Ever since Elzen started finding his match, many things had changed.
The half-elves, all of them roughly a hundred years old, had passed their entrance exams to become navy sailors and were assigned to their respective departments.
Elzen, having received a share of Joey’s life force, had recovered from his illness, though he was not yet back to full strength. The rare “Reverse Scale Disease” caused blood clots, and apparently, it would take significant time for those to dissipate entirely.
*He said his body was so damaged he had to undergo rehabilitation training.*
Regardless, he could finally walk around the mansion to his heart’s content. Now that he could join us for family meals, Elzen would bake cookies with me and read me piles of fairy tales before bed.
I’m so happy he plays with me!
“After you get all better, are you going to go to navy training, O-pya?”
“That’s the plan. The doctor says I’ll only need about a year of rehab.”
“Wow! But then you won’t be able to go on picnics with me very much.”
It was 11:00 AM, the time when the sun, polished and bright as an apple pie, illuminated the world. Today was the long-awaited group picnic. All the children of Pashayen were going on an outing, led by Teacher Cedric and Raywood. We were decked out in snow-white hats, pumpkin pants that hit just above our knees, and bags with wings on them!
Since I had been singing about wanting to become a navy sailor everywhere, Lina had fashioned me an outfit similar to the navy’s white uniform.
“Hehe, I’m so excited!”
“Aww, are you?”
“Uh-huh!”
Holding Elzen’s hand, I hummed a tune. Micard couldn’t come because he was supervising training, but Iliad and Neiad were there.
*While I’m at it, should I try to get a little closer to Raywood?*
The last time I met him was… well, the last time. Raywood was so busy that I rarely saw him.
“Vice President, could you come here for a moment?”
“Ye-es!”
Right on cue, Raywood called for me. Wearing my ‘Vice President’ name tag, I let go of Elzen’s hand and scampered over.
“Even though today is a picnic, as the President and Vice President, you both have the responsibility to manage the children. If you see anyone trying to wander into the forest alone, shout loudly to let us know.”
“Yes!”
“Good job. Reliable. Of course, you don’t need to worry about them entering the water; you can leave that be.”
As I raised one hand high and answered, Raywood offered a smile. But the corners of his lips rose while his eyes remained cold—it was truly fascinating. How could he do that?
While I tilted my head, Raywood turned to Teacher Cedric with a sharp warning.
“Cedric, no naps. No slacking off. No sneaking away to rest in a corner. Even if it’s annoying, don’t forget to look after the children properly.”
“Yay…”
“If you listen well, I’ll let you quit your job someday.”
“Yes!”
Teacher Cedric looked annoyed, but at the mention of being allowed to “quit his job,” he beamed with joy.
In the meantime, Iliad scooped me up and hoisted me onto his shoulders for a piggyback ride.
“Yahoo! Off we go!”
“Off we go!”
Today’s picnic destination was near the lower reaches of the Alexandrite River, far to the west of Pelun. The other kids said it would take a full week to get there by carriage.
“But how are we going to get that far?”
I gripped Iliad’s hair like reins and looked around. No carriages, no horses. Lina, the other maids, and the guards were all here, but there wasn’t a single vehicle in sight!
“Ah, the travel? You don’t need to worry about that. We have Elzen Hyung now, after all.”
“Huh.”
Is Elzen going to do something? Now that I think about it, what is Elzen’s ability?
“Everyone, once you’ve gathered, slowly step into the water.”
At that moment, Elzen gave a quiet instruction.
Splish, splash.
The official garden of the Pashayen Mansion had an artificial stream. It was shallow, only reaching our ankles, so everyone stepped in without trouble. I was a bit worried about my new shoes, though—I didn’t want them to get wet.
“What are you worrying about? Just hold onto me tight.”
“Mm-hmm.”
Is it okay to do that? At Iliad’s words, I tightened my grip.
A moment later, a spray of water erupted around Elzen, who held his hands outstretched, and a rainbow formed above our heads.
“We’re here, Little One.”
“……!”
I had been so distracted I didn’t even notice what happened, but wait?! Once the spray cleared, we had left the mansion entirely. It was just like teleportation!
“O-pya, O-pya! What is this? How did you do that?!”
As I fluttered my hands while sitting on Iliad’s shoulders, Elzen turned to me with a beautiful smile.
“An ability. I can move anywhere as long as there is water. Up to 50 people at once.”
So… so…….
It’s an ability that’s just perfect for going on picnics!
So cool!
***
The great mansion in Pelun had grown quiet after the Pashayen children left for their picnic. The adults were gathered for tea for the first time in a while.
Cecilia, who couldn’t stand the sight of Violet, stayed away, and Nein, the father of the twins, was absent, bedridden with fatigue. Four people remained: Galizad, the Head of House; Violet, the Successor; Maliasah, the Attuner; and Diegon, who had assigned Micard to be the training supervisor.
“Haha, that child really is a treasure.”
Lately, Galizad’s cheeks never had a chance to drop from smiling. A valuable resource that had almost been discarded had been revived. Elzen’s ability wasn’t grand in scale, but he was clever and adept at reading situations. He was calm, composed, and possessed the insight to look toward the sea rather than just the small streams.
Being Micard’s blood relation and having no interest in power struggles, he would undoubtedly become a great force for the entire Pashayen Navy. Losing such an Elzen would have been a painful blow to Galizad.
“Truly precious. How on earth did such a child stumble in here?”
As soon as he spoke, Maliasah, who had been quietly setting down her teacup, firmly pulled her husband’s beard.
“You old coot, did I not tell you not to measure people only by their value?”
“Ow, ow. Sorry, sorry. It’s a habit, and it just doesn’t go away even when I’m this old.”
“Tsk, it’s a bad habit. I should have fixed it when you were younger.”
In the entire world, the only person who could treat the Head of the Pashayen family this way was his match, Maliasah. No matter how old he got, Galizad still bowed his head to her alone.
If she said to come, he came; if she said to go, he went; if she said to sit, he sat; if she said to give her a piggyback ride, he complied. No matter how fearsome a person might be, as long as they are an Awakener, it is only natural to kneel before one’s match.
Diegon let out a soft laugh while watching his parents bicker. Violet pretended not to see.
“But Father.”
*Clack.*
Violet, who had deliberately set her cup down loudly to draw attention, parted her lips elegantly.
“Diegon accelerated the flow of the Alexandrite River and dried up the upper reaches.”
“Hmm, indeed he did.”
“There will be retaliation.”
“Indeed. The Bellarion family won’t just sit idly by, will they?”
Galizad laughed heartily and smoothed down his disheveled beard. Maliasah glared at her husband and sighed.
“I told you to raise the children with care. You never listen to a word I say.”
“They need to gain practical experience, too. It won’t be on the scale of a territory war anyway. The Head of the Bellarion family isn’t that reckless. At most, that guy Goliath will act on his own.”
“What if they get hurt?”
“Children grow while getting hurt.”
In truth, there was no error in the Head’s words. The current Pashayen generation was affluent and peaceful compared to Galizad’s childhood; they had never experienced a proper territory war. If the Bellarion family were to launch an attack this time, it would be a good experience. They had to go through small trials to learn how to handle themselves when a truly big event arrived later.
They couldn’t prepare for war if they were only kept under protection.
*Clack.*
“As you all know, this current peace will not last long. There are ominous currents swirling all throughout the Empire.”
Eventually, Galizad wiped the smile from his face and began in a low voice.
“War will break out before long.”