Chapter 35

The head of the fish monster, with its mouth open, flew toward her and Hayden. Enria quickly created a new barrier, and Caldeon wrapped the monster’s head in black magic and pulled it back.

Before that, however, Hayden stretched out a small, fern-like hand and poured black magic into the open mouth of the fish monster.

The shining fish monster, whose movement was stopped by Caldeon’s black magic, attacked again, spewing sharp thorn-scales from its gills, but the scales were repelled by Enria’s barrier.

And at that moment.

With a crackling sound, the head of the shining fish monster exploded.

It had been detonated by the black magic Hayden had poured into its mouth.

As Caldeon and Enria’s eyes widened simultaneously, Hayden moved his small lips towards the burst head of the shining fish monster.

“Naughty.”

***

Hayden was disappointed by the outdoor walk, which had ended quickly due to the appearance of the fish monster.

However, Enria and Caldeon gathered Roseanne and Rahar in the parlor to discuss a more important issue.

“Hayden defeated the leader of the fish monsters?”

Rahar asked with a look of disbelief, and Caldeon nodded slightly.

Enria also nodded once and elaborated.

“It was the same this time as it was at the previous walking celebration party. Hayden is using black magic very skillfully.”

Since everyone in the room had witnessed Hayden use black magic at the walking celebration party, there was no doubt about that part.

However, while he might have instinctively sensed danger and unconsciously bound the monster’s body back then, the current act of inserting black magic into the monster’s mouth to explode its head was not easily explained as instinct.

“A child who can’t even talk is using black magic so skillfully? Lord Caldeon, is this even possible?”

As Roseanne asked, also failing to understand Enria’s words, Rahar spoke instead of Caldeon.

“Well, this guy also handled black magic well from a very young age, so if you consider that, it’s not entirely implausible. Was it when you were eight… that you first killed a monster with magic, right?”

Caldeon responded to Rahar’s question with a single nod instead of a verbal answer.

At this, Roseanne muttered to herself with a slightly serious expression.

“Then it really is possible that Hayden is the owner of the oracle.”

“Yes, there’s a high possibility.”

As Rahar also nodded, agreeing with Roseanne’s words, worry spread across Enria’s face.

In truth, since Panz, who suddenly appeared, had said he would kill both Enria and Hayden regardless of who the owner of the oracle was, the question of who held the oracle didn’t matter much.

Both were in danger, and the people gathered here had to protect both Enria and Hayden equally, so there was little difference if Hayden was the owner of the oracle.

However, if her child possessed the Power of Absolution as the owner of the oracle, she couldn’t help but worry about that part in various ways.

This was because the Power of Absolution, which could resurrect the dead, required certain conditions to be met by the caster before it could be used, ultimately necessitating the caster’s sacrifice.

Enria had briefly wished that she were the one with the Power of Absolution.

The heart of a mother who didn’t want to subject her child to even the slightest hardship.

“Anyway, it seems like a good thing for our side in many ways, which is reassuring.”

When Rahar spoke, Roseanne asked why it was a good thing, and Rahar shrugged in response.

“Isn’t it fortunate that Hayden can use black magic skillfully, so he can protect himself from future dangers?”

Roseanne shook her head, disagreeing.

“I don’t think this is an issue to take lightly. Because if Hayden can already use black magic freely, it means he clearly possesses as much black magic as Lord Caldeon.”

“So, that’s what makes it good.”

“No. The more black magic one possesses, the more situations there are for it to run wild.”

Rahar, upon hearing Roseanne’s words, finally uttered an “Ah,” and looked at Caldeon.

“Come to think of it, you also had mana overload starting from quite a young age, didn’t you?”

Before the oracle descended, Caldeon also had a period where he suffered from mana overload.

He hadn’t known it then, but thinking about it now, it was clearly due to mana overload.

Both Rahar and Tearen had witnessed him suffering for no apparent reason countless times, which is how they realized it was due to overload now.

And because of that, they knew even better.

What a painful curse mana overload was.

Rahar quickly looked at Roseanne and asked.

“Didn’t you develop an overload suppressant? Couldn’t we give that to Hayden?”

“If it were a medicine safe for a young child to take, maybe, but magic potions are not like that.”

Roseanne shook her head a couple of times and continued.

“The basic ingredient in magic potions, Harpy’s blood, contains components so deadly that they can leave serious side effects in humans. But if we exclude Harpy’s blood, which is the only ingredient capable of making magic absorbed into the body, the potion becomes useless.”

She concluded that Harpy’s blood was the most crucial ingredient for making the potion but also the one with side effects, so they couldn’t give the medicine to the still-young Hayden.

The side effect of Harpy’s blood was the stunting of human growth, so it wasn’t a major risk for adults like Caldeon or other grown-ups.

“Then, what about a Saintess helping to suppress the overload, like with Caldeon…”

“That’s not possible before the oracle descends.”

When Caldeon replied to Rahar’s suggestion, Rahar nodded again, saying, “Ah.”

Only a Saintess who had received the oracle could possess the ability to suppress mana overload.

So, unless a new oracle descended, bringing a Saintess from the Grand Sanctuary wouldn’t be able to suppress Hayden’s mana overload.

“We have so many headaches.”

Rahar sighed deeply and muttered.

Roseanne looked at Rahar and said.

“Well, since nothing is certain yet, wouldn’t it be better to just watch?”

She suggested that since Hayden also possessed the power of the Divine Force, he was very likely to have the Power of Absolution.

Since the Power of Absolution itself was a Divine Force-based ability, she added that with Hayden possessing the Divine Force, they probably didn’t need to worry about mana overload separately.

“I don’t think God would put the owner of the oracle in danger through mana overload, and if he possesses both the Divine Force and black magic, the Divine Force will likely suppress the mana overload naturally.”

Enria nodded at Roseanne’s words, finding them plausible, and Caldeon and Rahar also nodded simultaneously.

Thus, they concluded that they would continue to observe Hayden’s abilities for a while.

***

Caldeon, who had showered and entered the bedroom, smiled as he saw Enria gently patting the chest of Hayden, who was asleep on the bed.

It was a sight he saw almost every day, but each time, he felt a surge of emotion in his heart, confirming his happiness.

“Is he already asleep?”

Caldeon approached the bed and asked in a whisper, and Enria nodded, replying in a whisper as well.

“Yes. He kept yawning after dinner.”

“That must be because he used magic.”

“Does using black magic make one tired?”

Caldeon, who got onto the bed, lay down next to her and answered yes to Enria’s question.

“It does. It’s probably the same feeling as when you get tired from using the Divine Force a lot.”

“Ah.”

Enria, too, felt more tired on the days she used the Divine Force than on the days she didn’t, so she naturally nodded her head.

Caldeon smiled, looking at Enria.

Enria met the gaze of Caldeon, who was lying on his side facing her and looking at her with a subtly seductive gaze.

A sudden urge to talk arose in her due to the increasing heat in his eyes, and Enria blurted out an unexpected request to him.

“Please, sing me a lullaby.”

“…Hmm?”

Caldeon slightly raised an eyebrow, taken aback by the sudden request.

“I want to hear it.”

“You’re an adult.”

“Are adults not allowed to sleep while listening to a lullaby?”

“It’s not that you’re not allowed, but…”

“I want to hear the lullaby you sing, Caldeon.”

A sigh mixed with a laugh escaped Caldeon’s lips at her request, which wasn’t exactly a tantrum but was subtly impossible to refuse.

Still lying on his side, he slightly propped himself up, resting his chin on his hand, and asked.

“If I sing it, what will you do for me?”

“Do I have to do something for you to sing it?”

“There’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world.”

“Wow, that’s petty.”

As Enria subtly wrinkled her brow, Caldeon playfully pressed her brow with his finger and smiled.

A smile resembling Hayden’s.

That single smile made her heart feel like it was melting.

“What do you want?”

Enria whispered.

A small chuckle escaped Caldeon’s lips at her expression, which showed she was willing to pay a price to hear the lullaby.

Looking at Caldeon, Enria said firmly.

“Just so you know, I can’t sing, so I can’t sing a reply.”

“Haha.”

Caldeon suddenly burst into laughter, brought his face close to Enria’s, and said.

“Then let’s make it a kiss.”

At that, Enria’s eyes widened slightly.

She stared intently at Caldeon, who was pursing his beautiful lips, urging her to kiss him quickly, before eventually touching her lips to his and pulling away.

“Done?”

Enria’s face was flushed red.

“I said a kiss.”

Caldeon slightly raised an eyebrow and offered his lips again.

“Oh, really.”

Enria, whose face looked ready to burst, glared at Caldeon and then pressed her lips against his.

As the clumsy and awkward kiss began, Caldeon tilted his head and cupped her head with his hand.

Their breaths mingled in disarray.

Enria’s heart pounded so much that it wouldn’t have been strange if it burst, as it was their first kiss in a long time.

As if the waiting had been hard for Caldeon too, he kissed her deeply, as if to devour her lips.

Enria clung to Caldeon, feeling increasingly breathless.

Even in that situation, a question suddenly popped into her mind.

‘Ah… the lullaby… will I be able to hear it…?’