章 20: Altaire is An Irregularity
I overslept.
Since lunch is coming very soon, they are afraid I'll be so full if I were to consume a complete breakfast, so they give me a slice of Alt-nii's birthday cake to fill in my belly so it can withstand itself until lunch time~
Since today is a school holiday, after lunch, Alt-nii and Mom would go to the castle—or should I say, the Capicastle. Dad has gone to patrol the area and to work in our territory right after breakfast, and Chloe says he was kinda disappointed not being sent off by his daughter today. Aww, I gotta cheer him up tonight, then!
Apparently, what happened yesterday isn't a dream at all.
Even after passing out for half a day, my tiny head can't fully believe all the facts that they gave me last evening.
That Clyde has become Loera's heir and that he's already got a son!!
That my parents are having a really close friendship with the current king!
That my mom is not just an ordinary Royal Magician, but she's the Head of Royal Magic Court!
(I know she's got the reputation, but I imagined the Head being some elderly wise person… was I too biased?)
That my dad is working as The Royal Spy!
(So, that kind of thing is real?!)
And most importantly…
Alt-nii's strongest affinity is with [Void] element, the mythical type of magic?!
This family is totally something else!!
And here I am, an ordinary girl amidst every special being!
If I knew this were to happen, I would definitely ask the God to give me some cheats!
I just wish that I take after my mother's talent with magic, plus her rare attributes! Mom has three attributes! Life, light, and wind—hence she got the title of "Sky Magician", I think.
Her attributes, especially life and light are so dreamy! They are the elements that everyone is yearning to get.
I hope I won't have the same attribute as I had as Reinst.
Considering my parents' attributes, I don't think I will end up having my previous attribute~! The possibility when you calculate the genetic inheritance thing and others is close to none, so I should be safe, I think.
Also, hoping to get an affinity with [Void] magic is just… ridiculous.
I wonder how does Alt-nii train his magic when the data about [Void] types of magic and spells is hard to get?
He'd need to rely on the old documentation of [The Greatest Magician]'s utilization of [Void] magic.
And nobody can really help him to practice. He needs to do his own trial and errors. Mom is the Head of the Royal Magic Court, so thankfully she might be able to help… only in theories, I suppose. And Alt-nii has to put all the theories into action.
Since it is the mythical magic, I wonder how are people's prejudice against him, who is able to use [Void]? I don't think it would be viewed as something nasty, but people will either look at him with eyes that view experimental rabbits—or look at him with the eyes of wonder, as if they're looking at the World's Wonder, I think.
Uuu, with great power comes great responsibility. That proverb is really true!
Hopefully my big brother is fine!
During my free time in the afternoon, I practiced my transformation for a little while before Niina calls me downstairs, saying that I have a guest.
…who is it?
"Clavis-nii? But Alt-nii is gone to the castle!" I said in my surprise upon seeing Clavis in front of the door.
"I know that. But who ever says that I come here today to see him?" Clavis-nii smiled.
"Huh, but usually you'll be playing with him…," I don't get it. Maybe he has some business to do with his mother…?
"Well duh, I come here to play with you! Consider it my thanks for saving my butt--err, I mean saving me yesterday! Besides, I have done my portion of helping Dad around in the store, so I got nothing else to do!" He crossed his arms as he unconsciously wagged his tail.
"Awwkayy! Then, let me pet that fluffy tail of yours!" I leaped forward to get a hold of his wagging tail. Clavis reflexively dodged that.
"Ah, hey! No ambush on my tail!!" He scolded me, but then he suddenly became so silent.
"Ah, but, err… I think… as a thanks… you can pet it… for a while, if you insist," he turned his face around, so I can't see him anymore.
I shall happily take this delicious chance without any hesitation!
Thanks for the meal!!
Clavis-nii is trying his best to withstand the ticklish sensation to his tail while I am petting it. 30 seconds later, he is already declaring his defeat.
I am indulging myself to play with Clavis-nii, as we also read books and he would tell me the stories of his school. And soon, as evening comes, Alt-nii and Mom arrives home.
From Mom's expression, I can see that she is thinking deeply about various things. Meanwhile in contrast to Mom's complicated expression, Alt-nii is smiling as usual, while humming some songs, with a foreign object similar to a big egg on his hand. …A monster's egg? The egg's color is so peculiar. Like it's pitch black with uneven purple freckles all around.
"Welcome home! Uh… what's wrong?" I approached Mom.
"I'm back, Lyra. Uhh, it's nothing. We'll talk about it during tonight's dinner together with Dad. Just… give me some more time to process everything," Mom lightly touches her forehead with one hand and closes her eyes after she plopped herself on the fluffy sofa.
"Moom, can I put this in my room?" Alt-nii asked.
"Oh, sure…," Mom said wheezily.
Just right before dinner, Dad finally comes back home!
And now, the long-awaited-dinner-talk!!
What exactly is burdening the mind of the prodigy magician, the Head of the Royal Magic Court?
***
"1000."
That's all Mom said, as her opening statement.
"What?" Dad asked in his confusion.
"Alt's mana. 1000." Mom sighed heavily.
"…wait, wait, maybe there was an error with the mana measurer?" Dad's eyes are twitching in disbelief.
"Nope. Not a chance."
"…"
Am I really the little sister as someone as crazy as Altaire?!
So, the mana measurers will measure someone's mana capacity from 0 to 1000.
Yup, Alt-nii gained the highest possible value.
It looks like the rumor about [Void] affinity = inhumane mana capacity is right.
It was said that [The Greatest Magician] broke the mana measurer, meaning that her mana capacity has far exceeded 1000. Perhaps Alt-nii's mana capacity isn't exactly 1000, but some digits after 1000? The measurer didn't break, so his mana isn't as great as the Greatest Magician. But, still…
After that, Mom took out a paper that detailed Alt-nii's magic, including Alt-nii's affinity with each attribute. Obviously, the magic testers in the Royal Magic Court would be the high-tech ones!
[Name : Altaire Ophiuscus Hartmann
Mana Capacity : 1000
Magic Affinity :
1. Neutral : 5/10
2. Fire : 1/10
3. Water : 4/10
4. Thunder : 2/10
5. Wind : 9/10
6. Ice : 4/10
7. Earth : 1/10
8. Plant : 5/10
9. Dark : 0/10
10. Light : 7/10
11. Life : 8/10
12. Void : 10/10
Note : 0 = unable to use, 1-3 = weak, 4-6 = normal, 7-9 = strong, 10 = very strong]
Basically… the complicated tool measures all of a person's affinity towards all elements of magic, while the normal simple affinity tester only reacts with colors, and that kind of simple tester only reacts to the value of 7-10. Yup, people's attributes mean the elements that they have 7-10 values of affinity with. It's advised for people to train their highest affinity element first so that their other magic will be stronger. And they don't normally train the elements that they have weak affinity with, unless necessary or they want it.
For your information, [The Greatest Magician] got 7-10 values on all magic elements. Nobody has been able to beat her so far.
As for my parents' magical status… Since they don't really remember where exactly they saved their test result, plus the fact that they're lazy to take another test, these are the information about them:
My mom possesses 888 mana capacity, which is already extraordinary for a human. Plus, 2 out of 3 of her attributes are rare : [Light] and [Life]. Her other strong attribute is [Wind]. But to consider that she has elf blood running through her veins, then it's understandable for her to be this extraordinary. She says that she can also use [Ice] and [Thunder] to good extent, and a little basic bits of [Fire] and [Water].
My dad is also amazing, albeit he is just an ordinary human. Even he admits that he was confused since his father and brother's magic powers are less than his. My dad has the mana of 754—while his father and brother was around 400-500ish. Besides, my dad also has three attributes! His strongest two are [Water] and [Ice], while the last one is [Plant].
I wonder why wasn't he the heir since he was stronger than his brother? Was it merely due to his birth order? I mean, his brother's attribute were only [Plant] and [Fire]. I guess that had something to do with my dad's different values to both his father and brother, too? Like how he was as straight as an arrow while his father and brother were as twisted as the messy thread.
Also, my dad can use [Wind] element just fine and basic [Fire] and [Thunder].
Oh, and it goes without saying that most people with other attribute(s) can also use [Neutral] magic, and most can utilize moderate amount of that magic. Strong usage of [Neutral] magic can be usually seen in people with [Neutral] element. It's uncommon for people with two or more attributes to have [Neutral] attribute as their element. It's like an exclusive type of magic, requiring high dedication and loyalty, perhaps?
Although it's a common knowledge that [Neutral] element is just so-so, since you can't use that in combats. Nobody really wishes for having affinity with [Neutral] element only, unless they aspire to be augmenters, producers, or inventors.
"Also," Mom added as if she just remembered something, "there is an ancient magic artifact that's found near The First Queen's tomb. There has been no reaction whatsoever from it, so we've been keeping it stored inside the Royal Magic Court's Treasure Room. However, when Altaire came today, it radiated magical power and reacted strongly. We think it's some sort of a [Familiar] egg… and hypothesized that it needs to consume [Void] magic, hence the reaction to Alt. So we decided to let Altaire keep it while I should keep an eye of it."
…that explains the egg-like object.
Right. In this world, there exists [Familiars]. They are special types of Sacred Beasts that can be bound by contracts to people usually with splendid magical power. My previous family was a family of swordsman, so nobody had a familiar. In addition, even if you possess a strong magical power, it doesn't guarantee your luck and ability to form a contract with them. It's all about how can your heart synchronizes with the familiar's heart. There are also the cases of inherited familiars in some families. The power of familiars also varies.
"So, if it is really an egg, whatever's gonna hatch from it will be my familiar?!" Alt-nii's eyes are sparkling.
"Hmm, only if it wants to. Sacred Beasts are complex beings, nobody really has a parameter on how they decide their loyalty," Mom said.
"W-what about Mom and Dad? Do you have any familiar?" I braced myself to ask them.
"Mmhm, yes, we do," Mom said, smiling.
"But I never saw them!" I protested.
"Ahaha, well, that's because Fenix—my phoenix familiar—prefers to dwell in the Magic Court's Treasure Room. She's also protecting the room, you see," Mom smiles, "but she will come whenever I need her. That's just how the mental bond between a familiar and their master."
She smiled. She must really love her familiar.
"Well for me," Dad clears his throat, "my familiar is Phyllo, a little creature that's similar to a seadragon. He has a sharp little yellow horn on top of his small light blue body. His hands or fins… are like small wings. He doesn't have any leg, though. I often ask for his help in spying the suspicious-looking personnel as he can somehow melt around with water, being invisible there. I can never spy on them all the time, so his presence really helps me."
"That's cool, but please please let me see them some time!" I enthusiastically responded.
"Eeh, how did you form a contract with them?" Alt-nii asked.
Ohh, nice question, Nii!
"During one of my expeditions to a volcano, I encountered Fenix. She said that she was interested in me, who's rumored as the prodigy. At that time, I have yet acquired the title of Sky Magician, and barely worked as a Royal Magician. She challenged me to a battle. If I won, she would form a contract with me and be my "sun". She joked on how I could totally represent the blue sky, so long as I could make her mine. As I have the "Light of the Sky", "Wind of the Sky", and the "Life" that is often associated to the "Sky". So, perhaps my title comes from her idea. I got called Sky Magician shortly after I formed a contract with Fenix."
…It's like a fairy tale.
A fierce battle to test each other's conviction and strength. A battle to get to know each other. And by the end of the battle, you managed to befriend your former foe. A romance in the battle. The battle roman.
"Wa, wait, then, what happened if you lose?" Alt-nii asked.
"Ah, if I lose, then she wanted me to never set a foot inside her territory again," Mom spoke, as if she just remembered that. I think losing was not in her mind even at that time. Now I'm starting to view Mom as a competitive person.
"What about you, Dad?" I turned to Dad, expecting another awesome tale.
"Eeh, mine is not as grand as Cassie's. Phyllo isn't that strong in the first place. One day, when I was strolling the town with Firis—my mom, we found a dying Phyllo at the small and secluded alleyway. Firis brought him home and tended him to health, with my assistance. Come to think about it, perhaps Phyllo was attached to Firis at first. He might have been a familiar I inherited from her?" Dad's gaze turned gentle, as if reliving the memories of those days.
"How niceee~, I wish that magical artifact is indeed a familiar egg, and that I can befriend it once it hatches!" Alt-nii cheerfully stuffed his remaining food after saying that.
Familiars, eh… It was something I never really imagined having before in my previous life. But now, I am born into a magician family. It would be nice to have a familiar that will practically be my best friend.
Speaking of which, Altaire really fits the role of a main character in the books or games. If this were a fiction, then I guess my role of the main character's little sister might be quite important? Then, that means I can closely follow the main character's tale, as he is my own big brother~
Yup yup, being a side character is the best. Living a peaceful life away from any complicated issues is my dream, after all!
I'll be rooting for you, Alt-nii!
クリエイターの想い 
LynneSuzuran
LynneSuzuran I would like to say thanks for all your comments, votes, and anything to show that you are reading and supporting my novel! It really motivates me to craft a story that all of you can enjoy ^^
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