Chapter 1: My Own Flesh and Blood

The sky was a brilliant blue, the light of the afternoon sun streaming down as I knelt in the city church, offering my prayers to God.

With my hands clasped before the holy statue and my eyes closed, I focused on my silent devotions. The still air around me was filled with quiet chattering.

“Finally done! Let’s go grab a drink.”

“A drink, huh? Sorry, I’m broke this month.”

“What? Just ask your wife for a little extra allowance.”

“Are you insane? If I asked her that, she’d start throwing plates again. Do you have any idea how much of a pain it is to clean up broken dishes?”

One by one, those who only prayed for the sake of routine slowly drifted out of the church. I eventually finished my own prayers.

Rising to my feet, I turned and made my way toward the priest sitting quietly in the corner of the room. He sat behind the table with perfect posture, his back straight as a rod.

I stepped up to him and spoke across the table.

“I’d like to make a donation,” I said.

“Thank you as always, Light Marquinas,” he replied. “Please sign here.”

He was someone I’d interacted with many times before. As he spoke, he opened the notebook I had come to call the “donation ledger”—although I had no idea what its official name was. I took the pen, wrote down my name, and filled in the amount I was donating. Then, I retrieved a pouch of coins from my pocket and placed said amount on the table.

“Much appreciated. Oh? More than usual this month.”

“I got a bit extra from work, so I figured I’d pay in advance.”

“Advance...? Oh!”

The priest seemed to realize something. He flipped through the pages of the notebook, checking through the past entries. After a moment, he looked back up.

“You’ve definitely reached the required amount. I apologize for not noticing sooner.”

“It’s no problem.”

“What would you like to do? Since you’re paying in advance, does that mean you’d like to proceed right away?”

“I would.”

“Understood. Please give me a moment.”

“Of course. Thank you.”

I gave him a nod and watched as the young priest stood and disappeared into the back room.

In this day and age, a man who wanted a child had two options. The first was to marry a woman and have a child the normal way. The second was to donate to the church and be granted a divine child.

Both methods had their pros and cons, but for someone like me—who had gone forty years without any connection to women and had instead put my focus toward becoming an S-class mage—there was only one real choice.

I had made my decision three years prior. Month by month, I’d saved up, steadily donating from my earnings. And today, on my fortieth birthday, I had finally reached the required amount.

A quiet thrill ran through me. When it came to divine children, public opinion was divided. Those who had never gone through the process dismissed the idea entirely. “That’s not your real child,” they’d say. “Buying a child with money is wrong.” But the men who had actually been granted divine children insisted otherwise. Many claimed they felt a stronger bond with them than they ever could with a child born from a human woman.

I couldn’t help but wonder—what was the truth? I was dying to find out.

The anticipation was almost unbearable. What would it truly feel like to know, without a doubt, that there was a child out there in the world whom I could call my own?

As I waited, the young priest eventually returned.

“Marquinas, thank you for your patience. Everything is ready. Please, come this way.”

“Understood.”

I followed him down a quiet hallway as he led me to a spacious chamber deep within the church. It was an awe-inspiring space, nearly a temple in its own right, filled with a solemn, almost sacred, atmosphere.

At the center of the room sat several boxes. Standing before them was an elderly man, his face lined deeply with age.

“I’ve brought Light Marquinas,” the young priest announced.

“Thank you. You may go.”

“Yes, Father.”

The young priest left, and once we were alone, the old man turned to me.

“My name is Eldary. I’m the priest entrusted with overseeing this church.”

“Light Marquinas,” I stated in turn.

“Sir Marquinas. Just to confirm—are you certain that you desire a divine child?”

“Yes.”

I answered without hesitation. It was a resolve I’d made years ago. If all he wished to hear was a yes or a no, there was only ever one answer I could give.

“Understood. Then...”

Eldary clasped his hands together and began chanting a prayer. Suddenly, a radiant magic circle appeared near the ceiling. It was the first time I had ever witnessed divine magic in action.

The magic used by ordinary people and the divine magic wielded by clergy were considered to be entirely different. The biggest distinction was that regular magic summoned its magic circle at the caster’s feet, while divine magic manifested above, floating over the caster’s head. Truthfully, divine magic apparently wasn’t considered “magic” at all. But since I was a simple mage, not a priest, I wasn’t very educated on the nuances.

As Eldary’s magic activated, something resembling a glowing, translucent sheet of paper appeared between us, hovering in midair.

“Please read this and press your thumb upon the page when you’re ready.”

“What does this mean? Is it basically saying I can’t tell anyone what happened here?”

“That is correct. This is a contract with God. Should you speak of what happens in this room, divine punishment—nay, heaven’s wrath itself—will fall upon you immediately.”

I swallowed nervously.

“It’s a necessary precaution to protect the divine child. Of course, you can still back out now if you wish.”

“So...as long as I don’t tell anyone about the contract, there won’t be any issues, right?”

“Yes. That’s all it’s asking, essentially.”

“I understand.”

I nodded and gave the divine contract one final read-through. As Eldary had just said—if I spoke of this to anyone, heaven’s wrath would befall me. But simply keeping quiet didn’t seem like an issue. With that in mind, I reached out and pressed my thumbprint onto the glowing contract. It then dissolved into a ball of light and floated upward, as if being drawn into the heavens.

“Then, let us begin.”

“All right.”

“First things first...”

Eldary retrieved a leather pouch from a box. Its shape was unmistakable: a classic coin pouch, heavy with the weight of gold.

“And that would be...?”

“Your donation from today, Sir Marquinas.”

“Ah. I see.”

Eldary began intoning some kind of divine incantation. The light of the spell enveloped the leather pouch and began drawing out some unseen essence from within.

The light shimmered through the air to the middle of the room, where it then stretched into a screenlike surface upon which a scene began to play.

“This is...from the last mystic treant mission...?”

“Yes. This spell shows what you did to earn this money.”

“Ah! I understand.”

That made sense. My last mission has been to tackle a sudden outbreak of treants. Some had even evolved into mystic treants, which made the mission even more risky. It had been a bit of a struggle, but taking them down had earned me a bigger bonus than usual.

“Oh!”

When the visuals ended, the divine magic dissolved back into pure light, drifting through the air like soap bubbles.

“Let’s check this one next,” Eldary said, pulling another coin pouch from the same box and casting divine magic again. Just like before, light was drawn from the pouch and then began projecting another scene.

“This is...from last month’s goblin outbreak. We managed to push through eventually, but for a while, it felt like they were never-ending...”

“Yes, this projection reflects that.”

“Right, of course.”

The image faded, dissolving back into light once more. The previous orbs of light merged together, forming a single, larger sphere. Eldary continued pulling out coin pouches one after another, casting divine magic on each one in turn. Every time, a new scene played—the memories of the jobs I’d done to earn that money.

At first, every image was sharp and clear in my mind. But after a while, the memories became hazy, and waves of nostalgia washed over me. By the time Eldary finished, the orb of light had grown larger than I was.

“The preparations are now complete.”

“Preparations? Wait, have you kept every single one of my donations up until now?”

I glanced at the pouches as I spoke. From what I had just seen, I figured that the spell must have worked by extracting memories from the coins inside those bags. In other words, the church had held on to three years’ worth of my donations without spending a single coin of them.

Eldary offered me a gentle smile in response. “That’s the first question everyone hoping for a divine child tends to ask. But rest assured—the amount of money isn’t what’s important here.”

“I see...”

“What’s truly required is effort—the crystallization of a person’s blood and sweat, accumulated through the struggle of saving up this huge sum of money.”

“I see...”

His explanation made sense to me somehow. I looked at the orb of light. It was indeed the manifestation of all my efforts, drawn out from those three years of donations.

“That said, it’s currently just metaphorical blood and sweat. We still need the final touch.”

“And what would that be?”

“A single drop of your real blood. It will become the very flesh and blood of your child.”

“Understood.”

I swallowed hard, the sound loud in my throat. Stretching out my right hand, I condensed my magic into a needle-sharp point. Manifesting something complex was difficult for me, but a simple needle was no problem at all.

I pricked my thumb with the needle. A single drop of crimson blood—my honest-to-goodness blood—welled up, and I let it fall into the orb of light. The light drew in the droplet, absorbing it completely before compressing into a dense point.

Then, in an instant, it burst apart and the room was flooded with a blinding light. I squeezed my eyes shut and turned my face away. When the glow finally faded, I cautiously turned back—and saw it. Descending slowly from above, surrounded by a glowing magic circle, was a small infant. I hurriedly reached out and caught them in my arms.

“Oh my...”

I knew it, not just in my mind but in the depths of my soul: This child was mine.

This was a true miracle from God. This was my child, in every sense of the word; my own flesh and blood.

At that moment, I felt the entire world shift. Suddenly, everything around me looked different—brighter, warmer. The world was now overflowing with hope.

Chapter 2: The S-Class Mage Who Can Magically Soothe a Baby

Eldary purified the baby with holy water, wrapped them in a swaddling cloth made of sacred fabric, and placed them back into my arms. I held my child close, cradling them with the utmost care.

“I believe the first step would be to give her a name,” Eldary suggested.

“A name?”

I lifted my head to look at him.

“Yes. That is a parent’s first—and greatest—gift to their child.”

“Ah...”

“Of course, if you aren’t ready to choose one now and would wish to take more time—”

“Lucia.”

I cut him off, the name slipping from my lips without a second thought.

“Lucia... That means ‘light,’ doesn’t it?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“What a wonderful name.” Eldary offered his approval with a warm smile.

The name had come to me naturally—like it had always been meant to be.

My child. The light of my life.

The moment I’d had that thought, the name had risen to the surface of my mind as if it had been there all along. No other name could possibly fit. Since she was a girl, I settled upon Lucia.

“Nice to meet you, Lucia.”

Lucia slept soundly in my arms, her tiny face the picture of peacefulness. Even her sleeping expression was unbearably precious.

“If I may, I’d like to explain a few things now.”

“Hm? Oh, yes. Please go on.”

“Let’s start with what it means to be a divine child.” Eldary cleared his throat, settling into a more formal tone. “A divine child is, biologically speaking, only half human.”

“Half human?”

“Yes. In that regard, they are quite similar to half elves or half dwarves. Thus, their growth differs somewhat from that of ordinary humans.”

“I see.”

“A divine child will grow rapidly during their first year, reaching the appearance of roughly an eight-year-old human,” Eldary explained. “After that, their growth slows significantly—about half the speed of a human’s.”

“Oh... I was unaware.”

“As a result, while they do not live as long as half elves, they still outlive humans. This is one of the key reasons many seek to have a divine child. Barring any tragic accidents, you need not worry about your child dying before you.”

“Right...”

Just an hour ago, those words wouldn’t have meant anything to me. But now it felt like they were stabbing me in the chest.

My child. My light. My Lucia.

The mere thought of her dying before me made my chest tighten. I felt like my heartstrings were going to snap.

“And now for the most important part.”

“The most important part?”

“You made a vow earlier, do you remember?”

“Ah, you mean the one that states that I cannot share anything that happened in this room?”

“If that vow is broken, the divine child will be summoned back to the heavens. Please take care to remember that.”

“What?!”

Shock rippled through me. And then I understood. Of course. I’d done a fair amount of research before coming here, as I was desperate for a divine child, yet nearly everything I’d learned today was news to me. After hearing all of Eldary’s explanations, I was absolutely certain—I would never speak of what happened here.

As I stood frozen in shock, Eldary produced a jar—something that he had likely prepared in advance—and placed it where I could clearly see. It was sealed with a lid, wrapped in heavy wards and bindings.

“This is a sacred artifact known as the Jar of Thirst. If opened in the presence of a divine child, it will reclaim every drop of blood and flesh their parent has given, without exception.”

I gasped, instinctively turning my back to the jar to shield Lucia in my arms.

“Rest assured, this jar is bound by a time-locked seal. It will not activate until this explanation is complete.”

Relief washed over me. It was still a dangerous tool, but as a mage myself, I recognized the kind of seal placed on it. It wouldn’t break on its own. I let out a deep breath, trying to steady myself, and turned around back to Eldary.

“I understand. I’ll never speak of what happened here.”

When I said that, Eldary nodded, looking satisfied. After receiving a few more supplementary explanations, I left the church with Lucia cradled in my arms.

☆

I closed the door behind me with one hand and set the things I’d just bought down on the floor.

Inside my house, the living room was connected to the entrance, with a table and chairs set up. Standing in that familiar space, I gazed down again at Lucia, my child, who was cradled in my arms. She was so unbelievably, almost painfully adorable. I felt like I could look at her forever.

A scene floated into my mind, that of a baby lying in bed, with me stretched out beside her, watching her sleep. I’d never done something like that before, but somehow I knew it was a common thing—a gentle, peaceful moment between parent and child. I wanted to try it for myself.

I was about to head to the bedroom, which was beside the living room, when suddenly...

“Waaah, waaah!”

Lucia let out a wail. There’d been almost no warning—she had just started crying out of nowhere.

“Wh-What’s wrong?”

“Waaah, waaah!”

“Aha!”

The answer came straight into my mind. No, it was more like it had suddenly been dredged up—like I’d remembered something from the very recesses of my brain.

It was a strange sensation, something I’d never experienced before. But somehow, I understood her.

Lucia was hungry.

Still holding her close, I rummaged through the things I’d just bought, pulling out a baby bottle and powdered formula. Following the instructions the shopkeeper had given me, I mixed the milk, checked the temperature, then brought the bottle to Lucia’s mouth as she continued crying.

She latched on to the bottle’s tip. Her tiny mouth sucked eagerly, and her loud crying quieted down.

“It’s tasty, isn’t it? Good girl.”

I somehow understood it—Lucia’s feeling of delight.

Once I calmed down, I remembered. This mysterious sensation was the same as what I’d felt the moment I first met her. The feeling of absolute certainty that she was my own flesh and blood.

I could sense her emotions directly because we were connected in that way. This strengthened my conviction—the undeniable knowledge that she was my very own child.

Despite the fact that I was a man... No, it didn’t matter whether I was a man or a woman. Even if I were a woman, this feeling would have been stronger than anything, even more profound than if I had borne this child myself.

Lucia was a divine child. A true blessing, a miracle from the heavens. I felt nothing but pure love.

After she had finished her milk and I had attempted to burp her with my clumsy hands, Lucia started crying again. This time, I clearly sensed that she was sleepy. I carried her to the bed, carefully made her a cozy sleeping spot, and gently stroked her to help her drift off to sleep. She quickly fell asleep, and as I watched her peaceful face, I too eventually dozed off beside her.

☆

Raising Lucia was easy, in a way.

Aiding me more than anything was the fact that I always knew exactly what she needed, be it food, sleep, or a diaper change. Usually, it’s impossible to know what a baby wants just from their cries. But with Lucia, a divine child, everything came through loud and clear.

Knowing exactly what to do made caring for her incredibly straightforward. And every time I responded to her needs, I felt our connection grow even stronger, imbuing me with a sense of fulfillment I had never experienced before.

☆

A few days later, on the outskirts of town, I arrived in front of a semicircular barrier, about ten meters in radius.

Outside of the barrier, there was a unit of about a dozen soldiers. I approached and called out to the man who seemed to be their captain from behind. “Excuse me. I’m Light Marquinas, an S-class unrestricted offensive mage.”

“Ah yes, we’ve been waiting for you— Huh?!”

The captain turned around, and the moment he saw me, his eyes widened in shock. I had come here with Lucia strapped to my chest in a baby carrier, and the captain was staring at her, dumbfounded. I really couldn’t blame him. He probably thought I was insane for bringing a baby to a place like this.

But still, no place, not even home, could give me more peace of mind than having her within arm’s reach, right here in my embrace. I acknowledged his reaction but brushed past it.

“Uh, um...”

“Don’t think too much about it. So, this barrier, right? Judging by the size, it was set up by a B-class ward mage?”

“Ah, yes! It was Raul, a B-class, Type-2 ward mage.”

“I see. How much time is left on it?”

“About two hours.”

“That’s plenty.”

I took a step forward and looked inside the barrier. Sensing the presence of a newcomer, the monster inside began thrashing around.

“An ogre, huh?”

“Yes, a stray ogre that wandered in this morning.”

“Its horns are white... It must’ve lost a fight for dominance with its pack.”

“That’s what we believe too.”

“Got it. Leave it to me.”

“Um...what about...th-the baby?”

The captain hesitantly offered to take care of her, holding out his arms awkwardly.

“It’s fine. There’s no safer place for her than right here.”

“O-Of course. My apologies, sir, for doubting someone of your caliber!”

I let out a quiet laugh and walked toward the barrier. It had nothing to do with the fact that I was an S-class mage. It was because I was her father—but there was no need to say that out loud.

As I approached the barrier, two soldiers used magic to briefly create a small opening for me to enter. I swiftly slipped through, and the soldiers sealed the gap behind me.

Inside the barrier, I carefully made my way through the rubble of destroyed houses, heading toward the monster trapped within. It was an ogre—a towering beast, easily three meters tall, gripping a wooden club that looked decades old.

Ogres usually had two black horns on the sides of their heads, but this one’s horns had turned white, a sign it had lost a territorial battle—a stray, outcast ogre.

The moment it saw me, it raised its club and let out a deafening roar, trying to intimidate me. Startled by the sound, Lucia flinched and began to whimper.

“Aww, there, there. I’ll shush him up in no time, okay?”

I soothed Lucia while simultaneously deploying a magic circle.

Easy Arrow ex Marquinas.

It wasn’t divine magic, just ordinary human magic. The circle at my feet shimmered, and a single magic arrow shot out in front of me. It was no thicker or faster than an ordinary wooden arrow. The stray ogre swung its club, effortlessly swatting the magic arrow aside. Then, it laughed. It looked like it was mocking me, as if to say, is that all you’ve got? I couldn’t be sure, of course, but that was what it felt like.

I gently comforted Lucia, soothing her until she stopped fussing. She was scared—I could feel it—so I held her tightly to reassure her.

Another magic arrow shot out, exactly the same as the last one. The stray ogre reacted the same way, batting it away with its club.

I kept firing magic arrows, over and over. At first, one every five seconds. After a few arrows, the pace quickened to one every four seconds. Then, after a few more, every three seconds. That was when the stray ogre finally noticed something was wrong. Its expression changed as it raised its club and charged at me.

“Guess you don’t survive a fight for dominance without some instincts, huh?”

The massive club swung down, barreling toward me. I leaped back, narrowly dodging the strike. Even as I moved, the interval between magic arrows kept shrinking, getting faster and faster.

Pew! Pew! Pew! Pew! Pew! Pew!

Pew! Pew! Pew!

The arrows flew faster and faster, until eventually, the stray ogre could do nothing but desperately swat them away. It was as if it were internally screaming, I can’t let it end like this! In a last-ditch effort, it grabbed some chunks of debris from the destroyed buildings and hurled them at me. I dodged easily, but when the debris smashed into the ground, shards scattered in every direction. Most of the fragments flew harmlessly away, but one chunk was on a direct path toward Lucia.

Without thinking, I twisted my body, taking the hit on my shoulder.

Thud.

The piece of rubble—bigger than my own fist—struck me squarely on the shoulder. But it didn’t touch Lucia. I had already set up a protective magic barrier around her, deflecting the tiniest debris. Even pebbles and grains of sand couldn’t get through.

“Ha ha ha!”

Lucia giggled. I was sure she was saying something like “Pretty!” She thought the bits of debris bouncing off the barrier looked beautiful. Seeing her smile made me forget the pain in my shoulder.

Meanwhile...

Pew! Pew! Pew-pew-pew-pew-pew-pew-pew! The rapid-fire magic arrows accelerated even more. In the end, I was firing five arrows per second.

Easy Arrow ex Marquinas! Volcano!

The barrage of magic arrows overwhelmed the stray ogre’s defenses as I unleashed a more powerful spell, turning the beast into a pincushion. It took dozens—no, over a hundred—arrows, and the relentless assault made it look like the ogre was dancing.

Eventually, it collapsed to the ground with a thunderous thud, lifeless. The barrier dissipated, and the soldiers rushed in, most of them heading straight for the ogre’s body. Only the captain came over to me.

“Thank you for your hard work, Marquinas! We expected nothing less from an S-class mage!”

“Not a problem. The barrier helped a lot. Can I leave the cleanup to you?”

“Of course!”

“Waaah! Waaah!”

“Oh, there, there, little one! Are you hungry? Don’t worry, the job’s all done now. Let’s go buy you some milk.”

As the soldiers handled the aftermath, I left the scene, gently soothing a hungry Lucia in my arms.

Chapter 3: Like Father, Like Daughter

“Ah! St-St—”

Gripping the edge of her cot, Lucia stood up on both feet.

“Oh my...”

I was overwhelmed with emotion, to the point that it felt like my eyes were about to overflow with tears. It had only been three days since Lucia had come into my life, but she had grown at an astonishing pace. And now, she had even managed to grip onto something and stand up on her own two feet.

After pulling herself up, she turned toward me.

“Studa!” she babbled.

I couldn’t grasp the meaning of her words by sound alone, but as her divine parent, her words echoed clearly in my mind. “I stood up!”

“Yeah, yeah, you stood up so well! You’re amazing!”

“Stood up!”

When I gently stroked her head, Lucia waved both her hands wildly, letting go of her grip during her very first attempt at standing. Naturally, or perhaps inevitably, she lost her balance and plopped down on her bottom. A soft, deflated plap echoed around the room.

“Oh no! Are you okay?!”

If it had been someone else’s child, I might have just smiled and said, “Oh dear, are you all right?” The sight of a child losing their balance and flopping over is normally the kind of heartwarming scene that makes people chuckle. But this was my child, my precious daughter. I immediately flew into a panic. Meanwhile, Lucia, still sitting where she had landed, froze for a moment, her eyes wide open. And then—

“Waaaah!”

In an instant, she skipped over mere fussing and burst into full-on tears.

“There, there! Are you okay? Pain, pain, go away!”

“Waaaah!”

To my ears, her cries sounded like “It hurts!”

“It’s okay, it’s okay. Just hang on a second... Slow Heal!”

I used magic to heal her—something else I probably wouldn’t have done for someone else’s child. I wanted to ease her pain, even just a little, I drew out a magic circle and cast a spell.

Slow Heal was a basic healing spell, just like the name implied, it gradually restored health over time. I was an offensive mage, after all, and up until now, I hadn’t needed to rely much on recovery magic.

In that moment, I regretted more than ever not learning or mastering more healing magic. As it stood, this was the only recovery spell I knew, so this was the one I cast.

The magic seemed to work. Lucia suddenly stopped crying, going quiet and gazing at me intently with tear-streaked cheeks.

“Huh?”

“Huh? Oh, that’s magic.”

“Ba-ba-ba!”

When I answered her unspoken question—it had seemed that she was asking, What was that?—she lit up with excitement, flailing her little arms around. She even started trying to mimic the motions I’d made when I cast the spell. Her gestures were so innocent and childlike. Truly, she was the cutest thing in the world. I even thought about rushing to the town’s photography studio right then and there to have a magical portrait taken to preserve this precious moment forever. But just as that idea crossed my mind—

“Ta-da!”

Lucia, thrust out her tiny right arm, which was still chubby and baby-soft. In that instant, a magic circle appeared at her feet—and at my waist level.

“Huh...?”

Before I could even process what was happening, a magical arrow shot out from her outstretched hand and blasted a massive hole in the wall, sending debris flying everywhere.

☆

“Well, she is a divine child, after all.”

Inside the church, I stood face-to-face with Eldary, the priest, while holding Lucia in my arms. After the sudden incident earlier, I’d rushed straight to the church, but Eldary didn’t seem particularly surprised.

“What does this have to do with her being a divine child?”

“Ah, my apologies. I must have failed to explain this earlier. I suppose I assumed you could handle it since you’re still young, Marquinas.”

“Uh...what?”

I tilted my head, still holding Lucia, completely lost.

“In general, a divine child inherits nearly one hundred percent of their parent’s greatest talent.”

“How do you mean...?”

“You are an S-class mage, Marquinas, so your greatest talent is undoubtedly magic. That means Lucia has inherited a magical aptitude nearly identical to yours.”

“The same as mine?”

“She’s your child, after all.”

I let out a sigh of wonder. I understood. Of course she would be born with the same talent as me; she was my daughter. It made perfect sense, and it filled me with an indescribable joy.

“I see, I see...”

I could feel the corners of my eyes drooping, my expression melting into a smile. Just the thought of her having the same talent as me made my face light up uncontrollably.

“When you get a little bigger, I’ll teach you all about magic.”

“Ah?”

Lucia tilted her head in my arms. I wondered for a moment—could she already understand what I was saying? Then, in the very next instant—

“Ta-da!”

A magic circle spread out from Lucia’s back, right over my arm. In a flash, her mana surged, swelling rapidly—and then erupted in a massive explosion.

“Marquinas!” I heard Eldary’s voice shout in alarm.

I was engulfed in flames.

“Guh-huh! Gah, hkk hkk!”

Still holding Lucia, I used my free hand to wave away the smoke swirling around my face. The acrid smell of burnt hair made me gag and cough uncontrollably.

“Are you quite all right, Marquinas?”

“Ah, yes. I’m fine.”

Eldary looked incredibly worried. “That was...quite the spell.”

“No, it wasn’t really a spell,” I explained. “It was just a release of mana.”

“I see...”

Eldary nodded, seemingly accepting this. I wasn’t an expert on divine magic, but apparently it worked in a similar way. Simply releasing mana on its own didn’t amount to much. Magic only became truly effective when refined, honed, and organized into a proper system—in other words, when it became a structured spell. This was the basic principle of standard magic, and it seemed divine magic followed the same logic.

Lucia, giggling with delight, reached out and grabbed my singed bangs, tugging on them. My hair was in rough shape, now frizzy and smoking from the explosion, but that was the extent of the damage. Even if her mana release matched my level, it wouldn’t amount to much more than a flashy blast unless it was channeled into a proper spell.

“Well then...let me continue,” Eldary said.

I let Lucia pull on my crispy bangs to her heart’s content, deciding it wasn’t a big deal. Seeing this, Eldary appeared to determine that the situation was under control and resumed his explanation.

“Divine children inherit the same talents as their parents, but their growth rate is different.”

“Growth rate?”

“Yes. It’s similar to physical growth, but if we were to quantify a parent’s talent as one hundred, the child is typically born with a talent value somewhere between ninety-five and one hundred and five.”

“I see.”

“However, on rare occasions, children are born with values of two hundred or even three hundred, as compared to their parents. This happens when the divine influence is particularly strong.”

“So, kind of like whether they take after their father or mother?”

“Exactly. But with these children, since the divine presence is absolute, there’s a possibility they could be born with several times the power of their human parent—in this case, you, Marquinas.”

“I see.”

“It’s quite rare, but if you ever suspect that’s the case, please consult with us immediately.”

“Understood.”

☆

After returning home from the church, I spent the afternoon playing with Lucia in our room.

She was crawling around the floor, occasionally pulling herself up to stand—and occasionally firing off bursts of mana.

“Unbelievable...” I couldn’t help but mutter.

I’d noticed something fascinating: the mana Lucia was unconsciously releasing was gradually becoming more refined.

Before we went to the church, or even when she blasted that huge hole in front of Eldary, her magic had been a wild, indiscriminate explosion. But now, the direction of her mana release was starting to narrow and focus.

I’d seen normal babies before. When a regular baby played with a ball, they couldn’t aim at first—the ball would fly off in random directions. But over time, they would start to figure out general directions, like “forward” or “backward.”

It seemed like Lucia’s mana worked the same way. At first, she just caused random explosions. But now, she was starting to launch her mana like arrows.

“Whoa! Magic Shield!”

Just then, one of Lucia’s primitive mana arrows shot straight toward the wall. I quickly stepped in and conjured a magical barrier to block it.

Sure, her mana pool was enormous for a baby, but at least raw, unrefined magic was easy to defend against. Lucia giggled, finding it hilarious that I kept blocking her magic. She happily fired mana arrows all over the room, and I eagerly jumped in to intercept them one by one.

Honestly, I was having fun too.

“Ah...”

Suddenly, I remembered an episode involving an old friend of mine. He used to arm wrestle with his two-year-old. The kid would use both hands, struggling to push him down, but my friend would effortlessly hold them back with one hand. Sometimes he’d pretend to lose, letting his arm tilt as if he were about to be defeated, only to suddenly push back. And in the end, he’d let the kid win on purpose.

Back then, I’d found his behavior a bit odd. But now I completely understood how he felt.

“Oops.”

I blocked another mana arrow. Lucia’s magic arrows were easy to defend against, but for a man in his forties, constantly running around the room to catch them was exhausting. I wasn’t a warrior. I was a mage. If we kept this up, my mana would last, but my stamina would give out first.

I needed to rethink my approach. Yes, I had the stamina of an average middle-aged man...but I was still an S-class mage, after all.

“Magic Shield.”

I conjured a magic shield right in front of Lucia. But instead of the usual large barrier, I focused and compressed it, smaller and smaller, until I created a palm-sized, hexagonal, translucent shield.

“Let’s see... Nice, it moves.”

I willed the tiny shield to move. At first, it was clumsy, jerking around unpredictably. But gradually, I got the hang of it. One of the conditions for being recognized as an S-class mage was ability to modify and adapt magic on the fly.

Magic Shield ex Marquinas—Bit Shield.

Lucia giggled, firing off magic arrows one after another. I stayed seated, using my newly crafted Bit Shield to intercept every single shot, sending the tiny barrier flying around the room to catch her magic in midair.

“Ta-da! Ha ha ha!”

Lucia squealed with delight, launching her magic arrows at a frantic pace. And I, without missing a beat, blocked every single one of them.

We kept playing until Lucia finally tired herself out and fell asleep. I savored every moment, overwhelmed with the pure joy of playing with my child.

Chapter 4: No Wife, No Problem!

One afternoon, I was playing with Lucia in the living room, as had become my daily routine.

“Pah!”

Lucia picked up a wooden block, showed it to me, then tossed it to the other side of the room.

She was growing fast. She’d already learned to toddle around, wandering back and forth across the room, grabbing anything within reach and throwing it—a game that she never seemed to get tired of. Whenever a block bounced off the wall and threatened to hit her, I’d deflect it with a simple Bit Shield.

Spending my days quietly watching my beloved daughter grow—this was my life now.

Suddenly, the heavy sound of wings flapping broke the peace. I glanced outside the window to see a large crow flying straight toward us. The jet-black bird closed the distance in an instant, clutching something in its beak. It landed on the windowsill, gripping the frame with both feet.

“Bah! Bur!”

Lucia pointed her tiny finger at the crow, babbling in her babyish voice before turning to look at me. I opened the window.

The crow leaned forward, offering the item in its beak—a sealed envelope. As soon as I took it, the crow vanished with a pop, leaving behind only a puff of smoke.

“Bur?!”

Lucia’s eyes went wide at the sudden disappearance. I gently patted her on the head to calm her, then broke the seal and read the letter inside.

“A summons, huh...”

I let out a sigh. Lucia tilted her little head, looking up at me in confusion. Honestly, I wanted to ignore it, but the sender wasn’t someone I could refuse.

☆

“Come in.”

A voice answered my knock, so I opened the door and stepped inside. Lucia clung tightly to me, her little body stiff. Maybe it was the unfamiliar surroundings, or maybe it was the bearded old man in front of us who had her spooked.

“Nice to see you again, Light.”

The bearded man rose from behind a large desk in what looked like a study. He wore a loose-fitting robe—typical mage attire—with a gold-accented monocle perched on his nose. Everything about him screamed “high-ranking official.”

The man was Dylan Grayson. He was a colleague, an occasional boss, and something like a comrade in arms.

“What’s so urgent that you had to send a familiar? What happened?”

“Ah, well— Oh? Who’s this little one?”

“My daughter. Her name’s Lucia.”

Dylan narrowed his eyes, staring at Lucia for a second before speaking. “That magic power... She must be a divine child, if I’m not mistaken?”

“You can tell?”

“Her magic aptitude is nearly identical to yours—and I’ve never heard any rumors about you getting married. It’s not hard to figure out.”

“You never fail to surprise me.”

“When you reach my age and position, you pick up a few tricks. Being able to size someone up at a glance is a necessary skill. It comes naturally after a while.”

“If you say so.”

I understood what he meant. Dylan was the head of the Faberge Magic Society, a powerful mage in his own right—an A-class universal mage, Type-1. His position required him to assess others quickly, but calling that a natural talent seemed a bit much. If anything, I figured he was secretly using a detection spell like Scan, or some other hidden magic.

“Anyway, why did you call me here? Is this about work?”

“Ah, right. It’s about this right here.”

Dylan twisted around, grabbed something from his desk, and handed me what looked like a binder. It felt a little too formal for a job briefing. I flipped it open—and found a photograph of a woman. She was seated at an angle, gazing directly into the camera.

“Is there a new enhancement spell for photos?”

“Hm? Ah, perhaps? But that’s not the point.”

“Wait... This is...”

“It’s a marriage proposal.”

“Again?” I furrowed my brow.

“This one’s via an old friend—Cyrus.”

“Cyrus, huh... What a throwback.”

Dylan of the Thunderstorm and Cyrus of the Raging Hellfire—two legendary mages I’d heard about since I was a kid—had fought together, fallen out, competed as rivals, and eventually teamed up again. Even people who’d never met them knew that they went way back.

“It’s his drinking buddy’s daughter. Apparently, she’s starting to feel her age and wants to settle down.”

“Huh...”

“She has a few conditions, of course: must be over 175 centimeters tall, annual income of at least six hundred thousand pinar, B-class mage or higher, and she wants to be a full-time housewife after marriage—”

“Okay, okay, I get the picture.” I raised a hand to cut him off. “You’ve pitched me enough of these. I know how it goes.”

“Have I, now?” Dylan’s sheepish smile twitched as he glanced away. “Well, what do you say?”

“Pass.”

“You didn’t even think about it.”

“Well, I’ve got my hands full with this one now anyway,” I said, bouncing Lucia lightly in my arms.

“Ah... I suppose you do.” Dylan’s forced grin softened into something more understanding. “Still, you can’t blame me for trying. Of course, you deserve a woman of higher standing, but the requests just keep flooding in.”

“I’m aware.”

“Could you at least give me the rejection in writing?”

“Fine.”

I nodded and focused magic at my fingertips. Dylan opened the binder to a designated spot where I could sign either acceptance or refusal. I cast Signature and marked the refusal box.

With a snap, Dylan closed the binder and chanted a spell. A large crow appeared from a glowing magic circle.

“Bur! Bur!”

It was the same familiar that had delivered the letter. Lucia, still nestled in my arms, lit up with excitement. The crow took the binder in its beak and flew off through the window.

“Waaah! Bah, bah!”

Lucia reached out toward the disappearing bird, eyes sparkling.

“Want a familiar of your own, huh?”

“Bah!”

“She’s a curious one,” Dylan remarked, stroking his chin. “Most kids are scared of crows that size.”

“She’s been pretty fearless from the get-go.”

“Bah bah!”

“What’s that? You want one?”

Even without proper words, I could tell exactly what she meant.

“Maybe she wants a pet,” Dylan suggested.

“Bah!”

Lucia nodded eagerly.

“A pet, huh...”

“It could be good for her development. They say children who grow up with pets become more empathetic.”

“I’ve heard that too.”

Dylan crouched down, palms facing up, and conjured an illusion spell. Various animals flickered into view—dogs, cats, birds...even snakes and lions.

“Dah!”

Without hesitation, Lucia pointed straight at one in particular.

“A dragon, huh?”

“Dah-dah!”

“You’ve sure got expensive taste, little one.”

“Pet dragons run at least five hundred thousand pinar,” Dylan remarked. “That’s about what a B-class mage makes in a year.”

“Enough to keep a family of four afloat.”

It was an outrageous price. Dogs and cats, even those with pedigrees, usually cost around ten to twenty thousand pinar—making the exorbitant price stand out all the more. But seeing Lucia’s sparkling eyes locked onto the little dragon’s image, there was no way I could refuse.

Chapter 5: My Dear Daughter’s Request

I took Lucia to the local pet shop. It was the largest of its kind in the area, with everything from popular choices like dogs and cats to birds and reptiles for more niche enthusiasts. They even had blue goblin hatchlings—adorable, but technically classified as a type of monster.

“How about this puppy, Lucia? It’s so fluffy and cute!”

“No!”

After making a lap around the store, I brought Lucia to what I thought was the cutest dog here—a white, long-haired breed. She shot me down without a second thought.

“Drago! Drago!”

“I knew it... Only a dragon will do for you, little one, huh?”

I gave a wry smile. I asked her if she’d be willing to settle for a dog instead, but she didn’t show even the slightest interest. Left with no other choice, I turned to the young female clerk who’d been following us around the whole time, patiently tagging along as we wandered in circles.

“You wouldn’t happen to have any dragons, would you?”

“I’m afraid not... Our shipment’s been delayed. We’ve secured some promising ones from our breeder, but...”

“They haven’t arrived yet? What’s causing the delay?”

“Have you heard about the new ogre in town?”

“New ogre?”

Her words jogged my memory. Sure enough, a rogue ogre had shown up near town a while back.

“You mean the one that became the leader of a new pack?”

“That’s the one. It’s been lurking around the highways, basically claiming them as its territory. It’s wreaking havoc on transport routes.”

“I didn’t know things had gotten that bad...”

“Convoys with proper guards can still get through, but anyone without an escort keeps getting pushed back farther and farther.”

“But dragons are high-end pets, right? Don’t they have escorts too?”

“They used to...but with all the delays piling up, most of the guards have been reassigned to more critical shipments—food, water, that sort of thing. Pets aren’t exactly essential goods...”

“I see...”

That made sense. Compared to food or water, pets would naturally get bumped down the list, especially luxury pets like dragons.

“You sure you really want a dragon, little one...?”

“Yeah!”

Lucia’s speech had been improving day by day. Her answer was crystal clear, leaving no room for misunderstanding.

☆

I left town with Lucia in tow, heading down the highway. I’d considered leaving her with someone I knew, but I’d only end up worrying too much to focus on the task at hand. In the end, I decided to bring her along, and so, with my daughter in my arms, I walked down the deserted road.

“I can’t believe there’s no one else out here...”

I’d used this highway countless times before. Normally, there’d be travelers or carriages—at least two or three groups passing by. But now, no matter which way I looked, it was just the two of us. If things were this bad, the lord or even the kingdom would probably step in to deal with the ogre soon...but I couldn’t afford to wait.

After we’d walked a while, we approached a forest on the left side of the road. From within the trees, figures began to emerge one after another, shambling toward us. Their hulking forms gave them away immediately: a pack of ogres.

“At this distance... Yeah. I can handle this,” I muttered, shifting into a half crouch.

Extending my right hand forward, I pulled my left arm—still holding Lucia—close to my chest. A magic circle flared into existence as I chanted a spell. Easy Arrow ex Marquinas—a customized version of the most basic spell, Easy Arrow—shot forward. The magic arrow streaked toward the lead ogre, only to be deflected by a shimmering magical barrier. The arrow and the barrier both vanished on impact.

“Ooh. A mage ogre?”

Ogres were usually brute-force monsters with no aptitude for magic. But every so often, a mutant would appear—an ogre capable of casting spells. Those ones were always trouble.

“Four layers, huh...”

Narrowing my eyes, I focused on the mage ogre’s barrier. Including the layer it had just regenerated, it was surrounded by four magic shields. The simplest magic barriers were easy to break—but they regenerated quickly. The shield I’d shattered had already reformed, bringing the count back to four.

The ogres kept advancing. I didn’t let up, firing off a continuous stream of Easy Arrow spells. At first, I fired one every few seconds. Then the intervals shortened—faster, faster—until I was launching three arrows per second.

I had named this custom spell “Volcano,” imagining an erupting volcano spewing molten rock. But even that rapid-fire barrage couldn’t break through. Some of the other ogres had magic shields of their own, intercepting any arrows that slipped past the leader.

“What a pain...”

There were two broad types of magic: spells that used pure mana to create effects, and spells that created physical objects to carry out their effects.

Mana-based spells like Easy Arrow could be blocked by magic barriers. But if I conjured something tangible—like ice spikes—it would bypass the shields entirely. The problem was, those kinds of spells were heavily restricted by the Magic Association and the kingdom as a whole. Only authorized mages could use them under specific conditions.

But I was Light Marquinas—an S-class, unrestricted offensive mage. I didn’t need anyone’s permission or any observer to hold me accountable. I could make those kinds of decisions on my own.

Lowering my hand, I traced a new magic circle in the air. Light shot skyward, forming a massive pillar of energy. When it faded, an enormous shadow loomed overhead. A colossal boulder hung in the air.

“Meteor!”

I brought my hand down in a sharp motion. The rock plummeted toward the ogres, blotting out the sky. The ogres scrambled to raise their barriers, but it was pointless.

“Your magic shields can’t stop this!”

The boulder crashed down, flattening the entire pack. The ground shook so hard I could barely stay on my feet.

“Pah! Pah!”

Lucia wriggled in my arms, cheering and clapping at the sight of the impact. With that, the highway was finally clear again.

Chapter 6: A Girl and Her Dragon

A few days later, we returned to the pet shop.

“Dragon! Dragon!”

The moment we stepped inside, Lucia spotted something and started flailing her arms, nearly wriggling out of my hold as she reached toward it. Worried she might fall, I set her down on the floor. The speed at which divine children grew was truly remarkable.

Although she was still a bit unsteady on her feet, Lucia confidently toddled straight toward the dragon without a moment’s hesitation.

“Welcome.”

After a beat—she had probably been waiting for us—the young female shop attendant from the other day greeted us.

“Hello. I see the dragon has arrived.”

I glanced at where Lucia was heading as I spoke to the shop attendant. There, in a specially designed enclosure, sat a dragon no bigger than a puppy.

It was clearly a baby dragon. It had short limbs, a stocky, round body, and scales that looked almost soft to the touch. Lucia crouched down, staring at the creature through the enclosure. The baby dragon tilted its head left, then right, watching Lucia in return. The shop attendant and I stood back, observing their interaction.

“Yes, finally. Apparently, the ogre that was causing trouble got taken care of, and now all the backed-up shipments have been flowing in.”

“I see.”

“Yes, though things are still a little slow going.”

“Well, it always takes time for everything to go back to normal after supply chains get disrupted.”

“Exactly. Would you like me to explain more about the dragon?”

“Please.”

“This little one hatched just two weeks ago. It’s a purebred Gargouille dragon, born in Saint Simon, the dragon capital, and it comes with official pedigree papers.”

“I see.”

“It has a gentle and intelligent nature, but as a purebred Gargouille, once it recognizes someone as its owner, it will never accept anyone else. Some people see that as a potential drawback.”

“Not even family members?”

“If the household gets along well, it will recognize the owner’s family members and follow them to an extent. It’s a smart creature.”

“I see.”

I nodded, taking in the explanation. The fact that it would never accept a new owner could go both ways, but as long as it obeyed the owner’s family, it didn’t seem like that would present any major problems.

“So, this, uh...Gargouille?”

“Yes, that’s the name of the breed.”

“Right. Gargouille. In our case, it’s just me and my daughter. Who would be the better owner?”

“It depends...but in most situations, your daughter would be the better choice.”

“Oh, that’s interesting. Why’s that?”

“The biggest advantage of dragons over other pets is their combat ability. If the dragon bonds with your child, it will use its strength to protect her from danger. Since children are more vulnerable than adults, it’s usually best for them to be the primary owner.”

“That makes sense.”

A dragon’s combat ability, huh? Given my line of work and rank, I found myself facing dragons in battle about once a year. A full-grown dragon was on an entirely different level from a pack of ogres. Unlike ordinary monsters, they could employ different tactics and strategies, making them formidable opponents. As an offensive mage, dragons were the last thing I wanted to go up against.

But if that power could be used to protect my Lucia, then there was no ally more reliable.

“So...what’s your decision?”

I knew the shop attendant was asking if I planned to buy it. I gave a noncommittal response and walked over to Lucia, crouching down and whispering over her shoulder.

“What do you think, little one?”

“Dragon!”

“It’s a dragon, all right. Want to take it home with us?”

“With us? Really?!”

Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she beamed with joy. Seeing her that happy, there was no way I could say no.

☆

The doorbell jingled as I stepped through a door, Lucia in my right arm and a pet carrier in my left—the newly purchased baby dragon inside. I had just signed the paperwork for an installment payment plan.

The building’s interior was furnished like a parlor, with a few armchairs scattered about. One of them was occupied by a middle-aged man, who was lounging lazily. He lifted his head, looking at me with a bored expression.

“Well, if it isn’t Light.”

“Hi.”

Normally, I’d have greeted him with a casual salute—a quick chop to the side of my forehead—but both my hands were full. I set Lucia down, then placed the carrier on the floor.

This was a new place, with a stranger. Lucia instinctively clung to my leg, half hiding behind me.

“What’s with the kid? And...is that a dragon?”

“Yeah. I need your help, Cedric, as a Type-2 auxiliary mage.” I smirked.

Cedric Elton let out a quiet “hmm” and nodded. “So, you’re keeping a dragon as a pet. But what about the kid?”

He took the carrier from me and placed it on the table. Then, pulling a pen from his pocket, he began drawing a circle on the tabletop. The ink glowed fluorescently as he built up the design, layering structured patterns to form a proper magic circle. As the circle began to shine—

“Papa?!”

Lucia, still clinging to my leg, called up at me, presumably worried about the baby dragon.

“It’s fine,” I reassured her. “He’s a doctor.”

“A...doctor?”

“Yeah. He’s casting a protective spell so the dragon doesn’t get sick after coming home with us.”

“Is it safe?”

“Completely.”

“Oh... Okay...”

She kept holding on to my leg but peeked up at the dragon inside the glowing magic circle. The baby dragon, in turn, glanced nervously at Lucia—my two anxious little babies.

Meanwhile, the adults had a different conversation.

“Is that kid yours?” Cedric asked.

“Yeah.”

“So that means— Oh, right. You always did donate to the church. A divine child, huh?”

“That’s right.”

“Huh.”

Cedric continued his preparations.

B-class auxiliary mages rarely fought on the battlefield. Most of them took up professions that supported everyday life in the city. Offensive mages like me often had to react in an instant, prioritizing speed when casting spells. But auxiliary mages typically worked with tools and ritualistic techniques, prioritizing precision and care. Cedric was no exception; he took his time.

“Oh, by the way,” I added. “Since it’s a Gargouille dragon, you’ll need to—”

“I know. Neutralize the venom sac, right?”

“Yeah, that’s what I heard.”

“Got it.”

With that, Cedric cast a spell on the baby dragon. According to the pet shop, dragons were born with internal scent glands. Since the scent constantly leaked from their bodies, it could be harmful to humans. That was why, if one planned to keep a dragon indoors or around children, it was best to neutralize the gland with magic. It was essentially a precaution—a necessary step to ensure a safe environment for both the pet and its owner. That was the specialty of auxiliary mages. And that was why I had brought the baby dragon to Cedric, someone I could trust.

After the spell was cast, the little dragon curled up inside the carrier and drifted off to sleep.

“Papa, is the dragon okay?”

“Uh...”

“He’s fine,” Cedric answered. “He’ll wake up in about thirty minutes. Want to let him rest in the back, just in case?”

“Yeah.”

I nodded, and Cedric picked up the carrier, opening a door that led to a back room. It was a small space with a window and a simple bed. Cedric placed a round, flat cushion on the bed and set the carrier on top, positioning it so the sunlight streaming through the window would reach it.

“The sunlight will help. He should wake up on his own soon.”

“Got it.”

“Papa, can I watch?”

“Of course.”

Lucia climbed onto the bed and peered into the carrier, watching over the sleeping dragon. Leaving the two of them behind, I stepped out of the room with Cedric. He pulled a stool from the corner, motioning for me to sit, then dropped himself heavily into an armchair.

“Didn’t expect you to have a kid.”

“I’ve always wanted one.”

“Is it really all it’s cracked up to be?”

“Absolutely.”

I answered without hesitation. Maybe too fast—Cedric blinked at me, clearly surprised.

“That great, huh?”

“Yeah.”

“I see... How much did it take to get her?”

“I’m not sure I like how that’s phrased...”

I trailed off, thinking back. More than the amount of money I had donated, I considered the terms of the contract I had made with the priest—no, directly with God. As I sifted through my memories, I mentally separated what I could and couldn’t talk about.

“Roughly five million pinar, give or take.”

“Five million?! That’s enough to buy a house in a high-end district!”

“Well, I saved up bit by bit over a long time.”

“No way I could manage that. Makes sense, coming from an S-class mage.”

Brushing past the money talk, I added, “Honestly, I think I made the right choice.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Unlike a normal child, I know, without a doubt, that we’re connected by blood.”

“What do you mean...?”

“I can’t say. It’s part of my agreement with the church.”

“Hm?”

“But, well... You know how when women give birth, they feel this deep connection to their child, right?”

“Yes, of course.”

“This is even stronger than that. A God-given blessing. A miracle. The phrase ‘divine child’ fits the feeling perfectly.”

“So I see.”

Chapter 7: An S-Class, Unrestricted Mage

The following afternoon, I sat in the living room, watching as Lucia played with the newly adopted dragon—a young Gargouille.

Lucia stacked up some wooden blocks. The little dragon stared at them for a moment, then gave a tentative nudge with its snout, trying to knock them over.

“Squish! No!”

Lucia scolded it firmly just as the tower started to wobble. The dragon pulled back its nose. She carefully adjusted the slightly shifted blocks, then stacked a new one on top. This time, the young dragon seemed to think for a moment before using its snout again—this time to push the block into place rather than knock it down.

“Good Squish!”

Lucia beamed and patted the dragon’s head. It looked...pleased. Actually, more than that—it was clearly elated.

“Hey, Lucia... What’s with the whole ‘Squish’ thing?”

I’d been watching the whole time, but now I had to ask. Lucia lowered the block in her hand and turned to me.

“It’s a name!”

“For the dragon?”

“Yep!”

“Squish... But why?”

“’Cause it’s all squishy!”

Lucia answered instantly, completely serious. For a second, I was caught off guard. Squishy... Sure enough, the little Gargouille was still young and had a kind of squishy, bouncy look to it. If I had to describe it, “squishy” wasn’t exactly wrong.

“That’s it?”

“Yep!”

“All right then.”

“Your turn, Squish!”

Lucia prompted the baby dragon, who placed another block. She did the same, then the dragon again. Before I knew it, they’d started a back-and-forth stacking game. Lucia continued to address the little dragon as “Squish,” and the creature accepted the name without question.

Well, if she was happy with it, that was what mattered. This dragon was for her, after all. If she said its name was Squish, then Squish it was. I could accept that.

As I watched them play, a noise came from the window—a loud flapping sound. Looking over, I saw a large crow gripping the window frame with its claws. It was that crow, the familiar whose appearance had led to Lucia adopting Squish in the first place.

“Dylan again, huh?”

I opened the window and took the envelope from its beak. Just as I expected, another summons.

“What is it, daddy?” Lucia asked.

Strangely enough, now that she had Squish, she showed no interest in the crow at all. The way children’s interests moved on so fast made me chuckle a little.

“Just a little bit of work that I have to go and do.”

“Work?”

“Yeah.”

I hesitated for a moment. Bringing Lucia along wasn’t an issue, but what about Squish? I wasn’t sure what to do with the little dragon. But before I could dwell on it too much—

“Got it. I’ll stay home.”

“You’ll stay home?”

“Yep! I’ll stay home with Squish!”

I was dumbstruck, my mouth hanging vapidly agape.

“Are you sure you...can handle staying home alone, little one?”

“Yeah! I’ll stay with Squish!”

Lucia cheerfully declared her plan, then suddenly lunged forward and hugged Squish tightly.

Squish looked slightly annoyed, at least in the face, but it didn’t try to escape or shake Lucia off. In fact, it actually leaned into her, pressing its body against her on its own. Its expression said, Ugh, this is such a hassle, but its actions said, I don’t really mind.

And just like that, Lucia and Squish firmly declared their resolve to stay home together.

☆

The place I’d been summoned to was an inn that was head and shoulders above the rest in town. I’m not just saying that it was of the highest quality; it stood physically higher than all the others. We were on the fourth floor of the Twilight Inn.

Word had already been sent ahead, so as soon as I stepped inside, the innkeeper came out and led me straight up to the top floor. There was only one room up there, and inside, Dylan was waiting.

“Oh! Glad you could make it— Hmm? What’s with the long face?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Did you hurt yourself or something? One side of your face is grinning, but the other looks like you’re about to cry.”

“Huh? Oh...yeah.”

I rubbed my face absentmindedly. Lucia had chosen all by herself to stay home on her own. That made me happy...but also kind of sad. I hadn’t realized my face was showing it so obviously. I massaged my cheeks a little to relax. My emotions were still all over the place, but it was time to get down to business.

“Is this about a job?”

“It is.”

Dylan nodded firmly, his expression sharpening in an instant. A moment ago, he’d looked almost like a friendly uncle checking in on me, but now his face had shifted into that of a cold, calculating leader.

“We’ve got an incident on our hands. A drunk guy got into a fight at a shop. He’s taken the shop’s poster girl hostage and barricaded himself inside.”

“Well, that’s a mess...”

“This way. Follow me.”

Dylan walked over to the window. I followed him, stepping up beside him and looking down to follow his gaze. A two-story building lay in our line of sight. The second floor was an open-air deck filled with tables, clearly a place that normally bustled with customers dining and drinking.

But now, it was eerily empty.

In the middle of the deck stood a man and a woman. The man had thick, muscular arms wrapped around the woman’s neck, restraining her. Even as he held her captive, he was swigging directly from a liquor bottle with his free hand.

I didn’t see any visible weapons, but the way he drank and the way he held her made it clear—if he was provoked, this situation could end very badly.

“The society got a request,” Dylan said. “We decided a long-range magic strike would be the best way to handle it.”

“Yeah, that makes sense... But why me?”

A surprise attack was definitely the obvious solution, but I didn’t understand why I specifically had been called in for the job.

“Some coinciding circumstances. All our Type-2 restricted combat mages are out on assignments.”

“Ah... I see.”

That made sense. Magic “restrictions” were broadly divided into two types: Type-1 and Type-2. Restricted mages had to get Magic Society approval and have an observer present whenever they used magic. The key difference between the classifications was simple—whether their magic could only be used against monsters, or whether, under specific conditions, they were permitted to use it against humans as well. A Type-2 restricted offensive mage was someone authorized to use magic on humans, but only in designated scenarios with official approval.

And right now, not a single one of them was available, which meant I was the next best choice.

“Got it. Can I take the shot now?”

“The sooner, the better.”

“Understood.”

I nodded, then turned my gaze back through the window, locking onto the man who was holding the girl hostage. Dylan stepped away, giving me space to cast freely. I gathered my mana, expanding a magic circle beneath me. To finish this in one strike, I chose a spell I didn’t often use.

“S-Class unrestricted offensive mage, Light Marquinas. Executing.”

“A-Class, Type-1 restricted universal mage, Dylan Grayson. Witnessing.”

“Lightning Thread.”

I pointed my finger forward and fired. A beam of light streaked through the air—straight, fast, and precise. In an instant, it pierced through the man’s shoulder. His arm went limp.

For a moment, he just stood there, dumbfounded, unable to process what had just happened. The shop girl, now free, took her chance and bolted.

“Flawless execution. As expected.”

The head of the Magic Society didn’t hold back his praise for my clean, decisive shot.

Chapter 8: My Beloved Daughter’s Sleeping Face

“I’m home!”

I stepped into the living room and lit the lantern on the wall, instantly brightening the dark space. Setting down the heavy pouch of coins I’d received as payment for my job, I felt the weight of the day’s work lift off my shoulders. The reward was decent—enough to live comfortably, especially now that I no longer had to make tithings to the church.

I glanced around the room. Lucia was nowhere to be seen. I called her name, but there was no response. Curious, I headed to the bedroom—and immediately realized what had happened.

Lucia was curled up on the bed, sleeping soundly. The room was a little messy, evidence that she had played to her heart’s content before passing out from exhaustion.

At the foot of the bed, guarding her, was Squish, the baby dragon. It sat there like a vigilant protector, looking up at me with round eyes.

“I’m home,” I said again.

Squish didn’t respond at first, but after a moment, it must have recognized me—whether by sight, voice, or scent—because it sluggishly moved closer to Lucia and snuggled against her, settling down into a sleeping posture.

Unlike human children, dragons, even young ones, seemed to possess a natural instinct to stay alert. And Squish was protecting Lucia. The realization warmed my heart.

I approached the bed and slowly sat down, careful not to wake her. Reaching out, I gently ran my fingers through her hair, stroking it lightly—so, so carefully.

Today’s job had required intense focus. A single precise shot to incapacitate the target without harming the hostage. Even though the man had taken the girl hostage and barricaded himself, he was still a resident—a person. Killing him had never been an option. The mission had been to neutralize him with the absolute minimum necessary force.

Those kinds of missions were ordinarily for Type-2 restricted mages. And for an unrestricted offensive mage like me, it was my duty to execute such missions with utmost precision. That level of concentration had drained me. But—

“Daddy...”

In an instant, my fatigue vanished.

Coming home after a long, exhausting day, not only did I get to see my daughter’s angelic sleeping face, but I also got to hear her murmur daddy in her sleep. That alone made it all worth it.

I gazed at her, eyes soft with affection. I wanted to keep stroking her hair, but I restrained myself. More than anything, I didn’t want to wake her. So I held back.

“All right...”

After watching her sleep for about ten minutes, I quietly slid away, putting some distance between us. Crossing my legs on the bed, I pressed my fingertips together in a circular shape and closed my eyes.

Meditation.

If I was going to keep protecting and providing for Lucia, I needed to grow stronger as a mage. Power and money weren’t everything, but having them could mean the difference between helplessness and action when the time came. With that in mind, I began channeling my mana, training my magic—careful not to make a sound so I wouldn’t wake her.

☆

In my meditative trance, I found myself standing in an empty space. The ground beneath me was pure white, stretching endlessly in all directions, with only the horizon visible in the distance.

After I stood there for a while, a goblin appeared out of nowhere, about twenty meters away. It wore crude armor and helmet, armed with a club and shield.

“Easy Arrow.”

I cast a spell, taking down the goblin. The defeated goblin turned into light, which flowed into my body. Another goblin appeared soon after. I cast Easy Arrow again, but this time, the goblin blocked it with its shield. The shield deflected the attack, preventing a fatal blow. So, I cast another arrow, this time making sure to finish it off. The goblin dissolved into light and was absorbed into my body.

More goblins kept appearing, steadily approaching me. The more I defeated, the faster they spawned. I increased the speed of my Easy Arrow casts, taking them down before they could get close. With each defeat, light flowed into my body, and I could feel something accumulating within me. It was a sensation akin to eating, like my stomach slowly filling up.

Eventually, the goblins stopped appearing, and the accumulated light inside me burst. The light scattered, and whatever had been building up within me vanished.

“All right, warm-up over. On to level two,” I muttered, visualizing the next step.

After a brief wait, monsters began to appear again. This time, it wasn’t just goblins. Lizardmen, human-sized bipedal lizards, showed up as well. They wore armor, carried shields, and wielded long swords. Unlike the goblins, they didn’t wear helmets.

Now I had two types of enemies. The lizardmen were faster than the goblins, almost twice as quick. I prioritized taking them down with magic, but while I focused on them, the goblins would sneak closer than expected. When that happened, I quickly disposed of the goblins too.

Repeating this cycle, I eventually found myself overwhelmed. The monsters started appearing faster than I could kill them, coming at me not as individual threats but as a collective mass. The pressure was immense.

I pushed through, surviving the onslaught until their numbers dwindled and, finally, they were wiped out.

Once again, light burst from my body as the energy of the slain monsters dispersed.

“Next, level three.”

I waited, and soon, a third type of monster appeared alongside the goblins and lizardmen—Skeletons. The skeletons weren’t armed, but upon appearing, they tore off their own bones and hurled them as projectiles. Dodging the bones, I prepared my magic.

“Easy Arrow ex Marquinas—Volcano!”

From level three onward, Easy Arrow alone wasn’t enough. I unleashed a little something extra—origin magic. With each cast, the firing speed increased. As if in response, the monsters started spawning even faster.

I now faced three types of monsters, which were spawning three times faster than in level one. Yet, my accelerated Volcano spell outpaced them. Despite their increased speed, they never got close enough to be a threat. When I finally annihilated them all, I clenched my fist and punched the air as a small gesture of victory.

“That felt a bit easier than before.”

This was my meditation training—honing my magic and magical power. I felt a subtle sense of growth, and my excitement rose. To protect Lucia, I had to keep training, strengthening my magic even further.

“I wonder if I can break through level ten today.”

With that hopeful thought, a little ripple of excitement in my chest, I continued my training.

☆

“Phew...”

I opened my eyes, returning from the world of meditation to the real world—to my room. The level ten dragonkin mystic swordsman was as strong as ever, and I had just barely managed to force a draw.

“That makes... 236 wins, 461 losses, and 65 draws.” I counted my record, treating the deadlock as a draw. Lately, I had started winning more often, but I still hadn’t made up for the mountain of losses I’d accumulated early on.

That said, of the last hundred matches, I had won about ninety percent of them. Today, though, I was too drained from work to manage better than a draw.

“Fighting a legendary-class monster after a tiring day... A draw is probably the best I could hope for.” Even so, despite the draw, I could feel my magic power had grown a little stronger through my meditation training. The steady effort I had put in was bearing fruit, without a doubt. I felt satisfied with the progress I had made.

“All right— Ah...” I suddenly noticed something. Lucia was beside me. She had fallen asleep, resting her head on my thigh as I sat cross-legged. Upon closer inspection, I saw a small drool stain spreading on my leg.

“Heh...” Lucia must have woken up once while I was meditating, then snuggled up to me and fallen asleep again. The sight filled me with happiness. “I’ll do my best again tomorrow.” Watching my beloved daughter’s sleeping face, I quietly savored the warmth blossoming in my chest.

Chapter 9: The Terrible Twos

“No!”

Lucia’s voice rang out through the small room, packed with as much vitriol as she could muster.

“Skwoo...”

I turned toward the sound, wondering what had happened in the brief moment I had looked away to fold the laundry. Lucia was giving a sulky pout while Squish shrank back a little, looking dejected.

“Skwoo.”

After a moment, Squish lifted its head and started shuffling toward Lucia.

“No! Stay away!”

“Skwoo...”

“What’s wrong, Lucia? Did Squish do something?”

“Squish won’t listen to me! I hate it!”

“Skwoo...”

Squish looked up at me with sad eyes, as if pleading, But I didn’t do anything...

Honestly? I had to stifle a chuckle. Kids her age had a habit of declaring they hated things over the smallest disagreements. Nine times out of ten, it turned out to be no big deal.

This felt like one of those times.

Just a minute later—

“Let’s play, Squish!” Lucia demanded, still grumpy.

“Skwoo!”

Desperate to make up with its beloved Lucia, Squish let out a soft snuffle and pressed its little body against her. But Lucia, still pouting, waved her hand in annoyance.

Boom!

“Huh?”

A blast of magic shot from her hand, slamming into the wall and carving out a massive chunk.

☆

“Well, well, well. You really did a number on this one.” An hour later, Mason, the local carpenter, showed up. The moment he laid eyes on the gaping hole in the wall, he burst out laughing. “Guess even an S-class mage screws up their spells sometimes.”

“No, this wasn’t me. It was her.”

“Her?”

Mason tilted his head, puzzled, and followed my gaze down to where Lucia was clinging to my leg, looking like she was about to cry.

“Who’s the kid?”

“My daughter.”

“Huh? When did you get married?”

“I didn’t. She’s a divine child.”

“A divine child...? Oh, you mean from the church.”

“Yeah.”

“Huh. Well, ain’t that something. Hey there.”

Mason eyed Lucia with curiosity. His gaze must’ve been too much for her, because she shrank further behind me.

“Could you not scare my daughter, please?”

“Sorry, sorry. Can’t help the face.”

He let out a booming laugh. Sure, Mason looked intimidating at first glance, but he was a good guy—the kind of man who got a raw deal because of his appearance. Kids were scared of him, and dogs barked at him all the time.

“So, you want me to fix this?”

“Yeah. I’d like her to sleep in a room that isn’t open to the elements tonight.”

“Got it. Leave it to me.”

Without another word, Mason got to work patching up the hole.

Thanks to Lucia’s magic blast, the room had become a little too well ventilated. But with Mason on the job, the wall would be good as new by sundown.

I figured it’d be best not to get in the way while he worked, so I was just about to take Lucia somewhere when—

“Daddy...”

“Hmm? What is it?”

“I’m... I’m sorry.”

Lucia’s voice trembled, her face downcast and on the verge of tears. I crouched down to meet her at eye level.

“It’s okay, little one. I’m not angry.”

“But...I smashed the wall...”

“Well, if something breaks, then we just fix it. More importantly, are you hurt? Does anything hurt?”

“No, I’m okay.”

“Then that’s all that matters.”

I tried to comfort her, but she still looked ready to burst into tears. Her gaze kept flicking toward the gaping hole in the wall, eyes glistening.

I needed to distract her.

“Lucia, your magic is incredible.”

“Magic?”

“Yeah. The power you use to cast spells.”

“Incre-dible? Really?”

“Of course! You’re my daughter, after all.”

“Because I’m your daughter?”

“Exactly.”

I nodded and gently ruffled her hair. Honestly, I wasn’t saying this just to cheer her up. It was how I genuinely felt. Divine children inherited their parent’s magic power almost exactly. Eldary, the priest, had explained that to me at the church.

The fact that a careless flick of her hand could blast a hole through the wall? It didn’t scare me. If anything, it filled me with pride. Seeing the color of her magic made it even more real. She really was my daughter. That overwhelming sense of joy made a broken wall feel like nothing. Still...

“...”

It pained me to see her so down. Squish was nuzzling against her legs, trying to comfort her, but Lucia was so upset she’d forgotten she’d been mad at the poor thing in the first place. I wanted to lift that weight off her little heart.

“Hey... Lucia. How about we practice magic together?”

“Practice...magic?”

“Yup. If we practice, you’ll be able to control it better, and something like this won’t happen again. What do you say?”

“Okay!”

☆

After a bit of preparation, I set a piece of paper and a pencil on the living room table and had Lucia sit in front of them. Squish rested its face on the table, body dangling off the edge, watching over her.

“What’s this, daddy?”

“Draw whatever you like.”

“Draw...?”

“Why are you making her draw?” Mason called out from across the room, still working on the wall.

“Using magic is basically taking the image in your mind and giving it form.”

“Huh? Ah, I get it.”

Mason paused for a moment, trying to process what I’d said, then nodded in understanding. Magic was about turning imagination into reality—once he saw it that way, it clicked.

“Anything that helps visualize something is good magic practice. For a kid, drawing is perfect.”

“Huh. Makes sense.” Mason grunted, hammering another board into place. “Think I could get good at magic too?”

“If you’ve got the skills of a master carpenter, you’d pick up the techniques fast. The only thing holding you back is your magic capacity.”

“Too bad mine’s zero!” Mason bellowed with laughter, the kind that only comes from a man content with life. The kind who turns what he lacks into a joke instead of a regret.

“All right, Lucia. Draw whatever you want.”

“Okay!”

She gripped the pencil and started scribbling. After a little while, she finished a delightfully chaotic drawing, the kind only a child could make. Three distinct shapes stood out, though it was hard to tell what they were at first glance.

“What’s this?”

“It’s you, daddy!”

Apparently, one of the shapes was me.

“Oh, so this one’s you, little one?”

Once I figured out one shape, the other two were easy to guess. Even a child’s drawing tells a story.

“Yup! This is Lucia.”

“Then...this one must be Squish.”

“Uh-huh!”

Just as I thought: a simple drawing of me, Lucia, and Squish, our little family. My chest warmed at the sight. It was crude and childlike, but that only made it more precious.

“Pfft.”

“What?”

“Welcome to the proud parents’ club.” Mason chuckled.

“Yeah, yeah. Thanks for having me.”

Come to think of it, I didn’t know much about Mason’s family. But judging by his reaction, he must’ve been through this himself. Somehow, that made me even happier.

“Skwoo!”

Hearing that Lucia had drawn a picture of it, Squish clambered onto the table, inching closer to the drawing. It stared at the crude sketch with wide eyes.

“Skwoo!”

The moment Squish realized it had been immortalized in art, it pounced, thrilled beyond measure. That posed a slight issue. Paper versus dragon, even a baby one, was no contest. The force of Squish’s enthusiasm shredded the drawing to pieces.

“Ahhh!”

Lucia’s face twisted with outrage as she watched her precious creation get torn apart before her eyes. She turned on Squish, scowling.

Squish, on the other hand, instantly realized it had messed up. Shoulders slumped, it practically wilted under Lucia’s glare.

“I hate you, Squish!”

“Skwoo...”

Squish’s face crumpled as if its world had ended. Desperate to make amends, it nuzzled up to Lucia, trying to win her forgiveness. But there was no calming her now.

“Go away!”

“Skwoo...”

“I said go away!”

She shoved Squish aside, her frustration boiling over. At that moment, a ball of raw magic swirled into existence at her fingertips.

And Mason was right in its path.

“Bit Shield!”

I flung up a remote barrier between them just in time—but then Lucia froze. The magic in her palm sputtered out, snuffed like a candle.

“Whoa.”

Lucia stared at her hand, wide-eyed. Then she beamed at me.

“Daddy! I did it!”

“Yeah, you did.”

“I did it!”

Lucia bounced in excitement, arms and legs flailing in a little victory dance. Squish grabbed her hands, the previous altercation all but forgotten, and the two spun around in giddy celebration.

I couldn’t help but smile. She was adorable.

“So she’s already learned how to control it?” Mason scratched his head, watching the scene unfold.

“She’s only managed to stop a misfire for now.”

“Still...that’s impressive. Guess an S-class mage’s kid really would be S-class too.”

Hearing my daughter praised like that filled me with a pride I’d never known before—more than any compliment I’d ever received myself.

Chapter 10: Cleaning Up After the Rookies

“Sigh...”

After reading the letter I’d gotten from Dylan’s familiar, I let out a long, weary breath. Hearing my sigh, Lucia and Squish, who’d been sunbathing with me by the window, padded over.

“What’s wrong, daddy?”

Lucia, who now looked about two years old in human terms, had grown quite a bit. Her once-babyish speech had become much clearer. She peered up at me curiously.

“I’ve been called in for work.”

“Work? Right now?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh...”

Honestly, I wasn’t in the mood today.

The warm sunlight streaming through the window, the sight of my beloved daughter and our pet basking in its glow—the thought of work couldn’t have been further from my mind. I wasn’t technically part of their little sunbathing circle, but I’d been relaxing right along with them. And now, out of nowhere, I was being summoned.

It was going to be difficult to get myself into work mode, but as an S-class mage, I knew what this meant. Experience told me that nine times out of ten, if they were calling for an S-class, it was because only someone of that caliber could handle the job.

If I didn’t go, things at the scene would probably spiral out of control. In other words, I had no choice. As I quietly debated what to do, Lucia suddenly perked up.

“Okay! I’ll be a good girl and hold down the fort!” she declared with a determined look. “Go do your best, daddy!”

“Yeah... I will.”

I still felt torn about leaving, but when your precious daughter looks up at you with her big sparkling eyes, promising to behave and cheering you on with the cutest Do your best, daddy!—well, there’s no way any father could say no.

☆

I arrived at a place on the outskirts of town called Rudispor Gorge. Other mages had gathered there before me and were scattered across the area in small groups. Some were doing stretches to loosen up, while others sat cross-legged on the ground, quietly meditating.

As I made my way through the crowd, I couldn’t help but draw attention. Even though I’d been summoned, my late arrival made me stand out like some kind of VIP showing up fashionably late.

“Hey...isn’t that...”

“Yeah, no doubt about it.”

“He reached S-class at such a young age—I hear he kills anything that stands in his way.”

“Marquinas the Coldhearted...”

The murmurs spread around me, but I ignored them and headed toward a tarp tent that was pitched a bit away from the others. It only had a roof, providing shade over a simple table set up inside. Seated at the table was Dylan.

“Ah, you made it!” he said, brightening as I approached.

“With the message you sent, how could I not? A Great Reset... Seriously?”

“Yeah. There’s a thirty percent chance of one happening. I was standing by, but... Well, I threw my back out just a moment ago.”

“I see.”

I nodded and took a seat across from him.

“So I can just wait until then?”

“Exactly. Save your strength in case it happens.”

“Got it.”

If that was the case, I might as well settle in. After all, if I was getting involved, it wouldn’t be until much later.

“U-Um...”

“Hm?”

A nervous voice called out from beside me. Turning, I found a young man standing there, wearing a pointed hat and a loose-fitting robe—a pretty standard look for a mage.

“You’re Light Marquinas, right?”

“Yeah.”

“M-My name’s Glen! I want to become an unrestricted mage like you and help people someday!”

“Is that so? Well...best of luck with that.”

“Thank you!”

“Me too!”

“I wanna be just like you!”

“M-Me as well!”

As soon as Glen broke the ice, other young mages began crowding around. In no time, a small mob had formed right in front of me.

“Hey, hey! That’s enough, you lot!” Dylan, still seated and clutching his back, called out to scold them. “You should be focusing and getting your minds ready for combat. If you slack off and get yourselves hurt, don’t expect any medical compensation!”

Reluctantly, the young mages backed away, disappointment written all over their faces. Watching them disperse, Dylan let out a long sigh.

“Kids these days... Do they have no idea how important mental focus is before a fight? What do they think will happen if they get hurt out there?”

I shot Dylan a flat look. Sure, I appreciated him getting them off my back with a single shout, but...

“What’s with that face?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Nothing,” I replied, shaking my head.

I wanted to say, That’s rich, seeing as you threw your back out right before a mission, but I held my tongue.

Instead, I stayed in the tent with him, silently waiting. Before long, something shot into the sky in the distance. It soared upward, then burst at its peak, creating a glowing orb that slowly drifted down—much slower than a firework. The sphere shone with a brilliance about one-tenth the size and brightness of the sun.

It was a magical signal flare.

“Here they come! Prepare for battle!” Dylan barked.

The mood shifted instantly. The young mages snapped to attention, eyes locked on the signal as tension filled the air. From across the gorge, a shadowy mass began to emerge.

“What are we dealing with?” I asked Dylan.

“A horde of orcs.”

“Orcs, huh... That’s no joke.”

“Twenty kilometers south of here is the nation’s supply depot.”

“Ah. That’s not good.”

Hearing about the supply depot Dylan mentioned immediately raised my assessment of the situation’s danger level by two notches. Orcs were dangerous enough on their own—decent combat strength, sure—but the real problem was their appetite.

Orcs ate almost the exact same food as humans, but their hunger was bottomless. It was said that if a hundred orcs were left in a room with unlimited food, ninety-nine of them would eat until their stomachs ruptured. If food was in front of them, they’d devour it until nothing remained.

And a supply depot... Well, that was exactly what the name implied: a fortress packed to the rafters with food, stationed at a midpoint between the front lines and the rear guard. The one near here housed around a hundred soldiers, and its reserves could feed three thousand people for six months. If that horde breached the depot, they’d tear through those supplies in no time, leaving the country’s forces crippled.

This mission wasn’t just an extermination—it was a desperate bid to prevent catastrophic loss.

The younger mages wasted no time launching into action. Most were ranged casters, unleashing a coordinated barrage of spells from afar. Some orcs fell under the onslaught, but those behind them simply trampled over their fallen kin, undeterred. Like many monsters, orcs didn’t flinch at the deaths of their comrades. If anything, they surged forward with even greater ferocity.

When the horde closed the distance, mid- and close-range specialists stepped in. They picked off any orcs that slipped past the initial barrage, creating a layered defense.

At a glance, the battle seemed to be going smoothly.

“Is anyone up for a promotion this time?” I asked.

“No, not a single one. No one even applied,” Dylan replied.

“Really?” I raised an eyebrow. That young guy who’d introduced himself earlier seemed pretty eager to climb the ranks.

“Kids these days get content too easily,” Dylan grumbled. “They say working too hard just means paying more taxes.”

“Huh. Is that so?”

“As someone running the Magic Society, I’d like to see a few more of them with some real ambition.”

Dylan launched into a full-blown rant, spiraling swiftly into a long list of grievances. I half listened, nodding along occasionally while keeping my eyes on the battle.

The younger mages were starting to get worn down. No matter how skilled you were, fatigue set in eventually. And for mages, that drop-off was even steeper.

A warrior could keep swinging their sword as long as they had the strength to lift it. Even if they were completely drained, they’d rarely hit a point where they physically couldn’t fight anymore. But magic was different. Once your mana hit zero, you were done. No spells. No tricks. Just deadweight.

As the battle dragged on, more and more mages burned through their reserves and dropped out of the fight. The pace of the orc slaughter slowed. Soon, some of the younger ones found themselves dangerously close to being overwhelmed.

Still, Dylan’s recruits held their ground. They worked together, covering one another’s flanks and picking off orcs whenever they could. By the time the last orc fell, the battlefield was eerily quiet.

We’d won—barely.

Out of the few hundred mages, two-thirds had completely run out of mana. It was a razor-thin victory, but a victory nonetheless.

The younger mages sagged with relief. Some even started cheering. For a brief moment, everyone basked in the glow of survival.

Then, the world shifted. White became black. Black became white. For an instant, everything inverted, like someone had flipped reality inside out.

“Damn,” Dylan muttered. “Thirty percent odds, huh?”

He scowled, his jaw tight. The next moment, the battlefield erupted with movement.

The fallen orcs—all of them—began to stir. One by one, they pushed themselves up, broken bodies knitting back together before our eyes.

The Great Reset.

It was a freak phenomenon that sometimes occurred during monster outbreaks. Every creature that had been slain rose again, as if nothing had ever happened. It reset all the hard-fought progress in an instant—hence the name.

The young mages, already drained and barely standing, stared in horror.

“Get ready,” Dylan said, his voice low.

“Got it.”

I stood up, cracking my neck.

“Fall back!” I shouted. “I’ll handle this!”

The mages froze, stunned.

“Move your asses!” Dylan roared, spurring them into action. They scrambled back, retreating behind me as the resurrected orcs lumbered forward.

I sighed, squaring my shoulders.

“Well...this is gonna be rough.”

Locking eyes with the horde, I widened my stance. My mana surged, sharp and hot, filling my veins.

☆

“I’m home...”

Calling out with a weary voice, I stepped into my house. Inside, it was completely dark.

Having wiped out hundreds of resurrected orcs, I had drained all of my magic power. It was the toughest job I’d had all year. Right now, all I wanted was to dive into bed. Dragging my heavy feet, I made my way to the bedroom.

“Oh.”

There, on my bed, I found an angel.

Bathed in the soft glow of the moonlight streaming through the window, Lucia lay curled up with Squish, breathing softly in her sleep. Her sleeping face was nothing short of cherubic. Just looking at her was enough to soothe my exhaustion—no, it was more than that.

“Is this...me?”

Noticing something in Lucia’s hand, I looked closer. She was holding a piece of paper. Taking it gently, I found a drawing of a man’s face covering the page. It was probably meant to be me—a portrait she had drawn. At the bottom of the picture, written in small, clumsy, childlike handwriting, were the words “Good job today, daddy!”

“Heh...”

My beloved daughter’s sleeping face and her drawing—

Those alone were enough to make my exhaustion vanish without a trace.

Chapter 11: My Adorable, Fashion-Focused Daughter

I was sitting in the living room on a lazy afternoon, reading a book, when I suddenly heard a sharp sound coming from the bedroom. Turning to look, I saw Lucia clapping her hands together while playing with Squish.

“What’s up, Lucia?”

“Bug.”

“A bug?”

“Yeah... Ah!”

It looked like she was trying to swat a bug that had appeared in the room. Had a new one shown up? Or maybe she hadn’t managed to get the previous one yet? Leaning forward, Lucia clapped her hands again with another sharp slap. Right after that, a loud ripping sound reverberated around the room.

“Huh?”

“Oh...” Lucia suddenly froze, her hands lowering weakly.

Curious, I watched as her face fell. She looked down at her arm, clearly disheartened. “What’s wrong?”

“My clothes...”

“Your clothes?”

I got up and walked over to her. There it was—a tear at the base of her sleeve.

“Oh.”

She must’ve moved around too much and ripped it. Well, that was only to be expected. Kids grow, and unlike careful adults, they throw themselves into everything with all their energy, hence their clothes tend to rip more easily. But that was just proof she was healthy and growing strong. The thought made me smile a little—until...

“I’m sorry...”

Lucia’s voice was small, full of guilt over tearing her clothes. Squish, as if trying to comfort her, nuzzled against her with a solemn expression.

“It’s okay. Hey, I’ve got an idea!”

The two of them were so adorable I could’ve watched them forever, but I hated seeing Lucia so down.

“Huh...?”

“Let’s go buy you a new outfit.”

“A new one?”

“Yeah!”

☆

I took Lucia by the hand and headed into town. Squish trotted along beside her, keeping pace with her steps.

We stopped by a few clothing stores, checking out different outfits until Lucia found something she liked. At first, she was still feeling guilty about tearing her clothes and wasn’t her usual energetic self. But as she looked at all the colorful outfits on display, her smile slowly returned. Seeing her cheer up was a relief. After all, there was no reason for a child to feel guilty over something like that in the first place.

☆

With Lucia dressed in her new outfit, we headed to the park together with Squish. Since we were already out of the house, we’d decided to take a stroll and stop by the park on our way.

“Daddy, something smells really good!”

“Hm? Oh, that’d be the food stall over there.”

“A food stall...? It smells sweet.”

“Maybe it’s bread? Or cake?”

Lucia stared longingly at the stall, her eyes full of longing.

“Lucia,” I said. “Daddy really wants some bread.”

“You do?”

“Yeah. Think you could go buy some?”

“Okay!”

Her face lit up with excitement as I handed her some coins. She took them eagerly, then, with Squish in tow, dashed off toward the stall. The young man running the stall smiled warmly as he welcomed his tiny customer, crouching slightly to speak to her. I stood where I was, watching the scene unfold with an expression even softer than his.

“Huh? Wait a second... Is that you, Light?”

“Hm?”

Hearing my name, I turned toward the voice.

At the park entrance, a man around my age was looking at me in surprise before walking over. It was Neil Orlando, a longtime acquaintance and fellow professional in the same line of work.

“It really is you, Light.” Neil glanced around before continuing. “It’s rare to see you in a place like this. What are you up to?”

“Just taking a walk with my daughter.”

I gestured toward Lucia, who was standing by the food stall. Neil’s eyes widened.

“You have a daughter?! Since when?!”

“Uhm. Since a little while ago.”

“Well, shoot. Isn’t she a sweet little thing?”

“Aha, yeah...”

I couldn’t help but feel a surge of pride. I might have even been grinning a little. I’d never realized how much it would mean to me to have my child praised—never even imagined it. And now that she was being praised, I just wanted to brag about her even more.

“She’s not just cute, you know. She can already use magic.”

“Oh, really?”

It had been a long time since I’d seen Neil. Being the same age, we’d always been able to talk about anything. That ease between us hadn’t changed, and before I knew it, I was boasting about Lucia. Neil listened patiently, nodding along—until I finally ran out of things to brag about. Then, with a smirk, he said:

“You’ve really turned into a complete doting dad, huh?”

Now that I looked closer, Neil’s expression was somewhere between amused and exasperated.

“Hey I’m not just some doting parent! I’m just stating the truth.”

“Uh-huh, sure. Well, at least you look happy. That’s what matters.”

He sounded like he was humoring me. So I doubled down. Lucia really was adorable. She was amazing. She was my pride and joy. And I didn’t like the way Neil just brushed it off as me being a doting father. That made it sound like I was exaggerating, like I was overhyping something that wasn’t actually a big deal.

But Lucia was adorable. And she was amazing. I’d say it as many times as I needed to make Neil understand. As I was making my case, Lucia came back, holding a small paper bag, with Squish trotting beside her.

“I’m back, daddy! Who’s this?”

“He’s an old friend of mine.”

“Oh, I see. Nice to meet you, mister! I’m Lucia.”

She gave Neil a polite bow. Lucia had completely outgrown her shyness around strangers. That, in itself, was adorable. And the fact that she could introduce herself properly without being prompted? That was so impressive too. I wanted to give her a good head pat and tell her what a great kid she was.

“What a pushover...”

Neil muttered, shooting me a deadpan look before turning back to Lucia with a proper smile.

“Nice to meet you, Lucia. That’s your name, right?”

“Yep!”

“And this little one? A friend of yours?”

“Uh-huh! Squish.”

“Skwoo!”

“I see. Well, nice to meet you too, Squish.”

Neil had been giving me a hard time, but he treated Lucia with genuine warmth. We stood around chatting for a while, until something small zipped past my face—a tiny, tiny little shadow.

Without thinking, I waved my hand in front of me. Just a reflex. It was barely even the size of a grain of rice—just a little gnat. The bug fluttered in front of Lucia. She instinctively raised her hand, about to clap it between her palms, but then she froze.

“Hm? What’s wrong?”

Neil looked at her, puzzled.

“I don’t wanna rip my clothes again.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

Neil turned to me for clarification, so I explained what had happened at home—how Lucia had tried to smack a bug and ended up tearing her sleeve instead. Neil nodded in understanding.

“Well, we’re outside now. You don’t have to hit it—just shoo it away or something.”

But Lucia had other ideas.

“Ew! I hate bugs! Shoo, shoo!”

She grimaced, waving a hand at the insect. She lifted her palm, aimed it at the tiny bug flitting a short distance away, and thrust her hand forward.

A magic circle flared into existence.

Fwoosh!

The bug went up in flames.

Until now, Lucia had only been able to release raw bursts of mana—but now, she’d formed an actual magic circle and cast a spell, simple as it was. Instead of risking another wardrobe malfunction, she’d come up with a new solution: magic.

“Huh?”

Neil blinked in disbelief, looking back and forth between me and Lucia. I met his gaze with a smug grin.

“Told you she could use magic.”

“You weren’t kidding... That’s insane for her age.”

“Hmph.”

Not only had I gotten to brag about my amazing daughter, but now I had proven that I wasn’t just some overly proud dad making things up. In that moment, I felt a deep sense of satisfaction—the most I’d had in many years.

Chapter 12: My Adorable Daughter Is a Genius

It was a lazy afternoon in the town center. Lucia and I were sitting at a café terrace, enjoying the warm breeze.

“Is the cake good?” I asked.

“Yeah!” Lucia beamed. “Do you want some, daddy?”

“Are you sure?”

“Uh-huh! Say ‘Ahh...’”

“Ahh...”

She held up a forkful of cake, grinning from ear to ear.

Strolling through town, stopping by a café, my beloved daughter, Lucia, feeding me a bite of cake... At forty years old, I found myself thinking, This is the peak of my life. This is it. But then...

“A wild monster has appeared!”

“Get the women and children to safety!”

“Is there a mage anywhere?!”

“I’ll handle it!”

A monster had shown up in the middle of town, and people were calling for a mage to take it down. I had been so lost in my happy haze that I was a second too late to respond. Before I could step forward, another mage had already volunteered.

She was a woman in her mid-twenties, wearing the loose robe favored by most magic users. In her hand was a staff as tall as she was. Judging by its craftsmanship, she was probably a high-ranking C-class or maybe a B-class mage.

I turned my gaze toward the source of the commotion. There it was—a snail wolf, a wolflike creature with two tentacles sprouting from its back. Just one. For a mage of her caliber, this wouldn’t pose any problem. The woman raised her staff, pointed it at the Snail Wolf, and began forming a magic circle.

“Lightning Fire!”

A streak of magic like lightning shot from the staff, piercing straight through the monster. The area that had been hit was charred instantly, and the Snail Wolf collapsed, dead. Just as I had predicted, there was no need for me to step in.

“Hey, daddy!”

Amid the lingering murmurs of the crowd, Lucia remained unfazed, tugging at my sleeve.

“What is it?”

“That lady just now... She used magic, right?”

“Yeah, she did.”

“With that stick?”

“That’s a magic staff. It helps mages use their magic more effectively.”

“A magic staff... Do you have one, daddy?”

“Not anymore, no.”

I used to, a long time ago.

But no S-class mage carried a staff. In fact, it was said that anyone who relied on a staff would never reach S-class in the first place. It wasn’t an official rule, but S-class mages were expected to wield magic using only their own bodies. That was why I hadn’t touched a staff in years.

“Daddy!”

“Hmm? What is it now?”

“I want a magic staff too!”

“Is that so?”

If my precious daughter wanted one, there was no reason to refuse. I stroked my chin, trying to recall where the nearest magic tool shop was.

☆

The doorbell chimed as we stepped inside the shop.

“Welcome! Wha—?!”

A young female clerk, who had been standing at the counter, gasped the moment she saw me. I tilted my head in confusion. I had just walked in, holding my daughter’s hand like any other parent. What was so surprising about that?

Just in case, I turned around. Maybe she wasn’t looking at me but at something behind me—outside the shop? But no, there was nothing unusual. Even so, the clerk’s eyes remained wide in shock.

“Is...something wrong?” I asked.

“Ah! N-No! It’s just... You’re Light Marquinas, aren’t you?”

“Huh? You know me?”

I frowned slightly, puzzled.

“Of course! I never thought an S-class mage would walk into our store...”

“Ah.”

Now I understood. Since this was a magic tool shop, the staff must be familiar with high-ranking mages—including me.

“I’m here to buy a staff for my daughter,” I said, motioning toward Lucia, who was still holding my hand.

The clerk let out a small gasp.

“I-I’m so sorry! I didn’t realize!”

“It’s fine. Anyway, do you have magic staves for children?”

“Yes! Right this way!”

She guided us to a corner of the store, where smaller staves were neatly displayed. As expected of children’s staves, they all had cute designs.

“This is a magic staff?” Lucia asked.

“Yeah. You can pick whichever one you like.”

“But it’s different from the one that lady had.”

“Hm? Oh... Well, that was a staff for grown-ups.”

“I want one like that too.”

“Oh, really?”

I turned to the clerk.

“Actually, can we take a look at the adult staves instead?”

“Y-Yes! Of course!”

She hesitated for a moment before glancing up at me nervously.

“Um... Would it be all right if I asked for an autograph later...?”

“An autograph? Oh... Sure, I guess.”

The moment I agreed, her face lit up with joy. She quickly led us over to another display—the adult staves. Lucia looked up, eyes sparkling as she took in the selection before her.

“See anything you like?”

“Hmm... Oh! This one! This one!”

Lucia pointed excitedly at a staff among the selection. The tip was shaped like a heart.

I picked it up and examined it, channeling a bit of magic through it.

“1.7... No, 1.8?”

“That’s correct,” the clerk confirmed.

“I see. It’s a good choice, but...it’s still too long.”

The staff was taller than Lucia herself. There was no way she could use it.

“Daddy.”

“Yeah, yeah... Here.”

Lucia poked at me impatiently, so I handed her the staff, or at least tried to. Given its size, she couldn’t hold it properly, so I kept my hands on it to support her.

“Can I use magic with this?”

“Yeah, it should be easier now. Could we give it a try?”

“Y-Yes! Please go ahead!”

The store clerk gave her permission, and I nodded to Lucia.

“Go ahead.”

Still holding on to the heart-tipped staff, she closed her eyes and focused. In the next moment, an immense surge of magic began flowing through her—

“Ack!”

I yanked the staff from her hands in an instant. Just in time.

The moment I pulled it away, the staff began to melt. It lost its shape entirely, dissolving into a gooey mass that dripped onto the floor.

“Wh-What in the world?!”

The clerk gasped, while I let out a sigh of realization.

“Yeah... Makes sense, I suppose. She has the same level of magic as me.”

The store clerk was stunned. Lucia, meanwhile, looked worried.

“Daddy...? Did I do something bad?”

“You’re fine. You didn’t do anything wrong. Just wait here for a sec, okay?”

“Okay...”

I turned back to the still-dumbfounded clerk.

“Do you have anything made of super magical conductors?”

“Super magical conductors...?”

“Yeah. She has the same magic level as me. A staff with a resistance of only 1.8 isn’t going to cut it.”

“What?! Oh... Oh, I see...”

Her eyes widened in shock before shifting into understanding.

A magic staff—or rather, any magical tool that assists in spellcasting—had a crucial factor: how much magical power it could conduct. This was measured by a value called resistance rate. The lower the number, the better.

A common analogy was that the material of the staff was like a road, and the magic flowing through it was a horse-drawn cart loaded with goods. The resistance rate determined how bumpy that road was.

If the resistance was high—a road full of potholes—weak magic could still pass through without much issue. But if powerful magic—like a heavily loaded cart—tried to traverse that rough terrain, both the cart and the road itself would break apart. That was why the stronger the magic, the lower the resistance of the material needed to be. The best possible material, with zero resistance, was a super magical conductor.

And my daughter, Lucia, a divine child, had the same level of magic as me. She needed a staff made out of a super magical conductor. The store clerk, now understanding the situation, gave me an apologetic look.

“I’m so sorry... We’re out of stock right now.”

“Really?”

“Yes. A while back, when ogres were attacking travelers on the main road, we ran out. We placed an order for more, but the delivery’s been delayed...”

“Ah, I see.”

Super magical conductors were only necessary for high-ranking mages. It made sense that restocking them wouldn’t be a priority.

“No magic staff, daddy?”

Lucia’s face fell.

“Sorry, little one. They don’t have any here.”

“Nooo! I want a magic staff! I want to do magic like daddy!”

“Ugh...”

I was in big trouble. Lucia was being stubborn. But this wasn’t just any random child’s tantrum; this was my daughter’s wish. And when it came to my daughter’s wishes, I had to grant them—no matter what. I thought for a moment—then it hit me.

“Wait. I just remembered something.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Just wait here a second, Lucia.”

“Okay!”

I closed my eyes, focused, and began “cleansing” my body.

S-class mages didn’t use magic staves. This was for the same reason Lucia just melted one—anything cheap would be destroyed. Even mid-tier staves were inefficient unless they were made of super magical conductors. It was the same logic as trying to drive fast on a bumpy road.

Instead, we S-class mages used our own bodies. We would purify a part of ourselves, reducing our resistance rate to zero. After finishing the process, I held out my hand to Lucia.

“Hold my hand.”

“Okay!”

“Now, imagine that my hand is your magic staff.”

“Daddy’s hand is a magic staff?”

“That’s right. Try using magic through it.”

“Hmm... Okay, I’ll try!”

Lucia thought for a moment but accepted my words with a nod. Then she cast a spell. Holding my hand, using my body as her “magic staff,” she let her power flow. Her magic passed right through me.

Lucia’s spell—one I had personally taught her, Easy Arrow, was unleashed. Since we were indoors, I had already prepared a Bit Shield to block it.

“Wow! That was amazing! Daddy, can I do more?”

“Of course!”

Lucia beamed, delighted that she could use magic through her “staff.” Meanwhile, the store clerk stared at us, completely dumbfounded.

“I... I can’t believe it... Is this what S-class mages are capable of?”

Chapter 13: I Love My Daddy

One afternoon, I was riding in a carriage with Dylan. The vehicle rolled smoothly down the well-maintained road, a gentle breeze flowing in through the open window. But I wasn’t in the mood to enjoy it.

“Of all times... Why do I have to take on an out-of-town job now?”

I let out a groan, feeling like I had hit rock bottom—no, like I had fallen into a pit below rock bottom, then kept digging until I reached the core of the earth.

“Well, that’s because...about three months ago, you requested it,” Dylan said matter-of-factly.

“Tch.”

I shot him a glare, but he remained as nonchalant as ever.

“If I recall correctly, you said something like this: I have something I want. I’m just shy of my goal. So if there’s any work that pays well, pile it on—bring it all in. Sound familiar?”

“Yeah, I did say that. But—”

I opened my mouth to argue, but the words died in my throat, and my shoulders slumped.

“That was for the church donation. I just needed a little more to hit my target...”

“Yes, I remember.”

“And I already hit it. Lucia’s here now, isn’t she?”

“Indeed. And, as I recall, you actually reached your goal early—ahead of schedule.”

“Exactly.”

“But the job we’re heading to now? You agreed to it before you realized that.”

“Ugh...”

I let out a deep, weary sigh. Dylan wasn’t wrong. As a mage, some of the jobs I took had a time delay between accepting them and actually carrying them out. And a few months ago, with what I’d thought was just a little more to go before reaching my divine child donation target, I had told Dylan to bring in as much work as possible. Now, that decision was coming back to bite me.

If it were just a job, I could live with it. The problem was where the job was—far from town, far from home. And because of the nature of the work, I couldn’t bring Lucia with me. I had to leave her behind. Leaving my precious little daughter at home to go work felt like my heart was being torn in two.

“We are getting back today, right?”

“That depends on how quickly you finish the job.”

“Damn it...”

I sighed again, then lifted my head. Fine. If that’s how it is, I’ll just have to finish this job as fast as possible and get back home immediately, I thought. With renewed determination, I steeled myself for the task ahead.

☆

The city called Kusaal lay some hours away by carriage. When we arrived at the city center, five officials—men and women—came out to greet Dylan and me. They immediately led us to a communal cemetery on the outskirts of town. The cemetery was the resting place of many who had passed, and it was also my “workplace” for today.

Standing at the cemetery’s entrance, I surveyed the area beyond the city. An hour passed, as I filled with growing impatience. Finally, they appeared.

They looked human but were actually monsters, clad in clothes so tattered they were barely more than scraps of fabric. Their skin was an unnatural shade of purplish-blue, a color impossible for any human. They were ghouls—undead monsters.

Although they sometimes attacked the living, that was rare. Their main activity was consuming corpses, preferably those that had already begun to rot or had turned to bone. Even when they did kill humans, they would leave the bodies to decay before eating them, following a peculiar pattern of behavior.

More and more appeared. Before I knew it, there were nearly a hundred of them in sight.

“Please, Marquinas! You must exterminate them!”

“Please!”

“Please!”

“Please!”

“Please!” came the chorus of cries.

“I understand.”

Nodding in response to the officials’ desperate pleas, I turned to face the ghouls once more.

It was only natural that they would be drawn here; this was a graveyard, after all. And it was just as natural that the officials were so desperate—this was where their loved ones rested.

To the ghouls, these graves were merely a food source. But to the people of this city, they were sacred grounds that must not be defiled. That was why an offensive mage like me had been called in.

Easy Arrow ex Marquinas.

“Volcano!”

The ghouls were numerous, but they were still some distance away and moved slowly. I used my unique slow-starting extra magic, which “warmed up” between shots while keeping the ghouls at bay.

“Is...is this going to be okay?”

“The spell seems kind of sluggish...weak, even...”

I could hear the officials whispering nervously behind me. Dylan, who had accompanied me, stepped in to reassure them.

“Just watch and see.”

“But—”

“He’s the only S-class mage in our entire association.”

“S-class?!”

“At that age?”

“Yes. An unrestricted S-class offensive mage. When it comes to battle, I know no one more reliable than him.”

“O-Oh...”

I appreciated Dylan backing me up. Thanks to him, I didn’t have to deal with the officials and could focus on wiping out the ghouls. Since ghouls were slow-moving, dealing with them wasn’t particularly dangerous—unless something truly unexpected happened, there would be more than enough time to react.

The problem was that they appeared in waves and in large numbers. Normally, a group of mages would handle a situation like this. I glanced at Dylan, and he gave me a wink—as if to say, Don’t worry, I made sure you could take all the rewards for yourself.

He was probably right. If this had been a few months ago—back when my donations to the church were in their final stages—this would have been a lucrative and welcome job. But now? It was just plain annoying.

With a sigh, I continued exterminating the ghouls with Volcano.

☆

About three hours had passed since the battle began. Alone, I had taken down more than a hundred ghouls. And I was utterly exhausted.

“I should’ve learned some recovery magic...”

I muttered to myself, swallowing the unspoken Not that I could. Since I could only use offensive magic, I had no spells to relieve fatigue, even temporarily. All I could do was endure as exhaustion weighed down on my entire body.

“Th-Thank you for your hard work, Marquinas.”

“Thanks to you, our graveyard remains untouched by the ghouls.”

“We’ve arranged proper hospitality—drinks, fine dining, and even female companionship, if you’d like.”

Along with their gratitude came an invitation to a night of entertainment. It was a common offer. Not just for mages—for any powerful individual, really. Some wouldn’t take a job unless hospitality like this was guaranteed.

If this had been a while back, I probably would have downed the drinks, skipped the women, and passed out in whatever accommodations they had prepared for me. That would’ve been my idea of a perfect night. But now...

“Sorry, but I’m heading straight home today.”

“Huh? B-But...”

“That’s fine, right?”

“Of course. Leave the rest to me.”

Dylan backed me up, allowing me to slip away toward the carriage. Behind me, I could hear the murmuring officials and Dylan trying to smooth things over—but I didn’t care. I just wanted to get home as soon as possible—back to where Lucia was waiting.

☆

By the time I returned to town, the night sky was already shimmering under the moonlight. I jumped off the carriage at the city entrance, thanked the driver, and immediately started walking straight home.

It had taken several more hours to get back, and the ride had only worsened my fatigue. My legs felt like stiff rods, and my body was as heavy as lead.

“I’m home...”

I called out as I entered. The living room—empty. The bedroom—there she was.

“Daddy...”

She hadn’t noticed me—she was simply talking in her sleep.

“I love my daddy...”

In that instant, my exhaustion vanished. Lucia’s sleeping face, her gentle smile... They were more soothing than any recovery magic ever could be.

Chapter 14: The Pushy Apprentice

The following afternoon, I was watching Lucia practice her magic. She was holding a short staff in her hand. While it was sized for a child, the material of the staff was top-tier; it was crafted from a high-grade magic conductor that even S-class mages could use.

With that staff, she spread out a magic circle and began chanting. Squish was curled up at her feet, snoozing peacefully.

“Hmm... Light!”

She gathered her mana, channeled it through her outstretched staff—and cast the spell. Light—it was a simple spell that merely illuminated the surroundings. It was the most basic of the basics, a spell that ninety-nine percent of mages could use.

“I did it!”

The tip of her staff glowed like a torch. Lucia turned to me with a huge, beaming smile—clearly thrilled she’d done it on her own.

“Yes! That’s amazing, Lucia!”

“Hee hee hee...”

When I narrowed my eyes and gave her head a pat, she grinned even wider than I did, absolutely glowing with joy.

To be honest, I was shocked. Lucia looked like she was around four years old, but in actual years, she wasn’t even one yet. Even though it was only the most basic of spells, the fact that she’d managed any real magic at all was unbelievable.

“You’re a genius, Lucia.”

“A genius?”

“Yes you are, little one.”

“I see... Hey, daddy, teach me more magic!”

“Of course I will!”

I could feel the corners of my eyes moistening all over again. Magic was what I was best at. And now my beloved daughter was asking me to teach her. It felt like everything I’d done with my life up until now was finally coming to fruition. I couldn’t have been happier.

Just as I was thinking what to teach her next—

“Excuse me! Is anybody home?”

“Huh?”

A knock came at the door, followed by a young woman’s voice.

“Who could that be? Coming!”

I headed toward the door. Lucia toddled along right beside me. When I opened it, there was a girl standing on the other side of the entrance. She looked to be around fifteen or sixteen, a pretty girl with bright, inquisitive eyes.

“Um! Is this the home of Light Marquinas, the mentor?”

“That’s me, but... What do you mean, mentor?”

“Please allow me to introduce myself! I’m Lily White!”

She gave me a deep, polite bow. When she looked up again, her eyes were sparkling with excitement—something that hadn’t been there a moment ago.

“Miss...Lily White? Um...nice to meet you?”

I racked my memory. I couldn’t recall anyone by the name of Lily White, so I added a somewhat uncertain “nice to meet you?” just in case.

“Yes! Nice to meet you! I’m so happy to finally meet you, sir!”

It seemed like “nice to meet you” had been the right call. That said, what had me more curious was—

“What’s this about calling me ‘mentor’?”

“I’ve come to become your apprentice!”

“Ah.”

Right. One of those. It was not uncommon for rookie mages to seek out a skilled mentor to train under. I’d had it happen a few times already. Some came barging in like Lily, while others were referred by someone like Dylan.

And I turned down all of them. Back in the day, I was too busy earning money to donate to the church. Taking on a student wasn’t even an option. Now, the donations were complete, but in their place, a new life with my beloved daughter had begun. This was even more reason not to take on a student.

“Sorry, but I don’t take on apprentices.”

“What?! Please! I really want to study magic under you, sir!”

“I get where you’re coming from, but it doesn’t have to be me. If anything, for someone seeking a mentor, a more well-rounded mage would be better than a combat specialist like me.”

“But I want to learn from you, sir! Please!”

Lily showed no sign of backing down. She bowed her head again, firmly and without hesitation. She was definitely determined. But that didn’t mean I was going to cave...

“Hey, daddy, who’s that lady?”

“Oh, she’s asking me to teach her magic.”

“Magic?”

“Yes.”

“Then she’s just like me!”

“Huh? Ah... I guess?”

I let out a wry chuckle at her interpretation, but then quickly shook my head in disagreement.

“Are you gonna teach her magic too?”

“Eh? Uh...well...”

The way that Lucia’s innocent little eyes were shining with hope, I couldn’t say no. She probably thought it’d be fun to have someone to practice magic with. I hesitated for a moment, unsure what to do.

“You’re gonna teach me, then?!”

Lily jumped in before I could say anything, eyes sparkling.

And with that, swept along by the momentum, I somehow ended up with an apprentice.

☆

“Once again—I’m Lily White, a D-class mage. Pleased to meet you, sir!”

“Yeah, nice to meet you too.”

I let Lily inside, and the three of us—me, Lucia, and Lily—sat around the table.

Hearing her introduce herself, I understood right away that she was just starting out. Mage classes were managed by local branches of the Magic Association. You’d apply, take a practical test set by them, and if you could cast anything at all, no matter how simple, you’d get certified as D-class.

It was a deliberately loosely defined rank. D-class didn’t distinguish between Type-1 or Type-2, combat, support, or general mages. You were just labeled a plain and simple D-class mage. Which was to say—

“So you passed the D-class exam, huh?”

“Yes! I just took it earlier today.”

“Earlier today?!”

“Yep! I finally passed, so I came to see you, sir! I figured if I couldn’t cast anything at all, it’d be way too rude to show up uninvited!”

“I see...”

Showing up uninvited even if you can cast something was still arguably rude, but I kept that to myself.

“Daddy, what are you gonna teach her?”

“Hmm, good question...”

Lucia was looking up at me, clearly excited, so I gave it a little thought.

“I should say up front, what I teach is my own style. Are you okay with that?”

“Absolutely! I’d love to learn your way! The Marquinas style!”

“I wouldn’t go as far as to call it a style, but...well, there is one thing I use to test whether someone has the talent to make it to C-class.”

“What is it?!”

“Just so you know—it’s a talent check, not a measurement of current skill.”

With that preface, I looked Lily straight in the eye and said:

“Say ‘fort.’”

“Uh... Fort?”

“Yeah.”

I nodded, while Lily stared at me, obviously confused about what I was getting at.

“Now say it three times.”

“Fort fort fort!”

She didn’t get it, but she gave it a shot anyway. Her expression clearly showed her moving from hesitation to acceptance in a split second. She was a very straightforward and easy-to-read girl.

“Now spell it twice.”

“F-O-R-T, F-O-R-T.”

“Now say it five more times.”

“Fort, fort, fort, fort, fort... Done.”

“All right. What do you eat soup with?”

“A FORK!”

“Really? Because I eat soup with a spoon.”

“Huh? Oh!”

Classic. Lily had totally fallen for my trick. Meanwhile, Lucia had immediately and confidently answered “spoon.”

Lily froze for a moment, then realized her mistake.

“S-Sorry, sir...”

“No worries. It happens.”

“Um...what does this have to do with anything?”

“Magic,” I said seriously, looking her in the eye, “is about turning the image inside your mind into something real.”

“Like drawing!”

Lucia raised her hand, beaming.

“Exactly. Like drawing. When teaching magic to young kids, the very first training step is usually drawing. It helps them learn to solidify the images in their heads.”

“I didn’t know that...”

Apparently, Lily hadn’t heard of that technique. Still, drawing wasn’t the only way to train your imagination. Maybe she’d been using another method. Either way, no big deal.

“So, what I was saying is—”

“Yes?”

“You had an image in your head, but your words didn’t match it. You got misled and said something else.”

“Oh...”

“As long as you’re still that easy to influence, C-class will be out of reach.”

“I understand!”

“You’re really easily persuadable. Do you actually understand what I’m saying?”

“Yes! I believe everything you say, sir!”

“I’m not sure that’s a good thing...”

I had planned for her to argue back with something like “But this isn’t relevant to magic, right?” Then I’d move on to the next part and get her to understand. But she was so straightforward, it completely derailed my teaching flow. Still...

“It’s getting kind of dark.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah. It’s almost evening.”

“Guess it’s time to turn on the lights. Maybe use Light magic for something like this.”

“Right!”

“Okay. Oh, before that. Say ‘fire’ ten times.”

“Okay! Fire, fire, fire, fire, fire, fire, fire, fire, fire, fire... Done!”

“Then what spell is this?”

I raised a finger and cast Light.

Lily hesitated for a moment before answering.

“Li— No, F— Wait, um... Light!”

She finally got it right. She had been on guard after the last trick, but that only made her more flustered.

“The first answer you almost gave was correct.”

“R-Right... I thought so...”

“If your mental image was clear, you wouldn’t have fallen for such an obvious misdirection. But just now, you hesitated again and couldn’t pick the right spell.”

“Ah...”

“When the image in your mind and the words you speak align perfectly—without wavering—that’s when you’ll be ready for C-class.”

“Yes sir! I’ll do my best!”

I gave her a small nod. At least she understood. Being straightforward like that wasn’t a bad trait. For a beginner, having the humility to listen to more experienced mages was a major advantage. In that sense, Lily had great potential.

Meanwhile, as I was teaching her, I noticed that Lucia—who had been unusually silent the whole time—was now staring at me with wide, awestruck eyes.

“What’s up, Lucia?”

“Daddy...you’re amazing. You sound like a real teacher.”

Lucia’s gaze was filled with genuine admiration as she looked at me.

Chapter 15: My Beloved Apprentice Is a Total Klutz

I arrived at the oldest institution in Faberge—the town in which Lucia and I lived. In other words, an ancient, run-down building. Stepping inside, I headed straight for the counter at the front of the first-floor lobby.

Behind the counter stood a familiar-looking woman in her late twenties. Her name was Deborah. She was a staff member working at the association. I stopped in front of her and greeted her.

“Good morning, Deborah.”

“Oh, if it isn’t Light. What brings you here today?”

“I need to look up some data. Do you have any information on a D-class mage named Lily White?”

“D-class? It’s rare for you to take an interest in a newcomer. Did something happen?”

“You could say that.”

“I see. Well then, sign this while you wait.”

Deborah stood up and walked toward the bookshelf behind her. Meanwhile, I picked up the document she handed me and signed it.

Any mage registered with the association had the right to freely access publicly available information about other members. That said, there was still a formality to observe. Every request was logged to keep track of who accessed what information and when. It was just standard procedure, so I signed without hesitation. By the time I was done, Deborah had returned with the file.

“Here you go.”

“Thanks.”

I handed back the signed document and received the file in exchange. It was bound in a thin binder. Since Lily was a young, recently registered D-class mage, the contents amounted to just a few sheets of paper, with basic information like her name, height, and weight, a summary of her background, and data from the simple magic power assessment conducted during registration.

“Potential combat magic: A. Potential support magic: A... Control: F?”

There were various parameters related to magic, and by reading them, one could get a rough idea of what kind of mage someone was.

Looking solely at her magical potential, Lily had the talent of an A-class all-rounder. With enough achievements, she might even become an S-class all-rounder. We hadn’t had one of those in the past fifty years.

However, one piece of information completely negated all of that—her “Control: F” rating.

In other words, Lily was a mage with immense talent but no ability to control it. From my experience, this type rarely amounted to anything.

“She’s a lost cause, isn’t she?” Deborah, peeking over my shoulder at the file, made a blunt assessment. “Powerful and unable to control it? She’s a walking disaster, if you ask me. If she can’t even control her own magic, she should just give up on becoming a mage before she causes some real trouble.”

Deborah spoke with an exasperated sigh. It was an extreme opinion, but not an uncommon one. That said, there was no doubt her words were harsh. The fact that she could say them so casually just meant she was still young.

After committing all the information to memory, I closed the binder and handed it back to Deborah.

“Thanks, that was helpful.”

“No problem. Just doing my job.”

I nodded, returning her smile before leaving the association’s building. I stood in the middle of the bustling streets for a moment, watching people go about their day. After some thought, I headed toward another building, about a five-minute walk away, tucked away in a sketchy alley.

The association’s building was old and run-down, but at least it carried some sense of legitimacy. The place I was heading to, on the other hand, was old, run-down, and suspicious. The kind of place you’d never set foot in if you lived a normal life.

I pushed open the door and stepped inside. Walking down the oddly dusty hallway to the back, I found a middle-aged man drinking himself red in the face despite it being the middle of the day.

His name was Bacchus. He had chosen the name himself, after the god of wine, since he was perpetually drowning in alcohol. Everyone knew it was an alias of course—no one knew his real name. But for all that, he was a well-connected information broker.

“Hey, Bacchus.”

“Mm? Well, if it ain’t Light. Didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. Didn’t you say you couldn’t waste money because you were donating to the gods?”

“Oh, did I?”

“You did.”

“Well, that’s over with now.”

“Oh? So, you’re looking for some intel today?”

“You got anything on mud golems?”

I got straight to the point. After asking, I added another condition.

“I need something fresh and reliable.”

“The better the intel, the higher the price.” Bacchus grinned. Naturally.

“How much?”

“For what I’ve got now...fifty thousand pinar.”

Fifty thousand. Depending on their job, that was roughly a month’s salary for a man my age. Not cheap, but not outrageous either. Still, I didn’t have that much on hand.

“I don’t have the cash on me right now. Can you wait half a day?”

“Nah.” Bacchus grinned again. “You’re an S-class mage—I trust you. Just sign a magic credit slip, and I’ll hand it over right now.”

“Fine.”

“Much obliged.”

Bacchus pulled a piece of paper from the battered desk beside him. It was a sheet of dragonhide parchment, tanned from the skin of a lesser dragon and imbued with magic. Nobles often used parchment for contracts as a status symbol, but mages preferred dragonhide parchment, as it allowed them to magically enforce agreements.

“This stuff isn’t cheap either.”

“Just a matter of professional style. Different trades, different customs.”

“Hmm?”

“For an information broker, intel is a perishable good. If I don’t sell it while it’s fresh, it goes to waste.”

“So, you’re willing to face some costs to move this along faster.”

“Exactly.”

“Good to know.” I genuinely meant it. I picked up the dragonhide parchment and skimmed through its contents. It took me about ten seconds. “All right, looks good.”

“That was fast. Look, Light, even I gotta say—you should read contracts more carefully.”

“I did. As long as I pay by tomorrow, none of the penalties listed below even matter.”

“Ha! Fair enough.”

Bacchus let out a hearty laugh.

“S-class mages really are something else. You know exactly what matters and what doesn’t.”

“So do you.”

With a smirk, I signed the parchment and handed it back to Bacchus. In return, he gave me a plain sheet of paper with freshly written words. It read: “Blenheim Valley.”

☆

Blenheim Valley lay about an hour away from Faberge. With little vegetation, the barren landscape was dominated by exposed rock. I arrived and carefully surveyed the area. Bacchus had charged me fifty thousand pinar for this information. That meant it had to be reliable. Somewhere in this valley, my target—a mud golem—was lurking. Sure enough, after a short search, it emerged from behind a rock formation.

Its entire body was a dull, earthen brown—anyone would immediately recognize it as being made of mud. It stood nearly four meters tall, its humanoid form barely holding together through sheer magical force.

The standard way to defeat one was to dry it out with fire. Without moisture, the mud would lose cohesion, and the creature would collapse.

“Easy Arrow ex Marquinas.”

I chose not to go with fire. I had access to the spells Inferno, Flame Floor, and even Eternal Blaze, but I rejected all of those in favor of bombarding the golem with magically enhanced arrows.

“Volcano.”

Easy Arrow struck the mud golem over and over. Chunks of its body splattered across the ground and nearby rock walls. At first, it managed to pull itself back together, but after repeated attacks, its regeneration slowed—until it finally failed altogether.

After firing off several hundred shots, forcibly elevating Easy Arrow into the extra magic, Volcano, I had completely obliterated the golem.

“Phew.”

With the battle over, I exhaled deeply.

Using Eternal Blaze would have been far more efficient; I had expended roughly three times the necessary magic to bring it down this way. But...

I stepped toward the remains of the golem. Its torso had collapsed, leaving behind nothing more than a mound of mud. I reached into the pile and felt around.

“Got it.”

Buried within was a white lump, something akin to clay.

☆

The next morning.

“Good morning, sir!”

“Mm, morning.”

Still feeling some residual fatigue from yesterday, I greeted Lily as she arrived. I let her inside and had her sit in the living room. Then, I placed the white clay I had recovered onto the table in front of her.

“Look at this.”

“Huh? What is it?”

“Do you remember how magic is about shaping images into reality?”

“Yes!”

“But to do that, training is essential. Drawing, cooking—anything that develops a sense of form can help.”

“I see.”

“Which is why clay sculpting is also an option. This is for that.”

“Clay...? Whoa. Huh? I can feel magic in it.”

“It’s the core of a mud golem.”

“A mud golem? Oh! I’ve heard of those! They’re really strong monsters, right?”

“Yeah, I suppose.”

Strength wasn’t the point of this conversation, so my reply was indifferent.

“Wait—did you fight one, sir?”

“I did.”

“Wow! You’re amazing, sir!”

“More importantly...” I redirected the conversation. “A mud golem’s core, being a magical construct, is excellent for training magic control. Take it and practice.”

“I see! Understood! Thank you so much, sir!”

“Mm.”

Lily happily accepted the golem’s core. Of all the training tools I knew, this was the most effective for refining one’s ability to materialize magic through imagery. Lily was eager to learn. I could only hope it would help her improve her pitiful control rating.

Chapter 16: Coaching

The next day, Lucia, Lily, and I were sitting around the table in the living room. Squish was curled up by the bedroom, dozing off in the sunlight.

“I’m looking forward to today’s lesson, sir!”

“We’ll do our best today, daddy!”

Lily and Lucia were both full of energy. I started by handing Lucia some paper and a set of colored pencils.

“Here you go, little one. Draw whatever you like.”

“Whatever I like?”

“Yeah. I bought some colored pencils. Use whichever colors you want.”

“Yay! Thanks, daddy!”

Absolutely beaming, Lucia took the box of twenty-four colored pencils and started drawing right away. Once I made sure she was settled, I turned to Lily.

“You’ll be working with the mud golem clay today.”

“Okay! Um, but wouldn’t colored pencils be better to start off with?”

Lily glanced over at Lucia, clearly wondering why I’d brought out art supplies all of a sudden.

“I told you before, right? What’s important for magic is getting the image out as clearly as possible.”

“Yes.”

“That includes not just shape but color too. Being able to represent things accurately is key.”

“I see! Then wouldn’t it be better to have lots of colors for the clay too?!”

“Exactly.”

I nodded, a little impressed. She had a point. What she had said made perfect sense.

“But it’s still a bit soon for that. First, you need to focus on being able to shape things properly.”

“Got it!”

“Okay, then try making this first.”

I said that and grabbed a mug from the shelf—one with a handle—and set it in front of her.

“Make a mug that looks just like this.”

“Yes!”

Lily gave an enthusiastic nod and started kneading the mud golem clay I’d gotten for her. It was ideal for magical image training. With it, she set out to re-create the mug I’d shown her.

“Ah...the shape went all weird...”

“It’s fine if you mess up. It’s clay. You can squish it and start over.”

“Right!”

She’d looked a little down for a second, but she perked back up and followed my instructions—crushing the lump of clay, rolling it into a ball, and starting again.

She was evidently extremely clumsy. Even after several tries, she couldn’t get it to look much like a mug. Even after ten attempts, she still wasn’t getting it. But she didn’t give up. Watching her stick with it, never getting discouraged or throwing in the towel, I couldn’t help but think—this was going to be a real strength for her someday.

“Um...”

Suddenly, Lily looked up at me.

“Is there...any trick to this?”

“There’s no trick,” I replied without hesitation. “This is the absolute basics. There’s no shortcut—you just have to keep practicing until your body learns how to do it. I started out making mugs the same way.”

I could have mentioned that I also used to draw pictures, but I chose not to.

“You did, sir? Can you still make them now?”

“More or less... Hand it over.”

“Okay!”

Lily eagerly handed me the mud golem clay. I took it, glanced briefly toward Squish, and began to knead the clay.

“Wait, that’s not a mug... Huh? What? What?”

Lily quickly realized I wasn’t making a cup, but the surprise on her face only grew from there. What I was crafting with the clay was Squish. I’d taken a quick look at it—still curled up napping in the other room—and re-created it in clay. In no time at all, thanks to old skills I hadn’t used in years, I made a miniature Squish. It was a lot smaller than the real one, but almost perfectly identical.

“A-Amazing... I can’t believe you made it look so much like them.”

“Now, do you know what being able to do this means?”

“Huh? Um, no...”

I stood up and, under Lily’s watchful gaze, walked over to the shelf where there sat an unlit lantern—it was daytime, after all. I lit it, and a flame flickered to life at the tip of the wick, swaying gently. It wasn’t especially bright in the daylight, but in the indoor space, it was clearly visible.

“What are you doing, sir?”

“Just watch.”

I raised my right index finger. Channeling magic, I lit a flame at my fingertip. A small flame danced at the end of my finger. Lily stared, her expression one of confusion, but then, finally...

“Ah! They’re the same?!”

Her eyes went wide in astonishment. She started glancing back and forth between my finger and the lantern. Yes, they were exactly the same. The flame on my fingertip was identical in shape to the one burning in the lantern.

“Normally, no two flames are the same. Even if you light them in the same place, using the same wick and the same oil, each flame still ends up slightly different. You get that, right?”

“Yes!”

“But if your visualization skills are strong enough, you should be able to reproduce the exact shape of the flame in front of you.”

“That’s incredible... You’re really amazing, sir.”

“By the way, being able to hold this for five seconds is roughly the level needed to pass an A-class exam. Just as a benchmark.”

“Got it!”

“I’m not saying you need to get there right away. I just wanted to show you that if I can do this, then with enough effort, you can definitely manage to make a simple mug.”

“Understood! Thank you so much, sir!”

Lily looked deeply moved and eagerly went back to kneading the clay.

When people kept failing or couldn’t see where they’re headed, they tended to lose motivation. That was why I decided to show her a glimpse of the future she could reach—if it helped keep her going, even just a little, then it was worth it.

It seemed like my message was getting through. Lily was clumsy, but she was earnest. She was ranked F in control now, sure—but with hard work, I believed she could overcome it. Students like her, the determined ones, could usually at least reach the level of reproducing exactly what they saw, down to the finest detail. Beyond that, putting their own spin on things or creating from imagination might be a different story. But for now, I’d guide her until she could master that first step: seeing and replicating.

“I did it!”

Just then, the ever-quiet Lucia, who had been sitting beside us drawing intently this whole time, suddenly lifted her head with a huge smile, proudly holding up her paper.

“What did you draw?” I asked.

“You, daddy!”

“I see, I see.”

Just like I had made a clay Squish from a visual reference, Lucia had apparently spent all this time quietly drawing me.

“Can I see it?” I asked.

“Yup! Here you go!”

Lucia held out the paper to me. Lily paused her clay work to peek at it from the side. The drawing was really good. Surprisingly good—for a child, it was practically professional level. Except...

“It’s really sparkly,” Lily said, echoing exactly what I was thinking.

What Lucia had drawn wasn’t just me. Or rather—it was me, technically. But the version of me in the drawing was absolutely sparkling. His eyes were shaped like stars, and he had this glowing aura of sparkles radiating from behind him. It wasn’t a portrait. It was a highly idealized, heavily beautified version of the real thing.

“It kind of looks like you, but not really... For magic practice, it’s better to—”

“It’s great, Lucia.”

“Huh?!”

Lily, who had been trying to apply what she’d just learned, let out a shocked squeak at my reaction. She stared at me like I’d grown a second head. But I ignored her and kept my eyes on Lucia’s drawing. It was an incredible picture.

“You’re amazing, Lucia. You’re a genius.”

“I’m a genius?”

“That’s right. Being able to draw something this incredible... You’re one of those once-in-a-decade—no, once-in-a-century geniuses!”

“Really?”

“Absolutely. You are your father’s daughter, after all.”

“I see...hee hee.”

Lucia beamed, glowing with happiness from all the praise. And I piled on even more. There was no doubt about it—her drawing was incredible.

“But I thought the point was to re-create things exactly...?”

Lily looked at me, half confused and half exasperated. Sure, as a part of magical training, Lucia’s drawing probably wasn’t ideal. But that didn’t matter right now.

“We have to show this off to everyone.”

My daughter had drawn an awesome picture of me—her dad. That simple fact made all the talk about accuracy or resemblance feel completely irrelevant.

Chapter 17: Don’t Fight Over Me

It was early afternoon the next day, and we were at a café downtown. Sitting on the terrace were Lily, Lucia, Squish, and I—three people and one fluffy little creature.

“This side’s mine!”

“Skwoo!”

“No! Squish, you go over there!”

“Skwoo, skwoo!”

We’d just placed our order and returned to our seats when Lucia and Squish started fighting—over my lap, specifically.

“Hey, what’s going on, Lucia? You’ve gotta play nice with Squish, okay?”

“Squish’s being selfish! This side of daddy’s lap is my spot!”

“Skwoo...”

Lucia declared her stance firmly. Squish wilted a bit, but there was still a determined glint in its eyes—like it hadn’t given up just yet.

“Uh...so you want this knee?” I asked, patting my right thigh.

“Yup!” Lucia nodded decisively.

“What about the left one? Is that no good?”

“Nope! It has to be this one!”

Lucia doubled down, even more emphatic. Squish slumped even further in response. Honestly...

“What’s going on here, Professor?” Lily asked, clearly baffled by the whole exchange.

“Beats me,” I replied, just as confused.

All I could gather was that Lucia and Squish were locked in a fierce struggle over my right knee. The left knee? Completely unacceptable. Why was the right one better? I had no idea. But apparently, they both felt it was the superior seat.

“Kids are weird like that sometimes, huh?”

“Yeah, they really are.”

On that point, Lily and I were in perfect agreement. After a bit more squabbling, the two of them settled into their usual pecking order. Lucia managed to edge Squish out and plopped herself proudly onto my right knee. Squish grudgingly took the left.

If this had happened in someone else’s family, I probably wouldn’t have given it a second thought. But these two were mine.

“They’re both so adorable.”

“Aren’t they?”

Watching Lucia and Squish fight over something so trivial was honestly kind of adorable. Especially Lucia; she was ridiculously cute.

Once that bizarre little scuffle had settled, the waitress brought over our food and we finally started to eat. I had coffee while Lily went with tea. Lucia and Squish sipped on orange juice, and we all picked at a selection of assorted cakes together.

It was a slow, peaceful afternoon—until the sudden flapping sound of wings broke the quiet. A black crow landed right on our table.

“Oh! A crow.”

“Dylan again, huh?”

I took the letter the crow had brought in its beak. And just like always, the moment the job was done, the bird gave a soft pop and vanished into thin air.

“Eep!”

Lily let out a small squeak at the sight.

“Huh? What’s wrong?”

“What... What was that just now?”

“Is this your first time seeing a summoner-type familiar?”

“Y-Yes... A summoner-type familiar? Is that...some kind of magic?”

“Summoning magic,” I explained.

“Summoning magic...” Lily echoed under her breath, like she was tasting the words for the first time. Seemed like this was new territory for her. Her reaction was different from Lucia’s when she first saw the crow.

Back then, Lucia had been younger, and she was just fascinated by how the crow went poof and disappeared. Lily, on the other hand, seemed more caught up in the magic part of it.

“Sir, how does summoning magic actually work?”

“Hmm, well—I’ve only studied it, never actually used it myself,” I admitted.

I was an offensive-type mage, so I couldn’t cast it. But I’d read up on it enough to have some knowledge. I took a moment to organize my thoughts.

“I know I’ve said this a million times, but magic is all about bringing your inner image into reality.”

“Right.”

“Summoning magic’s no different in that sense. Whether it’s icicles or a black crow, you create it from the image in your mind.”

“I see...”

“But unlike a shard of ice or something simple like that, summons are usually living creatures. That means the image has to be much more vivid, much more detailed.”

“So... Do you have to draw lots of pictures of them or something?”

“Nah. In most cases, with summoning magic, you actually live with the creature you’re trying to summon.”

“Live with them?”

Lily blinked, clearly not following.

“It depends on the creature, but like—say you keep it as a pet, live with it day and night, touch it all the time...then you’d naturally get a clear image in your head, right? Of its shape, its warmth, how it moves...maybe even how it smells.”

“Oh... That makes sense.”

“There’s this classic summoner thing—they spend so much time with their pets that apparently they even start showing up in their dreams.”

“Oh, I kind of get that.”

“Hm?”

“I had a dream last night where I was just kneading clay the whole time.” Lily looked a little troubled as she said this. “I kept kneading it all night, but I couldn’t make anything out of it. Just kneading and kneading...”

“Ahh... That’s actually a good sign.”

“It is?”

“For a mage, yeah.”

“I see... I’m glad, then.”

Lily visibly relaxed when I told her that it was a good thing from a magic user’s perspective.

“Just a sidenote—but since most summoners raise the real animal as a pet, it’s apparently impossible to summon something that breaks the image too much. Like, if you keep a black crow, you won’t be able to summon a white one.”

When I was younger, I used to think, Well, if you can summon a black crow, can’t you just summon a white one too? But apparently it doesn’t work like that. I remembered something Dylan once told me.

“If you can break your base image, you’re already at a master level—S-class. That’s essentially an extra-level summon spell.”

That’s what he said back then. The fact that he couldn’t do it was supposedly what kept him at A-class.

“Sir, why can’t you do summoning magic like that crow earlier?”

“I’m an offensive-type. I’ve got enough mana to manage it, but I just don’t have the talent for summoning magic.”

“I see...”

“If I could do it, I’d be a dual-type mage. If someone’s not good at offensive but good at summoning, they’re classed as a summoner. If they can handle both, they’re dual-type. That’s how we get divided up. Well, I suppose there are also other specializations like support-types and such.”

“Oh, I didn’t know that! Um, so...what kind of type would I be?”

“The classifications are kind of arbitrary, made by the Magic Society for convenience, but...”

I thought for a moment.

Generally speaking, people who struggled with control tended to fall into the offensive-type category, because with offensive magic, you could still get results even if your control was a bit off. I decided not to bring up Lily’s trouble with control and just gave her the answer straight.

“Offensive-type, probably.”

“Really?! Just like you, sir!”

“Yeah.”

“Huh? But...”

“Hmm?”

She suddenly remembered something, and I tilted my head, curious.

“I heard another mage call you a super offensive-type once.”

“Ah, that’s just a nickname. You usually see it when someone develops an extra-level spell and gets certified as S-class. Like ‘super offensive-type,’ ‘super summoner-type,’ or ‘super dual-type.’”

Super dual-type? I thought to myself. Not sure that one even makes sense.

“But officially—at least as far as the Magic Society is concerned—I’m just a regular offensive-type.”

“I see... Thank you, sir! This has been really helpful!”

Once the conversation had run its course, Lily bowed her head deeply. I smiled as I watched her. Students like Lily—honest and open-minded—were a joy to teach. When someone’s still new to everything, being willing to listen first is what matters most. Those are the ones who grow fastest.

I’d had students who’d stubbornly refuse to accept things they were taught. “If I can summon a black crow, why not a white one? It’s just a different color.” If something can’t be done, then it can’t be done. Arguing against that gets you nowhere. You need to accept the rules of the world before you can start breaking them.

In that sense, Lily definitely had the potential to go far, and it made me want to teach her even more. Whether she could reach extra-level spells would depend on her innate talent—but I was starting to think she could definitely become at least an A-Class offensive mage.

“Hey, daddy?”

“Hm? What is it?”

“That crow...was it the same one that man used to keep?”

Lucia, who had been quietly listening all this time, looked up and asked that.

“Yeah. He re-created the one he used to keep using magic.”

“He made it?”

“Yep.”

“You can make things?”

Her eyes widened in surprise.

She probably already knew the crow wasn’t just an ordinary bird, but now that she was older and had a deeper understanding of magic, maybe she was starting to piece things together more critically. I nodded.

“He lived with that crow for a long time. When he used magic, he pictured it in his mind—its shape, its presence—and that’s how he summoned it.”

I wasn’t exactly a specialist in summoning magic, and Lucia was still just a kid, so I kept the explanation simple.

“Hmm.”

Lucia paused thoughtfully, then suddenly jumped off my lap. The next moment, Squish hopped up and claimed the now-empty spot on my right knee. I wondered what she was up to—until she pulled out her child-sized wand, made of super magical conductor material, and took a stance.

I watched as she focused her mana, curious what she’d try. Then, at her feet, a magic circle appeared—and out from that circle emerged a man. It was...me.

Lucia had summoned that idealized version of me she’d drawn the other day—the ridiculously beautified version. The me who stepped out of the summoning circle was sparkly and absurdly good-looking.

“Lucia! What was that?”

“Summoning magic...and she’s broken her mental image... That’s extra-level!”

I stared in shock—but then it all made sense. Lucia’s talent level was equal to, or maybe even greater than, mine. In terms of raw magical power, I could use summoning magic just fine. I simply didn’t have the aptitude for it.

But Lucia did. Unlike me, she was naturally gifted with summoning magic. And what had she summoned? Her dad—someone she was always with.

That wasn’t the only surprise, though. She hadn’t summoned me as I was. She’d summoned a beautified version of me.

In other words—a “white crow.”

As I stood there, stunned by her incredible ability, Lucia looked up at me with a nervous expression.

“Daddy? Have I...done something bad?”

“Huh?”

I must have been standing there dumbfounded for so long that she thought she’d done something wrong.

“Not at all!”

I gently asked Squish to hop off my knee for a moment and scooped Lucia into my arms.

“You did amazing, little one. You really are my daughter.”

“Really?”

“Absolutely. You’re way more amazing than me—you’re a super summoner-type mage!”

“Is that a big deal?”

“Huge deal.”

“I see... Hee hee...”

This wasn’t something I could just sit on. This was big—really big. I needed to get in touch with the Magic Society right away.

“Lily, we’re heading to the Magic Society. Sorry, but could you take Squish and go home ahead of us?”

I headed off—making a beeline straight to Dylan’s place. Not to brag (well, maybe a little), but to make sure the world knew just how incredible my daughter was.

She was, quite possibly, the most gifted mage alive.

Chapter 18: My Adorable Daughter Is an A-Class Mage

Inside the Magic Association’s president’s office, I sat next to Lucia, with Dylan across from us. Standing beside us was the “handsome” version of me from earlier, which Lucia had just summoned right in front of Dylan.

“Pretty impressive, huh? There aren’t many people who can pull off summoning magic at this level! Lucia must be the only one in the whole world who can do it!”

“Hmm...”

“It’s seriously amazing, right? You saw it with your own eyes! With magic like this, she’s gotta be S-class, no question—”

“Yeah, I get it. Now shut up for a second.”

Dylan cut off my passionate speech midway and leaned in to take a closer look at Handsome Light. Then he turned to Lucia. “Lucia, was it?”

“Yep!”

“Can you control this thing you summoned?”

“Uh-huh!”

Right after she gave a firm nod, Handsome Light brushed his bangs back with a dramatic flourish. Where on earth did she even learn a pose like that? It was ridiculously over-the-top.

“You’re making it do that?”

“Yup.”

“Can you send it far away? Like, say, use it to run errands—kind of like my crows?”

“Totally!”

“In that case, can you control it directly? Or does it act on its own?”

“Hmm...either way works!”

“Wow. That’s impressive.” Dylan’s eyes widened in genuine surprise. Then he slowly leaned back into the couch, sinking into the cushions with a thoughtful expression. “Both remote-controlled and autonomous... That’s absolutely incredible.”

“Right?! I told you, Lucia’s amazing!”

“Hmm...”

Dylan stroked his chin, deep in thought. What was there to hesitate about? Sure, maybe she still needed to go through the proper evaluations, but anyone with eyes could see this was easily A-class or higher.

“No, I get why you’re saying that after what we just saw. I do. But...”

Dylan trailed off and shot me a weary look.

“Wh-What?”

I flinched under his gaze.

“You’re S-class yourself. You should know better than to be so blindly biased just because she’s your daughter.”

“Huh?”

“We can grant up to an A-class certification right here on the spot. But S-class requires proven accomplishments.”

“Oh...”

Dylan’s words snapped me back to my senses. Of course—he was right. The association’s mage classification system went from D to S. For classes up to A, evaluation was based purely on ability. But for S-class, accomplishments and achievements had to be taken into account. Lucia hadn’t done anything worthy of recognition yet. I knew that. I should have known that. And yet, it wasn’t until Dylan said it outright that I remembered.

“We can issue a provisional S-class designation, if you’re interested...”

“No way!”

I cut him off sharply, my voice far stronger than I intended. Lucia, who had been quietly listening beside me, jumped at my tone.

“Daddy...?” she asked, looking up at me with wide eyes. I quickly softened and gave her a reassuring smile before turning back to Dylan.

“That provisional S-class thing—you mean the association’s way of saying, ‘She doesn’t have the accomplishments yet, but she’s basically S-class,’ right?”

“Exactly. And I’m assuming you already know from this outburst, but it’s often handed out through connections or blackmail. It’s the highest rank, and because of all the favoritism associated with it, it’s gotten a pretty bad reputation.”

“I’m already S-class. If she got a provisional S-class too, people would assume it was because of nepotism—that she’s just some pampered kid riding her dad’s coattails. No way I’m letting that happen.”

“Exactly. So let’s give up on the S-class idea for today.”

“Grrr...”

It was frustrating, but he had a point. There was no way I was letting anyone think my adorable Lucia was just some spoiled brat who was coasting on her daddy’s name.

“Fine. I’ll let it go—for now. But we’re still doing the evaluation, right?”

“Of course. Fair and impartial,” Dylan said with a nod, standing and walking over to his desk.

He scribbled something on a sheet of paper, then brought it back and held it out.

“Take this.”

He held the paper out to “Handsome Light.”

Lucia looked up at the original me. “Daddy?”

“Listen to what the nice man says, okay?”

“Okay,” she replied with a nod.

Right after that, my handsome doppelgänger accepted the paper.

“First, a control test. Have the summon take that paper down to the lobby and deliver it. Then have it pick something up and bring it back.”

“Got it!”

With the paper in hand, Handsome Light opened the door and stepped into the hallway.

“What did you write?” I asked.

“I asked it to bring up the mana measurement device. We’ll need it soon anyway, so this doubles as a test of her control.”

“Clever.”

It was two birds with one stone. We waited in silence for a while. Eventually, there was a knock at the door.

“Come in! Hmm...” Dylan responded and the door opened. In walked the summon.

“Was it Lucia who made him knock?” Dylan asked.

“Yup! Papa said I should always knock before going into a room when I’m outside.”

“I see.”

“Pretty amazing, right? Lucia’s amazing, isn’t she?”

“She really is replicating human behavior perfectly.”

“No, no, you don’t get it! Not human behavior—my behavior!”

“You mean a perfect recreation of a specific individual? In that case, I’ve got no complaints. That easily earns an A for control.”

“Right?!”

“All right, all right. I’ll mark her control ability as A.”

“Heh.”

While we were talking, the summon stepped forward and handed what he’d brought to Dylan, who then placed it on the low table between us. It was a square platform with a crystal orb set on top. Two cables—one red and one black—extended from the base, each ending in a color-coded handle.

“They added handles to it, huh?”

It looked a bit different from the measurement device I was used to.

“Came from the younger staff. They said color-coded handles would make it easier to know what to do with the wires.”

“Makes sense. It’s definitely easier to understand like this.”

“Want to give it a go?”

“Yeah, sure.”

I grabbed the two handles at the end of the cords—red in my right hand, black in my left—and gripped them tightly.

The crystal orb lit up, and a number began to appear. It started at zero and quickly rose, finally stopping at 334.

“Huh?”

“Whoa there, that’s a little lower than usual. Slacking off now that you’ve got a kid?”

“Hey, come on. That can’t be right. Hold on a second.”

I loosened my collar and took a deep breath to center myself. Then I grabbed the handles again and ran the measurement one more time. This time, the number read 416.

“See? That’s more like it, when I’m properly focused.”

“Hmm...yeah, looks like it’s even ticked up a little.”

I let out a small sigh of relief. It wasn’t a big deal if the number had been lower—anything over three hundred qualified as A-class, so there was no real issue. But when Dylan had made that joke about my score dropping because of Lucia, I couldn’t let it slide. No way I’d let her get blamed, even jokingly. That was why I gave it a bit more effort the second time. Relieved, I gently set the handles back down.

“All right, time for the real test,” Dylan said.

“Yeah. Lucia, take these and do exactly what I did, okay?”

“Okay, got it!”

“Oh. But get rid of the fake daddy first, though.”

“Okay!”

Just as I’d told her, Lucia dispelled Handsome Light straightaway. You couldn’t get an accurate reading on a summoner’s mana while they were in the process of summoning something. Once she’d put it away, she took the handles and gripped them tightly. Red in the right hand, black in the left.

Just like with me, the number started at zero and began rapidly climbing. When it passed three hundred, Dylan let out a low whistle. “Ohhh.” That sealed it—she was A-class at least.

Then it crept up to four hundred, and this time I was the one who let out an impressed “Whoa.” That’s my girl, I thought, swelling with pride. How far was she gonna go?

Four hundred...five hundred...six...

“Huh?”

“Mmm?”

The number kept climbing without slowing down. Eventually it hit 999, blinked rapidly, and then—

BAM!

The device suddenly exploded. With a sharp, thunderous bang, the crystal orb shattered into pieces. The measurement device had been overwhelmed by Lucia’s magic and blown apart.

“Wh-What in the world...”

Dylan was speechless, stunned. Even I was a little shocked. Lucia stood there holding the handles, now just dangling wires where the orb used to be, blinking in confusion.

“Don’t worry, little one!” I shouted, grinning from ear to ear. I scooped Lucia up in my arms, laughing.

“That was amazing! That’s my girl!”

“Really? Hee hee...”

Still in my arms, Lucia gave a bashful little smile, clearly delighted.

Chapter 19: Only Daddy

BAM!

The crystal ball burst right before our eyes, for the second time today.

“Mmm...”

If it only happened once, we could have just chalked it up to the testing device being faulty. Thus Dylan had brought out a fresh one and had Lucia take the test again. However, the results were the same. The crystal ball exploded almost immediately. At this point, it was clear the thing just couldn’t handle Lucia’s power. Dylan stared at the shattered remains, letting out a deep, pained groan, his face twisted in frustration.

“Dad...did I mess up again?”

Lucia looked up at me, clearly worried, so I gently stroked her head to calm her down.

“No, no, nothing like that.”

“Really?”

“Really. In fact, I’m actually really happy.”

“You’re...happy?”

Lucia blinked, looking genuinely surprised.

“Of course. I’m a mage, remember? Seeing your magic line up with mine... It makes me proud.” To put her at ease as quickly as I could, I added, “You’re just like me.” This worked like a charm.

“Just like daddy?” She perked up instantly.

“Yep.”

“I see... Hee hee hee! I’m just like daddy!”

Her mood did a complete one-eighty. Now she was beaming. Meanwhile, Dylan was still locked in a staring contest with the destroyed crystal ball, clearly deep in thought. Looked like we weren’t gonna get anything out of him anytime soon, so I figured I’d shift gears a bit.

“Oh yeah. Lucia, can you summon anything else?”

“Something else?”

“Yeah, besides me. Like...what about Squish? You two are always together.”

As soon as I asked, Dylan turned to me with a serious look.

The question “What else can a new summoner call forth?” would obviously catch the attention of the society’s chairman. What kind of magic a registered mage could use—what they could summon—factored into the magical capabilities of the entire society. Of course he’d want to stay on top of that. But Lucia, who just a second ago had been all smiles, suddenly drooped again.

“I’m sorry...”

“Huh? What’s wrong? Did something go bad?”

“I can’t...summon anyone except daddy.”

“Except daddy?”

“Yeah... I’m sorry...”

It took me a few seconds to process what she meant. But once I did, my heart just about exploded with joy. “Lucia!”

“Eek!”

I swept her up into my arms in one quick motion.

“Daddy?”

“You’re such a good girl.”

“Huh?! What’s going on, daddy?”

Lucia squirmed in my arms, flustered and confused, clearly not understanding why I was so thrilled.

“Don’t you see?!”

“See what?” Dylan asked, sounding exasperated.

“Come on, you know what this means, don’t you? A high-ranking summoner who can only summon one thing—don’t pretend you don’t know what that implies.”

“Well, yeah.”

Dylan gave a small nod, acknowledging it. He was an A-class general mage, which meant he knew his way around summoning magic too. When a powerful mage can only summon one thing, it was a clear sign they loved that one thing above all else. There was no other reason it would happen.

Not even Squish—who was like a sibling to Lucia and always playing with her—was eligible. The only one Lucia could bring forth was me, her father. I love daddy the most in the entire world. She didn’t say it in those words, but she might as well have.

“Tell me—have you ever seen a cuter kid in your life? No, you haven’t!”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Dylan looked even more fed up now.

“I want to brag about her to the whole damn world! That’s it—what’s Lucia’s mage class? Give me the official verdict!”

“All right, all right. Sheesh... As it stands, she’s an A-class, Type-2 restricted summoner.”

“Type-2?”

I blinked. That was a surprise. Type-1s were only allowed to use magic on monsters. Type-2s were allowed to use it on humans as well. In most cases, Type-2 was ranked higher than Type-1. That was because the ranking wasn’t just based on magical power—it also factored in personality and emotional stability. This was why I was honestly shocked that little Lucia had been assigned that classification right off the bat.

“She’s your daughter,” Dylan said plainly. “She’s attached to you and listens to what you say.”

If she was under the full supervision of an unrestricted mage, then assigning her as a Type-2 was totally justified.

“I see.”

I gave a small nod. In other words, Lucia’s classification was basically a reflection of me.

“What’s with the poker face?” asked Dylan.

“It’s an honor, I guess.”

It was an honor—but even so—

“You’re happier about the praise for your daughter, huh?”

“Of course I am!”

I leaned forward, voice full of pride. More than any recognition for myself, it meant the world to see my little girl being acknowledged.

“In that case...”

Dylan gave a low chuckle. He was clearly plotting something, though I had no idea what. I tilted my head, puzzled.

☆

Lucia, Dylan, and I were now behind the association building, in what looked like a garden space. A few staff members stood off to the side, busy setting something up.

“Is that...a Korycos?”

“Yeah.” Dylan nodded.

The staff were assembling a magical item—a humanoid figure made by stuffing a leather sack with ultra-magical conduits. It was called a Korycos, and it was used to measure the power of offensive-type magic users. The conduits inside were designed to discharge received magical energy into the air, safely dispersing it.

In theory, unless you were wielding the kind of magic that could destroy the world, it was impossible to break one of these with offensive spells alone. But on the outside? It was just leather. Stick a knife in it and it’d rip like a cheap coat.

“So, what are we doing with that thing?” I asked.

“Lucia.”

Instead of answering me, Dylan turned to Lucia. She was slowly warming up to him and responded without hesitation, “Yes, mister?”

“The daddy you summoned—can he use magic the same way you’ve seen your real dad use it?”

“Um...probably.”

“Mind giving it a shot? Try aiming at that.”

“Daddy...is that okay?”

“Yeah, go ahead and try.”

“Okay!”

With that, Lucia stepped forward.

She resummoned the Handsome Light she’d previously dismissed before we came out here. He casually picked Lucia up and set her on his shoulders. Lucia perched on top of his head and grabbed a handful of his hair. It looked like they were playing some kind of game.

“Hee hee!”

“You’re about to say ‘See? Isn’t that cute?!’ aren’t you? Save it for later,” Dylan said, beating me to the punch.

“Tch...”

I pouted a little. He had read me like a book. While I sulked, Lucia gave the command, and Handsome Light launched a spell at the Korycos.

The spell was Inferno, a wide-area fire attack spell. Flames engulfed the Korycos in an instant. The moment the fire hit, the staff—who had just finished prepping and were now watching from a safe distance—erupted into cheers.

“That spell was stronger than yours, wasn’t it?”

“It was!” I nodded hard, excitement buzzing through me. I knew it the second I saw it. The copy of me that Lucia had summoned and was piloting could cast magic stronger than I ever could. “It’s only natural that her magic is stronger than mine.”

“Hmm...” Dylan looked thoughtful, then asked Lucia another question. “Lucia, how about extra magic?”

“Extra magic?”

“Like this,” I said, stepping in to show her myself.

Easy Arrow ex Marquinas Volcano.

It was a rapid-fire magic spell that started with a slow arrow shot, then ramped up speed as it went—a slow-starting spell meant for continuous fire. The base spell, Easy Arrow, was a common one, but I’d customized it myself to create a new original: a so-called extra spell.

As I demonstrated, Lucia’s expression clouded over.

“What’s wrong?”

“Umm...”

Lucia gave a nod, then guided Handsome Light to fire off a spell, Easy Arrow. She fired it several times, but it was just regular Easy Arrow—nothing more. It didn’t evolve into Volcano, the accelerated rapid-fire version.

“Sorry, daddy...”

“Are you finding it hard to use extra magic?”

“Yeah...”

“I see. That’s fine. Don’t worry about it—it’s supposed to be that way.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay!”

Extra magic, in a way, reflected the caster’s own “nature.” Which meant it made perfect sense that someone else wouldn’t be able to reproduce it easily.

“So, to sum up,” Dylan began, laying out the situation. “The version of you that Lucia summoned is stronger than you when it comes to basic magic. But he can’t use your custom extra spells.”

“Exactly! Isn’t that amazing? She’s already surpassed me! I mean, kids are supposed to outgrow their parents eventually, but doing it at her age? That’s insane!”

I couldn’t hold back my excitement. Dylan, meanwhile, just brushed me off with a half-hearted “yeah, yeah.”

Still, we had a pretty good understanding of Lucia’s capabilities as a summoner now. And she really was incredible. The more I saw, the more I wanted to shout to the world how amazing—and adorable—my daughter was.

“All right, I’ve got what I need. I’ll draw up the documentation, so come by again tomorrow. And don’t worry, we’ll proceed with the classification as A-class, Type-2, restricted summoner.”

“Got it.”

I nodded and turned to Lucia.

“Let’s head home, Lucia.”

“Okay!”

She gave a big nod and climbed down from the summon’s shoulders. Then, with a pop, she dismissed it and trotted over to me, arms raised high.

“Daddy, carry me!”

“Ah! Of course, come here!”

According to summoning theory, the beings a summoner calls forth reflect their ideal partner. Even so, Lucia dismissed her “ideal” without hesitation and came running to me, seeking my embrace like it was the most natural thing in the world.

“You’re so cu—”

“Yeah, yeah, get outta here already.”

Dylan, exasperated, waved us off without ceremony. But I couldn’t have cared less. With Lucia on my shoulders—my daughter, who started out as the best thing ever and just kept proving it more and more—I headed home, my heart full to bursting.

Chapter 20: Lucia’s First Mission

“I want to help with daddy’s work!”

☆

“Okay, give us a job.” I stood face-to-face with Dylan in the chairman’s office, lodging this demand without preamble. Dylan just looked confused.

“What are you even talking about, barging in here like this?”

“This morning, Lucia told me she wanted to help with my work!”

“Oh? I suppose she did just get her mage registration.”

“When the world’s cutest daughter makes a request like that, could you seriously expect me to say no? You couldn’t say no either, right?”

“You’re not really listening to me, are you?”

“So anyway, give us something to do.”

After explaining the whole situation, I repeated my request. He scratched his head with a tired look, muttering, “Let me see what I have...”

☆

We left town and followed a road stretching east, Lucia, Squish, and I walking side by side. I was holding Lucia’s hand, while Squish toddled along right next to her. Lucia looked up at me.

“What kind of job are we doing, daddy?”

“We’re taking out a monster.”

“A monster?”

“Yeah, a Diphopper. It’s been wrecking an old lady’s farm, so we’re going to get rid of it.”

“I see! Then we have to make sure we only beat the monster and not damage the farm!”

My chest tightened. I couldn’t help but stop in my tracks. Lucia tilted her head, puzzled. “Daddy?”

I slipped my arms under hers and lifted her into the air.

“You’re amazing, Lucia!”

“Whoa!”

“You’re absolutely right. That farm is important to the lady who owns it, so sure, defeating the monster is important, but it’s just as important not to cause any damage to the fields.”

“I knew it!”

“You’re incredible, Lucia. You really are my daughter.”

“Heh heh...really?”

Cradled in my arms, Lucia beamed with a proud smile.

Down at our feet, Squish let out a cheerful “skwoo, skwoo,” as if joining in the celebration.

Lucia hadn’t even been alive a full year yet. She was my daughter, but she was a divine child, so her early growth had been rapid. She already looked like a four-year-old, but in reality, it had only been about six months since she was born. And yet she could already understand these sorts of nuances.

She was so smart, I felt like bragging about her to the whole world. Too bad there was no one else on the road to hear me.

☆

After about thirty minutes of walking—well, more like an hour, since I had to carry Lucia after she got tired—we arrived at a small farm just off the designated road.

A wooden fence encircled the property, but it wasn’t a large place. The word “farm” brought to mind something more impressive, but this was in fact a property that a single person was managing on her own. There was a stretch of fields and paddies, and a solidly built, albeit weathered, house stood nearby.

“Is this the place, daddy?” Lucia had hopped down from my arms and looked up at me, her eyes bright with curiosity.

“Yeah. The person who requested the job should be in that house. Let’s go say hello first.”

“Okay!”

With a big nod from Lucia and a chirp from Squish, we made our way toward the little farm. Even if it was small, it definitely felt like a proper farm. It wasn’t just the fence—there was something about the atmosphere, the way the place seemed quietly alive.

“Hm? What’s this?”

At the farm’s entrance stood a wooden signpost. Some sort of emblem had been carved into the surface.

“Where have I seen this before?” I stared at it, trying to recall where I’d seen the symbol. It tickled the edge of my memory, but I just couldn’t place it.

“Ah!” Lucia’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

“What is it?”

“There’s the old lady!”

“Huh? Oh, you’re right. That must be our client.”

An elderly woman had just stepped out of the sturdy-looking house, catching Lucia’s attention. She was dressed in modest but clean clothing and held some kind of sickle. As soon as she stepped outside, her eyes landed on us. I led Lucia forward and greeted her.

“Are you Hannah?”

“Yes, that’s me. And you are?”

“Light Marquinas. S-class unrestricted offensive mage. I was sent by the Magic Association to take care of the Diphopper issue.”

“My goodness...”

Hannah’s eyes widened in surprise, and she brought a hand to her mouth.

“They actually sent an S-Class mage? Just for Diphoppers?”

“Depending on the individual, Diphoppers can do more than just damage crops—they’ve been known to hurt people as well. This is just a precaution.”

“I see,” Hannah said, nodding in understanding.

The Diphopper, put simply, was a giant, grasshopper-like monster. They were about the size of a small dog—which might not sound huge, but considering regular grasshoppers were only as big as a human finger, this was pretty damn big. Despite being herbivores, Diphoppers had the gall to be picky eaters. They preferred cultivated vegetables—especially the ones grown by humans. Which was why they often ravaged fields right before harvest. That alone would be bad enough, but the real issue was how they ate.

Most Diphoppers just munched on the veggies like normal, but occasionally, you got one with...particular tastes. It’d attack and kill the farmer—the person who grew the vegetables—and then use their blood like dressing, pouring it over the vegetables before digging in. No one really knew why they did this. Of course, monsters don’t exactly follow logic. Some people joked that “since the sweat of the grower soaks into the soil, the veggies probably taste better with their blood too.” Not exactly a comforting explanation.

In any case, because there were some seriously dangerous individuals among them, Diphopper extermination missions usually called for high-ranking mages—even if they were mostly herbivores.

“Sorry for dragging you out to a place this remote,” Hannah said with an apologetic smile.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s my job,” I replied.

“Is that so...”

“Daddy!”

Lucia’s sudden, urgent voice cut through our conversation. I turned to her and followed her gaze—out across the horizon, something was approaching. A mass of...something, moving fast.

“Is that them?!”

“Yeah.”

I gave a small nod. I’d fought Diphoppers a few times before—I’d know that swarming motion anywhere. No doubt about it. They were coming.

“Okay... You ready to help out?”

“Uh-huh!”

Lucia nodded vigorously.

“Oh my, your daughter’s helping too?”

“Yes. She might not look it, but she’s a talented mage.”

“Well, I’ll be...”

“All right, Lucia. You remember what to say?”

“Yeah!”

She nodded again, then turned toward the distant swarm. With a little hesitation, she began reciting the activation chant I’d taught her.

“A-class, Type-1 summoner mage, Lucia Marquinas. Commencing operation!”

Her voice was a bit wobbly and clearly unpracticed, but she nailed the words without mistake. I held back the urge to cheer and instead followed up with my own line.

“S-class unrestricted offensive mage, Light Marquinas. Bearing witness.”

Lucia pulled out her child-sized magic staff and began casting. A glowing magic circle formed at her feet, and with smooth precision, she summoned the cooler version of me.

“A summoner, is she?” Hannah murmured, impressed.

“Yes.”

“And...is that supposed to be you?”

“Yep!”

The moment Hannah saw the summoned figure, she immediately recognized it as me. Lucia lit up with pride.

“Daddy Power!”

She shouted, striking a dramatic pose and pointing at the approaching Diphopper horde. The summon shot forward. He charged out of the farm and raised his staff, unleashing magic toward the monsters. The spell he cast was Inferno, a wide-area flame spell that scorched everything within a twenty-meter radius. A raging firestorm engulfed the Diphopper swarm, erupting in a blaze that could be seen from a distance. The creatures writhed in agony—but only for a few seconds. Lucia’s spell was that powerful. In under three seconds, they collapsed, one by one, succumbing to the flames.

“Phew. How was that, daddy?”

“You were amazing, Lucia!”

I scooped her up into my arms as she wiped pretend sweat from her brow.

Chapter 21: My Adorable Daughter’s Grandma Is a Countess?

This woman...used to be a countess? Once the memory came back, the rest burst forth like a broken dam.

Hannah Nearco Nearchtic. Countess of the Nearchtic Frontier and a former imperial princess—specifically, the Seventh Princess of the Empire. She was born into royalty and was later married off to the Count of the Nearchtic Frontier.

About ten years ago, I’d caught a glimpse of her from afar while working on a contract from the count. I hadn’t remembered her face at all—but the family crest...that had stuck with me.

Hannah—no, the countess—was now looking at me with a puzzled expression. Now that I remembered who she was, it all made sense: her grace, her calm air, the refined aura. What didn’t make sense was why a former countess was out here tending to vegetables in the countryside. Meanwhile, she continued to stare at me curiously. I had to say something, give some kind of explanation. My brain whirred into motion.

“Pardon me. I believe I caught a glimpse of you about ten years ago, during the Tarasque extermination.”

“Oh?”

She looked surprised, covering her mouth slightly with one hand.

“Wait...were you the one carrying five magic staves at once?”

I was shocked. My eyes flew wide open so forcefully I seriously thought the corners might tear.

Five staves... That had been a prototype version of the extra magic I now called Volcano, which grew stronger the longer it was used. Back then, I couldn’t reproduce the spell perfectly, so I’d compensated by physically wielding more staves to increase output. Which meant... Yes, during the Tarasque job, I’d been carrying five of the wretched things. And the countess remembered that. She remembered me.

“I—yes! I was still a newbie back then.”

“I see...”

The countess studied my face intently.

“Is something wrong?”

“You’ve changed so much.”

“My face?”

“Yes. Back then, you always looked so intense, like you were in a hurry to die... Ah.”

She paused, glancing at Lucia beside me. Then, a knowing smile spread across her face.

“It’s thanks to your daughter, isn’t it?”

“Um...”

“You look wonderful now. So much more handsome than you did back then.”

“Th-Thank you...”

I had no idea how to respond to that. I couldn’t even remember what the countess had looked like back then, and yet here she was, recalling my face from a decade ago well enough to recognize how I’d changed. That imbalance made me feel awkward as hell—and my reply came out half-hearted at best.

“What are you talking about, daddy?”

Lucia tilted her head up at me, clearly puzzled. The countess answered with a smile.

“We were just talking about how much your daddy loves you, dear.”

“Really?”

“Yeah,” I said, nodding firmly. “I really do.”

“I love you too, daddy!”

Lucia giggled as she threw her arms around me again.

Lucia clung tightly to my waist, squealing, “I love you!” as she wrapped her arms around me. I could tell, even without a mirror, that my expression had softened.

“You really do have such a lovely face,” the countess said with a warm smile.

“Uh...ah...”

This time, I didn’t know how to respond. I understood what she meant. She was probably thinking about how harsh my face had looked ten years ago...and how much gentler I seemed now. And that the reason for the change was Lucia. Which, honestly, felt a little bit awkward.

It wasn’t that she was wrong—Lucia was the best thing that ever happened to me, and the cutest girl in the world, hands down. But being told that my face had grown softer because of her made me feel... I don’t know, weirdly self-conscious. It was hard to just smile and agree.

“Heh heh.”

The countess gave me a serene smile, but there was a glint of playfulness behind it—like a mischievous little girl peeking out from behind her adult mask.

“Isn’t that a wonderful thing?”

“Y-Yeah, I guess...”

Even so, I couldn’t bring myself to fully agree. Just then, however—

“Daddy, someone’s coming.”

“Huh?”

Lucia was the first to notice. The countess and I turned to look in the same direction. A carriage was approaching from the path we’d taken earlier. It rolled to a stop right in front of the little farm plot. A man stepped out—a middle-aged nobleman, dressed in elegant, clearly expensive clothes. As soon as he spotted the countess, he headed straight toward us without hesitation. I glanced at the countess and saw her wearing a somewhat troubled smile.

“Lucia.”

“Daddy?”

I gently took her hand and stepped away from the field. Squish toddled along behind us.

“Please! I beg you—I need your help!”

A desperate voice rang out behind me. I turned slightly to glance back over my shoulder—and saw the man on his knees, pressing his forehead to the dirt at the countess’s feet. If we didn’t have the full context of the situation, we’d have been completely baffled by the sight. A nobleman groveling before an elderly woman dressed like a farmer? You’d never guess what was going on with just a glance. You wouldn’t even know where to begin guessing.

But now that I knew Hannah was a former princess and a countess, the scene made sense—at least, the groveling part did. Even if I didn’t know why, I could at least understand who held the power in this interaction. I led Lucia over to the remains of the Diphoppers and tried to shift the conversation to that instead, stealing glances back at the scene. The countess briefly went inside her house and returned carrying something. She handed it to the man, who accepted it with what looked like immense gratitude, bowing again and again.

A nobleman and a former princess—whatever was happening between them, it was way, way above my pay grade. It must have been the kind of business that moved worlds. Still mulling that over, I turned back to my own job. To tidy things up, I summoned Inferno, a spell with even more destructive power than Lucia’s, and incinerated every last trace of the Diphoppers until nothing but ash remained.

☆

After confirming that the nobleman had left, I brought Lucia back with me to where Hannah was waiting. I pretended I hadn’t seen a thing when it came to that man.

“I checked on the Diphopper swarm. They were all dead, with no signs of having called for reinforcements. I’d say the extermination is complete.”

“I see. Thank you.”

Maybe she picked up on the fact that I was deliberately avoiding the other matter. The countess gave a calm smile tinged with just a hint of awkwardness.

“The wind wasn’t blowing in this direction either, so I burned them until they were ash. I think we’re in the clear for a while now.”

“Thank you. Truly. This isn’t something someone of your rank should have to deal with.”

“It’s no trouble.”

Unsure how exactly I should be speaking to the countess, I ended up defaulting to a stiff, formal tone. Still, better that than risking being rude, so I stuck with it. Just as we were finishing up our work talk—

“Excuse me!”

Lucia poked her head out from behind me and called out to the countess.

“Yes, Lucia?”

“I want more of the thing from earlier!”

“The thing from earlier?”

“Yeah! The sweet one!”

“You mean the daikon?”

“Yeah! Your daikon was super sweet and really yummy!”

Lucia beamed as she made her request. It was adorable, but I was about to stop her—worried that it might come off as rude.

“Hee hee, I’m glad you liked it. I grew that daikon with lots and lots of love.”

“Is that why it’s sweet and tasty?”

“That’s exactly why.”

“Wooow!”

“I’m sorry. My daughter tends to speak her mind...”

“It’s quite all right.”

The countess smiled warmly. Not only was she not offended—she actually looked pleased.

“Give me a moment. I’ll go pick the freshest, tastiest one from the field.”

“Yay!”

Since she clearly wasn’t bothered by it, I decided not to say anything unnecessary. I simply watched over the two of them. Titles like “former princess” or “countess” didn’t seem to matter to Hannah at all. She treated Lucia like a real grandmother would, full of genuine affection.

☆

That said, I spent the next few days walking on eggshells. I kept worrying that maybe later someone would say, “Actually, that was really disrespectful.” After we got back to town, I looked into it a bit—and learned that the countess was currently the real head of the family. Technically, her son held the title. But when it came to actual power? It was still all her.

That kind of setup was unusual, but the “former princess” factor carried serious weight. Her ties to the empire and the influence she held weren’t things that just disappeared because she passed the title down. Her son—the official count—reportedly didn’t dare talk back to her. And as you might expect, their relationship wasn’t particularly warm. From what I heard, he kept coming to her for money or favors, and she’d grown thoroughly fed up with him. Some even said that was why she’d moved out to the countryside to tend to a farm—to get away from it all.

If that was how she treated her own son, had Lucia and I overstepped? Had we offended her without realizing it? Was I going to get dragged into some noble court for showing disrespect? I was seriously worried.

But none of that happened. In fact...

☆

“Ah! It’s you!”

It was a quiet afternoon when it happened. While I was playing with Lucia, the countess came to visit. When I answered the knock at the door, there she stood, dressed plainly in the clothes of a farmer, complete with a headscarf. I blinked, wondering what on earth this was about. But she simply smiled and turned to Lucia.

“Hello. How have you been, Lucia?”

“Good!”

“That’s wonderful to hear.”

“Were you doing good too?” Lucia asked the countess.

“Yes, just look at me. Oh, and today, I brought something for you.”

With that, she held out a cloth bundle she had brought with her. She unwrapped it to reveal a medley of vegetables, brightly colored, fresh-picked, and vibrant.

“Vegetables! Did you grow all of these, Granny?”

“I did. I wanted you to have them, so I picked the best-looking ones from my garden just for you.”

“Wooow! Thank you!”

“Er, sorry about this,” I said, scratching the back of my head and bowing a little in apology.

“It’s quite all right. Most children hate vegetables, but when a child eats them so happily, it just makes you want to give them more. Especially when you grew them yourself.”

“Yeah, I totally get that.”

I gave her a sheepish smile, but I meant it. I really did understand what she meant.

“Do you like tomatoes, Lucia?”

“Yup!”

“Then here—have one.”

“Thank you! Mmph... Mmm, it’s so good!”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

The genuine delight in Lucia’s voice as she called it delicious lit up the countess’s face with joy.

“Thank you! I love you, grandma!”

“Oh my, thank you.”

“Can I come visit you at your place again?”

“Of course you can. I’d be delighted.”

“Uh...is that really okay?”

“Absolutely. Lucia is always welcome.”

She said it naturally, and her tone was smooth and easy. But for some reason, the way she only mentioned “Lucia” made something catch in my chest. Maybe it was because I knew now that things weren’t great between her and her son, the current count. I must’ve made a bit of a strange face without meaning to, because she noticed right away.

“It’s okay.”

“Huh?”

“You’re welcome too, Mr. Marquinas.”

“Ah, thank you...”

I didn’t really know how to take that. The countess turned back to Lucia and gently patted her head.

“Come visit any time. It would make me happy if you thought of me as your real grandma.”

I was stunned. Those weren’t words someone said unless they truly cared for the child.

“Really?”

“Of course.”

“Yay! I love you, grandma!”

Lucia cheered and hugged Hannah tightly. I bowed my head, grateful. “Thank you. This means a lot.”

“I’m just doing as I please.”

“I know, but still...”

“Yes?”

“I’ve always wanted Lucia to grow up knowing and receiving every kind of love.”

“You’re a wonderful father.”

“I thought I’d never be able to give Lucia—who I believe is a gift from the gods—the kind of unconditional affection only a grandparent can give. That’s why...thank you. Truly.”

I bowed my head deeply. Hannah looked a little surprised at that.

“Mr. Marquinas...”

“Yes?”

“If only you had been my son instead of... No, forget I said anything.” She shook her head, as if dismissing some thought. “Thank you. It’s always been a dream of mine too—to love a grandchild unconditionally, just as a regular grandmother would.”

“Thank you.”

☆

And so, a new and powerful ally had joined our family. She was not a countess, nor a former princess—she was simply Hannah. Thanks to her, the happy life I shared with my beloved daughter now felt even more full of promise and hope.

Chapter 22: Uppies with an S-Class Mage

It was just another ordinary day. While watching over my disciple, Lily, as she practiced magic—she had come to visit just before noon—I kept an eye on my beloved daughter Lucia, and Squish, who were playing together.

“Grandma” Hannah would be visiting soon. As I thought about preparing some tea and sweets, I noticed Lucia lifting Squish up into the air.

“Skwoo.”

“Again? Here we go!”

“Skwooo!”

“Ah ha ha, okay, one more time!”

“Skwoo, skwoo-skwoo!”

Lucia was tossing Squish up in the air right there in the room. She was now about the size of a six-year-old, so she still couldn’t throw a dragon all that high, but the two of them looked like they were having fun.

“You’re giving Squish uppies?”

“‘Uppies’?” Lucia turned toward me, Squish in her arms.

“Yes, that’s what you were just doing.”

“That’s called uppies?”

“Yeah. Hmm.”

“What’s wrong, daddy?”

“Come to think of it...have I ever done that with you, Lucia?”

It hit me. Uppies was one of the classic ways parents play with their kids. I’d even created my own variation of it, but I’d never tried that with Lucia, let alone the standard kind. Lucia, being a divine child, had grown so fast that her baby years flew by in an instant. I never got the chance. Regret washed over me—but then...

“Daddy, will you do it to me too?”

“Huh? Ah, of course!”

She might not have looked like the age for that anymore, but if Lucia wanted it, I wasn’t going to say no. I slipped my hands under her arms, lifted her up, and raised her.

“Waaah!”

“Uppies!”

“Ah ha ha ha, wow!”

After tossing her up, I tried to hold that posture for a bit—but as I said, Lucia had already grown to the size of a six-year-old. And I, a forty-year-old man who—mage or no—lacked physical training, was doing all I could just to catch her on the way down.

“Again, daddy!”

“All right!”

I’d say it as many times as needed—if Lucia wanted it, I had no reason to say no. I tossed her into the air once more. She let out a joyful squeal, flailing her arms and legs through the air. And just as she came falling back down into my arms—

Teleport.

I cast a spell that allowed me to teleport things other than myself, and just before Lucia landed in my arms, I teleported her “in place”—right where she already was. That let me catch her safely and securely.

“More, daddy!”

“Okay.”

Responding to her eager request, I kept throwing her up in the air over and over again. I tossed her up with my own strength and caught her using Teleport. We repeated that around ten times, until Lucia was finally satisfied. I watched her return to playing with Squish—but then I noticed Lily, who had been practicing her magic, had stopped and was staring intently at me.

“What’s wrong?”

“Sir, was that magic just now?”

“Yeah. It’s a spell called Teleport.”

“Teleport... I’ve heard of it. But aren’t you more of an offensive-type mage?”

“It’s true—I originally learned it for combat. But this time, I used it a little differently.”

“What do you mean?”

“Hmm...”

I looked around the room and spotted a sturdy-looking wooden cup that seemed safe enough. Picking it up, I said to Lily:

“I’ll explain. Watch closely.”

“Okay.”

I tossed the wooden cup high, almost to the ceiling. It fell and hit the floor with a clunk.

“See? Normally, things fall faster and faster like that.”

“Right.”

“But now, watch this.”

I picked the cup back up and threw it again. As it came falling back down and neared me, I cast Teleport—the same “teleport to the same spot” spell I’d used on Lucia. The cup suddenly stopped in midair for just a moment—then resumed falling.

“Ah! It paused for a second!”

“Exactly. If you teleport something to the same location it’s already in, it resets its falling speed. It starts from zero again. That pause is when there’s no momentum left, which makes it easier to catch.”

“Oh, so with Lucia, you—!”

Lily suddenly gasped.

It seemed like it clicked for her. I was a mage, not exactly known for physical strength. Much as I loved my daughter, catching her from a full fall repeatedly would be a real challenge. Magic like this, however, was a natural extension of my body. If I caught her the regular way, I’d have to bear the full weight and speed of her fall, but using Teleport to reset her momentum just before catching her made everything easier.

“That’s amazing, sir! I didn’t know magic could be used like that!”

“It can—but it’s still too early for you to attempt this. I’ll teach you when the time is right, so just forget about it for now.”

“Understood!”

She’s always so earnest, I thought. Being so honest and open is a powerful asset. I was sure she’d continue to grow even more from here. Maybe I should help her with some extra foundational training—was what I started thinking when—

Knock knock.

“Daddy, the crow is here!”

Outside the window sat a crow—Dylan’s familiar. A call to duty.

☆

“Oh, you came.”

I had arrived at the cemetery at the outskirts of town. Dylan was waiting for me at the entrance. This place held the graves of nearly all the town’s former residents.

“Your message sounded pretty urgent. What’s going on? Another hostage barricade?”

“In a way, it’s something even more emotionally damaging.”

“What do you mean?”

“That.”

Dylan pointed deeper into the cemetery.

I looked where he was pointing—and saw someone in tattered robes. No...not someone.

A gust of wind lifted the edge of the robe slightly, revealing skin that clearly didn’t belong to the living—an undead monster. And it was dressed in the unmistakable attire of a sorcerer.

“A lich, huh.”

“Yep.”

A lich was a type of undead monster. Most took humanoid forms and were known for their ability to use magic. While many liches were naturally occurring, some used to be human mages who transformed into liches through some kind of spell or ritual. And in this case—

“Grave robbing... Is it collecting bodies?”

“Looks that way.”

“So it was once human, then.”

You couldn’t reason with a lich. Their motives were unknown, but when one started desecrating graves and gathering corpses, there was a ninety-nine percent chance it used to be human. The one in front of us likely fell into that category.

“Whatever the reason, this is a resting place for the town’s ancestors. Each of those bodies has a family.”

“Yeah... This really does hit harder than a barricade situation. All right.”

Most liches who do this kind of thing were trying to collect the corpses to take them somewhere. If we took it down before it left, we could still make it in time.

I took a deep breath and switched my mindset to battle mode. Then I unleashed my specialty magic:

Easy Arrow ex Marquinas. Volcano.

Magical arrows fired one after another, gradually increasing in speed. I aimed them straight at the lich. It responded by deploying a magic barrier, deflecting the incoming arrows.

There were two types of magical attacks: mana-based magical attacks and physical magical attacks. Mana-based attacks were, in a sense, like throwing raw magical power directly at the target—like Easy Arrow. Physical magical attacks, on the other hand, were when magic was used to create something and then launch it—like Icicle Edge, which formed icicle projectiles.

Since mana-based attacks didn’t require creating anything, they were more mana-efficient and well suited for rapid fire. The trade-off was that they were easily blocked by magic barriers.

A magic barrier, with some exceptions, typically disappeared after blocking a single magical strike. So when using mana-based attacks, it became a contest between how fast you could fire and how fast your opponent could redeploy their barrier—a kind of “mana duel.”

That was where I excelled. I had mastered a spell called Easy Arrow and developed an extra version that could fire in increasingly rapid bursts—Easy Arrow ex Marquinas. My Easy Arrow collided with the lich’s magic barrier. Each shot took down one layer of the barrier.

But the opponent was a lich—an undead sorcerer. As soon as a barrier was destroyed, it would immediately cast the next one. My Volcano spell reached its maximum firing speed, but—

“We’re neck and neck with its barrier regeneration speed,” I muttered.

“Hmm... Is this bad? Wait, is it running away?” Dylan said, narrowing his eyes.

The lich began discarding the corpses it had dug up and started to retreat. Dodging a storm of magical arrows, it gradually pulled back. In the blink of an eye, it had exited the graveyard.

“Don’t let it escape. Who knows when it’ll come back if we do.”

“Yeah.”

I agreed with Dylan’s judgment. A lich that used to be human, collecting corpses for some unknown reason... Just driving it off wasn’t enough. Who knew how soon it would return? We needed to take it down for good.

“Guess I’ve got no choice.”

“No choice about what?”

“It’s exhausting, so I don’t like doing this, but—”

Still, I couldn’t just let the lich go, so I stopped casting the Volcano spell. The hail of magic arrows stopped, and the lich, sensing its chance, turned and fled outright. I crouched down, placed both hands on the ground, and expanded a magic circle.

Deep breaths—let’s do this!

Teleport ex Marquinas.

I searched the ground, scanning for a huge boulder buried beneath it, and used Teleport to move the stone. Teleport wasn’t originally an offensive spell, but like I’d explained to Lily, I’d learned it specifically for battle. I teleported the giant boulder thirty meters into the air, directly above the fleeing lich. And not just one—three of them. Three enormous boulders, each over ten meters in diameter, hurtled down from the sky toward the lich.

“Meteoric Three Strike.”

The trio of boulders fell one after the other onto the lich. It tried to deploy a magic barrier, but against a physical magical attack, that didn’t help much. It was three massive rocks, falling from thirty meters up—a pure, crushing mass-attack.

Boom! Boom! BOOOM!

The ground shook under the weight of the strikes as the lich was smashed and obliterated.

“Come up with another brutal spell, have you?” Dylan was clearly impressed at the speed with which the situation had been resolved.

Chapter 23: My Adorable Daughter Is the Cutest Thing in the Entire World

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

Having finished his inspection, Dylan returned.

“I can confirm that the lich has been destroyed. I also verified the magical residue pattern—it’s completely gone.”

He had returned from the center of the area where the bits of the three shattered boulders now lay scattered. Hearing his report, I finally relaxed my battle stance.

“Phew...”

Fatigue washed over my entire body. Physical magic attacks consumed more mana depending on what you were creating or moving. Teleporting three massive boulders several dozen meters into the air had drained my stamina, mana, and concentration all at once.

“Good work. You really helped us. Here’s your reward.” Dylan handed me a pouch of coins. I accepted it and tucked it into my pocket. “Aren’t you going to check it?”

“I’m too tired to care. I trust you.”

“I see. Well then, good job. I’ll take care of the rest here, so you can go home.”

“Got it.”

I nodded and turned on my heel without hesitation. Leaving the scene first once the job is done—that was another hallmark of an offensive-type mage. Our main role was to defeat the enemy. Handling the aftermath, confirming details, and doing other tasks were often outside our skill set. That was why most offensive-type mages were the first to leave once the battle was over.

I was the same, and this time was no different. Without thinking much of it, I left Dylan behind and began walking back to the city alone. The fatigue hit me even harder on the way back. If there had been even just a blanket or pillow around, I probably could’ve passed out and slept right there under the stars.

Not long ago, I might’ve actually done that—slept outside or found a place to nap. But things were different now. Now, I just wanted to get back home—to the house where Lucia was waiting—as soon as I could.

By the time I made it back to the city, the sun had completely set, and night had fallen. My legs felt like two cracking twigs, but I headed straight for my house. As I walked farther into town, I finally came close enough to see my home. There were lights on. A lantern illuminated the inside warmly.

Lucia is waiting for me.

Simply thinking that didn’t make the fatigue go away, but it did give me one last burst of strength. I wanted to get inside right away.

Just as I reached about ten meters from the house, the door suddenly swung open. And from inside, Lucia came bursting out.

“Daddy!”

She threw the door wide open and came sprinting straight at me. When she was about a meter away, she jumped and clung to me.

“Daddy, welcome home!”

“Hi there. How did you know I was coming back?”

“I saw you from the window!”

“From the window?”

“Yeah!”

Still clinging to me, Lucia looked up, her face beaming. Her smile—honestly, it was angelic.

“You were by the window this whole time?”

“Yup! I waited by the window the whole time for you to come home.”

Lucia nodded enthusiastically. She had been pressed up against the window, eagerly waiting for me to return. I pictured her leaning on the window frame, resting her chin on her hands, eyes sparkling as she longed for my arrival. And then, when she finally saw me coming home, she couldn’t contain herself and burst out the door to greet me.

“So cute...”

I said it out loud without thinking—Lucia was just that adorable. She was so incredibly cute. I had already known how happy I would feel to come home after a long day and have my kid say “welcome home.” But what Lucia did today—this went a whole level above that. It filled me with a happiness I didn’t even know existed.

“Thanks, Lucia.”

“Eh heh heh.”

I scooped her up into my arms. The fatigue from work vanished like a puff of smoke. Lifting her easily, I carried her back into the house. Once inside, I closed the door behind me with one hand. The rush of air stirred something on the table, making it flutter.

“Hm? What’s that?”

“Oh! That’s a letter I wrote to you, daddy!”

“A letter?”

“Yeah! I had so many things I wanted to tell you while you were gone.”

“Really? Like what?”

“Well, I forget things easily, so I wrote them in a letter.”

“Oh...”

I was quietly touched. I’d wondered why she wrote a letter, and now that I knew, her thoughtfulness really hit me. Lucia hopped down from my arms and dashed over to the table to grab the letter.

“Here you go, daddy!”

“Thanks. Let’s see now...”

I looked over the letter. The moment I saw it start with “Dear daddy,” I was moved all over again. I kept reading, trying to hold back the overwhelming emotion that threatened to bubble over.

Sure enough, it was full of things she wanted to tell me. Like how she had drawn pictures with Squish. Or how a crow she’d never seen before landed outside the window. Or how she managed to light the lantern all by herself. All of it was little, everyday stuff from the time I was away. If you judged it by adult standards, none of it would seem worth writing a letter about. But still...it made me so happy. That my daughter took the time to write down the things she wanted to tell me—that she wanted to share her world with me in that way—was just so precious. The sweet little gesture touched me deeply.

“Thanks, Lucia.”

“Mm-hmm!”

“All right, guess I should make us some dinner. Are you hungry, little one?”

“Yeah!”

“Okay then, I’ll whip something up real quick. You can play while you wait, all right?”

“’Kay!”

All the exhaustion that had been weighing on me felt like it had completely vanished—I was riding a high that made me feel like I could do anything. And I was actually pretty hungry too, so I headed to the kitchen to get started on dinner. I picked out some ingredients, planned a meal that could be made and eaten quickly, and got to work.

In about ten minutes, I had a simple dinner ready. I dished up two portions—one for me and one for Lucia—and brought them to the table.

“Dinner’s ready!”

I called out to her. She wasn’t nearby, so I figured she’d wandered back to the bedroom to play.

“Lucia?” I called as I walked toward the room.

And there she was—fast asleep next to Squish. The dragon had curled up on the floor and fallen asleep already, and Lucia had snuggled up beside it, curled up in the same way, softly breathing in her sleep.

She’d been so lively and alert just moments ago—and now this. The sight of her made me smile again.

She was so cute.

It’s not uncommon for kids to just crash the moment they hit their limit, and Lucia was no exception. But still, she’d pushed herself to stay up just so she could see me come home—that alone meant the world to me. It warmed my heart. I’d come back from work worn-out and drained...but the cuteness of my daughter healed me two, three times over. All the fatigue I’d been carrying? Completely gone.

“You really are the cutest daughter in the whole wide world, Lucia.”

I said that softly, then gently tucked her into bed.

And after that, I sat down and ate dinner alone.

Chapter 24: This Doting Dad Can’t Shut Up

Clang-clang!

The doorbell rang as I pushed the door open and stepped inside.

“Welcome— Oh! Mr. Marquinas.”

From behind the counter emerged Liana, a shop assistant at the magical tools store Distance whom I’d come to know pretty well lately. She greeted me with a warm smile.

“What brings you in today?”

“Just restocking some supplies. First, I’ll take three potions.”

“Potions? I didn’t know you used potions too, Mr. Marquinas.”

“I use them like anyone else. Plus, I’ve got someone I’m looking after right now.”

“Oh, you mean the apprentice everyone’s been talking about?”

“Talking about?”

I blinked.

She was referring to Lily, of course—but what exactly had people been saying?

“Yes! Being your apprentice, she’s kind of become a person of interest, you know?”

“Well, isn’t that something,” I said with a wry smile.

I hadn’t expected my apprentice to be getting that kind of attention just by association.

“Sorry if that was a strange thing to say. So, three potions. Anything else you need?”

“I’ll take a look around the shop first.”

“Of course!”

I gave her a nod and began browsing the shelves. Magical tools of all shapes and purposes lined them. Some were locked behind glass cases, and Liana trailed behind me so she could open them if I needed. Shops like this one often got in new inventions or rare, one-of-a-kind items crafted by master artisans. Since I occasionally needed things for work, I made it a habit to stop by and check.

“So,” Liana said as we strolled through the aisles, “how’s your daughter doing?”

At that moment, I could practically feel my mood shoot through the roof.

“Oh, oh! You’ve got to hear this. The other day, Lucia and Squish—oh, Squish’s our pet dragon, by the way—”

“O-Oh, okay.” Liana was clearly being swept away by my energy, but I wasn’t about to stop. If someone knew Lucia, then I had to share a cute Lucia story with them.

“So Lucia and Squish were playing together, right? But Squish got tired first and curled up by the window for a nap.”

“A baby dragon? That must’ve been adorable.”

“Exactly! But then, while they were sleeping, the vein near its temple started twitching—like they were getting mad in their dream.”

“Oh?”

“And guess what Lucia did!” I leaned in, grinning.

“U-Um...” Liana hesitated.

I leaned in, getting way too close, and Liana instinctively pulled back a little.

“She started squishing the vein! Like she was massaging it or something!”

“Massaging it?”

“Yeah! And after a little while, the vein went back down. And then Lucia goes all quiet and in a tiny whisper, says, ‘good.’ Isn’t that adorable?!”

“Y-Yes, that’s definitely cute.”

“And then it happened again! Squish kept napping, and another vein popped up in a different spot. So Lucia massaged that one too, and it went down again. Then another vein, another massage, and poof, gone again.”

“W-Wow...”

“She just kept squishing and rubbing all its little veins—blue veins or whatever—like she was its personal masseuse. Isn’t that adorable?”

“Yes, it really is cute.”

“Right?!” I said, leaning in even more, passionately emphasizing my point.

It felt so good to have someone who appreciated how adorable Lucia was. I was on a roll. Then, something on the nearby shelf caught my eye—a small bracelet. I picked it up and looked at it closely.

“This is nice. Cute. It’d look perfect on Lucia’s little arm while she’s massaging Squish.”

“Ah, that one has really low conductivity. It wouldn’t break on a child, but it probably wouldn’t be useful at all—”

“It’s fine. It’s cute!”

“Eh? Uh...okay...”

Liana gave me a slightly bewildered look. I kept scanning the shop, looking around eagerly. The shop was full of magical tools, but honestly, I couldn’t see anything except stuff that would suit Lucia.

“Ooh, this ribbon is cute. She’d totally rock it.”

“Oh, that actually grants resistance to blindness. A lot of female magic users are buying them lately, especially with the increase in wraith-type monsters—”

“It’s cute. I’ll take it. She’ll look great in it. Next...”

“Um... I don’t think that would be useful for your daughter either—”

“It’s okay. As long as it’s cute.”

Liana’s expression slowly turned into a kind of helpless concern. But I ignored it entirely and kept browsing.

“Hmm?”

That was when I saw it. Tucked away in a corner shelf labeled Junk Items—a cluttered space where all sorts of old and worn magical tools were piled up. Something half buried in the heap caught my eye. I reached in and pulled it out: a tarnished ring with a deep blue gem set in its center. I turned it over in my hand...and I just knew.

“Oh, that one? We just bought it recently. It doesn’t seem to work very well, and it’s pretty old, so we just threw it in with the junk—”

“An Inflate Ring, huh? Haven’t seen one of these in ages.”

“Inflate Ring? It’s got a name?”

Liana’s eyes widened in surprise.

“I see. So you figured it was junk.”

“Wh-What do you mean?”

“This is basically a magical tool that works like a wand—it helps cast spells.”

“O-Okay...”

“No matter who uses it, it outputs at the level of a D-class mage.”

“No matter who uses it? Isn’t that kind of...useless?”

“Not really. See, there are people out there with a little bit of magic in them—not enough to pass a mage certification test, but just a trace of power. The Magic Society doesn’t officially classify them, but you could call them E-class or lower. This item ‘gives them a boost’ so they can perform D-class level magic.”

“Wait, seriously?! That’s amazing!”

“Go ahead—try using Light with the ring on.”

“Uh, okay— Oh! It worked! I can use magic!”

Liana stared at her glowing fingertip in astonishment. Even people with barely a hint of magical power could use basic D-class spells—like a simple Light spell—thanks to the ring.

There were two main uses for a tool like this:

One—so people could experience magic for the first time.

Two—so those with potential but not enough ability yet could practice with training wheels and get their bodies used to the process.

“In any case, this isn’t junk. It could easily sell for a few thousand pinar.”

“Y-Yes! Thank you so much for explaining!”

Liana quickly removed the ring and gave me a deep bow of gratitude.

“Mm.”

I returned to browsing the shelves. And that was when I found it—the cutest magical accessory yet. Something that, without question, Lucia would look absolutely perfect wearing. I didn’t even notice Liana mumbling to herself, “So he really is an amazing mage...” All I could see was the image of Lucia.

“This is so cute. Lucia would look adorable in this!”

Chapter 25: There’s a Reason for This Price

On a seemingly ordinary afternoon, a familiar man showed up, looking anything but ordinary. At first glance, you might even guess he was on the verge of death.

“Mr. Marquinas...”

There was a weak knock at the door. Curious, I opened it to find a well-built young man standing there with a worn-out face.

“Bart? What happened? Ah, right, it’s about that time of year, isn’t it?”

The moment I saw Bart’s face, a certain memory came to mind. From there, I could guess what was going to come next.

“Anyway, come on in.”

“Yes, sir...”

Bart slumped his shoulders and entered the house as invited. After I pulled out a chair for him in the living room, Lucia came over.

“Daddy, do we have a guest?”

“Yeah. We’ve got work stuff to talk about, so go play with Squish in the other room.”

“Okay, got it!”

Lucia, always obedient, headed off toward the bedroom where she usually played with Squish. But she suddenly stopped mid-step, turned around, and came back.

“What is it?”

“Um...I love you, daddy.”

“Thanks. I love you too, little one.”

“Hee hee.”

Apparently satisfied, she finally made her way to the bedroom. She did this kind of thing from time to time. Out of the blue, with no warning or context, Lucia would suddenly say, “I love you, daddy.”

Like when she was drawing with Squish—she’d stop, come over, and say, “I love you, daddy.” Or when she was gulping down juice and cake at a café terrace, she’d suddenly look up and say, “I love you, daddy.” Or even when I was training my magic at night beside her when she was sleeping, she’d suddenly wake up, rub her eyes, and say, “I love you, daddy.” No rhyme or reason—she would just tell me she loved me. And that randomness made it all the more adorable.

After Lucia left for the bedroom, I turned back to Bart and sat down across from him.

“Sorry. I’ve been so wrapped up in parenting this year that I didn’t realize the time had come again.”

“No... I should be the one apologizing. It’s just...”

“Hm?”

“At first, the village decided to ask someone else this year.”

“I see.”

I nodded understandingly. Bart lived in a small village about two hours south of here. Once a year, a certain monster appeared in that village. For the past ten years, I’d gone there each year to take care of it.

It was only about a five-day stay each time, but I’d grown fond of the place—and of the familiar faces like Bart’s. So to hear they’d considered hiring someone else behind my back was honestly a bit of a surprise.

“Mind if I ask why?”

“Well...the thing is, hiring an S-class mage is, um, kind of expensive...”

“Ah, I see.”

I gave a wry smile and cut Bart off before he had to say more. In other words, they thought my rates were too high and decided to go with someone cheaper. It was a story I’d heard plenty of times before.

If you were part of the association, your job fee was determined by your rank. I was classified as an unrestricted S-class, which meant my reward rates were on the higher side. Up until last year, a portion of that fee was being donated to the church to get a divine child, so I never haggled or demanded more. I accepted a fair S-class payment. However, from the village’s perspective, that was simply too much.

“So? You couldn’t find anyone else to take the job? That thing’s pretty nasty, so I imagine it’s hard to find a mage willing to face it.”

“Well, actually...um...”

“Hm?”

Bart looked uneasy again. I tilted my head slightly, silently prompting him. He hesitated for a moment, but then seemed to realize there was no point in stalling and finally opened up.

“Guy—one of the younger guys in the village—said he knew someone who’d do it for cheap. He brought in a group of four, and we hired them, but...”

“They failed to take it down? Or worse—let me guess. They made it angry and now it’s rampaging?”

Bart nodded silently but heavily. I nodded back.

“Figures.”

That kind of thing happened all too often in monster extermination. One of the golden rules was to take the thing out in one swift strike while you had the upper hand. Most monsters act on instinct, and most of those instincts revolve around violence and killing.

They say that the most dangerous beast is a wounded one. The same applies to monsters—a hurt monster becomes more aggressive and far more difficult to deal with. That was why, in monster hunts, the key was to strike decisively—never leave them wounded and still breathing. Scraping by with a narrow victory isn’t just dangerous—it’s a recipe for disaster.

“Ever since those guys got trashed, the situation in the village is—”

“Beyond the pale, I’m assuming.”

Failing to take the monster down is the worst outcome. Just like humans can grow stronger by overcoming challenges, monsters can get stronger too—especially when they survive a fight against a halfway decent mage. That’s another reason monster extermination should always be done quickly, all at once.

“So that’s why you’re here. I understand. Leave it to me,” I answered without hesitation.

Bart had looked like the weight of the world was crushing him just moments ago, with his brows nearly knit together in despair—but now he looked relieved, almost happy, like he’d just found salvation.

I’d been involved with this village for ten years. Abandoning it was never an option.

☆

When I arrived at the village with Bart, the sight that greeted us was devastating. The village entrance was half destroyed, and deep within the village, something was rampaging. We could hear the alternating roars and rumbling tremors loud and clear.

“Bart! Oh... Mr. Marquinas...”

One of the village youths came running toward us. I recognized him too. When he saw me, his expression turned sheepish and awkward.

“I’m sorry, um...”

“Don’t worry about that. What’s the situation?”

“Everyone in the village has evacuated, but the monster is still rampaging inside.”

“What about the other group? Are they at least keeping it contained?”

“Keeping it contained...?”

The young man looked blank. Then, still wearing that confused expression, he turned and glanced behind him. I followed his gaze and saw what looked like a party of four mages. Two were injured, and the other two were tending to them.

“That’s all of them?”

“Yes.”

“So no one’s keeping it contained...?”

“Uh...right.”

The youth nodded hesitantly, clearly still not understanding what I meant by “keeping it contained.” It hadn’t been some technical term or secret code. I had just meant keeping the monster distracted to prevent further destruction—drawing its attention away, maybe with hit-and-run tactics, to buy time until reinforcements arrived. Doing this could significantly reduce the damage sustained before help arrived—but clearly, no such effort had been made here.

I walked over to the mage party. All four were men. One of the injured was unconscious and in critical condition. The other two didn’t appear to be physically hurt, but they looked completely crushed mentally.

“Did you use healing magic?” I asked, looking down at the four of them.

“W-We did, but we ran out of mana halfway through...”

“Use this.”

I said that and tossed a bottled potion over to them. I turned to the uninjured man.

“Can you still use offensive magic?”

“Y-Yeah, I can...but not against that thing...”

The man was trembling all over. He was completely intimidated—ready to bolt at any moment.

“That’s fine. I’ll give you a signal. When you see it, just blast a spell into the sky on the opposite side. Doesn’t matter what it is. Can you handle that?”

“Eh? Uh... I...”

“Is that too much for you?”

“N-No, I can manage that much.”

“Good.”

I nodded, then turned to Bart.

“At this rate, some houses are probably going to get wrecked. Just a heads-up.”

“Y-Yes! Of course. We trust you! Please do what you must!”

“Right.”

I gave another nod and began walking in the direction of the rampaging monster. Cutting straight through the village, I soon saw the beast smashing up the empty houses in a blind fury.

The monster was a familiar face by now, one I encountered every year: the Rotdragon Draugr.

It was zombielike, with half of its body rotted away and its bones and internal organs exposed. It was the size of a large dragon, easily able to crush a farmhouse in one swipe. And now, the creature was going wild in a full-blown tantrum.

“Easy Arrow.”

I transmuted my arm into an ultra-magical conduit, raised it forward, and fired a magical arrow. The bolt of mana struck the unsuspecting Draugr squarely. But it barely did any damage.

Though it looked decayed, the Draugr’s body was extremely resistant to outside attacks, with a hide as tough as steel. Though it lacked a magic barrier, both mana-based and physical magic attacks were mostly ineffective against it.

The Draugr turned toward me after being hit.

“Been a while, big guy.”

“ROOOAAARRRHHH!”

The Rotdragon Draugr froze for just a moment when it saw me—but then let out a roar even more furious than before. Its half-clouded eyes were bloodshot with rage as it tilted its head to the sky and let out an earsplitting howl.

As it did, foul liquid began to spew from its entire body, like the kind you’d see from decomposing corpses or spoiled meat or fish. The splatter melted through what remained of the buildings it hit, reducing them to sludge.

Some of it splashed toward me too, but I had anticipated that and quickly dodged. Since the rot-juice was a physical substance, magical barriers couldn’t block it.

The Rotdragon Draugr was an immortal monster. Even if you completely obliterated it, it’d eventually come back. Divine magic can purify the undead, but unlike most of them, the Draugr returned even after being purified. We’d been stuck in this rotten relationship for over a decade—he revived, I took him down. Rinse and repeat. Maybe that was why he’d flown into such a rage the moment he saw me, eyes bloodshot with hate.

“How convenient.”

I turned on my heel and bolted. The Rotdragon Draugr came barreling after me. It spewed rot-juice as it gave chase, causing even more destruction to the village homes along the way—but that couldn’t be helped at this point.

I ran as fast as I could, leading the Draugr out of the village. I lured it to a barren wasteland beyond the fields—an area with no houses or farmland. As soon as we arrived—

Light. Teleport.

I cast Light and sent the beam shooting straight up, trying not to draw attention to the spell. When I glanced up, a small sunlike sphere hovered dozens of meters above us. That was the signal.

“Right on cue.”

Far away in the opposite sky, an explosion lit up—a firework spell, just as I’d ordered from one of the mages. The Rotdragon Draugr turned its head at the sound, momentarily distracted. Its attention shifted away from me, and it froze in place.

“Don’t move! Teleport!”

I crouched low and placed both hands on the ground. This spell enabled the instant teleportation of objects. I teleported a chunk of the earth—a rock I was touching—inside the Rotdragon Draugr. Right into its guts.

Pinpoint teleportation was already difficult, but doing it into the body of a living creature? That was even harder. That was why I’d needed the firework—a diversion to create the perfect opening. Once the rock entered its body, the Draugr’s movement immediately slowed. The extra mass made it heavy.

I didn’t stop, sending more and more rocks into it. Eventually, the creature swelled grotesquely—puffed up like an overstuffed balloon. And finally—it burst. It ripped apart, exploding into massive chunks of flesh. Even then—

“ROOOAAARRRHHH!”

The Rotdragon Draugr still roared defiantly. As expected of an immortal creature.

“See you next year.”

With those parting words, I set the meat ablaze. I unleashed my most powerful flame spell, Inferno. Even with a body as tough as steel that could shrug off magical attacks, once I’d ripped it apart and exposed its insides, the fire could reach them.

Years ago, I’d figured out this trait—its vulnerability from within—and refined my method ever since. As the inferno burst from below, engulfing the unmoving Draugr, it resisted at first due to its high magical resistance. But in its exploded, immobile state, I hit it all at once. I didn’t stop until every last piece was incinerated. Not even a sliver remained—only ash.

“Phew...”

With the job done, I wiped the sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand. Even after going this far, that thing would still come back a year later. What a ridiculous opponent, I thought.

Come to think of it, I’d been using the same strategy for the past three years. Starting next year, it might start adapting, so I figured I should come up with a new method just in case.

At any rate, this year’s job was done. I turned around and saw Bart, along with the two mages who had been mentally broken earlier, standing there. I hadn’t even noticed them arrive.

“A-Amazing...”

“You do this...every year...?”

The two were stunned—shocked, bewildered, and in awe. Having failed themselves, they seemed to grasp just how incredible the feat had been.

“Thank you so much, Mr. Marquinas!”

“I made sure it was properly killed. Next time, give me a heads-up earlier, yeah?”

“Of course! Really, thank you!”

Bart bowed deeply in gratitude.

As a combat mage, the best thing I could do was eliminate threats before they caused damage. The Rotdragon Draugr was powerful enough to wipe out an entire village if left alone—but with proper notice, I could take it down without a single casualty. Praying that they wouldn’t skimp next year and would call on me again, I left the village behind.

Chapter 26: The Value of Money

One afternoon, when I was in the living room, keeping an eye on Lily’s magic training and watching Lucia and Squish play, there came a knock at the door.

“Who could that be?” asked Lily.

“Lily, just keep practicing for now,” I interrupted her, then stood up and headed to the front door. When I opened it—

“Oh... Lady Hannah.”

Standing there was an elderly woman dressed like a farmer: Hannah, the countess of this region. Despite being a noblewoman, she was dressed like she’d just finished a morning’s work in the fields.

“Grandma’s here?!” Hearing my words, Lucia ran over from where she was playing with Squish. “Grandma!”

“Lucia, have you been doing well?”

“Yup!”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

Lucia threw her arms around Hannah, who smiled softly and patted her on the head.

“Sir? Who’s that?” Lily asked.

“Oh, she’s a friend of mine—an old lady who really dotes on Lucia.”

I paused for a second, choosing to leave out the fact that she was a countess. It’d just make things complicated and hard to explain. I invited Hannah inside.

After we all sat down around the living room table and things settled a bit, I asked Hannah.

“What brings you here today?”

“I brought Lucia a delicious daikon radish today.”

“A daikon?”

Lily looked puzzled—and that was fair. If you didn’t know the backstory, that’d be a strange gift.

“Hannah grows vegetables on her farm, and Lucia once said the daikon from there was really tasty.”

“I see.”

“Which is all well and good, but...” I took a closer look at the cloth bundle she’d brought, now sitting on the table. I could tell from the shape that it probably had daikon inside. That much was clear. But—

“You brought it straight from the field?”

“Yes, I did.”

“I know you told us that daikon is as sweet as fruit right after harvest. But once it’s picked and transported...” I trailed off, glancing at Lucia. She tilted her head up and looked at me, wide-eyed and clueless. Hannah, true to her appearance, was an elderly lady. And from her farm to here, the distance was...not exactly short. It was short enough to bring fresh vegetables, sure. But just-picked? That was pushing it.

“I made sure not to cut any corners.”

Hannah smiled warmly as she opened the bundle. Inside was a box. At first glance, it looked like an ordinary box—but no, it wasn’t!

“Wait...is that a Cold Chain container?!”

“Oh my, you recognized it just by looking?”

“Sir? What’s a Cold Chain container? It looks like a normal box to me.”

Lily asked curiously. She was right—it did look like an ordinary box at first glance. But I sensed a faint, distinct magical signature coming from it, which tipped me off. Hannah had then confirmed my suspicions. I explained to Lily.

“A Cold Chain container is a single-use magical tool originally developed to keep food at a constant temperature. But nowadays, they’ve been improved so that whatever you put inside stays just as fresh as it was at the moment you sealed it.”

“Wow, really? That’s amazing!”

Lily listened with interest, clearly impressed. But since she didn’t know much about them, that reaction was fairly mild. As someone who did know how rare and expensive those boxes were, I couldn’t let it go that easily.

“Those Cold Chain boxes...even the cheapest ones cost at least a thousand pinar.”

“What?!”

Now Lily was truly shocked. A thousand pinar. That was roughly a full day’s wage for an adult man doing hard labor in town. And more importantly—

“How many daikon radishes are in there?”

“Just one.”

“A single daikon... If you bought that in town, it’d cost ten, maybe twenty pinar at most. And you’re telling me you used a Cold Chain box...?”

Hannah had used a container worth one hundred times the cost of the vegetable to deliver a single, ordinary daikon. I wouldn’t go as far as to call it absurdly wasteful, but...

“Sweet little Lucia said she loved my daikon. That alone makes it worth the price.”

“I mean, it’s not exactly cheap...”

“You love my daikons, don’t you, Lucia?”

“Yup! I love grandma’s daikon!”

Lucia beamed with joy. Hannah melted with affection, her face practically glowing with doting warmth. Well... If someone as cute as Lucia tells you she likes something, then even a precious single-use item worth a thousand pinar is probably nothing to you. I couldn’t help but be impressed. Hannah truly was a countess.

She opened the box and pulled out a daikon, which was still glistening like it had just been picked from the field. She peeled it in the kitchen and gave it to Lucia. She even fed some to Squish.

“It’s so yummy!”

“I’m glad you like it.”

Lucia was overjoyed, and Hannah’s eyes practically disappeared with how wide she was smiling. Watching the two of them—especially Hannah—Lily looked on with a puzzled expression.

“Sir...is she, like, someone really important?”

“She’s just a grandma who spoils her granddaughter.”

I gave a wry smile as I answered. The way she kept bringing something Lucia had said she liked just once—it was the classic behavior of a doting grandmother.

☆

The next day, I was supervising Lily’s magic training again when Lucia came over from another room where she’d been doing something.

“Daddy. I’m going to grandma’s house.”

She suddenly made this bold declaration.

“To grandma’s? Why?”

“Yesterday I asked big sis what I could do to thank grandma.”

“Huh.”

I was a little surprised and looked toward Lily. She was diligently practicing her magic, but at that moment she gave me a sheepish, slightly troubled look.

“I’m sorry... Lucia was just so serious about it.”

“No, it’s fine. So, she said going to see Hannah—grandma—was the way to go?”

“Um, yeah. When I was a kid, the first time I went to my grandma’s house by myself—not with my parents—she was so happy about it.”

“Ah...”

I nodded. It was easy to picture the scene. When children visit their grandparents, it’s usually with their parents. But the first time a child musters up the courage to go on their own, it often becomes a memorable moment—something the grandparents treasure even more than usual. In that sense, Lily’s suggestion was spot-on.

“That’s solid advice.”

“Thank you.”

“I wrote a thank-you letter for grandma, so I’m going to deliver it all by myself.”

“Hmm...”

I understood what she wanted. I understood—but still. If Lucia said she wanted to go alone, that meant she really wanted to go alone. Hmm. I tilted my head, thinking hard.

“No?” Lucia asked me in a small, dejected voice.

“Not no, not exactly...”

If it were truly dangerous or unreasonable, I would stop her. But Lucia wanted to deliver a thank-you letter to Hannah on her own—how could I say no to something so kind? I thought for a moment. If that was the case, then at the very least...

“Lucia. Can you summon me?”

“I can!”

She nodded and activated her summoning magic. Lucia Marquinas—an A-class summoner. Despite her age, she possessed magical potential greater than mine. With ease, she summoned something that looked like me. Well—basically me, but way more handsome and sparkly.

Handsome Light.

“Um, could you make it look exactly like me instead?”

“But it does look exactly like you!” Lucia replied instantly, tilting her head in confusion. As I suspected—or maybe I should say “of course”—in Lucia’s eyes, this glittering, over-the-top version of me was what I looked like. That was...well, flattering. But not exactly practical. Still, I guessed it was fine. It was obviously a beautified version of me, but anyone who knew me would still recognize it as Light Marquinas. And it would work as a decent weirdo deterrent, if nothing else.

“All right. Then go ahead and take that one with you.”

“This daddy? Why?”

“Grandma will be even happier if he’s with you.”

“Hmm...okay!”

She clearly didn’t get it, but she agreed without protest. And so, Lucia set off—hand in hand with her summoned Handsome Light. Lily and I saw her off. Then I turned to Lily.

“I’m heading out for a bit.”

“Eh? Where to?”

“To the magic tool shop.”

☆

“Welcome!”

Inside the magic tool shop the clerk, Liana, was manning the counter as usual. I entered the shop with Lily and immediately asked:

“Do you have a Rippelé?”

“Rippelé? We do, but...well, it’s in short supply right now. The only ones we have are the pricier kind—three thousand pinar.”

“I’ll take it,” I answered instantly, pulled out the money I’d brought, and counted out the exact amount onto the counter. “Thank you very much.”

“Please come again.”

I thanked Liana and stepped out of the shop with the Rippelé in hand. As we walked out together, Lily asked, “What kind of tool is that?”

“Oh, it’s for seeing things from far away. There are spells for that too, but that magic can’t be used for combat, so I’ve never been good with it.”

“A tool for seeing far... What are you trying to look at?”

“This.”

I demonstrated the Rippelé. It was a magical item—a magic tool with special effects—that resembled a small hand mirror. In its reflective surface, I could see Lucia walking down the main street of town, hand in hand with the Handsome Light she had summoned.

“Oh, it’s Lucia!”

“Using the Rippelé, I can watch over her from a distance without being noticed.”

“Wait... You bought that just to watch over Lucia?”

“Yeah.”

“For three thousand pinar?”

“Yeah.”

I nodded firmly. Being able to watch over Lucia from afar was worth every coin.

“You’re just like Miss Hannah...”

Lily muttered something under her breath. And so, with Lily in tow, I trailed after Lucia—keeping a respectful distance, watching over her unseen through the Rippelé. I kept watching until she found Hannah and the two of them smiled at each other, glowing with joy.

Chapter 27: My Adorable Daughter’s Divine Magic

One afternoon, I found myself at the nearby park with Lucia and Squish. I sat on a bench, watching over the two of them as they played.

Lucia was building something in the sandbox while Squish scurried around nearby. Lucia had always had a gift for turning imagination into form. It was an important skill—and a kind of innate talent—when it came to using magic.

Lucia was officially recognized as an A-class mage before she was even a year old. Combined with her talent for shaping magical images into reality, everyone agreed she had a bright future ahead.

“At this rate, her becoming the world’s greatest mage is only a matter of time.”

I muttered this to myself as I sat back on the bench, watching her. As her proud father, I couldn’t wait to see that future unfold.

“Oh?”

It looked like Lucia had finished her current creation. She had used wet, kneaded sand to sculpt a figure—Squish. It was incredibly detailed, so much so that it wouldn’t look out of place as a work of art on display. It looked exactly like Squish.

“Sqwoo!”

Seeing it, the real Squish went wild with excitement. So thrilled to see a sand replica of itself, it jumped up and down over and over again, unable to contain its joy. After repeating this little celebration a few times, it got a bit too enthusiastic—jumping and flopping backward in midair, landing hard on the back of its head.

“Sqwoo...”

Its energy completely deflated, it now looked utterly miserable. A large bump had formed on the back of its head, and tears welled up in the corners of its eyes.

“Squish, does it hurt?”

“Sqwoo...”

“Pain, pain...go away!”

With a classic gesture, Lucia tried to comfort Squish. At that moment, a magic circle appeared above her head.

“So cute— Wait, huh?”

I was watching their usual heartwarming interaction when I noticed it. The magic circle above her—wait a second...

“D-Divine magic?!”

While I stood there stunned, a gentle healing light—likely a healing spell—enveloped Squish’s bump and soothed it away without a trace.

☆

Lucia, Squish, and the head priest, Eldary, were inside the church. Standing before Eldary, Lucia once again cast divine magic. And once more, a magic circle appeared above her head.

There are two types of magic.

Normal magic produces a circle beneath your feet. But divine magic, which draws upon the power of the gods, forms its magic circle above the caster’s head. That was what Lucia used—and more importantly...

“This is astounding. Miss Lucia is casting divine magic using her own mana.”

“I know, right?!”

That was what had shocked me and driven me to rush here with Lucia in tow. Divine magic was said to be usable only by clergy—those who serve God. That was the common understanding. But as a mage myself, I knew the insider truth—divine magic is supposed to be cast by borrowing divine power. That was the real rule behind the scenes. So when I saw Lucia cast it using only her own magic, I was stunned—and ran straight here.

“Daddy... Did I do something bad?”

Seeing how shocked Eldary and I were, Lucia looked anxious.

“No, no, not at all. You didn’t do anything bad.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“But...”

Even as I tried to reassure her, Lucia still looked to Eldary with worry in her eyes.

“It’s truly all right,” Eldary said, smiling gently in the calm, serene way only a priest could.

“You’ve done nothing wrong, Miss Lucia. Your father and I—we’re just surprised because what you did is incredible.”

His tone toward Lucia was even more polite than when speaking to me. Was it because Lucia was a divine child? Thanks to that respectful tone, Lucia seemed to relax and let go of her unease.

“I’m glad.”

“It truly is remarkable.”

Now shifting to a more relaxed, conversational tone, Eldary addressed me.

“A divine child who can wield divine magic using only her own mana... It’s been at least thirty years since I’ve seen anyone else like her.”

“Oh—so it’s not unheard of, then?”

“No, there have been precedents. Very few, but yes.”

“I see...”

I let out a small breath of relief. If it had been something completely unprecedented, that would’ve made me a little uneasy—but knowing it had happened before was reassuring.

“Um, do we know why she can do something like this?”

“I’m afraid we don’t,” Eldary answered without hesitation.

Despite admitting he didn’t know, there wasn’t the slightest trace of confusion or concern in his demeanor. I wondered why that was—but then I kind of understood.

“Why can a child of the divine do such things? It is the will of God. Surely it stems from something far beyond our understanding.”

“Ah...I see.”

It was a very devotee way of putting things. Honestly, to someone like me—who wasn’t all that devout—that kind of neat conclusion made me think, Umm, okay? But I decided not to overthink it.

“But we do believe.”

“Believe in what?”

“That all divine children are equal in the eyes of God. And if that’s true, then perhaps you, her parent, were the one acknowledged by the divine.”

“Me?”

“Yes.”

“Uh...right...”

Being told I was recognized by God didn’t exactly compute—but, well...

“Daddy?”

“Looks like this means you’ll be able to use even more kinds of magic, huh?”

“Yeah!”

Lucia looked so genuinely happy that I figured that was all that mattered. I turned back to Eldary.

“So there are precedents, right? Is there anything I should watch out for going forward?”

“Let’s see...”

☆

After leaving the church, I took Lucia and Squish out for a meal to celebrate this new discovery. We ate some delicious food and hung around town for a bit, and by the time we headed home, Lucia was completely exhausted. I ended up giving her a piggyback all the way back. As soon as we got home, she collapsed onto the bed and was sound asleep in seconds.

I pulled a blanket over her and Squish, who had curled up beside her, and quietly closed the door. Back in the living room, now alone, I recalled what Eldary had told me.

“Until your child becomes independent, stay stronger than them.”

That had been his answer when I asked what I should do.

He’d given two reasons.

One was practical: for a parent to properly guide and protect a child, it’s best if they can overpower them magically. If the child makes a mistake or loses control, the parent needs to be able to respond. That made sense.

The other was emotional: so that, until the child grows up and finds their own way, the parent can serve as a figure to look up to—a steady presence. Being the stronger one helps support that role. That made sense as well.

In other words, from Lucia’s perspective, I needed to act like I was stronger—magically and otherwise.

I remembered the last time Lucia had her magic measured. Her raw potential was so vast it shattered the measuring device. She still couldn’t wield it fully or consistently, so for now, I was still ahead in terms of controllable magic output. But if she kept growing at this pace, that wouldn’t last for long.

If I wanted to raise Lucia right, I had to grow stronger. The goal was clear. Easy to understand.

“Guess I’ll start that training again.”

I opened a drawer and pulled out a thick metal spike—its tip sharpened like a giant needle. I hadn’t used it in a while. It had just been collecting dust. I set it upright on the floor, the spike standing tall.

“Deep breath...”

I inhaled, then released a slow breath as I began channeling mana. I concentrated it through my entire body, especially my lower half. Once I’d completely coated myself in magic, I sat down—right on top of the spike. Maintaining that magical coating was the only thing preventing it from piercing through me. This was one form of foundational training. It honed both mana control and maximum output. It was ridiculously harsh training, which was probably why I’d stopped doing it. But—

“I’ve got to do my best.”

I said the words aloud, locking in my resolve. With my beloved daughter’s face flashing through my mind, I pushed myself to get back into the grueling rhythm. For Lucia’s sake, I had to grow stronger—much, much stronger. And so, I resumed my most punishing training regimen.

Chapter 28: You’re Amazing, Daddy!

Late one night, in a quiet field on the outskirts of town, Lucia and I stood alone on what used to be a battlefield. I conjured four Light spells, turning the area around us as bright as midday. Even in the dead of night, with no other sources of illumination, our surroundings were now lit in perfect clarity.

We waited.

And then, from the ground, something began to rise, bubbling and shifting, as if the earth itself were sprouting life. It looked like seeds breaking through the soil, only much faster—dozens, no, hundreds of times faster.

What emerged were walking piles of bones clad in tattered rags and crumbling leather armor. These monsters were appropriately referred to as “Skeletons.”

“Wow...they really move,” Lucia said, her eyes wide with curiosity.

Skeletons belonged to the undead class of monsters. Most people feared them instinctively—just the sight of one would send many running. But it was Lucia’s first time seeing them, and rather than frightened, she looked genuinely intrigued.

“Daddy.”

“Give it a try,” I told her. “Whatever happens, I’ve got your back.”

“Okay!” she replied, nodding resolutely.

She faced forward and extended both arms. Magic began to gather in her hands. Then, above her head, a glowing magic circle appeared. Magic in this world was divided into two broad types: ordinary magic, used by humans and other living beings with their own mana, and divine magic, invoked by borrowing the power of the gods.

Normal spells formed their circles beneath the caster—on the ground. Divine spells manifested overhead—above the caster’s head. There were more technical differences in the patterns and formulas, but for most people, it was enough to know: Circles below meant standard magic and circles above meant divine magic. And Lucia’s circle was above. Ergo, she was casting a divine spell.

“Turn Undead.”

She spoke the incantation calmly but clearly. A glowing orb of light emerged from the circle. It hovered briefly in the air, then exploded with a brilliant flash. The light that filled the plain was brighter than all four of my spells combined.

“Incredible...”

I almost raised a hand to shield my eyes—but didn’t need to. It was as bright as the sun, maybe even brighter, and yet it didn’t dazzle or sting to look at.

Compared to a single Light spell, which would make you squint if you stared too long, this was something else entirely. This wasn’t normal light. This was divine light. The light of God.

Bathed in its glow, the Skeletons that had clawed their way up from the ground crumbled like puppets with their strings cut and sank silently back into the earth.

Turn Undead was a divine magic spell. Judging by the way it was cast, it seemed to consume a fair amount of power—but in exchange, it bathed undead monsters in divine light, purging them instantly and rendering them unable to move. The moment Lucia released her Turn Undead, the dozen or so Skeletons crawling out of the earth were all purified in one go.

“How was that, daddy?”

“Amazing, little one. Really impressive.”

“Hee hee...”

When I praised her and patted her on the head, she closed her eyes happily, absolutely beaming with joy.

“Oh!”

Lucia suddenly noticed something. Following her gaze, I saw it too—another Skeleton was crawling its way out from underground.

“They’re back again.”

“Looks like it. Lucia, do you still have enough mana?”

“Yep! Totally fine.”

“All right then. Wait. Let’s hold off until there’s about ten of them again, then hit them all at once.”

“Got it.”

I stood back and watched over her.

This Skeleton extermination was actually a request from the church. When it came to weak but numerous undead, it was typically the church’s responsibility. Ordinarily, they’d send a team of a dozen or more clerics and followers. Together, they’d pray to the gods and, through divine grace, invoke Turn Undead to cleanse the area.

But this time, they’d come to us. It was a trial run, so to speak—because Lucia was a divine child and capable of using divine magic. Of course, it helped that her father—yours truly—was an S-class mage and was standing by her side.

And so, what would usually require a dozen trained clerics was now being handled by a single little girl.

Just as I’d instructed, Lucia waited until ten Skeletons had emerged before casting Turn Undead. Each time, the undead were purified. And each time, more crawled up to take their place. Still, Lucia waited patiently for the exact moment ten had gathered.

“One...two...three...four...nine...ten! Turn Undead!”

She counted them off with all the focus in the world, pointing at each bubbling Skeleton as it emerged. Watching her concentrate so earnestly, I couldn’t help but murmur, “So cute.”

She was so adorable I felt like hugging her tight and rubbing my cheek against hers. After a few more rounds—dozens of Skeletons purified in total—

“...nine, ten! Turn Undead! Hmm?”

“What’s wrong, Lucia?”

“One of them didn’t disappear. Maybe it’s not a Skeleton?”

“Hm? Wait...that one—”

I followed Lucia’s pointing finger and spotted it. Standing among the crumbling Skeletons was one creature that clearly didn’t belong. It looked like a knight in ornate armor riding a horse—dignified, even majestic.

But there was one glaring detail: It had no head. Instead, it held its own severed head in its right hand.

“A Dullahan!” I shouted.

“Daddy, that one’s different! Is it immune?”

“No, Dullahans are definitely part of the undead class. Lucia, try Turn Undead again.”

“Okay! Turn Undead!”

At my cue, Lucia calmly raised her hands and summoned another magic circle overhead—by now, it was second nature to her. Brilliant light burst forth again, flooding the battlefield. But I saw it—clearly.

The Dullahan had a magic barrier. From a glance, there were about five layers—each one solid and formidable. They absorbed the spell, nullifying the effects of Turn Undead. But that wasn’t the shocking part.

“It bounced off? Wait—that’s just like Heal!”

There were two broad types of magic attack: magical and physical. Magical attacks could be blocked with magic barriers, which disappeared in the process—essentially a one-for-one trade. So when mages duel, it became a contest of speed—who could cast spells and raise new barriers faster.

However, not all spells followed this exchange rule. Some, like Heal and other restorative spells, didn’t break the barrier. They just got blocked. That’s it. And Turn Undead was the same—it couldn’t break through. The divine light had just been stopped cold.

“D-Daddy?!”

Lucia was panicking now. The Dullahan, unaffected by her magic, was charging at us full speed on horseback. She hadn’t flinched at the sight of Skeletons, but the force of a mounted knight barreling toward her was a different story.

“It’s okay. Just hide behind me.”

“Y-Yeah!”

Lucia quickly ducked behind me. I formed a magic circle at my feet.

Step one: Teleport. I warped a sizable, solid chunk of rock straight into the Dullahan’s path—just under its galloping hooves. In an instant, the ground turned jagged and uneven. The horse stumbled, losing speed.

“Easy Arrow ex Marquinas—Volcano!”

I used the time I’d bought to unleash an extra-class spell. A flurry of mana-forged arrows shot forward with explosive force.

At first, my barrage was slow. The arrows hit their mark and peeled away the Dullahan’s magic barriers—but its regeneration speed was faster than my rate of fire. Still, little by little, my firing speed increased. Soon, I was casting faster than the barriers could rebuild. And once I overtook that threshold, the arrows began striking the Dullahan’s body directly, one after another.

With its defense breached, the Dullahan turned out to be surprisingly fragile. Dozens of Easy Arrows pierced it—shredding it, no, obliterating it in a violent burst. It was blown apart, unable to retain even the silhouette of a “knight on horseback,” and crumbled back into the earth.

I’d taken it down with a combo I’d used many times before. The church must’ve counted on this when they had asked me and Lucia to handle the job. Figures.

Just as I was thinking that—

“Wow! You’re amazing, daddy!”

Lucia was absolutely beaming with joy, her eyes sparkling as she looked up at me with admiration. Seeing her father do what she couldn’t, she was practically bouncing with excitement.

Chapter 29: My Adorable Daughter Is the Only Thing That Matters

One morning, Lucia called out as she came over to me. “Oh, daddy!”

I was in the kitchen making breakfast, and I paused to turn around.

“What’s up?” I asked.

“It looks like my clothes are getting too small again.”

“Really?”

Lucia had gotten dressed in her usual outfit after waking up, but now that she mentioned it, it did look a bit tight. I crouched down and checked her clothes with her. Sure enough, the dress I’d bought her just a month ago was already tight and too short.

For the record, Lucia wasn’t getting fat or anything like that at all, but the dress was stretched to its limit.

“Lucia is a divine child.”

When I received her, the priest Eldary gave me a lecture about her growth. Children of the gods are said to grow to about the equivalent of an eight-year-old human within a year of being born.

Growing eight years in a single year means this kind of issue happens. Clothes we’d just bought a month ago were already too small to wear, even if we’d bought something a little big, anticipating her growth. Well, I guess it wasn’t really that big a deal.

“All right, then let’s go buy some new clothes today!”

“Okay!”

Lucia nodded with a beaming smile. There was never any greater reward than seeing my beloved daughter’s happy face.

☆

“Welcome—oh, it’s Mr. Marquinas! And Lucia’s with you today too!”

When we arrived at the clothing store in town, a young salesgirl spotted us and came out from behind the counter in high spirits. Her name was Dizzy, and she was the sixteen-year-old daughter of the store owner. We’d been coming here frequently to buy new clothes for Lucia, so she had become quite familiar with us.

“Yeah, we’ll be needing your help again today.”

“Has she grown again? That’s amazing, Lucia. Just a few months ago you were still toddling around. Divine children are something else.”

“She grows every time she wakes up. Sometimes it even feels like she’s gotten a bit bigger just between naps.”

“Impressive as always. Oh, you’re looking for new clothes today? We’ve got some great options.”

“Sounds good.”

I nodded, and Dizzy led us over to the section with clothes that should fit Lucia’s current size. There were so many colorful outfits lined up—

“Any of these would look great on Lucia.”

“What kind of style are you looking for today?”

“Hmm... What do you think, little one?”

“Umm...”

Lucia looked over the sea of clothes before her—and then made her choice.

“Oh! This one’s cute!” Lucia exclaimed as she grabbed a frilly, princess-like dress that looked like something out of a fairy tale.

“This one, huh?” Dizzy took the dress and spread it out so we could get a better look.

“Yeah, that’s a nice one.”

“Would you like to try it on?” asked Dizzy.

“Since we’re here, might as well,” I said.

“Yeah!” Lucia nodded enthusiastically and walked off with Dizzy toward the back. We always had her try things on in the fitting room before buying. Up until now, Dizzy would go into the fitting room with her and help her change.

“I can do it myself this time.”

“That’s amazing, Lucia! All right, go for it.”

“Okay!”

Smiling, Dizzy opened the door and let Lucia into the fitting room alone, then returned to wait with me outside.

“She’s not just growing on the outside, but on the inside too, huh?”

“Yeah. Lately she’s even started getting ready by herself in the morning.”

“Is that so?”

As we made idle small talk, Lucia finished changing and emerged from the room.

“Ta-da! What do you think, daddy?”

“You look great! That’s my girl—the cutest in the whole wide world!”

“Hee hee...”

“You like it?”

“Yeah! I love it. It’s super cute.”

“All right, then let’s buy this one.”

“Thank you very much. Will that be all for today?”

“Let’s pick out some more.”

“Okay!”

And so, Lucia and I continued picking out more clothes. We’d choose something, and then she’d try it on. Of course, no matter what she wore, Lucia looked good in it—absolutely adorable, no questions asked. Watching her excitedly try things on and choose outfits she liked made me decide I’d buy her every single one she wanted.

While I was waiting for Lucia to finish changing again and thinking about all this, Dizzy suddenly spoke up.

“Huh? Mr. Marquinas, your sleeve is coming undone.”

“Hmm? Oh, you’re right.”

Prompted by Dizzy’s comment, I glanced down at the sleeve of the shirt I was wearing. Sure enough, the cuff was slightly frayed. I pinched the loose thread, twisted it off with my nail, and tucked it into my pocket.

“Now that I look closely, your clothes are pretty worn-out, huh?”

“Hmm? Well, this jacket... Wait, when did I buy it?”

I tried to recall, but I couldn’t quite remember. I hadn’t bought any new clothes in years, so the memory was a complete blur.

“Come to think of it, you were wearing that same outfit last time too. Don’t tell me that’s the only one you have?”

“Nah, I’ve got two. For going out, anyway.”

“Just two?”

“Yeah.”

“You’re supposed to be this amazing mage, right? But if you’re always wearing the same clothes... Why not take this chance to get something new? For yourself, I mean. We’ve got clothes that would look good on you too.”

“Nah, I’m good,” I replied with a wry smile.

I mean, what was the point of a guy in his forties trying to be fashionable? Besides...spending money on clothes always felt like a waste to me.

“That’s such a shame, sir. I mean, since you’re here anyway...”

“I’m back!”

Dizzy trailed off mid-sentence as Lucia returned from the fitting room.

“What do you think, daddy?”

“Yep! Super cute, Lucia.”

“Yeah, it really suits you, Lucia!”

“You like it?”

“Uh-huh! I want to wear it when I go out on jobs with you, daddy. It’s easy to move around in too.”

“I see, I see. Then we’ll take that one too.”

“Are you sure? You’re deciding so quickly.”

“Lucia wants it, doesn’t she?”

And besides, it really did suit her. Lucia was already the cutest in the world, but when she wore adorable clothes, she became even cuter—no doubt about it. So if anything was worth spending money on, it was clothes for her.

Dizzy looked at me intently. Her eyes were wide, and her expression was a mix of mild frustration and exasperation.

“What is it?”

“Mr. Marquinas, you’re...never mind. It’s nothing.”

“Hm?”

“Hey, Lucia.”

As she said that, Dizzy motioned for Lucia to come over. When Lucia asked, “What is it?” and stepped closer, Dizzy leaned in and whispered something in her ear.

“Yeah! Let’s do it!”

Whatever she had said, Lucia was absolutely thrilled. It was the happiest she had looked all day. It seemed like Dizzy had invited her to do something, and Lucia was eagerly on board.

“Wait here just a moment.”

With that, Dizzy hurried off and came back carrying a new outfit.

“Lucia, go ahead and change into this one.”

“Okay!”

Lucia took the clothes and went into the fitting room again. I tilted my head, puzzled. Why whisper? If it was just about trying on another outfit, there was no reason to be secretive about it.

As I pondered, Dizzy dashed off again and returned with another set of clothes—

“How about this?” she asked, holding them up for me to see.

They weren’t for Lucia. She had brought out a set of men’s clothes—adult size. I suddenly remembered our earlier exchange. Dizzy was trying to sell me something now. I had to hand it to her—she was a merchant through and through. Still...

“Nah, I’m fine.”

“I really think this would look great on you, sir.”

“That may be, but it just feels stupid for some middle-aged guy like me to spend money on clothes.”

“That’s not true at all. I’m sure Lucia would be happy too.”

“Well, maybe...”

I thought about it for a moment. I imagined myself in the new clothes, and Lucia seeing me. She’d probably say something like That looks good on you, daddy. But still...I couldn’t help but feel that dressing up at my age wasn’t really worth it. Just as I was coming up with some excuse to turn her down—

“Sorry to keep you waiting!”

Lucia stepped out of the fitting room in yet another outfit.

“How do I look, daddy?”

“You look like the cutest girl in the whole world.”

“Heh heh...”

“Do you like it, Lucia?”

“Yeah! I love it.”

“Would you like to wear something that matches your daddy?”

“I want matching outfits! That would be great!”

Dizzy had suggested it, and Lucia eagerly jumped on the idea before she even finished speaking. I tilted my head, still not following.

“Huh? You don’t get it?”

“Get what?”

“This,” Daisy said, and held up the men’s clothes again.

“Ah.”

At first I didn’t get it, but after staring for ten seconds or so, I finally caught on. It was the same design as Lucia’s outfit. If it were two outfits in the same size, I’d assume they were a matching set. I idly wondered if there was some special name for when a parent and child wore the same design.

“Lucia, this one matches your dad’s. What do you think?”

“I want to match! Matching is the best!”

“You heard her. So, what do you think, Mr. Marquinas?”

“I’ll take it.”

I answered without hesitation. If Lucia said she wanted to match, then there was no reason to hesitate. I couldn’t care less about my own clothes—but if it would make Lucia happy...

“Whoa... That was even faster than I expected. The power of a daughter over her father is kind of terrifying.”

Dizzy watched my reaction with a look of half-exasperated awe.

Chapter 30: The Archbishop, the Divine Child, and Her Daddy

The following afternoon, Lucia and I went to a café on the street corner. We were seated at a terrace table, Lucia across from me.

“You’ve come again today, I see,” said a young waitress as she brought over the shortcake and drinks we had ordered. Lucia’s eyes sparkled when she saw the shortcake. Seeing her so delighted made me happy too.

I smiled and said, “You can have seconds if you want,” then watched her begin eating before turning back to the waitress. “Lucia loves the shortcake here. That’s why I brought her as a reward,” I explained.

“A reward for what?”

“She got up all by herself this morning.”

“Huh?”

At first, the waitress had seemed interested, chatting casually, but now she suddenly looked puzzled.

“She got up all on her own this morning! And not just that—she even made her own bed! Isn’t that amazing?!”

“R-Right... Yes, it is. Oh—welcome!”

With a strained expression, the waitress quickly turned away to greet a new customer and hurried off. What a shame—just when I had the perfect chance to brag about Lucia. Oh well, I thought—until I heard a commotion behind me.

There was a stir coming from the direction of the voices. When I turned to look, I saw a group of dozens of armed young men approaching. At first, I thought they were soldiers or mercenaries, but on closer inspection, I noticed that their clothing and gear were marked with church symbols. They were church-affiliated soldiers—commonly referred to as holy knights or divine guards, though I couldn’t quite remember their official title.

As I struggled to recall the exact name, one of the younger soldiers approached and said, “Make way. His Eminence the Archbishop is about to pass through.”

Looking more closely, I saw the other soldiers picking up litter on the road and directing pedestrians out of the way. So that was what this was about. If I remembered correctly, the church hierarchy was structured with the pope at the top, followed by seven archbishops. I vaguely recalled that there were tensions between popes and archbishops in some past eras, but the details escaped me now.

In any case, there was the pope at the top, then the seven archbishops, and beneath them the hundreds of thousands of followers... An archbishop would be, roughly speaking, at least the eighth most important person among them all—not a very precise ranking, but close enough. If someone that important was passing through, then having soldiers clear the way, even a bit forcefully, made sense.

“Hey, Lucia,” I said.

“Hm? What is it, daddy?”

Lucia looked up at me, still munching on her shortcake.

“Let’s eat inside instead.”

“Inside? Why?”

“Someone important is about to pass by. Come on, let’s go.”

I gently placed a hand on Lucia’s back to guide her. Still holding her cake, she obediently stood up and followed me, though she seemed a little puzzled.

“Is this ‘important person’ more important than you, daddy?”

“Ha ha, yeah, way more important than me.”

“Hmm...someone more important than daddy? That’s weird,” Lucia muttered, looking a bit unimpressed as she followed me into the café.

The fact that the archbishop was more important than me was a clear and objective truth—ninety-nine out of a hundred people would say so. Sure, once in a while you’d get some contrarian with a grudge against the Church who’d say otherwise, but yeah—the archbishop outranked me.

We went inside and were shown to a window-side table. The staff seemed momentarily confused, but then one of the soldiers entered and, with what felt more like a warning than an explanation, clarified the situation.

“His Eminence the Archbishop will be passing by. Refrain from entering or exiting the building.”

Though startled, the employees seemed to understand and accepted the instructions. I ordered two more pieces of cake. Lucia liked strawberries, so I gave her mine too, piling them onto her plate. We sat back, relaxed, and watched the street from our window seat. Before long, a procession that looked fit for royalty passed in front of the café. There was an absurd number of guards, and the procession was so long that even after several minutes, we still had yet to see the main attraction.

“That’s some procession,” remarked a young male staffer, also gazing out the window.

We’d been told not to go outside, but no one had said we couldn’t look, so he too was watching through the glass. I could see customers at the shop across the street doing the same—pressed up against their windows, watching intently.

“Well, he is an archbishop. He outranks most nobles—heck, even royalty in some cases.”

“Seriously? I figured he was important, but not that important.”

“Apparently so.”

“Huh...”

I exchanged light conversation with the staff. Finally, the line of “soldiers” came to an end, and a luxurious-looking carriage passed by in front of the shop.

“Whoa, now that’s a carriage. Looks like something royalty would ride in.”

“Yeah, it really does.”

The staffer was clearly amazed, as was I. Even though I understood all of this in theory, seeing it in person was still impressive. No wonder the low-ranking soldiers had been so aggressive about clearing the road.

“Huh? It stopped.”

The staffer raised his voice slightly. Right as the carriage passed us, the entire procession appeared to come to a halt. Had something happened?

A possibility flashed through my mind: a child, or maybe an animal or pet, darting in front of an important person’s carriage and causing everything to stop. Incidents like that happen more often than one might expect.

Given how arrogant the soldiers had been earlier, I began to worry—could this turn into something serious? If that really was the case, I couldn’t just sit back and watch. I readied myself to leap into action at a moment’s notice—but that wasn’t necessary.

In fact, the door on the other side opened from within. A soldier stepped forward and opened the door, and then an elderly man appeared. He was far more grandiose than Eldary—just one look at him and you could tell how important he was. He was dressed in an elaborate robe that practically shouted authority.

Could that be the archbishop?! Just as I had that thought, the elderly man entered the café and walked directly toward our table. He stopped in front of us, looked at Lucia—and then, to everyone’s astonishment, bowed his head.

“You must be Lady Lucia.”

“Me?”

Startled, she looked up and answered. Even amid the commotion, Lucia had been blissfully absorbed in her shortcake topped with extra strawberries, but even she couldn’t ignore being directly spoken to.

“Yes. I am one of the seven archbishops, Integry of the Crimson Light. I humbly present myself before you.”

So he was an archbishop. And for some reason, he was bowing deeply before Lucia. The waitress, I, and every other customer in the café stared in wide-eyed disbelief.

“Pre-sent...yourself?”

“My apologies,” Archbishop Integry said, softening his tone and rephrasing his words so that even Lucia could understand. “I heard there was one who embodies the divine miracle itself, and I came to offer my greetings.”

Lucia was a divine child. But she wasn’t just any divine child—she was a special kind, one who could use divine magic on her own, the first of her kind to appear in thirty years. Most divine magic was performed by borrowing power from the gods, but she could wield it independently. To the Church, she must have seemed like someone unbelievably close to the divine—possibly even akin to the original definition of a divine child found in ancient legends. I grasped the situation immediately.

“Greetings? Oh—!” Lucia suddenly gasped and looked at me. Then she stood up, turned to the archbishop, and bowed.

“I’m sorry. Nice to meet you. I’m Lucia.”

She gave a proper greeting, bowing her head. If someone greets you, you have to greet them back. She must have remembered me telling her that countless times, and followed it exactly. Afterward, she looked over at me.

Of course, I couldn’t exactly say “Good job, Lucia!” in front of an archbishop. So I just gave her a subtle thumbs-up and a smile, praising her silently. Lucia beamed with pride, clearly happy to have made me proud.

“Um, mister, are you an important person?”

“I am humbled to say that I hold a— No, wait.”

Realizing he was about to launch into something overly complex, Integry quickly corrected himself. “Among humans, I suppose you could say I’m somewhat important.”

“I see...”

Lucia looked at him with a vaguely unconvinced expression, staring intently. She still seemed to be hung up on the earlier conversation about whether someone was more important than her dad. I found it kind of amusing—and honestly, a little adorable. Then, without warning, Integry turned to face me.

“I must apologize for the delay in my greeting, Sir Light Marquinas.”

“Huh? Oh.”

He placed a hand over his chest and bowed deeply at the waist—directly to me this time. Why? I thought for a moment, caught off guard—but I soon understood. First, he had addressed the divine child herself. Then, naturally, he turned to greet the father of that divine child. As a representative of the Church, that was probably the expected protocol. I accepted it without fuss—but as I did, I noticed something. Lucia was staring at Integry with a serious, focused expression.

“Hey, mister,” she said.

“Yes, Lady Lucia?”

“Who’s more important—you or daddy?”

“What?”

Why would you ask that right now?! I was speechless. Apparently, Lucia had been thinking about that question far more seriously than I had realized. But what surprised me even more came next.

“Why, Sir Marquinas, of course—your father is more important.”

“I knew it!”

It was probably partly flattery, but Integry responded without hesitation. He declared that I—father of the divine child—was more important than even a high-ranking archbishop like himself. And upon hearing that...

“I knew it! Daddy’s the most important after all!”

Lucia shouted with pure, unfiltered delight, her face positively gleaming with joy.

Chapter 31: Marquinas the Coldhearted

We paused our shopping and left the store. At Archbishop Integry’s invitation, we boarded his carriage together. He said he wanted to speak with us at the church.

To be honest, this was our first meeting, and I didn’t really have anything in particular to discuss with him. But with one of the seven archbishops having gone out of his way to meet us, it didn’t feel right to refuse, so I brought Lucia along and agreed to accompany him.

Inside the carriage, I sat facing Integry. Lucia was sitting on my legs. She didn’t really look the age to be doing that anymore, but on the inside she was still very young—a real daddy’s girl—and she loved being on my lap.

That, of course, drew a great deal of attention from the people along the street. Without exception, everyone outside the carriage was staring. Feeling a bit awkward under their gazes, I tried to distract myself by speaking to Integry.

“You get a good view of the outside from here.”

“Yes. And it’s also designed so that people outside can see in clearly.”

“People outside too? Why’s that?”

I was honestly a little surprised. Now that I looked more closely—and could feel it firsthand—the carriage really was built that way. But most carriages were designed to limit visibility from the outside. At most, they’d have a small window or peephole. Integry’s carriage, however, had large windows designed for maximum visibility both ways.

“I often make visits to people. In those cases, it’s important to let passersby clearly see me.”

“Ahh...”

That made sense. When a high-ranking church official visited, they’d sometimes wave or show their face to the crowds gathered along the streets. I’d seen that sort of thing myself a few times. Even now, Integry was calmly accepting the attention of the crowd—those who hadn’t been fully cleared from the roadside.

I, meanwhile, felt incredibly out of place. Then I began to overhear snippets of conversation from the people outside.

“Hey, who’s that guy just casually sitting there with His Eminence the Archbishop?”

“What, you don’t know? That’s this town’s one and only S-class unrestricted mage. Last year, he had the highest solo monster kill count. They call him Marquinas the Coldhearted.”

“Ohhh, I’ve heard that name. He’s the guy who can take down trolls, ogres—even dragons—all by himself, right? So that’s what he looks like.”

“If you get the chance, go watch him sometime. The way he takes down monsters and even criminals—it’s practically art.”

“Whoa...”

Because we were in a carriage, my line of sight was a bit elevated. Up here, I felt like I was being put on display—literally above the crowd, watching them point and whisper. It made me more and more uncomfortable, like I was some kind of exhibit.

Lucia, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. She was thrilled, absolutely elated. Every time she heard someone praise me, every time someone said something about how amazing I was, her face lit up with joy.

“Daddy, you’re amazing. You really are amazing!” Lucia said, her voice bubbling with excitement. She seemed genuinely happy that her father was famous.

Honestly, I wanted nothing more than to leap from the carriage and flee—but seeing how delighted Lucia was, I held myself back. Suddenly, Integry spoke up, looking directly at me.

“This really should not have been the setting for our first meeting. I regret not doing so much sooner.”

“Sooner?”

“Yes. I’ve heard much about you, Sir Marquinas.”

“About me?”

“I’ve been told of a rare mage who developed the technique known as Living Hyper-Arcanum—a method that allows one to cast offensive magic without the aid of a staff or other medium, using one’s own body as the conduit.”

“I only did it out of necessity,” I said, grimacing slightly.

Magic staves were standard tools for mages, used to help channel and stabilize their spells. There were many materials used to craft these staves, but the most prized was something called a super magical conductor. With it, magical energy could be converted into spells with minimal loss and maximum efficiency.

But among the various types of mages, offensive mages tended to suffer the highest rate of staff breakage. That was only natural—those who use offensive spells are always in battle, and when you’re fighting, it’s easy for a staff to get damaged, especially when it doubles as a weapon.

In other words, having to repair or replace a staff every time it broke became costly. And at that time, I was trying to raise the donation money required to be granted a divine child. I couldn’t afford to waste resources on broken equipment. Driven by that pressure, I developed a technique to modify my own body to function like a super magical conductor.

If, for instance, I could make my index finger act like a staff, then pointing it would be the same as aiming one. That would allow me to cast efficiently with minimal loss, turning my own body into the medium in place of external materials.

Thus, I had developed this Living Hyper-Arcanum technique—not out of inspiration, but desperation. Thanks to that, I was able to gather the necessary donation for the divine child much faster than expected and eventually had my petition moved ahead of schedule.

“How do you know about that?” I asked.

“When we invoke divine magic through the power of the gods, we do not use any physical mediums. It is considered inappropriate to rely on worldly tools when manifesting divine miracles.”

“Ah...I see.”

“Therefore, those who routinely cast without staves are, in principle, only those of the Church—and you, Lord Marquinas.”

“Huh... I’d never thought of it like that.”

I was a little impressed by Integry’s perspective. And even more than I was—

“Only daddy can do that technique?”

“Hm? Yeah, I guess so.”

“Yes,” Integry said with a nod. “Your father is the only one in the world who can do it. He’s truly extraordinary.”

“Wooow...”

Lucia’s eyes sparkled with even more admiration.

Chapter 32: A Father’s Resolve for His Daughter

We arrived at the church and stepped down from the carriage, coming to a stop before the entrance. On either side of the short path leading to the church stood rows of believers, forming what looked almost like a corridor of flowers.

I had thought the welcome would get Lucia excited again—but that wasn’t the case. Maybe everything along the way had overstimulated her, because she was now completely worn-out and clearly sleepy.

“Are you tired, Lady Lucia?”

“Nnnh... I’m okay...”

She managed to reply, but her eyelids were nearly shut, and her words were starting to slur noticeably.

“We’ll prepare a room for you to rest. How about taking a nap there?”

“I wanna stay with daddy.”

“Don’t worry. Once your father and I are done talking, you’ll be together again.”

“Mmm... Okay...”

After a decent pause to consider, Lucia gave a small nod and accepted Integry’s suggestion. Whether she truly understood or not was unclear; she still sounded half asleep.

At Integry’s signal, two believers stepped out of the line. They were a man and a woman, but when he made another gesture, the man withdrew and was replaced by a second woman. I entrusted Lucia to the pair of female believers and watched them carry her off in their arms.

Once Lucia had completely disappeared from sight—

“So what is it you need to talk to me about? I’m kind of afraid to ask.”

Integry, who had also been watching her go, widened his eyes slightly in surprise.

“Why do you say that?”

“It was subtle, but this is the first time you overruled Lucia’s wishes. Until now, even if she looked sleepy, if she said she wanted to stay by my side, you would’ve played along with that.”

“I see. I tried not to make it seem unnatural.” Saying this, Integry looked straight at me. It was a look that seemed to say, You figured it out from that?—as if he were honestly impressed.

☆

Integry led me to a room tucked away deep inside the church. There was a sofa and a table, but nothing else. Not a single decorative item could be seen—it was a bare, stark room. But that also meant there was nowhere to hide and no way for anyone to eavesdrop. It felt secure.

“Please,” Integry said, motioning with his hand for me to sit. I sat down on the sofa, facing him directly.

“There’s something I want you to hear, Mr. Marquinas.”

“Something you want me to hear?”

“Yes. A story about a certain villain—a divine child.”

As he began speaking, I furrowed my brow so deeply I was sure that anyone looking could barely tell where one eyebrow ended and the other began.

“So this is a scary story,” I said.

While I was reeling, Integry calmly continued his explanation. Roughly thirty years ago, there was a man who’d made regular donations and was granted a divine child. He’d worked diligently, quietly, and faithfully to earn that blessing. It should have been his reward. But immediately afterward, the strain of working himself to the bone for so long took its toll. He fell ill and died in the blink of an eye.

After the man’s death, the divine child went missing; the church lost track of him. The child ended up in the slums, and though his life wasn’t exactly comfortable, he managed to survive.

Growing up, the child gained a commanding presence in the slums. He became the leader of a gang of delinquent children. There, he demonstrated leadership, intelligence, and strength, and he rose through the ranks of the underworld. Now he was someone who had dabbled in virtually every type of crime imaginable.

Integry told the story in a tone as flat and steady as if he were reading a report aloud.

“How do you know that person is a divine child?” I asked.

“He happened to visit the church. On a whim, he imitated a priest and used divine magic. To the average outsider, it might have seemed like coincidence. But to someone more senior than a priest, it was unmistakable—they could see it clearly in how the divine magic was used.”

“Ah...”

I nodded. That made sense to me. The way someone uses magic reveals a lot about them. I understood that intuitively. I could tell, just from a glance, what kind of magician someone was by how they manipulated mana. It was the same as how I instantly knew Lily was suited for offensive magic. I didn’t fully understand the details about divine magic or children of God, but I could grasp that the church had a similar kind of insight. So without a doubt, this man really was a divine child.

“The church wants to resolve this situation—this problem of a divine child reigning as the leader of evil.”

“Well...yeah, I can see why.”

“However,” he continued, “we cannot raise arms against a divine child.”

“Huh? Seriously?”

“Yes. Seriously.”

Integry nodded quietly. I recalled how respectfully he had treated Lucia on the journey here and asked that question. Even among the highest ranks of the church—even the seven archbishops—each one of them had to treat Lucia, a divine child, with reverence.

“Even if they’re evil?”

“No matter how evil they are.”

He sighed.

“We’ve considered various options,” Integry said. “For instance, retroactively declaring the donation period insufficient and determining that he was never truly a child of God in the first place.”

“That’s...quite a mess, huh.”

Living as long as I had, I’d heard plenty of stories about the church. There was always the premise that doctrine must be followed—but when doctrine doesn’t align with reality, they twist logic into knots trying to make it work.

I’d heard stories like that before. And now I understood what was going on.

“You want me to deal with this, don’t you?”

Integry fell silent. And then I realized something.

Ah... He never actually explicitly asked me.

He’d only said, “There’s a story I want you to hear.”

In other words, he couldn’t even make an official request.

“You brought this story to me—told me all this—why?”

“In general terms,” he said, “offensive-type mages of dual or unrestricted class are known to hesitate less when it comes to using magic on humans.”

“Yeah, you’ve done your homework.”

I gave a faint, dry smile. Most dual-type—and especially unrestricted—offensive mages could emotionally compartmentalize attacking humans. Just as a doctor doesn’t panic at the sight of blood, mages didn’t flinch at their target, so long as it was a job. And on top of that, if you were S-class or above, that level of killing power would give you even less pause, as long as there was a clear justification.

“On top of all that,” Integry continued, “you’re the only mage who’s both S-class and an unrestricted offensive-type.”

“I see.” I understood what he was getting at. But—

“I want this to be a formal request.” I looked him in the eye and stated it clearly. His eyes widened in surprise. “I’m not some thrill seeker. I’m a mage bearing the title of unrestricted S-class.”

“...”

“If it’s a legitimate request, I’ll accept it—and I guarantee I’ll see it through.”

Integry frowned. He pressed his lips together in a tight line and looked at me with a bitter expression.

Then, at last—

“Understood.” As if steeling himself, he gave a nod.

“In that case, we’ll have to go through the head of the Association first.”

“That’s fine by me.”

He had understood and accepted the minimum standard of what I meant by a “formal request.”

“In that case, there’s one thing I’d like you to prepare, Your Eminence.”

“What is it?”

☆

A few days later, I arrived in a city called Faris, following the intel I had been given.

I booked a room at an inn tucked away on the edge of the main street. From the window, I had a clear view of the entire avenue. I stayed inside, pretending to admire the view while I waited for him.

About half a day later, the target group appeared on the main street. The man I was looking for emerged, surrounded by several dozen followers and bodyguards. He, and all those around him, exuded an air of violence. It was the stench of someone completely entrenched in the underworld, body and soul. He clearly understood the number of enemies he had made, as he had gathered highly skilled guards to protect him. Even from afar, I could see that he had carefully assembled his defenses—at least twenty magical barriers, by my estimate, and even the rare presence of a healing-type mage.

He was fully aware of his many enemies and had taken steps to deal with them.

But then I pulled out a certain item: a jar. More specifically, it was a Jar of Thirst, which Integry had prepared for me. This was the same kind of jar I had once been shown when I first received Lucia. A jar meant to return a divine child to the heavens. I removed the lid and began chanting a spell.

“Teleport.”

I teleported the Jar of Thirst to the man’s feet.

Objects that act on the physical realm aren’t blocked by magical barriers. The moment the jar appeared at his feet, the man began to suffer. He began clawing at his chest, blood spraying out, before he was sucked into the jar.

His followers and guards all instantly panicked, but they couldn’t do a thing. Helpless, they watched as every last drop of the man’s blood, every scrap of flesh, was sucked into the jar.

And thus the soul of the child of God was summoned back to the heavens.

“Phew.”

The job was done. What came to mind was Lucia’s face.

“I’ve got to live a long life.”

That child of God had gone astray because he lost his parents.

I won’t let Lucia end up like that. I want her to have a bright future ahead of her. I have to stay healthy until she grows up and becomes independent. I have to be a strong father.

Those thoughts burned in me once again.

It’s time to hurry home. Lucia is waiting for me.