Chapter 3: Chapter 3

Dain Sogres grew rapidly.

As if truly blessed, he grew healthy without minor illnesses. Dain’s growth was a concern for the entire family, and each of his actions was a joy, much like Arabel and Claire.

“Come on, Dain. This is magic! How is it?”

“Mabuh?”

“Magic. Want to take a look? This is what concentrates magical power and emits light. Zaz!”

“Wow.”

“Even if you don’t have a chain, it’s not difficult to use magic as long as you have talent. But Dain is still young, so it’ll be hard!”

And Dain’s talent emerged faster than expected.

“…Dain, what did you do now?”

“Mabuh!”

“…You’re our youngest genius, aren’t you?”

Arabel was speechless as she looked at Dain, who imitated the concentrated magical light she displayed without thinking.

The condensing light of magical power can literally be created only if you have talent for “magic”. Though it has nothing to do with the presence or absence of the ‘chain’ that determines a mage’s level, the fact that he created it at this age is significant in itself.

“Will our youngest son become a mage?”

As he showed on his first birthday, his talent didn’t end there.

“Dain, today your sister will show you an invocation technique. I prepared a pet that Dain will find cute!”

“Joa!”

Claire summoned “Aitz,” a small summoned animal, in front of Dain. It was a secondary summon with a small and cute body, rabbit-like ears, and tiny wings.

“Dain, you have to be careful. Most summonings are friendly to their summoner’s face but become very cautious when others approach…”

“Kyaaa.”

As soon as Claire finished speaking, Aitz slowly walked toward Dain and nestled its body into his small hand.

Claire was speechless at what she saw for the first time in her life.

“Oh my goodness. Aitz.”

For reference, Aitz is particularly sensitive among summoned beasts and is extremely cautious around any beings other than the summoner. It was unbelievable that such a creature would approach me first and start rubbing its body against me.

There are two criteria for judging an invoker’s talent.

One is the talent for the summoning technique itself.

The other…

An innate affinity for summoned animals.

Probably, Dain seemed to belong to the latter category. However, it was also evident that he possessed abilities of the first type.

“Our youngest… do you want to become an invoker and a mage?”

Assassination was also something that couldn’t be overlooked.

“Dain, Dain? Where did you go?”

The year Dain turned 5.

His mother searched for Dain for a long time, who suddenly disappeared.

“Where did he go… Brother, have you seen Dain?”

“I’m sorry, ma’am. I’m also looking for him now…”

And it was only after about two hours that they found Dain.

The main garden.

Dain’s appearance hiding tenderly among the grass.

“Dain? How…”

“I did what my mother told me! Did I hide well?”

Lily had a blank expression as she looked at her youngest son, asking with a proud expression.

I let him know.

Just in words.

But did you hear and copy it?

“Our youngest will become an assassin, an invoker, and a mage…?”

Dain was really growing.

Unlike his previous life, he freely revealed his talents.

***

The Count’s Castle of Sogres is located in the southern part of the continent, renowned for its pleasant climate.

I’ve been spending quiet times here, where many high-quality fruits grow due to the warm and tranquil climate along with the ample sunlight.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Time flies.”

Occasionally, thoughts of the battlefield I experienced in my past life surfaced, but even those were swiftly forgotten when faced with the tranquility of Sogres’ territory.

Now, I was enjoying this peace by taking strolls.

I was already seven years old.

“I’m glad time passed faster than I thought.”

Of course, I learned to walk a long time ago.

No, I picked it up faster than my elder sisters.

As I have memories of my past life, I somehow try to walk, and my muscles seem to have developed earlier.

However, my infancy wasn’t that boring.

After it was confirmed that I was the “greatest genius of all time,” I suppose some sort of arrangement was made within the family, and from that day on, I could learn various things.

To be precise, it was only a one-sided story.

Should I say it’s akin to a fairy tale?

Everyone was very enthusiastic about early childhood education.

When one person left, another quickly joined and chatted about their area of expertise.

“Come on, Dain. The spear is basically a weapon that can fully utilize the advantage of distance. It may be difficult to grasp something now, but if you listen repeatedly…”

“Dain, the basics for hiding is keeping silent prayers. Oh God, did I use a word that was too difficult? Umm, when my mom learned about assassination, she only used these words…”

“My little brother! Today, your sister will tell you about the compatibility of fire-type magic and water-type magic! This is what I learned today! It’s about magical mechanics…”

“… Pets must be treated with respect. Look closely. After summoning it like this, pet and communicate with it first. If you tell it to attack as soon as it’s summoned, you’ll end up angering the summoned animal.”

My father is a spearman.

My mother is on hiatus for now (because assassination is too cruel).

My elder sister is a mage.

My younger sister is a summoner.

At first, it was boring, but with time, it was worth listening to.

As I learned to write, I was able to organize it in my own way.

And now, I was first taking lessons from my mother.

“Dain, are you here?”

“Oh, I didn’t know you’d find me already.”

My mother and I were playing hide and seek.

Would it be appropriate to call it “stealth class” under the pretext of playing?

It was a kind of “early education” that started when I was around five years old, when I got used to leaping and holding my breath.

“What are you talking about? 4 hours and 30 minutes. “It’s been 10 minutes longer than last time.”

“Really?”

“Then. Keep your ‘breath low’ well and barely make signs.”

My mother patted my head as if she was proud of me.

In short, “Breath,” including “Hide and Seek,” is part of “Stealth Class.”

The class content involves hiding in a place where the other person doesn’t notice and holding your breath.

Should we say it’s the basis of assassination?

Of course, it’s not only used for assassinations.

A technique that can be fully utilized for hiding in times of danger or monitoring an opponent.

“As expected, my son was born with the talent of an assassin. It’s not easy to display this kind of patience at seven years old.”

Well, what I developed while fighting on the battlefield was patience.

“Shall we move to the next stealth class if this is enough?”

“Okay, Mom.”

“Is it fun taking classes with Mom?”

“Yes, it is.”

It’s really fun.

If I had known these things earlier, I would have made use of them on the battlefield. It would have been much more useful than pretending to be dead.

There was no particular feeling of resistance.

These are techniques that noble knights I’ve seen would have rejected as outdated, but in my opinion, they all seem incredible techniques.

“Hello, Countess. Young Master Dain is here.”

At that moment, Herman approached.

He’s 15 years old.

Though young, he’s serious and calm, which is why I like him.

He’s the boy who has always been by my side since I turned one.

“Ah, it’s already late.”

“The Count sent a message. He seemed to be in very good spirits.”

My father is a very good person.

Because he’s more excited than his son at the thought of giving a present on his birthday.

However, today is the day before my seventh birthday.

It was probably quite challenging for my father to wait until his birthday.

“I’m looking forward to it. Let’s go. Mom, then I’ll go.”

“Take care.”

I bid farewell to my mother and followed Herman.

And when I entered the castle and reached my father’s office, my father handed me the gift he had prepared.

“Happy seventh birthday in advance. Originally, I was going to give it to your mother at your birthday banquet, but I wanted to give it to you before your mom! Dain, I’ll tell you again, it’s sharp, but it’s all good, but I prioritize accuracy!”

It was a truly heartfelt present.

“Thank you, Father.”

I expressed my gratitude and accepted the gift.

I think I know what it is. An elongated package.

Just by looking at it, it was a spear.

Sruk.

When I unpacked it, an elegant short spear appeared.

It was a grand construction.

The black spear handle and the silver spear blade created great harmony.

Perhaps considering my age and strength, it was even very light.

I was curious about what it was made of.

“It’s a gift made two years ago at the special request of a famous artisan from the capital.”

Dad said it was two years ago.

You’re very serious.

“It’s so good!”

“Exactly! My son recognized it. Hahaha! We used a lightweight but sturdy lime wood and Godrik steel for the lance blade instead of regular steel.”

Lime wood.

Godrik steel.

Both are excellent materials.

I felt exactly what my father felt.

“Well, give it a try. Do you remember the stories I told you about the lance?”

“Yes, of course.”

I tried to adopt a stance with the lance.

Hold it with both hands, leaving about two fists of space between your hands.

Aim the lance with the idea of targeting the opponent’s head rather than facing it head-on, with one foot forward and the other behind.

“That’s the perfect stance.”

When my father saw my posture, he clapped and got very excited.

“Instead of doing this, let’s head to the training ground.”

I nodded without hesitation.

My body tingles when I grip the lance.

Even though it’s not a sword, it’s the first time I’ve wielded a real weapon in my life.

Per the agreement between my father and my mother, I wasn’t even allowed to wield a weapon for practice.

My father and I arrived at the training ground.

“Stay there and aim your lance at me.”

“Yes, father.”

My father took a javelin of similar length to mine.

A lance precisely forged for practice purposes.

“You should always be serious when handling a lance.”

It’s clear my father means business with his lance.

Otherwise, you wouldn’t pick up a real lance in combat against your 7-year-old son.

But I never thought my father would actually aim at me.

“Dain, what did you say is the difference between a lance and a sword?”

“The range. Unlike a sword, the purpose is to use distance to prevent the opponent from getting close.”

“Good. What’s next?”

“It’s very efficient.”

“You guessed it right away. What do you think is the reason?”

“A lance has a smaller contact area than a sword. Particularly when stabbing, you can stab harder and deeper with less force than other weapons.”

My father smiled with satisfaction.

“You remember it well. Yes, in that sense, the lance is a very easy weapon to learn. However, once it surpasses a certain level, it becomes more difficult than a sword. Do you know why?”

A dull sound.

At that moment, my father took a stance.

An enormous pressure spread instantly in all directions.

This is the stance of a hexa-level lanceman.

“It’s because of the fundamental problem of the lance. A minimum distance is required to attack an enemy. Compared to a sword, which can be gripped and swung by force, it’s difficult to attack with a long or short lance.”

Said my father.

“Every weapon has pros and cons. Even the sword, which is said to be the best weapon, often turns out to be weak in certain situations. It’s wrong to say which weapon is better without knowing it.”

“So, why do you use a lance, father?”

My father responded to my serious question as if it were obvious.

“I use it because it’s cool.”

“…”

“Yes. It’s much cooler than a dagger that looks like a child’s toy. In reality, the lance is the best. Better than a sword.”

If you think about it that way, the sword is cooler…