It's still dark outside as dawn hasn't arrived yet. But here I was, laying on top of my bed and staring at the ceiling of my room. Yesterday was so awful that I couldn't sleep peacefully.

After the recurrence, Theo became absent-minded as he didn't focus even when he read his favorite book. Even though the "voice" had stopped, there was this rustling sound coming from the back of his head. It felt like hundreds of centipedes were creeping their way towards me from all directions, making all the hair stand up on the back of my neck. The rustling was unbearable that I started talking to Theo about random things, just to distract him.

I did my best to avoid topics that could lead to his mother since it was clear now that Theo had been blaming himself for her death. I doubted he developed this self-blaming behavior just by himself. He was only five years old back then, but a toddler was already sensitized enough to know what was going on. His mother would never come back, he must be sad and lonely. And yet, all those stinking brats at the orphanage and the Balfour House had to talk trash about him being abandoned and being the cause of his mother's death. Hearing those repeatedly might've made Theo believe that what they said was true, and guilt began to form. This guilt was probably the core of the mess in his heart.

Ugh, it's not hard to imagine it at all.

Yesterday evening, I got to talk to Father once again. According to him, Theo's late parents, the Findlay couple, were kind and hardworking people. Both also had above-average intellect, but they were not arrogant and down-to-earth. Theo maybe didn't remember much about his father, but he loved his mother dearly. By chance, his mother was the reason why he loved books so much, so wasn't this like walking on a field of landmines? Talking about books was the only way I knew to get Theo to open his heart, but books were also the best thing in the likelihood to trigger his painful memories.

In the end, all my fears became true.

I turned and tossed, trying to go back to sleep, but it seemed like my body won't cooperate. So I decided to get up and start my morning earlier today. I used to wake up early in the morning to do my daily exercises and train my swordsmanship anyway.

"Lady Eira?! You are already awake? What happened?"

Amy was surprised to find me in the corridor. She was holding some rags, a feather duster, and an empty bucket; she looked like she was getting ready to start cleaning. I didn't know that the maids start their work at this hour.

"Oh, that isn't necessarily the case. I found a dirty place in Milady's room last night, so I plan to clean your room after you wake up today."

But normally, I'd still be asleep now, right? Where do you plan to put those tools until then? In the corridor? The housekeeper will get mad at you again.

All those thoughts flashed inside my mind, but I ended up just staring at Amy's smiling face blankly. If I couldn't hear her thoughts, I would surely think she was lying. I was happy that she put her heart when serving me, but sometimes her ways were odd enough that I didn't know how to react.

"Then you can clean my room now."

"Are you going to do your daily exercises now, Milady?"

"Yes, since I already woke up."

Amy looked worried. She hesitated before she voiced the question in her mind.

"Milady, did you have a nightmare again?"

Her concern was maybe a bit too much just for me having a nightmare, but it couldn't be helped. When I was younger, I often woke up in the middle of the night with overflowing tears and breathing difficulties because of nightmares. I remembered the feeling of sorrow and helplessness every time, but strangely I didn't remember a single bit about what those nightmares were about. On top of that, I had more dreams about Elena as years passed, so those nightmares maybe were just an after-effect of the shock I received due to my ability.

"No, I didn't. I just have too many things I'm thinking about right now. Besides, I've never had nightmares again since a few years ago, so don't worry."

Amy was still unconvinced, but I reassured her before quickly fleeing to the stairs.

I tried to make as little noise as possible when walking down to the first floor. The kitchen was right beside these stairs, and I didn’t want to catch the attention of the cooks and the helpers and get asked the same question a second time. Maybe I should have used another stair... 

…That won't be necessary, it seems.

The chatter of the people in the kitchen was getting louder as I descended. But, although they sounded quite cheerful, they had apparently just woken up since their minds were still in a bit of a daze. 

After successfully passing the kitchen without anyone noticing, I reached the backyard. But then another thought suddenly came to mind, so I immediately walked past it, exited through the back gate, and headed to the woods near the mansion. I've wanted to do this ever since the awakening, but unfortunately couldn't make time for it. Now the chance has presented itself so let's not let it pass. Thinking this, I walked a bit further inside the woods. After making sure that no one could see me from the mansion, I took some deep breaths and closed my eyes.

Alright, I can feel it more smoothly now.

By focusing my mind and senses, I could feel the Magic Energy inside my body. It most concentrated in my heart, then flowed to my entire body through the veins carried by the blood.

Blood could store Magic Energy for a certain period of time and said it was often used as a Medium to activate magic in the past. But not everyone's blood could be effective. The most effective blood was of a person who is capable of interacting with the energy. Interacting here meant being able to feel, move, and use it freely, even without any use of additional means. So, in other words, the Mage's blood. And speaking of interacting, one of my predecessors could even see the Magic Energy that lingered in other living and nonliving things.

Truthfully, Magic Energy was present in all things that existed in this world. The amount was varied, and living things usually had more energy within them compared to non-living things. But this energy became impossible to perceive, as the knowledge of the ability to do it had been lost. An ancient document of the Bellux possession described that this ability was common in ancient civilization, allowing everyone to use magic freely. Unfortunately, due to the calamity, that ancient-yet-advanced civilization had been wiped out along with all their pearls of wisdom and technology. With the Mage emergence, all that humanities had lost could once again be recovered little by little. It's not impossible to rebuild human civilization to the same-advanced level as in ancient times.

The power and knowledge possessed by the Mage were incredible. But sadly, it became one of the reasons why the Mage's existence was kept as a secret, sometimes even within the Bellux Family itself. Such otherworldly "cheats" surely had gained them a myriad of followers. It wasn't even enough to call their influence around the world simply "great" anymore, so it wouldn't be strange if people felt fearful or envious. The fearful outsiders could be quite troublesome, but the most distressing ones were the envious insiders. In the past, those greedy family members had tried to exploit the Mage to gain power for themselves. A handful of disputes had occurred, and one of them even led to the death of a Royal.

I am blessed with a loving family, so I absolutely had no problems telling them about my awakening. If anything, they would be overjoyed and Grandfather's overprotectiveness would go beyond the roof. I could imagine him rushing to the Royal Palace the very same day he received the news, to demand the annulment of my engagement to the Crown Prince, not caring about being rude to the Royal Family, or being accused of lèse-majesté. But, even though the annulment was indeed my main goal, to get it using this way spelled nothing but trouble.

I'm hidden by the woods, but let's invoke a dark-attribute barrier to be safe.

As the Mage, I could use magic from any attribute. Although it was normally impossible to successfully activate magic right off the bat without any practice, thanks to the inherited memories, I had a clear image of how to do it and invoked the barrier without any problem.

The barrier was shaped like a dome with a diameter of 10 meters using me as the center. Since I used the dark attribute, its color was black with few white dots sprinkled around it like stars. The dark-attribute barrier could prevent both light and sound from leaking outside, so it's perfect for doing experiments secretly.

Hmm, I don't have any difficulties using the dark attribute. Then, what about the others...

So, back to the matter, what was this trouble I talked about? Of course, the one involving the Royal Family since there's no way they would ever let me go if they found out I was the Mage. They would just be as headstrong as Grandfather in declining his request of the annulment. With me as the future Empress, they would be able to dispel their anxiety as well as the suspicion that was lingering within the nobles as of late. And, what's this anxiety and suspicion about? This was about the top-secret that only the Royal Couple, the Crown Prince, and my father as the Prime Minister knew; about the fact that currently there's no Beloved Child of God in the Royal Family.

The same way as the Mage in the Bellux Family, it's been several generations since the last Beloved Child of God has been born into the Royal Family. Not only that, but their absence also happened at the same time. If the Mage disappeared four generations ago, then the last Beloved Child of God was the current Emperor's great-grandfather. The reason why I knew about such a secret and why I was certain this was not just a mere coincidence, again, all thanks to those memories I gained after the awakening. However, that was not what's important right now.

The point was that should this matter become known, the nobles would lose their faith in the Royal Family. Those who had been dissatisfied or shamelessly ambitious would start their moves to brew conflicts to steal what the empire had now.

In those dark days when the calamity devastated everything, the existence of the Beloved Child of God was akin to salvation itself as it was the averment that God had not forsaken the world. Being the Beloved Child of God meant that he has been chosen to be the apostle of God. Just this alone was enough to make him stand at the top and be worshiped by others. Coupled with the numerous heroic deliverance he did along the way with the Mage, this "Hero" became the sole pillar that supported the ruined world. Even after the establishment of the empire, the existence of the Beloved Child of God didn't become less important.

Anyhow, it was far from easy to get everything back to normal after all that hell. The world was still a mess even though it successfully avoided the calamity. The vigor of half of the people who survived had long gone, they were far too tired and too unfamiliar with this peace and freedom they had now. Then there was the other half who had too much of it that they competed with each other to rise to power quickly, erupting civil wars and worsening the destruction. If not for the apostle who wisely led the people and solved these issues as many as one could, the world would not become what it was today.

No matter how many times I recall this part of the memories, it always sounds so exhausting. Can't believe there's actually someone who would devote himself completely to others like that. The founding Emperor really deserved the "Hero" title.

That was why the Beloved Child of God was treasured and respected by the whole world. Everyone believed that as long as they existed, the world would continue being blessed by God. And as long as they kept being born into the Howlan Royal Family, no one would dare to move against the empire and tranquility would last.

However, the reality was not like that. The Royal Family had been walking on thin ice for generations, and the same could be said for the Bellux Family. Now that the Mage has returned, they would hang on to the slightest hope that one day the Beloved Child of God might return too. Even if not, the Mage could at least prove that the empire still held power. That's why my existence was indispensable for both families.

They're already on edge even though none shows it. Well, just four more years until they discover Elena. Let's hold on for now.

<Dust-devil> *whoosh*

<Fire-ball> *crackle*

<Aqua-sphere>*splash*

<Earth-pebble> *thud*

<Light-orb> *flash*

I tried to use several beginner-level magic from various attributes and unsurprisingly succeeded in doing all of them without a hitch. I expected it too but, just like the Magic Bag case, I didn't get tired even though I used them repeatedly several times. Looked like there was no difference in using my Magic Energy through a Magic Circuit or using it directly to activate the magic.

Then, what about using it with the wand?

A wand was a type of Magic Weapon.

Nowadays, thanks to all the research done by the Mages as well as their descendants and disciples during the past 600 years, everyone could employ magic in their daily lives using Magic Items. These items are divided into four categories. The first category is Magic Tools or Magic Devices, which are magically enchanted tools or instruments for specific jobs. Magic Devices are a more sophisticated combination of several Magic Tools. The second category is Magic Amulets which are accessory-type Magic Items that people wear for daily magic use. The third category is Magic Weapons. As the name suggests, they are weapons strengthened with magic to boost their durability or lethality. Lastly, all items that don't fit into the other three categories will just be classified as Magic Items.

Although there are many different kinds, Magic Items are generally made up of three parts: Magic Circuit, Medium, and Magic Stone. All three components are essential; if one is lacking, the magic will not be activated. The idea is inspired by how a Mage's body works to release magic. Magic Circuit is based on how the brain forms "commands" on which magic to use. Medium is based on how blood circulates in the body, allowing Magic Energy to flow from inside. And, like the heart, Magic Stone is a source of energy.

Following this concept, the components of a Magic Bag, for example, include a Magic Circuit composed of a set of specific runes to activate the space-expansion magic, a thread soaked in animal blood or honey, or a special kind of Magic Stone powder deluded in pure water as a Medium, and a dark-attribute Magic Stone as an energy source. The Magic Circuit was then sewn onto the bag using the thread, with the Magic Stone in the center.

The same applied to a wand, but the Magic Circuit wasn't as detailed and specified as a Magic Bag and was carved directly onto the Medium, the wood used as the shaft. The Magic Stone used as the wand's core also didn't have to be of a particular attribute, but its Magic Energy level must be several times higher than a regular Magic Stone. A wand augmented a magic output; hence it's often used alongside other Magic Items. Rear guards often used it to cast a strengthening or protection magic during combat; that was why it was categorized as Magic Weapons. But some craftsmen also utilized it while working.

Well, if you look at it this way, a wand might be useless to the already-powerful Mage. But the wand I had in mind was no ordinary one. It's a legendary wand previously owned by the first-generation Mage and passed down from generation to generation by the Bellux Family. It said that only the awakened Mage could touch the wand and that it's so dangerously strong that if handled poorly, it could accidentally blow up the entire town. Furthermore, the previous Mage would hide the wand with magic or tricks somewhere in the mansion after they retired. Finding the wand was a test of the next Mage's potential and whether or not they deserved to hold it.

It's like there's a bomb in the house... Aren't they scared that someone will mistakenly touch, step, or bump on something and that end up triggering the explosion?!

Then again, there's no such accident in the last 600 years so its safety precautions should be good.

I already put a mental note to find the wand before the game timeline started at the Royal Academy’s entrance ceremony. But right now, I had no idea where it might be hidden or even where I should start looking for clues. I wasn’t sure when the villainess obtained it, but I’m guessing she already had the wand at least before she was banished. Otherwise, she couldn’t possibly flee the temple and reach the den of monsters on her own, let alone become their new master. I remembered that at the final battle against her in the game, attacks coming from the wand were the deadliest one, but it was also her only weakness. If players destroyed the wand, the final boss would turn into an easy target. It needed one hell of skill combination from all characters in the party to achieve though. 

That wand is one of the villainess’ “cheats”. Now that I became her, it’s perfectly fine for me to have it, right? I’ll only use it to protect myself, so it should be okay. Right.

I had to reassure myself, because the scene when the villainess unleashed an Area-of-Effect (AOE) attack in the game, was seriously grotesque and annoying. I grimaced no matter how many times I recalled it. Well, I had to find the wand first to know how it worked with me.

I finished testing my aptitude for using some hybrid attributes while letting my mind wander a little, and there’s no problem with it too. Should I say, as expected of the final boss? I couldn’t help but laugh mockingly at myself. So before things became more depressing, I decided to wrap up this little experiment for now.

“?!”

A gasp escaped my mouth when I disabled the dark-attribute barrier. The sun already rose from the horizon and casted a golden hue across the sky. Because the barrier blocked all sound and light, I had lost track of the time. I immediately ran back to the mansion, not wanting to cause a commotion. Luckily, no one had realized my tardiness. 

“Welcome back, Lady Eira. ...I understand that you are more eager to exercise this morning than ever, but please don’t hurt yourself.”

That was what Amy said when she saw me drenched in sweat and gasped for air. Her pitying expression made me want to flick her forehead. 

“Lady Eira, a letter came for you a while ago.”

Not knowing my thought, she handed me a towel, then presented the wax-sealed letter. I glanced at it and immediately recognized the emblem printed on the wax. It’s a simple emblem depicting an initial instead of a fancier one usually used by nobles.

“It’s from Clara.” Even before reading the letter, I knew it was about her visit to the mansion.

Fourth day this week, so two days from now? Alright, this is a good time.

I had been waiting to put my previous match-making plan to work. If my 'villainess' status was the cause of my failed attempt at relieving Theo’s sadness, I wonder how he would react to an almost-unrelated character like Clara. She was an honest and gentle girl, but the hurdle might be too much for her alone.

Is there something that we can do to bring them closer quickly?

Something that could be done within the mansion. Something that was fun and could be enjoyed by them both. Something that would leave a deep impression...

...Oh! A treasure hunt!

It’s summer vacation, so it would be a waste not to go on an adventure, right? Some exciting mystery-solving experience might be the ideal occasion for deep bonding. What’s even better, like this I could search for the wand while keeping my eyes on them. 

Isn’t that perfect? Let’s do a treasure hunt!

DearanWan

Happy New Year!
Thank you for reading, and I'm sorry for the late release.
Hopefully this year will be better for all of us.