Chapter 33: Dark Magic.

Kein's POV

Baron Hills escorted us, giving his Pegasus horse to his assistant to take care of while Rose and I confusingly followed him not knowing what to expect.

"W-Will you be okay? Maybe I should try healing it again?" (Rose) mutters worriedly looking over my arm realizing that she was close to me. My heart felt uneasy.

I smiled awkwardly feeling a little fluttery that Rose was worried about me, I shook my head in response. "I'm alright, it's just a small wound." I told her and she frowned.

Baron Hills stopped walking, there was a carriage nearby. "I'm sorry to overhear both of your conversations but I'm afraid healing or any kind of magic will not work on Kein anymore. If... My suspicions are right. I'll explain on the way back home."

Home... Will Rose also tag along?

I stared at Rose expecting something but she was a little late on the realization. "Ah! I-I erm... actually need to go home too! Yeah! To my normal commoner house!"

Rose phrased the last bit dramatically but I ignored it. "I can escort you back home." I suggested offering my hand, she stops for a bit mildly tempted at the thought she even covered her face.

However shakes her head quickly and runs away leaving my hand empty. "No! No! I'm sorry it seems like I have to go now! Farewell!" She was halfway across the street when she stopped giving her a nice wave.

"Just tell me the next time you visit the orphanage! I'll be waiting!" (Rose) yells over happily as Baron Hills looks over to me giving me a weird grin.

"What?" I asked him suspicious of his smug smile.

"Perhaps young love is in the air?" (Baron Hills) said teasingly, giving me a gentle pat on the shoulder.

"Ew no." I crossed my arms in denial. I admit after the confession I've been feeling weird but... it's not like I like her that much yet.

We're not even past best friends yet. "Come on, Baron Hills. Let's talk already. I don't want you pressing in on my love affairs."

Baron Hills couldn't contain his laugh, laughing merrily leaving me blushing like a fucking tomato. "IT'S NOT LIKE THAT COME ON ALREADY!"

"But you said it yourself, 'love affairs'." (Baron Hills)

"Yeah but- no wait- I didn't mean to- it was at the slip of the tongue- UGH!" I was at the verge of breaking down for being called out on it.

I like her a little bit BUT only a LITTLE.

I know she likes me back but in this age it's not good to date this young.

Please save me from this utter humiliation. I need to live to read another yuri book, I desperately need it. "You two remind me of my wife and I. I was the one chasing after her, and she rejected me coldly but after a while she slowly-"

"I swear it's nothing like that!"

I just don't have the balls to admit it is. I refuse to- until I'm at the right age.

Baron Hills opened the carriage door, letting me in. "My wife also said that before we got married. Ah young love."

I'm this close into stabbing you, Baron Hills. I glared at him, crossing my arms letting out an angry aura that he can never ignore.

He gets the hint and just smiles at me like he did nothing wrong, "Alright, alright. I know when to stop. I'll explain everything now."

He gets in and tells the coachman to go back into the Hills estate.

We sat in for a moment of silence before giving me a serious look, "I have already checked on your background. It seems that you didn't come from a common family. You're from a fallen noble house, the Rosenguards." (Baron Hills)

I recall all the things I've read from the diary. His sources were accurate and it made me feel a sense of relief that I might be going to get some needed answers on who Kein really is. "I am but I don't know much about them other than my biological mother passing away because of the difficulty of birth and that my father was nowhere to be seen."

"I... I can't remember anything about them." I told Baron Hills honestly who nods sympathetically at my state.

"You are not normal. I have been hiding this from you, the moment I dug information about your background. Your father was from [Winshern] where dark magic is mostly practiced and he was believed to be a user of dark magic himself." He raises his hands showing a golden storage ring taking a stack of papers. "This... is your father."

He hands me over the paper with a man with deep blue eyes, and brown flaxen hair. So this is Kein's father, he looked so serious like he's about to kill someone. "How about my mother?"

He pointed over at the other stack, I flipped it around and saw a lovely woman, smitten, with amber eyes and golden hair that resembled mine. Kein... was a mix of both of them. "You said my father was a user of dark magic- tell me more about it."

Baron Hill's eyes gloomed as the tension between us felt thick. He rests his chin on his hands and asked, "Are you aware how the royal family of the [Puronia] empire specializes in light magic."

I nod my head wondering the reason why he asked that, "Yes. I have seen some normal shrine maidens have light magic as well."

"The shrine maidens and light priestesses were blessed by the heavens but they will never match up to par with those of the pure royal bloodline. They will have the power to bring someone back from the dead." (Baron Hills) explained. "What do you know about the land of [Winshern]."

"The country of snow, where the Goddess of winter and God of shadows reside." I answered, "It's a cold barren place where the military and technology is top notch?"

Baron Hills looked satisfied with my answer, "Now tell me, what do you think the [Winshern] royal family specialized on."

I paused for a moment thinking this was too easy. "It's where the god of shadows resided. I'm sure he was seen as their god so it also meant the same for their blessings for the royal family. Dark magic."

Baron Hills nodded. "You have dark magic, Kein."

I stood up from my seat not believing any of this. "No you've got to be kidding me. I can't be. Maybe I've also been blessed by the shadow god?!"

"It will only work if you were in his lands but you were in [Puronia] when you awakened your magic. It would only mean one thing, the magic was ancestral. Your father was the second prince of the kingdom."

"He's currently a Duke managing his own affairs. It seems he was not aware that he had a daughter. He currently has no heir to his Dukedom and will pick from the second branch of the family." (Baron Hills)

Kein's father was a prince- was a prince now a Duke but still royal blood courses through this body.

I slumped back from my seat and groaned. "No I can't. I just can't. I don't want to be some lost heir to some dukedom."

It's not about the money but the trouble it'll bring me.

Lands and title fights are not my cup of tea.

"Please, I don't want to be found out sooner or later. Considering if he finds out he has a daughter I know I'm either going to be a marriage pawn or something else because that's how they treat women in winshern-" I had to rub my temples gently to calm myself down.

"I've read about how the people of winshern treat their women. It's a misogynistic country. What do I do..." I looked down from my seat. Thinking of hundreds of scenarios where I've been found out and I'm going to be some pawn for political marriage. This is a lot to take in.

Baron Hills holds me for a moment before sighing looking over my head, "I... I can adopt you and place you as the next heir for the Hills estate."

I looked up quickly at what he said. "Adopt me?"

"You possess a dark magic kind. Where you're immune to magic and the only thing you can do is absorb them. If I adopt you we can create some sort of alibi to which they'll have less noticed." (Baron Hills) tells me his plan which was not a bad idea but- hold on.

"Wait, I didn't cancel or disperse it? I... absorbed it?" I asked confusedly, staring into my hands.

Baron Hills takes my hand and stares at me confidently in the eyes, "Yes, you absorbed the flame that the ant threw at you and the healing magic that your friend did." He places his hand on top of mine chanting a spell.

"[Water Magic: Summon]." he summoned a small body of water under his palm and looked at me, "Now chant the magic you did when you were fighting the ant." (Baron Hills)

I was nervous but I knew I needed to trust Baron Hills. So I took a deep breath and exhaled, muttering the spell. "[Cancel]."

My eyes widened as a strong surge of magic power went through my hand, absorbing Baron Hill's water spell. It went through me- "This is... some really weird magic."

He laughs and nods, "It might indeed be a little peculiar, but it is one of the strongest magic out there."

Baron Hills stopped laughing for a moment speaking to me in a serious tone. "You're after all, more than of noble blood. You're someone with dark magic coursing through you."

I gulped, forgetting this was a light magic country and you know how this always goes. It's always dark vs light. "Isn't dark magic considered bad magic in this country?"

Baron Hills could only nod again, "It is. Especially by the church considering they've been at a huge war because of it but these past decades everything has been tame."

He took his hands again and gave me a gentle pat on the head. It was suddenly taking me completely off guard. "However, remember. There will never be such a thing as bad magic. There can only be bad people, those who use their magic for evil deeds. I know you're not one of them."

"Really?"

"You protected your friend back then, yes?" (Baron Hills) gave me a smug smile while I just rolled my eyes because of him ruining the moment.

"Yeah I did save Rose." We stared at each other for a moment before I decided to bow my head as a form of respect for him.

"I... I think I accept being adopted by you Baron Hills. If you'll have me. I will do my best to be your daughter."

Baron Hills shakes my hands with one more advice, "You will continue to hide your magic. You will not use it except when it is really needed. I shall train you in the art of the sword so you can at least protect yourself when the time comes."

"Yes, Baron Hills."

I looked at the window carriage, life being into another person's body felt so surreal. It seems that I've been adopted. I would be a fool if I let this opportunity pass me.

Kein... your life is more troublesome that I would've never expected.

You're the daughter of the second prince of another country. I wonder if I never replaced her state of mine what would have you done?