Chapter 21

After a moment of silence, a knock echoed through the room.

When the maid opened the door, there stood Mother.

"Oh, welcome back, Mother!"

"Hello, Rain. I missed you."

"I missed you too."

With that, she embraced him.

(Oh...), he stiffened his body, but Mother didn't seem to notice and continued talking.

"How was it while I was away?"

"I went for a walk outside."

"Huh? What did you say? You walked outside? Didn't you go around in a carriage?"

(What? Did she come straight here? If she met Father, he would have definitely mentioned me.)

Thinking this, he answered honestly.

"Yes! I walked on my own feet."

"Really? You walked on your own feet? Didn't the maid carry you?"

"Yes! I wanted to walk on my own feet."

"..."

And silence fell again. After a while, she crouched down to meet his gaze.

"Listen, Rain. You can run three times faster than other people, no, than ordinary people. You already stand out."

"Should I not stand out?"

"No, but you shouldn't stand out in a bad way. You shouldn't be a noble who attracts too much strange attention."

"I understand. I'll be careful."

Then she turned to the maid.

"Listen, don't let him walk outside too much until he grows up."

"Yes, ma'am," the maid replied, bowing deeply.

"By the way, who is that girl?"

She looked at Sukuna.

"I bought her from a slave trader!"

"Huh...?"

This was the second time today she was speechless.

"R-Rain, I'm sorry, say that again. What did you say?"

"Yes! I bought a slave from the slave market today! Come on, Sukuna, say hello!"

He gestured to Sukuna.

"A, a, a, ah, that, that, my, my name, um... is Sukuna!! Nice to meet you!!!"

She said this with great tension. (Sukuna, you're stuttering too much.)

He patted her shoulder blades.

"So, I bought a slave."

"No, Rain. That doesn't make sense. Why did you buy a slave?"

"I wanted a personal attendant that I could train myself!"

"I see...

That's a very noble way of thinking. But it's a bit too early. You've only been born for a little over three years. There's no need to rush."

(I have to rush, Mother. I can't afford not to.)

To implement my plan, the sooner the better.

"I see... But since I've already bought her, can I raise her myself?"

"Yes, you can do as you please."

"Thank you, Mother! By the way, I have one more request. Is that okay?"

"What is it?"

"Also, this Sukuna has a talent for fire magic."

The moment he said this, Mother's face froze.

"I want to cultivate this magic, so I need permission to read the magic books that you have forbidden."

Mother remained frozen.

This is why I bought a mage. If I use her as an excuse, I can see the books in the process. It's a two-for-one strategy.

Then Mother spoke.

"Ah... Yes, if she has a talent for magic, she must be allowed to read the books."

She said this as if trying to convince herself.

"Alright, I understand. From today, you are allowed to read the magic books."

"Thank you, Mother!!"

(Oh! I didn't expect to get permission so easily! I thought she would say, 'Only Sukuna can read them,' or something like that. What a pleasant surprise.)

Honestly, whether it went well or not didn't matter to him. But if he could get it, he would take it.

And so, he received permission to read the magic books.