Chapter 25

Happy New Year.

I will post the continuation of the epilogue, "Special Chapter: The Conspiracy at the Celebration Party (8 Episodes in Total)."

I plan to post two episodes per day, with the second episode today at 9 PM.

I would be delighted if you could read it.

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“Master Lucian.

You let Zito escape again, didn’t you?”

Heine stood in front of Lucian with a troubled expression.

Zito is a rooster.

Usually, he is kept in the chicken coop.

Heine didn’t name the chickens to avoid getting attached to them, but Lucian named every single one.

However, Heine still turns them into chicken meat without hesitation.

Three years have passed since then, and Lucian is now seven years old.

Lucian lets Zito escape to play a game of tag.

Heine finds it difficult to scold Lucian because he can’t play tag with him.

However, Zito can be aggressive, so Heine has to scold Lucian.

“Sorry...”

Heine judged that this apology meant Lucian would do it again.

“You’ll get kicked by Zito again, and you might get hurt!

What if you get hit in a bad spot?”

“Zito won’t do that badly.

He’s my friend!”

Heine was even more troubled.

Now, he couldn’t turn Zito into chicken meat.

◇◇

That day, Heine consulted with Sariel.

“It would be good if Master Lucian had a friend he could play tag with safely.”

“I’ve been thinking the same thing.

It’s not good that there are no children of his age nearby.”

“That’s true.

The boys at Madame Marie’s place have all grown up to be young men.”

The Vione family lives in the west of the capital, which is about an hour’s carriage ride from the city center.

The population density is low due to the presence of large farms and ranches nearby.

There is a town within walking distance, and more houses can be found in that direction. However, neither Heine nor Sariel would let Lucian go there alone. The Kingdom of Anzela has had poor economic conditions for a long time, leading to poor security.

In the past, the Vione family would send Noel to the town on errands, but that is no longer an option.

Heine used to worry about Noel and would go to look for him, but he stopped worrying after seeing Noel use his enhanced leg strength to outrun strange men.

Lucian is also good at physical enhancement.

However, Heine is concerned that Lucian seems more trusting of people than Noel.

“I’m still thinking about friends, but it seems we can find a sword instructor.

Jes’s master is retiring and will teach the next generation.

He has agreed to come occasionally.

Lucian might become a bit more disciplined if he starts running and practicing sword swings.

Next time, I plan to take him to watch Jes in a sword tournament.”

“That’s great.

Master Lucian will be pleased.”

“What about Lucian’s ‘ability’?”

Sariel asked, and Heine smiled wryly.

“Today, he was making bean vines grow wildly...”

It has become clear that Lucian’s magic power has a very high affinity with plants. He is also very sensitive to plants.

Lucian says things like, “The flowers are thirsty,” and brings water to them.

Recently, he has even started generating water on his own.

The plants Lucian waters grow abnormally fast and become more magical.

It seems that the plants absorb magical elements from the surroundings, making them even more powerful than the magic Lucian gives them.

Sariel was secretly worried.

This could become a double-edged sword.

Lucian should not get close to plant-type magical beasts.

Heine hasn’t been told about this concern, but the intelligent Heine must have noticed.

Even in the flower beds where Sariel hasn’t cast earth magic, the plants grow very quickly.

When both Sariel’s earth magic and Lucian’s water are used, the growth is extraordinary.

The results of the magic appraisal showed that Lucian’s “earth” magic attribute was unexpectedly weak.

Therefore, Lucian cannot currently activate it.

Lucian’s magic power is at a level just below “large.” Since he enjoys using magic, there is a possibility that it will grow more by the time he reaches adolescence.

His magic attributes are “water” and “wind.”

“Earth” is weak, and “fire” is barely present.

With continued magic training, even a weak magic attribute can be mastered.

However, that is still a bit in the future.

Perhaps, it is fortunate.

If Lucian had both powers, it would be too strong for a child whose personality is not yet fully formed.

Sariel shuddered, thinking, “Is this the providence of the gods?”

This is a secret of the Vione family. Only three people know about it.

Jes, who plays with Lucian, probably realizes it, but if he were to report it, he would have a duty to inform the palace.

Therefore, it hasn’t been properly explained, and Jes is pretending not to know.

For now, this secret is being kept to ensure Lucian’s safety. It also means he can’t make friends carelessly.

However, Lucian is now old enough to keep secrets.

Sariel thinks this, but hasn’t found the right opportunity to talk about it.

◇◇◇

A few days later, Sariel and the others went to town to have new clothes made for Lucian.

This is the first time they are having clothes tailored.

Sariel brought clothes when they left the palace, thinking they could be used for changing.

He brought some of the fine clothes from his days as a prince, but donated the more extravagant ones.

They lived comfortably with these, but Sariel thought it would be good to have new clothes for Lucian, considering fashion trends.

There might be an opportunity to greet the king and other nobles at the sword tournament.

If Lucian could meet his cousins, who are close in age, they might become friends.

So, Sariel thought it would be good to have his child dressed properly, and Heine agreed wholeheartedly.

They entrusted a tailor with a good reputation in town.

Since Lucian is still growing, they decided to get a set of formal clothes and two stylish shirts with pants.

Heine’s butler uniform was also renewed.

Even though it was remade when their life became easier, this new one is even better.

Heine was flattered but seemed to think it would be unseemly to be too modest in front of the tailor, so he quietly submitted to the measurements.

On the way back, they strolled through the town.

Lucian stopped in front of a mansion.

It belonged to a wealthy merchant.

Heine quietly told Sariel that the merchant was unscrupulous.

The house looked grand, but the barbed wire on top of the wall made it look ominous.

“The bad atmosphere is probably due to that barbed wire.”

Heine must be very cautious.

When Lucian asked, “What are those spikes?” Sariel answered, “They are for security.”

“Anzela has poor security.

There must be something valuable in the house.

It’s to prevent thieves and dangerous robbers.”

Heine added an explanation.

“Hmm.”

Lucian seemed to be thinking about something.

On the way back, they also stopped at a flower shop.

It was a large store that sold seeds and seedlings.

Sariel and Heine looked at herb seeds and vegetable seedlings.

Lucian was looking at flower seedlings.

Lucian wanted a climbing rose seedling, so they bought it.

It was a high-quality seedling. Since Lucian rarely asks for anything, Sariel felt it was unusual and smiled at his child’s happy face.

It’s fun to buy what your child asks for.

The pale pink petals with a hint of cream were beautiful, and if Lucian were to grow it, it would surely become a magnificent rose.

When they returned home, Sariel, at Lucian’s request, cast earth magic on the flower bed where the rose would be planted.

They also planted the other seedlings in the garden.

Since Sariel and Heine were heading to the garden, they missed hearing what Lucian was saying to the climbing rose.

“Gorazi. You are the knight of the climbing rose, Gorazi.

Grow big, strong, and sharp.

Protect this house.

But don’t hurt the family.”

Lucian poured a lot of water, generated by water magic, at the base of the climbing rose.