We hold a meeting for countermeasures

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“Serafiona, tomorrow is finally the day for your magic test… Have your feelings about becoming a knight changed?”

After dinner, I am moved to a small lounge and my father asks me so.

Papa hugs me on his laps in a two-seater sofa. Lu is on my knees. Lalouza sits next to us with his brows wrinkled, probably out of anxiety.

“Yes. I have gained a little bit of strength in the last two years, but I haven’t achieved much. And I’m still looking forward to attending a Knight School.”

Eventually, before the magic test, we could not add another person in the house, risking Lu’s existence and the secrets of my magical talent. We did not hire any teacher from outside. I was mainly taught Martial Arts by my brother, and my father on his holidays. I was able to handle the assignments from both of them, and I also deemed it’s too early to hire an instructor.

“What are you talking about? Serafiona has a good foundation. After running 20 rounds on the outer circumference of our mansion without a break, you can throw a knife into the straw dolls’ necks deep, and then run 10 more rounds. I can’t even do that when I was your age.”

“Eh, Onii-sama, you said that everyone could do this?”

“I felt that Serafiona could do it!”

My brother smiles while stroking my head… I knew it, something is definitely strange. My brother wasn’t treating me that way just because he finds me cute… I mean, those task were more for an assassination than martial arts, right? I also used An-chan’s special shuriken in my practices… Where is Onii-chan taking my trainings to?

(TN: An-chan = older brother. Author used different ways to say older brother)

“Yes… after all, Serafiona have a tremendous amount of magic power. After the inspection, she will be reported to the country and, naturally, would have to be enrolled in the Magic Academy. What else could we do…”

“Even if I have a tremendous amount of magic power, can’t I justify choosing a Knight School with an exceptionally strong will?”

“It’s not stated by law. However, it’s practically impossible not to. The country wants to manage the magicians in the Magic Academy.”

“Is Onii-sama managed too?”

“Basically. But well, Serafiona should be at ease. I’ll eventually do managing like Father.”

Gehooーー!

“How about going with the setting that I’m sick? I have magical talents, but I’m sickly, so I can’t go to the school. Fortunately I neither have my social debut, nor did any socialising in general.”

There seems to be a lot of places for children to socialize in this world. But since mother is no more, there is no-one to work on them. But neither I nor my brother felt the need to socialize, and papa never forced us either. Anyway, the three in our family are too busy keeping Lu a secret. Also, if I participate in a tea party for children, I may encounter my future enemies!

“Serafiona, you can’t even go to a Knight School in the first place.”

“I will recover in time for the entrance exam to the Knight School.”

“If a Magician’s daughter is known to be sick, the country will send a Healer. It is a show of national power as well.”

Lu, who had been eating cookies all the while, looks up while at the three of us who were thinking of a solution.

「Magic test, what is the procedure?」

When I convey his question, my brother replied,

“For me seven years ago, I put my hands on a flat stone slab. If we possessed magic power, the value will show up.”

「Isn’t it necessary to come up with countermeasures against that device?」

“Lu-sama, the place for the inspection was not so large and the space was small, surrounded by magicians from three countries as well. Frauding the results should be difficult…”

“Magic itself is ineffective in the building.”

That’s right. There must have been people who tried to cheat before. Anyone who attends the Magic institution with high magic power can have authority. It’s just the opposite for our house though. The aspiring magicians of the country are inspected while being glared at by fairly scary Ossans…… I can hardly find any loopholes.

(TN: Ossan – old men)

But I will never go to the Magic Academy! I will take whatever means needed!

I take out a shuriken hidden in my ankle.

“Kill, do it? “

“Hmm? I’ll help you? If it’s for the cute Serafiona them.”

My older brother laughs refreshingly and take out a blue glowing magical knife from a hidden space. I taught my older brother this convenient magic, in case he would needed it. He used it a lot because he seemed to feel good about it.

“Please calm down, both of you.”

“Otou-sama, don’t worry. I’ll just thwart the blade and administer myself some sleeping pills.”

“Sleeping pills? Serafiona, where did you find Neneru grass?”

“Onii-sama, when you returned to the territory, I quietly went to the rift at the back of the cliffs.”

“As expected, my Serefione is thoroughly prepared!”

“Both of you… it’s not that bad to go to the examiner! You’re just having a strange Impression of it!”

「I’ll do something with the stone. Leave it to me. 」

“Lu?”

“Lu-sama might be able to sneak up on that slate.”

“…That’s right. Since he’s a sacred beast, he may know of a way to set Serafiona’s magic value at 0 even in a magic-disabled environment. Isn’t that right Lu-sama? It was Lu-sama that wanted Serafiona as a knight in the first place”

Well that, not really.

“But can Lu enter the test room?”

「It’ll be fine! Just leave it to me! 」

You have cookie crumbs all over your face, even your chest… we should really depend on you?

The three humans cannot hide their unconvinced expressions…

There is no other solution, I have to rely on Lu tomorrow.

The cheeky beast gets mofu-mofued in his belly and sleeps in my bed.

I felt a bit of anxiety filling me… but I can’t help it…

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