Chapter 3: Prodigy

Alice set down her fork and knife and frowned.

“Alice, dear, is there something wrong? Do you not like the food?” A voice asked.

Alice shook her head.

“No, sorry father. I was just worried about something.” Alice said.

“Hmph. What could a 5-year-old like you possibly be worrying about?” Another voice asked.

Alice smirked, letting out an unintentional laugh.

{Julian... This boy. He still can’t be honest.} Alice thought.

“Wh-What?! J-Just tell me already!” He said, blushing.

“I apologize for concerning you brother. I’d rather not bother you with such a trivial matter.” Alice said, bowing her head.

“Alice dear, if you don’t tell us, we can’t help you,” Father said.

“Your father is right, Alice. Any concern of yours is a concern of ours.” A beautiful woman said.

“M-mom.” Alice said.

“Alice, if you tell us I’ll give you some of my chocolate!” A smiling girl said.

Alice shielded her eyes.

{Oh, god! So bright! I can’t resist my sister's smile… Ugh. Nnng. Fine, I’ll cave in for you this once, Celestine... Hmph.} Alice thought, sighing.

“No, Celly, I’m alright. I don’t want to take your chocolate. It’s honestly not that big of a problem, though… I just wanted someone to tutor me.” Alice said.

“Alice, you want a tutor? Isn’t it a bit early for you to be-Ow!” Father said.

“Alice, darling, are you talking about a magic tutor or a scholar?” Mom asked.

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Alice smiled.

“Both. Oh, and I want someone to teach me how to use a sword like big brother does!” Alice said.

The room went silent for a few seconds.

Julian stood up suddenly.

“No! I can’t let you do that Alice! Training in the way of the knight is too dangerous! I don’t want you to get hurr-Eh? What am I..? No, I just meant that, you know!” Julian stuttered.

{Cute.} Alice thought.

“I’ll be quite alright brother,” Alice said.

“Ahem. Alice, let’s not even mention the knight’s training for right now. What in the world do you need a magic teacher for? You can’t even use magic yet.” Father said.

“Dear, we can at least let the tutor teach her the basics, right?” Mother asked.

Alice summoned balls of elemental magic, from fireballs to electrospheres, and let them hover above her held-out palm.

“Mother, I think you misunderstand. I’m quite confident in my grasp of the basics of magic.” Alice said, smiling innocently with a hand on her cheek and a tilted head.

“Oh, dear. Alice, darling. You made Dad and Celestine faint.” Mother said.

Alice froze.

“Erk! I-I didn’t mean t-” Alice started.

“I'll approve of it. We’ll get you a tutor, Alice.” Mother said, smiling menacingly.

“W-what’s the catch?” Alice asked.

“Oh, my. How perceptive. It’s simple. Try not to give your father too many heart attacks. At least warn us before you do that next time, okay?” Mother asked.

Alice nodded rapidly.

“Good to know that you understand.” Mother said.

“But to think, you can already use magic at such a young age. You sure surprised me, dearie. But… this could be more of a curse than a blessing.” Mother said, sighing.

Julian tugged on his mothers sleeve.

“Mom, that’s not just normal magic. Those were military-grade elemental sphere spells. T-Those things can shred steel armor like paper.” Julian said.

Her eyes widened.

“...That changes things. Julian, I’m guessing you know what I want to ask you, right?” Mother said.

Julian nodded.

“Even teacher would have a hard time fighting against an overwhelming power like that. I’ve seen up close what that level of magic can do.” Julian shivered.

“It’s a good thing your father and sister passed out. If they heard that… Alice, are you able to use lower grade spells?” Mother asked.

“Yes, mother. I apologize.” Alice said.

“Alice, don’t apologize. This is a good sign. You’ve been blessed with great magic…” Mother said.

She pursed her lips.

“Mother, is something wrong?” Julian asked.

“...I’m going to contact the principal of the Magic Academy. A normal tutor would be easily overwhelmed by your magic. She’s the only person I can think of who can do anything about this. Dinner is over for tonight, I’ll take darli-I’ll take your father with me to our room. Would you two mind helping Celly get to hers?” Mother asked.

“Mother, you… Uh. Yes, mother. Have a good night.” Julian said.