CH 12

I took off from the balcony, holding Natalie in my arms.

Behind me, Ralph was shouting something, but I could not hear him.

Fuuu… I knew it, the sky is amazing.

Humans yearned for the sky and built tall buildings such as the Tower of Babel.

They also created airplanes and were able to fly.

And I have succeeded in flying.

This is the progress of humanity.

Natalie was astonished and yelled, “I can’t believe it, flight magic!”

Although a being called ‘a witch’ was able to use flight magic in the past, no one other than them has been able to use flight magic.

There is a reason for that, too.

There is no concept of “gravity” in this world.

Instead of gravity, the reality is the idea, “all things are bound to the ground”.

Therefore, it is believed that people can fly if they are freed from the ground.

The well-known fact is that we are attracted by universal gravitation, and this little difference in perception is the problem.

Using magic without a proper understanding of the phenomenon will have little to no effect.

Especially when it comes to flying, the results can vary greatly depending on your understanding of it.

For that reason, flight magic has been considered very difficult.

However, knowing universal gravitation, I can use flight magic or gravitational magic.

This is not something that I created by myself, but it’s all thanks to my knowledge from my previous life and the wisdom Katherina-sensei shared.

My teacher was surprised to hear the idea of universal gravitation, too.

However, she seemed to have a flexible mind, so when I explained the principle to her, she agreed.

As expected of my amazing instructor.

Most people scoff at anything that differs from the norm as ridiculous.

The same goes for Galileo Galilei’s geocentric theory.

I heard that Galileo did not insist on the geocentric theory that much.

“Eh- Ehhhhhhh!!! Owen what is going on!? We are flying!!” Natalie screamed.

“That’s right! It really feels good!”

I was also impressed when I made my first successful flight.

The feeling of freedom is so great that you forget all the bad things and feel refreshed.

Now I know how it feels.

People are creatures that yearn for the sky, you know!

“Oh, my God! This is so cool! Look at it! My house looks so small! Ha-ha-ha!”

I can hear her innocent laughter in my ear.

“This is my birthday present to you.”

I was a little, I don’t know, insecure.

What do you think?

It’s cool, right?

“Owen! Thank you!”

I could not see Natalie’s face because she was hugging me.

But I could tell from her voice that she was happy.

“You’re welcome. We’re about to come down.”

“Ehhh! Can you fly just a bit more please!”

Natalie looks more youthful than before.

No, maybe this is just the way she is.

She seems to be excited to be flying.

“Sorry. You are right. The weight of two people is not enough to sustain long flight.”

Gravity magic is difficult to control.

I have been practicing this all along, so I’ve managed to do it.

I gradually lose altitude and land where the fountain is.

“Phew, I’m tired.”

I let go of her and fall on my butt on the ground.

That was quite a nerve-wracking experience.

Even the slightest loss of control would send us plummeting to the ground.

It was only a thirty-second flight, but my body was sticky with sweat.

I am fortunate that I’ve lost a lot of weight compared to the past, so I don’t smell as bad.

“You are amazing. Maybe.. is being infamously bad tempered a facade?”

It’s not my fault, it’s mine, Owen’s.

They are both me, huh?

“It is called youthful folly,” I replied.

“You are still young…” she rebuttled.

“Yeah. I am just trying to be an adult.”

“That’s what I just heard. …I knew you were weird,” Natalie said, her expression relaxed.

I don’t care if I’m weird.

Plus, I can make her laugh with it.

“How was it? Did you have fun?”

“Yeah. It was a lot of fun. But more importantly, are you sure you are okay to do this? From the outside, you are a kidnapper. And I’m a Duchess”

“I- i- i- it’s okay… Because I’m the infamous Owen Pepper.”

My reputation is already the worst to begin with.

If I do this much, my reputation will only go down further.

If that is the case, why don’t we just let it fall to the bottom?

Hahahahahaha…

I am getting a bit impatient.

“Fufufu~ Owen is so funny. By the way, can you dance?”

“Dance? I am not really good at it. I haven’t really been practicing.”

I have been practicing for a week, so I can do basic steps.

It turns out that I have absolutely no talent for dancing.

My sense of rhythm is catastrophic.

“*Sigh~* Is he really a legitimate son of a Count? Well, okay. Come dance with me.”

“Eh, why?”

“Now it’s time to dance. I was supposed to be the star of the show, dancing in the middle of the hall. But I was kidnapped by someone.”

Is it my fault?

Yeah, it’s definitely my fault.

Speaking of which, I can hear a song, albeit faintly, coming from the hall.

I stand up, and contradict my actions by asking, “I can’t dance very well, though. Besides, I am still drenched in sweat, are you okay with it?”

“I’m fine. I don’t care.”

Then she came closer to me and put her hands around my waist.

Somehow this is kind of exciting.

Natalie is an unquestionably beautiful girl, even though she is ten years old.

“Please be gentle with me.”

We began to dance, relying on the slight sounds spilling out of the hall.

Natalie danced to compensate for my awkward movements.

And so, we danced for a while in the dark.