Chapter :1. The Child of Fire
“Luje, shall we go home?”
It had been three years since Wio left his birthplace of Ordecia to tour various countries on his grand “food adventure.” Normally, he would return before winter, but now—still at the end of summer, less than half a year since he last left—Wio suddenly announced that he wanted to go back after reading a letter from his older brother delivered via the Adventurers’ Guild.
“That’s fine, but did something happen?”
“My brother has adopted a child loved by the spirits.”
Those loved by spirits are people whose hair and even eyes shine with elemental colors, just like Wio. Some countries have special names for them, while others don’t.
In Ordecia, those who can hear the voices of spirits are called “Beloved of the Spirits.” By that definition, anyone whose eyes carry elemental colors can be considered such.
At present, only two such people are confirmed in Ordecia: the captain of the Knight Order’s Third Division, and Wio himself.
“What element?”
“Fire. The child was too much for a commoner household to handle.”
Spirits naturally gather around those they love and actively lend them their strength—even if the one they support is just a child, still without reason or restraint.
When Wio was young, he frequently froze those around him. But this adopted child was fire. Likely, the flames set furniture ablaze, creating too much danger for the family to keep raising them.
At first, I worried something had happened to Wio’s parents since he announced his sudden return, but when we arrived, they were all healthy and well—that was a relief.
“Did your brother ask you to come back immediately?”
“No. Only that he had taken the child in.”
“Then, how about returning to Trebol first and gathering information about fire children?”
“Good idea. Let’s do that.”
In Trebol, where we stayed just a month ago, children loved by spirits are called “Divine Children.” From birth, they are gathered and raised in the church.
But “Divine Child” doesn’t mean they are worshipped. They’re simply raised in specialized facilities, respected for their powerful magic, but not revered as deities. When they grow up, they remain affiliated with the church, often helping with frontier farmland development. As a result, they are very popular among common folk.
Even Wio, known as the “Child of Ice,” was welcomed warmly enough that food stalls sometimes gave him a little extra as a treat.
So we returned to Trebol, explained the situation, gathered information about the Fire Child, and then set off in a carriage to Wio’s family estate in Ordecia. By now, after three years of travel, we knew the road well. Wio had grown accustomed to adventuring, but with his striking hair color, he still looked more like a nobleman traveling incognito.
When we arrived, however, the mansion felt different—something had happened. Even Wio was on guard. The butler rushed out to greet us and explained.
“Welcome home, Master Wio. Forgive me for the delayed reception.”
“It’s fine. What happened?”
“The young lady has suffered burns.”
Apparently, the adopted child’s magic had gone out of control, and Wio’s sister had been burned from her shoulder down her neck. What’s worse, even though no miasma was involved, the burns wouldn’t heal with potions. Doctors and priests had been summoned in the past few days, but nothing helped.
We followed the butler to her room to see her.
Inside were Wio’s mother, his brother, and his exhausted sister-in-law. The young lady tossed and groaned from both the pain of the burn and the fever it caused.
The moment his sister-in-law saw me, she rushed over and clung to me.
“Luje-chan, please heal her burns! They won’t heal. No matter what we try, nothing works. Please, I beg you!”
“Stop it! Luje, you don’t need to do anything. Forget this. My wife is simply distraught.”
“Please! She’s a girl. If burn scars remain, her future will be ruined!”
She wept as she pleaded. My brother-in-law tried to pull her away from me, but she clung even tighter.
Usually, both Wio and Mother are firmly against relying on my powers. But this time, neither of them said a word.
I looked into my sister-in-law’s eyes and told her:
“I’m sorry, Sister-in-law. I can’t.”
“Why not!?”
“I just can’t. But don’t worry—the scars will fade as she grows. They’ll disappear completely. It’ll be okay. Truly, it’ll be okay.”
I gently licked her hand and quietly infused her with a touch of healing energy. Then she collapsed into sleep, as if fainting. She must have been awake all this time from worry. Hopefully this rest would calm her heart.
I asked the servants to carry her to her room. After my brother-in-law left with her, Wio turned to me.
“Can’t you do it?”
“Not here. Somewhere else, yes. I’ll explain it properly to your brother.”
Then I softly licked my sister’s hand, dispelling the lingering spirit energy in the wound. Without that, it was just an ordinary burn.
The child’s fire magic had run wild, but it was actually the spirits that ignited the flames. And wounds caused by spirits cannot be healed by potions.
“Keep the wound clean. And if she develops a high fever, no matter the time, call me.”
I had the butler pass these instructions to the maid tending my sister, and then we quietly left the room.
