"Nyaaa" came out,

A lazy sigh escaped my mouth—no, it was more that I was too lazy to contain it.

I've spent the last few days reading everything I could get my hands on. I decided to take a much-needed break.

After all, too much information is bad for the brain, so I need to take my time processing it.

So here I am, slouching on the library sofa.

"Thank God, Maa is not there to see how much of a slacker I've grown into in less than a month."

These past few days have been very depressing.

None of the books contained anything that could remotely explain my unusually early sentience.

I haven’t found anything about my kind. There was literally no trace in those books of my brethren.

I was so excited because I had discovered books about magic, only to find out that I couldn't use magic at all.

I mean It even came with instructions on how to use it.

All of this is due to the stupid ritual known as the baptismal.

I do understand the concept behind this ritual. After all, it would be dangerous to leave the ability to use magic in the hands of a toddler.

There’s no way a ten-year-old noble would be more interpersonally aware than me.

I understand the concept behind this ritual, but leaving the ability to use magic in the hands of a toddler would be dangerous.

But come on, it’s me we’re talking about. No ten-year-old noble was more socially aware than me.

They should’ve spared me.

"Aaaah, these books have shattered the sliver of hope I had of using magic."

I pushed myself up and went to the secret room.

But, luckily for me, the books stated that nobles are natural-born aina-users, and the ritual is only mentioned to prevent the noble from using magic, and should not, in any case, affect one's ability to use aina.

Yes, those born into nobility are pretty much born with a silver spoon in their mouth.

Being born as a noble guarantees you three things in this world.

Wealth.

The ability to use Aina.

And the ability to access magic on their tenth birthday.

The first two are currently within my grasp, but the last one will require me to wait six years before I can access it.

Because there was nothing I could do with magic, all I had to do was focus on mastering the art of Aina.

There was not much information about Aina in the secret room, and it didn’t take me long to understand why.

The majority of nobility does not make use of their aina-wielding abilities. That was due to two factors.

The first reason is actually quite stupid: the vast majority of nobility considers aina-usage to be unworthy of them. They refer to aina usage as "the commoner's art."

The second reason is fairly obvious: unlike magical beasts who can use both mana and aina at the same time, most members of the nobility are unable to blend mana and aina. Perhaps it is due to the differences in the properties of these two powers, but it is nearly impossible for a noble to be proficient in both magic and the use of aina. There were nobles who excelled at both magic and using aina, but they are the exceptions that prove the rule.

Thus, the nobles prefer to focus on magic. Rather than wasting time trying to master an art that they may never use, wouldn't it be better to invest one's time in a more powerful art? After all, what is enhancing one's ability compared to the ability to fly or summon elemental power?

Using aina might not be as catchy and powerful as being magic. But it’s the only option available to me right now.

The only advantages I have over my peers, if you can call them that, are this library and this room.

I still have six years until my coronation, and I'm not sure when I'll be called back to my family's side. Leaving me with roughly six years to go without magic, I should use that time to master the art of aina.

That being said, I'm still at a loss for where, to begin with.

Commoners usually discover their aptitude as aina-users by chance, but they usually awaken their aptitude around the age of ten.

There was little information regarding how they first interacted with Aina or what steps they had to take to control it.

And, on the nobility front, it was just mentioned in the book that "to use aina, all you have to do is focus your thoughts on the part of your body you want to enhance, and it just works."

When I read those lines, I knew I couldn't expect to learn anything useful about Aina from these books.

"I guess I'll have to figure out how aina works on my own."

I went back to the library and especially went to the most spacious spot in the library.

From what I understand, aina-using encompasses two things: enhancing physical capability and enhancing sense. I had no idea how it worked; all I knew was that it worked that way, whether it was on the nobility or the commoner side.

I took what could only be described as a punching stance.

"Yah!" I thrust my clenched fist forward at an illusory target.

Why?

I don’t know, I just felt like doing it.

This little punch led me to two conclusions.

One: that it was, as expected, extremely ridiculous and cringe-worthy.

Two:I am ninety-nine percent certain that, despite acquiring sentience so early in life, I did not develop anything resembling an innate talent for fighting or, at the very least, punching. Even by four-year-old standards, my punch was pretty pitiful.

"Let's get back to the issues at hand," I said, gently smacking my cheeks in an attempt to regain my focus.

I took a fighting stance and did as the book instructed.

I need to concentrate.

What should I concentrate on?

I had absolutely no idea... Maybe I should concentrate on the thought of delivering a powerful blow through the small fist of mine. I remained motionless for about five minutes.

When suddenly.

This is it. I can feel it. This must be Aina.

Yaaa!" I threw my punch in the air once again, and just like earlier, nothing happened.

What I felt wasn’t aina or some mysterious force that I felt, but rather a fleeting sensation of numbness in my hand.

"Haaaa, I knew it. There’s no way that stupid instruction was real."

Depressed by my failed attempt, I lethargically approached the desk and took a seat.

After losing my only lead, I knew I had no choice but to try to find the correct method at random.

If only the book contained more useful information on Aina.

Wait a minute- the book from the secret room mentioned that magic is summoned through mana, and the noble body is the source of the mana. Perhaps aina does not originate from within the body, but rather from the outside.

Perhaps this explains why nobles had difficulty using both aina and mana because they were opposing forces.

I stood up and stormed to the spot I used earlier.

I took a fighting stance once more, closed my eyes, and began to concentrate on my surroundings.

I stood there motionless for several minutes.

While my eyes were still closed, I began to see—no, to feel—hundreds of small particles of energy surrounding me.

I took a deep breath, I ignored how I was able to do it but I sucked up every particle around me and sent it to my arm.

I felt it. This time it definitely wasn’t just my hand being numb.

"YAAAAAAH!" I delivered my true, first, and mightiest punch.

The punch itself didn't appear to be particularly powerful, but a gust of wind blew in my direction, scattering all the books beneath the library's two aligned tables.

Was it it?

Aina.

It took me a few seconds to realize what had just happened.

A big smile spread across my face as I looked down at my still-clenched fist.

"I FREAKING DID IT," I yelled at the top of my lungs, unconcerned about being overheard because I knew that this room was completely soundproofed.