Chapter 6

The small fairies carried out the woman's orders. A moment later, it became clear that the three places were: the room where the iron plants were, a small jungle where trees with bizarre magic lived, and a quartz cave where stone flowers bloomed. The images of the three places were reflected in the water mirror. There were a total of seven people trapped. Two in the quartz cave, four in the small jungle, and one in the iron room.

"That iron room, a child is trapped alone in there?!"

The woman was shocked. The man, with a cold expression, slightly distorted his face and frowned.

"This is bad! Seongho, freeze those bindings!"

The man called Seongho followed the order without objection. The thin yet tough vines that bound the criminals instantly froze. The ice was as hard as iron.

"This will take some time. There must be a source of magic somewhere..."

At that moment, a loud noise echoed. The woman flinched and turned around. Her colleague was searching the criminals' bodies.

"Remote control magic isn't as easy as you think. To cause such a rampage, they must have something that connects to the source of magic or a medium. These are D-rank mages."

"Ah...!"

The woman's eyes widened at the man's words. As a result of the search, objects that seemed related to the rampage were found on the men's bodies. Two items emerged, small gems that emitted green and brown light.

However, even though the items were found, the man frowned.

"This... isn't the source of magic. It's probably just a medium for relaying commands."

"That's enough! Quartz! Wood Spirit!"

The woman nodded and summoned another spirit.

"Unravel the magic through these media!"

The two media were for the small jungle and the cave room. She immediately began to dispel the magic using the discovered media. Although she herself used the magic, her summoned spirits did the work. However, it didn't take long for the magic in the jungle and the cave to be dispelled. After the magic in both rooms was sequentially undone, the woman let out a sigh of relief but then flinched.

"What about the iron room?!"

"......There's nothing. At least, these guys don't have it."

The criminals had already fainted from the cold of the ice. The woman clenched her teeth as she looked at the child's figure through the mirror. The child seemed calm. Or rather...

"Huh?!"

The woman's eyes widened at that moment. It wasn't just her; the man, her colleague, was also startled.

The child seemed to be writing something in a notebook. Then, a light-like substance rose from the notebook. The light flew toward something, and the girl followed it. The woman gasped in shock.

"Magic? Impossible! How old is she?"

"......There's a report. Sunflower class at Sky Kindergarten, five years old, Yoonha... Missing near the iron room..."

"A five-year-old?!"

The child in the mirror continued to follow the light. She stopped at a certain place, looked around, and then walked toward the wall without hesitation. The child drew something on the wall with a determined expression. The wall was filled with black.

"What is she doing?"

A large, pitch-black circle was completed. The child closed her eyes and spread her hands. At that moment, the magic was activated.

"......!"

The two of them felt it. However, nothing happened, and the child sat down.

"Jade, can you bring the mirror closer?"

At her words, Jade adjusted the angle of the mirror. The mirror showed the wall that had been painted black. The woman, who had been looking at the mirror with narrowed eyes, suddenly opened her eyes wide. Though it was hard to confirm from the image, it was clear. The flat iron wall had slightly caved in.

"Magic? She can use magic? Good heavens..."

But that was it. The child, who seemed to have slumped, approached the wall. She then punched the indented wall with a look of deep sorrow. The woman and the man's faces were filled with pity and seriousness. After a moment of thought, the woman spoke to Jade, the blue-haired spirit.

"Jade, connect this side with the other side through the mirror. I'll send my magic directly to undo it."

At her words, the man frowned.

"You're not good with metal, right? I'll do it."

"Then... please."

The moment the two agreed to undo the magic in the iron room, the child's magic was activated again.

The wall caved in from the center of the drawn circle. The iron that made up the wall seemed to melt and pushed outward. A 'hole' appeared in the iron wall.

"Wha...?"

It was an unbelievable sight. The iron moved under the child's touch, creating a hole in the once solid wall. A hole, an 'exit'.

"......"

The two watched the scene without breathing. Soon, the girl disappeared through the hole. The two were speechless. The iron room was left empty.

The two remained silent for a while. After a moment, the woman spoke first.

"Yoonha from Sky Kindergarten...?"

"Yeah."

"An amazing kid..."

The woman, muttering, took a deep breath.

"That... she must have already developed her own magic. There are existing magics like that, but they're difficult. It's not likely to be elemental magic either. It's drawing magic, or perhaps, word magic. Word magic and... metal shaping magic."

"......"

"Protection target."

"Right."

"Also, a recruitment target."

The man nodded silently at the woman's words.

"Anyway, we can't just leave a kid with such talent like that."

"Right! Absolutely!"

The woman smiled and agreed with the man. The man, who had maintained a cold expression, softened his gaze and looked at the woman affectionately.

"Let's go back with these guys."

The two then disappeared with the criminals.

☆

After the iron room incident, I was thoroughly scolded by my mom. My dad, who heard that I was involved in a dangerous situation, came home earlier than usual and was also informed.

After that, I started serious magic training with my mom. The dangerous incident at the botanical garden soon faded from my memory. Since it was a past event, I didn't worry much about it. It was something like a terrorist incident, but since I was safe, it was fine.

During this time, Aunt Seona's return to Korea was approaching. The closer the date, the more excited my mom became. Of course, I was also looking forward to it, but compared to my mom, it was like a drop in the bucket. My mom, excited, bought a new tablecloth, teacups, and even a pretty dress. Seeing my mom, who usually had a serious expression, singing a little tune while wearing a new dress was quite surprising to me.

However, a few days later, Aunt Seona's unexpected news hit my mom like a bolt from the blue.

"A month later? That's ridiculous! It's too much!"

My mom, with a pained expression, looked at Aunt Seona, who was apologizing, with a sullen face. My mom was like a child in front of Aunt Seona.

My mom finally sighed, as if accepting the inevitable.

"Okay... I hope you finish quickly and come back."

I watched my mom and Aunt Seona's video call, lost in thought. Aunt Seona is irreplaceable to my mom. However, I still asked her not to tell Aunt Seona about my abilities. It might be a bit unfair, but my mom kindly kept my request.

However, I don't think it's a bad thing. After all, Aunt Seona is the same. She didn't deliberately reveal Inha's talent. From what I've seen, Inha can definitely move magic power. I suspect she might be able to create magic within a few years.

I decided not to tell my mom about this. Not telling means she doesn't want to know, right? In fact, my mom might know but is pretending not to.

A moment later, the call ended, and the video screen disappeared. My mom then turned to me with a bright smile.

"Yoonha, Inha is coming in a few days. Isn't that great?"

"Uh-huh."

Honestly, Inha and I are quite awkward around each other, but since my mom likes her and I also like Inha, I just nodded. Yes, Inha is pretty. I thought that and smiled.

"So, how's your magic training going lately?"

"Great!"

I answered with sparkling eyes. It was a clear difference from my previous reaction, but I didn't care and shared my progress.

"Since I changed to the meditation method you taught me, my magic power has increased faster than before, and I can use more magic. Especially, boundary magic! A few days ago, I succeeded in creating a small square boundary instead of a wrapping boundary!"

Since my mom started supervising my training, I've made explosive progress compared to before. My mom found the right basic training methods for my magic level. Indeed, having a mentor is beneficial. It was difficult for me, a young and inexperienced person, to grow on my own. If I had known this, I should have told my mom the truth earlier.

I've also improved a lot in word magic and illusion magic. Although it might not be noticeable from the outside, I can clearly feel the changes. The range of magic I can use has expanded. Most notably, I can now create a boundary with a distinct shape in the air. My magic power has also increased significantly.

However, I still can't create a 'gate.' Well, I'm only five, so there's no need to rush. I'm taking it slowly.

"Phew. You really are... amazing."

My mom, seeing my unusually excited state, sighed and smiled, as if she couldn't help it. She seemed both worried and proud. I smiled at her.

"Let's try some basic elemental spell magic this time. How about starting with dark magic, which you have the highest affinity with? Of course, just the most basic dark magic. It's dangerous, after all. Anyway, you really have a unique affinity."

"Hehe."

"First, let's... "

I stopped my childish smile as soon as my mom started explaining and looked at her intently. I tried not to miss a single word she said. After the explanation, it was time for practice. I moved my magic power as my mom instructed. The magic manifested, and darkness descended in the room. Despite successfully casting the spell, my mom's reaction was:

"Phew..."

...Well, it can't be helped. I have the memory of living as an adult, so how could I not understand such an easy thing? I smiled at my mom, who was sighing.

By the way, I've practiced the magic that moved the iron several times since the incident. However, it seems that this magic requires 'metal' to be used.

When I first used it, I used the iron in front of me to cast the spell. Since I couldn't create metal on my own, it seems that the presence of metal is a condition for this magic. It felt like the magic didn't include the creation of metal. However, if there was metal in front of me, I could move it into the shape I wanted. I could also slightly increase its mass.

Well, at the time, the magic I wanted was that. Believing in my high affinity with metal, I just wanted the iron to move as I wished and create an exit in front of me.

The affinity is definitely there, but I wasn't particularly interested. After that, I used metal magic a little but didn't actively practice it.

Even though I spend a lot of time learning magic at home, I didn't stop my passion for magic even when I went to kindergarten. In my very ordinary kindergarten life, I semi-automated my training. I circulated magic power around my body and read all the fairy tale books related to magic. Even if I knew most of the content, I still had much more to learn. Most importantly, there were many educational books about magic in the kindergarten.

I pursued my studies with enthusiasm. I can't really study areas I'm not interested in, but I have a very high concentration and memory for things I am interested in. In my previous life, there was a big difference between my high and low scores on school exams. In that sense, I'm the type who, once focused, stays focused until the end.

That's how my magic slowly but, compared to my peers, quickly progressed.

Two days before Inha and her dad were supposed to arrive, I was practicing making a small wind in my hand while circulating magic power on the floor. Suddenly, my mom ran over, making a clattering sound, and shouted in a flustered manner.

"Something's wrong!"

"Huh?"

"Inha is coming today!"

"......What?!"

I was startled by her words, cut off the magic power in my hand, and jumped up. Really? I asked, still flustered.

"Wasn't she supposed to come in two days?"

"That's right! She was supposed to come in two days! But... it seems the schedule changed, and they decided to send Inha first! And it's today! Aunt Seona looked really urgent and asked me to take care of Inha! We have to go right now! The portal will open in less than an hour!"

"What? But Mom, the international warp portal is in Seoul, right? We're in Jinju! Even with a gate, it'll be tight to make it in an hour?"

"Phew. Of course, we have a plan. Here."

My mom handed me something. It looked like a compass. A small, round plate with letters engraved on it. I immediately recognized what it was. A magic item.

I naturally sensed the magic power inside the item my mom handed me. This feeling... is it a 'space' type...?

I deduced the nature of the item based on the situation.

"Is it a teleportation artifact...?"

"Right. You're quick."

"Just from the context of a plan..."

I answered, and my mom smiled contentedly. She then explained how to use the item.

"Just point the needle to the location stored inside and say 'teleport.' It's a simple item. Yoonha, quickly get ready. Change your clothes."

I nodded, looking at the item with curiosity.

We went to my room together and rummaged through the drawers. I still sleep with my parents. I picked out a neat and comfortable outfit from the neatly folded clothes. Since I'd be with Inha, I didn't want to wear something fancy and stand out.

So, I simply put on short jeans and a sleeveless hoodie. I also brushed my curly, slightly frizzy hair.

Since I'm still young, I don't get pocket money, and there's not much else to pack, so changing clothes was enough. My mom then tied my hair. I can brush my hair, but it's still a bit difficult to tie it myself with short arms.

After getting ready, we went to the front door and put on our shoes. My mom, who came out a bit later, put on her heels and held my hand. She then activated the artifact. My mom turned the needle on the artifact to align with a certain letter and spoke.

"Move, two people, international warp portal, teleport, activate."

As soon as my mom finished speaking, a blue light from the artifact covered both of us. When I opened my eyes, we were in the middle of a bustling square. A large building was in front of us. I looked at the large building in amazement and asked.

"Is that the building with the international warp portal?"

"Yep. That's right. Let's see... we have about 30 minutes until the scheduled time. Let's go inside and wait for Inha."

"Okay."

I held my mom's hand tightly and walked inside. The international warp portal can move 100 people at once. Due to its unique ability to instantly transport people anywhere, only people with clear and high status can use it. Very wealthy people, prominent figures in politics, A-rank mages, and their associates.

That's why the building was very luxurious and impressive. I looked around with a curious expression. Meanwhile, my mom was talking to a woman at the information desk.

"What brings you here?"

"Ah, yes. My friend's daughter is coming today, but due to some circumstances, she's returning alone. I'm here to pick her up."

"May I have your name and the name of the person you're here to meet?"

"My name is Han Mirae, and the child is called Gang Inha."

The woman checked the list on her computer and soon nodded.

"This way."

My mom and I followed the guide. The room we were led to was quite luxurious, even for a waiting room. There were