3rd Pov
Walking up toward the balcony leading to the main hall where all the noble guests were waiting.
Dawn was accompanied by his mother, his noble attire made fit for a 1 year old kid.
Though he wasn't walking like one...usually at 1 years you aren't able to properly walk without difficulty but with muscle memories, Dawn was able to get used to this small body faster.
And now that he is conscious of the unique skill : Reader, everything is easier.
Finally Dawn arrived in front of everyone, they all looked up...Dawn could see his father talking to some nobles...not even coming to present him.
Dawn : (I guess that's just how low his opinion of me is.)
Every nobles looked at the young boy with some curiosity before switching to a bored look, he was still a baby child which was uninteresting and since it was well known that he was from a lower nobility.
Their interest had just decreased...that was fine with Dawn.
Dawn : (I just have to act like a child and everything would be perfect.)
His eyes scanned the crowd of people before stopping on Sola who flashed a grin...he felt something was wrong.
Dawn : (My instinct is tickling...it seems what humans call sixth sense, the instinct of feeling danger or anomaly has also increased...)
Calmly looking around, being the attention of such a large crowd wasn't a problem...as he had helped his parents in his past life in restoration.
Being in front and talking to a few hundred people wasn't a problem.
Dawn : (But now why do I feel danger ? Assassin ? Robber?)
He tried to look around but couldn't, the tense thought of an assassin being near was potent in his mind.
An assassin is a trained warrior, there is no way a child like him without proper training could detect them.
Also the level of security set for a lower noble like him is low...very low.
Dawn : (If only I had more time to learn magic perception...)
Contrary to Rimuru, there was no way he would learn such a skill which normally takes years for a human in such a short amount of time.
Dawn : (I can't even run...no, be realist there shouldn't be any assassin...i am just a lower noble with no title.)
He calmed down and started to think logically.
Dawn : (I'm just being paranoid and Sola would be able to see everything with her skill, I have to trust her for now.)
If she is smiling without any worry, there shouldn't be any threat.
Sola : (Hehe, look at him panicking though he didn't show it on his face, impressive poker face.)
The banquet then went on after Dawn was introduced though most he received was pitiful or uninterested stare.
Sola Pov
Haha, look at all these idiots nobles ! None of them can see the hidden worth of Dawn-kun...I don't know who he was in his past life.
But surely if someone is influential with the Tensura community, there is no way to get powerful skills like.
I didn't tell him but I could also see the skill in different colors...
For example skills like Reader are orange which mean utility and rarity medium.
But then this skill of his...a skill I couldn't read and see a glimpse of it was purple...meaning a skill with the highest rarity.
If he understands it and perfect it then he might have a weapon as op as Rimuru's great sage or predator.
Well that's still a supposition but the chances are high.
I can only bet on him for now.
Sola : (Still not gonna lie, noble food tastes good.)
I quietly munched this classy and expensive sandwich while sipping my fruit juice served in a wine-like glass.
It isn't as good as the food back on earth but I guess this does the job...like the Cardinal world isn't a place known for its food culture.
Anyway, occasionally I would glance at Dawn-kun, though he didn't seem to want to stand out. Honestly, I don't understand him sometimes.
His intelligence stats are insanely high...i know for a fact that the more you know Tensura the more intel you will naturally get.
But this isn't all, he just has a stat of 67 which is higher than most nobles and adults who barely reach 35...
So who knows what is going through his head...should I tease him ? Nah for now let's just try to get a good relationship with him.
Sola : (Still how can this be...me and him are the literal opposite of the rest of our family...)
Like, I am quite beautiful unlike my father and the rest of my siblings who took after him...my mother, which is that damn slut gold digger, is just vulgar.
As for Dawn, he did inherit his beauty from his mother, which is the kind of person I wanted to raise me...I am not really jealous since his situation is complicated due to the fact that Lara-san is from a lower family.
Anyway out of the 6 childrens in total, only the two of us didn't inherit the genes of this bastard father we have.
Maybe it's because we are reincarnated....who know, kyaaa ! I finally used it like Kiyo ! Now that I think it is really useful, hehe.
Anyway, my theory is that since everyone here is supposed to be npc they don't have any chara design...but we are different and thus got one.
???: Sola !
Sola : Eh ?
Suddenly snapping me out of my thoughts, I jolted a little when this slut mother of mine called me...
???: Pay attention when I talk to you ! Anyway you should get close to this pitiful boy, show him how superior we are to the likes of him.
My mother's name is Eliza...and honestly i hate her but she doesn't, contrary to Dawn-kun i didn't hide my intelligence and showed feats which a 3 years old girl shouldn't be able to do.
Nothing extraordinary, just enough so my siblings and mother won't abuse me...they think of me as a prodigy who is like them...greedy and shitty.
As for her dislike, she hates Lara-san...Dawn's mom because well she is everything she isn't...like Lara-san is kind, beautiful, precious ! The perfect woman npc !
While my mother is a slut who runs after gold, her personality is trash and for her look she is in the medium tier.
So she naturally hates Lara-san along with the rest of father's wives.
Sola : Ok...
I simply nodded to her request and left. I wanted to talk with Dawn-kun anyway...he is the only one I can have fun and talk with as for now...
He still doesn't know but every noble here has criminal activity, I can see it with my skill...right on their left is all the crime they had committed.
And it's disgusting...if i wasn't sensitized with all this dark shit because of my overdose of anime, i would have been traumatized seeing the number of scumbag.
Anyway, I approached Dawn-kun who was right beside his mother and a few maids, it seemed they had all expected that not many would come talk to him.
Sola : I greet the Baron Arceid.
Bowing while lifting my noble dress, aunt Lara seemed to be suprised by both my arrival and manners.
A warm smile formed on her face as she greeted me back.
Lara : It is my pleasure, I suppose you came to talk to my son, we shall give you some privacy.
She talked in a very polite way, it's natural since I'm technically ranked higher than her by just being part of the Marquis family.
Still, aunt Lara is really an angel ! Her smiling face is so cute ! Wish she was developed in Tensura novel but I guess npc is npc at the end.
Anyway, the maids and aunt quickly left, though I noticed among the group of maids present just now.
One of them had stats higher than a normal soldier...a trained maid, huh...
Well, she is probably a gift from the royal family...the Baron Arceid is a lower family but in the past they had multiple achievements.
A family who in the past gave birth to multiple geniuses but after an intense war with another kingdom.
The family had been cursed and no prodigy or genius ever happened to be born again here...this made the new generation of the Arceid family lose a lot.
Their land, their wealth and honor, I guess Lara was forced into sexual inter-course with father...
Fortunately, the current king is someone with a sense of respect and supported the Arceid family even if it's just a little.
He acknowledged their deed and hoped for a rebirth worthy of their name.
This maid just now is probably one of the guards the king had set for the Arceid family...
Dawn : You seem to think a lot, did something happen ?
Sola : Eh ? Ah sorry...
Dawn : No problem, so what did you see ?
I hesitated a moment before remembering, I should trust him...the description of his personality is one of those if you don't betray or try to harm me, I will be your allies.
Sola : This maid with brown hair and blue eyes...
Dawn : You mean Felpheona ?
Sola : What an interesting name...anyway she is strong, from what i had seen she is on par with the royal guards.
It seems I was so entranced in her stats that I forgot to check her name and other information.
Dawn : I see, do you think she is an enemy ?
Sola : No...i didn't get the time to read her personality and description but her loyalty to aunt Lara is high.
Dawn : That's good (At least I'm sure I am safe for now...)
Sola : Anyway, we have some time to lose so why don't we take a walk ?
Dawn : You know I'm still 1 year old...even walking through a simple corridor takes ages...
Sola : Right...
Well I guess just talking there isn't bad...
3rd Pov
Hours passed and finally the banquet ended...it was now night time and the entire family were now dining.
The luxurious and largest room of the mansion is the dining room.
The father and his wives were the dominant one there, talking loudly while criticizing the quality of the food coming from peasant cooks.
In contrast to when he was in public, there he didn't hide his true personality and just went on.
The viscount Alexis Lavane...
Alexis : The food is so mediocre, I guess I couldn't expect much from the estimated Arceid household.
Lara who took the insult head on including the degrading glare and stare from the wives just smiled.
Lara : I hope the following dish will be of your taste.
Alexis : So pathetic.
Chuckling to himself, he took another sip of wine before bursting in laughter as he returned his attention toward his wives.
Dawn and Sola could only sigh internally, they were sat face to face with only the table separating them.
And despite having met just a day earlier...they already shared a common thought...
Dawn/Sola : (This father sucks to the highest degree.)
They exchanged a stare before returning to their meal...a few hours later it was finally done.
And Dawn couldn't have asked for more than getting out of this room filled with toxicity.
He was finally back to his room and let himself fall on his bed which was way too large for his 1 year old body.
Dawn : (Tomorrow is the only decent day of this shitty birthday...the day I receive my gift though I don't expect much.)
The nobles who had come weren't interested in him, so their gift must be at the same level as their interest.
Though, he will receive them since it's a question of pride, when you are invited to a party then your gift turns into a weapon.
The one noble who will give the most expensive or valuable gift asserts dominance.
Dawn : I just hope I don't get a bad surprise...
Muttering those last words, he closed his eyes, falling asleep.
The next day around lunch break time, multiple carriages with the gift arrived...soon everything was taken inside with the maids opening them.
For one to make sure nothing dangerous is inside, and second most of the gifts don't fit an 1 year old kid...
Still Dawn was watching the whole process with his mother.
Lara : So, did you see anything that you wanted ?
Dawn : Mmh...
Scanning the dozen gifts, none of them were particularly useful for his future...most of them were vases, statues, some jewelry or gold...
Until one thing finally caught his attention, and he immediately knew who gave it to him.
Dawn : That.
Point his small finger toward a piece of shining stone a maid was trying to lift without succeeding.
Lara raised an eyebrow and went there talking to the maid before letting her go.
Lara : What is that ? A shining stone ? (Well i guess children do like shining things, maybe i should get him more toys...)
She sweetly thought while observing her son carefully checking the stone out.
Dawn : (As expected, it's from Sola...magic ore and a very pure one at that...)
From all the books he had read, a few of them were about blacksmithing and weaponry.
He learned that in this era...weapons made with magicule condensed ore aren't common and not used at all.
For now those ore are worthless and only used for their esthetic...but in the near future, their value would increase tenfold.
Dawn : (Sola must have found out about this and went to hunt those ore...and with her skill finding them among normal ore is a piece of cake.)
The amount he received was way more than enough to forge a sword...he would have to carefully hide those ore and find a good blacksmith.
Dawn : (Kaijin isn't born yet...i can't wait for him so i have to either learn to be a blacksmith myself or find a trustworthy and good blacksmith.)
Thinking to himself, he soon made the servants put this precious ore in the secret chamber of the Arceid mansion located deep underground.
The day then went on as there was still one day left to conclude this birthday.
A last day where the cake will be eaten...normally it's the day where everyone drinks and enjoys.
But after the gift, they aren't forced to come...and since the boy in question wasn't interested in their eyes.
This last will be celebrated with just the people who either live or work in the mansion.
Sola had already left with her father and his wives.
So for this moment, only Dawn's mother was there for him...which was more than enough.
Dawn : (I wonder when did I start hating my own birthday...)
He asked himself...he could find the memories using his skill but didn't...perhaps he just didn't want to remember.
Dawn : (How ironic, from my raw memories alone...the last cake i had for a party like this was the same as here.)
A strawberry cake, his favorite fruit and the only sweet he never got bored of.
As the medium sized cake was brought forward, the few maids and servants started clapping their hands...the candle blazing.
The chant then started...it wasn't like the traditional one used on earth but another version directly made in the cardinal world.
The common part between those two chants are the emotion coiled inside, the people living there were all loyal and genuinely happy for their young lord.
A warm and slow moment for Dawn who unconsciously smiled...
Dawn : (Maybe it wasn't that bad...a birthday party.)
A good way to end this day before the start of a new one.