Chapter 2: Skill “Small Box”
When Ren acquired the skill “Small Box” two years ago, he could tell his parents were disappointed.
But Ren himself was not in despair.
“Wow… It’s glowing!”
After finishing dinner in a heavy, suffocating atmosphere, he returned alone to his room and activated his skill.
In the pitch-black room after sunset, the small box wrapped in light looked like it was shining.
The glow was faint—only enough to softly illuminate Ren’s palm, not bright enough to read a book by.
Still, in a life where he was not freely allowed to use lamps, that light felt precious.
The Baron Cream household was not particularly wealthy. Candles were not used freely.
By sunset, dinner was finished quickly and everyone returned to their rooms to sleep.
No candles or lamps were allowed in individual rooms.
When it became completely dark, the maid Sally would carry a lamp and escort each child to their room one by one.
That day, perhaps because Ren was feeling down about his new skill, by the time dinner ended, the stairs and corridors were already completely dark.
“Good night.”
Listening to Sally’s footsteps as she closed the door and left, Ren sat on his bed and stared at his palm.
“C-come forth, Small Box!”
Gathering his resolve, he spoke the command.
With a soft whoom, a glowing cube appeared above his palm.
A smile formed on Ren’s lips.
“Wow…”
Ever since he first tested it at the church, he had wanted to try using it in this pitch-black room.
A faint moonlight came through the small window, but it was still too dark.
He had always wished something could be done about this darkness.
After sunset, there was nothing he could do until sunrise.
He often thought it would be nice if he could at least use a lamp for a short while after dinner.
But the right to use light was prioritized for his parents, older brother, and older sister.
His eldest brother, Ryan, spent time studying in the dining hall after dinner.
Ren had once asked to study with him, but was told he would be “in the way.”
In this country, it was customary for noble children to attend school in the royal capital at the age of twelve.
Ryan was ten and was already preparing for that enrollment.
(I want to study too…)
His older sister Liese and second brother Lewis were not particularly eager to study, but Ren found reading and writing fascinating.
He had already been taught how to read and write. In daylight he could read books.
But daytime was filled with sword and bow training, as well as taking care of his younger siblings.
Quiet nighttime reading was something he deeply longed for.
He brought the faint light of the small box close to a board with writing on it.
When he brought it just barely close enough to touch, he could barely make out the letters.
“I can read it… I think I can read it!”
Following the letters of his own name that he had practiced writing, Ren smiled broadly.
Then he glanced toward the door.
“Books… If I had books… but I can’t go to the study room now…”
In the Baron Cream household, aside from his father’s study and library, there was a room where children studied and kept books.
They mostly contained textbooks used by his father and grandfather in their youth.
For a moment, he considered going to fetch a book—but decided it would be too difficult to walk the hallway or find one in the study room with only this faint light.
“Maybe I’ll go tomorrow morning…”
Giving up on the idea, he lay down on his bed.
He glanced at the small box beside his face and smiled.
“Hehe… having light is nice…”
He reached out to touch it—but stopped.
He remembered the expressions on his parents’ faces when they learned he had received the skill “Small Box.”
The smile faded from his lips.
“…I made them disappointed…”
He had always taken sword and bow training seriously.
He wondered if maybe liking archery a little more had been a mistake, turning over thoughts in his mind.
Feeling uneasy, he looked back at the small box.
Its light looked warm.
Even though it had no actual temperature, it somehow felt comforting.
Even if his parents were disappointed, Ren didn’t dislike his skill.
“…Still… having light is nice…”
The summoned small box disappeared after a while.
When it vanished, Ren created it again.
Until he fell asleep, he kept bringing the small box back again and again.