My name is Freddie Nido.
I was born into a branch of the Nido family.
In the year 3579, when the colonization of the Pandor Continent first began, a branch of the Nido family was appointed as the lords of Kaina Village. Since then, and leading up to the current year of 3900, their descendants have served as the village's lords. Meanwhile, the head of our house maintains a residence in Loizart, the capital of the Shouro Empire.
For some reason, the population of Kaina Village has remained remarkably stable for four hundred years. Despite that, its tax revenue is consistently high. This is undoubtedly the legacy of the First Lord, Jin Nidou.
Records say he personally spearheaded regional development, from installing suction pumps in the wells and maintaining the hot springs to developing products made from gutta-percha—a natural rubber—and establishing the export of magi-stones. As for agriculture, he erected a barrier that eliminated any need to worry about pests or diseases.
Furthermore, several golems were stationed as the village’s guardians, keeping it perfectly safe from wild animals, magical beasts, and bandits. For transportation, the villagers even share golem horses. It is, by all accounts, a wonderful place to live.
To say a bit about myself, I was born in 3881, which makes me nineteen this year. I lost my parents at a young age and was raised by my grandmother, Eris. She is a gentle, patient woman—the very definition of my ideal. Both my grandmother and I have blonde hair and blue eyes, traits inherited from House Randol, the family of Elsa-sama, the First Madam of the Nido house. Whether from the direct line or a branch, everyone in the Nido family carries the blood of Jin-sama and Elsa-sama. Because of this, black or blonde hair is common among us, as are black, dark brown, blue, or light blue eyes.
It goes without saying that the first of the Nido house was the world's only Magi Craft Meister. The fact that not a single person has been worthy of inheriting that title since his passing is proof enough of his greatness. Of course, many have aspired to the craft, but none have ever reached the heights of a Magi Craft Meister. In fact, no one in the world, even outside our family, has ever attained that rank.
Legend says that when someone truly worthy of the title appears, a black-haired girl will manifest before them to bestow the name. But that is likely nothing more than a fairy tale.
As for me, I studied at the magi-craft school in the Klein Kingdom and apprenticed under a famous magi craftsman from the Kingdom of Egerea. Despite those efforts, I lacked the spark. I turned out to be nothing more than a sub-par magi engineer.
This realization cast a dark shadow over my youth. My "lineage" ended up being a burden rather than a blessing. When I was a child, I was constantly invited to parties and garden galas by nobles, wealthy merchants, and local bigwigs. Invariably, a daughter of the same age would be introduced to me. I didn't understand the implications then, but once I hit puberty, the reality became impossible to ignore. Parents and their daughters would swarm me, claiming to be "self-proclaimed" or "recommended" fiancées based on a single meeting from years ago.
The status of a branch of the Nido family is essentially that of an honorary noble. Aside from being the lord of Kaina Village, I possess no real power. Kaina Village is wealthy, certainly, but being its lord doesn't mean having a hoard of gold. It’s like the "kokarisk that lays golden eggs" from the stories—it provides a steady, moderate profit, but nothing more. You cannot get rich all at once.
To be honest, I enjoyed the attention when I was younger. Being the center of a party surrounded by girls was pleasant. But once I passed fifteen—the age of adulthood—and proved to be neither a Magi Craft Meister nor even a decent magi craftsman, those fair-weather followers abandoned me. Even the girl who stayed by my side the longest left me when I turned seventeen, saying, "Talk of marriage has come up for me."
I spent the next two years in a downward spiral. That was when my grandmother, whose health I had been secretly worried about, invited me to go to Kaina Village.
It was there that I met a young man claiming to be the "Third Generation Magi Craft Meister." He had black hair and eyes, but he was a small, unimpressive-looking man. Yet, he was accompanied by a black-haired girl—Reiko—who served as his subordinate, and he operated the facilities of Jin Castle with ease, even using systems that my grandmother and I could never master.
The people with him were just as shocking. There was Marikka-sama of the All-Creation, a leading authority on magi-craft from the Nord Federation. Seeing someone of her stature treating this man like her master left me utterly bewildered. Given their ages, it should have been this Jin studying under her, not the other way around.
Then there was a woman named Greena Kuzuma. Her surname matched that of the Marquis Kuzuma from the Kingdom of Egerea, a family that has been close to the Nidos for four centuries. And finally, there was a young girl named Rubina Garrett.
Greena Kuzuma was like no one I had ever met. She had shoulder-length, bright brown hair and cheerful hazel eyes. She was roughly my age, and she was the first to take me to task for my insolence toward Jin. Until then, the only emotions women had directed at me were "interest with an ulterior motive" or "indifference." Her blunt, emotional outburst—"Please, just stop it already!"—felt strangely refreshing. Unfortunately, dinner was served right then, so we didn't have a chance to argue further.
As we talked during and after the meal, I began to realize just how incredibly skilled an engineer Jin was. My perspective began to shift. But the moment that changed everything was when Marikka-sama accidentally let a secret slip: "He is Jin-sama himself, the Magi Craft Meister from four hundred years ago."
They gave me some confusing explanations about "Duplicates" and copies, and then Butler and the Golem Maids of the castle all stepped forward to testify that he was indeed the Second Generation Magi Craft Meister. I had no choice but to believe it. He was the First Generation of the Nido house. I’ll never forget how happy my grandmother looked when she started calling him "Ancestor."
The days on Hourai Island were a revelation. I realized just how narrow my view of the world had been. Magi-devices, ships, automobiles, golems—every creation was light-years ahead of the current world standard. Most incredible of all, he cured my grandmother's heart condition in an instant, and without a hint of pain.
Jin-sama even told me that I had a talent for magi-craft. He said my mana was very similar to his own. Greena said the same thing, though the little girl, Rubina, just looked at me and asked, "How can you not tell?"
Marikka-sama offered me a bit of comfort, saying, "It seems that, unfortunately, Freddie-dono simply never met a good master."
After that, Jin-sama put me through training to hone my skills. It was grueling at times, but my technical ability improved drastically in a very short period.
And I mustn't forget... or rather, I cannot forget Greena. She was cold to me at first, but once she saw my devotion to Jin-sama, she began to treat me like a normal person. As my senior in magi-craft, she taught me many things. It’s frustrating, but I’m still nowhere near her level.
However, someday—in the very near future—I will become an engineer who can stand proudly at her side.
April 30, 3900 — Recorded by Freddie Nido.
In the years that followed, Freddie Nido would eventually become a magi craftsman of great renown. And when the people who once abandoned him tried to crawl back into his good graces, they likely found a certain woman always by his side: Greena Nido.