432 Part 2

“It seems to be the name the Earl was planning to give to his newly born daughter. Isn’t it good, the name is similar to yours?”

“No way, such a grandiose name …. By the way, since when did you use such familiar expressions with me?”

“Well, I’ve been put in an awkward position to become your exclusive escort and butler. I need to teach you manners so you don’t get carried away since you were a slum orphan who became an Earl’s daughter.”

“Huh?! Teach me manners?!”

“Now you are an ignorant and uneducated slum brat. Starting tomorrow, I will drill the appropriate etiquette befitting of an Earl’s daughter.”

“… What? Etiquette? Manners?”

“It’s not just manners, but also learning how to dance, how to brew tea, and much more.”

Dance was like what people do during the Harvest Festival, right? They gathered around the bonfire and went round and round in circles sloppily. Wouldn’t it be better to learn how to make money calculations so that we would not be tricked by petty merchants? There was no need for worry. I was the best haggler in the slums. Also, you could make tea just by pouring hot water onto the leaves. Piece of cake, it would be a piece of cake. Ahahaha —

“Huh… wait, are you for real? What’s with that anyway? I’m not even a noble’s daughter.”

“Like I said, you are.”

I could only laugh superficially. The environment surrounding me changed completely within a day. Give me a break. Let me go back to that noisy but peaceful life.

“But think of this as a bonus. Perhaps the Earl is interested in that Original —”

“Huh, w-what are you saying? I can’t even use magic ….”

“Don’t play dumb. I’ve done my research. You can use Sanctuary, can’t you?”

“Haha … well, I got found out ….”

My secret was Sanctuary, the only special ability that was truly unique.

Although, one might say it wasn’t that big of a deal. It was just an ability to voluntarily deploy transparent defense magic with no attack power. It was a self-defense magic perfect for a young maiden like me when walking alone at the back alley of the slums.

The only person who knew the truth about this magic was my substitute parent, Sister. To begin with, she told me about the exaggerated name of this ability, that it wasn’t something I should show people, and that I shouldn’t completely rely on that power. She only told me about that kind of mental preparedness.

If I were a hot-blooded boy, I could have dreamt to become a knight or a sorcerer with this ability. But I was just a normal girl who wanted neither pain nor fear. Even without Sister’s warning, I would only use it for emergencies.

But it was no longer a secret.

“You will grow this special magic from now on. Mastering it is your most important job.”

“Even if you say that, what am I supposed to do? I have never practiced magic. I don’t even know how to do it.”

“That’s why I said, you’ll do it from now on. Listen, you will be enrolled in Elysion Magic Academy in three months.”

“… What? What is that, backdoor entry to a school?”

“You have a background in magic, and you are an honest person. Don’t worry.”

Can I really do it?

Even I have heard the name of Elysion Magic Academy. It was the place where the smartest people with the greatest magic in the Republic gathered. Notorious grand nobles, legendary knights, and even clergies were born from this school. It was well-known throughout the Republic.

“Haha … that’s impossible ….”

My destiny was already set in stone even if I said that. From that day, my days of hardship in which impossibleness and unreasonableness piled up had started.

First of all, the minimum education as a noble’s daughter was drilled into me for three months, so that my shady past would not leak out while attending the academy. His cool face was the only highlight of this brute escort butler. What a waste of handsomeness.

The first thing I learned was neither good table manners nor magnificent dance. Sebastian was an outrageously wicked bastard; his physical appearance was the only good thing about him. The Earl was certainly a gentle-mannered and handsome knight who would give a refreshing smile to everyone. But he turned out to be a terrible guy who would use unreserved speech and abusive language towards me.

But I could be myself in front of this guy, so I was annoyed by the fact that I could not hate him from the bottom of my heart. I only appreciated the provisions of cigarettes and alcohol.

Three months later, I finally managed to evolve into a young lady, and really entered Elysion Magic Academy. It was not a coincidence that Sebastian enrolled with me as well, as anticipated. It was only then I understood what he meant by being my exclusive escort and butler. I was slow to notice that.

Anyway, combining my relentless efforts and Sebastian’s, …. Ah, I would call him by his nickname from now on. Thanks to Sebas’ support, I could walk a tightrope during my academy life filled with high society and elite students.

I still did not know whether or not it was exactly what the Earl had in mind, but as a result, my Sanctuary had grown. Well, that was an amazing momentum.

When I realized, my magical power had become the greatest among the students in the academy of my generation, and I was proud of it. During the time of admission, it was rumored that the counter of the magic measuring device was destroyed with the very small amount of magical power I possessed. My power was even more compared to the absent-minded, blue-haired, golden-eyed sorceress.

But I was not happy to be the best at this. The reason being, that absent-minded sorceress had rendered me broken-hearted with my first love. Unlike Sebastian, my silver-haired magic teacher, who looked great and intelligent with glasses, was very kind and straightforward. This 27-year-old bachelor made my heart flutter. Well, I guess that was the so-called adult’s charm. Because of him, I was able to do my best and determined to master Sanctuary.

But when I confessed on graduation day —

“I’m sorry, Linfelt … I already have someone I love.”

“Eh?! No way. Who in the world is it, teacher?”

“T-that’s ….”

“Please tell me. If it’s not a convenient lie to reject my confession … I won’t be convinced unless I hear the name of that person!”

“Fiona Soleil. I’m going to meet her and confess to her.”

While crying my eyes out, I left the academy and went back to Helvetia.