Six months had passed.
During that time, I spent most of my days either dueling with Kruger or training in Rune Magic under the guidance of my teacher.
And who is that, you ask?
Of course—the beautiful witch herself, Lady Lilith.
Although her method of teaching was a bit… unconventional, I managed to learn how to interpret, carve, and apply runes. I even began modifying my armor to adapt as my body grew.
"Like this…?" Lilith asked, casting her magic with an elegant gesture.
"Yeah, like that, like that," I replied, my eyes locked on the glowing trail of mana, trying to replicate it on the rune.
"Wait a second, teacher," I added, quickly scribbling notes while maintaining my concentration.
Hearing my words, Lilith suddenly spoke in a cold tone, "What…?"
I blinked, confused by her shift in mood, and started to answer, "Teach—"
But then something clicked in my memory. Realizing my mistake, I quickly corrected myself.
"Big Sister…!!"
At that, Lilith's smile returned, warm and amused. She gently touched her cheek as if flattered.
"Yes… Big sister," she repeated sweetly.
Then, her tone shifted again—bored, almost lazy.
"So, is it finished?"
I double-checked my work one last time, scanning for any mistakes.
Once I was sure everything was perfect, I closed the book with a soft thud and said with a proud smile,
"It's finished, Big Sister."
"Is it finished? Then I'll go, okay?" she said as she canceled her magic and stepped away.
"Goodbye, my prince," she added with a faint smile, walking toward the shadows.
Just before vanishing into the darkness, I heard her mutter one last word—
"Exhausting."
And then, she was gone.
Six Months Later
Age: 7
At last… I was allowed to go out and explore the kingdom.
In the dining room of the royal castle.
After King Louise and his family finished eating, he brought up the topic Paul had been eagerly waiting for.
"Paul, about your wish to go out and explore," King Louise said in a serious tone.
Hearing those words, I immediately looked at Father with a hopeful expression.
The King continued, "Actually, we had already agreed to it a while ago. But due to the incident that night, we decided to postpone it—until after yesterday's party."
What event was that? Oh… right, my birthday party.
Even though I'm not married yet, the ministers still brought their beloved grandchildren—probably hoping to match one of them with me to win favor with my parents.
Sure, some of them had sweet faces...
But honestly, they're still just kids.
I need something round, big, and tight…
Sigh…
For some reason, the moment I let out that sigh, my mother's eyes sharpened.
"Paul," she said, narrowing her gaze. "For some reason, I really want to hit you right now."
The hairs on the back of my neck stood up like lightning had struck.
I shot up straight. "S-sorry, ma'am…!!"
After we stopped joking around, King Louise cleared his throat and spoke again, his voice returning to that firm, fatherly tone.
"So Paul, what have you prepared?"
At his question, both my mother and father went quiet. The room, once filled with soft chatter and the clinking of cutlery, now held a heavy silence—as if the very air itself leaned in to hear my answer.
I glanced down for a moment, recalling everything I had worked on the night before. Then I looked up and met their eyes, my voice steady.
Royal Capital Stromgarde, South East Gate
"Are the preparations complete, my guard?" Renya asked with a teasing smile, her tone deliberately provocative.
Damn, I knew she'd tease me... I grumbled inwardly, already annoyed by her antics.
"Yes, Master," I replied smoothly, bowing my head in feigned submission.
She chuckled softly, clearly enjoying herself. "Master, right…" she echoed, her voice dripping with amusement.
You still ask why? Of course, a 7-year-old kid can't register as an adventurer. So, this is the best option—posing as a guard. Sigh…
"Renya, knock it off already…" said Kruger, his voice slightly distorted from inside his helmet, the sound coming through the built-in microphone.
Yes… the microphone with a headset is one of the products I designed after observing how crossbows with enchantments always appear active—even when no one is channeling mana into them. It's still inferior to what a Gifted Enchanter can do, but its usability is far better.
Why? Because when I asked them, "How does mana flow during weapon enchantment?"
They simply answered, "We don't know."
What they do know is what type of attribute will be enchanted—like attack, strength, speed, and so on.
They told me, "After receiving the request, we place a medium magic core—sometimes a high-grade one for special weapons—along with any other necessary materials. Then we simply say 'Enchant,' while concentrating to improve the success rate. And… it's done."
After hearing that, I couldn't help but feel a little sorry for them. It's like having a gift you don't fully understand… or even need.
And yet, without them, adventurers would've suffered far more casualties.
Still, they can only fight from behind the scenes.
While I was lost in thought, Renya casually responded to Kruger's question.
"Okay~," she said with her usual teasing tone.
Kruger—our Head Guard—was assigned to me because of my mother.
When he once said he wanted to repay her for saving his life, my mother smiled... that kind of smile. The evil one.
Then she looked right at me and said,
"You know, Kruger, it wasn't me who saved you. It was my son—with a crossbow in his hand. So if you want to repay someone… protect him. Take care of him until he no longer needs your protection."
Hearing that, I could only sigh and tilt my head toward the sky in pure resignation, silently asking the heavens,
Why me?
While I was still lost in thought about all that, two more people arrived—the final members of our party.
"Oh… Gunther and Greta, you're here," I said with a nod. "Let's go, Mrs. Renya is waiting."
They both responded in sync with a simple, "Yeah," and without wasting time, we made our way toward the horse cart.
After passing through three villages and picking up supplies we might need—spare swords, extra arrows, crossbow bolts, and the like—we finally arrived at the edge of Grunwald Forest. A dense stretch of woods spanning nearly seven kilometers.
As the cart came to a halt, the old handyman turned his horse around to head back toward the capital. Before he left, he looked at Renya and said, "Miss, be careful out there."
Then his gaze shifted to me.
"And especially with a rookie guard like him."
"Damn, why me?" I grumbled internally. "What's his problem with me, anyway?"
But since he had no idea what was going through my mind, he kept talking.
"You know, there've been plenty of cases where young nobles go off on their first adventure, only to end up missing—found later in monster nests, slave trader dens, or bandit camps."
As he spoke, Renya just smiled politely and replied, "Oh… thanks for the warning, uncle," while casually tossing him a silver coin.
Catching it with practiced ease, the handyman blinked at the coin, then chuckled. "That's a bit much for a tip, miss. But thank you."
He turned his cart around, reins in hand. "And don't forget—be careful. Life's worth more than pride."
With that, he rode off down the dirt road, his horse cart rattling as it carried him back toward the capital.
"Heh… this is new information for me," I muttered, holding my chin in thought.
Hearing that, Renya replied in a calmer, more honest tone—dropping the formal act now that there were no outsiders around.
"Prince… honestly, it's been like that for a long time. It happens every single year, without exception."
Hearing that, I became a little intrigued and asked, "Why?"
Renya answered with a sigh, resting her head on one hand. "Simple… after the Gifted Ceremony, a person's value is judged by the type of Gift they receive."
She paused, glancing at me before continuing. "And after that… well, you know how it goes."
Realizing what she meant, I finally put the pieces together. "Ah… so that's how it is," I muttered, as we continued walking down the forest path.
As we walked, a thought crossed my mind, and I murmured, "I'm really lucky… to be raised by them." My gaze stayed forward, lost in quiet reflection.
Hearing that, Renya responded almost immediately, "Of course. You're the only true heir of this kingdom. Besides…"
She suddenly stopped mid-sentence.
Curious, I turned to her. "Besides… what?"
She shook her head gently, her expression unreadable. "It's nothing," she said softly.
As if she didn't want to continue the topic, Renya quickly changed the subject. "Prince, look… there's a Grimspider web over there."
At her words, Paul immediately turned to where she was pointing. "Where?!"
The moment he spotted it, he took off running in that direction.
But halfway there, he suddenly stopped and turned back toward Kruger. He handed over a tool—a mana metal detector—and said,
"Please help, Kruger."
Without waiting for a reply, Paul dashed off again toward the web.