When everyone had almost finished their breakfast, Saphy spoke up.
"Dad, I have a favor to ask. Can you agree?"
Charlie looked at his daughter's pleading eyes and wanted to agree right away, but held back.
"It depends on what type of favor you are asking. So, what do you want?"
Tsk. I thought acting cute would solve everything. Sigh, I still need to work on this.
"Dad, I want to go out."
Charles was confused.
"You can go out. No need to ask for it."
"No, Dad, you misunderstood. I don't mean to go out to the garden. I want to walk around in the city."
"Absolutely not."
"Why not?"
"First of all, it's dangerous in the city. You're still young. And in a few days, you will turn five. It is one of the most important days of your life. On that day, you will have your awakening ceremony. Lots of people will attend. Even the King might attend. We don't want any unforeseen accidents happening. So, no. You can't go out."
Saphy pouted and insisted,
"How long should I be stuck inside? Am I some kind of prisoner? And I'll take the Knights with me. What can even happen? And don't forget, I can use magic. I'm plenty capable of protecting myself."
"Still no. Just because you can use a little magic does not mean that you can fully protect yourself. You never know what might happen."
Charlie crossed his arms and made an expression that showed he would stand by his decision. So Saphy played the blackmail card,
"Dad, let me rephrase it again. Should I walk around the city with guards escorting me, or should I sneak out alone?"
Charlie had his mouth wide open in shock. Is this the so-called rebellious phase? And before he could respond, Saphy's next words shocked him more.
"And what do you mean by little magic. I'm plenty capable of protecting myself. Do you wanna make a bet?"
"What kind of bet?"
"Ask one of the soldiers to try to attack me."
Charles got a little angry.
"Saphy, that's going too far. It's very dangerous. You might get hurt."
"Dad, this is the only way to prove to you that I am capable of my own defense. And it's the safest way. If you are still concerned, then ask them to use wooden swords. Then even if I get brushed, I can heal it right back."
Charles couldn't find a word to counter the argument. So, he agreed.
_____________
After breakfast, they all gathered at the training ground. Charles still asked one more time,
"Saphy, are you sure about this? Even if it's a wooden sword, it will still be painful."
Saphy reassured her father. She insisted that she knew the risk and was fully committed. And so she stood in the middle of the training ground and asked for a soldier to come forward.
With Charles' signal, Soldier A came forward with a wooden sword in his hand. He took his stance and asked,
"Miss, are you ready? I'm about to strike."
Saphy nodded, letting him know she was prepared. Soldier A thought to strike softly. So, with an obvious and predictable motion, he swung his sword sideways. Even if he held back, the strike was still heavy and could cause a lot of pain to a child. Everyone helps their breath. Lisa was ready to run to her crying daughter can comfort her. They all expected Saphy to get hit and start crying. But something different happened.
With a swish sound, the blade was about to hit Saphy. But then it stopped mid-air. At a certain distance, the blade could not move. There was a transparent light curtain blocking the blades. But there wasn't much noise upon witnessing her actions. Because there weren't many people around the training field. This was a separate training field for household members. Knights and soldiers had a different one. The only ones that were present here were Saphy's parents, her brother, Head Maid Sophia, Maya, Butler Sabastian, Four Knights, and, including the one before me, four soldiers. Having fewer people is one of the reasons for no noise. The other reason was, they witnessed something unbelievable. They all thought they would see The Young Miss getting hurt and running towards her mother, crying. They almost wanted to see the little Loli's embarrassed and crying face. Especially Lisa, she wanted to hold her and comfort her. She was a little disappointed.
After demonstrating her ability, Saphy looked at her father. Although there was a little surprise on his face but it didn't seem he was convinced. So Saphy asked the other three soldiers to simultaneously attack her. The soldiers looked at Charles on what to do. Charles gave them the go-ahead and made a signal to attack without warning. The soldiers thought it was a little excessive. There was no reason to take it that far. But they didn't question his decision. As a soldier, their only duty is to follow orders. So, without further ado, they all attacked simultaneously from all four directions. But. The results were sane. All of their attacks were stopped by a light curtain. No matter how much they tried, they couldn't force their way in. So, they keep attacking with increasing frequency and might. But they could not break through the light curtain.
"Enough!"
With a shout from The Lord, they sized their attacks and stepped down. Saphy looked at her father with a snug smile.
Saphy: ᕙ( ~ . ~ )ᕗ
Charles: (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻
"So, Dad, may I go out?"
Saphy looked at Charles with a snug smile.
"You may."
Charles said it with a sigh. At this point, he had to agree. Still, he was in shock. Such a young girl capable of casting magic to suck a degree. He personally checked the barrier with his own magic. It was cast using Light Magic. He was sure that even he couldn't break through that barrier. And no way he was weak. He was one of the strong in the Kingdom of Lionheart. That goes to show how strong his daughter is in terms of magic. He couldn't help but mutter,
"My daughter is a genius."
"No, she is a monster."
William said it with a rhetorical tone.
Lisa, on the other hand, grabbed Saphy and hugged her tightly.
"No, she's an angel."