Chapter 3

---

After listening to God's magic lecture in the white space of my dream, the next day, I tried to use magic on the baby bed right from the morning. However, I couldn't control it at all. I could feel something warm and powerful in my chest, but it wouldn't respond at all. When I tried to reach out to it, it would slip away like smoke. It was incredibly frustrating.

Thanks to seeing God's magic, I had a vague understanding. In this world where swords and magic are highly developed, everyone seems to have magic power, from peasants to nobles and kings, from babies to adults and the elderly. The amount of magic power can be increased through training, but it varies from person to person. Some have a lot of initial magic power, while others have very little. Some have a lot of initial magic power but can't increase it much, while others can increase it a lot. Some can't increase it at all. It really varies.

Magic is the power to manipulate the magic power within oneself or in the air. The key to manipulating this magic power is incantation, which is called magic script. By using magic script, magic power is activated and magic is cast. If you can correctly use magic script to draw a magic circle, you can activate magic just by sending magic power. Recently, magical devices with embedded magic circles have been developed, but they are still rare.

To activate magic, you need to form an image, but it's not that simple. To use magic, you need to manipulate magic power appropriately. If you try to fill a cup of water with too much or too little magic power, the effect of the magic will be greatly reduced. Even if you have a lot of magic power, you might feel tired after using a little magic because of this. You need to flow magic power smoothly and manipulate the appropriate amount of magic power for different types of magic. In other words, the most important thing is magic power manipulation. Increasing your magic power is also important for advancing to higher levels.

To increase the magic power needed to use spatial magic, you need to use up all your magic power. By doing this, your magic power will increase, albeit slightly. It might increase by one unit, but even if it's not clear, using up your magic power once a day would add up to 365 units in a year. Even if this world's calendar doesn't have 365 days, a little can add up to a lot. You need to keep at it consistently. Right now, I can't even use up my magic power.

But I'm just a one-week-old baby. I still have plenty of time.

---

One month later.

Thanks to my mother, father, and occasionally my sister talking to me, I gradually started to understand words. My father decorated the wall of my room with a word chart, which helped me learn words faster. Maybe they're trying to impress the shape of words on me while I'm still a baby, like playing classical music to a baby in the womb. It might be a bit early, but I'm very happy about it.

"This is... this, right?"

My mother pointed to the letters and explained them to me with a smile. When I showed my joy, she became happy and explained more.

"You! Al is happy!"

"Yes, Al is... but..."

I still don't understand all the words, but my name is Al. I don't know if it's my full name or a nickname, but I'm glad to know my name. I like it a lot.

Being able to feel my family's love as a baby makes me very happy.

---

My magic power manipulation is also going well. At first, I couldn't flow magic power for a week, which made me anxious. But on a certain day in the second week, I felt a small amount of magic power flow, like turning a stiff and heavy faucet. When I felt the magic power flow smoothly from my chest, I almost cried from a sense of achievement. I can now activate the Light spell, though it only glows faintly. I can also use up my magic power. It's going well.

---

By the third month, I could finally understand my parents' words, making life more enjoyable.

My name is Alfrid Slowlett. My mother's name is Elna Slowlett. My father's name is Nord Slowlett. My sister's name is Elinora Slowlett. My brother's name is Silvio Slowlett. The Slowlett family has the title of baron, but thanks to my father's past achievements, we are not poor and live comfortably. My mother comes from a merchant family and can use a little magic. She used the Light spell and made a fireball to make me happy the other day.

My father, who seems gentle and slender, is actually a former adventurer. He must have some impressive achievements.

Thanks to moderate exercise and my previous senses, I can already roll over. I think normal babies start rolling over at four or five months, so I might be a bit early. It's about time to show my parents.

---

"I seek the light that illuminates everything."

I chanted in my mind and activated the Light spell from my fingertips. The more I practice, the less time I need for chanting and mental focus. A moderate brightness lit up from my fingertips. After about thirty seconds, the brightness started to fade, probably because I couldn't maintain a steady flow of magic power. It's quite difficult to keep a steady flow of magic power. However, thirty seconds is a new record. Last time, I could only manage twenty seconds. Maybe because my magic power has increased, I can activate the Light spell seven more times for thirty seconds each?

As I felt a sense of achievement, I heard footsteps from the other side of the door. It's probably my father or mother.

"Excuse me."

A woman in a maid's uniform entered quietly, trying not to make a sound. She looked to be around twenty years old.

She wore a black dress with a long skirt and apron with white frills. Her straight, black hair had a headband on top. It's nice to see someone with black hair; it feels nostalgic. Having a maid is a bit surprising, but since we are a noble family, it's probably normal. She has never come to my room before. Maybe my parents prefer to take care of me themselves and do the cleaning.

"Nord-sama is away on business, so I will be taking care of you along with Elna-sama. My name is Sara. Nice to meet you."

Sara bowed gracefully.

Ah, I remember my father saying he was going out last night. It was too late, and I was already sleepy. Still, it's quite polite of her to bow to a three-month-old baby.

"I'll start by cleaning the room."

I should respond politely.

"Okay."

"!? ...Was that a coincidence? I was surprised because the timing was so good."

Sara seemed surprised by my voice and spoke in a more casual tone. She looked mature, but maybe she's actually seventeen or so.

Sara started cleaning the room.

"Excuse me, Alfrid-sama. I'll change your bedding."

Sara placed me on the floor with the bedding to change it.

This is my chance! The door is open. Sara is cleaning the bed and has her back to me. I can do it.

I'll roll out and explore the mansion!

I rolled out onto the red carpeted hallway. From my low baby's perspective, it looked wide and spacious.

Oh, if I stay in front of the door, I'll be found and taken back.

I continued rolling down the hallway.

The door to the next room was also open, probably because it was being cleaned. No one was there. There were a few chairs and a table, but it looked quite empty. It must be a spare room.

I aimed for the next room and rolled over.

Ah, there are stairs going down. So this is the second floor.

I peeked into the room next to the spare room. It had a decent desk and a bookshelf with some books, but not many.

This must be a study. I'm interested in the books, but I can't reach them yet. Maybe I can use a small chair to reach them.

Okay, let's go to the next room.

"Alfrid-sama? Where are you!?"

I heard Sara's surprised voice from my room.

Oh no, I'll be caught!

As I was wondering what to do, I heard footsteps from the stairs.

"Here we go, here we go. Phew, water is heavy. ...Ah."

"Ouch..."

I made eye contact with a brown-haired maid coming up the stairs. My adventure is over.

"Wh-What!? Alfrid-sama!?"

"Wh-What? Mel, is Alfrid-sama there?"

Sara came from my room.

"What? Yes, he's in the study."

"...When did he get there?"

"Sara, weren't you supposed to be cleaning Alfrid-sama's room?"

"I was, but I took my eyes off him for a moment while cleaning the bed..."

Sara's voice became smaller, and Mel sighed.

"Well, I gave you the task because you have the most experience with infants. You need to be more careful."

"Yes, I'm sorry. ...How did he get here?"

"It's a bit early for him to crawl, isn't it?"

"..."

"..."

"Exactly how did he get here?"

---

Night

"Lady, I have a report about Alfrid-sama."

"Oh, what is it?"

"Today, while I was not paying attention, Alfrid-sama somehow moved to the study."

"Oh? Can he crawl already?"

"That's a bit too early, I think."

"I didn't see anything unusual when I checked just now. We'll have to be more careful from now on."

"Yes, ma'am."