Chapter 4
(X765)
Another year had passed since I asked Irene to wait before having her child, and today was finally the day I had been waiting for.
Today, my little sister was going to be born.
I had been looking forward to this day for an entire year.
Irene and I hadn't opened the bakery today. The shop could wait.
There was something far more important happening.
Right now, I was sitting beside Irene in our bedroom while she rested comfortably on the bed.
I couldn't stop looking at her stomach.
'She's really going to be born today.'
Even though I already knew exactly who was inside, knowing something from the story and actually experiencing it were two completely different things.
This wasn't some character on a screen anymore.
She was my little sister.
"Hey, El."
I looked up.
"Hmm?"
Irene smiled at me.
"Are you ready?"
"Yes!"
I answered almost immediately.
"I really want to meet my sister."
Irene raised an eyebrow.
"Ho? How do you know that it's going to be a girl?"
I froze for half a second.
'Shit.'
I had forgotten about that.
I couldn't exactly tell her that I knew the future because I had watched her story in my previous life.
I quickly moved closer and hugged her, resting my face against her stomach.
"Just a feeling."
I smiled innocently.
Irene looked at me for a few seconds.
Then she smiled softly.
"Just a feeling, huh?"
"Yep."
She gently ran her fingers through my hair.
"Well, it seems your feeling was quite strong."
I smiled.
I had always wondered what it would be like to meet Erza when she was a baby.
Now I was finally going to find out.
Irene looked down at her stomach and then back at me.
"Have you thought of a name for her?"
I immediately became serious.
"Yes."
Her eyes widened slightly.
"Really? And what name did you choose?"
"I'll tell you when I see my sister."
Irene puffed out her cheeks.
"Ah! My El is keeping secrets from his mother now."
I stared at her.
She was pouting.
I nearly gave in.
'No.'
I steeled myself.
'Don't fall for it.'
She might be beautiful, but I had developed resistance to that technique.
"Fine."
Irene finally stopped pouting.
I secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
'Oh God, I was about to give in.'
Irene placed one hand gently over her stomach.
A faint magical glow appeared around her.
I watched carefully.
Even though I had already seen plenty of magic during my time in this world, watching Irene use magic still fascinated me.
Her control over magic was on an entirely different level from anything I had seen.
The magical energy gathered around her.
Then, after a moment, the glow faded.
And there she was.
A tiny baby girl was lying peacefully in Irene's arms.
She had a small patch of scarlet hair on her head.
I stared at her.
For a moment, I couldn't say anything.
'So this is her.'
'Erza.'
The girl who would one day become known as Titania.
The Queen of Fairies.
One of the strongest swordswomen in the world.
But none of that mattered to me right now.
She was just a tiny baby.
My little sister.
I slowly moved closer.
Irene looked at me with a smile.
"Oh, it seems you were right."
She gently adjusted the baby in her arms.
"It's a girl."
She looked at me curiously.
"Now, what name have you chosen?"
I leaned closer.
The baby slowly opened her eyes.
Our eyes met.
For some reason, I felt something strange in my chest.
I had known her before I was even born in this world.
I had spent an entire year waiting for her.
But seeing her for the first time made everything suddenly feel real.
I smiled.
"Erza."
I gently touched her tiny hand.
"Erza, my sister."
I leaned down and softly kissed her forehead.
And then…
She smiled.
My heart practically melted.
'She's adorable.'
I looked at Irene.
She was smiling warmly at both of us.
"Erza…"
Irene repeated the name.
"Erza Belserion."
I nodded.
"Yes."
I looked at my little sister again.
At that moment, I made a promise to myself.
'I will protect her.'
I didn't care whether she eventually became one of the strongest mages in the world.
I didn't care whether she became Titania.
I didn't care how powerful she became.
To me, she would always be my little sister.
And I would protect her.
No matter what.
(A few days later)
It had been a few days since Erza was born.
Our little family had already settled into a new routine.
Erza spent most of her time sleeping, eating, and crying whenever she wanted something.
And somehow, Irene was perfectly happy with it.
As for me…
Something interesting had happened the day after Erza's birth.
I had awakened my magic.
I was walking down the corridor of our house when suddenly—
"Whoa!"
My foot slipped.
I lost my balance and fell forward.
Normally, I should have crashed straight into the wall.
Instead…
I passed right through it.
"Eh?"
I stopped.
I was standing in the room on the other side.
I looked back at the wall.
Then at my hands.
Then at the wall again.
'…What?'
A moment later, I understood.
'My elemental body!'
I had been waiting for this moment.
My Light Magic had finally awakened.
I could feel the magic inside my body.
It wasn't just ordinary magic.
The light seemed to be a natural part of me.
My body could transform into light.
I had only accidentally activated it, but that was enough to prove that the ability was real.
I was still examining myself when I suddenly felt another magical presence approaching.
A few seconds later, Irene came rushing into the room.
"El!"
She looked around in panic.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine."
She looked at the wall.
Then at me.
Then back at the wall.
"How did you get there?"
I pointed at the wall.
"I fell."
Irene stared at me.
"You fell?"
"Yes."
"And then you went through the wall?"
I nodded.
There was a moment of silence.
Then Irene's expression became serious.
"Show me."
I focused on the magic inside me.
Light began gathering around my body.
My form became slightly transparent before transforming into pure light.
Irene's eyes widened.
"An elemental transformation…"
She approached me carefully.
"This isn't ordinary Light Magic."
I shook my head.
"I don't think so."
Irene examined my magic for several moments.
Her expression gradually changed from surprise to fascination.
"I've never seen anything quite like this."
I smiled.
'Of course you haven't.'
This was the result of my wish.
But there was still a lot I didn't understand.
I had only awakened my magic.
Learning to properly control it would take time.
Irene eventually smiled.
"It seems we have quite a lot to learn about your magic."
"Can you teach me?"
She laughed.
"Of course."
There was another major change in our lives around this time.
We now had two new members in our family.
Because Irene wanted to spend more time with me and Erza, she decided to hire people to help with the bakery and household.
However, Irene had a serious trust issue when it came to strangers.
Considering her past, I couldn't blame her.
So instead of hiring ordinary people…
She came up with a very Irene solution.
She enchanted two objects.
The first was a maid's dress.
The second was a kitchen knife.
Through her magic, both objects gained personalities and transformed into two beautiful blonde twin girls.
I was honestly speechless when I first saw them.
"So… you're saying they're alive?"
Irene nodded.
"Yes."
The girl on the left smiled brightly.
"Hello!"
The other waved.
"Nice to meet you!"
I looked between the two.
"We need names."
I thought for a moment.
"Nina."
I pointed towards the first girl.
"And Yuna."
I pointed towards the second.
The twins smiled.
"Those are nice names!"
Nina became responsible for the household and also helped around the bakery.
Yuna, being born from a kitchen knife, naturally became our chef.
Both of them were lively, cheerful, and surprisingly energetic.
With them handling most of the work, Irene finally had much more free time.
Which meant…
She spent most of it with me and Erza.
Honestly, I couldn't complain.
Playing with Erza was surprisingly fun.
She was adorable.
She would grab my finger with her tiny hand and refuse to let go.
Sometimes she would stare at me for several minutes without blinking.
And whenever she smiled, I completely forgot that she would eventually become one of the strongest people in the world.
She was simply my little sister.
One evening, after Erza had fallen asleep, I decided that it was finally time.
I looked at Irene.
"Hey, Irene."
"Hmm?"
"Can you teach me magic?"
She looked surprised.
"You are still very young."
"I know."
"Why do you want to learn already?"
I took a deep breath.
Then I looked directly into her eyes.
"I want to become stronger."
I clenched my tiny fist.
"I want to become strong enough to protect you and Erza."
Irene's expression softened.
"But…"
She seemed ready to argue.
Then she looked at my determined expression.
She remained silent for several seconds.
Finally, she sighed.
"Alright."
My eyes lit up.
"We'll start tomorrow."
"Really?"
She smiled.
"Really."
I grinned.
'It's time for a timeskip.'