Holding the stone-like plate in her hands, Sera almost couldn't believe it.
"Awakening Tablet...!"
She, who was now five years old, could awaken.
"Can I use it now?!"
Unable to reign in her excitement, she hurriedly asked, causing her parents to chuckle, "Fufu--Cough, cough-! Ah, sorry about that~ Of course you can, darling~ What's there to wait for~? Just hold on for a moment~"
Serena passed the baby Eri over for Eric to hold as she smoothly moved over to Sera's side, taking a small needle hidden from within the bag and placing the Awakening Tablet flat on the table.
"Now, give me your hand and stay still~ You'll only feel a little prick~"
Gently holding her daughter's hand above the table, Serena softly stabbed the end of Sera's index finger with the needle, letting a single drop of blood fall onto the Tablet below.
The Tablet then illuminated and proceeded to display text.
〈─────✦─────〉
▶ Physical Talents
Talent 1: Swordsmanship ★★★
▶ Mana Affinities
Affinity 1: Fire Magic ★★★
Affinity 2: Light Magic ★★
Affinity 3: Wind Magic ★★
Affinity 4: Lightning Magic ★
Affinity 5: Earth Magic ★
▶ Character Attributes
Basic Attribute 1: Effort ★★★
Basic Attribute 2: Willpower ★★★
Basic Attribute 3: Determination ★★
Basic Attribute 4: Kindness ★★
Basic Attribute 5: Charisma ★★
〈─────✦─────〉
Pressing a finger on each of the three categories expanded the list and allowed one to see the full extent of the details, and there was more than expected.
Not to mention that, since the Awakening Tablet only showed up to five of each category, there was bound to be even more hidden talents that went unaccounted for.
"Oh, my goodness~!? Dear, I knew you would be talented, but just look at all this~!"
Serena squealed in joy as she brought Sera into a tight hug.
Wondering what the fuss was about, Eric and Ray came over to read what was on the Tablet―they, too, were shocked at the sight.
"Woah~!"
"I had a feeling Sera would inherit your talents as a magician, darling."
"Even your swordsmanship, dear~"
Revelling in the fact that their precious daughter would have an inevitably bright future ahead of her with gifts like these, Eric and Serena squeezed her in a tight embrace.
Letting her go only after a few minutes passed, Serena continued with wonder, "It's really amazing how you have skill in both magic and the sword, isn't it, Sera~?"
In response, the girl flinched, "I-Is it a bad thing...?" To which the two doting parents vigorously shook their heads and corrected her.
"Of course not~! We're very proud of you, sweetie~"
"Yes, exactly; congratulations on your successful awakening, Sera! This is something to be celebrated."
"Ahehe~"
"...With that, I suppose it's time for your next present, then~?
Carrying the cheery atmosphere along, Serena's words caused Sera's head to tilt in confusion.
Next present?
There was only supposed to be one, wasn't there?
Watching dumbfounded as her mother walked into another room and returned holding a small, rectangular wooden box.
Opening it without hesitation, a thin stick with a blue velvet-covered handle was revealed.
"!? A wand...!"
"Fufu~ That's right~ This is the practice wand I usually used to train with; I kept it until now because you've always wanted to learn magic, Sera~"
The wand contained a small, low-rank empty mana crystal embedded in the centre of the handle that served to support and soften the flow of magic, allowing easier and smoother casting of basic spells.
Serena always had faith in her daughter that she would awaken to possess magical talent, but decided not to include this training wand as a main gift on the off chance that Sera didn't actually have such an affinity for magic.
It would have been more than just a little depressing if that were the case, but thankfully, it wasn't something that warranted any worries any longer.
"Along with this wand, I'll be personally teaching you the basics of magic from now on~"
Accepting the wand with her hands graciously, as if it were some kind of holy object, an inconcealable grin lit up Sera's face.
But it didn't end there.
"If you'd like, Sera, we can also begin swordsmanship training whenever you'd like, if it's something you decide to pursue. Even if it's not, knowing how to handle a blade is always useful, and it keeps your body in top shape, so I would highly recommend it."
"That's right~ We can always get a wooden sword for your training, so don't hesitate to ask~"
Eric announced as much, and with Serena following up on it with her silvery voice, Sera nodded her head in acknowledgement.
"Can I start magic training now?"
"Fufu, aren't you excited~? Why, of course you can~ Let us finish breakfast first, and we can start with some basic exercises in the garden~"
Normally, a family would need to find a tutor to teach their child all about magic, and so it would cost a fortune in order to fund such a talent, but as Serena was a magician herself, there was no such cost necessary.
Similarly, Eric was a swordsman, and so there was no need to find a swordsmanship teacher.
Needless to say, finding a tutor for magic and swordsmanship within a place way out in the boonies like Pine Village would ordinarily be nigh impossible, so it's no wonder they were considered extremely fortunate for a commoner family.
"Dad, what does that mean?"
Ray, who was almost as excited for his sister as she was, curiously asked while pointing at some of the details on the Awakening Tablet.
"The stars? For your Talents and Affinities, they are a rough estimate of how much potential someone has, and it goes up to three stars; one star is a little bit of talent, two stars is a medium amount of talent, and three is a lot of talent."
Of course, it works slightly differently for the Character Attributes section, as you can't exactly have talent in your personality, but Ray was still a bit young for the in-depth explanation.
"They show how much that particular attribute represents you as a person."
So, Eric left it by simply saying that.
"Will I be as awesome as Sera?"
Taken aback by Ray's abrupt question, Eric took a moment to respond, but when he did, he chuckled softly, gently placing his rough and calloused, yet warm hand, atop his head.
"Ray. No son of mine is going to be anything less than legendary. Of course you will be cool. Just like your old man, right?"
"Pft, haha~! Yeah!"
Eric smirked at the joyful laughter of the boy.
That innocent grin of his appeared precious to the man who had witnessed first-hand the horrors of the wider world.
As a veteran adventurer, there weren't many who could say they've experienced the gruesome reality of the world, and there were even less who could say they've encountered the embrace of death as many times as he has.
That's why.
Away from all that.
He hoped his son would be able to grow up in peace.