Chapter 26
“Don’t you like it?”
As if she was displeased that I didn’t answer right away, Lilliana raised the corners of her eyes sharply and urged me. I shook my head in response.
I even waved my hands in front of me.
“No! I like it! I like it so much! I’m so excited I feel like my heart might burst!”
Seemingly pleased by my genuinely enthusiastic reaction, the corners of Lilliana’s mouth twitched. Her expression, as if she was trying to hold back a smile like Grandfather does when he’s hiding something nice, made me chuckle softly.
*So cute.*
I probably looked like I was smitten by Lilliana’s small, pretty appearance, not thinking about my own current look. Even the way she nibbled on a cookie broken into small pieces was somehow so elegant and pretty.
“How can you be so pretty. Aunt Michelle must be so pleased.”
My tone, like a precocious child that didn’t sound like a 6-year-old at all, made the伯爵 family’s maids seem to stifle their laughter, biting their lips. I felt a little embarrassed seeing that and slightly averted my gaze, when—
*Splash—*
With the sound of water, I saw someone walking out of the lake.
The man, with his water-soaked red hair gathered to the side, wringing out the moisture, looked so extraordinary that Lilliana, the maids, and I all had our mouths agape.
But as if indifferent to those stares, the red-haired man turned his head—
“Lord Olga!”
In the distance, I saw Lady Lishua running over. And then, I spotted Aunt Belia’s lady-in-waiting, Ellin, who seemed uncomfortable under the attention and quickly turned to disappear.
*’Hmm.’*
I took in the sight of the two, Lady Lishua included, who didn’t seem entirely innocent either, then turned my head back. Lady Lishua was smiling brightly at Olga as if glad to see him.
“You appear in an unusual manner again today.”
“Indeed.”
Olga laughed lightly, glanced behind him, and then started brushing off his wet body. Each time his fingers touched, I could see his body drying up.
*Is it magic? Or a special ability?*
His body dried out as if put through a dryer each time his hand touched it; if it wasn’t a special ability or magic, I wondered what it could be.
“Is that a special ability?”
“No, it’s magic.”
*So Olga has both a special ability and magic.*
Newly amazed and surprised, I looked up at him. Olga, who had already completely dried his handsome, flowing hair and tied it back, walked over to me.
My reflection in his brown eyes seemed to see right through me, transparently.
As if he was reading my insides.
*’But that can’t be.’*
There was no special ability that allowed mind-reading.
So, I lifted my head and stared right back at him without avoiding his gaze. He smiled faintly at me and bent down as if to meet my eyes.
Seeing this, Lady Lishua gasped and covered her mouth. But before I could even find her reaction puzzling, Olga snapped his thumb and middle finger together right in front of my eyes, drawing my gaze back to him.
But then—
“Altruism.”
He muttered the word softly, as if to himself, then looked at me with a face of someone who had found something interesting and smiled.
“The nature of your special ability is unique. Very, very rare.”
*’Nature?’*
Besides characteristics, do special abilities have a ‘nature’?
Hearing this for the first time, I tilted my head.
“What’s a nature…”
“Lord Olga!”
But before I could ask what he meant, the family knights came running, calling for him.
Their appearance, which suggested they were likely the ones who made Olga fall into the lake, and Olga’s slightly furrowed brow made me look up—
“It seems we’ll have to meet next time.”
He said with a laugh, stroking my head.
“See you again, Little Lady Letitia.”
And then, without giving me a chance to hold him back, he quickly rose from his spot.
“Lord Olga! The family head is looking for you. He said if you don’t come right now, he’ll cut off all your funding.”
But at the knight’s final words, he stopped in his tracks, let his shoulders slump as if with a long sigh, and then looked back at me with a deeply sorrowful smile.
“It can’t be helped. I’ve met the little lady now.”
Then, he stopped trying to run away and turned his body.
“I’m going.”
Somehow, his retreating back looked sad. I swallowed the words that remained in my mouth.
*’Anyway, Olga is here now.’*
I can fix this side effect and ask about the things I was curious about.
Grandfather’s condition was to learn how to control my special ability before going to Onéro.
*’It probably won’t be too difficult.’*
Trying hard to think positively, I turned my head towards Lilliana sitting beside me.
For now, let’s tackle what’s in front of me, one step at a time.
“Lilliana, what should we play tomorrow?”
* * *
“Lord Olga has arrived.”
“Tell him to come in.”
At the angry voice coming from inside the door, Olga smiled and rubbed his forehead.
“Yes, I’m coming in.”
But the moment he opened the door and entered, something hard whizzed past him and hit the wall. If he had moved slightly wrong, that hard object would have hit him square in the face. Olga gave an awkward smile at its identity.
“It’s been a long time, Family Head. I am also so happy and honored to see you again that I don’t know what to do with myse… Oh, a magic swordsman?”
Olga, who had been laughing and chattering, changed his expression, his eyes shining.
Seeing the shabby clothes, disheveled black hair, and a face so dirty it was unclear when it was last washed, it was clear he wasn’t a noble.
His age was, at most, twelve or thirteen?
The question was, why was such a child in the Family Head’s office?
“Attribute.”
“Fire.”
“Potential.”
“Hmm. If polished well enough.”
At Olga’s reply, Magot stared intently at the child before him.
Even to my eyes, who knew nothing of swordsmanship, his gaze alone was so sharply focused it seemed he was born with the disposition of a swordsman.
Moreover, since Shariet sent him, there was nothing more to say.
Although he had already decided to accept him, as if to discipline him one more time, Magot stared at him.
“Name.”
“It’s Pierce.”
“Did Shariet give you that name too?”
*Nod.*
Pierce’s head moved down and up in a very dissatisfied manner.
“It’s a name that suits a magic swordsman.”
Olga, ruminating on the name Pierce, smiled and looked at Magot. Magot, frowning as if displeased, lifted his head.
“I’ll have you join the knight order.”
“……”
The boy didn’t even utter a polite “Thank you,” but just kept his mouth firmly shut. Bennet, who was standing back, looked up at his behavior.
But rather, Magot didn’t seem bothered by the kid’s actions and continued.
“However, once you join the knight order, don’t even think of mentioning Shariet’s name. My house has nothing to do with that guy, so you shouldn’t expect any favors…”
“I had no intention of doing so anyway!”
Before Magot could even finish his sentence, Pierce sharply lifted his head.
“If the Captain hadn’t saved my little sister’s life, I wouldn’t have come to a place like this in the first…”
“…….”
He flared up, raising his voice, but then, under Magot’s gaze directed at him, he bit off his words as if grinding his teeth. He bit the soft flesh inside his mouth, chewed his tongue until it bled, and bowed his head, his body tense.
It was a posture ready to be hit whenever.
*’It seems he received some training from Lady Shariet.’*
Especially those with the fire attribute, if they can’t control themselves properly, can become madmen or burn themselves to death.
*’Is that why?’*
Olga, thinking he understood why she sent him to Essier without keeping and teaching him herself, looked at Pierce and curled one corner of his mouth upwards.
*’An altruistic nature followed by a fire magic swordsman.’*
Somehow, his chest felt stirred.
It was as if vitality was returning to his face, so much so that it seemed alive, contrary to when he had been running away, not wanting to be caught.
“Bennet.”
“Yes, Family Head.”
“Have him join the knight order and inform only Ehell.”
“Yes.”
Bennet bowed his head, then walked out with Pierce.
And with a soft thud, Olga, now standing before Magot, lifted his head.
“Did you meet her?”
“Yes, I saw her on the way here.”
“Does she have the ability?”
“She does, sir.”
“…….”
At Olga’s definitive statement, Magot lifted his head and then sank deeply into his chair.
“It seemed she can read ancient languages and understand difficult books.”
“The characteristics can’t be pinned down to just one.”
“Because they are too faint?”
“No. The opposite, in fact.”
At Olga’s words, Magot looked up.
“She was born with Altruism as her nature.”
“Altruism, you say?”
“It’s the same nature as the protective star of Teparoah.”
“…….”
At Olga’s words, Magot unlocked his intertwined fingers and rubbed the armrest.
Olga, watching that for a moment, smiled and drove the nail in.
“The Little Lady will likely be able to do anything she wants.”
“…….”
Of course, whether this would be a gain or a loss for the family remained to be seen, but…
“Little Lady Letitia was born with the same protective star as the first Teparoah Emperor, His Majesty.”
“Does that mean…”
“With the Little Lady’s ability, Essier will blossom into an even greater family.”
But—
“However, if the Little Lady’s ability manifests properly, it will be difficult for her to live a long life.
“…….”
“Just like the first Erpius Emperor, who accomplished everything and died at the age of 20.”
