Playmate and Magic

Rugel was a small place in the western part of the wide continent. Surrounding the village, the trees stood proud and tall, encircling the village completely in greens. Unlike the northern part of the continent, Rugel was all year round sunny and filled with a bountiful harvest.

I was born and raised here by a single parent mother. She worked as a merchant and sold harvests from the village to the nearby city. She would leave and come back three or five days later, leaving me in the care of a nanny she would hire.

That was how she met Hett Grizia, a noble of the Grizia house. He was a business partner who would often work with Helen. Usually, he would come here alone to discuss things with Helen, but now, there was a little bundle of joy that he brought along.

She was a beautiful young girl. Her black hair was long, paired with bright green eyes. She had a soft feature and round cheeks. Wearing a pale pink dress, she looked very cute. In the future, she would surely grow up as a beautiful girl.

"Why don't you two play around outside for a while?" Helen suggested

As the adults discussed their matters, we both quietly stood on a field of grass outside our house.

It was a beautiful day outside. The sky was clear and completely showed the beautiful color of azure blue. Combined with Rugel's rich nature and the tone of warm color the sunshine gave off, the scenery looked particularly picturesque. If you stared at the scenery unconsciously, you might wander off in a daydream.

It reminded me why I liked Rugel. This city was simply beautiful.

"I heard that your name was Almond or something?"

"Hmm?"

"I asked for your name."

Turning around to the speaker, it was from the shy girl beside me. Rather than shy, she looked haughty.

"It's Desmondeus Eisenwaltz. You can call me either Desmond or Deus, Esca. It's nice to meet you."

"No. I'll call you Almond. It's simpler."

Clutching on her pink parasol, she narrowed her eyes.

"So, you're a genius?"

Did she hear the conversation earlier?

"I just did additions and subtractions. My teacher called me a genius and said that I could even enter the academy now."

Kuhum… she's a cheeky one, this girl.

"What's the result of 2+2-1? You know that?"

"3."

Surprised by my natural response, she looked taken aback.

"N-not bad. You're pretty quick," she said hesitantly and her grip on her parasol looked tighter. "Well, can you use magic? I can do it ever since I was two!"

Magic...

It was no surprise that she could use magic. The family members of Grizia houses were famous for their magic capabilities after all.

But still, in this world, kids who could successfully cast magic before they reach the age of six were considered to be geniuses.

"That's amazing, Esca. Can you teach me a few pointers? I'll go grab the wand that uncle gave me."

"Hmm? O-oh, sure. Not now though. I can't do it now. I can only do it if I'm in the mood, you know?"

"Got it."

Once again, silence took over until the sound of breeze and rustling trees were heard. It was an enjoyable morning.

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Apparently, Hett and Helen's business took longer than expected this time, and both Hett and Esca decided to stay in Rugel for the time being. Since the weather was nice, Hett considered it to be a family trip.

It was an idle birthday. While I was familiarizing with my new staff, the Grizias were still here. Currently, Hett was taking a break from his meeting with Helen. Helen, on the other hand, went out to do her work.

"Little Desmond, how about I teach you some magic?"

Hett was a magician. A really good one apparently from what I've heard from Helen. When he offered this, I immediately accepted without a second thought.

"Well, since you haven't opened up your mana reserves, I'll only teach you the general basics and a few demonstrations. Is that fine with you?"

I nodded enthusiastically. Seeing this, he started to pick up his staff and we walked to an open field.

"Have you heard anything about magic, Desmond?"

"Several things. But generally, it's like changing food into energy."

"Correct."

Just like food into energy.

It was a broad explanation, but from what I've read, it was more or less an energy conversion in science. Except, this one covered a supernatural base, an existence that didn't exist back in earth, mana.

"So, basically, mana can be strengthened by practices of mental strength. When your mind is calm, mana will start flowing freely inside you. As for the feeling itself, it could be compared to the flow of blood."

Out of nowhere, flame-looking blue things covered Hett's entire body when he lifted his staff.

"However, since we're used to the feeling of blood flow inside of us, we get used to it and don't really feel it anymore, right? With mana, a warmer feeling than blood will surge as soon as it is called."

As if it was absorbed, the layer of color entered Hett's body.

"Release."

And the moment the energy that was absorbed by Hett was dispersed, it was as if there was a gust of wind passed through and blew away the things surrounding it.

"Well... that's the basic maneuver. To put it simply, it's like you're charging a certain engine to make it active. When you use it, it'll release energy."

Then, everything returned to usual.

"That's it."

That was too freaking cool!

"Oh, sorry. I was rambling, wasn't I?"

"No, no. Don't worry uncle Hett, I got the gist of it. Thanks for the explanation, uncle Hett."

"You do? Glad that I could be a help, then. But to be noted, magic requires attention and focus. That's why children around your age find it hard to do. There's also the matter of finding your magic's affinity, but that's a matter for another day."

"Thanks, uncle Hett."

Truth to be told, his explanation was way too hard to understand for a child who generally couldn't even understand the function of blood. If he were to explain that to other children, they would definitely get confused.

Beside me, Esca whispered hushedly.

"...you understood that, Almond?"

"Hm? More or less, yeah."

"M-me too. It was pretty easy to understand."

"Oho?" Hett hummed silently from behind with a teasing grin. "You two already got buddy-buddy around each other, I see."

"No, we're not!"

"Well... even if she may sound harsh at times, she's a nice girl at heart who wants to be friends with everyone. Please continue to be her friend, little Desmond."

"W-wha!"

This was my first time seeing someone so red that they might explode.

"Don't worry, uncle. I also look forward to being friends with Esca. After all, she promised that she will teach me magic sometimes."

"Eh?"

"Hmm? Esca?" trailing off in his speech, he looked at Esca with a frown. Knowing this, she flinched as if she got caught.

"Esca, did you lie to Desmond? Esca still can't access her mana reserve, Desmond. She still needs a lot of training to do."

"..."

After that, we quickly finished up and prepared to go home. However, the way back felt heavy and quiet.