The invention of the internet greatly contributed to the creation of the term “global village.”

    As long as there is internet access, one can communicate and accomplish various tasks anywhere in the world.

    However, this has also brought about side effects, primarily anonymity.

    Anonymity is like a double-edged sword, with its effects clearly evident.

    For example, malicious comments have led to celebrity deaths, and illegal websites, such as those for gambling, have increased.

    In that sense, I feel fortunate that there is no internet here.

    If there were, I’d probably be subjected to all sorts of insults.

    In reality, the internet represents cultural advancement, so its absence doesn’t hold much significance.

    Even so, I don’t want to see my fans fighting among themselves, let alone causing harm to innocent bystanders.

    I even considered changing the direction of the story, but I quickly dismissed the idea.

    If I made changes, people would likely criticize that too.

    For now, staying quiet seems the best option, though I still have a powerful weapon left: the “hiatus threat” that proved useful before.

    If I claim that watching fans argue hampers my ability to write, they’ll quiet down on their own.

    And if I dramatically say my heart aches too much and take responsibility for the chaos, it might cause a different kind of uproar.

    Thankfully, such things haven’t happened yet.

    There was news of adventurers causing trouble, but it was resolved quickly.

    They’ve started to restrain themselves, albeit slowly, and the demon worshipper suppression continues despite delays.

    “Phew...”

    Amidst all this, my daily routine remained unchanged.

    After an intense training session with my father, I was utterly drained.

    Considering my confidence in my stamina, the fact that I was exhausted shows how tough the training was.

    Initially, the goal was just to handle myself, but my father’s ambitions grew stronger over time.

    He says that while I lack innate talent like Dave or Nicole, my focus and stamina more than make up for it.

    That said, it also means I need to expend just as much stamina.

    Swoosh.

    As I lay on the bed resting, something softly tickled my face.

    It felt like a large brush brushing over my face.

    I wrinkled my nose and opened my eyes to see a swaying tail above my head.

    I knew who it belonged to.

    “Leona?”

    “Hehe.”

    When I turned my head and called her name, Leona mischievously smiled, revealing her white teeth.

    Lying on the bed, she wagged her tail playfully.

    I ruffled her fluffy brown hair, and Leona purred contentedly in response.

    “Wasn’t it boring to wait?”

    Leona was here because I had something to discuss with her.

    But training had taken longer than expected, so she had to wait.

    At my apologetic question, she smiled brightly, her golden eyes curving like crescent moons.

    “It wasn’t too boring, thanks to that little one.”

    I knew who she was referring to.

    Following her gaze, I managed to lift my head and look at a spot in the room.

    Ariel was seated upright on a soft sofa, reading a book, while across from her, Mari sat in a chair doing the same.

    Ariel would ask Mari any questions she had, and Mari would explain—an educational process.

    “Mom, Mom.”

    “Yes? Do you have a question?”

    “Yes. What does ‘gaze’ mean?”

    “It means to stare or look intently.

    Similar words include ‘observe,’ ‘watch,’ ‘glare,’ and ‘glimpse.’”

    “Oh, I see.

    But why are there so many similar words?

    Isn’t one enough?”

    “They’re used in different contexts.”

    Just like that.

    I watched Ariel being calmly taught and smiled warmly.

    As Leona said, Ariel’s talents were anything but ordinary.

    She remembered everything she saw and heard, and even her basic physical abilities were exceptional.

    I wouldn’t be surprised if she started using magic soon.

    My father was also keeping a close eye on her talents, and I could foresee what kind of future awaited her.

    ‘I just need to make sure she doesn’t go astray.’

    With her abundant talent, my role is to guide her so she doesn’t deviate from the right path.

    Watching Ariel quietly reading, I turned my gaze back to Leona, who was staring at me with bright eyes.

    It felt like having a giant cat watching over me.

    Stroke, stroke.

    “Purr, purr.”

    When I stroked her head, she purred happily.

    Lately, Leona’s affection and playful demeanor seemed to have increased.

    Apparently, she said I smelled nice—not like lilacs or peaches, just a good scent.

    It might be the effect of the “pure blessing” I received from Hirt.

    And that person was probably very talented in sorcery. But more importantly...”

    Leona trailed off and shifted her gaze to Ariel, still preoccupied with playing with Leona’s tail.

    “So she purified the soul by consuming it... Given that she’s a child of Hirt, it’s not impossible. Nature, even when polluted, has a self-purifying ability.”

    “Is Ariel affected in any way?”

    “If she was, there would’ve been symptoms by now.”

    That was a relief.

    I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding.

    I had been worried something might happen to Ariel, but it seemed unfounded.

    Now, the only remaining task was preparing countermeasures.

    Magic wasn’t an issue since there were skilled mages around, but sorcery was another matter.

    Wasn’t there a similar incident before?

    An assassin infiltrated the academy’s security magic and ambushed me.

    It’s suspected that the assassin’s bypassing of the security magic was also due to sorcery.

    “Do you know what sorcery is, in general?”

    “Of course.”

    “Then do you know what fundamental force is needed to use sorcery?”

    “Isn’t it mana?”

    Mana is the source and energy of this world.

    Divine power, being a gift from gods, is a separate matter.

    With mana, one can strengthen their body, and with mana, one can cast spells.

    In my past life, it held a position similar to electricity.

    So I assumed sorcery also required mana.

    “Not entirely wrong. Offerings used in rituals often contain high concentrations of mana.

    Even the human sacrifices performed by demon worshippers are essentially offerings of mana.

    But the offering itself isn’t the main focus.”

    “Then what is it? Faith?”

    “Similar, but not quite. It’s belief itself.”

    The answer sounded suspiciously like something out of a cult.

    Faith is belief in a deity, but Leona’s explanation was too abstract.

    Belief.

    This term was deceptively simple to define.

    Seeing my confused expression, Leona chuckled knowingly.

    Sorcery seemed like a rather intricate concept.

    “I think I understand what you’re imagining. And yes, you’re not entirely wrong. That’s why sorcery is often seen as akin to gambling.”

    “It’s too abstract to grasp. So does someone with deep faith have talent in sorcery?”

    “No. In sorcery, belief refers to the conviction that one’s actions will succeed.

    Faith, on the other hand, requires the existence of a deity to sustain it.”

    Ah, something like the placebo effect, or “the universe will grant your earnest wishes”?

    I tilted my head, half-understanding her explanation.

    Mari seemed equally puzzled, blinking in confusion.

    Seeing our difficulty, Leona scratched her cheek and gave a simple example.

    “Let me give you an example. Look at this. See the little sprout on this cute one’s head? You see it?”

    “Yes.”

    “Can you pull it out?”

    “No.”

    The sprout on Ariel’s head couldn’t be removed.

    We knew this after many attempts by various people.

    Whenever someone pulled too hard, Ariel would cry out in pain, so they’d stop.

    Trying to cut it felt too scary, so no one dared.

    So now, it’s treated like hair embedded deep into her scalp.

    When and how this sprout will grow remains a mystery, but it’s assumed it’ll grow with time.

    “Now, imagine this. Here’s an unremovable sprout. But with sorcery, the belief is that you can remove it.”

    “By offering sacrifices?”

    “Exactly. Then, you simply pull as usual, and...”

    Leona playfully grabbed Ariel’s sprout and pulled upward. Presumably to demonstrate her point.

    Pop!

    With an adorably small sound, the sprout came off.

    The stem snapped cleanly, not at the root.

    Mari, Leona, and I froze in shock, staring blankly at the sproutless Ariel.

    The atmosphere turned eerily quiet, and no one dared to speak.

    Ariel, however, seemed utterly unbothered by the loss of her sprout and simply blinked at us.

    Swooosh!

    Breaking the silence, another sprout sprouted from Ariel’s head as if nothing had happened.

    A fresh, vibrant sprout swayed gently, completely unbothered.

    Leona, seeing this, made a sour face before hurriedly speaking up, her nervousness betrayed by the sweat on her brow.

    “Ta-da! See? It came off cleanly, didn’t it?”

    How did she even do that?