Chapter 20

I am Arseria Oriondor.

I am the third daughter of the Oriondor marquis family.

It seems I am considered a genius.

Indeed, I became aware of my surroundings around the age of two, and I understood that I was blessed with various talents.

However, it’s not all good.

Strangers praise me as a genius, while my half-siblings, whom I hardly know, cast jealous and hostile glances at me.

My father schemes to use me for his own gain, his pig-like face becoming even more grotesque.

My surroundings are filled with enemies, and everything is childish and ugly.

The only ally I had, my mother, passed away when I was four.

In the first place, my mother was not of noble birth.

She was a commoner, but was chosen by my father and made into his second wife, effectively his mistress.

Because of this, she was hated by my father’s first wife, looked down upon by my siblings, and called the daughter of a promiscuous woman among the nobility.

While my mother was alive, she desperately protected me, but now I have no freedom at all.

I was merely a pawn to be used for the benefit of the Oriondor marquis family, and by extension, my father.

Sometimes, I wish I could be a clueless ordinary person.

But I also think that because I have talent, I am able to live a somewhat decent life.

At the age of six, when I was pondering such things with my overly developed mind, I heard a rumor.

It was said that the second son of the Raynostia marquis family could not use magic at all.

When I first heard it, I thought it was a lie, but apparently, it seems to be true.

I felt honestly sorry for him.

If he were a commoner, it wouldn’t be much of a problem not being able to use magic.

He might be looked down upon a little.

But for a noble, especially the second son of a marquis, not being able to use magic is a severe flaw.

I understand the importance of magic among the nobility.

In fact, I am living this life because I am overflowing with magical talent.

Had I been an ordinary person without any magical ability, or like that second son, unable to use magic at all, I would have been kicked out of my house.

So I felt pity for him, even though it wasn’t my issue.

Two years passed, and I was taken to the king’s birth festival.

Of course, it was so my father could show me off to others.

I had no will of my own.

I was dressed in a constricting gown, made to wear bothersome makeup, and forced to put on a mask of cheerfulness.

When I arrived at the venue, various conversations reached my ears.

Bandit and monster attacks… business proposals… discussions of engagement… At times pleasant, at times probing, it was truly the world of nobility.

As I waited for time to pass, led around by my father’s bragging, the surrounding nobles began to look in the same direction.

I followed their gaze.

Then I saw the Raynostia marquis family entering together from the entrance.

As far as I know, the Raynostia marquis family consists of four people.

The head of the family, his wife, the eldest son, and the second son.

All of them had entered the venue.

The surrounding nobles were whispering.

Of course, it was about the second son of the Raynostia family.

Normally, if someone cannot use magic at all, they would be a disgrace to their family, and they should be aware of this, so they wouldn’t show their face in such a public setting.

Yet the reality was that he attended with a nonchalant expression.

Silver hair and elongated eyes. He could be considered a beautiful boy by general standards.

However, rather than his looks, I questioned his demeanor.

He was supposed to be unable to use magic.

That was an undeniable fact.

Yet, the second son… the young master didn’t seem intimidated at all.

He appeared completely natural… if anything, he looked brimming with confidence.

Even though he couldn’t use magic.

Even though he was met with disdain and mockery from those around him.

He showed no signs of discomfort or of enduring anything.

I couldn’t understand.

After a while, it was time for me to greet the Raynostia marquis family.

Blocking out my father’s ugly voice, I quietly observed the young master.

I felt he was extremely intelligent and thoughtful…

And I thought he was someone who could think in a manner similar to mine.

He was definitely not the incompetent young master rumored about.

As I contemplated various things, the royal family made an appearance, gave a brief greeting, raised their glasses, and I asked my father if I could go to the restroom.

On my way back to the venue, I was accosted by a young master I didn’t know well.

The reason for his confrontation was pure jealousy.

It was ridiculous.

I thought I would just let it slide and ignore him… but when he insulted my mother by calling her “the daughter of a promiscuous woman,” I instinctively blew him off.

I didn’t really care what anyone said to me.

But I couldn’t stand the insults against my mother.

I had no tolerance for anyone disrespecting the only ally I had.

Just then, the young master I had just encountered appeared from around the corner and deftly dodged the four young masters I had just thrown aside.

He walked towards me without a hint of concern for the four who had been knocked down.

I was surprised and momentarily taken aback.

Then he greeted me.

Having seen me knock those young masters away, I didn’t know how to respond, so I ignored him and turned away.

It was true that I was curious.

But I didn’t know how to engage with him.

I wished he wouldn’t talk to me again, but he approached me once more.

How strange of him to talk to someone as unsociable and sharp-eyed as I was.

Gathering what little courage I had, I attempted to respond to him.

However, I ended up failing.

“What an unpleasant tone,” I said in reply.

While I indeed found his exaggerated tone irritating, I knew this wasn’t the right way to express it.

The one being unpleasant was me.

Still, he didn’t get upset and changed his tone to speak to me.

Was it rough, perhaps?

At the very least, it wasn’t the tone of a noble.

As I was surprised by his manner of speaking, his next words astonished me even more.

He said, “I’m interested in you.”

Even though I was called a genius, being told someone was interested in me face-to-face caught me off guard.

I wondered what he meant, but it seemed he was interested in my magical abilities.

I see.

It made sense that someone who couldn’t use magic would be curious about someone blessed with magical talent like me.

As I pondered how to respond… the sound of glass shattering echoed with a scream.

I instinctively looked toward the noise and saw a cloaked mage jumping into the venue through the broken window.

Everyone there was a significant magician.

Without a moment’s pause, combat began with the guard magicians.

It was an emergency.

However, I wasn’t overly worried.

Because in addition to the guard magicians, there were many capable noble magicians present.

Furthermore, as time passed, reinforcements began to arrive.

I thought the other young masters and ladies who were paralyzed with fear were foolish as I simply watched the scene unfold.

The situation changed when I heard the scream of Her Highness, the Second Princess Clara.

A cloaked mage had appeared from thin air and seized Clara in an instant.

Everyone rushed to rescue her.

But since she had vanished, no one could pursue her.

Moreover, we couldn’t recklessly use magic for fear of harming Clara.

I couldn’t do anything either.

At that moment, the young master next to me dashed forward.

He was fast.

He sprinted across the venue at an incredible speed and leaped out the window in an impossible manner.

Understanding that he intended to chase the cloaked mage who had taken Clara, I exited through a different route.

Then I used magic to move to the top of the building and activated “Far Sight.”

He rapidly closed in on the cloaked mage and swiftly retrieved Clara.

Then the battle began.

He wielded a sword.

In contrast, the opponent was a magician.

I thought there was no way he could win.

Yet, to my astonishment, he easily defeated the mage.

I was probably dumbfounded for a while.

By the time I realized it, he had vanished, and I hurried back to the venue from the restroom.

Just then, I locked eyes with him as he returned from the battle.

Without thinking, I said to him, “I have something to discuss with you, so come here.”

What was I saying?

Internally, I berated myself.

However, I couldn’t take it back now.

I thought hard and made my way to a courtyard-like place I had spotted earlier, speaking to him as my mouth moved.

I mentioned having seen him fight with a sword.

I didn’t even understand my own intentions.

So, he asked, “What is it that you want?”

There was no way I could admit that I didn’t have any particular reason to call him.

Feeling awkward, I summoned my courage to ask him a question.

—How was he able to move like that?

He explained it was something called “fighting spirit.”

It was an intriguing conversation, but it didn’t matter much to me right now.

What I was most curious about was his attitude.

How could he appear so unbothered, despite not being able to use magic and being looked down upon by those around him? Why did he have such confidence?

I asked him, expressing my emotions.

Then, he inquired in turn why I was so reserved.

Why was I shrinking back when I was called a genius?

His gaze was extremely serious.

…I hated my father. I could even say I loathed him.

But I couldn’t defy him.

As he said, all I could do was remain quietly withdrawn.

To my silence, he said:

“In two years, there will be a magical martial arts tournament called Arcana Eclipse, and I will participate and win.”

And if I defeat him and win, he would tell me why he was so confident.

With that, he walked away.

Left behind, I contemplated.

About him, about myself.

I didn’t understand anything.

I simply felt a whirlpool of indescribable emotions.

This was a first for me.

Even now, I was afraid of my father.

I didn’t feel like I could oppose him.

But… I resolved to participate in the magical martial arts tournament two years from now .