Ahh!! Where is it!? I thought desperately after spending several minutes searching in my parents' room. If I don't get back soon, Irisha will come looking for me, and if she does… I'm a dead man.

I kept searching desperately until I found her wallet inside one of her coats. Yes!! Finally!

Excited, I quickly left my parents' room only to jump from the balcony we had overlooking our garden. Ahhh! I think I got carried away! I thought, regretting it mid-air.

Before hitting the ground, I remembered this was a world of magic, and I quickly infused mana into my entire body, making the fall painless.

Wow… This is the first time I've tried something like that. I thought excitedly. Mana is incredible!

After a few minutes, I finally managed to get back to Birton, more specifically to the shop where my mother was.

Where are you, Irisha? I wondered when I couldn't find her in the store. Damn it! Did she leave?

Fortunately, my worry didn't last long as I saw her coming to the waiting area with a short sword in her right hand. Yes! She's still here!

"I'm glad you made it back in time, Drake," She said with a satisfied smile, "because I was just heading to the counter to pay for your new weapon."

What? This sword will be my weapon? I thought, now calmer. Upon closer inspection, I saw it was a semi-short sword with a beautiful red hilt that had several slots for placing magic stones. Additionally, the pommel and guard were made of gold, making it shine even more.

Wow… I've never seen anything like this. I thought, even more surprised, as I unsheathed it and noticed that its blade had several runes, clearly indicating that it wasn't a cheap weapon.

"Do you like it?" Irisha asked after handing it to me.

When I held it tightly, I noticed it wasn't as heavy as I thought, and after trying it out, seeing that no one was around, I was even more amazed.

"It's perfect." I finally said before showing a genuine smile. "I'm glad you like it, come on, let's go pay for it."

"Yes!" I replied happily, following her. I can't believe I finally have my own weapon.

After paying, we went to other stores to buy things for the house, and when the sun was already setting, we decided to finally head back. Today was a good day, and the best part is, the best is yet to come! I thought excitedly.

As we approached, I didn't notice anything strange, and once at the door, I saw that everything was as usual. If they hadn't told me there was going to be a party, I wouldn't have believed it. I thought, surprised. Everything is well hidden.

Once we opened the front door, we walked in and immediately headed to the living room. Upon opening the door, a light came from the other side of the room, blinding us completely.

What? What the hell is going on? I thought, alarmed, as I instinctively infused mana throughout my body.

"HAPPY 100TH BIRTHDAY, IRISHA!!" Several voices shouted in unison from inside the room.

What? I thought, confused, as I began to calm down.

By the time my vision returned, I could see about 15 people in our living room, including both young and old, men and women, and most strangely, of different races.

"H-how?" Irisha said nervously as tears began to form in her eyes.

…

Once all the excitement passed, we started celebrating the big party after everyone personally congratulated Irisha.

Since Kadian and Zoe had invited several people close to Mom, I got to meet a human named Yataco Relish, who is one of my mother's students.

As the party went on, I decided to sit on a couch in the living room because there was a rather interesting conversation nearby. "—exactly! With the birth of the Fleming's son, the kingdom of Alum might enter into a civil war, which would severely impact trade in the port of Bin—"

"Drake?" Said a female voice beside me. "Huh? An-Angelica, did something happen?" I asked, still shaken from the scare. "Of course! You said we'd talk later, but you didn't come to find me." She said, a little annoyed.

She's right, with all the surprise and new people, I got distracted easily... I thought, while showing a fake smile and scratching the back of my head.

"That's true, I'm sorry, Angelica." I said, standing up and giving myself some space. "Let me introduce myself properly. I'm Drake Helkar, first son of House Helkar. It's an honor to meet you." I said, making a small bow in the style of the nobility.

Yes! The movies I watched in my past life are paying off now. I thought after replicating a greeting I remembered.

"Ohh… I see you do have manners after all. That's good." She said with a sweet smile that instantly captivated me.

"In that case, I'll introduce myself too." She said, making an unusual bow. "I'm Angelica Yue, third descendant of the Yue family and… and the one who wants to be your friend." She said with a mischievous smile while extending her right hand toward me in a strange gesture.

Wait wait! What just happened here!? I thought, confused, not knowing how to react.

After a few seconds of silence, Angelica lowered her hand with an embarrassed look. "Sorry, Drake." She said, blushing. "I forgot that your race has a different culture."

Ahh… I get it now, what she did is probably something customary in her culture. "Don't worry, Angelica, I'm sure that now that we're friends, we'll learn more about each other in the future." I responded, seizing the opportunity she gave me.

"You're right!" She responded happily upon hearing my words. "That's right, Angelica, but… just out of curiosity, how old are you?" I asked, showing a fake smile to avoid arousing suspicion.

"Huh? I'm 17 years old right now." She responded, confused, while looking at me with questioning eyes. Phew… What a relief....

"It's nothing special, I just wanted to know a little more about you." I said, smiling again. "Ahh… I see, in that case, you can come to my house one of these days; after all, it's not very far from yours." She said, standing up happily with a jump.

"That sounds perfect, I'll stop by in a couple of days." "Done! It's a promise." She said with a sweet smile. She's perfect!

She's 4 years older than me, but for our races, that's like half a year in human years. I thought with an evil grin. I'll do everything I can to make sure that when I grow up, she'll be my future wife.

We kept talking for a while until the party finally came to an end. After saying our goodbyes, I started helping my family with the guests.

After several minutes, there was no one left in the house except for my family. Due to the party, everyone was emotionally exhausted, so we just cleaned up a little and then went to rest.

"Today was a very special day, I hope there will be others like it, or even better." I said quietly from my room before starting to meditate on my cores.

I'm happy I came to this world… I thought joyfully as I let myself be carried away within my mana heart. Yes… very happy….