Chapter 2

1. A Special Birthday

The autumn wind blowing down from the Chepan Mountains carried the scent of trees. The air had turned noticeably colder, slipping through the folds of my clothes.

“Lady Rivi, it seems winter is nearly here,” Sir Silveret said softly.

“The harvest is over. It’ll start snowing next month. When do you think my brother will arrive, Sir Silveret?” I asked.

He shrugged a little. “Hard to say. His last message was two hours ago. At the Dragon Mercenary Company’s usual pace, they should already be here by now.”

I frowned. “Did something happen along the way?”

His voice was calm. “If it were anything serious, he would have sent a magical signal. Let’s just wait patiently.”

My name is Riventitia Herba. I live in the Herba estate, nestled below the Chepan Mountains in the northern reaches of the Kalan Empire. If you know that the estate name is also our family name, you might have already guessed who we are.

That’s right. My family has governed this region as nobility for generations.

To introduce us properly: there’s my mother, the Baroness Herba; my father, the Baron Consort; my older brother Rector, twelve years my senior; and me, the youngest daughter. Four in total.

But most days, only my parents and I stay at the manor here on the estate. My brother left home at eighteen to travel and now roams the continent working as a mercenary.

In spring, summer, and fall, he leads the mercenary company on contracts. In winter, he returns to the estate to rest.

Most mercenary groups don’t take entire seasons off, but my brother’s Dragon Mercenary Company is different. He says working year-round will wear them out too quickly, so every single member comes to enjoy a proper vacation.

Our estate has hot springs. They soak every day in the steaming water, restoring their strength and stamina until spring arrives and the snow melts, then set out on the road again.

It wasn’t always like this. When they first came to our estate, they’d taken a monster-hunting contract that lasted over two weeks—one day fighting monsters, one day resting, and so on.

Monster byproducts from the Chepan Mountains fetch a high price. It’s so cold here that the monsters grow larger and tougher, making their materials high-quality.

The mercenaries quickly realized it was more profitable to stay here and hunt monsters every other day than to take contracts elsewhere.

Given the nature of mercenary work, they often have to camp out in the wild. After all, they only get hired for the jobs ordinary people can’t handle.

But try sleeping outside in winter. Even with magic, it’s freezing; the cold seeps into your bones.

They got sick of camping in the snow and chose hot springs and real beds instead.

For the first two years, they still hunted monsters diligently, selling the pelts and parts. But they grew lazier. Last year, they were so worn out they barely managed one hunt a week.

Honestly, I skinned more rabbits myself than they did monsters.

“Ah, there they are! Rector!” I called, squinting into the distance.

Far off, a group of riders approached. The man with much broader shoulders and cropped black hair—that was my brother.

Ah, they must have met up with a merchant caravan on the way and adjusted their pace. Caravans move slowly with all their goods, after all.

I broke into a run, dashing as hard as I could toward my brother, whom I hadn’t seen in so long.

• ◆ ◇

“Our little cutie! You’ve grown so much since I last saw you.”

My brother jumped down from his horse and opened his arms wide to pull me into a tight embrace. His mossy gray eyes, like the forest in the mountains, flickered with warmth.

Wait—why does his face have so much stubble? With that beard, he looks less like a twenty-two-year-old bachelor and more like a grandfather.

When he tried to rub my cheek, I pushed his chin away with both hands.

“Huh? Rivi, what’s wrong?”

“I hate the beard. No kisses or cheek rubs until you shave it off.”

“I-Is it really that bad?”

“Yes. Really bad. No way.”

My firm answer deflated him, and the mercenaries nearby scolded him as if they had predicted this outcome already.

“I told you to shave that beard yesterday. I’ve said it ten times. You never listen, Captain.”

“It doesn’t suit you. We’ve been telling you for three months that you shouldn’t have a beard.”

“Miss Rivi, don’t give him any kisses until he shaves.”

No need to emphasize that—I definitely wasn’t going to! Around here, my brother is known for his good looks, but with that beard he looks like a bandit. I’m not giving kisses to a bandit brother!

The exhausted travelers hurried inside the estate to rest quickly.

The merchant caravan headed toward the market with a warehouse, while the mercenaries followed me back to our house.

Since the estate is small, there’s only one inn, so both the caravan and the mercenaries can’t stay there at the same time. Since my brother is the son of the lord, the mercenaries stay at the largest Herba manor. Luckily, the house, a gift from a dragon long ago, has many spacious rooms; enough for twenty guests to stay without issue.

“Welcome back, Rector.”

“I’ve returned, Father. What about Mother?”

“She saw you from the rooftop and went hunting with Lord Goldwin. She should be back before dinner. Hesila, Ben, all of you seem to have made it through the year safely.”

“We stayed safe by being careful. Please continue to watch over us this year, Lord Luke.”

“You look tired. Go on in and rest,” Lord Luke said kindly.

“One soak in the hot springs and you’ll be as good as new!” Hesila laughed cheerfully.

Hesila, the beauty with jet-black eyes and matching long hair, was a Master-level mage of the 5th Circle.

Ben, with striking red hair and eyes, was an advanced swordsman and the mercenary company’s deputy captain.

I’d asked before why my younger brother, with less experience and youth, was captain.

They said it was because his voice was strong. Also, though he was a baron’s son, his noble status made getting work easier.

Anyway, when he later became the lord, it would be a problem if he didn’t know how to handle administration, so my brother cried his youth away while learning paperwork. Since typical mercenaries hate administrative work, his skill and thoroughness made him perfect as captain.

It felt like my brother ended up doing all the grunt work for the mercenaries, but I accepted the reason.

“Rivi, there’s a gift in my backpack. A small box tied with a ribbon. Go find it.”

“Wow, thanks!”

I didn’t know what the gift was, but it’s always good to thank the giver for the thought, first. While my brother went to wash up, I opened the black backpack and found the pretty white box.

“I wonder what’s inside. I’m so curious. This year, the gift is strangely small, Dad.”

Every time Rector came home, he brought me huge bundles of gifts. Last year, it was a teddy bear as big as me.

“It’s enchanted with shrink magic. If you put mana into the ribbon, it’ll grow.”

“Then I’ll try.”

Most people in the Kalan Empire can use magic, though skill levels vary greatly. Usually, kids like me get praised just for mastering three or four simple spells.

Shrink magic is difficult, but breaking it is easy thankfully. I carefully gathered mana and touched the ribbon with my finger.

“Even when it grows, it’s smaller than last year. I’ll open the lid.”

I untied the ribbon and opened the white paper box, pulling out what was inside. This year’s gift was a leather backpack—but not an ordinary one. I saw an embroidered magic circle inside.

“A volume reduction and weight lightening magic circle. Hmm, this could easily hold the contents of a whole wardrobe.”

Dad’s explanation left me wide-eyed.

Rector, you didn’t spend all the mercenary fees on this, did you? A single artifact with two magics is very expensive—this one must cost more than the hundred teddy bears I got last year!

“Dad, I think Brother’s gone crazy.”

“The Dragon Mercenary Company mostly takes magic tower contracts, so I think they didn’t pay full price. I guess they left wyvern leather to be made into this backpack. Use it well.”

My brother’s gifts always surprised and delighted me, but this year’s truly exceeded all expectations.

• ◆ ◇

Clean and beard-free, my brother finally looked like himself again.

“Don’t ever grow a beard again, got it?” I told him firmly.

“I thought it was a manly look… Ugh.”

“The only person in our territory who can pull off a beard is Grandpa Hans at the forge.”

That’s because Grandpa Hans’s wife, Grandma Lola, is a hairdresser who trims it every day. You can’t just grow a beard and expect it to look good.

“Do you like the backpack?”

“I love it. The white color is so pretty, but I’m worried it’ll get dirty.”

“It’s treated with all sorts of coatings so dust won’t stick. You can wear it however you want. You’re ten now, so it’s about time you had your own artifact. Birthday gifts are supposed to be something nice.”

My birthday is next week. Since it’s a birthday gift, my brother went a little overboard.

In the Kalan Empire, giving a birthday gift on the actual day is considered very rude. Usually, people who are close to you remember your birthday several days ahead.

So family always gives gifts at least a week in advance. I’ve already gotten new clothes and a dagger from my parents!

My brother sat on the sofa with me on his lap, staring blankly out at the Chepan Mountains. It’s silly, but this is how he rests. My parents say he’s been doing this once a day since I was a baby.

It’s not meditation, nor is he asleep. It’s just zoning out, but he likes it, so I try to be still with him. When I was younger, I would fall asleep in his arms.

Usually, he stays like that for about an hour, but today it was shorter.

“Brother, where were you before coming to the territory?”

“I went south to gather herbs, then headed to the capital where our client was. Came straight up from Gravis.”

The imperial capital, Gravis, is in the center of the empire. The southern tip is far below, and our territory is the farthest north. My brother traveled an incredibly long distance.

“The transport was easy since I used the mana train, but getting the herbs was tough. They only grow under a Black Wyvern’s nest. I had to sneak up the cliff at night to gather them—it was nerve-wracking. If the timing hadn’t been so tight, I might have failed.”

“Wouldn’t it be faster to ask the local mercenary group in the south?”

“We tried once before. That’s why the request came to us. The female wyvern that laid the eggs is already sensitive, and the first people who tried got caught. Ugh.”

“You managed to succeed somehow.”

“Everyone except me cast sleep magic on the wyvern.”

Wyverns are resistant to magic, so putting them to sleep isn’t easy. The whole mercenary team probably helped. Then my brother, who’s used to moving well from playing in the Chepan Mountains, climbed the cliff.

Poor brother, I gave his broad back a gentle pat with one hand.

• ◆ ◇

“It feels good to be home. Our territory really is the best. Starting tomorrow, I’m going to sleep half the day. Rivi, you don’t have to wake me up.”

“But you still have to eat. You only eat one meal a day if I don’t bother you.”

“I’ll eat lunch and dinner. Just let me sleep through breakfast.”

“Fine. If you don’t get up by noon, I’m body-checking you.”

I’m 135 centimeters tall, and my brother is 193 centimeters. Shaking the blanket isn’t nearly enough to wake him; a good hard body check might barely do the trick.

Some families don’t get along well between siblings, but maybe because our age gap is so big, we never fight and get along well.

Maybe it helps that we only live together for one season each year. Seeing each other less means fewer chances to argue.

After zoning out, my brother yawned widely, clearly tired.

“Take a nap. I’ll wake you when dinner’s ready.”

“Where are you going?”

“To the kitchen. I’m getting a snack.”

I skipped the snack because I went to greet him, so now I’m hungry. I tucked the blanket over my big brother and headed to the kitchen.

Since there were many guests, there was plenty of food to prepare. Usually, the cook handles under ten servings, so one person is enough, but today, helpers came from the village.

“Rivi, what brings you here? Ah, right. Snacks!”

“Mrs. Sugar, everyone’s busy, so I’ll just help myself.”

I scooped white cream made by boiling milk from a jar, then drizzled a spoonful of honey on top. I picked two ripe fruits from the pantry and magically warmed some small bread.

Ah, there’s nothing to drink. Milk would be too filling, so I brewed some fragrant floral tea.

“Will you be eating here?”

“Yes. I’ll help after I finish.”

Our territory has fewer people than other similar-sized ones, so hands are precious. Even as the lord’s daughter, I help when things get busy. Our family isn’t rich enough to keep many servants anyway.

Nearby noble families have similar situations, so no one finds it strange. When guests come over, my friends and noble peers also clean or cook big pots of stew.

After finishing the snack quickly, I stood in front of a mountain of vegetables. I stretched out both hands with determination and focused, then cast magic.

“Peel away!”

A kitchen knife floated in midair, spinning a potato as the skin began to peel off. Hmm, success again today!

At this speed, I’d finish a whole box within twenty minutes. Mrs. Sugar smiled approvingly and brought over more vegetables that needed trimming.

Ah, surely she doesn’t expect me to trim all these by hand? What’s the point of learning magic if not for moments like this?

“You’re so good at using magic without a circle or staff.”

“They say real experts can cast magic without anything.”

“Exactly. Trolls and orcs won’t wait for you to draw a magic circle. If you rely on a staff, you’re helpless if it breaks.”

Of course, staffs make it easier to learn magic early on. But as you progress to higher circles, it gets much harder. So it’s a choice between struggling early or struggling later.

Adults say nothing valuable ever comes without some hardship. I think they’re right. Even though I’m only ten, I already understand this truth about life.

◇ ◆ ◇

“Wow, it’s a Minuta? We’re having barbecue tonight!”

“We were planning on getting a mountain goat, but we ran into it in the woods. It was so plump we just took it down.”

By the time the sky was glowing red with sunset, Mother returned from hunting—dragging a Minuta the size of a house behind her.

Minuta are wild cattle that only live in the Chepan Mountains, and their meat is absolutely delicious. They’re too aggressive to domesticate, so you can only eat them if you manage to hunt one.

“Sir Goldwin, how did three of you manage to bring back two Minuta?”

“We got lucky. We were close to where we’d set traps. Put a body-enhancement spell on our legs and just sprinted for it, hahaha!”

Ah, that explained the condition of the hide. Minuta were worth a fortune because every part could be used. Their hides especially sold for a high price, but you needed at least a ten-person team of seasoned knights and hunters to bring one down without damage.

Father and the merchants in the domain would be disappointed about the torn hides, but there was no helping it. Even damaged, they could cut it up and use the pieces.

The Dragon Mercenary Company, who’d been resting, all rushed over to help with the butchering.

“Fresh Minuta meat the moment we arrive—fantastic.”

“Look at all that marbled fat. Perfect for autumn.”

What would have taken hours alone was finished quickly with everyone pitching in. One would be eaten tonight; the other was set aside for my birthday party. This year’s birthday was going to be amazing.

Even though it was a little chilly, barbecue was best done outside, so we set the dinner tables up in the yard in front of the manor.

“Rector, are you going to keep being a mercenary next year too?”

“I’m planning to think it over slowly this winter.”

“Thanks to you, all our debts are paid. The autumn trade went well, and we’re ready for winter. It worries me that so many hard jobs are dangerous.”

At Father’s words, Rector chewed, swallowed, and finally replied.

“Father, to be honest, the Chepan Mountains behind our estate are some of the most dangerous terrain in the Empire. The guild won’t even take local jobs unless they’re sending A-rank mercenaries.”

“That’s true, but… hrm.”

“My first goal was paying off our debts—that’s done. I’ve traveled plenty of the continent, too, so yeah, I’m at a bit of a crossroads. But I can’t just up and quit as the captain. I’ll talk it over with my crew.”

“And don’t forget, if any of your company wants to settle here, we’ll help them however we can.”

“Aye, sir.”

Rector had sent most of the money he earned back to our parents. The reason was simple: paying off our family’s debts.

When Mother first became Baroness of Herba, the estate was heavily in debt. My late grandmother had been very sick, and medical costs drained money like water from a cracked jar, leaving them poor almost overnight.

So, as an only child, Mother entered a fencing tournament in the Imperial capital, Grauis, and won prize money, then joined the Imperial Knights.

The plan had been to work as a knight until the debts were repaid, but then Grandfather suddenly passed away. So she married Father, who she’d been seeing at the time, and returned to Herba.

Even though I was young, I knew all these family details thanks to my brother. He said I needed to know everything, since if something happened to him, I’d be the one in charge of the estate.

Honestly, since we’re family, I hoped Rector would eventually just live here with us in the manor. I was sure Mother and Father felt exactly the same.

• ◆ ◇

“I can’t sleep.”

I must have eaten too much meat. It didn’t feel like indigestion exactly, but my stomach was so heavy it was uncomfortable to lie down. I felt like I needed to move, so I crawled out of bed.

Outside, the adults were still busy eating, drinking, and making merry.

Mother had opened several jars of fruit wine she’d made in the summer; they’d probably keep going until dawn.

I checked the teapot that always sat on the table, but it was empty. I needed something to drink.

I bundled up and picked up the teapot before heading down to the kitchen. My room was on the second floor; it was surprisingly annoying at times like this.

“It’d be nice to have a little kitchen upstairs. Ugh, such a hassle.”

I thought no one would be around, but the kitchen was brightly lit. Peeking in, I saw Rector and the company’s vice-captain, Ben, doing the dishes.

“Rivi, you came down because you’re thirsty?”

“Stomach’s full, can’t sleep—both. You two are doing something nice.”

“If we do this, Mrs. Sugar will be in a good mood tomorrow morning when she makes the hangover soup.”

“It’s partly our fault there are so many dirty dishes.”

They must have used a lot of mana on the road because both of them were scrubbing and rinsing by hand. Well, time to show off a little.

I tugged at their pants legs to get them to move aside from the sink, then pointed at the dishes and cast a spell.

“Sparkle and clean!”

Mana drained from me in one rush as the dishes lifted into the air and began bathing themselves in midair. The movements were pretty complex; this definitely used more mana than peeling vegetables.

No way I could do this three times a day yet. Still not enough training. I’d have to keep working on it.

“Whoa, that’s impressive. You’ve improved a lot.”

“Rivi, drink this. Don’t touch the kettle—it’s hot.”

While I’d been casting, they’d quietly brewed tea behind me. It smelled sweet and tangy; they’d added herbs that aided digestion.

I guess they’d eaten too much too. We sat side by side in the corner of the kitchen, quietly sipping our tea. My belly warmed up; I felt good.

Moving around a little and using mana seemed to have helped, too. Sleepiness finally hit me, and I yawned. Seeing that, Rector turned around and offered his back so I could climb up. My chin kept sliding down onto his shoulder as my eyes fluttered shut.

Good night. Sleep well.

• ◆ ◇

Rector carried his soundly sleeping sister all the way to her room, not forgetting to bring the teapot along. Her still-chubby cheeks squished against the pillow as Rivi’s small body sank into the blankets.

When there’s a twelve-year age gap, taking care of your sibling is less like watching over them and more like raising them. Growing up in a quiet little domain where every day was the same, Rivi had become a bright, cheerful child.

“Captain, it’s a bit cold in here. Miss Rivi might catch a cold.”

Ben, who’d followed him from the kitchen, gave a light clap of his hands. A magic circle carved into one wall began to glow.

As the air quickly warmed, Rector lowered his head a little in thanks.

“I see this part doesn’t break the ‘rules.’”

“Just up to here.”

Even in the dim room, Rector could clearly see Ben’s smile. His red eyes narrowed to slitted reptilian pupils for an instant.

“Let’s go. She might wake up.”

“She’ll sleep soundly until the sun’s high. She’s dreaming about riding a dragon right now. Hmm, at that size it’s probably around two hundred years old? Still just a hatchling.”

“Red Benfiard. Don’t go peeking into my sister’s dreams without permission.”

“It’s too cute to resist. Your dreams are boring and depressing anyway.”

“Shut your eyes. It’s not like I want to dream them.”

“Well, in Herba it’s fine.”

Annoyed by Ben’s cheeky tone, Rector grabbed him by the scruff of his collar and dragged him out into the hall.

“It’s a good night for a drink. How about one more?”

“Where?”

“Your room sounds perfect. We should discuss company business too.”

“Fine.”

The Herba manor looked ordinary enough from the outside, but inside it had amenities on par with the finest houses in the capital—each room had heating circles and soundproofing magic for privacy.

It wasn’t exactly beautiful in an artistic sense, but if a Tower mage saw it, they’d probably exclaim “Ooo, research material!” at its complexity.

There was one reason a borderland baron’s house was built so well: when it was constructed, dragons had personally gotten involved.

The Chepan Mountains held the highest concentration of dragon lairs on the continent. Because there were so few humans and the view from the peaks was excellent, you’d find a dragon settled on nearly every summit.

And bored dragons sometimes wandered down for fun. One silver dragon and one gold dragon who didn’t want to travel far ended up taking jobs as knights in Herba. Meanwhile, one red and one black dragon who wanted to wander founded the mercenary company.

Made by dragons, staffed by dragons. The origin of the Dragon Company’s name was almost laughably straightforward.

• ◆ ◇

Rector pulled a tiny glass bottle from his pack. He’d bought the high-proof southern liquor on one of his past trips. It was meant to be diluted with ice or water, but he just poured it evenly into two empty glasses.

He lifted his own and took a sip. The sharp bite and heavy flavor typical of strong liquor spread across his tongue.

“So what are you planning to do now?” Ben asked.

“The urgent stuff is handled, so I’ll stay here for a while. I’m sick of wandering around.”

“You just told everyone you’d ‘discuss’ it with us. That’s not a discussion—that’s an announcement. Tsk tsk. Looks like we’ll need to pick a new captain. What a headache.”

“Why don’t you and Hesila just be co-captains?”

“We’d need two stamps on every single document. You know the Guild hates that.”

“Then just have a big fight and settle who’s on top once and for all. Rivi’s ten now—it’s a turning point. This is important.”

Ben snorted. The reason he and Hesila both held the title of vice-captain was simple: neither would ever accept being under the other.

They’d been born the same year. Their mana reserves were practically identical. Even after two thousand years of daily sparring, they’d never had a clear winner.

“Twisting big events the way you want isn’t easy.”

“Even if I have to grab fate by the throat, I’ll do it. I’m not repeating this.”

Rector’s answer was firm. Ben let out a long sigh.

“Honestly. You returnees all have such nasty personalities. It’s the people around you who suffer.”

“Guess you’re excluded from that, huh? Since you’re not human.”

Ben bristled at that, though he kept his expression calm—it was just banter. He knew better than to let his temper slip. If he lost control even for a second and partially reverted to dragon form, the game was over.

Sure, if a human found out he was a dragon, it wouldn’t be a disaster. Most dragons would just wipe the human’s memory and fly off to their lair.

But he and Black Dragon Hesilias had a long-standing bet: who could maintain their human masquerade the longest. Two thousand years, still dead even. No way he’d lose over something this trivial.

Ben forced down the roiling mana and regarded Rector.

A weary soul in the body of a twenty-two-year-old man.

He’d seen other returnees in his long life. They all had that same look in their eyes.

What on earth did you see in the future?

Rector never spoke about the years he’d relived. But Ben knew the truth about returnees: they lived through miserable futures, then were sent back by the gods to try and change everything.

“Honestly, maybe it’d be better to just disband the company. The kids have saved up enough after all those high-paying jobs you took to pay off the debt.”

“The younger ones are definitely thinking about settling down. Can’t blame them. Being a mercenary isn’t exactly stable. The wanderers are A-rank anyway—they can handle themselves solo.”

“They’re all the type who can’t stand group life. They only stuck together because you held them in one piece. If you said you were quitting, and I or Hesila took over, at least half would bail immediately.”

The Dragon Company had originally been tiny, just four members. When Rector joined and the old captain retired, it had ballooned to its current size.

Though he was young in body, Rector’s soul carried centuries of experience. He was incredibly good at handling people.

But tonight everyone was off drinking and celebrating. Rector decided to save the serious conversation for a few days later.

The more time they all had to think, the better.

◇ ◆ ◇

Three days had passed since the Dragon Company arrived. After soaking in the hot springs and feasting on good food, they’d regained their strength and begun hunting monsters in the Chepan Mountains.

Winter brought heavy snow that made it hard to travel deep into the range; this season, when the weather was clear and animals and monsters were fat and sluggish, was the best time to hunt in bulk.

The monsters they caught were butchered and cleaned for sale through the domain’s trading company. The wild game they bagged along the way was stripped for valuable hides, horns, and hooves, while the meat was all made into sausages or smoked for storage—a precious winter food supply for the people here.

“Okay, kids, look. How many mushrooms are on this tree stump?”

“One, two, three, four… five!”

“No, look, there’s another one in the back! Six!”

“Six is correct! Cliff’s been practicing his counting, so he gets to pick the mushrooms.”

Seven-year-old Cliff beamed as he plucked the prize mushrooms and dropped them in the basket.

Today was a perfect day for a field trip with the school kids. It was the perfect chance to teach them hated math lessons while foraging mushrooms—a win-win. Strangely, the same children who groaned at blackboards solved problems effortlessly out here.

The teachers loved it for the learning results, and the parents liked that anything the kids picked was theirs to keep.

I left the easy mushroom hunting to the younger kids and walked over to the herb patch with my hoe. The thick, healthy roots filled my hands as I dug them up; it was so satisfying to see how much they’d grown since I’d replanted the tiny seedlings last spring.

I harvested ten big roots and left the smaller ones in place; after all, there was no guarantee our family or the people of the domain wouldn’t need these for emergencies.

Wrapping each root carefully in soft moss, I tucked them into the new bag my brother had given me. Then it would be a simple matter of hauling them down the mountain and dropping them off at the trading company. Next month, I’d have a nice sum of pocket money.

Yesterday, Rector had called the entire company together and announced his retirement. He was stepping down as captain and quitting mercenary work altogether.

Everyone had known he wouldn’t stay a mercenary forever—he was a noble, and the eldest son at that—but people were surprised he was quitting this soon; they’d expected at least two more years.

I’d assumed the rest would just elect a new captain and keep the company going somehow. But apparently, running a mercenary band this big without chaos was no easy feat. That’s why it had stayed so small before Rector joined.

After a long discussion, the surprising decision was to disband.

Many of the younger members, who were around my brother’s age, had lower mercenary ranks and often came from orphan backgrounds. Once they heard they’d get help settling down in the domain, about half immediately decided to stay. Opportunities like that didn’t come often for mercenaries.

The A- and S-ranked veterans decided to scatter and go solo again; they’d all originally been solo mercs before joining anyway.

I’d asked if it wouldn’t feel sad to break up after all those years together, but they just laughed and said adults got used to goodbyes. Apparently, companies folding wasn’t even unusual.

It was rare, they explained, for a group to disband this peacefully. Usually, it happened because people were injured or killed on a job. Enough said.

My brother had really gone through a lot while he was away. I’d have to treat him extra well from now on.

“Rivi, did you finish with the herbs?”

“Yeah. On the way back, let’s swing by the market. I want to drop them off at the trading company.”

“They’re all coming to the manor for your birthday anyway. You could just hand them over then.”

“They’ll be so busy they’ll forget. And the caravan leaves the morning after my birthday. Better to get it done early.”

Ugh. My back hurt after crouching for so long.

I pounded my lower back lightly with a fist and slowly stretched. All right. Time to head home.

◇ ◆ ◇

After watching the blue sky fade to red a few more times, the long-awaited day of my birthday finally arrived. All day, the kitchen bustled with preparations for the evening party, while I spent my time decorating the dining hall for our guests.

“Rivi, to be honest, your birthday party feels less like a celebration for you and more like the domain’s autumn festival.”

“Uh, well.”

“Adelina said that at her house they throw a party for her birthday, but they don’t send food to everyone in the whole domain.”

Rector laughed. “Hahaha! But isn’t it nice that everyone’s happy? When you were born, everyone here was thrilled. Look around—everyone’s smiling today too.”

He wasn’t wrong; I’d been getting congratulations all morning.

In one corner of the dining hall, I stacked the gifts I’d received in neat piles. The prettiest wrapped boxes were at the front; I was saving those to open during the party.

Soon, the well-dressed guests would begin arriving at the manor. It was time to change into my new dress and get ready too.

I hurried to my room, where Susanna, our maid, was already waiting to help me dress.

Normally she wore practical clothes and an apron, but today her brown hair was beautifully braided and pinned up, and she wore a dress with lace trim all down the skirt. Her earrings sparkled with blue gems that matched her eyes, catching the light every time she moved.

“My little Lady Rivi. It feels like you were just born yesterday, and here you are turning ten. Time flies so fast.”

“If someone heard you, they’d think you were an elf or something, living forever.”

“I’ve certainly lived longer than you, miss. There—we’re all done. In that white dress you look like a tiny bride. Adorable!”

A real bridal gown would trail on the ground, of course; mine was a child’s dress, long enough to reach my ankles but not so long I’d trip over it. I lifted the skirt and twirled once for her.

“I’ll have to be careful when we eat. It’ll look awful if I spill anything on it.”

“There’s a spell on it so it won’t stain easily. But it’s your birthday today—forget the small stuff and enjoy yourself.”

“Good point. I was thinking I might wear this again next spring, when you get married. Would that be okay?”

“Of course! Having you as my flower girl—I’ll be the happiest bride there ever was.”

Susanna was our manor’s one and only maid. She’d fallen for one of the Dragon Company’s mercenaries over the years they kept visiting, and eventually they’d started a long-distance romance.

Her fiancé, Victor, was an A-rank mercenary—skilled enough to handle jobs on his own. But with the company disbanding, he’d decided to retire from mercenary work altogether and start a family instead.

That sudden decision had left Susanna scrambling to prepare for the wedding. If she wanted to finish her dress before winter ended, I’d have to help out too.

Still, people you love getting married is a wonderful thing. This birthday really was special. So many happy things had happened.

◇ ◆ ◇

“In honor of Herba Domain’s treasure, Lady Riventitia’s tenth birthday! Around this time last year, I toasted and prayed we’d have another day like that, and the gods heard me. I’m grateful. Everyone here, raise your glasses and shout with me: Long life!”

“Long life!”

Everyone lifted their glasses high and bellowed the toast together. Then they drained their drinks in one go—signaling the start of the party.

If the birthday person were an adult, of course, we’d all be drinking alcohol. But since I was just a kid, everything served was juice, water, or tea. People picked whatever they liked; I chose freshly blended fruit juice while Rector sipped chilled chrysanthemum tea.

The dining hall had been cleared of tables and chairs to serve as a banquet hall, and it was packed with domain residents. There weren’t enough seats for everyone, so they all stood, but no one seemed to mind. Their faces were full of light.

I cut the enormous four-tier cake and handed out slices to the children first. Everyone had to get a fair piece, so even the kids who loved sweets didn’t dare come back for seconds.

“Whoa, the cream is delicious! The jam between the layers is different for each one.”

“Hey, you’re right. Mine has blueberry jam!”

“Mine’s strawberry!”

Besides what was laid out at the party, we’d also sent large amounts of food to the villages throughout the domain. By now, everyone would have received theirs.

We didn’t do this for my parents’ birthdays, nor even for Rector’s, even though he was the heir. It was only for mine that they celebrated so extravagantly. The reason was simple.

My birthday fell in late autumn, the season with the most food. That was why my parents, the Baron and Baroness, treated the entire domain to a feast.

I’d been running around helping prepare since morning, so by the time the party started, I was starving. I piled my plate high like a little mountain and ate with great enthusiasm.

Once I felt full, I glanced around the hall and spotted Susanna and Victor making the rounds, greeting people. With everyone gathered like this so rarely, it was the perfect chance for them to make sure everyone knew their faces.

I also noticed the unmarried young ladies of the domain eyeing the former Dragon Company mercenaries like they were ready to eat them alive. I had a feeling there might be more weddings next year than usual.

“Hey, Rector.”

“Hm? What is it? Are your legs tired? Want me to carry you?”

“No, my legs are fine. But I was thinking—Susanna’s the same age as you, right?”

“Same birth month, even. I’m ten days older.”

“So… don’t you have any plans to get married?”

At my question, Rector froze with his fork in mid-air, then slowly turned to stare out the window at the distant Chepan Mountains. Ugh. Don’t just gaze at the same mountains you always see—answer my question!

“Good question, honey,” my father chimed in, rushing over with my mother. “You’ve met plenty of people while traveling for years. Surely there was at least one young lady you liked?”

“Your mother and I were already raising you at your age, you know,” my mother added.

Now both parents had joined the interrogation squad. The fact that Rector stayed silent just meant he’d never really thought about it before. Which was fine—I could just ask his old colleagues instead.

“Hesila, was there anyone in the Guild who liked my brother?”

“Oh, sure,” she said immediately. “A receptionist in the Southern Branch asked him out. He refused, though. Trouble was, she was the branch manager’s daughter. We got all the hardest jobs for a while after that. Just last year.”

“Ben, you shared a room with him all the time. You must know more.”

Ben cleared his throat. “Ahem. During an escort mission in the Central Provinces, a viscount’s daughter came on really strong. Her information network was no joke. She even tried to send an official proposal when she found out he was a noble.”

Whoa. My brother was more popular than I thought! But he’d turned them all down.

Maybe it was because our domain was so remote back then, and our family’s finances weren’t great. But things were better now.

We didn’t have a huge population, so our tax base was small, but expenses were low too. As long as we didn’t waste money, we could get by just fine.

Plus, I hadn’t spent a single coin of the allowance Rector had given me over the years.

If he brought home a sister-in-law from a family about like ours, I had enough saved to at least help with the bridal gifts. The rest of the wedding gifts exchanged between families could be sourced from the Chepan Mountains.

That’s what the local noble houses all did—scour the mountains for the best they had to offer. If you bagged a bear or a fox, one hunting trip could cover the gift budget three times over.

◇ ◆ ◇

“Rector, I’m pretty grown-up now, so you’re allowed to date.”

“Wait, Rivi, what? It’s your birthday! Why are we talking about my love life all of a sudden?”

“Watching Susanna and Victor together just gave me the feeling we needed to talk about it.”

Seeing the guests today made something painfully obvious: most of the people around my brother’s age were either engaged or married already.

Even if he tried looking in neighboring domains for a bride, the well-regarded young ladies were all taken.

I was glad he’d quit being a mercenary and decided to stay in the domain; the problem was, if he never left, there’d be no one for him to date. He could seriously end up a lifelong bachelor if we did nothing about it.

Just imagining him aging alone, buried in work, sent a chill down my spine.

When I said that out loud, he jumped and frantically looked around the room. What was that reaction? It was like he’d actually seen the grim future I described.

“My dear little sister, could we please change the subject? Mom and Dad are looking at me like they’re about to murder me.”

“Fine. Let’s do the present-opening ceremony.”

Rector clapped his hands loudly, immediately drawing everyone’s attention.

“This box is from Mr. Krogue, who manages the domain’s trading company and is also my godfather. He’s given me a gift every year. I’ve been dying to open this for five days but held back! All right, let’s see what’s inside!”

Krogue was the wealthiest man in the domain, so his gifts were always fancy. Even the ribbon was pure silk. I was absolutely saving that to sew onto a dress or make into a hairpiece.

I untied the navy ribbon, opened the lid, and pulled out what was inside—a large, round crystal orb. What on earth?

At first glance, it looked exactly like a long-distance video orb, but those were ridiculously expensive. Even our domain only had two for military use, and each cost 1,500 gold!

I glanced at the adults around me. They were all wide-eyed, so I turned to the man who’d given it.

“Godfather, what is this?”

“Ah, something newly developed at the Mage Tower. It’s called a talent assessor. It measures aptitude for magic, divine power, spirit arts, that sort of thing. The instructions should be in the bottom of the box.”

Instructions? When I checked, I saw what could only be described as a book. A thick, hardcover tome, no less.

I opened it and tried to read, but the sentences were absurdly long and full of difficult words—one sentence could easily span four or five lines.

Hesila, our resident 5th-circle mage, flipped through a few pages and shook her head.

“Mr. Krogue, this isn’t an instruction manual. It’s basically the developer’s thesis. Good grief, it’s insanely complicated. Miss Rivi, give me a second.”

Hesila was the smartest person I knew. She speed-read the book, then turned to me with the actual instructions.

“You just need to rest your hand on the orb and sit still for five minutes.”

“This model’s the cheapest option, but even that’s fifty gold,” she added. “The high-end ones with detailed readouts go for over 5,000 gold. Though those are really only for the Mage Tower or major academies.”

“It was custom-ordered,” Krogue said with a laugh. “I’m a merchant, after all. I like to give my goddaughter something useful. It’s a reusable item—just needs mana recharging each time.”

“The instructions even say you should do at least three tests to check for any margin of error. That’s why it has to be multi-use.”

I nodded. That made sense.

All the guests were watching with keen interest, so I decided I might as well try it right then and there.

◇ ◆ ◇

“Hesila, how do you know what power I have? How does it show up?”

“The crystal changes color. The stronger the color, the more talent you have. Ready to try it?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ll charge it for you.”

Hesila touched the crystal’s stand, and the gem at its center lit up with a bright glow. That must mean it was ready for use.

I placed both hands on the crystal resting on the table and waited. A tiny ball of light formed inside and began darting around wildly. Then it started shifting colors, one after the other.

First was a dandelion-yellow glow; next, a very pale green; then a faint sky blue; and finally, a brilliant rainbow light.

“Let’s see,” Hesila began. “Yellow means mana—so, magic. It’s the strongest color, which makes sense since you already know and use magic.”

“What about green?”

“That’s divine power. Everyone is born with at least a trace, so it always shows up. If you were training as a priestess, it would be a much deeper green. Now, the sky blue—oh! That’s nature affinity.”

“So I could learn spirit arts too?”

“You have the aptitude, but the color was very faint. You’d need a lot of training. Still, living here in Herba, close to nature, might make it easier than for kids in the city.”

Wow, this was fun. Even the adults watching leaned in to listen to her explanation.

“Master Hesila, what about the rainbow at the end? It was as strong as the magic color,” my mother asked, beating me to it.

“It wasn’t listed earlier… One moment, Baron Herba.”

Hesila floated the thick book in midair, flipping through its pages at speed.

“Found it! Rainbow means… it’s an innate ability!”

“Innate ability?”

“Our daughter Rivi has that?”

Hearing that, my parents’ eyes went wide. As for me, I was completely stunned.

Innate abilities were something you were born with; you couldn’t learn them. That made them extremely rare—our entire domain only had about a dozen people with one.

Since it was there from birth, family usually figured it out when the child was still a baby. But here I was, already ten years old.

“Huh. Can you have an innate ability without even knowing?” Hesila mused. “Krogue, you’re an ability user too, right?”

“Barely,” my godfather said with a shrug. “I can move a pencil with telekinesis, but it’s so weak it’s useless.”

Telekinesis was actually the most common innate ability around here; over half of the domain’s ability users had it.

“Hales, what do you think?” my father asked the soldier nearby.

Hales hesitated, choosing his words carefully.

“As you know, my ability is ‘leaf walking.’ I heard I started using it when I first learned to walk. Before I could control my body well enough, the conditions just weren’t met. Maybe it’s the same for Miss Rivi?”

“So she might have the ability but just hasn’t triggered it yet. That makes sense.”

“Darling,” my mother added, “remember when we were in the capital? There was that one man who only discovered his ability as an adult.”

“Right—the one who could turn alcohol into water.”

My parents both turned to me.

“Rivi, do you have any guesses about what yours might be?”

“No, I really don’t. But I am curious to find out.”

A bunch of the other adults nodded in agreement.

“Hmm,” my mother said thoughtfully. “We’d probably have to go to the Mage Tower’s northern branch to know for sure.”

The Mage Tower had branches in all five regions of the empire. The northern branch was in the duchy capital of Pretium, the closest one to us—but I’d never been there. It was a full two-week carriage ride from our domain.

Standing behind me, my brother jumped in immediately.

“Mother, that’s too far, and winter’s coming. We’d be forced to camp out in the cold. Let me try my contacts in the guild first.”

“You mean the mercenary guild? You’d put out a request?”

“I met a mercenary once who could identify other people’s abilities. If I can track them down, they might come here.”

“That would be much easier, if they’ll do it.”

Northern winters were too harsh for kids to travel safely. Staying put was clearly best, so I nodded in agreement.

And just like that, my tenth birthday party ended with the surprise discovery that I had an innate ability I’d never even known about.