Sylvia served as Cain's maid and tutor, and since she could read, she taught him many things.
"Cain-sama, I will read the picture book for you."
Although mentally a high school student, Cain couldn't read, so there was no choice. Despite the humiliation of having a girl read picture books to him, he seriously learned to read. He pointed to the letters and asked how to read them, learned how to write them, and practiced on his own. In this world, there was no such thing as clean paper yet, and writing on parchment, cloth, or wooden boards was the norm. The fact that this picture book was written on paper indicated that it was a high-end item.
Indeed, mentally and in terms of knowledge, he was a high school student. Moreover, his brain was that of a three-year-old, so the more he studied, the more it sank in. By the time a month had passed, he had no problem with reading and writing.
"Cain-sama, you can read and write now, right? To learn it perfectly at three years old, you're a genius! Even Reine-sama can't do that yet."
"It's thanks to Sylvia. You taught me well, so I understood quickly."
To get Sylvia to find the real books, Cain first flattered her. Sylvia, flattered by Cain, blushed and put her hands on her cheeks. And now, the real show begins.
"By the way, Sylvia. Are there any books on the country's history or magic in this house?"
"There are both in the mansion's library."
"Both? I want to read them. Can you bring me a few?"
"Understood. I'll bring them after lunch, but you won't understand such difficult books, will you?"
Generally, there's no three-year-old who wants to read about history and magic. Sylvia nodded, though she was puzzled. It had been a month since he was reborn in this world, and he could finally read magic books. He was excited. Since then, his health had been perfect, and he had received permission from his mother, Sara, to move freely within the mansion's garden.
"I want to use magic soon. But I'm worried if I can use it or not..."
After lunch, while reading a picture book, Sylvia brought him the books on history and magic.
"Cain-sama, I've brought the country's history and a basic magic book."
"Thank you, Sylvia."
"Both history and magic are difficult. You can't use status magic yet."
"It's okay, Sylvia. I'm learning for when I can use it."
Cain took the books from Sylvia and immediately looked at the titles.
'History of the Effort Kingdom'
'Beginner's Guide to Magic'
The Effort Kingdom is the name of the country where he now lived. The kingdom had been established for about 300 years, and the current king was the 15th. The first king was an adventurer who became a hero, founded a village, and built a city and a country in one generation. However, his origin was unknown. The first king's name was Yuya Tera Hirazawa Effort. Reading the name, he couldn't help but laugh.
"This is definitely Japanese."
The current king is Rex Tera Effort. It seems that Hirazawa was dropped a few generations ago. The country has a noble system, with the royal family, grand dukes, dukes, marquises, margraves, counts, viscounts, barons, and knights. Grand dukes are only the king's siblings, and from dukes to counts are considered upper nobility, while from viscounts to knights are considered lower nobility. Nobles are generally hereditary, but the head of the family is treated as a quasi-noble, and the family of a quasi-noble is considered commoners. The honorary noble and knight titles are only for the current generation, and the family is treated as commoners. This is a policy to prevent the number of noble families from increasing too much. The head of a noble family receives a salary from the country, and if the number of heads increases too much, the country would go bankrupt.
The Silford family is a margrave family and is classified as upper nobility. The mansion they live in is so large that it can be considered a small castle, and Cain had a vague sense of this. Finally, he began to read the magic book.
"Magic is definitely fantasy."
Flipping through the book, the first sentence was just one line.
'Receive the baptism at five years old and read if you have the aptitude.'
Thinking that he couldn't use magic until then, he flipped the page.
'Feel the magic power inside your body.'
It seems that the magic core in this world's humans is located around the dantian, near the navel. It varies by species. He closed his eyes and meditated. As he felt inside his body, the area around the dantian began to heat up.
"Is this it?"
When he focused on the flow of magic power, he could slowly feel it circulating throughout his body.
"It feels like blood vessels."
As he focused, he realized he could control it with his will. He moved it around inside his body and continued to flip through the pages.
'Gather magic power at your fingertips and chant.'
"Hmm. Is this it?"
He concentrated on gathering magic power at his fingertips and chanted 'Fire' with the image of a candle. He intended to create a five-centimeter flame, but a fifty-centimeter column of fire shot out from his fingertips.
"Whoa! I'm surprised!"
He dispersed the magic power from his fingertips to extinguish the fire.
"I know I can use magic, but practicing fire in the room is dangerous. For today, I'll just read the magic book."
While reading the book, he learned that the basic magic attributes are fire, water, wind, and earth, and there are also light, darkness, and air. Magic is manifested by imbuing an image with magic power, and there are apparently original spells derived from the basic attributes.
"Can't resist with my knowledge of Japanese light novels."
Feeling a bit tired from the decrease in magic power, he returned to the magic book.
"Is there anything about increasing magic control and magic power?"
He flipped through the pages to find it.
'Improving magic control by using the internal magic circulation daily.'
'Increasing the upper limit of magic power by using up the internal magic and resting. However, the upper limit varies by person.'
"First, these two are the main focus. I'm still three, so there's a lot of room for growth. From now on, I need to increase my magic power and experiment."
He smiled, satisfied with finding his goal.
"Cain-sama, it's time for dinner."
It was Sylvia's voice. Looking out the window, he saw the sunset, and he realized it was already evening. He must have been too focused on the magic book.
"I'm coming now."
He put away the magic book and left the room. When he reached the dining room, Sara and Reine were already waiting. After taking his seat, his father, Garm, entered and sat down.
"Let's give thanks to the seven gods of Marinford."
After Garm took the first sip of soup, everyone else began to eat.
"Cain, I hear from Sylvia that you've been reading a lot lately. Do you find books enjoyable?"
"Yes, Father. Since I'm not old enough to go out yet, it's fun to study about the outside world now."
"Cain can already read and write perfectly, even though he's only three."
Sara answered with a smile. She must be proud of her son's intelligence. After all, with the concentration of a high school student, a lot of information does sink in.
"I want to receive the baptism soon and use magic."
Actually, he had just used it.
"Is that so? Maybe you'll become a court magician in the future, Cain."
Father Garm was also pleased, sipping wine.
"I'll become an amazing court magician. I'll be waiting for you, Cain, as your senior!"
Sister Reine apparently had a talent for magic and wanted to enter the academy soon to study. In this world, children spend their time from ten to fifteen years old at the academy. The highest-level academy is the Effort Royal Academy in the capital, and graduates are welcomed back to their domains to find work.
Two years passed, and it was time for the baptism at five years old.
During those two years, he studied, trained, and practiced magic. He secretly conducted magic experiments while taking walks. He refrained from using destructive magic, but he often cast wind magic into the sky. He was so focused on self-training that he forgot to be cautious.