Compensation θ ~ I might be late for reincarnation, but since I was born as the talented eldest son of a prestigious noble, I might be on the winning side.

In the Temple of Spirits God, unexpected events occurred during this year Temple Visit.

A child, who was supposed to came out immediately upon prayer, was delayed, causing concern among the priests. The child was emphasized to be of delicate health and also happened to be the eldest son of a noble who governed a large territory.

As the time spent in the prayer room extended, impatience and anxiety appeared on the faces of the priests, who seemed quite flustered.

“Oh, it opened! It opened!”

“Are you okay? Are you safe?”

As soon as I opened the door to the prayer room, shouts reached my ears. There were several priests waiting eagerly in front of the door.

I was taken to a waiting room and subjected to a medical examination by a physician. Questions were raised about whether I had fallen ill inside. Those accompanying me also quite worried.

Regarding the events in the prayer room, I naturally kept silent. There was no way I could reveal that I had been playing darts to determine the rewards from the gods. It would be hard to believe.

So, I kept my mouth shut.

Moreover, there was a sense of unease or concern. In addition to the rare blessing I originally possessed, I had gained another one this time. Although I didn’t know the exact accuracy of the [Rite of Revelation], the presence of blessings should be detectable.

At the current moment I have one class, one covenant, and two blessings.

There was a possibility of gaining another class during the upcoming [Rite of Manifestation].

I wondered how people would react to the results of my [Rite of Revelation]. It was a bit unpredictable, and thinking about it wouldn’t change anything, so I wanted to spend the time peacefully until then.

*

And today, the mansion has been bustling since morning. The servants seemed busier than usual.

“Lord Lyon, your relatives are arriving one after another. You are scheduled to meet them all in the grand hall once everyone has arrived.”

“Understood. I’ll review the list of names again.”

I had been informed that many guests were coming from distant places. However, I expected them to arrive more apart from each other. Concentrating them all in one day would make the preparations for the reception challenging.

As per the custom, the [Rite of Manifestation] and the [Rite of Revelation] were performed when all the children of the Kilyam family who turned seven gathered. This year, there were eleven families in total, more than usual.

I opened the list of expected visitors and reconfirmed it from the top.

First, the representatives of the branch families known as “The Three Great Houses of Rihyde.” They all held the distinguished name Rihyde after Hydra in their middle names.

Casper Family

Governs the northern part of the Glass Region.

Head of Family: Arthur, Lady: Bridget, Eldest Son: Archie, Second Son: Arlo, Eldest Daughter: Elsie.

The seven-year-old receiving the ritual is Arlo, the second son.

The Three Great Houses is characterized by their dark hair, and the color for this family is dark red.

Alright, I’m fine. I remember it. Next.

Lloyd Family

Governs the southern part of the Glass Region.

Head of Family: Samuel, Lady: Avril, Eldest Daughter: Mira, Second Daughter: Claire, Third Daughter: Cynthia.

The seven-year-old undergoing the ritual is Claire, the second daughter, and her hair color is deep gray.

They sent a chief cook, and this family produces a lot of rice in their territory. Next.

Morris Family

Administers the central part of the Glass Region on behalf of the main family, the Duke’s family.

Head of Family: Nathan, Lady: Christina, Eldest Son: Jasper, Second Son: Jake.

The seven-year-old undergoing the ritual is Jasper, the eldest son, and his hair color is deep navy.

Morris-jii is the younger brother of the former head of family and is an uncle to the current head.

By the way, among the three nannies, the chief nannies, Mrs. Evans, is from the Casper family, Mrs. O’Connor is a relative of the Lloyd family, having separated from the Clark family, and the tutor is from the Morris family.

I realize I’ve been raised by people closely related to the Three Great Houses. I’m currently being treated very well, so I have no complaints.

There are no complaints, but looking at the list makes me want to sigh. The number of my relatives is quite large. And this isn’t even all of them. Nevertheless, combining close and distant relations, there are eleven families. Including the Three Great Houses, there are fourteen people. Besides that, eight branch families bring the total to thirty-eight people. The eight families also include the nannies.

I have to greet all these guests. Since my father’s arrival is still quite a while, I can’t expect any backup support. Knowing that, I desperately memorized the list.

It’s quite an unreasonable demand for a seven-year-old.

Thanks to skills like [Speed Reading] and [Mental Resilience], I managed to memorize them all. Perhaps this body is high-spec in those areas. I could have asked for Ai’s help, but relying entirely on someone else wouldn’t bode well for the future. It’s better to develop skills on my own.

That’s what I thought.

＊

Finally, it was time for the grand gathering in the grand hall.

As I would be the last to enter, everyone was already in a standby state. Internally nervous but trying not to show it on my face, I straightened my posture and entered slowly.

Red, gray, blue, green, and others. Hair colors were convenient for identifying blood relations at times like these.

The adults had formed groups based on close kinship, and in front of them, the small children were lined up in a restless manner.

—Sad news.

I looked the smallest. Aren’t these older siblings? 1, 2, 3… 11 people. The 11 people in the front row were probably the seven-year-olds, and they were all visibly taller than me.

I had expected it, but still, it stung a bit. Due to a period of malnutrition and sickness, my growth was still lagging. I’ve been trying quite hard, though.

Well, at this age, it’s not strange for girls to be taller. It’s fine if it’s not, well, not fine.

The greetings began in order of family rank.

The Casper family, one of the Three Great Houses, was a couple of beauties. They looked like a classic, handsome couple with a movie star-like aura.

And their three children unmistakably inherited the parents’ genes. They were beautifull, wearing well-suited clothing for formal wear—pictures of their family could easily be displayed in an art museum. They were that picturesque.

The eldest son, Archie, who was ten, looked at me, raised his eyebrows for a moment, and smoothly finished his greetings.

Just as I thought things were going okay, the second son, Arlo, had a strangely tense expression even before greeting.

“I’m Arlo. It’s an honor to meet you today… I can’t compete at all. I’ll be taken away. They’ll definitely take me away!”

Saying this, he started crying, tears streaming down.

“Arlo! Suddenly crying is disrespectful to Lord Lyon. I apologize. This child is attending such an event for the first time and seems to be overwhelmed.”

“I deeply apologize. I will talk to him later. Arlo, come this way.”

The embarrassed Casper couple seemed unexpectedly pleased with Arlo’s odd behavior.

Then, while the older brother still crying, standing in front of me tilting her head, was the third child, Elsie.

She seemed to be a year younger than me, but our eye levels were almost the same. …No, that’s a lie. Maybe Elsie’s a bit taller. But not enough for her to look down on me!

Without saying a word, Elsie, who had tilted her head to the right, now tilted it to the left. The gesture was very cute, but her unwavering gaze on me made me feel strangely uncomfortable.

Why are you looking at me so intently?

“I can’t see it. Where is it?”

“Huh, what?”

“A super spirit mark.”

“If it’s a spirit mark, it’s around here, but is there something wrong?”

When I drew a large circle around my left shoulder, she tilted her head to the opposite side again.

“I wanted to see it, but I guess it’s impossible for El.”

Um. How should I answer?

If there’s a covenant, you can see it. If not, and there’s a high affinity with spirits, you might see it. I can’t say something like, You seem to have neither, right?

“Elsie, don’t trouble Lord Lyon. It’s difficult for girls. Didn’t I tell you that?”

“If I get a good class, can I see it?”

“Maybe. Well then, properly greet him.”

Prompted by her mother, Elsie made a beautiful bow.

“I’m Elsie. It’s an honor to meet you, Lord Lyon. When you go for a walk in the garden, can I join you?”

“Of course. If there’s an opportunity, let’s go together.”

Next to greet was the Lloyd family, which had only girls. Three sisters.

“I’m Mira. I’ve been looking forward to meeting Lord Lyon since I heard you have a strong interest in southern cuisine and crops. I’m only two years older than Lord Lyon, so I’d be happy if we could get along.”

This girl is a firm and mature older sister. I feel like she’s very grown-up for a nine-year-old.

“I’m Claire. I heard Lord Lyon likes reading. I love books too. I feel a deep connection that we’ll be attending the [Rite of Manifestation] together.”

But seriously. Everyone knows difficult words. Is this the result of noble education? They speak smoothly with impeccable manners.

Well, in terms of content, it feels like they’re being coached to speak like this. Nevertheless, saying polite expressions at this age is quite something, I think.

Everyone is well-behaved, but it’s difficult to gauge the distance. Especially with the girls.

In my past life, I dealt with a wide range of women, from a terrifying older sister to a cheeky younger sister, and even a stylish grandma living in a two-family home.

Therefore, I was used to dealing with women of various ages, even babysitting every time relatives gathered. I’m not bad with children.

But somehow, this is different.

Is it because they are noble young ladies? young but elegant. At this age, their behavior is too graceful.

I thought it was too early, but it might be a good idea to review the etiquette of dealing with noble ladies.

Noble children mature too early. I thought so, but…

The youngest of the three sisters, Cynthia, is still two years old, with an innocent face, led by her parents. She had just escaped the baby stage, so she was cute and small.

My younger sister was like this when she was little. She soon grew up, became insufferable, and, though she was cute back then, she became cheeky.

Cynthia, led by her parents, approached and performed a clumsy bow as part of their introduction.

Yeah, yeah. You practiced, didn’t you? Her hard work was very innocent and charming.

It made me want to stamp “Well Done” on her.

The last of the three noble families, the Morris family, had two sons.

The eldest son, Jasper, initially looked at me with a dazed expression, but prompted by his father, he suddenly started greeting.

“I apologize. I was speechless in the face of such beauty. My name is Jasper. I will strive with all my heart and soul to be of service to you, Lord Lyon. I would be grateful if you could remember me.”

What does he mean by “beauty”?

I can’t believe he’s the same age as Arlo from earlier. He spoke in a very mature tone, and his bowing movements were precise. Moreover, the modest gaze he cast on me sparkled oddly.

“Lord Lyon, it seems that Jasper can clearly see the spirit mark. He strongly desires it, so if it pleases you, we would like to present him as a candidate for your attendant in the future.”

Jasper’s attitude finally made sense with Moriss-jii explanation.

I see, Jasper is a candidate to be my close aide. In all likelihood, in the future, he will oversee various matters for the Kilyam Duke’s household as the head steward. Probably something like his father, Nathan.

“I’m Jake. Nice to meet you.”

Next, the second son, Jake, who immediately hid behind his brother, either due to shyness or timidity. His parents and brother seemed apologetic, but for a four-year-old boy, just being able to greet formally is commendable. Others are just overachieving.

The branch family heads and their wives are all young, in line with the main family’s change of generation. Considering the ages of the children, the timing for having children might be part of their calculated plan.

In this way, the greetings of the three noble families generally concluded on a friendly note.

Then it was time for the families of the nannies to greet.

The leading nannies, Mrs. Evans, had one son. He was supposed to be raised as my foster brother.

But in reality, it didn’t happen that way.

That’s because Mrs. Evans, leaving her six-month-old son at home, moved alone to the lakeside mansion to take care of me.

“I hate you.”

So, when I was glared at by the red-haired boy and told that to my face, I didn’t feel angry at all.

After all, she was such an affectionate woman. There was no way her own child wasn’t adorable. If he had been with her, she would have poured a lot of love into raising him.

Even though it was her job, I had taken his mother away. When I found out about it, feelings of guilt surged within me. However, I couldn’t apologize due to my position. So, even though I knew it was hypocritical, I could only mutter “Sorry” in my heart.

The Baron Evans and his wife were flustered.

While both parents were apologizing to me, they exited the room with Harvey, who kept repeating, “I hate you, I hate you!”

The adults around were either smiling wryly or seemed amazed. They were perplexed about what to do. At that moment, the remaining two nanny families, the O’Connor and Wood families, arrived together for greetings.

These two families were both military families, and as the mothers were often absent, there was frequent interaction between the families. The children also seemed to get along well.

“I’m Heather. I will do my best to protect Lord Lyon.”

“I’m Jean. I will strive to become a shield for Lord Lyon along with my sister.”

The sisters from the O’Connor family greeted with sharp expression and orange hair woven neatly into braids. Both seemed to be aiming to become knights. Although Jean, the younger one, was the same age as me, her dignified mannerism didn’t match her ages at all.

“We are twin sisters. I’m the elder, and my name is Myra.”

“I’m the younger, and I’m Emma.”

The Wood sisters, who are 12-years-old, introduced themselves with synchronized movements. Both had hair the color of young leaves.

“I’m Lewis. If Heather and Jean are shields, then I’ll protect the lord with a spear!”

“Lewis, watch your language!”

“Why can’t you do it as practiced?”

“Sisters, you’re too noisy. It’s in front of Lord Lyon. Hold back, hold back.”

“Who should hold back is you. That’s not appropriate for Lord Lyon. It’s disrespectful!”

Well, it’s good for boys to be like that, I think. While I was thinking that, a fist fell on the heads of the three siblings. The stern face of the Wood family head, Thomas, who was already imposing, became like a great demon. The Lady swiftly collected the tearful children. The couple both bowed low to apologize, and I felt somehow sorry for them.

The Wood family changed the atmosphere, so the rest of the day continued in a calm atmosphere.

What clear was the temperature difference when they looked at me.

There weren’t many who could see the spirit crest, but surprisingly, there were quite a few who sensed the spirit glow, and they were subtly happy or disappointed while glancing at me.

It felt like I had become litmus paper.

To the Kilyam family, affinity with spirits was of great value. Whether one could see the crest or the light deriving from spirits influenced one’s position within the family.

From what I know, it seemed to affect marriage, employment, and so on.

Perhaps out of consideration for the children of the Three Great Houses and the nannies’ families, the children from other branch families or distant relatives didn’t approach and just watched from a distance.

Well, it’s already enough.

With so many children, I thought it would be more lively and bustling. But it turned out that adults were more excited than the children.

It’s the first day, after all. I guess this atmosphere can’t be helped.

Surrounded by a large number of relatives like this, it was a slightly tiring day.