Derek took out the book from his arms and handed it to Dayna. Her expression visibly brightened. Ferdin looked at Derek suspiciously. Ferdin knew that Derek and Dayna had been creating their own secret recently.

But he still didn’t know what that secret was.

“Princess Dayna, this is my gift.”

Dayna, who received the book Derek offered, gazed at it like she was looking at something precious.

“Please open it.”

Dayna carefully opened the book. Her eyes were sparkling.

Erin, who had approached Dayna’s side, asked, “Dayna, what kind of book is it?”

“Spirit magic!”

“Spirit magic?”

Derek provided additional explanation.

“Princess Dayna was curious about what the ‘friends’ she sees are.”

Erin nodded with a serious face. Dayna often said she had conversations with her friends. That her friends were talking to her.

Erin sometimes worried about her special daughter’s behavior. But she thought it was common for young children to create invisible friends and didn’t pay much attention to it.

Erin had also tried to find the existence of the friends Dayna saw.

‘But spirit magic…’

Spirit mages had disappeared long ago. Hundreds of years had already passed since all spirit mages vanished and stopped being born. They had become beings that only existed in legends now.

The one who reacted sensitively to Derek’s words was Alexis, who was watching them from afar.

“Spirit magic? Isn’t that a relic from the distant past that’s been lost?”

As the Tower Master, he had considerable interest in spirit magic too.

He had heard that in the distant past, there were those who used both spirit magic and regular magic together. Some of them became unprecedented Great Mages.

But even Alexis, who was known to have mastered all magic, couldn’t grasp any clues about spirit magic. At Alexis’s disbelieving gaze, Derek shrugged his shoulders.

“It’s just a gift.”

“Finding a book about spirit magic must have been difficult?”

Derek looked at the book with a wistful expression. The deepening darkness under his eyes seemed to be partly due to the effort he put into this gift.

“There were many difficulties…”

While people were having their conversation, Dayna was absorbed in the book. Erin sat her daughter on her lap and read the book together with her. Though it was well-maintained, the book was so old that many parts were difficult to read.

Dayna was completely absorbed in the book, seemingly unaware of people’s gazes. Her sparkling mysterious green eyes resembled Erin’s.

Erin buried her head in her lovely daughter’s shoulder.

That’s when it happened.

Feeling something unusual, Erin’s expression hardened. Her hand moved toward the sword at her waist. Then she tightened her grip on the arm holding Dayna.

“This is impossible!”

Alexis’s scream echoed.

“Mom, it’s a cat!”

Dayna lifted up a cat that had somehow appeared in her arms. Though Dayna called it a cat, Erin knew it wasn’t a cat. It was a pure crystallization of power.

Erin was about to draw her sword and cut it down immediately, but she stopped at Alexis’s desperate movement.

‘It doesn’t have malicious intent.’

The being in the shape of a cat was looking at Erin from beside Dayna. It certainly had a cute appearance. The transparent-bodied creature had the form of a cat just like Dayna said. Its appearance resembled Titi so much that Erin almost wavered for a moment.

But Erin knew there were many monsters with cute appearances.

“Mom, the cat said it missed you.”

“Dayna…?”

“It’s Dayna’s friend. A friend who’s been with Dayna since she was a tiny baby.”

As soon as Dayna finished speaking, Alexis stood in front of them. Alexis was staring intently at the cat before his eyes.

“Princess Dayna, if you don’t mind me asking, what did you see in the book?”

“Umm, pictures.”

“Could you possibly show me that book?”

Dayna’s gaze turned toward Derek. Derek, whose face had turned pale at the sudden situation, nodded repeatedly.

Dayna held out the book toward Alexis. After briefly skimming through the book, he let out an exclamation.

“That cat… seems to be a spirit.”

Erin and Ferdin froze in bewilderment. The same was true for the other people watching the situation. Ferdin asked Alexis with a confused face.

“A spirit?”

“Yes, a spirit. Though I can hardly believe it myself, it seems Princess Dayna saw a summoning magic circle and summoned a spirit exactly like it.”

“Is such a thing possible?”

“I’m learning this for the first time too. This is also my first time seeing a spirit. As you know, all spirit mages on the continent disappeared hundreds of years ago.”

Alexis seemed excited somehow. Ferdin looked at Alexis with unfamiliar eyes. He was usually a lethargic person. Yet now that same Alexis had more sparkling eyes than anyone else.

“I’ll need to examine this more closely, but… I think the Princess should be considered a genius.”

* * *

After Dayna’s birthday party ended, Erin had a confused expression. Ferdin stood beside her holding Casion.

Dayna was playing with the spirit she had summoned without knowing anything. A moment later, she crawled up onto Erin’s lap.

“My friend says it wants to be friends with Mom too.”

“Friends with me…?”

Erin looked at the spirit suspiciously. Then the spirit, which had been staying quietly beside Dayna, approached Erin closely.

At her wary eyes, the spirit showed a dejected expression.

Erin felt something strange at its appearance, which seemed truly hurt. The spirit approached and leaned its head against Erin like acting cute. Erin felt an odd emotion looking at that spirit.

It looked exactly like Titi.

“Titi…?”

At the word Erin uttered, the spirit perked up its ears. The spirit’s large eyes seemed to be answering Erin.

Yes. That it was Titi.

“My friend’s name is Titi?”

“No, that’s the name of Mom’s old friend.”

“But my friend says it’s Titi.”

Erin froze completely. How could Titi be summoned as Dayna’s spirit?

Of course, the spirit’s appearance and behavior were similar to Titi’s, but…

“Your name was Titi! That’s why you said you didn’t need a name.”

Dayna hugged Titi tightly with an excited face, knowing nothing.

“Titi has protected me since I was born.”

Erin covered her mouth with her hand. Several incidents came to mind. Not long after Ferdin ascended to the throne, followers of the former Emperor remained.

When Erin left for important subjugations, they dared to rebel against Ferdin and try to assassinate Dayna. But for unknown reasons, people who tried to harm Dayna would meet with great misfortune.

The assassins were the same. They couldn’t even approach Dayna’s side. Titi had always stayed by Dayna’s side and protected her. In the form of a spirit.

She didn’t know how Titi became a spirit. But just the fact that Titi had always been by her side made Erin feel like crying.

“Titi says it wants to go to Mom.”

Erin slowly nodded.

Titi climbed onto her lap. Erin felt an indescribable emotion. Titi was the very first friend she made when she was lonely in childhood. Now she had many friends, but… at that time, Erin was truly lonely.

Erin couldn’t forget the cat that approached her at the academy when she was alone.

Her very first friend. But also the friend who left her first. The memory of tearfully sending Titi away on a rainy day was a moment Erin would never forget until she died.

Erin petted Titi with trembling hands. Titi seemed pleased and closed its eyes, beginning to purr. Ferdin quickly approached Erin. Tears were forming in her eyes.

Dayna and Casion also looked at Erin with surprised eyes. The family members each asked Erin with worried voices.

“Mom, are you crying?”

“Is something sad happening?”

“Erin, are you okay?”

Erin quickly shook her head. She didn’t want to worry the children and Ferdin. Instead of shedding tears, Erin smiled.

“No, I’m just so happy. So very happy.”

At Erin’s answer, Dayna tilted her head. Then she soon nodded like she was happy too.

“I’m happy too!”

Dayna grasped Ferdin and Erin’s hands. Casion did the same. He followed Dayna and grasped Erin and Ferdin’s hands.

“I’m happy that Mom is my mom.”

Titi made a loud cry like agreeing.

“Meow-!”

“I’m happy that Dad is my dad.”

Dayna glanced at Casion.

“Casion is sometimes mean, but… I like that he’s my little brother. I think I would have been sad if he wasn’t here.”

Dayna hugged Erin.

“Thank you for giving birth to me as your daughter. Today was the best birthday ever.”

Erin answered while hugging Dayna tightly.

“Thank you for becoming my daughter, Dayna. I love you, my daughter.”