“The disease is progressing rapidly. I’m told that nowadays, he spends more time lying down than sitting up.”
“It’s a pity. He was a promising lad. What about that matter you were inquiring into earlier?”
“My apologies. I have reached out to the Laksimon of the Dawn and the Ishel of the Afterglow, but there is no news of anyone else possessing the same *bijou* among the noble houses under their jurisdiction.”
The Admiral, Diegon Pashayen, has two sons.
The eldest, thirteen-year-old Micard.
The second, eleven-year-old Elzen.
Both were renowned as candidates for the next Admiral. However, Elzen suddenly fell ill. There is only one way to cure him: to find a partner with the same *bijou* and receive a portion of their life force.
“Very well. If his fate ends there, then that is his destiny. In any case, is today the second lesson?”
Galizad asked in a low voice. Cedric pushed up his glasses and gave an immediate reply.
“If you are referring to Young Lady Shu, that is correct.”
“Teach her about the Spirit Kings. There were no traces of a formal contract with a Spirit King. In that case, we must guide her to become a Spirit Contractor.”
“Yes. It would be a great blessing for the family. If it succeeds, that is.”
“It must succeed. If it does, she will be immensely useful. Even if she cannot become an Attuner, she holds value.”
Galizad’s eyes shone sharply. Cedric, his head bowed, scribbled something onto the parchment he was holding.
「Another, another, another extra task. How annoying…….」
No sooner had he written it than Galizad let out a benevolent laugh.
“Don’t be so annoyed, lad.”
“…Yes.”
“Tsk, these young ones nowadays; they’re all so ill-mannered. Tsk-tsk.”
“I am but a meager, insufficient human who only sleeps three hours a day, so I am terribly exhausted.”
The trust Cedric received was immense, though he himself was not particularly thrilled about it. His ambition lay in his bed. He wanted to sleep for twelve hours! Or better yet, just never get up. He didn’t want to go to work!
Since he submitted his resignation regularly every month only for Galizad to ignore it, Cedric tended to act a bit reckless. As Galizad was infinitely generous to men of talent, he indulged such attitudes.
“Now then, time to head to the lesson, isn’t it?”
“Haa, yes.”
Of course, he never forgot to assign work even while saying that. It was just as Cedric was moving sluggishly like a wilted squid—
“……?”
When he opened the door, a little kid was standing there, looking up at him with sparkling eyes.
“Ello. Do you want a mashmellow cookie?”
Who?
Cedric, who had been looking down at the Young Lady with the dim, lifeless gaze of a dead fish, sniffed the air. It was definitely the scent of cookies.
“Dis one, it’s for Teacher.”
“Yes?”
“If you eat it, you get strength!”
“Yes……?”
It was a statement lacking any logic, but regardless, this person was currently the rising star of Pashayen. And standing behind her was the Admiral himself.
*It would be… better to accept it, right?*
He was already under the cold glare of Diegon for the Young Lady’s outburst at the Education Hall earlier. If he provoked Diegon’s displeasure any further, he could kiss his comfortable retirement goodbye. After all, “the happy, lazy bed-life of an unemployed man” could easily turn into “being half-dead and bedridden in a coma.”
Having made those calculations, Cedric accepted the cookie, though he didn’t seem particularly pleased.
*She must be acting cute because she doesn’t know any better yet. Soon, she will realize what kind of position a Young Lady of Pashayen holds, and she will be tainted by those wicked brats.*
It was a prejudice, but Cedric’s prejudice was quite firm, born from experience.
“Hey kid, are you only giving this to the teacher?”
“No. I have some for Uncle, too. I baked them yesterday.”
Cedric, watching blankly as the little Young Lady passed him and handed a cookie to the Head of House, realized something slowly.
*She’s not afraid……? No, it goes beyond that; she has no hesitation at all.*
How? Even Cecilia, who is his biological daughter, still cowers before her father.
Name: Shuperti Pashayen.
Claims to be called Chuu.
Commoner, orphan, from a public daycare.
Future dream: Chef.
According to the daycare teacher’s ‘judgment,’ she appears to be about four years old, though her physical development—such as height and oral structure—is delayed. She seems like a child of two and a half to three years, but her exact age is unknown. Where she appeared from and who her biological parents are is a mystery.
How and when she awakened is also unknown; she was found already awakened.
Form of *bijou*: Unknown.
Possibility of being Diegon’s biological daughter: 1%. However, it is judged unlikely as the age does not match.
In dangerous situations, or when she feels threatened, the Water Spirit King protects her. Whether this will happen again is unknown. Due to the daycare’s report of discovering an Awakener, she was scheduled to be registered as a collateral branch next year, but was brought into the Pashayen main house due to the guidance of the Ancestor Whale.
As these pieces of information about the new Young Lady floated in his mind, a flicker of curiosity emerged in Cedric’s heart.
“Oh, so it’s bear-shaped.”
“If you take one bite, you become an orca.”
“Very well, I shall eat it. Cedric seems like he wants one too.”
Under the subtle pressure, Cedric put the cookie in his mouth. A sweetness spread immediately. The taste was just mediocre. What could she have actually done with those tiny hands? Most of it must have been done by a maid. Thinking listlessly, Cedric chewed and swallowed, but the next moment, he froze.
“Huh?”
I looked up at the teacher, who was making a confused sound, feeling nervous. The teacher really looked like he was in a bad mood again today. I hope he gets some strength after eating this!
“By the way, why did you suddenly bake these?”
“Teacher looked, looked very tired.”
“Ho-ho, so you wanted to give these to me because Cedric looked tired?”
“Yes!”
At Grandfather’s words, I nodded my head vigorously.
[Water Spirit King ‘■■■■’ says, look, my precious little baby is so thoughtful, I am so proud of you.]
“You are a thoughtful child.”
I giggled, feeling happy at the sensation of Grandfather stroking my hair with his large hand. Getting praised from all sides makes me excited!
“Young Lady.”
That was when it happened.
“This… how did you make this?”
Teacher Cedric, who had been trembling, approached me with a serious expression. I looked at such a teacher and clapped my hands with a wide smile.
“Teacher’s eyes, they turned bright!”
It must have been the Orca Sugar giving him a big boost of strength.
* * *
“Oh my, Young Lady. Please, sit here.”
“H-huh?!”
W-what is this. The teacher is being so kind!
A while later, I headed to the classroom, holding Teacher Cedric’s hand.
“Let’s see. It’s hot, isn’t it? There is a fan here.”
“Fan……?”
I tilted my head, not knowing what this was. It was definitely the first time I had seen it. *But why does it feel like I’ve seen it somewhere?*
As I blinked, the teacher placed the fan down beside me.
“Here, this stone that resembles an opal is a Spirit Stone imbued with a Spirit of Air. Do you see the tiny, grain-like stone beside it?”
“Yes!”
“This is a Mana Stone. It plays the role of stabilizing the magic circle. Creating convenient products by combining Spirit Stones and magic like this is Magic Engineering.”
My pink hair fluttered in the breeze. It wasn’t that hot, but it was refreshing, so I greeted him happily.
“Thank you!”
Then, I snuck a look behind me and saw my friends wearing dumbfounded expressions.
“Hey, have you ever seen Cedric act like that?”
“No……?”
“I’ve only ever seen him whining and clinging to Lord Raywood to beg him to be chased away.”
“Isn’t this way too much favoritism?”
Whisper, whisper.
I could hear them saying unkind things about me. That was when it happened.
[Fire Spirit King ‘■■■■■’ says, those who can’t even speak to your face aren’t worth the attention, he advises warmly.]
*Yeah, you’re right.*
I want to get along with everyone if I can, but I’m not the Class President anymore anyway. Coming to the classroom, I saw that my name tag had been torn. It made me feel a little sad just thinking about it.
*No, I don’t want to cry again if I keep thinking about it. I have to be brave and forget about it.*
It’s fine because those friends aren’t in the classroom anymore. I heard that the Spirit Kings even scolded them for me.
“Now then, today I will introduce the eight Spirit Kings that exist in this world.”
“Ah, we already know all about that!”
I straightened my back at the Teacher’s words. But suddenly, complaints and boos erupted from behind me. I widened my eyes, as I had never seen anyone act like that toward a teacher before. The Teacher narrowed his eyes.
“If you don’t wish to listen to my class, you may leave. I won’t stop you. No, in fact, I’ll speak to the Head of House, so it would be better if you didn’t attend starting next time.”
“……!”
“Are you not leaving? Then, we shall proceed with the lesson.”
Teacher, you’re scary…….
The children went quiet in an instant. They were huffing and puffing as if they felt resentful, but they couldn’t say a word. Amidst all this, Teacher Cedric wrote on the blackboard.