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Chapter 08: Magic Stone, Sebas and I

What happened since then, you say? Father didn’t have enough time. So as always, he would never see me in the mornings, but would always come to see me after he’d returned home from work. From after dinner until I slept, he would always keep me by his side, no matter what he did.

He would even take me to his office when he was busy. I would try to walk along the desk, climb the sofa and read the documents that had fallen down onto the floor while father was organising some difficult documents.

I tried to read them to amuse myself as if I had been given an easy book to read, but I could only read the easy words. I could feel father looking at me while I was doing this with his sharp eyes, which felt slightly gentler.

Brother would join us when he came home for the weekends. Father still had a lot of work to do on holidays; there were times when he would go out in decent clothes and times when he would ride the horse somewhere, but he would usually spend time with us when he was home.

When we laid down and read picture books, he would also lie down and read his documents. I wonder if his job is stressful. I wonder what his job is. It’s a mystery.

“The sight a small person sees is interesting. Do you look at the world like this, Luke and Leila?” Father said in admiration as he looked around everywhere while lying down.

“I don’t see it like this. Only Leila does.”

“Naai, Niinii. Swame.”

“Leila is saying you’re the same.”

“Cheeky kid,” brother said, and he pinched my cheeks, so I tried to get up. My brother caught me and father held brother down; it was entertaining during the holidays.

When I was about to turn one, brother’s holidays didn’t consist of just playing, his magic circulation training had also started. It only looked to me as if he was sitting down and closing his eyes to concentrate. And I’ve never seen the thing called magic. Why does he have to practice magic circulation in a world with no magic?

“As you know, amongst the four Marquis Houses, our Albans House and Stan’s Lisburn House sustain this kingdom’s barrier. Luke, your power is big enough, but if you continue to channel your big power as it is, then your life will be shortened. You have to be able to effectively channel your magic into the magic stone without waste,” father always repeated this to brother. I finally learnt my surname, and I also discovered that there were other nobles in this world.

“It’s rare to have two people with violet eyes in the same generation. I also feel that Leila has a large amount of magic power. It would become so much easier if you two worked together.”

I was quite surprised when I heard this. Apparently, I had magic power too. That power was channelled into a magic stone. Something that brother, father and I have but Hannah and Sebas didn’t. I had the chance to find out about this surprisingly early.

One day, Hannah was doing something to the light in the room. This was the first time I’d seen her do this.

“Anna. Whaht?”

Hannah took something out of the light which was situated in a high place and showed it to me. It was slightly red and looked like a small crystal.

“This is a magic stone for light. The power is fading in this, so I have to get someone to channel more magic into this; so we can use it again.”

“Mwagic?”

“Yes.”

I was able to speak a little now. Are magic stones like batteries? And that means that father has magic.

“Tosyama, duo?” 1)

Hannah giggled at my question.

“Master uses all his magic for the barrier. Even we can fill things with a little magic, but we usually collect the stones and bring them to a magic shop,” Hannah said; then she let me hold the magic stone that I was so interested in and went back up again to install the new magic stone. The new stone was a deep violet.

I sat down and studied the magic stone which I had been entrusted with. The tiny, small stone that could fit in a baby’s hand was clear. I wondered how one channelled their magic into the stone as I held it firmly; then suddenly, magic began to flow from my body into the magic stone as if a switch had been flipped. It felt as if something warm was being gushed out from within. When I got lightheaded, I felt as if the colour was drained from my face. It stopped as soon as it began.

The stone changed into a dark violet.

It felt similar to being lightheaded, but my condition wasn’t bad. Which meant that it was probably the magic that was flowing through me before. I softly grasped the magic stone, and it repelled my magic as if saying it didn’t need anymore. I could understand how magic felt a bit better if I could hold more magic stones.

“Leila-sama? Do you like the magic stone? Hyaah!”

Was hyaah an unattractive scream for a 15-year-old? I shook my head apologetically.

“Anna, no.”

“It’s not the time for you to be saying no! Do you feel bad-, eer, let’s go to Sebas!” Hannah said as she picked me up with the magic stone and took me to where Sebas was. Isn’t it better for her to confiscate the magic stone?

“I apologise. I thought that Leila-sama wouldn’t eat the magic stone even if I gave it to her because she’s smart......” Hannah explained to Sebas.

Rude, much? I’ve never been so careless as to put something in my mouth before, you know? And that’s not the problem. Hannah is really disappointing sometimes. Sebas made me sit on a chair; then he kneeled down, grabbed my hands, looked into my eyes, touched my neck and then put me down and let me walk a little.

“Hmm, she’s not cold. She doesn’t have a fever either. Her complexion is normal, and she’s walking normally.”

Then he picked me up while looking relieved.

“Leila-sama, do you have any idea what you’ve done?”

I accidentally channelled my magic, but what should I say? I shook my hands.

“Poof, sumfing, ‘ear.”

“Something suddenly came out of your hand, didn’t it?”

“Aai.”

“Hmm.”

Sebas frowned and instructed Hannah, “At any rate, you mustn’t let anything magic stone related near Leila-sama. It could harm her health depending on the situation.”

“Okay.”

Hannah looks like she’s going to cry. Well, it can’t be helped.

“Leila-sama?”

“Ai.”

“It is not the time to think that Hannah can’t be helped.”

“Uoah.”

Dammit. Why does it seem like Sebas knows what I’m thinking? The target turned to me.

“Why do you think Master is training Luke-sama so hard when he’s smart? If it’s just about channelling magic, then anyone with magic can do it. But, you could shorten your life if you channel all your magic into a magic stone that isn’t compatible with you.”

“Sebas-sama, even if you telling something like that to Leila-sama-,” Hannah tried to intervene.

“No, Leila-sama can understand me. She has a lot of magic power. But, do you understand how much Luke-sama and Master would mourn for you if the worst case were to happen?”

I hung my head in shame. They were already mourning this much from losing mother, how much more would they mourn if they were to lose me too?

But, wait. What if it’s just one magic stone? What if I got father or Sebas to watch me while I did it?

“It’s hopeless even if you look at me with eyes like that. You can start when you’re 10. That is final.”

Tsk. I clung to Sebas and rubbed my head against his chest.

“Gahh. You’re not allowed!”

My strategy failed. I think I heard Sebas mutter, “That was a close one.” I’ll endure a little for now about magic.