My brother, Rudy, was intensely focused on a magic book in our house. I looked at him curiously and asked, "What are you doing, brother?"
"Nothing, I'm just trying to read this book," he replied casually, not taking his eyes off the pages.
Curiosity got the better of me, and I inquired, "What is the book about?"
"It's about magic," he replied, still engrossed in his reading.
I was taken aback by his response and asked, "Do you know how to read? Our parents never taught us."
He glanced at me and answered, "I somewhat know how to read after hearing our parents read stories from the storybook."
Intrigued, I nodded and asked, "Could you teach me how to read?"
Rudy hesitated, looking around the room nervously, avoiding eye contact. After a moment, he sighed and met my gaze, offering a thin, nervous smile. "Fine, I will teach you," he said, "but we can't tell mother and father. It will be our secret."
"Alright, I won't tell anyone," I agreed.
And so, Rudy became my tutor, teaching me the language of this world.
[One month later]
It had been a month since I started learning the language and practicing magic with Rudy. I had made some progress and understood the magic book he was reading.
The book contained various spells and theories of magic, particularly focused on water magic. It ranged from beginner to advanced levels, explaining mana manipulation and providing simple exercises.
Rudy enthusiastically practiced the magic exercises from the book, and I joined him. As beginners, it was the perfect book for us.
[One month later]
After a month of practicing magic, I came to a disappointing realization—I was terrible at it. Despite my efforts, I couldn't move the mana within me. I repeated the incantations countless times, but nothing happened. In contrast, Rudy had quickly excelled and could even perform voiceless chants.
I began to think that I might have a low affinity for magic. Frustrated, I lay on the floor of our room, contemplating my lack of progress.
During our training, we discovered that the book had lied about mana reserves being fixed since birth. Rudy's magic reserves had increased significantly over time, while mine remained stagnant.
[Sudden change]
I sat in our home's storeroom, attempting magic despite my lack of success. Rudy, who had been practicing water magic, turned to me with a sigh and said, "Don't you think these water balls should do something more?"
I shrugged and replied, "I don't know. You're the magician, not me."
Rudy seemed deep in thought for a moment but then had a sudden realization. He hurriedly stood up, brushed off his clothes, and formed a water ball above his hand. Closing his eyes and focusing, he opened them again, and the water ball moved at a fast speed, striking something.
Rudy jumped with joy and exclaimed, "I did it!"
Unbeknownst to him, the water ball had hit me, and ominous black smoke started emanating from my head. When Rudy noticed, he froze, feeling an ominous presence. A chill ran down his spine as he covered himself in cold sweat, stuttering, "W-What happened, brother?"
My eyes narrowed, a cold smile forming on my face. With my wet hair dripping, the smile grew even colder as I calmly replied, "Nothing happened. I am going to kill you."
I pounced on him, delivering a beating he would never forget.
[A few hours later]
"I'm sorry, brother. It won't happen again," Rudy said meekly, bruises covering his body
I'm sorry for the incomplete response. Here is the rest of the story:
"It better not," I huffed, letting it go. There wasn't much else I could do. I had made sure to teach him a lesson that he wouldn't forget.
"Now that I have mastered this spell, let's try a new one from the book," Rudy suggested.
I hummed in agreement, smiling, and said, "Let's give it a try. Just remember to aim outside this time, okay?"
A shiver ran down Rudy's spine, and he nodded frantically. We moved towards the book, flipping through its pages until we settled on a spell. Holding the book, Rudy began chanting aloud, "Supple spirit of water and princess of streams that flow through the earth, sweep away all things with your hidden inner might. Water cannon."
As the words left Rudy's mouth, a large water ball started forming in front of him. It grew from the size of his palm to three times his body's size, and then it started compressing and building pressure. When it reached its limit, it shot out like a cannon, demolishing our wall and traveling towards the neighboring wheat farm. Fortunately, it dissipated due to the air pressure, turning into rain.
The crowd outside reacted with surprise and astonishment, but two familiar voices filled with worry called out, "Rudy, Adam! Where are you?"
"Rudy, Adam... Are you both alright? What happened here?" our parents exclaimed, rushing into the room.
Paul, our father, entered hurriedly, asking, "Monster attack in broad daylight? What happened?"
Concerned, our mother inquired, "What happened here, my darlings? Are you both okay? Are you hurt?"
Unable to answer, we averted our eyes, and our mother began searching for the cause of the commotion. Her gaze landed on the book lying beside Rudy, and she picked it up, studying it intently.
After a moment, our mother froze, and then a wide grin spread across her face—a terrifyingly large grin that made all of us, including my father and our maid Lilia, stop and stare. It was a grin that seemed too big, almost as if her face would split in two.
"Wait, when did Lilia appear?" I wondered.
Ignoring my thoughts, our mother spoke with excitement, "Honey, did you two read aloud what was written in the book?"
My heart raced, and in a panic, I replied, "It was Rudy. He was the one reading the book."
Rudy's face contorted in betrayal, but I had my reasons. The smile on our mother's face was too frightening, and I didn't want to be her target.
Mother's grin widened even more upon hearing my words. Somehow, it kept growing. The smile she wore now was so enormous that it wouldn't surprise me if her face actually split in two.
"Rudy, did you do it?" our mother asked, holding Rudy in her arms. Rudy was terrified, but he steeled himself and answered, "Yes, mother, it was me."
Our mother's smile grew even wider at his response.
I couldn't fathom how her smile kept expanding like that. It was beyond comprehension.
She squealed with delight, saying something like, "Our son is a genius!"
Relieved, I sighed, but then our mother's gaze shifted to me. I tensed up, frozen in place. With the same unsettling smile, she asked, "Adam, honey, can you do that too?"
Drenched in cold sweat, I dejectedly replied, "No, mother, only Rudy can do it."
Mother's smile softened, and she reassured me, "
"It's alright, honey. Don't be sad," she comforted me. Then, she turned to our father and suggested, "Dear, we should hire an instructor for Rudy's magic training."
Our father's nose scrunched up, and he protested, "Calm down, Zenith. You promised me that if we had a boy, he would be a swordsman, and if it was a girl, then a magician."
Angrily, our mother retorted, "You have no right to say that, Paul. You break your promises all the time. The point here is not about broken promises; it's about our baby's future."
"Can't you see? He can cast an intermediate spell at the age of three. He can become a king-ranked magician when he grows up," she argued.
"But what about our promise?" our father persisted.
Interrupting the argument, our maid Lilia chimed in, "Why not teach him swordsmanship in the morning and magic in the afternoon? Master Paul, you can pass down your sword techniques to young Master Adam."
"That's right! Why didn't we think of that? We'll do exactly that," our mother agreed, her smile returning. "Right, honey?"
"Yes, it's a wonderful plan. I will post a request for a magic instructor right now," our father confirmed.
The following day, our father posted a request for a magic teacher at the adventurers guild. It didn't take long for someone to accept the offer. After a few weeks, the magic teacher arrived, but we were all surprised by her appearance.
The teacher turned out to be a shy, blue-haired magical girl, around 14 or 15 years old—a true magical loli.