The Sleeping Devil

Two days after the debutante ball, Noah still hadn't shown up. In the end, I managed to get through by keeping silent about Marcel.

Fortunately, since I've officially become a noble now, Marcel can't just barge into my room as he pleases. The tower I live in is on the outskirts of the castle, so apart from meals, life wasn't that inconvenient without using the front entrance as before.

"Ah, finally I can settle down and play with Sheriel."

"Brother is about to come of age, isn't he? Is it okay for you to be playing with me instead of your friends?"

Even though he said "play," it mostly involved having tea or helping with various business matters. Occasionally, he would engage in experimental activities in the servants' anteroom. At fourteen years old, he should be in his prime for wanting to play with boys his own age, but is it really alright for him to be playing with me all the time?

"There's nothing as boring as friends of the same age. Just give them a few kind words and they'll mistakenly think I'm a good person and start fawning over me. And those who really know me won't come near me."

"It seems mastering disguise is inconvenient in that regard. Without intending to, my brother ends up behaving in a charming way."

"That's right! Do you understand? Just occasionally, when I'm getting bored, if I stick a thorn in, they tremble like a fawn. That's quite enjoyable too."

I don't sympathize, but I can somehow understand. Since Beriards are trained to automatically behave like a person of good character, people might approach him to flatter him just with a few sweet words. Even though he doesn't care for it, he somewhat enjoys it.

"My brother, friends of the same age are important. In my past life, I didn't have many friends, but I still learned a lot."

"Sheriel, were you not very bright in your past life?"

"Well, it's not quite like that. It's just that even by observing others' perspectives and experiences, your own world can broaden. But even so, Grandfather said I'm still immature..."

My few friends. I might not have had any romantic experiences, worked for a harsh company, or had an idol hobby, but even just listening to my friends' stories made me feel like my world had expanded.

"Sounds like something close to a lesson on human nature. Learning from those above you is important, but it's equally important to absorb various perspectives and make appropriate choices. Of course, it might lead to interesting stories or acquiring rare items too."

Hmm. I wanted to talk about the richness that can come from connections between people more, but it still seems difficult for me. Also, for me to be lecturing Didier like this, my own insecurity about making friends is actually quite significant.

"I'm also starting to worry about whether I can make friends or not. Perhaps my hair is causing more confusion than I thought?"

I remembered the gazes at the debutante ball. Even the adults, essentially my parents' subordinates within the castle, had that reaction. It's understandable for children to show blatant disgust. Although I haven't experienced those gazes yet, the memory of them lingered within me.

"It's not a big deal. Sure, they might be surprised at first, but once they get to know Sheriel, everyone will like you. Those who judge Sheriel based on something as trivial as hair color aren't worth befriending, right? It's a shortcut, after all."

"Indeed, you're right. It's easier not to have to go through all the probing."

"Well, those who dare to approach might be cunning in some way, so if I do make a close friend, I'll definitely introduce them to you, you know?"

Isn't that being a bit too overprotective? I've heard that the upcoming tea party will invite noble children aged seven to ten. They plan to invite a few pairs from outside territories due to relations with other domains, but since most are local nobles, even if they express disgust, there shouldn't be any plotting or schemes.

"If my brother will introduce his friends, I will be the first to introduce mine, once I have any friends, that is."

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"Haha, for geniuses like us, making friends might be the most challenging."

"Hehe, that's not funny at all, dear brother."

Since Noah, my only friend, has recently become my teacher, I currently have no friends. If things continue like this until I die, it will probably be a more miserable existence than in my previous life.

"Speaking of which, Licht also doesn't have friends, right? He must be bored, so shall we go visit him for a bit?"

"Licht should be receiving treatment from Grandfather right now. His heart, which had been paralyzed for so long, has suddenly started to move again, so it might still take a bit more time."

I thought his complexion had improved quite a bit at the debutante ball...

"For Licht, Sheriel is like a potent medicine, so taking it slow is probably for the best."

"What, comparing people to poisonous substances?"

After all the commotion of the past few days, it feels like I finally have some time to relax.

The following day, when it was time for the magic class, there was an immediate knock on the door. Today, Noah was welcomed without Mary screaming.

"Good day, Professor Noah."

"Excuse me, Sheriel. Oh, Didier is here too?"

"I have something I want to ask."

"Starting off confrontationally isn't a good idea, I believe, dear brother."

Because of their similar ages, I was a little nervous, but Noah responded with a simple "yeah" and took a seat.

"That's right, why didn't you come the day before yesterday? I thought you had agreed to it."

In reality, it was just my assumption. Like with Guri-chan, communicating with cat Noah isn't possible. It was just a vague feeling, really.

"Hmm? The night of that day? Sorry, I don't remember hearing anything about it."

"No, it's just that I asked you out of the blue, so it's alright. Anyway, there's been a bit of an issue with non-incantation magic, so I'd like you to explain it to my brother. I couldn't explain it well myself."

Noah looked at Didier for a moment as if contemplating, then tilted his head with a little smirk. This gesture was quite cat-like, and it seemed the habit carried over even in his human form. Observing this, a quiet battle of wits between Didier and Noah began.

"What's the problem?"

"Huh? Why does magic activate without incantations?"

"Can't you do it?"

"Are you trying to pick a fight? Normally, you wouldn't be able to. Why are you asking me?"

"You can do it once you're used to it. Sheriel, you managed to do it, right?"

"That's why I'm asking!"

Oh no, this isn't going well. It seemed that Noah truly hadn't heard the story from that night. Didier's patience seemed to have reached its limit in just a few minutes.

"Uhm, dear brother, please calm down. I think I might remember something now."

"What? You only gave an incomprehensible explanation the other day."

Calling it incomprehensible is quite rude. While it's true that my explanation wasn't great, I still should have had enough communication skills to become a freelance engineer.

"Well, after that, I remembered something. Noah is a cat, so not using incantations is normal for him. Guri-chan and Kurumi don't use incantations either, right?"

"I'm sure Noah also doesn't know that humans need incantations to activate magic. That's why we're having this misunderstanding..."

Strangely, both of them were staring at me, puzzled.

"I'm not a cat."

"Huh?"

"Hm?"

"I'm not a cat," what does he mean by that? Is he talking about being a magical beast or a cat yokai or something like that?

"Huh, Sheriel, did you still think of Noah as a cat? I thought you had already noticed. Ahaha! Really?"

"Oh, so you thought I was a cat all this time. No wonder you seemed a bit strange to me, like a quirky child."

What's with these people? Just a moment ago they were so tense, and now both of them are... No, I understand. I'm starting to understand. I've made an enormous misunderstanding. Suddenly, my cheeks felt warm, and my entire face felt as if it were burning.

"Wait... So, then Noah isn't a cat, but a person who transformed into a cat? Talking, lounging around, purring, and even letting me rub his belly, all of that was a person... a man?"

"Huh? No way, the cat and I are different entities. So the other night, when you said I came to you, it wasn't me."

"Pfft... Ahahaha! Could it be, Sheriel, you were talking to a cat, thinking it was the professor? Well, no wonder he didn't show up the next day."

"You don't need to laugh that much. It's just a cute misunderstanding of a child! Besides, even Noah at first..."

"Well, then, why didn't you say anything when we bumped into Grandpa and everyone?"

"I was impressed by how kids come up with outrageous excuses. I didn't expect you to actually believe I was a cat."

"But you knew about the conversations with the cat, right, Professor?"

"That's because our thoughts were connected. It's the opposite of what you did to me the other day. I linked the cat's vision and hearing to my own thoughts. Ah, don't worry, I didn't link touch or smell, so relax."

Ah, I don't understand anymore. Why is all this happening? Wait, let's calm down. The professor is a person, and the cat is just a cat. Oh, come on, this is obvious, silly me. I feel like I'm about to cry. I felt a mix of embarrassment and confusion, and my mind wasn't working properly.

"So, Professor Noah, you have an actual human name, right? Why didn't you tell me?"

"At that time, I didn't plan to meet anyone. I thought it would be troublesome if you accidentally let it slip. Eventually, it got revealed quickly though."

"Eh, so does that mean... Professor, did Father and Mother also know about you?"

Noah nodded in agreement, and I realized. I was the only one who thought he was a cat. Come to think of it, Mary also mentioned that magical beasts can't transform into humans. What kind of ridiculous lies must she have thought I was making up?

Still laughing heartily, Didier seems to have completely forgotten that he was just arguing with Noah a moment ago.

"Understood. I seem to have made a very rude misunderstanding. I apologize, Professor Noah."

"Call me Julius. Can you call me Julius?"

Like the serene and divine smile of the moon in the dark night, he looked straight at me. This isn't fair. I can't believe this face belongs to a human.

"Ju, Julius, Professor."

"Hehe, anyway, you thought I was a cat. This is quite a first for me."

"Haha! It's true, being mistaken for a cat is a rare experience. I'll call you Julius, is that alright?"

"Ah, let's give the name Noah to that cat. It seems he's attached to it. Right?"

These people are truly absurd. They are making a laughingstock out of this innocent child. If I were a normal seven-year-old, I'd be in tears.

"Sigh, so, what's the conclusion? Noah is a cat, or rather, a magical beast? And because you can share thoughts with it, you can use magic without incantation?"

Finally, we are getting back to the main topic. It's a bit different from what I expected, but either way, the key seems to be that magical beasts don't need incantations.

"Well, that might be possible. When I realized it, our thoughts were already connected, so I didn't pay much attention to it."

"Is it a Gift?"

"Probably. But more importantly, is it true that you normally can't use magic without incantation? I thought it was because the humans I knew were not good at magic."

Wow, I've met a Gifted person for the first time. Even though they are rare within the kingdom, I was able to meet one so soon.

While I was amazed by the Gift, Didier and Julius were swiftly aligning their understanding and forming hypotheses. It's impressive how well their conversation matched when they weren't arguing.

"Well, I see. In that case, try the thing you did to Sheriel on me."

"Sure, I also wanted to test it a bit more."

"That's a great idea! If Big Brother can do it too, it'll make sense since he's a Beriard. Should we call Father too?"

And so, we ended up calling for Sergio, who should have been busy with work. Zaris might not be pleased, but Sergio will probably be happy.