003 - Birthday Dinner

It was my fifth birthday today. It seems that in this world only every fifth birthday is celebrated.

We are all sat around the table and today we are eating a special meal. The first course is a soup made from an ice boar. They are located in the north, and this one was preserved and sent by my brother Philip who I have yet to meet. It is served in a thick vinegary broth that has a chilling aroma to it.

To me it just tastes like a pork broth with a weird flavor, but when I look up to the other side of the table I see my sister with an inappropriate look on her face for a nine year old girl.

You see last year she went through a baptism ceremony and it was discovered she has an ice affinity. I mean I kind of guessed because of the light blue hair. But my parents explained that anyone can have a hair colour like that. And that not all mages have brightly coloured hair but more often than not if someone's a mage and they have light blue hair they can use ice magic. An example of this is Celine. Her hair is purple, but she has no magic power. If she was a mage however, she would guaranteed to be a Spatial One,

Anyway, because of Anna's Ice affinity, when she ate the frost boar which was a frost type magic beast, it would taste like the most divine flavor possible. She squirmed in her seat with each bite she took. I've become more fond of anna in recent years. I just try my best to hold back my laughter as I finish my bowl.

Once we've finished the bowls are removed. Anna has a pout along with a longing expression on her face realizing she ate the whole bowl. She follows the bowl with her gaze as it leaves the dining room.

Everyone at the table chuckles. At the table is me and anna. As well as our parents. Also at the table is Esther, Anna's Magic Teacher. She joined us a few weeks after Anna's baptism. She is in her late twenties. As well has fiery red hair which contrasts with her light blue robes.

Also at the table is Henri he has been Anna's teacher about how to read, write and everything else a noble lady should know. He lives in the basement of the manor where he does his research most of the day. He appears to be in his nineties and wears a light purple coloured robe.

I have no clue what that colour means.

There are another two people at the table. My father's best friend Barnabas as well as grandma Lethia.

Barnabas and Father met on the Battlefield twenty years ago during an invasion from the Geleind Empire twenty years ago. Barnabas was a commoner but through excellence shown during the war became the second in command of the Silver Shield. It is a knights order run by the Belmont family. Recently the previous commander of the order retired and Barnabas is the new commander.

Grandma Lethia on the other hand is an enigma. She never leaves her room except for dinner. Stays silent the whole time and then promptly leaves after desert.

I asked father one day and he explained that Lethia was my great-great-great-great-grandmother and was whopping 179 years old and the matriarch of the house of Belmont. I had asked how she lived that long and he just said that she was a half-elf nonchalantly. I then had asked if that makes me part elf and he said yes after six generation any effects from the elven bloodline are negligible.

The next dish came out and it was a seared carp with selected herbs. The food in this world was brilliant for a medieval society probably due to magic. The carp tasted earthy but had a hint of something in there. Probably more mana.

Another three dishes came out after that. First was a beef than it was from something called a fire-newt. And finally, was a golden apple pie. I had never heard of these but just guessed it was a type of yellow apple that existed in my world.

How wrong I was. It tasted like heaven. The apples had been cooked in their peels. The colour was a light gold that shone with a metallic lustre. The peel as well as the flesh had all disintegrated into a thick sauce. That on top of the sugar pastry and cream from a golden cow made this the best thing I had ever eaten.

I couldn't wait for my tenth birthday since in this world the fifth birthday for family and friends. When you are eight you are baptized and either become a mage, a knight, a wizard, or a normal person.

Your tenth birthday therefore was often far more important because if you were a mage or knight then it would be an opportunity to make connections with guilds, orders and fellow Users of the divine arts. If you were a magicless person it would be introductions to politics and who your marriage candidates are.

Unlike his previous world were kids were married off at an early age most kept unengaged until ten to see of how much worth they are. Most often mages would remain unengaged and out of politics until after finishing the royal academy.

Some would stay like that forever like Esther and Henri.

After the dinner I was exhausted so I went up to my room. It was customary to open the gift alone so as not to cause jealousy between givers.

…

The next morning, I was woken up by Celine who opened my curtains. She was now sixteen but still looked to be a few years younger than that.

I get dressed and then begin to open the dozen or so presents I've got.

Most were mundane but two stuck out.

One was from his sister and was a magical toy. All it is, is a ball with earth magic on it to make it bouncy.

The second one was a necklace from his brother Philip along with a letter.

'Dear Ash,

I know I have not been a good big brother but I will return once my expedition is over. In the mean time here a Lameos gem necklace I found in a dungeon.

Yours truly Phillip.'

He picked it up from the box and looked at the blue rock that seemed like a LED bulb on the sliver braided necklace.