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Chapter : 09 I’m a Veteran, But (4)
“Ah, I was only going to show something simple, but I ended up making a big deal out of it….”
Mother muttered quietly. However, she didn’t seem burdened at all—rather, she looked oddly excited. Father leaned down and whispered to me.
“It’s just talk, Shana. Don’t believe it. She’s actually the most excited one here.”
It really looked like it….
She had the expression of someone thinking about what would make me happiest.
“Kyle, don’t hog Shana too much. Let me have her attention.”
“Alright, alright. We’re all looking at you. Come on, Shana. Let’s cheer Mom on. Say ‘Fighting.’”
“Mom, fighting!”
“What’s ‘fighting’?”
“Uh, phwa….”
My pronunciation got even worse. I tried my best to roll my half-broken tongue.
“Paa-ting!”
No good.
“Do your best!”
“Yes, Shana! Mom will do her best!”
Sir Lloyd muttered quietly, “At this rate, part of the mansion might get blown away.”
Father chuckled softly and said, “Anais knows that, so even if she gets excited, she’s put up a barrier so Shana won’t be caught in anything.”
“Then bringing her here was the right choice.”
“You evacuated the others, right?”
……Did I hear that right? Evacuate?
“Don’t worry. Not even a rat can get near the training ground.”
“Good.”
So I didn’t mishear.
I turned to Father in confusion. When our eyes met, he smiled warmly.
“Don’t worry, Shana. We’re safe.”
“…Dad, Mom… is… a, a scary person?”
“Of course not.”
Sir Lloyd’s expression looked uneasy. Father didn’t add anything after “Of course not.” Which is it? Of course not, or… of course yes?
“Since Shana is watching, we can’t do anything sloppy. Watch closely, Shana! Your mother graduated top of the Academy’s Magic Department! First, Hell Fi—”
“Anais, acting like that is bad for Shana’s breathing.”
“Oh, right.”
I didn’t mishear. She was definitely about to say Hell Fire.
“H-Hell Fire? She was going to summon hellfire?”
Wasn’t that kind of image obvious just from the name?
I looked at my mother anxiously. She smiled brightly at me, and somehow that innocent smile sent a chill down my spine.
“Hell Fire is out, Meteor is dangerous too. My specialty is large-scale destruction magic…”
“Why don’t you try targeting Sir Lloyd here?”
“…I’m fine. I don’t want to show Shana anything scary.”
“Then pick something appropriate.”
“Something like this is easy… Light!”
With a snap of her fingers, dozens of glowing orbs appeared in the air. Like fireflies, the small lights emitted a clear, beautiful glow—unlike my healing clay.
My healing clay usually looks like a slime with less glitter….
“Waaah! Waaaah!”
I clapped my hands hard until they hurt. Mother looked very pleased.
“Oh? So something like this is enough? Shana, I wanted to show you something more amazing! Like combining Fireball and Lightning Thunder into an attack spell.”
“No! It’s cool! Mom is cool! Amazing!”
Who are you going to use that on? This is enough.
I even wanted to give a standing ovation, but I was just quietly being held in Father’s arms.
“Hmm, hmm. That sounds nice. Do more.”
“Cool! Good! Shana wants too!”
At this point, I could even use third-person speech for my goal.
“Shana wants to learn too! I want magic! Pretty!”
“Hmm…”
“Light! Bang! Paaah!”
“Hahaha, what is that? So cute!”
“I want to do it!”
I could feel Father laughing behind me. When I peeked back, he was covering his mouth, shoulders shaking. Did I get too excited? I felt a little embarrassed, but that wasn’t important right now.
Mother knelt down to meet my eyes at eye level.
“I’m sorry, Shana. You can’t learn magic.”
“Eh? Why! I want to!”
“To explain… Shana, to use magic, you need something called mana…”
Isn’t that just “ki”?
“Shana doesn’t have enough mana to use magic.”
“No! I can do it!”
“I’m sorry, Shana. I want to grant everything you wish for, but this is impossible…”
“But…”
“If you did learn, you might only be able to make a single Light spell… maybe.”
“I’ll do it!”
“If Shana works really hard… maybe in 10 years?”
“……”
“Ten years means—”
“…no thanks…”
“Ah, Shana….”
Mother and Father looked at me worriedly. Sir Lloyd also looked uncomfortable.
But I was already deeply disappointed.
I was finally born into a world with magic, but not being able to learn it was too disappointing. Even though I knew I was making my parents and Sir Lloyd uncomfortable, I couldn’t hide my expression.
“If no mana, no magic…?”
“Y-yes…”
“Other things…?”
“Well, spirit arts also require affinity, and even then you need mana for basic summoning…”
So spirits exist too… and I still can’t use them….
“Uu….”
Just as a healthy body hosts a healthy mind, I, with the mind of a baby in a baby’s body, couldn’t hold back my stinging nose and bit my lip.
“W-Waaah! Sh-Shana! Look here! Kyle, what are you doing, where’s Shana’s toy…!”
“He wouldn’t have brought one! Shana, a-are you crying?”
“Uu… sniffle…”
“Waaah! Sir Lloyd, do something! Make a monster noise or something!”
Flustered, Sir Lloyd hesitated, then under Father’s pressure, awkwardly beat his chest and let out a gorilla-like sound.
“Sir Lloyd, that’s a gorilla, not a monster. Are you even a beastman?”
“I-I was suddenly told to imitate a monster…”
“You have to entertain Shana somehow…”
His face turned bright red from embarrassment. Watching that made my tears fade a little.
“Sh-Shana, don’t cry. We’ll figure out a way for you to use magic, okay?”
“Right, Shana. With money and power, anything can be solved. We can buy powerful artifacts that will feel like magic!”
I looked back and forth between my flustered parents and Sir Lloyd, who was still awkwardly acting like a monster.
“Shana?”
“Shana….”
My parents were exactly the type of people who would ruin a child.
When a baby looks like they’re about to cry and they panic and promise to give them anything they want—that’s how spoiled children are made. The kind who lie down in stores demanding toys.
Ah, I want to lecture them.
“No thanks…”
But with this clumsy tongue, anything I say would come out wrong anyway. So I decided not to cry, out of consideration for them. I knew crying wouldn’t solve anything, even if my body didn’t always agree.
But as my emotions settled, I started to feel like laughing.
“Uncle is funny.”
“Fufu… I’m embarrassed, but for Lady Shana, I’d do anything.”
“Where did your knightly dignity go?”
“You ordered it yourself, Your Excellency. And adults naturally become ridiculous in front of babies.”
Father coughed awkwardly, remembering how he had shouted earlier.
Seeing that I had calmed down, Mother sighed in relief.
“You’re so patient for your age, Shana. Good girl.”
“I’m goooood! I did well! I’m grown up!”
I really am grown up… even if you don’t believe me….
“I’ll show something amazing to my wonderful daughter.”
“Magic?”
“Yes. I’ll show you magic. Will you be disappointed, Shana?”
“I won’t… even if I can’t do it…”
I already had healing clay anyway. Thinking about it, maybe it wasn’t so bad. Watching was enough. Honestly, what would I even do with fire or lightning?
“Mom’s magic is cool! I like it!”
“Shana… how did you become so mature already… no, don’t grow up yet….”
“Show fire! Paaah!”
“Alright, if that’s what Shana wants!”
“Fire Wall!”
With Mother’s excited gesture, a crimson flame erupted high into the air. The wall of fire surrounding the training grounds looked like a blazing curtain.
Wow, wow, wow!
“Kyaa! Hot!”
“Ah! Hot!”
“Eh?”
