I turned eight.
The visitors to the section assigned to me were usually fixed, but since last year, there's been one more.
"Here, I've written a reply to Princess Diora, Levain."
"Allow me to inspect it."
Levain of the palace guard has started coming here pretending to be a delivery man.
He's also serving as the inspector for my correspondence with Diora, who tried to propose to me.
When Diora, who was returning to her country, said she wanted to correspond with me, the Emperor and the Lukiusarian side were enthusiastic.
Count Stratege, a relative by marriage, was concerned that if I connected with the Lukiusarian royal family, the power balance in several countries in that region would drastically shift.
He intended to interfere as much as possible because there was a risk that his daughter's position in another country would decline.
In exchange for forgiving the rudeness of his violent intrusion, I uncovered those hidden motives. Perhaps having given up, Count Stratege asked me whether I preferred having my letters secretly stolen and read, or properly inspected right in front of me.
As a result, when I said "right in front of me," Levain started bringing Princess Diora's letters and inspecting my replies.
"Exchanging letters for a year and only talking about studies... that's not very romantic, is it?"
Yeah, he had learned to put on airs, but at his core, Levain was still a rude person.
But considering he was sent here like this, he must have Count Stratege's trust.
"Aren't you the one watching to make sure I don't write anything romantic?"
After all, last year's marriage proposal caused quite a stir even beyond Count Stratege.
Apparently, if imperial blood entered the Academy Kingdom—a reasonably authoritative country called such—the power balance would change considerably.
I learned this because I had obtained Levain, an information source well-versed in the palace's power dynamics.
I was just surprised by the sudden bad rumors until he told me.
Apparently, if Diora and I were to marry, I—a being both distant from and close to the imperial throne—would gain power, causing wariness to spike dramatically.
Many imperial nobles disliked my rise to prominence, causing terrible rumors to spread rapidly.
"There are already so many troubles, so can't I just stop the correspondence?"
"The correspondence itself is enjoyable, and I'm very grateful that she sends recommended books from the Kingdom of Lukiusaria."
"Those are Academy papers too, right? When I get sent those, I have to read them beforehand, you know? It's exhausting?"
So he was doing that too; being a watchdog is hard work.
Well, I won't ask for a change.
Because Levain feels guilty about having his superior summoned to apologize, so he doesn't do anything unreasonable.
Even now, he stayed silent and motionless until calling out from the wall.
Also, he comes immediately when called, and answers anything as long as it doesn't disadvantage Count Stratege, so he's more useful than I thought.
"Levain, if you've read them all, could we exchange opinions about the papers?"
"Impossible! ............sir."
Having been too casual, Levain corrects himself after being glared at by Ikt.
"I really can't. I don't even understand half of this exchange with the princess, so reporting to the Count is difficult. Could you at least make the correspondence a bit shorter?"
"Huh, well. How long is appropriate for a letter? Is six pages too many?"
Honestly, I didn't write letters in my previous life either, so I don't know the appropriate amount.
Helkov and Wearrel, who correspond with their parents' homes, told me about their own cases.
"I finish in one page. I just write what I want to say."
"If I include updates about my situation and seasonal topics for my family, it comes to about six pages."
To this "it varies by person," Harty provides an answer.
"Considering the distance as well, it seems appropriate for a monthly exchange."
"That's what he says, Levain."
"Still, please write something more worth reporting. Apart from impressions of papers, things like how the medicinal herbs in the garden are doing, or foreign affairs heard from former adventurers. You can tell those things to the people here, right?"
"Telling someone else the stories I heard from those people is fresh and fun."
The daily life Diora writes about is also fresh to me.
Unlike me who is only a figurehead, she's properly acting as a princess, which is interesting.
Our lives are different, and hers has a strong fantasy flavor.
As I was thinking this, Levain averted his eyes and scratched his cheek somewhat awkwardly.
"What's wrong?"
"Huh, your true feelings just now?"
"What?"
Even when I asked, no one answered.
When I was troubled, a voice only I could hear spoke.
(I believe they were shocked by the master's sparse human relationships.)
(No, that's late to notice now. If that's true, don't they realize how little I've left this place?)
(Humans possess ego and learn wisdom, therefore they seek answers within themselves. There must have been a divergence between the answer within oneself and the master's answer.)
The one who calls me master is the self within the flask.
Now it has become a consciousness that I named "Sephira" (Jewel) from the round container.
It has grown considerably in a year but is still a bit rigid.
It has high learning ability, having learned to listen to our conversations and speak, and now it can leave the flask and act without being seen by anyone, so improvement is likely near.
Actually, it wanders the palace more freely than I do.
(Let's say it more clearly.)
(How should I express it?)
(Unexpected, perhaps? Unexpectedly, I have no friends...)
It's depressing to say it myself.
I didn't have many friends in my previous life either, but for now, is Diora—the one who offered a provisional engagement—the only friend?
"If possible, I'd like to be friends with Diora."
"Well, I hear she is a lovely person, and she is intelligent enough to converse with you like this, Lord Asha?"
Why does Harty sound so disappointed?
"It's not like Levain said, but there are too many complications. I'm not suitable for Diora. Count Stratege has nothing to worry about. Eventually, Diora will find someone better."
"What do you mean 'withering away' at that age?"
Just as I was about to answer Levain's rudeness, Sephira asked without pausing for breath.
(What meaning does 'wither' have? I surmise it is a metaphor.)
Oops, dangerous, dangerous.
I almost reacted like an eight-year-old who shouldn't know such things.
While I was silent, Ikt drove his elbow into Levain's side.
And as Levain crouched in pain, Helkov grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and removed him.
"Um?"
"Please don't mind it, Lord Asha. That person's words are not good, so please never imitate them."
My wet nurse is overprotective.
Wearrel also changes the subject overprotectively.
"I read papers for the letter's sake, so let's rest a bit longer today."
I pretended not to notice and gratefully headed to the alchemy room.
"How is the healing potion I started yesterday?"
(It has finished reacting without issue.)
"Good, good. Then after confirming its efficacy, let's experiment to see if Sephira can learn this as a magic formula too."
(Before that, I request an explanation regarding the metaphorical expression of humans withering.)
It won't leave unknown things alone.
I reluctantly began by comparing humans to plants and explained up to reproduction.
(Understood.)
"That's good."
This Sephira has spirits as its closest equivalent.
It is a being that could be called the anthropomorphization of God's work in nature, and its existence has not been confirmed.
Very rarely, there are people near elves who can see and communicate with them; spirits are apparently amazing beings that know the truths of the world or teach the secrets of magic.
However, although this Sephira has high learning ability, it apparently doesn't know truths or anything.
"Hey, are you still not getting tired or unable to remember everything?"
(Regarding the energy consumed by the thinking you mentioned, master, and the limits of memory capacity, there are no problems.)
Even if not a spirit, being able to remember endlessly without getting tired is useful.
And I can use magic to encode theories into Sephira as magic formulas, which is somewhat like programming.
It can perform necessary tasks quickly and repeat the same processes.
Most importantly, now that its ego is firmly established, it can pass through walls, ignoring physical barriers.
It has become an astonishingly convenient existence.
Well, using Sephira's characteristics, what I've done is limited to browsing the palace library by implanting formulas for reading text and seeing through overlapping pages of books.
No, it's stealing readings, so it is a bad thing.
"I had been avoiding doing anything besides alchemy to avoid attention, but thanks to Sephira, I no longer struggle with correspondence with Diora. I hope it continues to grow like that."
The mysterious consciousness was a gift of alchemy that could be used as conveniently as I had thought.
Daily updates
Next time: Weaning from the Wet Nurse 2
Wait, I need to check the name "アーシャ". It could be Asha, Ashah, or Asia. Given the context, "Asha" seems most likely.
Also "イクト" - Ikt? Ikuto? "ヘルコフ" - Helkov? "ウェアレル" - Wearrel? "ハーティ" - Harty? Hardi?
The text mentions "乳母離れ" which literally means "weaning from the wet nurse" but can mean becoming independent. Given the context of the story (8-year-old protagonist), "Weaning from the Wet Nurse" or "Leaving the Wet Nurse" works.
I should make sure the tone of the protagonist sounds mature but age-appropriate for an 8-year-old with adult memories.
Also, "帝位に遠くて近い存在" - a being distant from yet close to the imperial throne. This suggests the protagonist is a minor royal, perhaps a distant relative with potential claim.
"学園王国" - Academy Kingdom.
"フラスコ" - flask.
"丸い容器" - round container.
"玉（セフィラ）" - jewel (Sephira).
The conversation between the protagonist and Sephira is in parentheses with furigana-like text in the raw, but here it's just in parentheses.
Let me double-check the line about "枯れる" - "withering away" or "drying up". In this context, Levain is making a rude comment about the protagonist "withering away" or being "dried up" at a young age because he doesn't seem interested in romance.
The line: 「その若さで枯れるってどうなんです？」 - "What do you mean 'withering away' at that age?" or "How can you be 'dried up' at that age?"
And Sephira asks for an explanation of this metaphor later.
The line about "乳母離れ" at the end: "Next time: Weaning from the Wet Nurse 2" or "Leaving the Wet Nurse 2".
I think my translation is solid. I'll make sure to output only the translated text without any notes or commentary. I turned eight.
The visitors to the section assigned to me were usually fixed, but since last year, there's been one more.
"Here, I've written a reply to Princess Diora, Levain."
"Allow me to inspect it."
Levain of the palace guard has started coming here pretending to be a delivery man.
He's also serving as the inspector for my correspondence with Diora, who tried to propose to me.
When Diora, who was returning to her country, said she wanted to correspond with me, the Emperor and the Lukiusarian side were enthusiastic.
Count Stratege, a relative by marriage, was concerned that if I connected with the Lukiusarian royal family, the power balance in several countries in that region would drastically shift.
He intended to interfere as much as possible because there was a risk that his daughter's position in another country would decline.
In exchange for forgiving the rudeness of his violent intrusion, I uncovered those hidden motives. Perhaps having given up, Count Stratege asked me whether I preferred having my letters secretly stolen and read, or properly inspected right in front of me.
As a result, when I said "right in front of me," Levain started bringing Princess Diora's letters and inspecting my replies.
"Exchanging letters for a year and only talking about studies... that's not very romantic, is it?"
Yeah, he had learned to put on airs, but at his core, Levain was still a rude person.
But considering he was sent here like this, he must have Count Stratege's trust.
"Aren't you the one watching to make sure I don't write anything romantic?"
After all, last year's marriage proposal caused quite a stir even beyond Count Stratege.
Apparently, if imperial blood entered the Academy Kingdom—a reasonably authoritative country called such—the power balance would change considerably.
I learned this because I had obtained Levain, an information source well-versed in the palace's power dynamics.
I was just surprised by the sudden bad rumors until he told me.
Apparently, if Diora and I were to marry, I—a being both distant from and close to the imperial throne—would gain power, causing wariness to spike dramatically.
Many imperial nobles disliked my rise to prominence, causing terrible rumors to spread rapidly.
"There are already so many troubles, so can't I just stop the correspondence?"
"The correspondence itself is enjoyable, and I'm very grateful that she sends recommended books from the Kingdom of Lukiusaria."
"Those are Academy papers too, right? When I get sent those, I have to read them beforehand, you know? It's exhausting?"
So he was doing that too; being a watchdog is hard work.
Well, I won't ask for a change.
Because Levain feels guilty about having his superior summoned to apologize, so he doesn't do anything unreasonable.
Even now, he stayed silent and motionless until calling out from the wall.
Also, he comes immediately when called, and answers anything as long as it doesn't disadvantage Count Stratege, so he's more useful than I thought.
"Levain, if you've read them all, could we exchange opinions about the papers?"
"Impossible! ............sir."
Having been too casual, Levain corrects himself after being glared at by Ikt.
"I really can't. I don't even understand half of this exchange with the princess, so reporting to the Count is difficult. Could you at least make the correspondence a bit shorter?"
"Huh, well. How long is appropriate for a letter? Is six pages too many?"
Honestly, I didn't write letters in my previous life either, so I don't know the appropriate amount.
Helkov and Wearrel, who correspond with their parents' homes, told me about their own cases.
"I finish in one page. I just write what I want to say."
"If I include updates about my situation and seasonal topics for my family, it comes to about six pages."
To this "it varies by person," Harty provides an answer.
"Considering the distance as well, it seems appropriate for a monthly exchange."
"That's what he says, Levain."
"Still, please write something more worth reporting. Apart from impressions of papers, things like how the medicinal herbs in the garden are doing, or foreign affairs heard from former adventurers. You can tell those things to the people here, right?"
"Telling someone else the stories I heard from those people is fresh and fun."
The daily life Diora writes about is also fresh to me.
Unlike me who is only a figurehead, she's properly acting as a princess, which is interesting.
Our lives are different, and hers has a strong fantasy flavor.
As I was thinking this, Levain averted his eyes and scratched his cheek somewhat awkwardly.
"What's wrong?"
"Huh, your true feelings just now?"
"What?"
Even when I asked, no one answered.
When I was troubled, a voice only I could hear spoke.
(I believe they were shocked by the master's sparse human relationships.)
(No, that's late to notice now. If that's true, don't they realize how little I've left this place?)
(Humans possess ego and learn wisdom, therefore they seek answers within themselves. There must have been a divergence between the answer within oneself and the master's answer.)
The one who calls me master is the self within the flask.
Now it has become a consciousness that I named "Sephira" (Jewel) from the round container.
It has grown considerably in a year but is still a bit rigid.
It has high learning ability, having learned to listen to our conversations and speak, and now it can leave the flask and act without being seen by anyone, so improvement is likely near.
Actually, it wanders the palace more freely than I do.
(Let's say it more clearly.)
(How should I express it?)
(Unexpected, perhaps? Unexpectedly, I have no friends...)
It's depressing to say it myself.
I didn't have many friends in my previous life either, but for now, is Diora—the one who offered a provisional engagement—the only friend?
"If possible, I'd like to be friends with Diora."
"Well, I hear she is a lovely person, and she is intelligent enough to converse with you like this, Lord Asha?"
Why does Harty sound so disappointed?
"It's not like Levain said, but there are too many complications. I'm not suitable for Diora. Count Stratege has nothing to worry about. Eventually, Diora will find someone better."
"What do you mean 'withering away' at that age?"
Just as I was about to answer Levain's rudeness, Sephira asked without pausing for breath.
(What meaning does 'wither' have? I surmise it is a metaphor.)
Oops, dangerous, dangerous.
I almost reacted like an eight-year-old who shouldn't know such things.
While I was silent, Ikt drove his elbow into Levain's side.
And as Levain crouched in pain, Helkov grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and removed him.
"Um?"
"Please don't mind it, Lord Asha. That person's words are not good, so please never imitate them."
My wet nurse is overprotective.
Wearrel also changes the subject overprotectively.
"I read papers for the letter's sake, so let's rest a bit longer today."
I pretended not to notice and gratefully headed to the alchemy room.
"How is the healing potion I started yesterday?"
(It has finished reacting without issue.)
"Good, good. Then after confirming its efficacy, let's experiment to see if Sephira can learn this as a magic formula too."
(Before that, I request an explanation regarding the metaphorical expression of humans withering.)
It won't leave unknown things alone.
I reluctantly began by comparing humans to plants and explained up to reproduction.
(Understood.)
"That's good."
This Sephira has spirits as its closest equivalent.
It is a being that could be called the anthropomorphization of God's work in nature, and its existence has not been confirmed.
Very rarely, there are people near elves who can see and communicate with them; spirits are apparently amazing beings that know the truths of the world or teach the secrets of magic.
However, although this Sephira has high learning ability, it apparently doesn't know truths or anything.
"Hey, are you still not getting tired or unable to remember everything?"
(Regarding the energy consumed by the thinking you mentioned, master, and the limits of memory capacity, there are no problems.)
Even if not a spirit, being able to remember endlessly without getting tired is useful.
And I can use magic to encode theories into Sephira as magic formulas, which is somewhat like programming.
It can perform necessary tasks quickly and repeat the same processes.
Most importantly, now that its ego is firmly established, it can pass through walls, ignoring physical barriers.
It has become an astonishingly convenient existence.
Well, using Sephira's characteristics, what I've done is limited to browsing the palace library by implanting formulas for reading text and seeing through overlapping pages of books.
No, it's stealing readings, so it is a bad thing.
"I had been avoiding doing anything besides alchemy to avoid attention, but thanks to Sephira, I no longer struggle with correspondence with Diora. I hope it continues to grow like that."
The mysterious consciousness was a gift of alchemy that could be used as conveniently as I had thought.
Daily updates
Next time: Weaning from the Wet Nurse 2