A Gift That Awakens Magic

Ariel coldly turned away the nameless boy who had offered her another gift, then returned to her usual demeanor as if nothing had happened. The sheer speed of her attitude shift was so striking that even Edgar felt a sense of alienation. It was hard to believe such charisma and decisiveness could come from a mere ten-year-old. She really is the Grand Duchess's daughter. For some reason, he felt a twinge of sympathy for the boy.

Edgar could easily guess why the boy had approached her, and while he had no intention of calling the action right, a small doubt lingered in his mind. Had the boy really deserved to be driven away with such contempt?

“…E-Ed!”

“Huh?”

A sharp voice lashed at his ears, refusing to let him stay lost in thought. By the time Edgar snapped back to attention, it was already too late. Ariel stood before him with her cheeks puffed out, hands planted firmly on her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hips, glaring at him.

“Why didn’t you answer when I called? I called you so many times!”

“Sorry, sorry. I guess I spaced out for a second.”

“Hmph, I hate you!”

Ariel crossed her arms with exaggerated sternness and whipped her head to the side. Normally, Edgar would have teased her a bit more to drag out the fun, but since he was clearly in the wrong this time, he decided to bow his head obediently.

“Just this once, forgive me. I was thinking about how cool you looked when you chased that boy away earlier.”

“R-really?”

“Yeah, it was seriously impressive.”

It wasn’t a complete lie. The scene had perfectly matched what he remembered as the definition of a “girl crush.” Of course, he hadn’t actually stood there slack-jawed in awe, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠but a little exaggeration was always necessary when giving compliments. And it seemed to work quite well—Ariel let the air out of her puffed cheeks and struck a proud pose.

Ah, there it is.

This spoiled young lady had a habit of pursing her lips and sweeping her hair behind her ear whenever she wanted to brag or when her pride swelled. The triumphant smile that followed and the way her shoulders lifted were bonuses. It was one of her quirks that only Edgar, who had spent the past ten-plus years with her, knew about. Even Lady Helene probably didn’t know this one.

“Hmph, if that’s the reason, I suppose I can let it slide. B-but… was I really that cool?”

“…Pfft.”

Oh no, I shouldn’t laugh.

Edgar barely managed to bite his lip to hold back the chuckle, then nodded earnestly. He suddenly put on a solemn expression and began to praise her actions with dramatic flair.

“Of course. You were truly amazing. You looked just like a female knight straight out of a fairy tale.”

“R-really? Hehe.”

He already knew she preferred being called a knight over a princess. It probably had a lot to do with her family’s long history of taking charge of the frontier tribes. Her father alone was a battle-hardened veteran who had crossed countless front lines. It was impossible not to develop a sense of admiration. Come to think of it, she once said something like that.

The words Ariel had casually tossed out while they were reading a fairy tale together still echoed clearly in his mind. She had said something about how princesses seemed like useless people who just stayed locked up in castles doing nothing. She truly had a unique set of values for a young lady of her station.

As Edgar continued chatting with the now-cheerful Ariel, a woman approached them with careful steps. She was a maid with light green hair that fell to her shoulders, wearing the standard maid uniform. It was none other than Shephy, Helene’s exclusive maid.

“My lady, young master. The mistress is calling for you.”

“I don’t want to. I want to keep playing with Ed.”

Um, what about my opinion?

Shephy had clearly called for both of them, yet Ariel was the only one voicing her thoughts. Helene wouldn’t have summoned them without good reason, so it must be something urgent. As if to prove that point, Shephy gave an awkward smile at Ariel’s whining before speaking again.

“It won’t take long. She says she wants to give you the gift she prepared herself.”

“Oh, so that’s what it was. Then let’s go quickly, Ed!”

“Okay.”

Ariel’s face lit up instantly. She grabbed Edgar’s hand with surprising strength and followed behind Shephy. In the end, Edgar was dragged along by the willful young lady without even getting a chance to speak his mind. Before long, they stood before Helene.

“I’m sorry for calling you over so suddenly, Ed. But I really wanted to give you this gift myself.”

“Not at all, my lady. If anything, I should be the one thanking you.”

When someone gives you a gift, you thank them—you don’t nitpick from the receiving end. Edgar bowed his head halfway and expressed his gratitude with proper courtesy.

“Hehe, it would be nice if our daughter could speak as well as you do. Don’t you think, dear?”

“W-what did I do wrong!”

Edgar strongly agreed with the sentiment, but he knew better than to show it. If he did, there was no telling what kind of revenge the young lady standing beside him might exact later. So he endured in silence. Helene watched them with gentle eyes before giving a subtle nod to the man standing nearby.

In his hands was a sword wrapped in cloth, its shape completely hidden. Is she really going to hand it over right here?

Edgar looked around in alarm, checking the reactions of the other guests. Sure enough, quite a few people who had been eavesdropping or watching the situation had turned their gazes toward them.

The murmurs spread throughout the hall. No one dared ask Helene directly, but everyone was making their own guesses about what she intended to do. While it was widely known that the Robeheim and Bilhark families shared a lord-vassal relationship, it was an entirely different matter for the lady of the Robeheim household to personally present a sword to such a young child. Especially when that child was the very boy she had personally arranged to be her daughter’s companion.

It would have been stranger if rumors didn’t start flying. “Could she be thinking of him as a future match?” “Are you crazy? Say that out loud and you’ll lose your head.” “But the circumstances are just too suspicious…” One man swallowed the rest of his words and fell silent.

Helene was a perceptive woman. There was no way she hadn’t noticed the atmosphere around them. If she had wanted to keep it secret, she would have handed the sword to him privately. She could have at least used Katria as an intermediary. The fact that she had chosen to do this in front of so many people was, in a way, a warning.

This boy is one acknowledged by the lady of the Robeheim family. To dishonor him is to dishonor the Robeheim family itself.

The way people look at him will change now.

Of course, a single action from her wouldn’t instantly alter how everyone perceived the boy named Edgar. This was merely the first step. The eldest son of a minor baronial house that barely ranked among the lesser nobility had just been personally presented with a sword by the lady of the Robeheim family. From that moment on, they would no longer see him as “the son of a weak house,” but as “Edgar.”

Once you break the frame that confines a person, changing how others evaluate them isn’t all that difficult. All Helene had done was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠create that small catalyst.

“Ed, come here.”

“Yes, my lady.”

Helene took the sword from the servant and unwrapped the cloth herself. What emerged was neither crude nor ornate. To someone who didn’t know swords, it would probably look like an ordinary blade. Even to Edgar, it appeared that way at first glance.

“It doesn’t look like an ordinary sword, does it?”

“To be honest… it does.”

“Hehe, it may seem so on the outside. But I prepared this especially for you. Would you try holding it, if you can?”

Edgar had expected some solemn ceremony before receiving the sword, but it was placed in his hands much sooner than anticipated. It was certainly a real blade—its weight was considerable. A normal ten-year-old would probably struggle just to swing it.

“!?”

As Edgar gripped the sword with both hands and examined its appearance, a sudden sensation made his eyes widen. A throbbing pulse. It felt as if every blood vessel in his body was surging in reverse, rediscovering new movement. What was this? The completely unfamiliar feeling nearly made him drop the sword.

“E-Ed, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“Leave him be for now, Ariel. He’ll be fine soon.”

When Edgar’s legs buckled and he nearly dropped to one knee, Ariel rushed over in a panic to check on him. But Helene, who had been watching, gently urged her to step back and continued to observe Edgar.

Thump. Thump.

Edgar’s wildly beating heart gradually began to calm. Could this be because of the sword? He unconsciously lifted his head and met Helene’s gaze. Noticing the look in his eyes, she smiled softly and asked Shephy to support him.

“I’m sorry for startling you, Ed. It seems your body is in the process of adapting to it.”

“Adapting…? May I ask what you mean by that?”

His mind was so overwhelmed that his polite speech had loosened somewhat. However, Helene simply thought the more casual tone suited a ten-year-old better and chose not to point it out.

“I heard from Katria. She told me you were born unable to use magic.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

His speech had returned to its usual formality in an instant. Helene frowned slightly but decided to set that aside for now and continued.

“This child is a sword that helps circulate the mana within one’s body. It is a fine blade in its own right, but it also allows children like you—who were born unable to chant spells—to use magic.”

“Me… using magic?”

He had never even considered it. Since he had been born this way, he had always thought ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠magic was something from a distant land that had nothing to do with him. He had never shown any interest. And yet, there had been a solution like this all along.

“Ariel told me you looked incredibly fascinated when you watched her use magic.”

“Y-yes, that’s true, but…”

“Instead of just admiring it, learning to use it yourself is the best path. Ariel also said she felt sad that she couldn’t talk with you about magic.”

Hearing this for the first time, Edgar blinked and turned to look at Ariel. She quickly turned her head away in embarrassment. So that was why she had been so eager to show him magic. At least while demonstrating it, they could share the same topic.

“If you continue training in that state, eventually you’ll be able to use magic even without the sword. So keep working hard.”

“Th-thank you, my lady.”

He had received an unexpectedly precious gift. Honestly, he would have been grateful for any random sword lying around, but this… what was going on?

“Huh? Ed’s crying!”

Oh man, how embarrassing.

At Ariel’s shout, Edgar quickly wiped his eyes with his sleeve. While he was happy about being able to use magic, what moved him even more was Helene’s thoughtfulness in paying attention to such small details. It made his emotions surge uncontrollably. Watching him, both Katria and Helene smiled warmly.

Tears from Edgar, of all people. It was such a rare sight that they wondered if they had ever seen it before.

“What’s this, Ed? I think this is the first time I’ve seen you cry too.”

“I’m glad you’re so happy. Happy birthday once again, Ed.”

As Helene gently stroked his head, Edgar blinked back tears and felt, for the first time since coming to this world, like a real child. It was a little embarrassing, but not at all unpleasant.