While Semirys was still struggling to make sense of any of it, she suddenly felt a small hand clutch the hem of her dress.
She turned and found herself staring into a pair of big eyes fixed tightly on her.
She immediately felt a wave of speechless disbelief.
"Uh... yes, yes, I know. I’m not going to stiff you."
Then she cleared her throat.
"All right. Stand still in front of me."
Shulim gave Semirys a suspicious look, though her hand still had a firm grip on the edge of Semirys’s skirt.
"Stand still. I’m giving you your boons."
Only then did Shulim finally let go and step in front of her.
This time, Semirys clearly had no intention of messing with her. For once, her expression turned fully serious, and the wings on her back burst into dazzling light.
Then she placed her right hand on top of Shulim’s head.
"O chosen one, in the name of the Fairy King, I grant you the highest blessing. May the world look upon you with favor, and may its protection walk beside you always."
Rainbow-colored light spread from Semirys’s hand, slowly covering Shulim’s whole body.
Warmth flowed through her from head to toe, gentle and comforting, and Shulim could not help closing her eyes.
"Flame shall burn for you.
Water shall flow for you.
Wind shall gather around you.
Earth shall guard you.
Light shall shine upon you.
Darkness shall veil you.
And the power of the void shall be laid upon you."
As Semirys continued softly speaking, Shulim felt one strange force after another enter her body. Something within her was changing in a way she could not explain.
A long while later, that change finally settled.
The light around Semirys dimmed, and she slowly withdrew her hand. She looked a little pale.
So it really was too much to grant that many boons all at once. At this rate, I might go back and drop straight into hibernation...
When she sensed that it was over, Shulim opened her eyes and carefully tested her body.
At first, she could not find any obvious difference.
Still, she clearly remembered the sensation of some power changing her from within, so she knew the change had to be real.
"Semirys, what’s wrong? Are you okay?"
Seeing something was off, Shulim asked at once.
"Ah... I’m fine. Totally fine."
Semirys patted her own cheeks and forced herself back into shape.
"Really?"
Shulim was not convinced.
"Really. Anyway, forget that for now. Let me check the result of the boons first."
As she spoke, the same magic circles as before appeared over Semirys’s eyes.
"How’s this going to turn out, I wonder... honestly, even I wasn’t sure whether a soul could hold all seven boons at once."
The familiar lines of text rose over Shulim’s head once more.
[Shulim Hayeral
Race: Human, Female
Age: Seven
Vitality: Rank E
Mana: Rank D
Magical Affinity:
Fire Affinity: Rank S (the Fairy King’s Boon of Fire)
Water Affinity: Rank S (the Fairy King’s Boon of Water)
Earth Affinity: Rank S (the Fairy King’s Boon of Earth)
Wind Affinity: Rank S (the Fairy King’s Boon of Wind)
Light Affinity: Rank S (the Fairy King’s Boon of Light)
Dark Affinity: Rank S (the Fairy King’s Boon of Darkness)
Void Affinity: Rank S (the Fairy King’s Boon of Void)
...]
...
This is ridiculous.
I mean, yes, I’m the one who caused this, but... isn’t this way too much? This is beyond absurd.
Who created a monster like this?!
Oh. Right. It was me.
It was me. What did I even do?!
And on top of that, her soul actually held the power of all seven boons. How is that even possible? No, forget that. The fact that she had all-element affinity was already bizarre enough to begin with...
"Semirys, what is it? Is there some kind of problem?"
Seeing Semirys’s expression change ten different ways in the span of a few seconds, Shulim started to worry that something had gone wrong with the boons.
"Mm... nothing’s wrong with the boons. If anything, they worked too well, and that’s honestly what makes it terrifying."
A question mark practically popped over Shulim’s head.
Why would it be scary if it worked too well?
She did not really understand.
"Semirys, are you leaving now?"
Shulim suddenly looked up and asked.
She had found Semirys annoying at first, especially when she laughed at her. But this last month had been unlike anything she had ever experienced before, and for all the infuriating things Semirys said, Shulim had realized she did not actually dislike her.
Now that it hit her that Semirys would probably leave once her task was finished, an odd sadness welled up inside her.
"Normally, yes."
Shulim’s question also helped Semirys calm down a little.
That was true. No matter how strange Shulim was, the task had been completed. What came after that was not really her concern anymore. In the past, she would have already turned her back on the chosen one by now and flown off to enjoy herself somewhere.
"So it really is like that..."
Shulim’s mood visibly sank.
...
Looking at the child’s tiny figure, Semirys was suddenly reminded that, strange as she was, Shulim was still just a very young child.
At that age, normally, a child should be... doing what exactly?
Semirys did not know much about human children. She knew a little more about elves, since she got along relatively well with them.
At seven, elf children were mostly... still in cradles, weren’t they?
Uh...
So seven really is baby age after all.
Semirys suddenly realized something terrifying.
Wait... am I really about to leave a baby like this behind on her own? I know perfectly well how dangerous this world can be. Can she actually survive in it? What if something happens to her? Sure, her status is insane, but right now she’s still just a baby with no real power. A random slime could swallow her whole...
"Well... normally that’s how it would go, yes. But do you even know how to use these boons properly?"
"Huh? No."
Shulim shook her head.
"Heh. I knew that would be the case. Which means..."
"Which means?"
"Which means that until you learn how to control your own power, I’m staying here to supervise you. Because if I hand you these boons and then you immediately go and accidentally get yourself killed, then everything I did was for nothing. So..."
"So?"
"So. Starting today, you’re going to come here every day and train under me until you fully understand how to use your power."
"So that means... you’re not leaving?"
"Of course not. And let me tell you right now, it’s too late to regret anything. You’d better start worrying about the brutal training ahead of you."
Semirys lifted her chin and said it with full arrogance.
"I see..."
Shulim’s expression brightened again.
"All right. I’ll come and train with you."
"Hmph. Good. Then remember this. You’re coming back tomorrow at the exact same time."
"Tomorrow? I can’t do tomorrow."
"Huh?"
Semirys’s face froze, and her voice immediately lost some of its strength.
"...Why can’t you do tomorrow?"
"Because..."
Shulim answered with perfect seriousness,
"My new school year starts tomorrow."
The day after the month-long deadline ended, Shulim’s school-year break came to an end, and her second school year began.
"You should have told me that sooner."
Semirys’s shout rang through the forest.