I heard my parents talking while I was in the training room.


    —You really enjoy seeing our son training, don''t you? —I heard Adelaide say.


    I concentrated on their conversation while pretending to be training.


    —Of course, how could I not? The Paradise Tower is an extremely dangerous place and sooner or later, Arceus will have to go.


    ?The Paradise Tower? What are they talking about??, I asked myself mentally, feeling curious.


    —Please, don''t be so greedy with your ambition —mom told him—. First of all, it''s not time yet. The artifact that isolates the zone from the Tower''s influence is still working and, although training is always good, we must respect his decision and what he truly desires.


    —I understand, I know it wouldn''t be right to force him to do it —my father responded.


    —It''s good to hear that, I''m happy you''re not a stubborn fool —mom told him.


    —And I''m happy to be married to a beautiful and wonderful woman —he answered.


    ?How sickly sweet they are!?, I thought, rolling my eyes.


    Atlas, whispering sweet words only in the hallway between them, hugged Adelaide''s waist and gave her a brief kiss.


    Soon, the young couple walked away.


    ?Now''s my chance!?


    At the moment I convinced myself that my parents had gone, without hesitation, I firmly dropped the spear I was holding and ran away.


    While taking quick steps and leaving the training room, the maid Mira guarding the door seemed surprised.


    —You promised to practice until noon, young master —Mira warned me.


    —Promises are meant to be broken —I responded confidently.


    —Young master, where are you going? —she asked, frowning.


    —To play —I simply responded.


    However, if she quit immediately, she would no longer be a maid.


    —But... —she tried to protest.


    —Mira, the sky is beautiful, how could I just practice and train? I should go out for fresh air occasionally —I argued with a smile.


    —...That is correct —she finally yielded with a sigh.


    —Besides, don''t you know that mom and dad have gone out? They won''t worry about me for a good while —I suggested like a cunning politician.


    —Is this what you expected from the beginning? —she asked, crossing her arms.


    —Just shut up, please. What will you do when mom and dad come back with all that noise? —I told the maid, while accelerating my pace, leaving her behind.


    I heard Mira''s scream, but I didn''t turn around.


    Recently, it took me more time to exhaust my stellar energy, so my magical training had also increased.


    ?How far will I go with my power??


    As my energy increased those days, I believed that the feeling of exhaustion was stronger at the moment when I first ran out of energy.


    ?I wonder if this will be proportional?.


    —You''re lying down in a place like this again! —I heard Anastasia''s voice.


    ?What? This is my favorite place, you know!?


    This place was a plain about 10 minutes walking from our Pendragon mansion. The grass didn''t grow on one side and looked exactly like a green carpet.


    ?Perfect for resting?.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    I had a lazy appearance while lying down, except when Anastasia arrived. The meadow trembled by the wind, and my sister''s silver hair, gathered in a ponytail, had become longer and more alive. She seemed to become more feminine day by day.


    Her face''s appearance was becoming thin and her pupils, crimson like my father Atlas''s, seemed powerful and soothing.


    —Since I just started taking a break, it''s a good time, right? —I told her with a smile.


    —Are you okay, Ars? Your eyes seem tired again —she asked with concern.


    —Well, I just woke up and my eyes look like this —I quickly responded.


    I had short white hair like my father, and my eyes with sapphire pupils, inherited from my mother Adelaide, looked slightly thin.


    I couldn''t say anything about it.


    For children like me, fatigue caused by stellar energy exhaustion appeared in the eyes. Only rest restored the consumed energy.


    When they asked me if I was tired, I wanted to think it was a coincidence.


    I was a five-year-old energetic and healthy child!


    —Because mom said you occasionally go outside —she said with a smile.


    Mom worried too much. I was supposed to be a five-year-old problematic child full of curiosity, so seeing me lying down properly and quietly in the room must be very worrying.


    But actually, I was just an exhausted Ascendant.


    The fatigue still persisted. Seeing that I didn''t get up, Anastasia frowned and bent her mouth into a "へ", showing she was unsatisfied.


    —Hey Ana, didn''t you forcefully take me to the river yesterday? —I asked her.


    —That was my judgment as your kind-hearted older sister —she responded.


    ?Yeah, right!?


    Anastasia inflated her non-existent chest.


    ?How are you kind-hearted??


    ?You disrupted my nap yesterday, disrupted my magical training the day before yesterday, and how are you helping me now with your previous help?!


    ?In the end, you also quickly ate my sweets (unrelated). But it was all Anastasia''s fault!?


    With those thoughts, I sentenced her:


    —I see Ana as a demon —I told her.


    —No matter, let''s go quickly! —she exclaimed.


    ?Resistance seemed useless?


    While being dragged by her soft white hand, today I was also kidnapped.


    ***


    MAID MIRA


    The city''s size was large and had many extraordinary aspects, which made taking a walk memorable.


    ?From the perspective of these two children, who don''t have much time in this world, the city is full of all kinds of strange things?, I thought. Everything was simply amazing, from buildings full of ornamental decorations, to canals and countless people.


    We passed through the town square, which was lively today.


    In the square, beautiful ladies were chatting about this and that.


    —Yes, yes! So I ended up ordering two second helpings of spaghetti.


    —Me too-.


    —My husband also ate my portion before, you know? Isn''t it incredible?


    —Wa—, Mauro eats well after all—


    —That''s why I had to eat hard bread! Incredible!


    It seemed the wives were talking about their husbands or food.


    ?Am I supposed to watch both of them alone??, I wondered. I felt that making a living was hard.


    I observed the children from afar, especially Anastasia, who continued cheering happily, and a smile appeared naturally on my face.


    ?How can you be so charming??, I asked myself.


    Was it because she was a girl? Or because she was an elf?


    I was sure I had seen them since they were smaller, but there was something different about Anastasia and Arceus. It was a strange difference that couldn''t be expressed in words.


    As a maiden who had not yet known a man, let alone raised a child, this was even more incomprehensible to me.


    Therefore, I thought that if I ever had a child in the future, I would definitely want to have a daughter.


    That''s why my heart was twisted when I saw Anastasia''s cute and small figure.


    ?Because she is so pretty and charming that it hurts my heart!?, I exclaimed to myself.


    I remembered being cautious every time I touched Anastasia''s chubby cheeks and getting nervous because I was worried that if I squeezed her hand too hard, she would break.


    In the end, for me, all the time I spent with Anastasia was precious.


    The smell of fish and the noise of boots mixed in the confusion.


    Before I realized it, we had arrived at the river''s edge.


    Aksville was full of people.


    The children moved quickly through the auction stands, seeing the items.


    —Naru No. 3! 200 kg of sturgeon!


    —Naru No. 5! 100 kg of Spanish mackerel! 120 kg of sturgeon!


    —Naru No. 2! 250 kg of crab!


    While the boats unloaded the seafood, the auctioneers shouted loudly.


    Aksville''s fish market wasn''t very large, so most customers were cart drivers and nearby restaurant owners.


    The children squeezed between people and watched the auction.


    ?It''s been a while since I visited the fish market?, I reflected.


    The auctioneer scribbled something on a note and handed it to the winning bidder.


    The winner handed over the note, along with the money, to the cargo handler and received the merchandise, loading it onto a cart.


    All this happened in less than 10 seconds.


    Setting the price, exchanging merchandise, bringing the next item... these actions flowed like water, comparable to a circus show.


    Even in such a small place, there was a world of experts.


    Merchants examined the fish''s quality, nodded or shook their heads, applauded or exchanged quick signals with people beside them.


    There was no space for beginners to intervene.


    While I stood there stunned, the auctioneer weighed the next fish on the scale.


    —What''s happening now? —Arceus asked Anastasia, seeing a crowd gathered around a large shark.


    —That''s a giant shark that was recently caught —Anastasia responded with a know-it-all tone while subtly inflating her chest.


    I felt a bit worried while observing; meanwhile, Anastasia led Arceus by the hand to another place.


    —Ars, let''s see if there''s something interesting.


    —Oh, a saltwater fish. Why are they here nearby? This is the first time I''ve seen a live fish.


    Arceus commented upon arriving at a stand where several yellow fish could be seen in enormous rectangular wooden baskets.


    While the children enjoyed themselves without any life worries, I was constantly watching them, ensuring neither of them got lost.


    Time flew like a comet and the sun began to set, the twilight sky was simply fantastic. I looked at the sky while sighing.