Today, I’d come to understand why my family sometimes seemed almost regretful when they looked at me.
I asked Cynthia to braid my hair, got changed into some nice loose-fitting clothing, and headed straight out to the training field again. Now that I had lessons from a home tutor every morning, covering topics from magic to manners, my free time had been reduced to only the afternoon.
Anytime I went for a run, my guards ran along with me. For some reason, even Brad joined me. You really aren’t a normal valet, are you?
I did five laps around the field while watching the knights hard at work on their own training. It was a sight for sore eyes, let me tell you—all those manly men sweating under the sun while they put their all into improving. A lot of them were handsome too. I could get my fill while working on my own stamina; it was wonderful, really.
The contrast between the little round balls of light and the big, strong men they hovered near was also cute to witness. Apparently, there were two types of spirit in this world: sword spirits and magic spirits. The spirits that usually made contracts with people were magic spirits, including the two that had contracted with me.
It was likely that no one here was feeding mana to their spirits, so theirs were only about four centimeters wide. Mine were much bigger than that.
Chris had asked me once why my spirits were so big, and when I’d told him that I fed them my mana, everyone had been shocked. It seemed they hadn’t known. After that, they’d said they’d try that out just within our family, and if their spirits really did grow bigger and stronger, they’d teach it to the knights and nobles in our domain. They’d also said that this was the kind of information that gave you an advantage in society, so I shouldn’t tell anyone about it.
I would much rather not attract attention, so I gladly stayed quiet.
Chris’s spirit was already getting bigger, though, so surely it was about time to start teaching the knights how to do the same. It’s good for them to get stronger, right?
The only one in our family who hadn’t gotten a spirit yet was Alan. It seemed to be bothering him a lot, or perhaps he was just entering his rebellious phase, because he’d been avoiding me recently.
Chris probably had a high IQ. Unlike me, who only seemed smart because I had my previous life’s memories, he was just a naturally intelligent kid. Not only did he have a good memory, but his brain also worked quickly. It had apparently alienated him from other children his age a little.
That made Alan the second son sandwiched between the genius oldest, who would likely go on to receive honors at school, and the strange youngest who was choosing to forge her own path. I really felt bad for him.
It wasn’t as if Alan weren’t smart, and when it came to the blade, his talent was definitely greater than Chris’s, but the two of us just stood out too much. That might have been why he hated me. I loved him, though—he was so kind and diligent.
Those thoughts went through my mind as I watched my brothers learning swordsmanship from the knights. All the while, I kept up my running, still surrounded by my two massive guards and one valet.
And then, Alan’s hands suddenly shone green after he’d finished one of his slashes. I thought I was seeing things, but when I stopped and stared, they shone again. I wasn’t just seeing things.
“Are you tired, Lady Deirdre?”
“Lady Deirdre?”
“I have to tell him.”
“What?”
After that, my jog turned into a full-on sprint. For some reason, I even ended up doing a crouching start. I might have been only four, but I’d done my research on proper form, so I was fast. My bodyguards were completely flustered. The knights also ended up staring. But you should all get back to your training. That’s your job, don’t forget. Stop wasting your time on a little girl.
“Deirdre?”
Chris was usually the perfect image of calm, but even he couldn’t help widening his eyes in surprise as he saw me running toward him with beautiful form, three men trailing behind. Alan, on the other hand, started walking away as if he were going on break the moment he saw me, probably because he didn’t want to be around me—but I wouldn’t let him escape.
“Alan!” I shouted as loud as I could.
“Huh? You’re after me?”
Is it that surprising?
“Are you...going to stop training...already?” Unsurprisingly, running at full speed was exhausting, and I’d been left wheezing as I gripped Alan’s arm tight and tried to speak.
“Are you okay?”
“I want to see you train!”
“Sorry, but I’m...”
“But you’re so cool!” This cruel, grown-up little girl wasn’t afraid to use her cute looks here. I forced tears to well up in my purple eyes and gazed up at him with a pleading look.
I was sweating at the same time, though. And also incredibly out of breath.
“You’re so strong and cool. I want to see you train more.”
“Well... If that’s what you want...”
“Yaaaay!”
“Huh? What about me?” Chris asked from my other side, but I needed him to shush for a minute. He was definitely already being told by all the girls around him how great he was. He didn’t need his little sister complimenting him too.
Oh, come on, don’t look so sad.
All of the sudden attention on him clearly made Alan a little nervous, but those nerves only increased his focus as he readied his stance. When he swung his sword again...
“It lit up!” I yelled dramatically when those green lights appeared around his hands again, grabbing Alan’s hand as he froze in shock. “It’s a sword spirit! A wind sword spirit! You have a talent for the sword after all, dear brother!”