Chapter 24 : Another talent is born like that

“Serena. 

Let’s start studying properly from today.”

After Prince Reyzen’s visit, I realized something—I needed to start teaching her the planned education as soon as possible.

One day, the time will come when others will know that she is my younger sister.

So, she must learn etiquette and manners befitting a noble.

I was a little worried that she might dislike having more things to do while also learning magic, but.

“Alright. 

I don’t want to look like a fool in front of others, after all.”

Thankfully, she accepted it without a hint of reluctance.

Or rather, should I say she was enthusiastic? 

It seemed she had an interest in learning itself, as she demonstrated excellent concentration every time I taught her.

That attitude of hers was so admirable. 

From a teacher’s perspective, she was an ideal student.

After a week of training, she could now walk without stumbling even with five books balanced on her head.

She had also mastered the basics of dining etiquette and refined manners to the point where she could genuinely be called a proper lady.

Though, she still carried her stuffed Pangkin around everywhere.

“Do you really like that thing so much?” 

“Yep! 

It’s my number one treasure, so I’m not giving it to you, Ershi.”

Not that I needed it anyway.

Among the things I taught her, the most remarkable progress was undoubtedly in magic.

She mastered beginner-level spells more easily than eating a meal, and she was already at the stage where I could teach her intermediate-level magic.

Of course, considering the amount of mana Serena had, even advanced magic would be no problem for her.

However, there was no guarantee that her magic tool could withstand it, so we hadn’t tried.

Honestly, even letting her attempt intermediate magic made me uneasy, but I decided we should at least give it a light test.

So, Serena and I went to the open garden to practice magic.

“Alright… 

You remember, right? 

If you feel anything strange happening to your body, stop immediately. 

Don’t push yourself, understand?” 

“I know. 

I get it already.”

Though her words were blunt, her tense expression showed that she was a little nervous too.

I was worried as well.

Of course, I hoped everything would go well, but with the sky looking so ominously gloomy, I couldn’t shake off my anxiety.

Stay calm. 

Stay calm. 

If I get nervous, Serena will notice and get distracted too.

As I started to feel sweat forming on my palms, she took a deep breath and quietly chanted the spell.

The magic she was about to use was the flight spell I had taught her—[Air Run].

And after a short moment, Serena’s body slowly lifted off the ground, rising to a height where I had to look up at her.

Thanks to that, I could see up her skirt and her underwear—!

Snap out of it, you pervert! 

This is not the time to be thinking about that!

“How is it? 

Does your body hurt or—” 

“Whoa! 

I’m actually flying?! 

Waaaah~!” 

“Wait, Serena?!”

Overwhelmed by the surreal feeling of floating in the air, she got too excited and started flying around in circles like a butterfly.

I hadn’t even properly confirmed if she was feeling okay yet…!

“Kyaaah! 

Oh my gosh, I can see the entire town from here!”

…Well, looks like she’s fine after all.

I let out a sigh of relief, but seeing her continue to fly around made me nervous, so I quickly motioned for her to come down.

With a pout of dissatisfaction, she slowly landed on the ground.

“Ugh. 

But it was just getting fun.” 

“You can play around later. 

The whole point of this was to check if your body was okay after using the magic. 

So? 

Do you feel any pain anywhere?”

“Nope. 

Not at all.”

She spun her arms in circles as if to prove her well-being.

Good. 

It seems using intermediate magic isn’t too much of a burden for her.

Still, she shouldn’t overuse it. 

Even regular mages try to avoid exhausting their mana too much.

In any case, I’m just relieved she’s safe.

If something like what happened when she first used magic were to happen again.

I don’t even want to imagine it.

“Good job. 

So, to celebrate, how about we go out for a bit?” 

“What about today’s studies?”

“We can do it tomorrow. 

If people only read books every day, they’d get exhausted and bored, right?”

“Really? 

I actually enjoy it, though.”

A kid who likes books at such a young age—it makes me strangely proud.

When I was Serena’s age, I found reading unbearably tedious. 

Such a diligent little thing.

“Alright, let’s go eat whatever we want and have some fu—”

Just as we were about to head to town, the sky rumbled ominously, as if blocking our outing.

A thunderous roar echoed, followed by a torrential downpour like a monsoon.

Caught off guard, we had no choice but to run back to the mansion, completely drenched.

“Ugh…! 

What is this?!”

Serena scowled, looking like a wet puppy after just a brief moment in the rain.

Hmm… 

Wait.

This might be… an opportunity?

“Serena. 

How about we take a bath together?”

“…Are you seriously trying to out yourself as a pervert?”

Tch. 

What a way to put it.

I was just suggesting it out of kindness, since we both worked hard.

Did she really think I was saying that for my own pleasure?

“Come on, please? 

Look, I’m begging you.”

Sometimes, to gain something, you have to sacrifice something.

And if I had to swallow my pride for the sake of creating a precious memory with Serena, I was more than willing.

The bathroom was filled with warm, steamy air from the hot water.

The humidity made my skin feel slightly damp even while standing still, and I was looking forward to a delightful view—

“Why are you wrapping yourself in a towel?”

“Because you keep looking at me with weird eyes!”

There stood Serena, unforgivably covering herself with a towel.

As if that would change anything once we got into the bath.

Even if she was embarrassed, did she really think I was just going to sit back and let this happen?

“Hmph.”

“Kyaaaak!”

As the towel was instantly yanked away with magic, Serena let out a sharp scream, hurriedly covering her exposed parts with her arms.

Ah, that sound, filled with embarrassment. It’s really nice.

“You bastard! 

Pervert! 

Trash! 

Sex offender!”

“Come on, we’re both girls. 

What’s there to be so embarrassed about?”

“Shut up! 

I don’t care! 

I’m just leaving!”

Ah, did I go too far?

She turned her back, seemingly serious about leaving, so I quickly moved in and hugged her from behind.

I couldn’t just let go of an opportunity like this.

“Sorry, sorry. 

I just wanted to tease you a little. 

I’ll make you a delicious snack later, so forgive me, okay?”

“L-Like I would forgive you for something like that…!”

“Two snacks.”

Seeing her close her mouth as her anger subsided, it seemed like the deal worked.

As expected, food is the best bait for a kid.

In the end, I managed to convince her, and we entered the bath together, but she still seemed upset and kept her distance from me.

“Why don’t you come over here instead of staying all the way there? 

Or should I come to you?”

“…Do whatever you want.”

“So, you’re not going to come to me on your own, huh?”

Letting out a small chuckle, I moved closer to Serena’s side.

Maybe it was because of the warmth of the bathwater, but her skin looked especially fair, with a slight blush rising to the surface.

And the way her eyes softened from relaxation—watching from the side, she looked nothing short of adorable.

Seeing her still unripe, delicate body made my mouth water…

Tsk. 

Hold it in. 

If I keep staring, she’s really going to be disgusted.

‘Hmm?’

But for some reason, Serena kept glancing in my direction.

There was nothing on my face, so I wondered what it was—until I realized her gaze was fixed on my chest.

Well, at her age, it’s natural to be curious about things like that.

“Why? 

Is this bothering you?”

I teasingly tapped my chest as I asked, and Serena’s face instantly turned bright red as she quickly looked away.

“W-What are you even saying?! 

Who would be interested in those lumps…!”

“Eh~? 

But mine aren’t even that big.”

It was a bit of a boast, but I thought my size was just right—well-proportioned and nice.

Keira, on the other hand, always complained that her chest was so big it made her shoulders ache.

And considering that Serena would surpass me in the future, I probably shouldn’t be saying things like this.

“Don’t worry. 

You’ll be at least my size too.”

“I-I don’t care!”

“Oh yeah? 

If you really want, I was gonna let you touch it~.”

I was just teasing her because it was fun to see her getting so flustered.

But she must have taken it seriously because she suddenly turned toward me, her expression firm.

Her eyes, filled with an almost solemn anticipation, looked like those of a predator that had just spotted its prey.

“You said it yourself, right? 

That I can touch?”

“W-Wait, huh?”

What’s with her all of a sudden?

Maybe the heat of the bath had gotten to her head, but after swallowing hard, she reached out with her small hands and firmly grabbed my chest.

“Ugh…”

Her grip wasn’t particularly strong, but the persistent kneading of her hands made me unconsciously let out a strange sound. 

This had happened before between friends back at the academy. 

But back then, it was all just playful teasing. 

Now, though, there was something… different about it. 

Something sincere. 

Why am I reacting like this? 

It’s just a kid touching me, that’s all. 

“…It’s really soft. 

Feels nice, like a pillow.” 

“Uh, hey. 

Shouldn’t you let go now? 

It’s starting to tickle a bit…” 

“You said I could touch as much as I wanted, didn’t you? 

You said it yourself, and now you’re taking it back?” 

Ah, this is bad. 

She’s completely lost it.

“I-I never said you could go this far…!” 

“Too bad. 

This is your fault, so just stay still. 

You kept making me think about it, after all…!” 

Wait, you were secretly having thoughts like that about me?! 

“Ahhh…!” —

As the movements became more skillful, a sensation flowed through the chest, and a sound that had never been made before escaped from the throat.

“Hey, why do you have talent in something like this?!”

“S-Stop….”

“Ugh!”

I felt like my head was starting to go strange, so I couldn’t hold back and ended up using magic to make Serena faint.

Even then, the lingering sensation of her touch remained, leaving me breathless. 

It was only after I finally managed to calm my excitement that I carried her out of the bath.

“No, why is Miss Serena in that state? 

Just what on earth did you do to her?”

“Could you not assume that I did something?”

Even after that, as I carried the still-unconscious Serena in my arms, Ord widened his eyes and spoke to me in shock.

If I had to argue, I was the one who got caught up in this. 

Though, I suppose it was partly my fault for not watching my words.

‘Did I… maybe awaken a dangerous talent?’