The town of Swaan got its name from the pond the town was built around and the swans that inhabit it. Swans were a rarity on the continent, and the Marquis who ruled the town took full advantage of that fact. Swans could be seen everywhere you looked. Swan figurines, swan feather charms, and even swan-shaped food filled the market, and someone even advertised a swan-themed ballet. Norman couldn’t help but think that swans weren’t a very profitable thing to make a tourist attraction, but he was proven wrong when the children seemed mesmerized by all the trinkets on sale.

  They had checked into an equally swan-themed inn, and they were now exploring the town while Rowboat took a break at the Swan Song Tavern. Norman couldn’t blame her for wanting a pint after driving them around for so long, and he could use a martini himself, but the duty of parenthood called. He had confirmed with a guard that there indeed was a government office in Swaan, though they called it the kingdom guild. By the way the guard looked at him when he asked, it seemed that getting an ID card was for those whose identities would easily be impersonated, such as merchants, nobles, and high-rank adventurers.

  Norman still thought that getting an ID for himself and the children was a good idea, even if it cost him some money. It would open a lot more avenues for them all, such as going into the merchant business. Norman had to admit that being a merchant appealed to his inner number cruncher, and he was planning to visit the merchant guild sometime later for more information. Getting the IDs took priority right now, though.

  The kingdom guild was a lot more lavishly decorated than the tamers guild they had visited in Lugg. There was more than one receptionist's desk, and they even had a carpet! Fancy. The only open desk was the one manned by an elegant wolf woman. Unlike Primrose, she had the head of a wolf and was completely covered in fur, yet that didn’t make her any less appealing to look at. In an aesthetic sense, of course, Norman found her about as attractive as any other woman. That is to say, not at all.

  “Welcome to the kingdom guild. My name is Saffron. What may I assist you with today?” Saffron bowed in greeting, something Norman had noticed every store and guild clerk doing, yet he never knew if he was meant to bow back or not.

  “Right. Yes. How would I go about getting identification cards for both myself and my children?” Norman responded as politely as he could. The words “my children” didn’t roll off the tongue very naturally yet, but he saw the way the kids' faces lit up whenever he referred to them as that, so he would keep saying it until it felt natural.

  Saffron eyed them for just a split second before she got to work preparing the cards. He could believe that the man and the girl were related; they looked practically identical, but the boy didn’t share a single trait with them. “We can certainly help you with that today. The cost of setting up a card is 50 Lapis per person.”

  Norman winced as he forked over the money. He had started to run low on his initial funds, and he would probably need to play around with his powers a bit to get more. Saffron inspected the coins, and when she confirmed that they were genuine, she began her explanation about how the process worked.

  “As we all know, mana can sense the fundamental truth of the world. Your blood contains the truth about you as a person. That is, your name, your age, your species, and so on. We will place a drop of your blood on one of these cards, and it will automatically convert the mana into readable text.” She showed off a blank metal card to the group, circling parts of it with her furry paws as she explained further. “I understand that having your mana read may feel a bit intrusive, but trust me when I tell you that it is absolutely necessary. If we made you fill out a form, then you could just lie, right?”

  The thing about forms sounded suspiciously like the author’s personal gripe with the common isekai plot point of the main character registering as an adventurer under a false identity, but that wasn’t important. Norman felt a bit grossed out by the sight of his own blood as he pricked his finger, but he smeared his blood on the plate without much fuss. Only after he did that, he realized that doing so was probably a bad idea. What if it put the whole other world thing on there?

  The words lit up on the card before fading into a dark gray. Norman was glad that it didn’t say anything about his origin, but the clerk's expression did worry him. Her eyes widened, and she bowed profusely in his direction, much deeper this time. Had he done something wrong? He didn’t think he did. Maybe this was some sort of ritual needed to complete the card?

  “I am so sorry for my discourtesy, My Lord.” Saffron’s voice sounded almost panicked, and she apologized. She had no idea that the man in front of her came from a noble family of such high rank that his last name would be inscribed as a fundamental truth of the world.

  In reality, though, Norman wasn’t noble in the slightest. The only reason his mana contained his last name was because it was written on his birth certificate back on Earth. Therefore, Norman had no idea why he was being called a lord or why the clerk was suddenly so remorseful. “Ahem. No… worries. Is everything okay with the card?”

  “Yes! Yes, of course, My Lord.” She quickly handed the card to him with shaking hands; she wasn’t prepared to deal with a high-ranking noble. “H-how about we do the children next? I will need to prick them, as it will not work otherwise, but I mean them no harm! No harm at all!”

  Pail didn’t know why the woman was freaking out either. It was just a little blood; nothing to cry about. He pricked his own finger with the dagger he always kept on him and smeared his blood on the plates before Saffron could even react. The card lit up just like Norman’s did, and Pail watched with rapt attention. This was the thing that would make them a real family, even if he didn’t understand how.

  Pail snatched the card before Saffron could hand it to him, holding it like a precious treasure. He didn’t know how to read, but he did recognize the shape of everyone’s names. He stared at the sight of his name next to his father's name for the entire time as Primrose was getting her own card done. Primrose wasn’t nearly as eager to prick herself as the others. She had neither the stoicism of Norman nor the uncaring attitude of Pail, so she was reasonably scared. She clutched one of her hairclips tightly for support as the clerk pricked her finger with a tiny needle.

  When everything was finalized, Norman inspected the cards thoroughly. He was glad to finally have confirmation on the children’s ages and a bit proud that he had guessed them correctly. Pail having Norman as his middle name was something he hadn’t expected. It made sense; his own middle name was also the first name of his father. The children didn’t know any magic, yet they still had affinities. Maybe teaching them magic would be beneficial in the future, though he’d have to perfect his own magic first.

  [MY AFFINITY IS WISDOM]

  “Okay.”