“I’m Ode.”

With a little grunt, the child took Cedrion’s hand and got up from the ground.

“Ode? Is that your real name?”

“Y-yes…”

Her eyes darted around as she answered, making it obvious that she was lying.

She probably had another name, and this was just a nickname. Seeing the young girl trying to think her way through it with her small head was so amusing that Cedrion swallowed back a chuckle.

“How old are you?”

“E-eight. And you?”

“Thirteen. And it’s Cedrion.”

“Mm, Cedion.”

“Cedrion.”

“Cediion.”

Are all little kids like this? Seeing her scrunch up her delicate features, trying hard to pronounce it correctly, Cedrion decided to let it go.

Now that he looked more closely, perhaps because she had fallen, the child’s dress and shoes were covered in dust and dry grass.

“Ode. If it’s okay with you, may I brush off your clothes? If they see this, your nanny will scold you.”

“How did you know I have a nanny?”

How? Because you called for her when you fell. But instead of saying that, Cedrion simply lifted his chin slightly.

“When you turn thirteen, you just know these things.”

“Wow…”

Then, those violet eyes sparkled with admiration.

Having never played with a child younger than himself before, Cedrion found himself straightening his shoulders under the weight of her unquestioning trust. Feeling as if she were already his little sister, he knelt down and used his sleeve to polish her shoes until they shone and dusted off her dress.

A boy who had always been the one cared for at the Grand Duke’s estate found unexpected joy in taking care of someone else.

As for Odelia, she had completely warmed up to the older boy who, despite being a stranger, was so adept at tidying her up.

“But, you know…”

“Hmm?”

“How did you do that just now?”

It was as Cedrion was straightening out the last of Odelia’s dress. She hesitated for a moment before asking, as if she’d been holding the question in all along.

“Do what?”

“You suddenly appeared out of nowhere.”

“I did?”

“Yeah! I was chasing a butterfly, looking only at the sky, and I was sure there was no one there, but then—bam! I ran into you.”

“You wanted to catch a butterfly?”

“Mhm. It was blue, just like the roof of the villa. It looked like the villa was flying.”

“Then should we go look for it?”

“Ah, no, it’s okay now. I want to know how you did that first!”

He had tried to change the subject, but the little girl was persistent. Had he underestimated eight-year-olds?

In truth, Cedrion had made a mistake in judging Odelia’s level of understanding solely by her slightly unpolished speech, not knowing that she was considered a bit slow in speaking for her age.

“Cedion, can you use magic?”

Ugh. Her direct question caught Cedrion off guard, making it impossible for him to feign ignorance. At thirteen, it was still difficult to completely hide his expressions.

“Um, well…”

“Is it a secret?”

“Uh, yeah. It’s a secret.”

“That’s so cool…”

For some reason, Odelia’s eyes sparkled even more.

Since those who were not of Arcadia’s First Blood had to train in the Mage Tower, he was certain that she would figure out his secret.

‘But since she’s from Lure, even if she finds out I’m from Norhart… it should be okay…!’

As Cedrion was frantically trying to find a way out of this predicament, Odelia spoke again.

“Then, will you go to the Mage Tower someday?”

“Huh?”

“If you’re not from Arcadia’s First Blood, all mages have to go to the Mage Tower, right?”

“Uh, yeah, I guess?”

“Then that means you’ll go there someday.”

“Uh, yeah, that’s right.”

It seemed she never even considered the possibility that he could be from Norhart. Given how distant the ties between the royal capital’s nobility and Norhart had become, it made sense that a child wouldn’t think of it.

Cedrion decided to lean into Odelia’s assumption.

“That’s right. I’m going to be a mage. I’m not old enough yet, so I’m just practicing while I wait for the Mage Tower to call me.”

Normally, a non-Arcadian First Blood who displayed magic would have to join the Mage Tower immediately, but the eight-year-old Odelia didn’t seem to know that detail.

“Wow…”

She simply let out a gasp of amazement, staring at Cedrion with fascination.

Any guilt he might have felt for lying quickly faded in the face of her unfiltered admiration. Cedrion’s shoulders squared proudly again.

“Want me to show you some magic?”

“Yes!”

“But Ode, won’t you get in trouble for staying here?”

“No, it’s fine! This is Lure’s private land—”

Halfway through her sentence, Odelia suddenly froze, and her large eyes began to tremble. Though her mention of “private land” was likely just her parroting adult words, there was a clear awareness in her expression now.

“No one else is supposed to be here.”

“Shh.”

Cedrion quickly crouched down to meet Odelia’s gaze—or rather, he was still too short himself, so he ended up looking up at her.

“Sorry for trespassing. But this forest is the best place for me to practice magic.”

“Oh… ohhh… I see.”

“If you keep my secret, I’ll show you some magic.”

With a sly grin, Cedrion made his offer.

Odelia’s eyes flickered as she hesitated.

No one else was allowed here, but… she really wanted to see magic.

Cedrion was clearly not an adult, and he had helped her up and cleaned her dress…

And so, her small head bobbed in agreement.

He didn’t seem like a bad person.

“Y-yeah, okay!”

From that day on, Cedrion and Odelia met every day in the forest of Meldorf, Lure’s private land.

“Wow, that’s amazing, amazing! Just one more time!”

Seeing the young Odelia beg, the boy grinned and once again spread his hands wide, conjuring a small cluster of light.

“Wooooow….” Even though she had seen it every day for the past few days, Odelia’s mouth still hung open in awe each time.

“Hey, Cedion. Can’t you teach Ode too?”

“What?”

“Cedion became a magician all of a sudden, right? Ode might be able to do it too! Just teach me once, please?”

The lies kept tightening around him. Cedrion hadn’t suddenly become a magician—he was a direct descendant of Norhart, who inherited Arcadia’s First Blood, and had learned how to wield mana from a young age. He had been using magic like this since he was very little.

So, Cedrion decided to take a very simple approach.

“Listen, Ode.”

“Yeah?”

“Hold out your hand like this and imagine warmth traveling from your heart, through your veins, to your palm. While thinking about light.”

Cedrion placed Odelia’s hand on his own palm and genuinely taught her how to wield mana. If she failed, she would just give up.

“Like this?”

Odelia glanced at Cedrion’s face before tightly closing her eyes, furrowing her tiny brow ever so slightly.

A child’s sincerity was truly admirable. Cedrion thought it was cute how she was concentrating so hard on something that wouldn’t work anyway.

At least, that’s what he thought.

“Uh… whoa!”

“Huh…?”

Cedrion was utterly shocked.

A sphere of white light had appeared in Odelia’s palm.

“O-Ode did it…!”

Odelia, her eyes and mouth wide open, couldn’t take her gaze off the faintly flickering light in her hand.

Because of that, she completely failed to notice the look of utter disbelief on Cedrion’s face.

“Cedion, you’re a great teacher!”

“Y-yeah, I am a great teacher!”

No, what was happening?

As he had done every time he met Odelia over the past few days, Cedrion simply shrugged his shoulders, but his mind was racing.

This was one of the most basic magic spells—the kind he had used instinctively before he could even walk. Whenever he wandered into a dark place as a toddler, he would conjure a light.

‘Is it such a simple spell that even someone with barely any innate mana can do it…?’

It wasn’t something just anyone could do, but Cedrion was so overwhelmed by Odelia’s success that he convinced himself of this explanation.

Meanwhile, Odelia was utterly engrossed, conjuring and extinguishing the light, switching it from her right hand to her left, completely fascinated.

“Wow, this is really amazing….”

“Ode, have you ever heard of mana or magical power before?”

“That’s what magicians use, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Hmm…?”

Odelia tilted her head in thought. Her attention was clearly divided, and as proof, the flickering light in her palm soon disappeared without a trace.

Even though Norhart had little connection to the capital’s social circles, if a child from a prestigious family like Lure had awakened magical power, rumors would have surely spread.

Yet, Odelia had no idea she had any talent for magic.

‘What should I do?’

Though Cedrion often acted smug in front of Odelia, he was still just a thirteen-year-old boy. Learning such a huge secret left him utterly flustered.

So, he decided to put off coming to a conclusion for now.

“Ode.”

“Yeah?”

“You know how I taught you magic today?”

“Yeah!”

Odelia once again conjured a sphere of light in her palm. This time, she had gotten used to wielding mana, and the light was far brighter than before.

As Cedrion watched it with a troubled expression, he finally spoke.

“For now, I’ll look into how someone who suddenly develops magic is supposed to contact the Mage Tower.”

“Woooow… okay.”

“I’m not an official magician yet, so I’m worried I might get in trouble for teaching you magic.”

The ones scolding him wouldn’t be the Mage Tower but his parents… considering he had been skipping lessons every day to come here.

“So until then, can you keep it a secret, Ode?”

“Y-yeah! Of course!”