Chapter 8

"Sei! Ha!"

"Ya! Ha!"

In the courtyard, Elinora-nee-san and Silvio-nii-san are practicing their sword swings.

The sound of Elinora-nee-san's determined voice and the wooden sword slicing through the air is invigorating just to hear.

Her ponytail swaying energetically is a joy to watch.

Elinora-nee-san is aiming to become a knight, training with Father Nord and even joining the town watch's drills. She is said to have exceptional talent with the sword and can now spar with the captain of the town watch.

Next to her, Father Nord is frequently correcting Silvio-nii-san's form, making him repeat his swings.

Silvio-nii-san usually spends his time reading books and studying. I haven't heard it directly, but he might become a civil servant or the successor of the Slowlett family in the future.

Although he doesn't seem to particularly like swords, he recognizes the importance of defending himself and practices energetically without slacking off.

However, he is only six years old, and his body isn't fully developed yet, so he can't overdo it.

When Father Nord approaches, Silvio-nii-san lowers his wooden sword and listens intently to some advice, nodding along.

It seems Silvio-nii-san's practice for today is over.

I wonder if I'll have to do sword swings when I turn six too.

On the other hand, I've been practicing spatial magic to increase my mana and improve my teleportation skills recently.

I can now teleport over considerable distances and have found some favorite spots, memorizing them in my mind so I can teleport there anytime.

Sara is no longer a match for me.

However, for some reason, Elinora-nee-san's tracking skills have improved dramatically, threatening my peace. She has already found four out of my six favorite spots, leaving me with few options.

Even though I should have left no trace after teleporting, she says, "I feel like you're over here" and wanders over.

I increased the distance with long-distance teleportation, but Elinora-nee-san has expanded her search area by riding a horse.

It's become a game of hide and seek.

Is she like a bear that wants to chase me?

"What are you doing, Al?"

Mother Elna sits next to me, where I've been staring blankly at the courtyard.

"Just watching Elinora-nee-san and Silvio-nii-san practice," I say.

"Oh, do you want to practice too, Al?"

"No, not really. I think living a peaceful life right now is best."

"Al, you really do love taking it easy, don't you?"

Maybe my words sounded a bit old-fashioned.

Mother Elna has her usual cheerful smile, but it seems a bit wry.

Well, both parents have a laid-back personality, so it should be fine.

"Al, you liked magic books even as a baby, but aren't you interested in magic?"

"I do like magic. I read books and practice sometimes."

I'm working hard every day to enrich my life.

"Then I'll teach you next time. I can use some magic too."

"Sure!" Mother Elna says confidently.

"Okay."

I don't know how much magic Mother Elna can use, but I'm sure I'll learn something, so I decided to let her teach me.

"Al! Let's go play!"

The morning training seems to be over, and a sweaty Elinora-nee-san runs over.

Father Nord and Mother Elna smile at her as usual.

"Make sure to drink plenty of water after you've worked up a sweat."

"It's fine, we're going to the river!"

"No, you must wash up here first."

"Aw?"

"You're a girl, so no."

"Okay. Let's go after lunch, Al! Wait for me!"

Elinora-nee-san runs back to the mansion without waiting for my answer.

...I didn't say I'd go.

"Elinora really loves you, Al."

Father Nord, who had somehow approached without a sound, speaks up.

"Really. She's a bit over the top, isn't she?"

Mother Elna's smile is as cheerful as ever, but she doesn't seem jealous at all.

But I know. Mother Elna and Father Nord are always gentle and kind, but they can be very scary when angry.

Mother Elna smiles calmly while quietly expressing her anger, pursuing any faults with her usual voice. Despite her usual smile, the only feeling it evokes is fear.

Father Nord, on the other hand, narrows his eyes and says nothing, a stark contrast to his usual gentle demeanor. The gap between his usual self and this attitude makes him quite intimidating.

If both of them get angry at the same time, it's terrifying. I've seen it, and even with my mental age of about thirty, I get a bit scared.

Incidentally, the one who got scolded was Elinora-nee-san.

"Al, let's have lunch."

"Yes, Mother."

"Oh?"

I'll try not to make her angry.

---

After lunch, Elinora-nee-san took me to the river.

The river in Coriat Village is always so beautiful. The water is as clear as bottled mineral water, and it tastes delicious. I almost want to shout, "Coriat's water is the best in the world!"

People from the village often come to the upper stream to fetch water.

We are currently in a spot between the upper and middle streams.

"So, what are we going to do?"

As I say this, I throw a stone into the river.

Sure enough, for a three-year-old, it doesn't fly very far.

"Hmm, what should we do?"

I don't want to make a three-year-old swim without a float. Anything else should be fine.

This time, I gather mana in my arm and perform a water skip.

Splash! Splash! Splash! Splash! Splash!

I think it skipped about seven or eight times, though it got a bit hard to count at the end.

The world record is fifty-one skips. I wonder who threw that.

"Ah! Al, what's that? It's so fun!"

"Water skipping?"

"Yeah! The stone just skipped!"

I show her again.

Elinora-nee-san's eyes light up, and she tries to mimic my throw.

Plop! Plop!

"Why doesn't it skip?"

She happily grabs nearby pebbles and throws them.

"Try a flatter, thinner stone instead of a round, heavy one."

Elinora-nee-san picks up a flat, thin stone and throws it.

Splash! Splash! Splash! Splash! Splash! Splash! Splash!

She's already better than me. Elinora-nee-san is naturally good at physical activities.

After about ten minutes, she seems to get bored and comes over.

"Are you bored already? Let's go fishing?"

I preemptively suggest something else to prevent her from saying, "Let's swim together!"

"Aw, fishing is boring because you have to sit still."

She doesn't understand the joy of fishing. Oh, right, we're kids.

"Let's eat some fish for a change."

"Okay! I'll go get the equipment!"

She's fast. She ran back to the mansion right away.

If we catch something, we'll eat it right there. I might get some salt from the kitchen.

Salt is precious, and Baltro complains about it.

If I get caught, I can offer to teach him how to make okonomiyaki in exchange for some salt.

With that in mind, I teleport to the food storage room instead of the kitchen, where others might be.

I transfer to the slightly dim kitchen room and head to the kitchen.

There, I see a large man making suspicious movements in the corner.

"Hehe, it finally arrived."

It's just Baltro. I thought he was a pervert for a moment.

Baltro doesn't notice me and is happily rubbing his cheek against a small pot.

His happy smile looks like a fierce predator to me, but maybe that's just me.

"What are you doing?"

"Ah, the sugar I've been waiting for finally arrived. I got a little bit from an old contact."

Baltro talks animatedly with a fierce smile.

"Wow, then you should share it with everyone."

"No, no, this is something I've been looking forward to. I'll use it for my research, even though it's a bit mean to Nord."

"Wow, then everyone will eat it if they find out."

"Right! That's why it's a secret! ...Ah..."

Baltro is brought back to reality by my words and answers with a stern expression.

"..."

"Father Nord! Mother Elna! Sara!"

"Whoa! Al, I mean, Alfrid, you're a bad boy."

Baltro quickly grabs my shoulder, even while crouching, with terrifying speed and smoothness.

It's as if he's putting his arm around a lifelong best friend.

I've never seen such skill and accuracy in height difference before.

"What's up, Baltro?"

I ask innocently, like a child.

"That's a harsh joke."

"Of course you know," he says, patting my shoulder gently.

He's playing it down, but it's a threat. If things get serious, he might use his thick, log-like arm to break my neck.

Baltro, you can't let your guard down.

"Baltro, your arm is heavy, move it."

"Come on, we're friends, aren't we?"

"Ha! Ha ha ha ha ha."

"Ha! Ha ha ha ha ha."

"What are you two laughing about?"

Sara enters the kitchen room.

Of all the maids, she's the least flexible.

If it were Mina, I could have fooled her or bribed her to leave, but not Sara.

Sara has a sharp sense and a sweet tooth, so she might smell the sugar.

I glance at Baltro.

He looks pale, imagining the maids taking the sugar.

"Baltro, you don't look well."

"No, I'm fine. Ha ha ha."

"Are you sure? Well, I'm here to check the ingredients today."

"Wh-What? Why? I can do it alone."

"Didn't Baltro buy extra wheat and other ingredients to make spaghetti?"

"..."

Baltro... digging his own grave is pitiful.

Well, I'll do him a favor.

"Hey, Sara, I'm looking for a fishing rod. Do you know where it is?"

Baltro's face lights up at my help.

"The fishing rod? I sent Mina to the storage room just now, as Elinora-sama asked."

Damn! That's why I can't rely on efficient but demanding women!

Baltro's hope is short-lived, and his despair is deep. He looks like he's at the end of the world.

...I've got it!

I casually move to a chair where Sara can't see me from her angle.

I touch the wooden bowl on the chair.

Clank! Clank! Clank!

A sound like something falling in the hallway is heard.

"What's that noise? I'll go check."

Sara turns and leaves the kitchen.

"Baltro, hide it quickly."

"O-Okay!"

Baltro quickly hides the pot of sugar under the floor.

...You have a trap door there?

"Give me a little too. And I'll take some salt."

"O-Okay."

I put a little salt in a small pot and leave the kitchen.

Later, when we had a jam-covered hotcake party, the sweet smell spread throughout the mansion, and we were caught immediately.

I can only say that Baltro cried.

I also got scolded, mainly by Sara, the maids, and Mother Elna.

Women are scary.

This is different from the original plan...