“Huh? A baby? No way! I’m already seven years old, y’know?”

  To Hulim Heyerar’s surprise, Semiris Pan Gine fixed her with a deadpan stare, as if she couldn’t make heads or tails of what she was saying.

  “Seven years old? Isn’t that basically a swaddling baby?”

  “......Who in the world is still in a cradle at seven years old?!”

  “S-Seriously?! But... but seven years......”

  In truth, Semiris’s massive misunderstanding stemmed from the colossal gap in their perceptions of time.

  As the very first fairy to exist, she was one of the oldest beings in the world. Her endless lifespan had left her completely insensitive to the fleeting life cycles of short-lived races. What was more, she spent almost all her time in Tiramsuin, the Celestial Realm—a domain inhabited solely by long-lived species. Even on the rare occasions she descended to the mortal plane, she spent most of her time fooling around, never bothering to learn the first thing about the life cycles of the creatures that dwelled there.

  After Hulim’s emphatic correction, Semiris reluctantly accepted that the girl wasn’t fresh out of a cradle. But seven years still felt like the blink of an eye to her, and she couldn’t quite wrap her ancient mind around it, leaving her feeling thoroughly flustered.

  “Ahem! Right then, enough about age. Let’s get down to business.”

  Semiris cleared her throat, suddenly switching to a solemn, serious tone—a jarring change that left Hulim feeling a little uneasy.

  “Now then, chosen one favored by fate—by the grace of the Mother Goddess, let me, the Fairy Queen, bestow my blessing upon you!”

  “A blessing? What’s that?”

  Another question popped into Hulim’s head. Come to think of it, Semiris had been going on about “the chosen one” ever since she first appeared.

  Does she mean me?

  Lucky......

  Am I lucky?

  “Sigh...... You don’t even know what a blessing is? Then why in the world did you summon me?”

  Semiris was dumbfounded yet again—this was a first for her.

  “I summoned you?”

  Hulim tilted her head to the side, looking utterly perplexed.

  For a long, awkward moment, the human girl and the fairy queen stared at each other in silence.

  “......W-Well, I suppose it makes sense,” Semiris muttered, the corner of her mouth twitching. It suddenly hit her—if the girl didn’t even know what a fairy was, she’d probably triggered the summoning by complete accident.

  “Sigh—— Oh well. It’s not like I can change who’s been chosen now......”

  Semiris heaved a weary sigh, then launched into an explanation of the Fairy Queen’s Blessing.

  It all began in the distant past.

  Tens of thousands of years ago, the civilizations of Himril were like flickering candle flames in the wind—fragile, uncertain, with no clear future ahead.

  Moved by the desolation and despair of the mortal realm, Terra the Earth Mother resolved to help humanity thrive. She dispatched the Fairy Queen to the mortal plane, bidding her to find a kindred spirit and bestow upon them a divine blessing.

  The blessed one gained immense power, leading their people through countless crises and laying the foundations of the very first magical kingdom.

  From that day forth, every few hundred years, the Fairy Queen would descend to the mortal plane once more, seeking out another chosen one to bless. And each and every blessed soul would go on to change the world in their own profound way.

  As for how the Fairy Queen found her chosen ones? Every five hundred years, she would listen to the voices carried upon the surface of the water.

  When a pure-hearted individual threw a stone into a lake all by themselves, their voice would reach her ears—and she would answer their call.

  “So I’m the one who summoned you?”

  Hulim finally put two and two together.

  “After all that explanation, that’s the only thing you get?!”

  Semiris couldn’t help but groan at the girl’s look of sudden realization.

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  “Umm... But that story wasn’t really all that interesting.”

  “I wasn’t telling you a story, for crying out loud......”

  Semiris had run out of patience for the girl’s cluelessness. She quickly changed the subject.

  “Alright, now that you know the basics, let’s move on to the next step. What’s your name?”

  “Hulim,” Hulim replied. After a moment’s thought, she added proudly, “Hulim Heyerar!”

  “I see. Hulim Heyerar.”

  Semiris repeated her name softly, raising both hands toward Hulim as a warm, gentle light began to glow in her palms.

  “Huh? Heyerar......”

  A flicker of confusion crossed Semiris’s emerald eyes.

  “What’s wrong? Is there something weird about my name?”

  Hulim asked, her gaze fixed curiously on the glowing light in Semiris’s hands.

  The question snapped Semiris out of her thoughts, and she shook her head quickly. “Nothing at all.”

  “Right then. I’m about to bestow the blessing upon you. Concentrate hard!”

  Semiris instructed.

  “What’s a blessing like?”

  Hulim piped up again.

  Semiris explained offhandedly, “You do know about the seven fundamental magical elements of Himril, don’t you? Wind, Fire, Water, Earth, Light, Darkness, and Void.”

  Hulim nodded vigorously. “I know those!”

  “The blessing,” Semiris went on, “is the ultimate affinity for one of these seven elements. When I grant you the blessing, I will awaken your innate affinity for a single element—and with it, you will rise to the very peak of mastery in that magical discipline, unmatched by anyone in the world.”

  Hulim nodded slowly, half understanding and half confused. Then she suddenly looked up and asked,

  “Do I only get one blessing?”

  “Of course! What else did you expect?”

  “Can’t I have all seven?”

  “You want all of—— Pfft! What did you just say?!”

  Semiris jolted in mid-air, the light in her hands flickering wildly with shock.

  “You cheeky little brat! Where in the world did you get the gall to ask for something like that?!”

  “Huh? Is that not allowed?”

  “Is that not allowed......”

  The light vanished instantly. Semiris dropped her hands, her patience officially worn thin. She was determined to set this impertinent human straight once and for all, and she exclaimed in exasperation, “Of course it’s not allowed!”

  Hulim puffed out her cheeks in a sulk.

  “Why not? If there are seven blessings, and anyone can get any one of them, then why can’t someone get all seven?”

  “Ugh......”

  Why does this kid have to be so sharp about the wrong things?

  Semiris groaned inwardly, quickly launching into a detailed explanation. “It’s impossible! Look—you know about magical affinities, right? Every person is born with a limited number of affinities for the magical elements. Most people only have an affinity for one element. A tiny handful are born with two. And anyone with more than two? That’s practically unheard of! As far as I know, the person with the highest number of affinities alive today is a mage who can wield four elements.

  “You can’t just receive a blessing for an element you have no affinity for, understand? The blessing is basically a way to elevate your existing affinities to their maximum potential. If I tried to force a blessing for an element you have no affinity for, it would put an unbearable strain on your soul—you’d probably end up dying a horrible death!

  “Now—does that make sense?”

  “......”

  Hulim tilted her head to the side, her expression blank. She’d only caught a few words: affinity, blessing, elevate.

  “I don’t have any affinities?”

  “Ugh, now you’re just being silly. Your affinities will reveal themselves after you receive the blessing.”

  “Umm... Then can I have all seven blessings?”

  Hulim held out her tiny hand expectantly.

  This kid is completely not listening!

  A vein throbbed on Semiris’s forehead.

  “I just said it’s impossible!”

  “Hmph. You’re being stingy, Semiris.”

  Hulim muttered under her breath.

  “It’s not about being stingy!”

  “Then... you can’t do it?”

  “I——”

  Semiris’s voice trailed off, her temples throbbing with frustration. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. She’s just a baby, she told herself. Don’t argue with a baby......

  Suddenly, a devious idea popped into her head, and her eyes lit up.

  “Hey there, Hulim~. You really want all seven blessings that badly?”

  Hulim nodded so vigorously her pigtails bounced.

  “I want all of them!”

  “Well~, it’s not impossible......”

  Hulim’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

  “Really?!”

  “But!” Semiris’s tone suddenly shifted, and she gave the girl a mischievous grin. “There’s a catch.”

  “A catch?”

  “That’s right~. If you can master the basic spells of all seven magical elements within one month—I’ll grant you all seven blessings. How does that sound~?”

  Semiris leaned in closer, her eyes glinting with amusement. Hulim frowned, deep in thought.

  Meanwhile, Semiris was practically bursting with smugness.

  “Let’s be real here. Mastering seven elements is way too hard for a little baby like you! Magic isn’t something you can just ‘learn’ overnight! Honestly, you’d be better off giving up now! If you quit, I’ll still give you one blessing—you’ll still grow up to be the strongest mage in the world, y’know? Whether you have one blessing or seven, you’ll still reach the top! What’s the difference, really? None at all~......”

  Semiris’s relentless teasing made Hulim’s cheeks flush bright red with anger.

  “I’m not a baby! Mastering seven basic spells is nothing for the great Witch Hulim!”

  “Whoa~! The great Witch Hulim~! Pfft! Pfft! Calling yourself by your own name like that—so babyish! Pfft!”

  Semiris’s laughter only made Hulim’s cheeks burn hotter.

  “So——”

  “Are you going to accept the challenge?”

  Semiris suddenly zoomed forward, stopping just inches away from Hulim’s face.

  “Witch Hulim~.”

  Hulim stumbled backward in surprise, then quickly planted her feet firmly on the ground, her eyes blazing with determination.

  “Y-Yes! I... I’ll learn all seven spells! Just you watch, Semiris!”

  “Hehe~. I’ll be looking forward to it~!”

  Semiris doubled over with laughter, floating lazily on her back in mid-air.

  “Then——”

  “The pact is sealed——!”