On the day of my birthday everyone gathered in my house. My whole family was there but Blume and Tras were also invited. Father looked at me with a surprised look when I introduced Blume to him. He said something along the lines of “That’s my son, he’s got the eyes for the ladies” which made Blume blush.

We all started feasting and after eating a birthday cake, Blume approached me.

“Zwölf… I have a present for you too…”

“Yes, what is i- huh !?”

She kissed me in front of everyone. My first kiss… Haaa it did feel good. But did she have to do it in front of everyone !? I couldn’t have been more embarrassed. I was blushing furiously and Blume’s face was dyed red. I didn’t expect her to be that bold. Father and Tras both whistled, Hell said “Get a room, you two…” and Mother just looked at me happily. Then, after being congratulated by everyone, Father walked towards me with a serious look.

“Zwölf. I want to have a serious talk with you.”

“I thought so. It’s about me finally being an adult isn’t it ?”

“Indeed. You’re 15 now so let me ask you. Do you have any plans for the future ? You’ve got your hands on a beautiful girlfriend so you need to live up to her expectations and find a job to start a family, right ?”

“I have decided on my path, Father. I want to become a Magician.”

“A Magician, huh ? Not a bad idea… Magicians can find jobs in lots of different areas… I’ve heard from your Mother that in the few months I wasn’t there, you’ve devoted yourself to Magic training… She even said that you defeated 4 C-Ranked monsters on your own. That’s very impressive indeed.”

After saying that, Father observed me. I knew he wanted to see how resolved I was and it looks like he wasn’t disappointed. A wide smile showed on his face as he resumed talking.

“Reaching Intermediate level Magic on your own, that’s quite impressive. But I hear you’re stuck at this level due to your lack of knowledge and learning material… So let me ask you this. Would you like to go back to the capital with me ?”

“The capital !? But… I…”

I didn’t know what to answer. Going to the capital was the best way to discover new kinds of magic but on the other hand it would also mean abandoning Blume and Tras.

Seeing my disturbed face, Father interrupted my thoughts.

“Of course, not forever. You see, there is going to be a Magic tournament held in the Capital. It is hosted by the Emperor himself. You could come with me to take part in it, right ? And pick up some Magic knowledge on the way. Also, the age cap is 20 years old, so I don’t expect anyone to be higher than Expert level. I think you’ve got all your chances. And then, once it’s done, I would send you back to the village while I’ll stay in the capital for work. What do you say ? ”

“…”

I thought quickly. There would not be any other chances like this one. Such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, I decided to grab it.

“I accept.”

Father nodded and we started making preparations for the trip. It was going to be a 5 days long trip so I hurried.

Father went to the stables to buy a second horse for me. According to him, reaching the capital by horse would take 5 days. We would camp on the first night and second night, stop at Bruneciel for one day to replenish our provisions and camp every night after that until we reached the capital. Then, after the tournament was finished, Father was planning to send me back alone.

5 days was all I would have to train myself. After all, even though I had defeated monsters, I still only knew Intermediate level Magic. Furthermore, I had yet to fight an opponent that could control Magic or had fighting skills. Although I had taken out C-Rank monsters, I have to admit that their movements were monotonous and relied primarily on sheer strength. On the other hand, this was a tournament where several youths came from all around the empire to participate. It definitely wouldn’t be as easy.

The next day, I had finished all my preparations. Although it was still dawn, Hell could already be heard training in the garden. He and Mother came to see me off. Although Hell patted my shoulder (as if he was the older brother), Mother went for the hug. She could be strict at times, but most of the time she was as sweet as the flowers she collects every week. Well, still, a hug at my age was kind of embarrassing. I was already an adult after all.

As I was about to leave, I saw Blume running towards me. Did she come to see me off ? How sweet of her…

“Zwölf ! Waaait !”

“Hmm ? Did you wake up that early to see me off Blume ?”

“Yeah and… something else. Come here…”

Something else ? What could it be ? I approached her and stood in front of her. Did I mention that she was beautiful ? And she let out such an arousing smell too…

As I walked closer to her, she locked her arms around my shoulders, drew her face closer and kissed me. Unlike the kiss from the day before, this one was… rather lewd. She embraced for a bit longer and then let go of me. I couldn’t help but blush furiously. Her face was also dyed crimson.

“W-What… I.. I…”

“Zwölf… if you come back victorious from the tournament… I will let you do whatever you want to me…”

“W-W-Whatever I… want !?”

“Yes…”

After hearing that confession, a new kind of resolve had been born inside of me. Just look at me Father ! I will be the one to win that tournament, hahahaha !