“A ‘telephone’ is a magical artifact that utilizes magical resonance to exchange voices with someone far away. The usage is simple. First, hold the telephone in your hand, focus your mind on the person you wish to speak to, and a ringing tone will sound from their telephone. Once they accept the connection, both individuals can hear and speak to each other in real time. Once the voices are connected, the conversation is maintained even if you relax your focus. When you wish to end the conversation, simply focus on the thought, ‘I want to stop talking now,’ and the connection will be severed. For reference, it has long been considered proper etiquette for the person of higher status to sever the connection first.”

  — “Basic Magic and Artifacts,” An Introduction to Magic for Ten-Year-Old Patronians

  It was his birthday!

  Woken by the dazzling sunlight tickling his cheeks, Kane suddenly realized what day it was. He kicked off the tangled blankets, darted out of his room, and carefully peered into his parents’ bedroom. Poking his head in, he confirmed his dad wasn’t there before scampering over to burrow into his mom’s embrace.

  “Mmm, my Kenny is awake.”

  Wiggling to get comfortable in her warm, cozy arms, Kane tilted his head back to look at her.

  “Mom, guess what day it is today?”

  Carol brushed a stray lock of black hair from her eyes and said with feigned indifference, “Today is the village festival~”

  “Huh? No, it’s not~!”

  “Then what day is it?”

  Kane let out a dissatisfied huff. At that, Carol chuckled, eyes still closed, and planted a perfect kiss right on her son’s forehead without even looking.

  “Hmm. It is a festival day. It’s been exactly ten years since my son was born, so of course it’s a festival~”

  “Hehehehe.” Kane finally smiled, hugging her tight.

  “Did you really count all those days?”

  “Yeah! I marked it down every single morning!”

  Kane gazed up at her, his eyes shining brightly. Finding him unbearably cute, Carol vigorously ruffled his hair, which, unlike her own, had a faint brownish tint.

  “So what are we doing today, Mom? Where’s my present? Are we having a party?”

  Realizing that sleeping in was out of the question, Carol let out a long yawn, stretched her arms, and pointed to an overturned basket in the corner of the room. Kane sprinted over and flipped it over.

  “Wow! A new book?”

  He plopped down right there and picked it up. On the somewhat worn cover, charred black along one edge, were the words: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Volume One.

  “Your dad went through a lot of trouble to get that. Do you like it?”

  “Dad did?” Kane asked, his already round eyes going wide.

  “Yes. You were so happy when you got The Wizard of Oz last year. How many times did you read that thing? So your dad worked very, very hard to catch a huge boar and—”

  “Honey, I’m heading out. Meet me at the big rock in front of the square around sunset.” Before Kane could say anything, a gruff voice called out from outside. Carol quickly sat up and shouted back.

  “Did you grab something to eat? Kenny, hurry up and go tell your dad thank you.”

  But the moment she finished speaking, the door clicked shut. Kane stared at his mom, his mouth hanging open, clutching the book in his hands. Carol bit her lip for a second before offering Kane a soft smile.

  “Well, you can thank him later. For now, go ahead and start reading. I’ll make breakfast in a bit.”

  Kane nodded, got up, and left the room. It bothered him a little that his dad was so brusque even on his birthday, but the moment he sat at his desk and opened the book, all other thoughts vanished. Ever since The Wizard of Oz, he finally had a second book.

  How much time had passed? After scarfing down breakfast and rushing right back to his room to read in a frenzy, Kane faintly heard his mom calling him. He dog-eared his page, casually tucked the book into the back of his waistband, and ran out.

  “Are you ready to go? Honestly, what are you wearing to a festival? I’ll get you some clothes, so change into those.”

  “No, it’s fine~”

  “No, it’s not.” Speaking firmly, Carol walked past him, smoothly snatching the book out of his waistband as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

  “Aw, Mom—”

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  “I knew it. Read the book later. I told you, you can’t be caught with a book where people can see it. How many times do I have to say it? Absolutely, unequivocally no!”

  Carol scolded him while hiding the book behind some bowls in the kitchen cupboard.

  “…”

  A little while later, a still-pouting Kane walked toward the village square, his hand in his mom’s. Looking at her son’s protruding bottom lip, Carol smiled faintly.

  “My Kenny loves books too much. It’s a real problem.”

  Kane turned his head to look up at her, then silently looked forward again.

  “But how many times have I told you? You can never tell anyone else that you read books.”

  “Why...”

  “Remember our promise when we first started learning letters? You wouldn’t ask why about this.”

  “Why can’t I ask why?” Before she could even let out a sigh, Kane plowed ahead. “That wasn’t asking why I can’t read books, so it’s fine, right?”

  “...Sigh.” Carol pinched the bridge of her nose and let out the rest of her sigh. Then, she gave his hand a tight squeeze. For a moment, the only sound was their footsteps crunching softly along the forest path.

  “Anyone caught reading a book without permission... their whole family will be punished.”

  “...Huh?”

  “It’s a law established by His Majesty... the Emperor himself. That’s why I wasn’t going to show them to you in the first place, but the year before last, you found one and threw such a tantrum that I gave in. And back then, you promised never to tell anyone and never to ask why.”

  “But Grandpa Panain at Tersha Castle carries a book around.”

  “Baron Panain is a Patronian.”

  “Patronian? What’s that?”

  “They are high-ranking people who protect and govern ordinary folks like us. From what I know, people like that are allowed to read books to some extent, and they can use magic.”

  “Then can I become a Patronian...”

  “That’s enough, Kenny. I don’t want you taking an interest in things like that. We made a promise when I showed you the books, didn’t we?”

  Kane glanced up at Carol. Her expression was completely rigid. He sensed that if he asked any more questions, he would get in trouble.

  “Actually, there are so many words I don’t know in the book, Mom. For example, in the one I just got... but since you don’t really like talking about books, I’ll just figure it out on my own. Oh? There’s Dad. Dad!”

  Through the trees, he spotted a tall, sturdy man with bronzed skin, a leather sack slung over his shoulder. Kane dashed ahead and gave a polite bow.

  “Thank you for getting the book for me.”

  Sion looked down at Kane, placed the hat he was wearing onto Kane’s head, and ruffled his hair.

  “You shouldn’t talk about books outside.”

  Carol stared quietly at his firm, square jaw. Avoiding his wife’s gaze, he took both of their hands and led them along.

  “Here, Kenny.”

  Carol briskly wiped away the sticky traces of the festival from around Kane’s mouth with a handkerchief. Even though it was quite dark out, she seemed to know exactly where every smudge was.

  “If you’ve had enough to eat, let’s get ready for the fireworks.” She pointed to Sion, who was sitting on a broad rock in front of the village hall.

  “Oh, Carol, how have you been? And you too, Sion?”

  “Oh, hello!”

  “Hi, Grandma!”

  They turned to see Granny Mason, who often sold eggs by the outer walls of Tersha Castle. She had her hands full with various things. Come to think of it, if she was here, that meant...

  “Kenny!!!!”

  ...it meant Jessie, the endlessly energetic and boisterous tomboy his own age, was here too. She was the granddaughter Granny Mason always brought along, saying she’d get bored otherwise. The little girl chattered nonstop by her grandmother’s side, constantly breathing life into the market vendors.

  Looking especially excited today, Jessie rushed up to Kane and shoved her wrist in his face.

  “Kenny-Kenny-Kenny-Kenny! Look at this! Ta-da!”

  “What is it?”

  Around her tanned, chubby wrist was a cute bracelet woven from pink and yellow flowers and blades of grass. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at him, her expression exactly like a puppy begging for praise.

  “Wow. It’s pretty. Where did you get it?”

  As if she had been waiting for that exact question, Jessie answered instantly. “Max made it for me!”

  “Max did?!”

  “By Max, you mean Maximilian from the butcher shop, right?”

  Carol suddenly interjected. Jessie beamed, nodding her head up and down so fast it seemed her neck might snap. For some reason, Kane felt his heart suddenly drop.

  “Oh my. Every time I go buy meat, all Max ever talks about is Jessie. It seems he finally made his move.” Carol looked at Kane, a teasing note in her voice.

  “That boy is completely smitten with my granddaughter~” Granny Mason said with a warm laugh. Meanwhile, Jessie was spinning in circles on the spot.

  Kane, without knowing exactly why, felt annoyed. He was idly kicking at a jutting rock in the dirt when his mom took his hand.

  “Kenny, look, it’s Grandpa Panain. I think he’s going to start the fireworks.”

  Following her gaze, Kane spotted an old man with a long white beard wearing a square hat. Tucked under his arm was a large, worn book bound in brown leather.

  “It’s Grandpa Panain!” Jessie cheered, quickly grabbing her grandmother’s hand. “Grandma, where should we sit to watch?”

  Carol chimed in immediately. “Jessie, we’ve saved a nice spacious spot over there. Do you want to sit with us?” She gave Kane a little wink as she said it.

  “Yes! I’d love to!”

  Despite his long beard, Baron Panain strode briskly across the square in front of the village hall. He pulled a small microphone from his pocket.

  “Ahem, ahem. Now then, everyone!”

  “Wow, his voice is so loud!” Jessie said, her eyes wide.

  “Oh, my sweet Jessie. That’s the Baron using magic.”

  “Wow... that’s so cool. Can you use magic, Grandma?”

  “Magic is only for the high-ranking folks. Look there, I think he’s about to start.”

  “...we shall begin. Please do not be alarmed by any loud noises, and remain in your seats. In particular, the elders who brought children, please make sure they don’t run around.”

  With that, Baron Panain sat down heavily on the ground and opened the large book from under his arm. Kane saw this and sneaked a glance at his mom, accidentally catching her eye. Carol brought an index finger to her lips. Then, just as Kane felt a gentle breeze brush past him—

  “Whoa—”

  A collective gasp swept through the villagers gathered in a wide circle around the Baron. Panain had closed his eyes, his right arm extended high toward the sky. From his fingertips, colorful fireworks shot upward.

  Fwoosh—

  Pop—

  The flares soared five times higher than the Titan trees, exploding into shapes that resembled mushrooms. Another flare followed, this one splitting in two and erupting into the shapes of an ‘L’ and an ‘I’. Low murmurs of awe rippled through the crowd. Flares also burst into the shapes of numbers—1, 2, 3, 4. When Kane saw them, he grinned and looked at his mom, only to find she already had her index finger pressed to her lips again.

  “Wow... that’s so coooooool...”

  Kane turned his head to see Jessie looking blissfully happy, the fireworks reflecting in her large eyes.

  “Grandma, I’m going to marry someone who uses magic when I grow up!”

  Kane squeezed his hands into tight fists and thought to himself.

  I wish... I wish I could use magic, too. I want to show Jessie beautiful fireworks.

  For some reason, Kane felt the strength drain out of his body. At that exact moment, the night sky abruptly lit up as bright as day. A massive pillar of fire surged up through the colorful fireworks that had been decorating the evening sky, and immediately detonated with an earth-shattering roar.