Level 1 Strongest Sage ~

How to enter Akari’s room without Tet noticing…

One option was to teleport.

However, teleportation requires a huge amount of mana, so Akari might sense it when I conjure a magical circle.

Besides, if I could use that option, then I didn’t have to go out of my way to walk to Akari’s room in the first place.

That’s because I can just open a teleportation portal and connect my room with Akari’s, place the gift under her pillow, and done.

So, what to do?

— an idea flashed in my mind.

There’s a chance I might fail, but let’s try it.

It’ll probably be alright.

My intuition was telling me that it would go well.

I manipulated my mana, deployed a tiny circle that didn’t exceed the mana within the mansion.

“....”

Alright, both Akari and Tet were still sound asleep.

I usually filled this mansion with my magic so that I could be immediately alerted if a monster, other than majin or any other enemy came, and also for Youko, Mai and the others to absorb it.

It was intentional, and also because my home was the place I felt most relaxed, so I tend to loosen my mana path and release magic subconsciously.

That’s why my mansion was usually covered in a thick layer of my mana.

If someone other than family comes to visit the mansion, like for birthday or other event, I would request Youko and Kikyou to absorb it, else the guests would suffer from magic intoxication.

As for my teleportation circle, the mana consumed would depend on the size of the magic circle and the distance covered.

This time around, I drew a magic circle that was about one millimeter in diameter, and around 5 cm in travel distance to test — just barely enough space to get in front of the door.

That’s how I knew that If the magic circle consumed less magic than the mana permeating the mansion, Akari and the others wouldn’t be able to notice it.

I was sure that it would work.

I created a magic circle that was enough for one person to pass through.

As for the destination —

0.1mm ahead.

It was inside the door.

Akari and Tet didn’t notice this one too.

— Alright, let’s go.

Trusting my intuition, I walked towards the door.

I entered the teleportation circle.

Before my body went out of the circle and hit the door, I had already activated the next magic circle.

I left the magical circle I hadn’t fully entered yet, and deployed a series of teleportation circles connected one after the other.

Just imagine me slicing my body into 0.1mm slices and sending it to the teleportation circle.

My teleportation magic was a spell that moves through the [Interstitial Space] between Spirit Realm and the Human Realm. Using that spell, my body only existed within that 0.1mm space.

BBy the way, ordinary humans wouldn’t be able to survive in the interstitial space between the Spirit Realm and Human Realm without being accompanied by a spirit, but it wasn’t a problem for me because of my fixed status.

Take it was a unique, forced wall-passing technique that only I could use.

I managed to successfully pass through the wall.

It’s perfect, if I may say so.

This magic… I guess it might come in handy when slipping through enemy attacks, or penetrating the heavily-armed, thoroughly shielded opponents.

I just wanted to give Akari a gift, but I ended up mastering a new kind of spell.

Yeah, I look forward to using it in a real battle someday.

　──＊＊＊──

Akari and Tet remained oblivious that I managed to leave the gift behind.

The next morning —

“Haru-Nii!”

Akari rushed into my room.

“Morning, Akari. What’s up?”

“Look at this! Santa-san gave me a present!”

Akari was holding two little parcels.

One of them was the gift I placed under her pillow last night.

“... You got 2 presents?”

That’s strange.

Nobody else other than me supposedly moved through the mansion last night, I’m pretty sure of it…

“This one here is your present to me, right, Haru-Nii?”

“Geh.”

Akari showed the present wrapped in a red ribbon.

It’s the one I placed under her pillow last night.

“D-Did you notice when I entered your room last night?”

“Nope. Tet and I didn’t realize that Haru-Nii brought a present for me.”

“Then why —”

“Haru-Nii, did you forget that I got my Supreme Intuition Skill?”

“...Oh.”

Akari did have that Supreme Intuition Skill.

It boasts the same function as my older brother Cain’s ability, and they could guess that ‘it must be because of this’, but the difference lies in the accuracy.

“We’ve been talking about Santa just before, right. When I thought that Haru-Nii probably gave me a present, the skill gave me the answer.”

“Heh, so that’s how it is…”

Busted.

The fact that I pretended to be the Gifter, that is.

Eh? Then what about the other gift that Akari was holding?

“What about the other one, Akari?”

I stared at the parcel tied with blue ribbon that Akari was holding with her left hand.

“This one is from Santa! He really does exist!!”

Akari beamed at me.

“But, this world’s Santa only gives gifts to children until they reach fourteen years old, right?”

“Y-Yeah, that’s right, but… How did you know about that?”

“Santa-san… or Gifter, as he’s known in this world, I guess. Anyway, Gifter-san gave me a letter. He said this year is special!”

“Eh.”

Akari showed me the white letter —

“I usually give gifts until a child turns fourteen, but since it’s your first birthday in this world yesterday, this year is special.”

That’s what it said.

What the heck…?

I-I don’t know anything about this.

“Santa really does exist. I’m so glad I came to this world.”

Akari was very happy.

Eh…

So the Gifter is real?

But, if he really does exist, won’t he be such an amazing being, then?

He even managed to sneak inside this mansion of mine that even demons couldn’t enter, and even the thousand traps didn’t work on him.

Not only that, my mana that could instantly detect somebody’s intrusion didn’t react at all.

It’s true that there were beings that were truly skilled at infiltration and secrecy in this world.

“Haru-Nii, look at what Santa-san gave me! It’s the material that I wanted!!”

The Gifter gave the same gift as me, “Crystal Deer Antlers”.

It’s a Legend Level material, and Akari uses it to make items with her skill.

So the Gifter also knew what the recipient wanted, it seems.

Yeah, this Gifter guy truly is terrifying.

Eh… Don’t tell me, is it Creator God-sama?

A lot of things bothered me, but he didn’t mean any harm as of now, apparently.

“Ehehe. With this, that item I wanted to make… Fufufu.”

Well, I guess Akari being happy beats everything else.

I don’t have any idea what she wanted to make, but I guess it’s fine since she’s really happy.

Heh…

So Santa really does exist, huh…