Chapter 8

Thank you for reading.

Regarding the parts that have been published in book form, I have intentionally left the typos, omissions, and revisions as they are, hoping that they might serve as reference material for future readers.

Please understand.

There are people who use the typo reporting function to proofread.

I decline any reports other than typo and omission reports.

If it becomes too excessive, I will block them.

Please bear with me.

Father and Mother are said to be arriving at the mansion in five days. The letter that Rottemeyer had was apparently a preliminary notice.

I was bedridden around the time of my fifth birthday, and my memories before that are vague; I haven't seen their faces for about a year.

What did they look like?

No matter how deep I delve into my memory, their faces don't come to mind. I can't even remember their voices.

Oh... Am I too much of an idiot?

As I was surprised by my own idiocy, Rottemeyer whispered something to Mr. Romanov.

I perked up my ears when I heard words like "master" and "mistress," and Mr. Romanov's expression changed.

"That...! Wait, Baron Kikunoi is an adopted son...?"

"Mr. Romanov! Your voice is too loud!"

"Ah..."

Mr. Romanov glanced at me, and Rottemeyer also briefly looked in my direction but quickly returned his gaze to Mr. Romanov. Oh, don't be so curious!

No, more importantly, didn't he just say "adopted son"?

"Father... is an adopted son from another family, and Mother was originally a baroness...!?"

I had no idea!

Well, I can't remember my parents' faces, so I might not have understood even if someone had told me.

As I was surprised, Mr. Romanov shrugged his shoulders.

"I think it's better to tell Phoenix-kun."

"But, young master is only five years old! Should we really tell him...?"

"If it were an ordinary five-year-old, I would remain silent and wait for time to resolve it. However, Phoenix-kun is far more intelligent than we think. It's better to hear it from us than from gossipy people who will embellish the story..."

"But..."

Unusually, Rottemeyer frowned and looked at me, then let out a long sigh. After pushing up his glasses with his right hand, he hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"Please give me a moment."

"Rottemeyer..."

"Even if I do tell him, I need to think about how to explain it..."

He gracefully pinched the hem of his skirt, bowed, and turned on his heel to leave the mansion's corridor without a gap.

Left behind were Mr. Romanov and I.

"What are you going to do today?"

"Today? I was thinking of making a waist bag with some old clothes with Elise."

It's a type of bag with a belt loop that you wear around your waist, like a waist pouch from my previous life.

With it, your hands are free, your belongings don't swing around, and you can easily access what you need.

I was planning to put gardening shears, gloves, and disinfectant and bandages for emergencies in it.

A picture is worth a thousand words.

I thought showing it would be better, so I led Mr. Romanov to my room and showed him a prototype of the waist pouch I was working on.

It was a large linen bag with a lid and two pockets, both of which could be opened and closed with buttons.

"Hmm... It looks quite practical."

"I was thinking of carrying pruning shears, gloves, disinfectant, and bandages for the garden."

"Ah, I see."

As Mr. Romanov examined the waist pouch (prototype), he smiled.

"Shall we do a little studying?"

"Studying?"

"Yes. About magic."

I was about to get a notebook, but he slowly shook his head.

"It's not that formal, and you'll naturally learn as you study magic."

"I see."

I'm the kind of idiot who doesn't remember the names of gods closely related to daily life, but will I be okay?

Despite my self-doubt, Mr. Romanov's lecture began.

"There are several systems of magic in this world. First, there's healing magic, which heals injuries and recovers from poisons and paralysis. Then there's attack magic, which attacks others. There's also support magic, which interferes with the abilities of oneself and others, and spatial magic, which interferes with space. Lastly, there are miracles and holy spirit magic. These five are the main types."

"Main types, so there are others?"

"Yes. There are ancient ones that have been lost, and some that are rarely used and are on the verge of being forgotten."

According to Mr. Romanov, magic involves taking in magical elements, converting them into magical power, and using them to affect either inside or outside the body. The more magical elements you take in, the more magical power you can convert. The more magical power you convert, the greater the power, precision, and number of people affected.

Healing, attack, and support magic work by transferring the magical power converted from magical elements to the four elemental spirits that permeate the world, causing them to produce various effects.

"Then, does spatial magic transfer magical power to the spirit of space?"

"Exactly. However, spatial magic doesn't work by affecting a single spirit but requires the help of all four elemental spirits. This is because space is the very world in which we exist."

"I see..."

"This world was created by the gods using the four elements and light and darkness. Interfering with it requires the help of all four elemental spirits. However, borrowing the power of all four elements is not as easy as it sounds. The amount of magical power required is also enormous."

"So, very few people can use it...?"

"Correct. But it's very convenient when you can use it. Some can be fixed in a certain state once used, and some can be used multiple times."

For example, touching the waist pouch (prototype) I was wearing, Mr. Romanov muttered something. I couldn't quite hear it, perhaps because it wasn't in the official language of the Qifeng Empire that Mr. Romanov and I usually speak.

Mr. Romanov's fingertips, which were touching the pouch, glowed faintly, and the light spread throughout the pouch. It only took a moment, but Mr. Romanov's forehead was slightly damp with sweat.

I tried to wipe his sweat with a handkerchief I had, but unfortunately, I was too short.

However, Mr. Romanov seemed to understand my intention, wiped his sweat with the handkerchief, and smiled at the butterfly embroidery on one corner of the square handkerchief.

"Beautiful. Let's exchange this for your pouch."

"Huh?"

But, both the pouch and the handkerchief are mine?

With a question mark on my face, Mr. Romanov took off the waist pouch (prototype) and handed it to me.

"I just cast a spatial magic spell on that pouch."

"Wh-What!? A spatial magic spell!?"

"To be honest, I'm a rare user of spatial magic. I just cast an 'Item Box' spell on Phoenix-kun's pouch. It's a semi-permanent one."

"Okay, question! What's an 'Item Box'?"

"An 'Item Box' is..."

In short, it's like the pocket that connects to an infinite storage space in the blue cat automaton from my previous life.

However, unlike that, the capacity is limited to about the size of a wardrobe in my room. Still, as long as something is inside, time stops, so food doesn't rot, and if you put something in fresh, it stays fresh when you take it out.

"Wow! So, so amazing! I can't accept it!"

"No, it's an equal exchange for me."

"But, but! It's just embroidery I did!"

"Phoenix-kun, I didn't tell you this, but the spirits really like plants and works of art created by people with 'Green Hands' or 'Blue Hands'."

"R-Really?"

"Yes. And if you wear even one of these, the spirits will reinforce your magic. My cloak has ten condors with elf patterns that you embroidered. In terms of percentage, it provides about a 50% boost to my magic when I use it without any assistance."

"Wh-What!? A 50% boost!?"

"And that's a conservative estimate. This handkerchief will provide even more reinforcement, making it a fair exchange."

What! Really!?

I was surprised to learn that the Nasca geoglyphs I embroidered for fun had such an effect.

In the shock, I completely forgot about the fact that my father was an adopted son.

Thank you for reading.

If you enjoyed it, a click would boost the author's morale.