“Eh? A baby? I am not! I'm already seven, you know!”
Unexpectedly, Semilis looked at Shulim with a serious expression, as if wondering what on earth she was talking about.
“Seven years old? Isn't that practically a baby in a cradle?”
“...Who on earth is still lying in a cradle at seven years old?!”
“Eh! They don't? But, but... seven years old...”
In reality, the reason Semilis had such a massive misunderstanding was due to the immense difference in their perception of time.
As the very first fairy in the world, it was no exaggeration to say that Semilis was one of the oldest living beings in existence. Her incredibly long lifespan made her highly insensitive to the life cycles of short-lived races. Additionally, she spent the vast majority of her time in Tiramsuin, which was populated by long-lived species. Even during her occasional visits to the earthly realm, she spent most of her time playing around, so she truly had no concrete concept of the developmental stages of earthly life.
With Shulim's reminder, Semilis reluctantly accepted the fact that the girl hadn't just crawled out of a cradle. However, seven years was simply too brief of a time in her mind, and she couldn't quite adjust her perception right away, making her feel incredibly awkward.
“Ahem, alright. Let's put the topic of age aside for now and get down to business.”
Semilis cleared her throat and suddenly became serious. This abrupt shift in her demeanor actually made Shulim feel a bit uneasy.
“Now then, lucky Chosen One, under the protection of the Mother Goddess, allow me, the Fairy Queen, to bestow a blessing upon you.”
“A blessing? What's that?”
Another question mark popped up over Shulim's head. Come to think of it, Semilis had been talking about some Chosen One since the very beginning.
Is she talking about me?
Lucky...
Am I lucky?
“Sigh... You don't even know that? Then why did you call for me?”
Semilis was dumbfounded once again. This was the first time she had ever encountered such a situation.
“I called for you?”
Shulim tilted her head, looking completely clueless about what the woman was saying.
For a moment, the human and the fairy stared at each other, falling into an awkward silence.
“...Well, that makes sense. If you didn't even know what a fairy was, how could you possibly know about the Fairy Queen's blessing?”
Semilis's lips twitched slightly as she recalled that this girl didn't even know what fairies were. Perhaps she really had just stumbled her way into triggering the summoning conditions by sheer accident.
“Sigh— There's no helping it. Since you've already been chosen, it's not like I can change it now...”
Semilis gave a weary sigh and proceeded to tell Shulim about the origin of the Fairy Queen's blessing.
...
It happened in the distant past.
Tens of thousands of years ago in Shimulir, civilization was like a tiny candle flickering in the wind, swaying precariously with no future in sight.
At that time, the Earth Mother Goddess Traia took pity on the desolate and lonely state of the earthly realm and resolved to help its inhabitants progress. Thus, she dispatched the Fairy Queen to the earthly realm to find a destined individual and bestow a blessing upon them.
The person who received the blessing gained immense power, leading humanity through crisis after crisis and gradually establishing the very first magical kingdom.
Thanks to this, the magical civilization was able to thrive.
Since then, every few centuries, the Fairy Queen would descend to the earthly realm to seek out a destined person and grant them a blessing. Each recipient went on to bring about monumental changes to the world.
As for the Fairy Queen's method of finding a destined individual, she would listen to the voices reflecting from the water's surface every five hundred years.
Whenever a pure-hearted person cast a stone into a lake all by themselves, the sound would reach her ears, and she would answer the summon.
“So it was actually me who summoned you here?”
Shulim finally understood.
“You listened to all that, and this is your only reaction...?”
Semilis couldn't help but complain at the sight of Shulim's face, which was illuminated by sudden realization.
“Well... but the story wasn't very interesting.”
“I told you, I'm not telling you a story!”
Semilis was too exhausted to argue anymore and quickly changed the subject.
“Alright, now that you understand the situation, let's move on to the next step. What's your name?”
“Shulim,” Shulim answered, then paused to think before adding, “Shulim Hayeral!”
“I see. Shulim Hayeral.”
As Semilis spoke, she raised both hands toward Shulim, her palms gradually emitting a soft, gentle light.
“Huh? Hayeral...”
A trace of suspicion flashed through Semilis's eyes.
“Is something wrong? Is there something wrong with my name?”
Shulim asked, her eyes fixed curiously on Semilis's hands.
Her train of thought interrupted by the question, Semilis shook her head. “No, it's nothing.”
“Ah, that's right. I'm about to bestow the blessing, so you need to concentrate.”
Semilis said.
“What is the blessing like?”
Shulim asked again.
Semilis explained casually, “You know that Shimulir has seven basic magical elements, right? They are wind, fire, water, earth, light, darkness, and void.”
Shulim nodded. “I know.”
“As for the blessings,” Semilis continued to explain, “they represent the ultimate affinity for these seven elements. I call them the Blessing of Wind, the Blessing of Fire, the Blessing of Water, the Blessing of Earth, the Blessing of Light, the Blessing of Darkness, and the Blessing of Void. You will receive one of these blessings. Any single one of them will allow your magical attainments in that specific attribute to reach the absolute peak of the world in the future.”
Shulim nodded, understanding only half of it, and suddenly looked up to ask.
“Can I only get one blessing?”
“Of course. What else do you expect?”
“Can't I have them all?”
“You want them a— Pfft! What did you say?!”
Semilis's entire body shuddered, and the light in her hands flickered along with her shock.
“You little rascal, how can you say such a cheeky thing with a straight face!”
“Eh? Is it not allowed?”
“Is it not allowed...”
The light vanished, and Semilis lowered her hands. Determined to teach this human child a lesson today, she retorted loudly, “Do you even need to ask?! Of course not!”
Shulim puffed out her cheeks in a pout.
“Why not? Since there are seven blessings and any one of them is possible to obtain, then getting all seven at once should be possible too, right?”
“Uh...”
Why is this little brat so sharp in the weirdest ways?
Semilis grumbled inwardly, then quickly explained, “It doesn't work that way. Since you know about magical elements, don't you know that everyone is born with their own magical affinity? People in this world have limited affinities. The vast majority only have an affinity for a single element, and very few possess two. Having more than two is even rarer. As far as I know, the person with the highest magic affinity currently alive in this world is a four-element mage.
“And without the corresponding affinity, you can't just obtain that blessing. In the end, the essence of a blessing is a sublimation of your existing affinity. If a blessing of an incompatible element is forced upon you, it will place immense pressure on your soul, and you might even lose your life...
“Do you understand what I'm saying?”
“...”
Shulim tilted her head. The only words that had registered in her mind were affinity, blessing, and sublimation.
“I don't have an affinity?”
“Ha, what are you talking about all of a sudden? You'll naturally find out what your affinity is after the blessing is bestowed.”
“Hmm... so give me seven blessings then?”
Shulim held out her tiny hands.
She didn't understand a single word!
Semilis's forehead was covered in black lines.
“That's why I said it's impossible!”
“Hmph, Semilis is stingy.”
Shulim muttered.
“This is not a matter of being stingy or not!”
“Then... Semilis can't do it?”
“I—”
Semilis choked on her words. The veins on her forehead throbbed continuously. She comforted herself inwardly: she's just a little baby, don't lower yourself to her level, don't get worked up over her...
Her eyes rolled, and a sudden idea popped into her mind.
“Hey, Shulim~ Do you really want all seven blessings that badly?”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Shulim nodded.
“It's not entirely impossible if you want them all...”
Shulim's eyes immediately lit up.
“Really?”
“But!” Semilis's tone shifted as she flashed a mischievous, scheming smile. “There is one condition.”
“A condition?”
“That's right! As long as you can master the basic magic of all seven elements within one month, I'll give you all seven blessings. How about that~?”
Faced with Semilis's intense, probing gaze, Shulim fell into deep thought.
Across from her, Semilis began to gloat and mock.
“Ah, as expected, seven elements of magic are simply too difficult. After all, you're just a little baby. How could a baby possibly learn magic? If you ask me, you should just give up. If you give up now, you can still get one blessing and still reach the peak of the world in the future. In the end, whether it's one or seven, you still reach the top. Is there really a difference? None at all...”
Shulim felt extremely displeased by Semilis's relentless goading.
“Shulim is not a baby! Mastering a mere seven basic spells is a piece of cake for the future Witch, Lady Shulim!”
“My, how terrifying~! 'The Witch, Lady Shulim'~! Pfft! Pfft! Referring to yourself by your own name, you really are a baby~ Pfft~!”
Faced with Semilis's mockery, Shulim's cheeks flushed red in embarrassment.
“Well then—”
“Do you accept?”
Semilis suddenly leaned in extremely close to Shulim's face.
“My dear Witch, Lady Shulim~”
Shulim couldn't help but take a step back before firmly planting her feet again.
“O-Of course! Shul... I will master all seven types of magic, just you wait and see, Semilis!”
“My, my, I'll be waiting~”
Semilis laughed hysterically, floating horizontally in the air as she drifted back and forth.
“And with that, our contract is formed—!”
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