Mirac frowned, trying to remember where he had heard that name before.

'Armin J. Bellsing? It sounds familiar…'

His thoughts intertwined for a moment until, in a flash of understanding, he opened his eyes wide, struck by a sudden revelation.

'Of course, how could I have forgotten? Armin J. Bellsing… It's the same name that was on the book the librarian was reading! If I remember correctly, it was titled "Advanced Magical Arts of Fire." So, is he the author?'

Mirac looked at the man with a mix of amazement and curiosity, his little heart beating faster at the thought of possibly discovering, one way or another, the contents of the book.

Meanwhile, Carmen politely returned the bow of the blond-haired man.

"N-No way!" she exclaimed, her gentle voice overwhelmed with excitement. "It's an honor to meet you, Sir. Armin!"

'Apparently, he must be someone really important!' Mirac hypothesized, watching Carmen stammer.

There could be no other explanation. Out of all the guests present, he was the only one whose presence had Carmen visibly flustered and thrilled.

Armin rose gracefully from his bow, shifting his gaze from the servant to little Mirac.

"I apologize for not coming earlier," he explained gently, addressing them both. "Unfortunately, I was held up by some guests who noticed my presence."

'Are you trying to brag about it?'

"For this reason," Armin continued, "I want to extend to you my warmest and most heartfelt wishes, my dear 'Risen Prince.'"

Having said this, the blond-haired man bowed again, just as he had before. But this time, the gesture was directed solely at the young guest of honor.

'Tsz, I don't care about your wishes!' Mirac scoffed inwardly. 'I've already had enough of those. Instead, hurry up and tell me more about your book and who you are!'

Carmen gasped, then bowed once more toward the important guest.

"Thank you!" she exclaimed. "I'm sure little Mirac is also deeply grateful for your kind wishes."

'Hey! Don't say things I don't actually think!'

The blond-haired man, having finished his bow, continued speaking:

"Unfortunately, I didn't have time to buy him a gift…"

'Of course you didn't!' thought the guest of honor, rolling his eyes.

"However, I still have a surprise for the little Prince."

'A surprise?!' he wondered, intrigued.

Armin si turned and stepped down from the raised platform where the throne stood, gesturing to follow him with a wave of his hand.

"Please, come with me."

Carmen picked Mirac up in her arms and, without hesitation, followed the man with the long blond hair.

As they walked through the grand hall, the crowd parted to make way for them, bowing and greeting the little celebrant with smiles and admiring glances.

The voices rose in a quiet chorus of well-wishes and honors, and Mirac, though comfortably seated in Carmen's arms, felt himself at the center of everyone's attention.

Among the faces greeting him, Mirac managed to catch sight of his family: his mother, father, and sisters, scattered and engrossed in conversations with other nobles, apparently unaware of his passage.

Their sparkling garments shone under the chandelier lights as they spoke animatedly with pleased expressions.

Yet Mirac couldn't focus on the greetings or the general excitement. His mind was captured by a single thought: what would the surprise Armin mentioned be?

With each step, he drew closer to the mystery and its answer, fueling his immense curiosity.

'Wow! I want to have a cape too when I grow up!' thought Mirac, admiring with a hint of envy the white fabric that hung powerfully and elegantly over the man's shoulders.

At the end of the path, Armin stopped in front of the large balcony, located on the opposite side of the throne.

"Here we are," announced the blond-haired man with a smile, as he opened the wide glass doors.

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As he did so, the fresh air immediately filled the hall, carrying with it the sweet scent of flowers that adorned the castle's entrance. As Mirac gazed beyond the balcony, he was able to catch a glimpse of the dense forest surrounding the castle. The high, distant walls seemed to encircle that sea of green, like an ancient boundary marking the world beyond its gates.

The supposed balcony, instead, turned out to be a large white stone terrace, framed by a cement balustrade decorated with floral patterns.

On the shiny marble floor, large pots of exotic plants were arranged, their brightly colored flowers emitting a delicate fragrance that blended with the crisp night air.

Among the plants, there were also small lanterns hanging, their faint golden glows adding a warm brightness, casting soft, flickering shadows on the walls and floor.

A full moon, pale and luminous, dominated the horizon, casting its glow on the towers and spires of the castle silhouetted against the starry sky.

Just beyond the entrance, Mirac felt the cool breeze caress his face, a pleasant and relaxing sensation, as if all the fatigue and tension accumulated throughout the night had vanished in an instant.

The lights of the party behind him seemed distant, almost far away, while the darkness and tranquility of the night enveloped him.

Armin, standing in the center of the terrace, let himself be surrounded by the night's silence, inhaling the fresh air that caused his long white cloak to ripple.

Only then did Mirac notice that the same symbol from the crest was also imprinted on the cloak, in the same golden color.

After a deep breath, Armin slowly turned toward Carmen and little Mirac, who had remained aside behind him.

"I kindly ask you to take a few steps back," Armin said, gently guiding them back to the terrace's entrance.

'What is he planning to do?' Mirac wondered.

Armin remained still for a moment, his gaze fixed on the horizon, his body surrounded in an aura of calm and concentration.

His profile, faintly illuminated by the dim light of the moon, revealed a subtle, almost imperceptible smile, which Mirac could barely make out.

'What the hell is he smiling about?'

As his eyelids lowered, the man immersed himself in silence, allowing a deep breath to fill his chest and then leave it.

From his right hand, open and raised before him, with the palm facing his body, a small flame began to appear, shimmering in the silence. Slowly, it danced between his fingers, like a lively and untamed little creature, struggling to escape his grasp, yet remaining bound to his hand in a perfect balance of control and freedom.

Mirac's eyes widened, unable to look away.

'What?! How did he do that?!' he wondered, stunned, his heart pounding wildly.

The flame grew larger, crackling and shifting colors in a hypnotic swirl: the fiery red blended into golden yellow, the cool blue merged with bright orange, and here and there, green and purple sparks flickered, as if the flame itself were alive and constantly transforming.

Armin raised the hand with which he had been working, closing it completely and gathering the flame into a single, pulsating sphere, filled with energy and light.

Suddenly, he reopened his eyes and, with a quick and fluid movement, spread his hand. In an instant, the flame lifted into the air, speeding away into the night sky with impressive speed, soon blending among the stars.

The tongues of fire split into a cascade of sparks, shooting upwards and far ahead of the castle.

The flames erupted in the darkness, eventually painting the sky with vivid and spectacular explosions: incandescent flowers of red and gold bloomed one after another, followed by spirals of blue and green intertwining, lighting up the night as if they were fireworks.

Each explosion was accompanied by a deep, vibrating sound that echoed through the air, while the sparks slowly descended like falling stars.

Mirac watched in awe, his mouth slightly open and his eyes wide. In that moment, he was completely absorbed by the wonder, unable to reflect on what Armin had just done.

Meanwhile, drawn by the sudden glow, much of the crowd inside the hall rushed toward the windows and the entrance to the terrace.

Nobles and servants crowded together to admire the spectacle, their faces painted with wonder and astonishment.

Exclamations of surprise and applause were heard as the fireworks continued to explode in the sky, painting the night with colors never seen before.

"Incredible!"

"Look, mom!"

"Such magnificent colors..."

"Strange though... I had no idea that fireworks were scheduled."

"Now that I think about it, I didn't know either."

Amid the growing background murmur, many guests turned their gaze toward the terrace, focusing on the man with blonde hair.

As soon as they noticed the golden crest on his white cloak, their eyes widened in surprise.

"That symbol..."

"These fireworks..."

"Of course, I'm sure of it! It belongs to the Bellsing family!"

"What?! Really?! So he..."

"He's the firstborn of the family: Armin J. Bellsing!"

At the revelation, which spread through the crowd like an oil stain, a growing murmur of surprise began to take hold, rising sharply from the background of conversations in the hall.

"What?! Armin J. Bellsing?!"

"I can't believe it..."

"It's really him! The 'King of Flames!'"

"Unbelievable!"

"I absolutely have to ask him for an autograph!"

"I hadn't even noticed he was here at the party."

"But what's he doing here? From what I've heard, I thought he had retired to the Rospnit Volcano Chains..."

"Yeah, me too!"

"I actually have some friends who know him personally. And all of them speculate that, in just a few years, he will achieve Perfect Sintony with Fire!"

"W-What?! You're kidding, right?!"

"Perfect Sintony with Fire?!"

"But if that's the case, he'd technically reach the same magical level as an Elemental Angel!"

"Exactly! And at that point, it wouldn't be impossible for him to replace the current Fire Angel!"

Slowly lowering the arm with which he had worked, Armin turned towards the ecstatic crowd and bowed respectfully, as applause erupted around him.

Then, with a confident stride, he walked back toward Carmen and Mirac, both of whom were stunned and speechless in front of the magnificent spectacle.

"I'm glad you liked my 'surprise,'" Armin explained, addressing the little birthday boy with a sweet smile painted on his face. "Next time we meet, I promise I'll show you flames even more beautiful and grand than these."

Mirac, however, remained still and motionless, almost lifeless. His gaze was lost in the sky, while the fireworks continued to dance.

Amid the crowd, still in Carmen's arms, Mirac had gathered a great deal of useful information about the identity of the man with blonde hair. From this, he would certainly be able to derive further details about the world in which he lived.

However, instead of doing what he usually did—immediately getting to work analyzing the new information he had just gathered—one thought dominated Mirac's mind, summing up everything he had discovered with the fireworks:

'I… want to learn MAGIC too!'