“Avis! Alarte Ascendare!”
It was late afternoon, with dinner time approaching. Yeowoo was in the living room, diligently studying magic(?) in her own way by waving around a short rod and shouting what sounded like magic incantations.
But can she really get into a magic school just by doing that?
“Sis. Do you really want to go to magic school?”
“Yeah! Of course! I'm going to become a mage when I grow up! Then I'll become a hero like Dad and protect people! Aguamenti~!”
Yeowoo spun around once and waved her self-proclaimed magic wand.
Magic….
For a brief moment, I sank into regretful memories, until my mother approached and set food down on the dining table.
“Of course. When our Yeowoo grows up, I'm sure you'll become a wonderful mage who protects people.”
“Can I protect people like Dad does too, Mom?”
“Of course. Absolutely.”
My mother walked over to Yeowoo and stroked her head.
Lee Jisang, Yeowoo's father and mine as well, was a hero who possessed monstrous strength.
If I had to compare his position to something from my old world…… I suppose he'd be something like a knight.
Even in this scientifically advanced world, ‘monsters’ existed, and their varieties and strength were actually far more diverse than those of my old world.
My father was a ‘Hero’ who specialized in subjugating those monsters to protect the people of this country, and since it was a profession that required risking one's life, the pay was naturally much higher than that of ordinary people.
You could tell just by the size of our home.
From what I had learned on YouTube, a house this large belonged to a ‘fairly’ well-off family.
Maybe I was lucky…….
“Dad's home!”
“Daaad—!”
Yeowoo even threw aside the rod she treasured and scampered over to hug our father.
“Yeowoo, did you miss Dad?”
“Yeah! I missed you so much!”
Yeowoo looked absolutely delighted as she clung to him.
At times like this, she really was nothing more than an ordinary nine-year-old brat.
My father hugged Yeowoo, then turned his gaze toward me.
I had no choice but to force an awkward grin and run toward him as well.
“Daaad~!”
Ugh.
I'm probably several decades older than that man.
Nevertheless, I ran over with the innocent enthusiasm of an ordinary seven-year-old and threw myself into my huge father's arms.
“That's right, Hyunwoo. Hahaha.”
Apparently in an excellent mood, my father lifted both Yeowoo and me at the same time and held us in his arms.
From a child's perspective, that was truly monstrous strength.
Please, just don't rub your cheek against mine or kiss me….
As if deliberately defying my wishes, my father boldly did both things at once.
“Aaah! Dad! Your beard! It's scratchy! Shave it!”
When Yeowoo screamed, my father laughed and rubbed his cheek against hers even harder.
“Ahaha. Have you already grown old enough to complain about that?”
I could endure it when Mother did this since she was a woman, but this really crossed the line.
“Dad. Stooop….”
Just as I had done with my mother, I covered his lips with my hand.
***
Tonight's dinner was soft tofu stew, spicy stir-fried pork, stir-fried mushrooms and vegetables, and kimchi.
It was an overall well-balanced and delicious meal, packed with both savory saltiness and mild flavors. I loved it.
“All right. Dad picks up his spoon first, then Mom, and after that Yeowoo and Hyunwoo can start eating. Understood?”
“Yeees~!”
My mother was always gentle, but when it came to table manners, she was strict.
Elders first.
The oldest person had to pick up their utensils before anyone else.
According to my mother's ironclad rule, Yeowoo and I always had to sit there staring at the food until our parents picked up their utensils first.
Eventually, my father picked up his spoon and chopsticks and put a piece of stir-fried pork into his mouth.
And so, the meal began.
“Ah, honey. The pork is really good today. It's nice and chewy.”
“I lived on my own for five years. This much is basic.”
I stopped eating my soft tofu stew and raised my head at my mother's proud remark.
I had heard an unfamiliar term.
“Mom. What does ‘living on your own’ mean?”
“Hm? It means living by yourself.”
“Then did you live alone for five years?”
“……I did?”
She must've been lonely, living by herself for five years.
As I looked at my mother sympathetically, feeling sorry for her past, Yeowoo changed the subject with the lively spontaneity unique to children.
“Mom. Dad. I want to go to magic school.”
“Hmm? Yeowoo. You can go to magic school later too. First, once you're a little older….”
Yeowoo shook her head at Father's words.
“I want to become a mage as soon as possible. I want to become a mage and help Dad~!”
“Haha. So Yeowoo wants to help Dad?”
My father smiled proudly and took a spoonful of soft tofu stew.
Then he looked toward my mother.
“Hmm. Honey. It's not as though we're short on money, and Yeowoo wants it this badly. Should we take her to a sensitivity center and have them check the kid's aptitude? I heard the state accepts even young children into the Academy these days.”
“Should we? Then while we're out, we can eat somewhere too, and let's have Hyunwoo tested as well. What do you think, Hyunwoo?”
“Huh? Tested for what?”
“They'll see how well you and Yeowoo can accept mana. It's nothing scary, so would you like to try?”
Haha.
Hahahaha.
I barely managed to suppress the laughter threatening to burst from my lips and kept my expression blank.
They wanted to test how well a former Ninth-Circle mage could accept mana.
Slurp.
Since holding back my laughter was difficult, I calmed myself by eating some soft tofu stew.
Then I answered.
“Yes. I'll do it.”
Just for fun.
I didn't want to live as a mage in this life too.
I had already seen the pinnacle of magic in my previous life, so this time, perhaps I wanted to see the pinnacle of fields called science or medicine.
Smiling, I put some stir-fried pork into my mouth and chewed.
***
The mana sensitivity center, officially called the Mana Observation Center, was where Yeowoo and I headed in our parents' car.
“Kids. What do you want for lunch after we're done? Is there anything you'd like to eat?”
It was Father.
Nothing in particular came to mind, so I shook my head and said I didn't want anything, but Yeowoo's eyes sparkled as she shouted for hamburgers.
“Hamburgers. Hamburgers! I want hamburgers!”
“Really? Then should we go have hamburgers for the first time in a while? I don't think I've had one in quite some time either.”
“Waaah!”
Hamburgers.
My mouth was already watering.
Food in this world was especially rich in flavor.
Even simple foods such as hamburgers that ordinary citizens could eat tasted far better than the meals eaten by nobles in my old world.
As we chatted noisily in the car, we arrived at the Mana Observation Center before I knew it.
I got out of the car beneath the bright morning sunlight.
Inhaaale.
“Haaa.”
What fresh air.
That refreshing feeling of fine dust reaching every corner of my lungs.
Tsk….
Together with my family, I entered the white building gleaming beneath the sunlight.
“Senior Jisang!”
“Oh. Mina!”
As soon as we entered the building, a neatly dressed woman in a black suit approached us as though she had been waiting.
My father introduced her to the family.
“Ah. Say hello. This is my wife, and these are our children. This is Park Mina. She was my junior from the class immediately below mine at the Academy.”
“Ah Hello.”
“Yes, hello. I was originally going to attend your wedding, but I got assigned to a deployment at the time, so I could only send a wedding gift.”
“I see.”
Once the adults finished talking, Park Mina's gaze turned toward us.
Without either of us needing prompting, Yeowoo and I greeted her politely.
“Hello.”
“Mm. Hello. I'm your father's colleague. Nice to meet you.”
“Our dad's colleague? Then are you a Hero too?”
Yeowoo stared at Park Mina with sparkling eyes.
She smiled and nodded.
“Yep. I'm your dad's colleague.”
“Waaah! You're so cool, big sis!”
“Big sis? Hoho.”
Park Mina smiled, clearly pleased.
“But you two really are pretty and handsome. I don't see any of Senior's genes in you at all. You must've inherited everything from your mother.”
“What are you talking about? Both Hyunwoo and Yeowoo clearly have my face in them.”
“Senior. But they're far too adorable and cute for that. Forget everything else. Just stay healthy and grow up exactly like this, all right?”
“Yeees!”
Unlike Yeowoo, I simply nodded without saying anything.
…Admittedly, we were slightly better-looking than most people.
If everyone else looked like roughly painted murals, we looked as though a renowned master painter had painstakingly drawn us stroke by stroke on the finest drawing paper.
Of course, we were still only little kids, and appearances were like mist that would naturally disappear with time, so I didn't attach much importance to it.
After my parents and Park Mina exchanged various pleasantries, they led Yeowoo and me toward the observation room.
On the waiting chairs outside the room sat people of all ages—children around our age, adults, and teenagers alike—men and women waiting for their turns.
“All right. Shall Yeowoo go first?”
“Yes!”
Everyone's attention turned toward us.
Officially, since we had made a reservation in advance, we could undergo the test immediately instead of waiting like everyone else.
But in reality, it was probably because we had connections at the center—Park Mina—and were getting a free pass.
I savored the gazes of the people watching us as I felt a faint taste of power.
Ah.
Only a few years ago, far more people used to look at me with much greater attention than this.
Of course, if someone told me to return to that world, I wouldn't go.
Compared to Earth, the world I had lived in was far too backward.
We entered the observation room and were instructed on what we needed to do.
Once Yeowoo finished preparing for the mana observation, she stepped onto a machine whose structure looked complicated at a glance, stretched both hands toward something resembling a punching machine, and simply had to wait.
The entire process was so simple that it ended within a minute, but apparently there were so many people waiting that those outside still had to wait quite a while.
From beyond the observation room, we watched as Yeowoo underwent the mana sensitivity test with the staff's assistance.
A man in a white coat announced the beginning in a businesslike tone.
“All right, Yeowoo. We're going to start now, so don't be too scared.”
“Yes!”
Yeowoo was left alone inside the observation room.
Rather than looking frightened, however, she seemed to be waiting for the results with a triumphant expression.
WHIRRR—
The machine made a sound as the observation began.
I watched it with interest.
Although I hadn't learned magic or inscribed any Circles into my body since coming to this world, I could still see the mana swirling around the machine.
They said they were testing how well she could accept mana.
Then does that mean they're measuring how freely she can control it?
I stared at the process with complete concentration.
…Apparently finding that expression adorable, my mother laughed and pulled on my cheeks.
“Aah. It huuurt.”
“Who did you inherit all this cuteness from? Hehe.”
The mana swirling around the machine gathered at the part resembling a punching machine, then approached Yeowoo's fingertips.
Yeowoo didn't push away the approaching mana and instead accepted it naturally.
However, there was such a large mass of mana that she couldn't accept all of it, only drawing a portion into her body.
And my assessment was—
‘Not bad.’
Even in my old world, someone with this degree of mana sensitivity would have been treated as a promising ‘gifted student.’
What happened afterward depended on what kind of master she met, what magic she learned, and where she placed her Circles.
But as for Yeowoo's raw talent as a mage while she was still an unpolished gemstone…… perhaps she was a promising prospect?
However, the people receiving the results in real time reacted very differently from me.
“W-What in the world…….”
“What's wrong with these numbers? Isn't the machine malfunctioning?”
The people in white coats began fiddling with the machine, visibly shaken.
Our family grew serious as well.
“Is something wrong? What's happening?”
“Ah…… It's not a bad thing, but the number is far too high. This shouldn't be possible.”
After finishing his examination of the machine, one of the men spoke in amazement.
“The machine is functioning normally. Which means this number…… really is that child's mana sensitivity.”
“My goodness…….”
“Why is everyone acting like that? Is it really that high?”
The white-coated staff stared openmouthed at Yeowoo, who was smiling innocently, before answering my mother's question.
“A genius. She's a genius. No, even the word genius isn't enough. We can't even estimate how far she might grow…… I've never seen a child like this before.”
They're exaggerating.
She's definitely not that extraordinary.
…Or is she?
I can't judge this world by the standards of the one I used to live in.
When it came purely to magic, this world's development was far behind ours.
“This child absolutely must enter the Academy, Yeowoo's parents.”
“Ah, well…… that's a little difficult to decide immediately. Is Yeowoo's test finished for now?”
“Ah…… Yes. It is. Miss Yeowoo's mana observation is complete.”
My father's gaze turned toward me.
“Then let's finish both children's mana observations first before deciding what we're going to do. This is all rather overwhelming.”
“Yes. We got far too carried away. We've truly never seen a case like this before…… Haha. And she's only nine years old.”
Yeowoo came out of the observation room and scampered over to us, immediately asking about her results.
“How was I? What happened? Can I get into magic school?”
“Yeah. Yeowoo, you can. But first, why don't we finish Hyunwoo's observation too, and then we'll talk about everything together?”
“Yeah, yeah! Okay!”
Having witnessed a once-in-a-generation genius—by their standards—the people in white coats were whispering among themselves while staring only at Yeowoo, as if I didn't even exist.
Hmm…….
I had no intention of becoming a mage, but it had been a hundred years since I'd been treated like this, so it felt strangely unsettling.
Then perhaps I'll draw just a little attention.
No matter how much of a genius they think I am, if I say I don't want to do it, that'll be the end of it.
I entered the observation room and blankly stared at the machine that gathered mana.
Honestly, I didn't need a cumbersome machine like that.
Even in its natural state, I could draw mana toward myself, condense it, and absorb it.
I looked through the glass at my parents and Yeowoo watching me from the other side, then gave them a grin.
I flexed my hands and stepped onto the machine.
It's been a while.
Time to show them what I can do.