Chapter 2

For the Vionne family, the most important person was their eldest daughter, Zeraphi.

The second daughter, Noel, had been made aware of her situation through abuse since she was old enough to understand.

Noel discovered her talent as a mage at the age of five.

Zeraphi pushed her, and Noel fell from the fence into the galloping horses' path.

In that moment, Noel instinctively created a "magical barrier."

Whether it was fear that awakened her power or survival instinct that brought out her ability, an invisible wall protected her from the horses' hooves.

She survived, but the fear caused her to lose control and faint.

Her father scolded Noel, saying, "What are you doing, you idiot?"

Her mother only worried about the skirt, saying, "You're five years old and you've dirtied your skirt."

Zeraphi, the eldest daughter, was cherished like a treasure because of her strong magical power.

This was discovered when she was four years old during an evaluation at the national religious facility.

Her power was so strong that it rivaled that of the royal family, far exceeding the average for nobles.

The Vionne family was once a lineage of mages.

This was during the time when mages were abundant in the country.

Now, things were different.

Zeraphi's strong magical power was a rare occurrence, like a throwback to their ancestors.

"Perhaps the second daughter might also have strong magical power," her parents hoped, and Noel was treated well until she was three years old.

At four, she was taken to the national religious facility for an evaluation.

The priest said, "Four is a bit early," but Noel's parents were undeterred.

Zeraphi could use fire magic, creating flames with her fingertips, by the age of three.

Zeraphi was indeed a genius.

However, expecting the same from her sister was wrong.

When Noel touched the magical device for evaluation, it barely reacted.

"…It seems there is some magical power," the priest said with a troubled expression.

The device had reacted much more brightly for Zeraphi.

Noel's parents were deeply disappointed.

From then on, Noel was treated even more poorly than the servants.

When she regained consciousness, she was on the floor of the mansion.

Exhausted from using magic for the first time, Noel was dazed.

She didn't fully understand why her parents were scolding her.

A servant took Noel to the bath and helped her.

It was fortunate that there was a kind servant.

—That was "magic."

Noel understood what had happened to her.

Even if no one else did, she knew she had used magic.

At that moment, she felt a powerful force coursing through her body.

It was hot and intense, like lightning.

It surged through her, creating a barrier that repelled the horses' hooves.

—I protected myself.

The cruel and violent Zeraphi had pushed Noel in front of the galloping horses.

Though she often kicked and hit her younger sister, this time it went too far.

Noel shuddered.

—I have to protect myself more…

◇◇

The evaluation showed that Noel had a small amount of magical power.

However, in reality, she had enough power to create a barrier to protect herself from the horses' hooves.

It wasn't a small amount.

She thought, "Maybe the evaluation was too early."

The priest had said it was early.

So, her magical power didn't flow properly into the device.

Later, she learned that the "magical barrier" was called a "ward."

It was a defensive magic used by mages to protect themselves.

She recalled the moment she cast the ward.

She tried to summon the feeling of the magical power flowing through her body, creating a barrier.

Closing her eyes, she manipulated the hot, lightning-like force within her.

—Magical power, protect me.

An enveloping, barrier-like shield was instantly created around her body.

If she could just grasp the initial trigger, she would be fine. At that moment, Noel had learned the trick—literally, at the cost of her life.

Noel indeed had the blood of a mage.

From then on, she could freely cast wards like the ancient mages.

Noel's family—her father, mother, and sister—were all corrupt.

They always had twisted expressions.

Perhaps it was because the family was poor. But there are good people even among the poor.

The Vionne family was once a wealthy noble family.

However, due to the incompetence of successive lords, their territory had shrunk.

Now, they only governed a poor territory with two villages.

They lived off the taxes from the villages.

They couldn't overtax the villagers.

If the national officials found out, they would lose even their small territory.

As nobles, they couldn't afford luxuries.

Zeraphi, the eldest daughter with strong magical power, was born like a savior to the Vionne family.

It was natural that she was cherished.

An incompetent second daughter like Noel was probably not even worth keeping as a backup.

Noel was used like a servant by her mother.

She was ordered to carry potatoes from the fields to the warehouse.

Each time, there was enough to last for a while. She had to carry them in buckets, making multiple trips.

This morning, she had been carrying firewood, and now potatoes.

Her arms were so heavy she could barely move.

In her exhaustion, Noel thought about using magic to carry the potatoes.

She tried to channel her magical power while carrying the potatoes, using it to help with the heavy work.

After trying without giving up, it seemed to become easier.

It felt like her body was being supported by magic.

—Maybe this will make life a bit easier.

Noel was always tired. Her meals were insufficient, and she had no appetite due to overwork.

Sometimes, when she collapsed, she was doused with water.

—Maybe I'll die.

She thought.

But she had learned a useful magic.

When her father came home, Noel would stay in her room and wait.

Her mother made her do heavy labor, and her sister used her as a target for fire magic, but her father knew about it.

Her father was cruel.

He was the one who doused her with water when she collapsed.

Her father traveled between the territory and the capital for work, rarely visiting the capital residence.

The territory was a two-day ride on horseback, or twice that by carriage.

What kind of work could there be in a territory with only two villages? As she grew older, Noel suspected that her father might be "playing around somewhere" or even "visiting a mistress."

Regardless of the truth, it was better for Noel if her father wasn't around.

Noel's body was covered with bruises and scars.

The injuries were still minor because Zeraphi's attack magic, due to her young age, wasn't very powerful.

Noel had to strengthen her speed and the solidity of her wards before Zeraphi's magic improved.

When she sneaked into the mansion's library, she found that "wards" were described in a book on magic. She also found a similar spell to "strengthen the body" in a book on knight training.

The spell was called "Body Strengthening Magic."

The book mentioned that "only about half of the senior knights in the knight order can master this difficult magic."

After reading the description, she wasn't sure if it was the same magic, but it was helping her, even if it wasn't as advanced as the knight order's magic.

However, she had to be careful not to be seen as easily handling the work, or she might be overworked.

She deliberately took her time with tasks like cleaning the stables.

Replacing the heavy straw bedding was a significant amount of work, so it was reasonable to take time.

In exchange, she used the free time to practice magic.

To gather information for escaping, she used wind magic. She collected information about the school this way.

It was a "eavesdropping" spell.

In a book in the mansion's library, it was written that "scouts read sounds with the wind," so she tried various methods and succeeded.

Surprisingly, it was easy.

One of Noel's magical attributes was probably "wind."

Her magic had improved significantly.

However, she never told her mother or anyone else.