The Little One decided to have her fortune read.
“The young lady will have her fortune read in the form of saju.”
Saju is a way of divination in the East that predicts fortune and misfortune based on one’s life.
It is a method of fortune-telling based on age, name, and birthday to predict how much luck will follow in one’s life.
“Could you please tell me your age, name, and birthday?”
“Fifteen, Epherna, and I don’t know my birthday.”
“You don’t know your birthday…?”
The fortune teller turned to look at me.
Her gaze seemed to say, “You seem to be her guardian, how come you don’t know her birthday?”
I reflexively answered.
“It’s April 7th.”
“How do you know my birthday?”
Naturally, the Little One was puzzled, but I had my reasons for responding.
“That’s the day I first met you.”
It has some meaning if it means anything—the day we first met.
“I should remember the day I met our young lady.”
“…”
“From now on, let’s call this your birthday.”
Perhaps she was moved by the fact that she now had a birthday.
The Little One stared at me silently for a moment.
“Alright.”
She answered shortly and then quickly turned her head away.
“Then shall we read the young lady’s fortune?”
The fortune teller took out a bowl of water.
As the fortune teller stirred the water, characters emerged.
Fortune , misfortune , fortune , misfortune , fortune , misfortune , fortune , misfortune …
The saju alternated between fortune and misfortune repeatedly.
“Huh…? Why doesn’t it end?”
The fortune teller mumbled, “What is this…?” and then said,
“This is the first time I’ve seen something like this. A future that isn’t divided into a single path….”
What?
Is there some kind of problem?
“I’m sorry. I cannot predict the young lady’s future with my abilities. I’ll refund your money.”
“It’s alright. These things happen sometimes.”
I didn’t believe it seriously anyway.
The Little One seemed to feel the same, ready to let it go.
“Would you like to see anything else on a different topic?”
“No, it’s fine.”
It’s not worth spending more money here.
With that judgment, I took the Little One and left the fortune teller’s place.
*****
Once we were outside, the Little One spoke.
“Mister, give me a piggyback ride.”
“Walk on your own.”
“My legs are still weak.”
What is she talking about?
I was about to say that when I looked at her legs and understood what she meant.
“…Why are your legs trembling like that?”
“I told you. My legs are still weak.”
I hurriedly picked her up and asked.
“What on earth is your body made of?”
“I’ve been walking a lot lately.”
“Walking doesn’t just weaken legs like that.”
“My body can. And considering the 10-year nutritional gap, this isn’t that serious.”
“Eating will make it better, right?”
“Yeah. And I need to get plenty of sunlight too.”
I quickened my pace.
“Mister.”
“What.”
“When you get married, will that person come to live with us?”
“Why do you ask that suddenly?”
“Just curious.”
It’s a random question.
But there’s no reason not to answer it.
I answered honestly.
“Probably.”
Let’s say I meet a spouse.
Then we’d need a house to live in together.
The only house I have is the one I live in with the Little One.
If there’s no other suitable way, naturally, the spouse would come to live in the house.
“Nothing is certain yet. I can’t even decide whether I’ll get married or not.”
*****
I imagined it once.
The scene of a man getting married and bringing his spouse into the house.
What would happen to me if Mister’s spouse started living with us?
I don’t think Mister would abandon me. We’d just continue living as usual, wouldn’t we?
Waking up in the morning, having breakfast, and studying magic in the afternoon.
Sometimes, we’d go to see the lake or go grocery shopping.
Except, Mister’s spouse would be there too.
The spouse would wake up in the same bed as Mister.
They’d eat together, facing each other, and go to the lake together.
Mister would smile happily at his spouse.
He’d hug her and tell her he loves her.
Imagining that.
—Creak
For some reason.
It’s a bit irritating.
I don’t know why, but anger boils up inside me.
Is it because I cherish him?
Is it because I get annoyed when others touch what’s mine without permission?
It seems like both are true.
Mister is a precious person to me, so it’s natural to care about his spouse.
It’s also natural to feel bad when someone touches my things without permission.
So, don’t think it’s strange.
Mister’s future spouse will be someone I approve of.
“Mister, if you ever get married, you need to get my permission first.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You said we’d be living in the same house. If that’s the case, you need the approval of the family members at least.”
“Hah. Are you my parent? Are you going to stand in for them at the formal meeting?”
“Anyway, I’ve told you. You can’t get married without my permission.”
“…Do as you wish.”
Mister surprisingly agreed readily.
I don’t know if it’s because he didn’t take me seriously, but I heard him clearly.
Mister can’t get married without my permission.
“Mister, what’s for dinner today?”
Feeling proud of that fact, I changed the subject.
“I’m thinking of making stew today.”
“Sounds delicious. Are you good at making stew?”
*****
Time passed.
About two months.
Nothing much has changed during that time.
I continued living peacefully.
The Little One continued her self-improvement.
But the country wasn’t the same.
All areas, including the Much-Sector, were abuzz with the incident that happened a few days ago.
I murmured as I read the newspaper.
“The First Prince has died….”
A civil war over the throne that lasted for three years even after the war ended.
The petty sibling feud has come to an end.
The Second Prince’s victory.
The First Prince’s defeat.
“So it ends like this.”
As someone who once belonged to the Second Prince’s special forces, I expected this.
“The crown prince’s coronation will begin soon.”
The time has come for the nation’s ruler to change.
Suddenly, I remembered something an old comrade once told me.
-You idiot. Times will eventually change. Whether we kill the Second Prince or start a revolution, the current state won’t last forever.
Yeah. You were right.
Time flows, and change is inevitable.
I didn’t understand that back then.
The aging emperor will crown the Second Prince within ten years.
The nobles will rush to bow before the second prince in preparation.
I just need to stay still.
If a retired man sticks his neck out, he’ll just get it chopped off.
“Mister!”
I heard the Little One calling.
Turning my head to see what she was doing, I asked,
“What are you doing?”
A question mark practically popped up above my head.
I folded the newspaper.
Rising from the sofa, I closely examined what the Little One had done.
“Now you’re even coloring fire?”
In her hands, which had been holding a book just moments ago, a golden flame had appeared.
“How did you do that? Flames of this color shouldn’t be possible.”
“I don’t know.”
“How can you not know when you did it?”
“I just don’t know.”
“…”
Is there no choice?
I activated the latent power of my blue eyes.
As my eyes glowed blue, I began to thoroughly investigate the nature of the flame the Little One had conjured.
“It’s a mana bloom phenomenon.”
A phenomenon where one’s inherent mana traits blossom.
They call it Magic Awakening.
In other words, the Little One had just discovered her potential.
“For a mana bloom, it’s quite ordinary. Can you do anything else?”
“There is something.”
The Little One formed a sphere of fire in the air.
It looked like an ordinary fireball.
However, the peculiarity was that there was no spellcasting or system involved in creating the flame.
It was solely a product of the Little One’s imagination.
“Did you feel any mana consumption?”
“No. It felt like a slight mental strain, but no mana consumption.”
“That’s amazing.”
Doesn’t this mean she can create flames indefinitely as long as her mental strength holds up?
I don’t know how efficient it is, but it’s certainly an extraordinary ability.
“We’ll figure out what kind of power the golden flame has later. For now, let’s get ready to receive our guest.”
“Receive a guest?”
“Yes. Someone I know is coming over today.”
“Someone you know, Mister?”
“Yes.”
An old colleague, so indeed someone I know.
Though I didn’t want to meet them.
*****
Affiliation: Astrape Special Forces.
Rank: First Unit Commander.
Obrang Chester is someone deeply connected to me.
“It’s been a while, Commander.”
“Yeah. I’d rather not have seen you.”
“I wanted to see you. I felt sad that you met Ray but didn’t meet me.”
“I met Ray because I had something to ask him. Meeting you isn’t good for either of us.”
The Astrape Special Forces are the Empire’s covert unit.
When one retires, all records are erased.
Meeting someone who has officially vanished from the world is never a good thing.
“So, what’s the matter?”
“They want you to come back.”
“No way.”
I laughed through my nose and sipped my tea.
I had fought hard to retire.
There was no way I’d give it up.
“For your information, it’s a direct order from the second prince.”
“Pft-!!”
…What?
As I wiped the table with a napkin, I spoke seriously.
“Hey, if you’re lying, you’re dead.”
“Have I ever lied to you, Commander?”
…No.
Obrang might, but Chester has never lied to me.
“Let me be clear. The Second Prince wants to make you his guard.”
“F*ck.”
This was probably when it all started.
When my life truly began to get complicated.
