Chapter 9

It ended up being a bit long.

After that, I changed the title of the novel from "Will and the Spirit's Garden" to "Will is Playing with Magic Again Today."

"Wheel♪ Cha-cha-cha♪ Wheel♪"

"Ai-ai♪"

"Will-Will-Wheel♪ Wheel♪"

"Ai, ai♪"

Nina walked through the garden, singing.

Will followed behind, chiming in with her.

The garden of the Turquis family was spacious and served as an excellent playground for the children.

Will and Nina spent their mornings playing in the garden, reading children's books indoors to learn reading and writing, and sometimes going for walks with one of the maids.

Serena attended a school, so she was busy with her studies until the afternoon on days other than holidays.

"Hehe..."

Cecilia, who had been reading a book in a chair next to the garden, raised her head and smiled at the sight of the children.

Just then, Ellis appeared, pushing a wagon.

"What are you reading?"

As Ellis poured tea into a teacup, she asked.

Cecilia marked her place in the book and showed it to Ellis.

"Is this a magic book?"

"Yes. I'm looking for a magic that might interest Will."

The title of the book read, "Magic for the Home Garden."

The book had been bought when they first started living here to create a home garden.

Flipping through the pages,

- Basic magic for tilling the soil

- Magic for enriching the soil

- Magic for spreading water over a wide area, and so on

Various non-combat magic were introduced.

"Will with this..."

Ellis muttered, deep in thought.

With Will's talent, he would easily learn simple magic.

The problem was not there.

The two turned their gaze to the garden.

The lawn was neatly trimmed, and the flower beds and home garden were well-kept, adding color to the beautifully maintained garden.

"The gardener will definitely cry..."

"Ahahaha..."

Cecilia forced a smile.

Will, having learned magic, would not just sit idly in the garden.

The image of Will wreaking havoc (playing in the soil) and the gardener crying (with more work) was vivid.

"Let's think about what magic to teach Will gradually..."

"Should I check if there's anything good at my family's place?"

"That's a good idea, but how about visiting the research institute once?"

"The Spirit Magic Research Institute?"

Cecilia asked, responding to Ellis's suggestion.

Indeed, the Spirit Magic Research Institute would likely satisfy Will's curiosity.

"Yes. There are many things that might interest Will, and I can guide him around."

"That's true..."

If this deepens Will's understanding of magic, it would be worth it.

Indeed, it would be worth a visit.

"Let's ask Father."

"Yes, Orpheus-sama would surely be pleased."

Cecilia and Ellis smiled and nodded at each other.

Will, noticing their interaction, ran over, intrigued.

"Ah, Will! Don't suddenly run..."

"Ah..."

Nina's warning came too late, and Will fell flat in the middle of the garden.

He slowly got up.

"Huff, gah...!"

Will's face contorted with large tears, and he tried to hold back, but the pain and shock made him cry.

"Oh dear, Will. Are you okay!?"

Cecilia hurried over and picked up Will.

Ellis, who followed, checked Will's injuries.

"His knees and hands are scraped..."

Bang!

"Will-sama! What happened!!"

The sudden opening of the second-floor window and Tomason's voice interrupted Ellis.

"Whoa!"

"Tomason-san!?"

The old butler jumped from the second-floor window and landed in the garden.

Ellis, surprised, was even more taken aback by what followed.

"Will-sama!"

The maids, who were on duty elsewhere, rushed to Will from the upper windows and the terrace.

Not only that,

"Where, where! Who made our prince cry!"

"What did you do to the boy in my well-maintained garden!"

The gatekeeper John and the gardener Ratz, who was on break, rushed out with their scythes.

Nina clapped at the gathering of the staff, and Will, surprised, stopped crying.

"Oh, even John... Will-sama just fell and got hurt!"

"K, hurt...!"

The staff shuddered as if struck by lightning.

Ellis sighed at their overprotective nature.

"Falling and getting hurt in the garden is quite common. Spoiling him too much will hinder Will-sama's education."

"Whaaat?"

The staff, reprimanded by Ellis, raised a chorus of objections.

Whether or not to spoil him aside, they all wanted to fuss over Will.

"Just get back to work."

Ellis, looking up, smiled and spoke each word distinctly.

Her eyes did not smile.

Before she got seriously angry, the staff hurried back to their posts.

"Really..."

Ellis sighed, placing her hands on her hips.

Nina, who had been watching the departing staff with a smile, looked up at Ellis.

"When I was little, everyone came to my aid too! Everyone loves Will so much."

Nina looked very pleased.

She was surely happy that everyone liked her beloved Will.

The staff's doting on the children was not a recent development.

Ellis smiled and patted Nina's head, then inquired about Will's injuries.

"Do we need to wash the wounds a bit..."

Fortunately, the injuries from a fall were not serious.

Cecilia, after some thought, gently wiped away Will's tears.

"Will, what I'm going to show you is a healing magic. It's used to heal people who are in pain."

"Cecilia-sama..."

Ellis called out, and Cecilia nodded.

Showing healing magic would not be a waste.

It would be useful for his future learning.

Ellis nodded in return, took Will from Cecilia, and adjusted his position to make the magic demonstration easier.

"Magic can be performed without incantations, but the basic method is to chant them. This is because chanting incantations helps to draw in external magical elements and amplify the power to use magic."

As Ellis began her explanation, Cecilia demonstrated by placing her hands over Will.

The light from the ring on her left ring finger intensified.

A delicate rectangular spirit stone, the Tree Spirit Stone, was at the center of the intricate design.

Cecilia continued her explanation while observing Will and Nina.

"Even if the incantation is slightly different, it will work as long as the meaning is clear. First, declare the attribute you are using, and touch the external magical elements or the power of the spirits to amplify your magic. Then, chant the effect or content and activate the magic."

Cecilia chanted the incantation in front of the wide-eyed Will and Nina.

"Come forth, Tree Spirit. Embrace of the Great Tree,

Heal your neighbor with the breath of life."

A gentle, pale green light swelled and quickly healed Will's wounds.

"Whoa..."

"This is Mother's magic..."

Will and Nina were amazed by the effect of the magic.

When the light subsided, Will bent and stretched the injured area.

The wound was completely healed, and there was no pain.

"This is healing magic."

"There are several types of healing magic, but Cecilia-sama's Tree attribute magic is among the higher-level ones."

Ellis's explanation made the children look at Cecilia with admiration, and she blushed slightly.

"Can Will use it?"

"Hmm..."

Prompted by Nina, Will made a gesture to channel his magic.

However, no magic appeared.

"Huh?"

Will tilted his head.

Cecilia and Ellis, looking at each other, smiled.

Ellis bent down to Will's eye level.

"Your magic power is not enough. It's a high-level magic, so you can't use it without a spirit stone and amplification of magic power."

"Zofuku... sue!"

Will, realizing this, nodded, and Ellis smiled.

"But..."

Nina, who had been listening, tilted her head.

"Didn't we have a Tree Spirit Stone in the Spirit Lantern?"

"Misha's paper play mentioned it by name, but the Tree attribute is a composite attribute."

This time, Cecilia answered.

"By combining the Earth, Water, and Light attributes, you can use the Tree attribute."

"Wow..."

Nina's gaze turned to the ring on Cecilia's left ring finger.

"Is that the spirit stone in the ring?"

"Yes, it is."

Cecilia smiled gently at Nina's question and looked at the ring.

Spirit stones are embedded in all magical activation media without exception.

From combat-oriented items like swords and wands to everyday items like jewelry, there are various types.

Among them, rings as magical media are particularly popular among women.

As Cecilia lovingly stroked the ring, the children tilted their heads.

Ellis, watching from the side, smiled mischievously.

"That ring is a token of love given to Cecilia-sama by Shiro-sama."

"From Father?"

"Ch, Ellis!"

Cecilia's cheeks turned red as she protested.

Ellis, looking into the distance, wriggled her body.

"I can't forget it. Until the day the ring was given, Cecilia-sama would daydream about Shiro-sama every morning and night..."

"Ch, ma..."

Cecilia's ears turned red at her sudden attack.

It was still embarrassing to be confessed to in front of the children.

"Hoe...?"

Will, not understanding, blinked and watched Cecilia and Ellis's interaction.

Nina, with a knowing look, explained.

"That ring is called an engagement ring. It's something a man gives to a woman he loves, asking her to stay with him forever."

Originally, engagement rings and wedding rings were separate.

However, with the spread of magical beasts, the practice of men giving their partners' guardian spirit stones (qualified spirit stones) as engagement rings became popular worldwide.

As a result, more women began to carry engagement rings and wedding rings together as protective magical media.

Now, giving a spirit stone ring is often seen as a proposal.

The Tree Spirit Stone ring on Cecilia's finger was also given to her by Shiro in this trend.

"A man gives a woman a ring worth three times his salary."

"Huh!?"

Will, who had never received an allowance, was surprised by Nina's words.

He crossed his arms and thought about it.

"Even if you say that, Will, you won't understand yet. Nina."

Cecilia, straightening up, smiled and patted Will and Nina's heads.

"Will, you can't marry your sister."

"Whaaat?"

Will, disappointed by Cecilia's explanation, had his head patted by Nina.

"That's too bad, Will."

Nina wrapped her arms around Will and hugged him.

"But, thank you."

Nina expressed her gratitude and joy to her beloved brother with all her body.

Ellis, watching from behind, smiled at Will.

"Will-sama, you'll find a good person eventually."

"Really?"

"Yes."

Ellis nodded at Will's question.

Will, freed from Nina's embrace, thought for a moment and looked at Ellis.

"Then, I'll give a ring to Ellis."

"Oh, that's wonderful."

Ellis smiled and patted Will's head.

"Then, to Renton, Aika, Mina, Misha, and..."

As Will started counting on his fingers, the three looked at each other and burst out laughing.

"Will-sama, we'll be old ladies by the time you grow up."

"I like everyone, so it's okay!"

Will's mysterious enthusiasm filled the garden with a mix of puzzled and amused laughter.