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Chapter 207: An Adventure at the Secret Base
“Niita, the secret base! Phe and Niita should go to the secret base!
It was a warm, sunny afternoon.
Out of the blue, my dear sister made this sudden declaration.
“The secret base? You mean the tunnel? Why all of a sudden?”
“Shh! It’s bad if others hear us! Phe will tell you in the secret base!”
Mom was napping in a hammock. Our Elf teacher wasn’t around, and the sneaky maid was busy working.
I couldn’t see any reason to be cautious, but…
Well, Let’s just indulge my dear little sister.
Phe spread her arms wide, waiting for a hug like the little angel she is.
Looks like she wants me to carry her all the way there.
“Alright, huggies!”
“Huggies!”
With a big grin, she wrapped her arms around me, and I carried my little angel to the hedge dome.
“It’s a mystery, Niita! The tunnel keeps growing smaller!”
“Nah… I think it’s just because we’re getting bigger.”
Back when we first found this place, Phe was only two.
She’s been eating well, playing hard, sleeping soundly and growing well.
No wonder the tunnel feels smaller now.
I crawled through the tunnel as usual, heading to the inner chamber. Once I sat down cross-legged on the mat, Phe climbed onto my lap like it was hers by right while giggling “Hehe.”
“So, Phe, why did you want to come here?”
“It’s a secret base! That’s the important thing!”
“And why is that?”
“Niita is amazing! The coolest in the whole world!”
“O-okay…”
Well, she’s free to believe that, even if it’s far from the truth.
“But what does coming here have to do with me being… amazing?”
It feels a bit embarrassing to say that myself.
Phe puffed out her cheeks in a pout.
“Hmph! Niita doesn’t get it! Niita is too careless! So Phe and Niita need this place!”
“Huh?”
“Phe belongs to Niita, and Niita belongs to Phe! That’s the most just and obvious thing in the entire world!”
There she goes again with her mysterious logic…
“Girls keep coming for Niita! Both at home and outside! Phe thinks that’s bad!”
“Hey now, meeting people is a good thing, right?”
“Noo! Those girls are trying to steal Phe’s Niita!”
Has that ever happened? If anything, I feel like Phe and I are together at all times.
“Phe and Niita would be in trouble if there’s no place to be alone”
So basically, after all that talk, she just wanted a spot where we wouldn’t get cuddle uninterrupted?
Having said her piece, Phe’s frustration disappeared, and she nuzzled against me, all sweet and affectionate.
“Hehehe… This feeling, this smell. It’s Phe’s and Phe’s alone!”
“There, there…”
I decided to spoil my little angel and focus on pampering her today.
We’ve been here many times, but I remember seeing ‘my father’ when we first discovered this place.
Not seeing him doesn’t make me feel lonely. Is it because I don’t care much? Or maybe we’ve just never had enough interaction for me to feel anything.
Huh?
Just as I thought that, I noticed some figures approaching.
The people from the main house usually don’t come near this area, but now several were heading our way.
They didn’t seem to have any particular purpose—they were just wandering over here.
Oh! That’s Mia’s friend, Yvonne-chan! And… Madam Afasta? Plus—
There were five people in total near the hedge.
Two nobles and three servants.
Well, Yvonne is technically a noble too, and the other servants might be from decent families, but I can’t tell. I just judge based on their clothes.
Leading the group was the personification of harshness, Madam Afasta. The servants, including Yvonne, trailed behind her, but the odd one out was an elderly woman carrying a blonde baby.
So that’s the ‘one and only’ male child Father had.
I don’t count. I’m just an extra.
Madam Afasta... Well, it’s on the longer side, so let’s just call her Thorn Lady, she stopped near our secret base and muttered with disgust.
“The main garden is so beautiful! To think that filth is just on the other side...! Letting filthy commoners live here has ruined the property value!”
“Exactly, Madam! Regular commoners have value as workers or producers, but the ones here are like disgusting parasites, contributing nothing of value to society. It’s unthinkable one would raise such nasty creatures on purpose”
The servant woman, her face twisted like she was wearing a pantyhose mask, chimed in. Whether she meant it or was just sucking up, I definitely don’t like her.
Meanwhile, Yvonne-chan kept her head down, looking like she didn’t want to join in.
Guess they badmouth us like this all the time.
Even the servants in our building sometimes look down on us like we’re trash, so it’s nothing new.
The elderly woman holding the baby spoke up in a casual tone.
“But I’ve heard the children there are quite adorable. I’d love to hold one someday…”
The part about holding them was probably just her mumbling to herself.
Judging by how she’s holding the baby, she seems like a kind person who likes kids.
“Of course, that woman has good looks if nothing else. If the kids took after her, at least they’d be good-looking.”
Even Thorn Lady admits Mom’s beauty, though she makes it sound like a bad thing.
“But I heard the kids are both geniuses. Isn’t that amazing?”
The elderly woman said, but pantyhose-face smirked mockingly.
“Really? I heard they’re just a pair of idiot siblings who spend their days dragging a sled while making weird noises.”
Dragging the sled is part of my training.
I guess it does look strange from an outsider’s perspective, especially since Mom and Phe cheer while riding it.
“But both of the kids have mana, don’t they? That’s impressive.”
“Our kids have magical power too,” Thorn Lady cut in.
“Isabella is a genius who could use ‘Ember’ magic at only three. Three years old! She’s far beyond an average magic user.”
“That’s right! A three-year-old using magic is unheard of!”
Pantyhose-face immediately started flattering her.
If a three-year-old can use basic magic, she must be talented.
It means she can control and convert magic power at a young age.
“Yvonne.”
“Y-Yes, Madam?”
Yvonne looked surprised when Thorn Lady suddenly addressed her.
“You hold a magician’s license, right? When did you get your Rank 10 certification?”
“I got it when I was seven.”
When I took the Rank 10 exam, there were a few kids around that age. It’s probably the fastest one can normally get it. The village girl was just an exception.
“Well then—six years old. Both Isabella and this child will get their license at six.”
“At six?”
“Yes, six. My kids are geniuses.”
The Rank 10 exam is simple, but it includes a written test. You need to read and write to pass.
Sounds like they’ll be pushing their kids to study early for their parents’ pride.
Poor kids, studying just to meet their parents’ expectations…
Well, knowing how to read, write, and use magic isn’t a bad thing.
“I heard the commoners here take the exam regularly. I doubt they do it for fun, so they must fail every time and keep retaking it. What a waste of effort.”
Pantyhose-face snickered.
Old man Kasper knew my rank, but these people don’t seem to. Only Yvonne-chan knows.
“It’s frustrating. If Father approved, we could kick out that woman and her kids right away…!”
“Exactly! I don’t understand why the Marquis denied your request, madam.”
The old man’s probably still deciding if I’m useful.
He’s not one to throw away a tool just because he doesn’t like it.
Ironically, his presence is what’s indirectly protecting us.
“We’re leaving. The air here feels polluted because of that woman. It’s bad for my son.”
They said what they wanted and left.
Only Yvonne glanced back apologetically.
And in my arms…
“Niita, Niita, Niita, Niita!”
Phe had been nuzzling against me the whole time, both before and after Thorn Lady’s group left.
“You never change, do you?”
“Phe doesn’t care about a bunch of strangers! Cuddling with Niita is more important!”
Yeah.
This kid’s something else.
