Chapter 3
(X764)
It has been one year since I met Irene, and a lot has happened during that time.
Firstly, Irene officially adopted me as her son.
After leaving the forest, she decided to settle down in a small town in Fiore and opened a bakery there.
The bakery quickly became quite popular, and Irene became known as the sweet baker of the town.
Of course, no one had any idea that the seemingly ordinary baker was actually one of the strongest beings in the world.
As for myself, I could now walk, although I was still a little unsteady on my feet, and I had also learned how to speak.
I actually spoke my first word when I was six months old.
It was…
"Irene."
I still remember the expression on her face when she heard me say her name.
She had stared at me for a few seconds before picking me up and hugging me tightly.
She was extremely happy that day.
As for my magic, I still couldn't properly use it.
That was understandable considering I was only one year old.
However, I had started noticing something interesting.
Because of my extraordinary magical talent, I could perceive the magical energy present in the atmosphere.
It was faint, but I could clearly feel it.
'Ethernano.'
The magical particles that existed throughout the world.
I couldn't manipulate them yet, but simply being able to sense them gave me a good idea of how naturally talented I was going to be with magic.
"Hey, Elior, how are you?"
I looked towards the person who had just spoken.
It was evening, and I was currently sitting inside our bakery, watching the customers coming and going.
The person who had called me was a beautiful eighteen-year-old girl named Sasha.
She was one of our regular customers.
"Good. What about you?"
"Ah!!! You're so cute!"
Before I could react, she picked me up and hugged me.
'Well… this is nice.'
I couldn't really complain.
Being a cute baby had its advantages.
The people in this town absolutely loved me.
And honestly, I couldn't blame them.
I was an extremely handsome—well, cute baby with white hair and golden eyes.
"Of course he's cute. He's my son."
I heard a familiar voice from behind us.
I looked over and saw Irene walking out from the kitchen.
She had a sweet smile on her face and was wearing a beautiful red dress underneath a cute white bunny apron.
She walked over and gently took me from Sasha's arms.
She looked down at me with a warm smile.
"How was your day, El? Did you enjoy yourself?"
'How can someone be this beautiful?'
I had become very close to Irene during the past year.
She treated me with nothing but love and affection, and despite knowing that she wasn't my biological mother, I had slowly begun to accept her as my actual family.
I still called her by her name rather than "Mom," and surprisingly, she didn't seem bothered by it.
"It was okay."
I pouted.
"But I got bored."
Irene giggled and gently pinched my cheek.
"That's true. There isn't much for you to do all day."
Sasha continued staring at me with sparkling eyes.
After spending some more time in the bakery, she eventually said goodbye and left.
Once the last customer had gone, we closed the shop and returned home.
After dinner, Irene and I were getting ready for bed when she suddenly called out to me.
"El?"
"Yes?"
"I wanted to tell you something."
"What is it?"
She smiled softly.
"You're going to be a big brother."
"Oh!"
My eyes widened.
"Wait, really?"
I couldn't hide my excitement.
After all…
I was going to meet Erza.
Of course I was excited.
"Hmm."
Irene nodded with a soft smile.
I smiled brightly at her, but after a moment my expression became a little complicated.
She immediately noticed.
"Are you not okay with it?"
She looked concerned.
"If you're not ready, we can wait a few years."
She probably thought I was worried about having to share her affection with another child.
But that wasn't the problem at all.
"No, I'm really happy!"
I quickly shook my head.
"But…"
I hesitated.
"Can we please wait until next year?"
I looked at her with hopeful eyes.
I knew I was going to change a lot of things in this world.
But there was one thing I didn't want to change.
I wanted to be exactly two years older than my little sister.
It was a completely personal reason.
Irene stared at me for a moment.
Then she giggled.
"Oh, so that's what you were worried about?"
She smiled.
"Sure. We can wait until next year."
"Thank you, Irene!"
She leaned forward and kissed my forehead.
"Goodnight, El."
"Goodnight."
I smiled as I closed my eyes.
Erza would be born next year.
And I couldn't wait to meet my little sister.