits, right?” Andrew elaborated. “I was worried that you were angry about that, and that was why you didn’t want to talk with our family.”

He had to ask? He didn’t already know?

Right, the imperial palace was huge—the distance between the ruling couple and their children was much larger than within my family. During that meeting, Lord Jean had been there, but not the crown prince. What had Andrew been told about the way that meeting had gone? I imagined Chris had talked to him about it if no one else had, so maybe he at least had a rough idea.

“Deir? What’s wrong? We don’t have much time to talk.”

When I didn’t answer right away, Chris moved to the side of my chair and leaned on the armrest to peer into my face.

“Is Her Imperial Majesty forgetting to feed them even now?” I asked the prince.

“No, she should be making sure to give them mana now.”

“That’s good.”

I couldn’t say to his face that I was angry and didn’t trust them. I still wasn’t sure about how close the crown prince and Empress Ephenia were either.

“Do you think we can get along?” he asked me.

“Mother and Her Majesty are friends, aren’t they?”

“They are. I was wondering if we could become friendly as well.”

“Friendly?”

There were all kinds of ways that one could pursue friendship. Just what kind of relationship was he looking for from me? Even if I wanted to make him my ally, I wasn’t even sure how to begin bringing that up to him.

Ugh, I’ll just toss the ball back into his court!

“What should I do, then?” I asked. “I’d rather you speak plainly.”

Upon hearing my words, the prince blinked several times and then sighed while roughly running his fingers through his hair.

Then he asked, “Would you be willing to marry me?”

“Andrew?!”

“Huh?!”

My brothers were shouting before I even had the chance to respond.

And here the truth of the matter comes out. That’s more like it.

“I don’t intend to force you,” the prince added. “I’m just asking for now.”

“At my age?”

“Chris was the same age when I first met him.”

Please tell me more!

“You’re avoiding our family, aren’t you?” he continued “I’ve heard from Chris that you’ve been very adamant about not marrying any of us. The Royal Spirits have also declared that they will eliminate anyone who does anything you do not agree with. That’s why no one can force you to do anything. The only option we have is to convince you to choose us. You’ll start attending tea parties once you turn six, right? It’ll become a battle to see who can make you fall for them.”

“Even though I won’t get engaged to anyone until I’m fifteen?”

“Yes, even despite that,” he said with a nod. “What I’m concerned about is that unfortunately, when you start school, I’ll have already graduated from elementary. But my brother is only one year older than you.”

“So you think I might end up choosing Prince Eldred?”

“I mean, there’s a possibility you will fall in love with him, right?” he pointed out. “And then another power struggle will undoubtedly happen.”

I could say with complete confidence that such a future would not come to pass. When you added the years I’d lived in my previous life as well, I was a woman well into her thirties now. I was no longer capable of the single-mindedness necessary to sacrifice others for the sake of love.

“I don’t want to be put through etiquette lessons, I’m bad at talking like a noble, and most importantly, I don’t want to become an imperial consort in the first place.” I put it as bluntly as I could.

“Isn’t that something girls usually want very much?”

“I don’t want a job with so much responsibility that the stress might drill a hole through my stomach.”

“What would you do if the person you loved ended up on the throne, then?” he pressed.

“I’d break up with him.”

Why were even my brothers shocked at that response? If they thought women lived to dedicate themselves to their husbands, they had better reevaluate their way of thinking. As someone from the modern day, that was impossible for me. If I get married, I want it to be a relationship where we respect each other equally and work together to build our lives. They would be my life partner. My bestest friend.

“Honestly, I would refuse to court someone who had a chance at the throne in the first place.”

“Wow. It’s genuinely impressive you’re able to state that so unequivocally.”

But of course. Like hell I’d let them put me through the education required to become an imperial consort. There were a ton of other things I’d rather do with my life.

“My brother will certainly try to get close to you, though,” the prince warned.

“Are you sure?”

“Of course. You’d better start realizing how cute you really are.”

Whoa there. Putting on a royal smile, lowering his voice, practically flirting... You’re a sly one, prince boy.

“Deir doesn’t intend to become the bride of any ruler in any country,” Chris interrupted. “If you still say that this country will not stabilize without her help, then I think you’d better consider passing on your position to your brother.”

“As blunt as always, aren’t you?” Andrew said, turning toward Chris.

Oh god, their eyes were so serious. Do they always talk to each other like this?

“In that case, how can I interact with you without making you hate me?” the prince asked, turning to me again. “Since Her Majesty and the margravine get along, their generation will be fine, but I want to maintain cordial relations with the Belisarios in my generation as well.”

“Aren’t you already friends with Chris?” I pointed out.

“He’ll always prioritize you over me, so that isn’t enough.”

Chris really doesn’t waver on that point, does he?

“But mother would also prioritize us over the empress.”

The prince’s eyes widened. The empress’s orders came before family, before one’s own children. As a noble, that was the natural way of things. Yet, how had I managed to continue avoiding the imperial family since the meeting? If my mother had asked me desperately enough, I might have even changed my mind. I might have considered meeting with the empress just once, so long as it was just us. If my mother had prioritized the empress’s wishes, she and father might have begun fighting over no longer seeing eye to eye.

And yet, the March of Belisario was as peaceful as always. Mother always invited me to go to the empress’s tea parties with her, but that was all she did. She never pressured me to go.

“Don’t say that to anyone else in my family,” warned the prince.

“Her Imperial Majesty already realizes it,” I began. “If she didn’t—”

“Deir,” said Chris.

“Okaaaay.”

When Chris pushed me to stop, I listened and acquiesced like a good girl. Everyone here knew very well who would be in trouble if anything happened to our mother, even if it was because she didn’t put the empress first.

“Have all the Belisario children decided to abandon all pretense of acting their age?” sighed the prince.

“You’re one to talk,” Chris sniped back.

“Hey, I’m normal.”

If he’d been a normal child, he’d have been getting fed up with this conversation already. If he’d been all, “Aw, this is all so difficult. I don’t get it!” he’d probably have been met with a backhand from Alan.

“Well, this isn’t good. I really have no idea how to interact with you.”

“Then try acting like my big brother,” I suggested.

“Excuse me?”

“Your Highness should protect his little sister from any strange bugs that try to attach themselves to her.”

“Ha ha ha, that’s rich.” The prince sank back into his chair and laughed. “Then let me give you some advice as your older brother. It may be too early to say this to you, but you’d better carefully consider the position of the one you fall in love with.”

“Huh?”

“You not only have the power to make the empress act, you’ve even begun holding your own private assets through your new company. If you don’t pick someone with his own position and power, he’s going to be ripped apart the minute you pull him into your circle.”

Oh... I hadn’t stopped to think about that. Right. My husband would be in a coveted position.

“Choose a partner whom I can wish happiness to as your brother. If they’re worthy, I will use all my power to protect them. If not, then your lover may end up getting assassinated.”

Assassinated? The person I fall in love with? Was there a threat hidden in those words?

I suddenly felt as if the temperature in the room had dropped dramatically.

◆

Chris stayed home to eat with us even after the prince returned to the academy. He’d apparently already gotten permission to eat at the castle before returning himself.

They had more freedom there than I’d expected. I’d thought that once you were in the dorms, you wouldn’t have much opportunity to leave.

“So you weren’t content enough with just Alan and me as your brothers? You needed to ask Andrew to become your brother too?” Chris asked, clearly unhappy.

“Given the way the conversation was going, it didn’t feel right for me to just shrink away from him.”

“Does it not bother you, Alan?” He rounded on our brother.

“You were the one who called him here,” Alan countered accusingly. “How else did you think the conversation was going to go?”

“I thought we could tell him directly that if they don’t want us to hold any more power, then they should stop trying to get close to Deir.”

“Chris, you’re just picking a fight at that point,” I said.

“Are they even capable of stripping us of our authority anymore?” Alan asked.

“Who knows?” Chris shrugged.

They were my brothers, but to put it bluntly, they were terrifying. Breakfast was the time for nice, peaceful conversation. Topics like this were bad for our digestion.

“We can only hold them off for one more year,” Chris continued.

“Hold them off?” I asked.

“More and more things are being added to your schedule for after you turn six.”

“What?! That’s literally next year.”

“You need to go to Noland, right? And Kolkett? And you have to go to the imperial palace as well.” Chris began counting things off on his fingers. “And then there’s the promise with Kohaku.”

Man, next year really was going to be busy. I was looking forward to it, though. I would get to meet a bunch of new people, right? And what if that meant meeting many wonderful people? Perhaps even someone I think is especially wonderful?

“The future of the empire hinges on what choices you make.”

“Don’t say things that’ll ruin my meal.” How was I supposed to know what I’d do until the actual time came? I just wanted to live peacefully with the people I loved. I wanted to live in harmony with the spirits too.

“The empire will be filled with people talking about you,” Chris said. “But you don’t need to worry. We’ll always be on your side.”

“We’ll deal with anyone who dares to make you sad,” Alan chimed in.

I was happy, but weren’t they the ones who would be changing the future of the empire at this rate? Could you both please not do anything too drastic? Let’s do this calmly and peacefully...

“I’ve heard that since nobody can defy us, some unhappy nobles have started harassing Counts Bliss and Edkins instead.”

“My, now who’s doing that?”

On the other hand, it’d be fine to kick those kinds of people right in the rear, wouldn’t it?

Chris: A Secret Wise Woman?

That was the day I met her. She had just been born and she was tiny as a bean. When Alan poked her cheek, she tried with all her might to grab his finger. Her thin fluffy hair was a beautiful golden color, and her big round eyes were purple.

“Wow, she’s so cute. I hope we get to play together soon.”

When I said that, she smiled so happily at me. From that day forth, Deirdre became our most precious princess.

Surrounded as we were by power players, if we ever ceded even the tiniest bit of ground, all kinds of people would try to get close. The less able someone was to reach the top through their own ability, the more likely they were to try and use pathetic tricks.

There had been some who had tried to approach our father to “support” him when he’d succeeded to the title of margrave while still young. Once they’d realized he had the clear judgment and decisiveness to rule the march by himself, they’d changed tactics and tried to marry their daughters to him instead.

Unfortunately for them, our parents had married because of their genuine feelings for each other, and since my mother was the daughter of a marquess, her position was such that she was good friends with Empress Ephenia. She’d also given birth to two sons, so the succession was secure. Not a single person had grounds to suggest that my father take a second wife.

Their next target was me. Almost every day, nobles would drop by with their sons in hopes that they would become friends with me, the successor.

I hated other kids. They refused to sit still, and they could never understand what I tried to discuss with them. They would repeat the same things over and over, and they’d always believe their parents’ word, no matter how stupid it was. When they realized kids were no good, some of the nobles would start bringing older boys to become my valets or retainers, or they would attempt to approach me themselves.

“You seem to have so much free time to come and see me. Does that mean you do not work?” I was ruthless to the adults who showed up time and time again, and I would chase away any valets who couldn’t do their jobs. I had no need for confidants who couldn’t even properly respond to me, a literal child. There was no benefit to keeping around those who would simply smile and try to pretend they understood rather than doing their own research when they didn’t know something.

Alan, who was three years younger than me, was clever in this regard and would quietly listen to the adults’ conversations and inform me of what they were discussing.

“Why not tell father all this?” I suggested once.

“You’re the successor, so you’re the best one to talk to father,” he answered. “Even though I’ve said time and time again that I want to join the imperial guard, there are so many stubborn idiots who keep saying I’m more suitable to be the successor, and it’s just annoying.”

He hated studying, but his mind worked quickly, and he looked much happier when he was training in swordsmanship with the adults, even though he got along well with other children.

“Are you actually scheming something?” I wondered aloud.

“How dare you! I make sure to tell them directly that they’re being annoying. I do wonder if they think I’ll give in if they keep pushing, though.”

“Is there anything else they can really do?”

Alan sighed. “All the people who are actually competent are too busy to come visit us.”

“It sounds like father’s been receiving a lot of complaints over the decrease in tourists recently.”

Our father was doing a good job of managing the navy, the border forces, and trade, but it seemed that he was rather terrible at the tourism aspect. I’d heard him groaning over having no idea what women liked.

“He should just ask mother for help.”

“Apparently, mother is busy helping Empress Ephenia... Oh, Deirdre.”

As I sat chatting with Alan on a bench in the garden, Deirdre came walking down the path holding a maid’s hand. She had only just turned three, yet she was already walking so stably. Her golden hair and white dress were fluttering in the breeze, and her large purple eyes shone like expensive gemstones. Everyone agreed that she would grow up into a beautiful lady, and until a short while ago, I had viewed her as something like a fairy—she had this evanescent quality that made it seem like she would just disappear if you took your eyes off her.

Now, though? I’d become more than aware that if she were going to disappear, you would know it. She might have possessed a certain feminine grace, but she was really a strong little lady. Also, she was the same as me—I had a feeling that even at her age, she would be able to follow not just elementary school lessons, but higher education studies as well.

“Ah, my brothers!”

When Deirdre noticed us, she went up on her tiptoes and waved with a big smile on her face. After being forced to deal with unscrupulous adults for so long, I thought that her pure happiness made her look like an angel.

Alan smiled at her as he called out, “On a walk, Deirdre?”

“Yes. I’m going to exercise in the training field!”

“You’re always so cute. Your smile heals my soul.”

“Are you tired, brother?” she asked, solicitous.

“What training field does she mean?” I asked.

“The one for the knights,” Alan explained. “She’s been helping promote this exercise called ‘radio calisthenics.’”

“Radio calisthenics?” I repeated.

What did that mean? Were the knights currently learning a training regimen from a three-year-old? I was starting to worry about our armed forces.

“Ah, it’s dangerous to run!”

Both Alan and I frantically stood up at the same time. No matter how stable she was when walking, her body was still that of a young child. Her arms and legs were short while her head was big. Deirdre always immediately forgot how easy it would be to trip and fall with such an imbalance of weight. She was so smart and yet also so airheaded at the same time.

“Ah.”

Not many people actually screamed when they fell. At least, in Deirdre’s case, she was always completely silent.

“Did she just maneuver her body so she could fall safely?” Alan asked.

What? If she’d been learning a martial art, then that would have been fair enough, but she wasn’t, so how could she know how to do something like that? But now that Alan mentioned it, whenever Deirdre fell, she wouldn’t just fall flat on her face. She always turned her right shoulder in and rotated her body so she fell along her back. She probably intended to stand straight back up, but she must’ve tried a little too hard because she just ended up rolling along the grass toward us.

“Alan, stop laughing.”

“But, she’s just...she’s just always so funny!”

Deirdre really was full of surprises. She was running at speeds well beyond what I’d imagined she was capable of, and now, I could see the way she was enveloped in a soft blue light as she rolled along the ground—that was probably her water spirit, healing any scrapes or scratches.

“There are so few spirits that can use restorative magic, yet Deirdre’s has already learned how,” I mused.

“Did you notice how the spirit did it on its own?” Alan pointed out.

The spirit was healing Deirdre’s wounds of its own volition. I doubted Deirdre understood just how unusual that was.

“I fell again,” came our little sister’s voice.

“That’s why we keep telling you not to run.”

“But...”

Suddenly, Deirdre took off her shoes and knelt down.

“What’s wrong?”

“Look! It’s because they’re all smooth.”

She showed us the bottoms of her shoes, wearing an expression of triumph.

“Dana, does Deirdre have any shoes without smooth soles?”

“I hadn’t been checking the soles of her shoes,” the maid admitted.

Deirdre always tried to speak like a child, but the fact that she was capable of figuring out that she kept falling because of the soles of her shoes made it more than apparent that she wasn’t a normal child. Why did she not seem to realize that?

“I want shoes that have bumps.”

If you understand what shoes you need to keep from slipping, then could you please also realize why knowing that makes you look so strange? And if you really want to pretend to act like a child, could you not do it so sloppily in front of me?

Was she just that bad at acting? Or did she just think there was no need to hide it in front of me? Either way, if it was for Deirdre’s sake, I would play along.

“You keep falling because of the size of your head, not the soles of your shoes,” Alan stated bluntly.

“Huh?!”

“Alan, don’t tell a young lady that her head is big. She’s still young, so she hasn’t grown into it yet. That’s all.”

“Huuuuuuh?!”

Wait, both of those were bad to say? Girls were so complicated.

◆

A huge turning point came shortly before Deirdre turned four. I’d prepared myself for this for a while, but it happened much earlier than I’d expected.

The root of it all was the spirits. Deirdre’s spirits were bigger than everyone else’s, so I eventually asked if she knew the reason.

“I give them mana.”

Everyone knew that spirits fed on mana. Using magic, exercising, even just going about your daily life expelled mana, and the spirits would feed on that.

“I give it to them like this,” she said as she gathered mana into her palms. “Come and eat, little guys.” When the blue and red balls of light floated down to Deirdre’s palms, the mana slowly disappeared.

“So you weren’t just feeding them with your naturally expelled mana. You were also actively giving it to them.” I copied Deirdre, bringing my palms in front of me to gather my mana and telling my spirit to come eat. The spirit practically dove for the mana and had gobbled it all up in a matter of seconds.

Had it been starving? We’d been together for so long and I’d just let it be... I felt so bad.

My spirit clung to me as if it were begging for more. This was the first time I’d seen my spirit fly around like this.

“It thinks you’ve finally acknowledged its existence now that you’ve given it food.”

As usual, this little girl would suddenly talk like an adult when you least expected. This wasn’t good. It didn’t help that right after this, she pointed out Alan’s sword spirit, which no one else had noticed, and even demonstrated that if you gave spirits mana, you could see them.

There wasn’t much time. The princes’ continued lack of spirits was becoming a huge issue in the imperial court. Considering both the size of her spirits and her understanding of the relationship between mana and spirits, it was only a matter of time before Deirdre started drawing too much attention. Even without all that, her cuteness alone would be enough to make her stand out. So I left a message with Brad saying that Deirdre didn’t need to hide her real intelligence anymore.

Apparently, that was a mistake.

“Deir’s been secretly doing things with her valets way more than us recently,” Alan complained to me.

Deir was so wary of us that even Alan had noticed.

“I told her that she doesn’t have to keep acting like a child, and that appears to have put her on guard.”

“Why? It was so obvious.”

“She likely thought she was doing a good job,” I explained. “That said, what could be the problem with us knowing?”

“You’re quite feared by the staff of the castle, so maybe her valets said something to her?” suggested Alan.

It was true that I’d chased away quite a few people by now. Those who worked here relied on their jobs to live, so they might have ended up viewing me as some selfish child who was trying to act more mature than I really was, carelessly firing anyone I didn’t like. But regardless of the image it gave, I really did not need people who didn’t put in the proper effort when carrying out their duties. The day would come when I would become the margrave. I couldn’t keep people around who might end up holding me back.

“Rex and Brad are both very good at what they do, so I trusted them to understand my intentions.”

“The only thing they’re thinking about is protecting Deir,” Alan pointed out. “You just have to let them know that you’re especially soft on her.”

“Who was it again that was sulking because he couldn’t acquire his spirit, and even went so far as to avoid Deir? And yet you can come up with nonsense like this.”

“I-I wasn’t sulking!”

Alan might have been getting big, almost taller than I was, but he was still a child at heart.

“I would assume that the staff currently view me as cunning, calculating, and ruthless,” I said.

“Isn’t that a pretty bad reputation to have as the successor? Your attitude toward those you like and those you don’t is way too different!”

“And yet the sister I cherish above all others is wary of me.”

“I wonder what reason she could have to be wary of you,” Alan pondered.

“Oh.” Did Deir want to succeed our father? She was so talented she could easily become the next margravine.

“What? Would she really be thinking about something like that?”

“If she was, I’d happily give it to her.” I shrugged.

“You can’t say that like it’s nothing!”

“There’d be plenty of work for me in the imperial palace whether I succeeded to the title or not,” I pointed out. “I could aim for chancellor or maybe even foreign minister.”

“Now hold on! Let’s talk with Deir first. You’re definitely misunderstanding each other.”

“I do think it’s important we sit down for a chat.” I doubted Deir knew just what position she was in right now. She was already the focus of many nobles’ interest all across the empire. “I managed to convince father that Deir just has a good eye and an active imagination, but if she keeps trying to march to the beat of her own drum, there’s going to come a point where I can’t cover for her anymore.”

“You aren’t going to let father know?” Alan asked.

“If he learns how talented Deir is, I think he’ll try to marry her off to one of the princes.”

“Deir would hate that.” And the only ones who knew that were Alan and I. Our parents were so busy that they weren’t able to spend as much time with Deir as we could, so they most likely just viewed her as a mischievous little girl. Most noble girls dreamed of marrying a prince and one day becoming his empress, so they must have been thinking to themselves that Deir was the same. But there was no way that Deir would be able to be herself in a place so rigid with tradition as the imperial palace.

“There’s one more thing I’m curious about.” Alan’s tone suddenly shifted. “There’s tons of stories in the library about a Spirit King bringing a princess to his land for good.”

Oh no. Is that what the Water King wants to do?!

“Let’s go talk with Deir.”

“Yeah.”

Everything was happening at a dizzying rate. If I messed up here, Deir really would start to see me as the enemy.

Alan: The Hero’s Grandson

When was it that I first noticed that some in the castle looked at me with cold eyes? It might have been shortly before Deir was born that I realized there were adults who detested me.

“I mean...his hair color...”

“That’s not the color of a Belisario... Whose...?”

“Did the margrave...an adopted...?”

They’d gossip even when they knew I was nearby. How would a boy of only two years, so small he only reached their knees, possibly understand what they were saying? They thought I wouldn’t care even if I heard them.

And in a sense, they were right. I couldn’t care less what a stranger had to say about me. I’d always thought it odd that my hair was a different color from everyone else in my family, but my parents said nothing about it, so I got the sense it wasn’t something I should bring up, and I wasn’t sure whom I could trust outside of my family.

The one person I could trust was Luther, my valet. He was much older than me and he was from a family that had long served the Belisarios—in fact, he was the grandson of Sebas, our family’s head steward.

“Huh? You’re here again?” I asked Luther one day. “Are you making sure to take holidays?”

“I am, my lord. But I live in the castle grounds and it’s much more enjoyable spending my time with you than lazing around.”

“But why?”

“Because serving one’s master is a valet’s job.”

Luther’s family was filled with men who were tall and slender, effortlessly appearing like a typical valet. In comparison, Luther came across as strange, both in appearance and in personality. Rex had a likable pleasant face and was so refined and sophisticated that it was easy to imagine him becoming a model valet. Luther, on the other hand, looked odd. Even though he had well-defined features, he was commonly told he looked like a villain—not that he looked suspicious, but that he looked outright evil. He was of a medium build and not very tall. He also moved so precisely and cautiously that you couldn’t help but wonder if he’d killed at least five people before.

The first time Chris had met him, he had asked Sebas, in complete seriousness, “Is it really safe to leave this guy with Alan?” It was thanks to how he looked that no one dared flash a cold look my way if he was around, though. They probably thought they’d be killed if they made eye contact.

Once I began having guards assigned to me, people stopped talking about my hair color in places that I could hear them. Occasionally, though, I would spot ladies-in-waiting or other servants whispering among themselves while casting glances at me, so they must have found me quite the fascinating topic of conversation.

It was around then that Deir was born—I now had a little sister. She looked a lot like my father, my mother, and my brother. I was the only one who didn’t look like her. A part of me had hoped that, whether a brother or a sister, the baby would have the same hair color as me, but that wasn’t what happened.

Still, her cheeks were so pudgy, and her hands were so small that she could barely wrap them around my finger, and with those big sparkling purple eyes of hers, the balance of her facial features looked so strange as she smiled wide. I couldn’t ever hate such a cute creature.

This was my little sister. I was her older brother, and that meant I had to protect her. Maybe there would come a day when she would realize that my hair looked different from everyone else’s and distance herself from me, but I wanted to be friends with her for as long as I could.

◆

Just as I’d been assigned my own valets and guards when I’d reached a certain age, my brother began seeing prospective retainers begin to show up at the castle when he turned five. They were the sons of castle staff or army officers or nobles who had been assigned to manage different areas of the March of Belisario. Since children knew no restraint and had no idea about the real power dynamics within the castle, they thought their noble status was enough to grant them safety. As such, even with Luther by my side, they didn’t bother holding back—he might have looked evil, but he was just a lowly commoner.

“This kid is Alan, huh?”

“His hair really is auburn. That’s not the Belisario coloring at all.”

“Whose kid even is the brat, really?”

We were all nobles, but my position should have been higher than those boys’—and yet, all it took was my hair being a different color for them to decide it was perfectly okay to make me the target of their bullying. They probably thought my parents and Chris would be more likely to believe them over me if I told on them.

“It’s fine,” I whispered to Luther as he stepped forward.

“What? Does this peasant think he can do something to us?”

“We’re going to become Lord Chris’s retainers, you know. How about we kick you out?”

“Ain’t the kid a bastard?”

“Oh man, did the wife cheat?”

That was too far, though—even I was getting angry.

“Are you daring to insult my mother?” I demanded.

Luther was quietly seething beside me. Goose bumps broke out across my skin even though his hostility wasn’t directed at me.

“Eeeeeeeeeek!”

“Y-You insolent man! I’ll tell father on you!”

“You’re just a filthy commoner!”

The fact that they weren’t planning to tell Chris must have meant that they didn’t want him to know what they were saying to me.

When the children ran away pale with fright, Luther suddenly apologized to me. “I am deeply sorry. I know you told me to stop, but I just...”

“It’s okay. Bad-mouthing mother is something I cannot stand to ignore either.”

“Lord Alan, do you intend to leave those boys be?” Luther was strict on those who showed any disrespect toward me. If I hadn’t stopped him when I did, at least one of them would’ve been in trouble by now.

“They’re my brother’s retainers. We can’t fight with them carelessly. Go find out who their parents are.”

“Understood, my lord.”

At that time, my relationship with my brother was still a little distant. Even though we were siblings, like many upper-class nobles, we didn’t see each other much outside of mealtimes. Our parents were so often in the capital or at social functions that they were barely home. On those days, I’d sit with Chris alone at a big table to eat our food, but there were a lot of other people in the room with us, such as our valets or the footmen, so it was hard to have a conversation knowing we’d be overheard. We always ended up just silently eating. We never got much of an opportunity to speak outside of that.

That wasn’t to say my brother was cold to me. Anytime we got the chance to have a conversation, he was always warm and kind.

“Luther, you’re a valet, right?” I asked.

“Yes, that is correct.”

“You were quite scary a moment ago. What was that about?”

“I truly am deeply sorry about that,” he told me. “It is necessary for a valet to be able to protect their master at all costs should they be in danger, so I am trained in self-defense.”

“Self-defense...”

“I found it so enjoyable that I spent a period of my life invested in my training and did a little work in surveillance.”

He really was a strange man. But that eventually came in very handy, and it was thanks to Luther that I learned the importance of possessing information.

I learned later that two of the boys who’d tried to wind me up were sons of barons, and the last was the son of a viscount. To be blunt, their reputations were horrendous. I was curious why my brother was letting them be, but it wasn’t my place to speak up about it.

◆

Back then, I was going to Deir’s room every day. Anytime anything annoyed me or I was getting tired from all my studying, her smile would calm me down.

She was only six months old, but she was already quite the unique child. For starters, her mana capacity was incredible. Father had said that he’d never seen a child gain a spirit so young before. She already understood how to use her mana and would move around the magic tool toys that hung above her cradle. She was also very lively, always kicking her hands and legs about.

“You’re excited again today, aren’t you?” I asked her.

“Ahh... Ara... Alaaa...”

“Hmm? What’s wrong?”

Deirdre was opening her small pudgy hands as wide as she could, large eyes staring at me.

“Aaa...laaaa...n. Yaaa!” she cried.

“Wha? You remember my name?”

“Yaaaaaaaaaaaa!”

That was when I learned that even babies could look proud of themselves. It was really cute.

“Amazing,” I marveled. “You can say my name.”

“Aaaa...lan! Lan! Haaair...”

“Hair?” I repeated.

“Red... Petty!”

“P-Petty?”

“Pu...tty!”

“Putty?”

Deir shook her head and slammed her feet against the sides of the crib. She seemed to be trying to say I was wrong.

“Hair...pu...rettyyyy!”

My hair was...pretty. Because it was red?

I must’ve started being bothered by my hair color at some point without realizing it because Deir’s compliment made me so happy I almost cried.

“Thank you,” I said. “But how can you talk this much already?”

“Ah.”

Uh-huh. You might not want to cover your mouth with your hands like that—it’s so obvious you understand everything I’m saying.

I’d already realized by now that my sister was something incredible.

“What is going on here?”

Sebas was suddenly in the room, accompanied by a boy. Sebas was the chief steward of the Belisarios and Luther’s grandfather.

“Mr. Sebas, the young lady was moving these,” the maid told him.

“Oh my... All three?”

“Isn’t she incredible? Deirdre’s mana is so powerful.” They must not have realized that I was there because the moment I spoke, both Sebas and Rex jumped in surprise.

I’d heard from Luther that Rex would become Deirdre’s valet. He’d seemed like a normal friendly child to me, and I’d meant that positively. Even now, that opinion hadn’t changed.

“She seems to like you,” I said to Rex.

“Huh?” He blinked at me.

“Look after my sister for me.”

I didn’t remember this, but apparently, I’d stared right at Rex’s face as I said that. I didn’t remember that, but I did remember wondering what would happen if Chris learned that Deir had said my name before his.

I was proud whenever Deir complimented me. I wanted to tell Chris that she had remembered my name. That was why, even though I almost never went to my brother’s living quarters, I took Luther and a bodyguard with me to visit. Chris had said to me once before that I could go anytime I wanted, and even if me being there was a bother, I was sure he’d allow it the moment he realized I wanted to talk about Deir—he loved her a lot.

When I knocked on the door, the person who answered was one of my brother’s valets. Since my brother was a genius and a prodigy, he’d been assigned two adult valets, both sons of nobles.

The valet went back inside for a moment before returning and opening the door the rest of the way—he must have been asking permission to let me in.

“Please come inside.”

“Hello there, Alan,” Chris said as I entered. “It’s rare for you to drop by my room. Something wrong?”

Near where Chris sat on the sofa I spotted the children who wanted to become his retainers. There were the three boys from before and another new boy who looked to be a little older than Chris. The new boy looked at me curiously, but his expression didn’t particularly change. The other three were a different story.

“Is it really okay to let this kid in?” one asked.

“We gotta make sure he understands the difference between the oldest and the second son,” another chimed in.

“What are you all talking about?” Chris asked. Despite the way my brother was looking at them, the three boys continued sneering at me. I held Luther back before he could step forward and approached Chris myself.

“So these three boys are really in the running to become your retainers?” I asked.

“Do you know them?”

“Yes. They said some quite hurtful things. If they may become your retainers in future, should I take that to mean their opinions are also your own?”

Chris glared at the boys standing near the sofa, and after giving a sign to his valets, turned back to me with his usual kind expression.

He’s terrifying.

All he had to do was tilt his head slightly for his expression to look entirely different. And he made sure that I could see both the expression he’d turned on them and the one he’d turned on me, while the boys had only seen the menacing look.

There were only two people in this world I would never want to make enemies of: my brother and my sister. There was the fact that they were both precious to me and that them becoming my enemies would make life horrible to live, but there was also the simple fact that I definitely could never win against them.

The empress? The crown prince? I wasn’t scared of either of them. Even if they became my enemies, my family would still be on my side, so I’d find some way out of the situation. That wasn’t to say I would ever actively try to turn them against me—I liked Azelia and I wanted to join the imperial guard.

Anyway, my brother was really scary at that moment. Chris told me later that he was already plenty angry that they had said something so horrible to me, but speaking as someone who thought we weren’t very close at that point, I thought it was impressive that those three boys hadn’t caught on to my brother’s anger.

“Tell me, what did they say?”

“They told me that my hair wasn’t the color of a Belisario’s,” I told him. “‘Whose kid even is the brat, really?’ That’s what they said.”

“They dared refer to the second son of a margrave as a ‘brat’? My younger brother? Even though none of them is anything more than the lowly son of a viscount?”

What? That’s what he’s mad about? At this point, even those boys had caught on that my brother was fuming, and they began looking at each other with expressions that said they knew they were in deep trouble.

“Yes. Oh, and they also said that mother must have cheated on father,” I added.

“Fascinating.”

Was that how someone of his age would usually respond? His glare was colder than ice too. He was seriously scary.

“That would fall under lèse-majesté. Capture them.”

“Huh?! Why?” cried one of them.

“That little brat’s lying!” yelled another.

“What did you just call him?”

“Oops...” The boy clapped a hand over his mouth.

“I have no time for this. Throw them in the prison.” Chris waved a hand toward the boys.

“Yes, my lord.”

Chris’s guards and one of his valets dragged the boys away without question. It all happened so quickly—I’d never imagined they would be removed with so little fuss.

“Write a letter to father. I will discuss with him how to deal with those boys.”

“Yes, my lord.”

The other valet left the room, leaving Chris alone, with none of his valets or guards. He clearly didn’t seem to care, though.

“Sit here, Alan,” he said.

“Yes, brother...”

I was cautious as I slowly walked toward my brother, who was lightly patting the space beside him with a smile. Why was I cautious? Because he looked like he was having fun.

“Shall I prepare some tea?” the remaining boy asked. He was the prospective retainer whom I hadn’t recognized.

“Please.”

Luther swiftly stepped in to stop the boy when he began to stand, ready to prepare the tea in his stead, but the boy continued what he was doing as he said, “This is Lord Chris’s room, so please remain by Lord Alan’s side.” His name was Lai, and he became Chris’s official retainer not long after that day.

“You talk quite well for a boy who is only two, Alan.” The moment I sat down, Chris wrapped an arm tight around my shoulders. “But of course, you are my brother. I should have expected as much. Was the reason you never spoke much to me that you were trying to hide it?”

“Um... Hide what?” I’d never been trying to hide anything. Since everyone compared me to Chris, I’d thought I was a normal child. Deir was most definitely unnatural, but I hadn’t considered that I might be odd myself until my brother said something about it. “Am I really not normal? Deir’s already at the stage where she can say my name.”

“What?! That’s not fair!” Chris leaped to his feet, ready to rush to her side at once, but then he stopped, clenched his fists, and groaned. “But this is more important right now!” He fell back down onto his seat again, placed his hands on my shoulders, and turned me toward him.

“Alan.”

“Yes?”

“Could it be that you alone don’t know why your hair color is different?”

“Huh?” my guard’s jaw dropped.

“What?!” cried Lai.

“It couldn’t be!” exclaimed Luther.

For some reason, everyone around us was getting all worked up.

“I don’t, no.”

“What?! Why did Lord Belisario never tell you?!” Luther yelled dramatically.

“He must have thought Alan was too young to understand. That, or he thought that someone else like Sebas would have told him. I myself thought that father had told him.”

Was the reason no one had said anything because they’d all thought someone else had told me? Was that it?

Chris turned to my valet. “Luther, could you call father here? A letter won’t cut it. This is a huge problem.”

“Yes, my lord. Right away!”

I was worried we would just be interrupting father since he should still be working at this time, but no one else seemed to think it was an issue as Luther ran at full speed out of the room—even though Sebas always got mad at him for running in the hallways.

“Alan, let me explain,” Chris said, turning back to me.

“Yes, brother.”

“The reason your hair is auburn is because you’ve inherited the hair color of the previous margrave, our grandfather.”

“Grandfather?! Why was grandfather’s hair auburn?”

“Grandmother only had a younger sister, which means that two generations ago, our family only had daughters. They had to have someone marry into the family.”

So the explanation was as simple as the fact that our grandfather wasn’t of Belisario lineage, and I had inherited my coloring from his side of the family. I was undeniably a child of the Belisarios and undeniably my father’s child. It was okay for me to stay here.

“I see.”

I’d been worrying about it for so long that suddenly having the answer caused my whole body to relax.

“It’s okay for you to be angry, Alan. Father, mother, Sebas, even Luther—all of them had the opportunity to confirm this with you and tell you about it, didn’t they? Why didn’t you ask?”

“Well, it’s just... No one was talking about it, so I thought it was something I shouldn’t bring up,” I said, tilting my head slightly. Chris hugged me close.

“You were trying to be considerate of us, huh? Were people saying all kinds of mean things about you?” he asked.

“Well...kinda...”

“And since you didn’t know the reason, you couldn’t say anything back. We don’t need anyone in this castle who can say horrible things to a young child without reserve.”

At that moment, my brother felt at least ten years older than he really was, but that was also when I realized that he was a much more expressive person than I’d originally thought. He really was worried about me, and I was caught off guard by how playful he could be.

“Has grandfather passed away?”

“Of course not,” Chris said, then paused. “Oh wait, the last time he returned to Belisario was when you’d just been born, so you wouldn’t remember. You know how me, our aunt, and father all have the signature Belisario platinum blond hair? Well, grandfather was overjoyed when he learned that someone with his hair color had finally been born.”

Knowing that everyone had been as happy at my birth as they had been at Deir’s, I began to regret that I hadn’t asked about it sooner. Thanks to this conversation, though, any concerns I’d had about my brother completely disappeared, and I was no longer nervous here in his presence. I realized I’d never even touched my brother before, so I reached forward and grabbed at his clothes a bit. Chris didn’t look the least bit annoyed, instead tilting his head in question.

“Where is grandfather normally?” I asked.

“Do you know about the war that happened before we were born?”

“Yes.”

“Grandfather is the son of a count who owned a small piece of land in the northeast of Noland,” Chris explained. “Around ten years ago, the count and his retired predecessor, grandfather’s older brother, died in an accident. The count’s son was still only fourteen. He was far from being an adult. So grandfather had father succeed as Margrave Belisario so he could serve as an adviser to the new young count until he’d earned enough experience. He taught him all about managing the land.”

“Did grandmother go with him?”

“Mm-hmm. And then three years after that, war broke out. Their domain became a battlefield. Grandfather fought in that war as well.”

All I had learned about it was that we’d won the war and that the general had been so successful he’d even managed to expand the empire’s territory. Win or lose, people would still have been lost in a war. In areas that became battlefields, crops would have been ruined and homes destroyed. The war had never reached Belisario so it felt like a faraway tale, but now it turned out that the battlefield had been the land our grandfather had been born in.

“The rebuilding efforts took a lot of work and time, so he wasn’t able to come visit, but when he did find the time two years back, he said the count had already become a fine man. Nevertheless, grandfather also didn’t think he could stay here forever, even as a Belisario.”

“Huh?”

“So he went traveling with his wife.”

“But what about the restoration efforts?!”

“They should be finished by now, I think?”

“That’s it? I thought this was going to be a really cool story!”

It turned out that only a small part of the domain had become a battlefield, and with the help of Margrave Noland, the restoration had gone smoothly. Once they’d been freed from their duty, our grandparents had decided to go traveling abroad, but no one had been able to get in contact with them since, and it was uncertain whether they even knew Deir had been born. Father had let them be, saying that they’d contact us eventually.

First, no one had told me the truth about my hair, and now, we had wandering grandparents that everyone was letting do as they pleased—wasn’t everyone just a bit too relaxed about all this? The one who’d end up suffering because of that was Chris. Yeah. Not me.

“If you would permit me to speak, Lord Chris.” To my surprise, the one who spoke was the knight who had been accompanying me as my guard.

“What is it?” my brother asked.

“I would encourage you to speak to Lord Alan about the previous margrave’s achievements as the hero of Belisario. It is truly lamentable that not even the nobles who serve Belisario think to pass on his feats to their children. Lord Alan, you are actually very popular among the knights and the navy for having inherited the hero’s hair color.”

“They call him a hero?” I asked. “Because he fought in the war?”

“No, Alan,” Chris said. “The one who devised our current strategy of involving spirits in our formations was grandfather. There is no other domain in which so many of those who use swords and spears to fight are also in possession of their own spirits. Spirits can both heal and help with offense. Grandfather is the one who thought up the most efficient way to use the different spirit elements.”

The reason that there had already been many spirits in Belisario even before Deir had gotten involved was because grandfather had trained the knights to build their mana in order to use spirits in the army and for defense. The moment it had seemed like war was approaching Belisario, they’d spread rumors in Luftanen and Stark about how formidable our navy was and lined up ships manned only by spirit users in prominent areas of the port. Thanks to that, neither Luftanen nor Stark had declared war.

Belisario had never been involved in the war and had therefore been able to focus efforts on sending fresh supplies to the front lines. Anything we’d lacked, we’d imported, and since Luftanen and Stark had chosen not to view us as enemies, we’d been able to profit.

“Grandfather said that the navy should exist as a deterrent, not to cause wars. General Maximilian is deemed the hero of Azelia, but in Belisario, grandfather is deemed the true hero as the one who prevented war.”

I was too young to understand absolutely everything at the time, but I at least realized that it sounded incredible. Grandfather was incredible. Belisario was incredible. Father was incredible for continuing to protect Belisario even after grandfather had returned to his hometown. Chris was incredible for understanding all this while he was still only five. Deir was incredible for giving me this opportunity to talk to my brother just by calling my name.

Knowing I was a member of this family brought me pride and happiness.

“An army that exists to prevent war...” I murmured.

“Alan, why have you pretended to be a normal child until now?” Chris suddenly asked.

“What?” I said, startled. Chris was grinning at me, but I averted my gaze as I tried to think of how to answer. “Because I don’t like studying.”

“Ah ha ha ha ha! That’s why? It definitely can be boring sometimes. But knowledge is just as much of a weapon as a sword or spear.”

How many times did I have to say that the words coming out of Chris’s mouth did not suit his age?

“Alan!” Just as I was figuring out how to respond, our father came bursting into the room, calling for me. “Is it true that you never knew your hair color was inherited from your grandfather?”

“Yes,” I answered.

“Oh, this is terrible!” he moaned. “I really did think you knew...”

Mother rushed into the room shortly after, crying out, “Is it also true that people were saying horrible things about you because of that?”

Sebas, Rex, and our parents’ valets and ladies-in-waiting followed behind them. Chris’s valets and guards were present too. Suddenly, the room was crowded with people.

“Mother, father, I believe we should tell all the castle’s servants about grandfather,” Chris said. “Sebas, you’ve already told the valets the stories, haven’t you?”

“But of course.” Sebas, standing as tall as always, was looking at father in surprise. It must have been hard for him to believe that there were those in the castle who weren’t aware of grandfather’s achievements.

“The sons of Viscount Collier and his cronies, who were some of my prospective retainers, said some terrible things to Alan. I think this is reason enough to throw them out.”

After Chris’s declaration, Luther approached father and whispered something in his ear. The more father heard, the further his face fell—there was no way he could let mother hear that she had been accused of cheating on him.

“And what happened to those boys?” father finally asked.

“I had them thrown into the dungeon,” Chris said. “Not only did they purposefully spread disparaging rumors about our family, but they also picked on Alan. They had the nerve to speak to him like he was a commoner.”

“Good. Keep them there for several days. We will take that time to lodge a complaint with the viscount.”

The whole time Chris and father were talking, mother was hugging me close and apologizing profusely. Seeing just how worried I’d made her, I decided from then on that if anything else happened, I would tell my family immediately.

After that day, my brother and I became much closer. Deir’s presence helped greatly with that. We two brothers both loved Belisario, we both loved our family, and we both wanted to protect our little sister.

Deir began to walk, then she began to run, and then she began falling over basically every day. By that point, we’d realized where each other’s strengths lay and had begun cooperating more. Not only were we brothers, we were also partners in crime.

We didn’t exactly have a whole lot of time together, though. Both of us were busy meeting more people to increase the size of our social circles, and I was learning surveillance skills from Luther.

As someone who didn’t like studying, I wasn’t a genius like Chris, and my mana wasn’t as plentiful or as strong as Deir’s. Since I was the one who most took after our grandfather, those around me thought I would only have talent with the sword. In front of my brother, nobles would be careful with their speech, but in my case, even when I was playing nearby, they thought that I wouldn’t hear them if they just kept their faces turned away from me. They seemed so certain that even if I did hear them, I wouldn’t understand what they were saying.

What they failed to consider was that even if I didn’t understand, I could just remember what they’d said and ask someone about it later.

Around the time Deir started accompanying us to the training field, more servants appeared who decided to make a big deal about my hair color. It was different this time, though. They knew who my grandfather was. My parents and Sebas now made absolutely certain that anyone working here was taught during training about our grandparents’ histories.

“Oh, I have to go. The home tutor will be here soon,” Chris said.

“Are there any days that you don’t study?” Deir griped.

“When I learn one thing, I end up wanting to learn about other things.”

“Boooooo.” Deir pouted as she made clear her dissatisfaction. She probably didn’t like studying very much herself.

There were times she would act somewhat childish like this, especially when she was around those she wasn’t close to. Dana and Cynthia were out today, so two of mother’s ladies-in-waiting were taking their place in the meantime. Rex was still around, so I wasn’t too worried, but I didn’t have a good feeling about those two.

“I’ll see you later, then,” Chris said.

I turned to Deir. “How about we go to the training field?”

“Okaaaaaaay.”

Chris headed off with his guards and valets while I took Deirdre’s hand. The moment Chris and his servants were far enough away, the attitude of the ladies-in-waiting immediately changed.

“Lady Deirdre, let’s go that way,” one said to her.

“Yes, let’s,” the other chimed in. “Lord Chris is the best person to be with.”

“Did neither of you listen to their conversation? Lady Deirdre is going to the training field with Lord Alan.” When Luther stepped forward, the two women frantically grabbed Deir’s free hand and yanked her away from me.

“Eek, so scary,” one of the ladies cried. “We’d better tell Lady Belisario that he threatened us.”

“This is why commoners don’t belong here,” murmured the other.

“You’ll hurt Deirdre pulling her like that,” I warned them.

“Come no closer. We can’t leave Lady Deirdre with a child whose father we don’t even know.”

These two knew exactly what they were doing—they were disparaging mother with full malicious intent.

“You—”

“Noooooooooooooooo!”

Suddenly, Deir started screaming. The shrill voice of such a young girl could be heard easily from far away.

“Ow!”

Deir slapped the hands gripping hers as hard as she could, and when the ladies-in-waiting let go in surprise, she ran up and latched onto me.

“I hate those two! I’m gonna tell mother never to assign them to me again! They even said mean things about you, Alan!”

“Lady Deirdre, we’re thinking of you when we—” one of them tried to say.

“Go away. I hate, hate, hate people like you!” Deir screamed in return.

Even if no one else could hear mine or the ladies’ voices, Deir’s voice traveled far enough that staff from all over came running. All of them were looking coldly at the ladies-in-waiting.

“What happened, Deirdre?!”

The moment Chris came running back, Deir pointed an accusing finger at the two servants.

“Chris, they were being mean to Alan and Luther! They yanked my hand too! It hurt!”

I started to wonder if Chris had deliberately had these two assigned to Deir today. My brother was hailed as a prodigy, and there were many cases of newcomers to the castle looking down on me for my hair color. It didn’t help that at this point, the only one without a spirit was me.

On the other hand, at the training field, I was the popular one. When grandfather had returned home at the time of my birth, he’d spent two months giving extra training to the young knights and soldiers of the navy, border army, and knights’ order. Children who wanted to join our armed forces would also drop by for training. Now that five years had passed, those children trained by my grandfather had officially become knights and soldiers themselves.

To the soldiers who had been present when my grandfather—overjoyed that a Belisario child had been born with hair like his—had brought me to the training ground for everyone to see, I was the grandson of a cherished hero. Now that people had become aware of that, those who couldn’t figure out how to approach my brother or had been fired by him for being incompetent had begun trying to curry favor with me instead.

These ladies-in-waiting must have been trying to use Deir to cause a fracture between Chris and me. Had Deir been a normal child who would believe anything she was told, or had I been left to worry about my hair color enough to isolate myself from my family with only the knights and soldiers for company, these people might have managed to break our family apart.

“Send word to mother that they should lock these two in a room,” Chris ordered. “Do not allow them to contact anyone from outside.”

“Alan...”

Seeing Deir’s look of concern, I knelt down in front of her. “You might not have known, Deir, but my hair color is actually inherited from grandfather.”

“Grandfather?”

“I hear he’s traveling abroad right now, though he hasn’t returned here for five years.”

Apparently, our parents had met him several times in the capital. Even though he was making sure to visit his hometown occasionally, it seemed he felt that since Belisario was in good shape, he’d be better off staying away.

“I’ve never met him,” Deir muttered. “I don’t know him.”

Oh, this isn’t good. Deir sharply turned her head to one side.

“Why did he come visit when you were born and not me?” She pouted.

“I ask the same question all the time. Both grandfather and grandmother are very mean. I’ve already forgotten what they look like.”

“I can’t remember much from when I was born either,” Chris added.

Our parents ended up panicking when they heard later that their children didn’t even know what their grandparents looked like, even more so when they learned that Deir was angry about it.

“Right, of course,” mother said, turning to father. “We should have them come home at least once, right, dear?”

“Hmph, I don’t care either way,” Deir declared.

Mother attempted to placate Deir, who was still pouting magnificently. “Oh, don’t be like that, Deir. Your grandmother was overjoyed when she learned that she had a granddaughter.”

“Then why don’t they come visit?”

“They’re just having so much fun on their travels.”

“Maybe grandfather is just more comfortable at home,” Chris suggested.

I’d completely ignored the ladies-in-waiting being taken away, but I found it concerning that the target of their hateful gazes had been Deir.

“Let’s increase Deir’s security,” Chris whispered to me. I silently nodded.

◆

And then, shortly before Deir turned four, great change came to Belisario. We learned how to raise spirits, discovered the existence of spirit beasts, and even met a Spirit King. All of it was thanks to Deir.

Not too long ago, I hadn’t even had my own spirit, but now I had a water magic spirit and three sword spirits. We’d met the Royal Spirits of Azelia, learned about Deir’s reincarnation, and forged an even stronger sibling bond.

I was going to the training field every day to try and master fighting with my sword spirits. I was the only one there with spirits of all elements, but there were other knights with their own sword spirits, so it was fun to try out various techniques together during our training. I could feel myself getting stronger.

The prodigy, the fairy princess, and now the swordsman who would no doubt become part of the imperial guard—at some point, we three siblings had become famous.

“Alan, our history teacher complimented you to me today. Said you picked things up quick.”

Chris and I were relaxing on a bench by the training field while Deir ran around with her guards and valet.

“History can be useful is all,” I said with a shrug. “I’ve noticed Deir doesn’t seem to fall over anymore.”

“Don’t sound so disappointed. Anyway, politics and international affairs will also be useful.”

“You’ve got those covered, right? More importantly, I hear Viscount Collier is coming to the castle.”

Chris paused for a moment, before his lips turned up. “What a thick-skinned man he is.”

The March of Belisario had two large ports. One was the port in our castle town, which served regular liners or cargo ships to and from Luftanen. The other port was the one that faced the channel between Belisario and Stark. Viscount Collier had formerly been in charge of that port and its surrounding area. During that time, the viscount had managed to make allies of several barons, and then he’d cozied up to Stark and begun selling goods and information to neighboring countries. Since father had still been new as a margrave back then, the viscount must have been underestimating him.

It had been around that time that our aunt had brought along the heir of an unlanded count from the central region and stated that she wanted to marry him. Though he had been a talented man working as a foreign adviser for the imperial palace, he’d stated that he didn’t see much difference between working for the imperial family or working for the Belisarios.

Father had given Viscount Collier’s lands and control of the port to the newly married couple and scattered the viscount and the other barons who had tried to collude with Stark across various small holdings in the mountains. Even if they had wanted to protest, their opponent was a count, regardless of whether he had his own land or not. He was also my aunt’s husband.

In order to get back at father, the viscount had sent his son to the castle to try and turn Chris against us. Unfortunately, his son was a complete idiot. After wailing in the dungeon for three days, he’d ended up bowing on the floor in apology to my mother and me, and one of the viscount’s valets had had to drop by to pick him up.

As it turned out, the ladies-in-waiting who’d tried to insult me were also tied to Viscount Collier. They’d been told to either persuade Deir to join their side, or to worsen the relationship between Chris and me. Of course, against Deir, such a plan would never have worked.

“Perhaps they believe they still have a chance to strike at us,” Chris said.

“Apparently, there’s a Stark vessel that’s often been seen going up the channel to a small village recently,” I mentioned.

“To Viscount Collier’s territory?”

“No, to one of the barons he was associated with.”

“I see,” Chris murmured. “Maybe his intention is to turn tail and run. Now tell me, where exactly did you get that information?”

“From Luther.”

“You make him take the blame for everything.”

“He’s incredibly good at his job.” I shrugged.

I wasn’t lying either. All I’d done was pay him since I was two years old to keep an eye on the viscount and report on his movements to me. Thanks to that, I’d even been able to scout two more talented people to become my valets. Retainers were annoying, though, so I didn’t have any.

“If he’s going to escape abroad, he may be thinking of taking along a souvenir,” Chris suggested.

“Surely they wouldn’t target Deir? She has her spirit beasts—he’d be risking the destruction of Stark.”

“This is Viscount Collier we’re talking about here.”

I hated that I couldn’t argue back.

The viscount and his associates were coming to the castle on the day that we had granted permission for them to visit the lake and look for their own spirits. Because of the disrespectful behavior of Viscount Collier’s son and the ladies-in-waiting that he’d personally recommended, they had been refused an invitation to Deir’s birthday gathering. They hadn’t been allowed entry to the lake at all until now.

It wouldn’t be so easy for them to earn forgiveness after they’d dared imply that a lovey-dovey couple like my parents would even consider cheating on each other, or that it wasn’t clear who my father was. The viscount had no power in Belisario anymore. Other nobles had also begun distancing themselves from him, talking behind his back and sending cold glares his way. In fact, he was now in the position that I had once been in. To be honest, it—

“Serves him right,” Chris said, taking the words right out of my mouth. “That’s what he gets for thinking he can use you or Deir.”

Nobles were only allowed to visit the lake one day a week. The rest of the time was left for our knights and soldiers, for days when people were forbidden from entering at all, or for maintaining and cleaning the area. We had an annex specifically for nobles staying at our castle, so their visits caused no issues. Belisario had already served as a summer retreat before now, so we’d had the facilities and security in place for guests anyway.

But everyone would go to the lake to look for spirits together, so if there were nobles or acquaintances from other domains, we would sometimes join them to help in their search. My aunt and her husband had brought their children today, so Chris, Deir, and I all went along too. They were hoping that our cousins could raise their own spirit beasts—at least, that was the surface reason.

The real reason was that the viscount had become a serious pain in the backside, and we wanted to do something about him and his associates already.

We’d intentionally planned for my aunt’s family to visit the lake on the same day as Viscount Collier and the barons suspected of colluding with other countries. The tension among the knights was palpable. In the meantime, Deir’s cute smile as she walked to the lake with our cousins relaxed everyone, especially Chris.

“Deir’s so cute today,” he remarked.

“Yes, yes, I know,” I muttered.

“Do you disagree?”

“For once, my attention is taken up by them more than Deir.” I was looking right at the viscount and his group.

Chris’s nose scrunched up. “Who cares about those crusty old men?”

“Cr-Crusty...”

Right now, they were all just aimlessly loitering around the lake. They weren’t trying to approach Deir and our cousins, but they didn’t seem to be looking for spirits either. Considering how suspiciously they were acting, were they meant to just be decoys?

They each had their own valet or aide, so there were six of them in total. Six large men were loitering around a clearing and doing nothing else—pretty terrible attempt at being decoys if you asked me.

When it came time for us to return to the castle, nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Our cousins were delighted at having managed to get a new spirit each. Deir was walking alongside Rex, a skip in her step. Chris and Lai had slipped in beside her. The viscount and his barons were at the tail end... Wait, didn’t they have three valets with them?

Suddenly realizing what was going on, I whipped my head up and looked around, only to see a man in black clothes lunging toward Deir.

“Deir! Behind you!”

Just as the man’s hand was about to snatch her, Ifri materialized in its beast form—a large flaming fenrir.

The big wolf took one of its big front paws and lazily batted the man away like a fly.

“Oof, that must’ve hurt.”

He’d quite literally gotten tossed up into the air, eventually falling back into the grass, his body rolling violently along the ground.

“The spirit beast attacked without an order?!” a man yelled.

They seemed to care much more about the spirit beast’s behavior than their friend who’d been sent flying. They had apparently been under the impression that spirit beasts only acted on their master’s orders, and that was why they’d thought they could easily kidnap a little child.

How naive. Deir had begun talking to her spirits before she was a year old, and they’d even begun healing her wounds without orders by the time she learned how to start walking.

“Run! These things will act of their own accord!” one of the other men called out.

“Damn it all. This isn’t what we were told.”

As they turned to make their escape, Jin blasted the man who’d ordered a retreat with wind magic.

“They’re speaking in Starken,” someone muttered.

The last man tried desperately to escape, but the materialized Levvy stretched out their long body and gazed down at the man from above. Whether from surprise or fear, he fell back onto his behind. Anyone would be scared suddenly finding himself face-to-face with a big dragon like that.

“Wh-Why? Didn’t I say that we just wanted to see the lake?” I heard someone spluttering. The security guards had immediately arrested the viscount and his men for having brought the assailants in.

“We don’t know anything,” they complained.

They appeared to have just been pawns in the plan, but bringing unauthorized Starkish men into the castle grounds was a grave crime—even more so since those men had tried to kidnap Deir.

“They might have allies over there,” I said, pointing. They’d all been fleeing toward the same section of land sloping away from the path. If I recalled correctly, that way led straight to a road. “I’ll be back in a second.”

Sword spirits were suited to strengthening the body. With my wind spirit’s help, I dashed off. Since I was floating in the air, I focused on keeping my balance, planting my right foot forward and lowering my hips. As we sped up, my earth spirit helped support me so I didn’t go flying backward.

Because our castle stood at the top of a hill, the way down to the road was a continuous slope. I continued my diagonal descent.

“I’m coming too!”

“Deir, don’t!” I heard Chris cry.

I suddenly heard Deir’s voice from somewhere behind me. She was probably riding Ifri, while Chris was floating with his own spirit magic just as I was.

“Waaaaah, this is so fast. Ifri, you’re so fast!”

“Stop! It’s dangerous!”

“But it’s so fuuuuun!”

The girl who’d nearly been kidnapped was now chasing down the culprits herself.

It was too dangerous for me to look back, but I could see the soldiers dashing after us out of the corner of my eye.

“Is that them?”

Beyond the western wall of the castle, a narrow back alley ran along the edge of a plaza. In its shadows were parked two run-down carriages. Despite the shadows, they were fully visible when looking down from above. Several dangerous-looking men were standing beside them.

I snapped off a nearby tree branch as I ran. When I held the branch out, red light enveloped it, turning it into a blazing sword while my arms and legs shone yellow. A little blue ball of light was joyfully dancing by my shoulder as it tried not to fall behind.

It was because my spirits were willing to lend me their power that I was able to fight with a strength that could match any adult’s.

“Who the hell are they?” I heard someone yell.

Okay, they’re definitely speaking in Starken.

“We won’t let you get away!”

I was positive that the soldiers would take the men down for us once they arrived, so I focused on preventing the conspirators’ escape. Kicking off the castle wall into the air, I brandished my fire sword. When I landed on the roof of one of the carriages, I swung the blade down.

“Not the carriage!”

“Oh god! A big monster’s coming this way!”

The flame sword slashed the wooden carriage in two without any trouble. Since I’d slashed it right down the middle, the front and back wheels violently broke off and began rolling away, pushing the horses forward until they crashed into the other carriage. I ran along the sloping roof of the destroyed carriage, kicked off the corner, and landed on the roof of the other just as flames broke out behind me. This blade crafted by my sword spirit wasn’t just sharp—it was also hot.

“Get on, quick!” someone screamed.

“Run!” shouted another.

Not so fast.

If I slashed the second carriage now, I’d end up killing several people, so instead, I ran along the roof and held my blade against the neck of the man in the coachman’s seat.

“Stop the carriage,” I ordered.

“GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAH, it’s hot! It’s hot!”

“Oh, sorry.” I’d only wanted to intimidate him, but I’d forgotten that the flames would burn. They’d been hot enough to cause the fire behind us, so I should’ve expected that.

The coachman rolled off the carriage, hair and clothes on fire. Just because no one was sitting in the coachman’s seat, though, didn’t mean that the horses would stop—they were in a complete panic. That was when my water spirit flew in front of the horses and doused their faces with cold water.

“Talk about pulling no punches,” I muttered.

The two frightened horses rose up on their hind legs, coming to an abrupt stop, before then trying to run off in different directions. It was too dangerous to stay there, so I floated up in the air to make my escape just before the carriage collided with a tree and overturned.

“The carriage! It’s burning!”

“Eeeeeek! What is this monster?!”

“Someone save us!”

The appearance of Levvy by the carriage behind us threw the men into a panic. They were screaming in Starken, drawing all the attention to themselves. As the men who were in the overturned carriage tried to crawl their way out, they were captured by the soldiers. The burning smell of the carriage had made its way to the castle grounds, and soldiers appeared one after the other to investigate what was happening.

“You can’t just start a fire like that.” By the time Chris had finished extinguishing the fire, the Starkish men were all in custody.

“Lord Alan, was that fire sword your spirit?”

So many soldiers had arrived that many of them were left with nothing to do, so some of the ones I was acquainted with came over to ask about what I had done.

“I just wanted it to turn my branch into a sword, and then it ended up on fire,” I explained.

“Huh? It was a tree branch?”

“You didn’t have the spirit envelop your sword with its power?”

“I was told swords were still dangerous at my age, so I haven’t held any except the training ones at the field.”

“What?!”

“But you were swinging around a huge sword just now, weren’t you?!”

“Jeez, are you telling me that was the tree branch?!”

They were so excited, I could already predict how long this conversation would go on for if I stuck around, so I went to see Deir, still perched on Ifri, instead.

“Deir, Rex looks about ready to keel over,” I lightly scolded her.

“Why? Luther was laughing like he was having the time of his life while he was sliding down the hill.”

“That wasn’t just a hill, young miss!” Rex yelled. “That was a cliff face covered in trees! That was far too risky!”

“Ha ha ha ha ha! What a wonderful display, Lord Alan.” Meanwhile, Luther was laughing.

Two valets, two very different responses. In Deir’s case, she was a little girl, so I could understand the worry. Rex’s was the normal reaction.

“Aww, but it was so fun. We should do more of—”

“This isn’t how a noble young lady should play around,” Rex cut in, face stern.

“Yeah, Deir,” I told her. “Not only were you almost kidnapped, you dashed off without your guards or valets. If anything had happened to you, it would’ve been their necks on the line.”

“Oh... Sorry, Rex.”

“So long as you understand,” he said.

Seeing Deir droop with guilt, I gave her a little pat on the head. That was when Rex turned to me and offered a little nod of thanks. It wasn’t as if I had been trying to help him or anything, though. I’d just thought that if we didn’t stop Deir here and now, she would absolutely try to turn that slope into some sort of hillside racecourse.

“Let’s get back to the castle,” Chris said then. “I’ve already asked someone to go back and report what was happening, but they must all be worried.”

We then began walking back home, surrounded by our valets and the soldiers.

It made sense that they would be worried. The three of us had suddenly jumped off the path and started sliding down a cliff face—some of them had probably had no idea what was happening.

“At least we can arrest the viscount and his lackeys now,” Chris mused as we walked along. “We should confiscate all the ships that are illegally anchored at their ports. Ahhh, I wonder how much money we can squeeze out of them as compensation.”

“Brother, you’re making a face quite unbefitting of a child,” I said. “You look like a villain.”

“You’re so cool, Chris!”

Deir, don’t act so happy. Our image is important.

Running down a cliff was quick, but climbing back up was much tougher. Deir had Ifri to ride on, so she was fine, but Chris and I still didn’t have our own spirit beasts. Our spirits could help us float, though, so the toughest part was just making sure to keep our balance as we glided through the air. Honestly, it was pretty fun.

“Ah, here you are. I am glad you are all unharmed.”

“You’ve completely mastered the art of floating, I see.”

The knights who had been guarding us came up on their horses as they watched us in amazement. Floating itself wasn’t too hard, but moving and keeping your balance could be pretty tough. We’d been practicing in the training field, so a lot of people had probably seen us trying to get the hang of it.

“His Lordship the Margrave awaits your presence,” one of them told us. “Please make your way to the main building.”

The problem was that hovering required mana, so we couldn’t use it for very long. It was dangerous to use when other people were around too, so we chose to make the rest of the trip on horseback. Security seemed tighter than usual. The events at the lake must have been reported already.

“Alan, over there.”

The moment I dismounted, Chris ran up and put his hand on my shoulder, pointing at the crowd awaiting us. Standing next to our father was a well-muscled elderly man. He was tall and broad, and his hair was the exact same auburn as mine.

“Is that grandfather?” I asked.

“Yup. He’s come home.”

I hadn’t just inherited my grandfather’s hair color—my height, athletic ability, and talent for the sword were likely all from him too.

“Good work. None of you are injured, are you?”

Our parents ran over the moment they noticed us. They must have been worried.

“No, we’re fine.”

“The viscount and his associates, and those men from Stark, have all been thrown in the dungeon. We’ll make sure to interrogate them very thoroughly,” father assured us.

“How about we have them live the rest of their lives down there?” mother suggested.

“No, that would be a waste of tax money,” father said. “We’ll strip them of their ranks and place them in forced labor.”

They’d tried to kidnap Deir, after all. They’d never be able to live normal lives again. If they tried to run, who knew what the Spirit King would do to them? I was amazed their plan had been so lacking in thought.

“Is it really that strange for spirits and spirit beasts to think and act for themselves?” Deir asked.

“I’ve personally never heard of it happening outside of Belisario,” I told her.

“Maybe if people don’t communicate with them properly, they think they’ll get in trouble if they don’t wait for commands.”

That made sense. I’d thought that the spirits had been acting of their own volition because they were worried about Deir falling over so much, but it was true that she’d been speaking to them a lot too.

“Oh my, so this is Deirdre? What an adorable little girl.”

“She really is just like a fairy. Is this a spirit beast? How wonderful!”

Grandfather and grandmother came up while we were talking. Grandmother had the usual Belisario platinum blonde hair and gray eyes. I could see her resemblance to our father.

But even though she’d finally gotten the chance to meet her grandparents, Deir barely reacted. Instead, she was clinging to our mother and looking up at our parents with a troubled expression.

“Who are these people?” she asked. “I don’t know them.”

“What? Oh, of course. You’ve never met them before. This is your grandfather and grandmother, Deir,” mother explained.

“Grandfather? Grandmother? Why have I never met them before? I’m already four.”

Ahhh, Deir’s angry. Our grandparents had come back to witness my and Chris’s births, and yet they hadn’t come back to see Deir in the four years she’d been alive—of course she’d be upset. They both looked a little caught out, having their granddaughter turn her nose up at them.

“I don’t remember anything from when I was born, so even I’d struggle to view you as my grandparents...” I added.

“I feel the same way,” Chris chimed in. “I sometimes wonder if you find our cousins much cuter than us, and that’s why you’re always willing to go to your hometown and not here.”

“That’s not it at all!” grandfather desperately reassured him. “The northern nomadic tribes of the Kingdom of Duchamp are working to build a new country, so I just intended to help them out a little...”

“This is why I said I wanted to hurry home to see our grandchildren’s faces!” grandmother declared.

Oh no, the couple have started fighting.

“Ahhhhhhhhh! Mother! Father! What were you two even doing playing around like that after shoving everything onto my brother?!”

Even our aunt was joining in now. Our aunt was a little like Deir—neither father nor grandfather could win against her.

“We weren’t playing around,” grandfather protested. “Oh, of course! I have souvenirs. I’ve brought plenty of souvenirs!”

Deir had almost been kidnapped just a short time ago, yet we were already back to business as usual.

“Why is it so peaceful?” I couldn’t help but ask.

“There’s nothing wrong with that. You were the real standout today, Alan,” Chris praised me.

“You were amazing,” Deir added.

Suddenly, I realized that no one seemed to care about the color of my hair anymore. The new staff all being informed helped, but there were just so many other things for everyone to think about that the color of someone’s hair really didn’t matter by comparison. It also helped that a lot of people had heard the rumors about us siblings before even meeting us.

“Alan, let’s go to the training field together tomorrow,” grandfather suggested then. “Show me your fire spirit sword.”

“You and grandfather really are alike.”

For some reason, when Deir said that, I felt neither particularly happy nor particularly upset.

“It seems you were a little late coming home, grandfather.” I couldn’t help but say it somewhat accusingly.

“Huh? What do you mean by that?”

“Oh, nothing in particular.”

“H-Hey, August, why are my grandchildren treating me so coldly?”

“It’s your own fault.” Father shrugged.

Perhaps that was for the best, though. Being seen as a hero’s grandchild would mean that I was just piggybacking off my grandfather’s accomplishments. “The prodigy” and “fairy princess” were titles that Chris and Deir had acquired through their own merit.

“It’s amazing that you’re able to control your sword spirits at will,” one of the knights told me.

“Please tell me how to create a fire sword too,” another said.

I wasn’t trying so hard merely for recognition, though. Rather, it was probably because I wasn’t just seeking attention—because I was trying this hard for my own sake—that I’d managed to get stronger.

“I don’t really want knowledge of how to use sword spirits to spread too far, so please keep it a secret for now,” I warned them. I didn’t want to stand out, after all.

“Are you planning to focus on gathering information as always?” Chris asked.

“You can be the intelligence gatherer of Belisario,” Deir piped up.

“You can’t say something like that out in the open.”

“Then what about the sword spirit master? Or the flame swordsman?” she suggested.

“Definitely not.”

“Deir, your taste in names is so bad,” Chris stated bluntly.

“What?!”

I was happy enough for people to hear about Alan of Belisario and know who I was. I didn’t need some fancy title. Besides, I was starting to like this auburn hair of mine.

Afterword

Whether picking up this book was the first time you read this story, or you first read the web novel and decided to read the published version after, thank you for reading. This was my first time turning part of a web novel into a single volume, so there were many unexpected and difficult things that I didn’t realize I would have to make decisions on. (In hindsight, it’s very obvious that I’d need to.)

I don’t think I made very many typos. There’s a place to report typos on the site where I upload the web novel, and a lot of my readers were kind enough to point them out to me. It’s a very useful feature that makes me wonder if it should really be this easy for the writer. My readers also told me many things I didn’t know or had forgotten.

As for the difficulties, well, first was figuring out how to request the illustrations. Naturally, I needed to give instructions for the characters’ appearances, but that meant giving every last detail, from the clothes to the hairstyles. We also needed to discuss the backgrounds and the positioning of the characters.

That’s super obvious, right? It would be scary if someone could just know exactly what I was picturing in my head without me saying anything. But it was really difficult. How could I explain it better than what I had already written in the novel? By drawing a picture? Don’t ask the impossible of me. Apparently, it’s common to find pictures on the internet that look like what you want, to help give an idea. But then the next problem is that it’s not that easy to find the right images.

“I’ll leave the rest to you. You definitely have a better sense for these things than I do, Fujiazuki-sensei.”

I used to work in a design-related workplace, so I knew that there are a lot of clients who will leave it to the artist and then complain afterward... Yes, including me. But most of the sketches were perfect as they were and needed no changes. I expected nothing less. With such beautiful illustrations in front of me, I was filled with excitement. Isn’t the miniature Levvy extremely adorable?

The next difficulty I had was thinking of a name for the series. The web novel was originally just called Tensei shita node kondo wa nagaiki shitai (Now That I’ve Reincarnated, I Want to Live a Long Life). There was a time when I just wanted to write the story of Deir dying young due to poor health, receiving the blessing of the Spirit King in this new world, developing a habit of exercising every day from a young age, growing up into a beautiful woman, and then falling in love with a wonderful man. I think a lot of authors share the experience of their beginning and ending remaining the same but the journey between deviating from the original plan.

I’d considered changing the name for quite some time, but I just couldn’t come up with anything, and even once it was decided that the series would be published, I still couldn’t magic up a new name. I discussed it with my editor for more than three months, exchanging possible ideas, and then in the end...

“I’ll leave it to you. I have no idea anymore.”

I shoved it onto my editor. What was I thinking?

It was thanks to my kind readers, my kind illustrator, and my kind editor that this book was finished. Thank you all so much.

Wait. I’m starting to feel like I didn’t contribute much at all in the end.