What... Is A Skill?

I stood frozen in place for a while, stunned by the shock that had run through my hand and the words that had appeared in my mind.

What? What were these strange letters I’d never seen before? More importantly, why could I read them…?

“Ederine?”

His Majesty’s puzzled voice snapped me back to my senses. At the same time, the words disappeared from my mind.

“Ah, I-I’m sorry. I just saw something strange…”

Bewildered, I looked at Ai. She was staring intently out the window, toward the northern sky.

I gently touched her shoulder again. However, nothing happened this time. …Had I just imagined it?

His Majesty stepped closer to me.

“What do you mean by something strange?”

“Ah, well… For some reason, I thought I saw a word that sounded like ‘skill’…”

The moment I said that, His Majesty Yuri’s eyes widened. Then he grabbed my shoulders firmly.

“A skill activated!?”

“H-huh? Um, what do you mean by activated…?”

Seeing my confusion, His Majesty hurriedly explained.

“Apparently, Saintesses throughout history have possessed special magical abilities called ‘skills.’ If she can use a skill, that means she’s a genuine Saintess…!”

At those words, I desperately tried to recall what I’d seen earlier.

“…The words I saw definitely said ‘Saintess Ai.’ And then something about a ‘Monster Detection skill.’”

“Monster Detection? Don’t tell me…!”

His Majesty’s expression grew grim. After checking the direction Ai was still staring in, he turned toward a royal guard and ordered,

“Summon the knightly order!”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

His Majesty turned toward me.

“I’ll be away for a while. Please look after the Saintess in my absence.”

I nodded.

After watching His Majesty hurriedly leave the room with the knights, I gently moved closer to Ai.

…If she could use magic that only Saintesses possessed, did that mean Ai really was the Saintess after all?

My heart ached as I thought about the enormous responsibility weighing on those tiny shoulders. After all the suffering she’d endured, I wanted nothing more than for her to be surrounded by happiness from now on…

Just then, Ai looked at me. She seemed confused, as though she didn’t quite understand what had happened herself.

Seeing that expression, I made up my mind.

…No. It didn’t matter whether she was the Saintess or not.

If that was how things were going to be, then I’d just have to protect her myself!

With an enthusiastic huff, I thrust my fist into the air.

A few days later, His Majesty Yuri came to see us while Ai and I were drawing together. Ai immediately darted behind me to hide.

“Ederine, listen to this! That Monster Detection skill you told me about the other day really did work!”

His Majesty excitedly explained what had happened.

Apparently, there had been a village in the direction Ai had been staring, so he’d dispatched the knightly order there. Nothing unusual happened for several days, and they had begun to wonder whether it had been a false alarm when monsters suddenly attacked. Fortunately, the knights had been fully prepared to intercept them, and apart from a few minor injuries, everyone in both the village and the knightly order had survived unharmed.

“My goodness…! I’m so glad everyone is safe. Ai, you did something truly wonderful.”

As I spoke, I pulled Ai into a tight hug. However, she looked somewhat troubled and shook her head from side to side.

“…Are you trying to say it wasn’t thanks to you?”

When I asked, Ai nodded. At that moment, His Majesty Yuri leaned forward.

“No, this was thanks to you. Do you have any idea how many lives were saved because we knew the monsters were coming? You truly are the Saintess, without a doubt…!”

His Majesty suddenly stopped himself. He must have noticed the fear in Ai’s eyes.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

With that, he pressed a hand to his forehead. I smiled. The fact that he’d learned to notice these things himself was already tremendous progress.

I gently stroked Ai’s head. She still didn’t seem entirely convinced.

“You’re such a clever girl, Ai. You understand exactly what you did. If it were one of my younger sisters, she’d definitely be puffing out her chest and going, ‘I don’t really get it, but they praised me! Hehe, aren’t I amazing!’”

When I puffed out my chest in imitation of my sister, Ai began giggling.

Seeing her like that, I hesitated for a moment before deciding to tell her something I’d been thinking for a long time.

“…And you know, Ai, your Saintess powers are wonderful, but even without them, I think you’re an absolutely wonderful little girl.”

Ai looked puzzled again.

“We’ve only been together for a short while, but during that time, I’ve already discovered so many wonderful things about you!”

Smiling brightly, I drew in a deep breath. My eyes might even have flashed with excitement.

“First of all, your smile is absolutely adorable! Then there’s the way you look so happy when you’re eating something delicious! And how you get sleepy right after finishing your meals! And the way you go all melty and relaxed when you take a bath! Oh, and how a little trail of drool dribbles out of your mouth when you’re sleeping!”

Faced with my relentless, rapid-fire barrage of praise, Ai frantically waved her hands in embarrassment. Hehe, even her embarrassed face was adorable.

I gently pressed my forehead against Ai’s small, round forehead.

“You know, Ai, you don’t actually need any special powers. Just being alive is already something to be proud of. …Thank you for being born.”

I wasn’t praising her because she was the Saintess. I was praising her simply because she was herself.

Perhaps my feelings had reached her, because Ai squeezed her eyes shut. She looked as though she might cry, but there was also a hint of happiness on her face.

“And another thing, Your Majesty Yuri.”

While gently squishing Ai’s cheeks between my hands, I turned toward His Majesty.

“Before she’s a Saintess, she’s a little girl with a name, and that name is Ai. I’d like you to call her ‘Ai’ rather than ‘the Saintess’ from now on, Your Majesty.”

His Majesty’s eyes widened for a moment.

“…Understood. From now on, I’ll call her Ai as well. …Would that be all right with you?”

We both looked at Ai. She glanced up at His Majesty and me through her lashes… then gave a small nod.

“Hehe. From now on, let’s do lots of fun things together! We can go on picnics, take boat rides, enjoy all-you-can-eat cake buffets… Oh, and we should invite His Majesty along too, shouldn’t we?”

“Ederine… For a moment there, you completely forgot about me, didn’t you?”

His Majesty Yuri muttered with a complicated expression, making me laugh. When I looked over, Ai was laughing too.