Chapter 3

“Good morning, Miss Lilianna.”

Anna’s bright voice echoed in the room where the curtains were drawn back and the morning sun streamed in. Her reassuring smile made me naturally smile in return.

“Good morning, Anna.”

As Anna helped me with my morning preparations, I changed into a simple outfit for training. The academy’s hunting event was coming up soon, so I planned to alternate between swordsmanship and time management, and also start practicing light offensive magic.

I couldn’t afford to let my sword skills get rusty. I hadn’t even reached a level where I could earn a single compliment from my brother Wilfred, so I at least needed to maintain my current level.

...I thought maybe I would get a compliment yesterday. After all, it was the first time a woman had won that swordsmanship tournament. But I was told my technique was sloppy, and I felt embarrassed for having thought I might get a compliment. As time passed, I realized that my physical strength was at a disadvantage, and I had rushed to win. The decisive blow I made against Prince Reynold, sacrificing precision for speed, was indeed a close call. His attack was heavier than what I was used to, so it was partly luck.

It wasn’t about comparing myself to others; I simply hadn’t met the expectations. Not just in the swordsmanship tournament, but also in piano and the magical circuits I designed.

I hadn’t reached a level worthy of praise. That was all.

After breakfast, I headed to my brother Alphonse’s room. Before training, I was to receive the edited draft of the next picture book I had submitted.

“Hey, Lilianna. The protagonist is supposed to be a poor girl with a strong sense of justice, someone the readers will root for, right?”

“...Yes, brother.”

“Then, in this scene where the protagonist, Paula, gives food to a child without parents, she immediately hands it over right after feeling sorry for the child.”

I followed the finger Alphonse pointed to a passage. The story was about a girl who, despite her difficult circumstances, doesn’t lose her kindness and meets a fairy. The fairy, moved by her kindness, helps her in various ways, and everyone around her becomes happy. This scene was meant to show Paula’s poverty and her kindness to others.

“I don’t feel the struggle or conflict of being poor. Knowing the harshness of hunger, one would worry about oneself. But because of the overwhelming kindness, she gives it away. The background isn’t visible. It’s not wrong, as there’s no right answer in literature. Did you try to cut down on the word count for the picture book? But I felt that, by feeling sorry and then giving without hesitation, it seems like she hasn’t struggled with hunger. What do you think, Lilianna?”

“...I hadn’t thought about it until you pointed it out, but I agree. Adding a moment of hesitation would make her situation more realistic and highlight her kindness. As for the word count, it depends on the design of the book, but there should be enough pages to add more description.”

“Got it. Yeah. I’m looking forward to the second draft. Oh, and this part. The description of the fairy’s values in the middle contradicts this. Well, maybe it’s fine to show that fairies are whimsical.”

“No, I’ll fix this part too. I just realized the contradiction.”

I thought I had revised it, but there were so many things I hadn’t noticed until pointed out, which made me feel embarrassed.

The magical circuits I returned to Cornelia yesterday were also full of shortcomings. The draft of the picture book I was currently working on, which I was being guided on, was likely to be marked up in red, just like the circuits.

“Thank you for your guidance.”

I bowed and left the room, placing the edited draft in my room before heading to the family training ground. ...Though only my father and brother Wilfred use it.

Even in practice, using offensive magic requires focus. I needed to clear my head.

“Are you going to practice magic today, Lilianna?”

“Yes. The academy’s hunting event is coming up.”

To practice offensive magic, I was in a training space with the same barrier my father had set up in the castle, similar to the one used in the capital’s townhouse. I was testing the control of my magic by firing a few light spells when my father arrived. He was wearing the robes of a mage, so he was probably on his way to work.

It had been a few days since I last saw him because it was early winter, and the activity of monsters was increasing. The academy’s hunting event also aimed to reduce the number of monsters, which was necessary during this period. To reduce the number of minor monsters, so that only professionals like my father could focus on the more dangerous ones, was important. Even low-level monsters could be a threat if they appeared in human settlements.

“I’ll train you today. ...Try to imagine a real monster.”

“Understood.”

My father pointed to a small light floating at the end of the training ground, likely the target. Hunting is fundamentally different from a duel where opponents face each other and start on the judge’s signal. You need to approach silently and strike from outside the target’s awareness. Being noticed and engaging in combat with a monster is a fatal mistake. Even skilled users don’t deliberately engage in combat with monsters.

In a duel, the speed of casting magic is crucial. Strategic elements like feints are also important.

For hunting monsters, precision and power are necessary. To leave the prey as intact as possible, you need to aim for vital points. The target my father set up was likely meant to be the eye or neck, as these are valuable for alchemy.

I compressed my magic within my body to avoid detection, focusing all my power on the target. From a state of invisibility, I released my most powerful attack. I aimed true, but the target barely moved, and my attack lost power just before impact.

“Ah...”

“You were supposed to imagine a real monster. You didn’t notice the magic I placed in the ground to simulate the roots of a monster.”

After he pointed it out, I checked the ground with my magic. ...There it was, centered under the target. Indeed.

...If I was to imagine a real monster... Considering the types of monsters that might appear in the forest where the hunting event takes place, it would be a Dryad.

A Dryad would render a wind-based attack, commonly used, almost useless. My attack would have been blocked by the hardened bark.

Moreover, the target wasn’t just a target but the “core” of the Dryad, a rare material. The correct approach would have been to use a fire-based attack to penetrate the hardened bark and destroy the core.

I clenched my fist, realizing my mistake.

“You seem to have noticed. ...Dryads are rare in the Raimen Forest, but you shouldn’t ignore the possibility. In the actual hunting event, don’t let your guard down.”

“Yes... I’m sorry, I’ll be more careful.”

“As an Ajette, don’t make a clumsy mistake that could get you injured.”

“Understood.”

I felt ashamed and disappointed. I hadn’t shown anything that would satisfy them.

I bowed, thanking him for the guidance, and he left for work. I had taken up his valuable time before his shift... He must have expected me to notice that the target was a Dryad and handle it appropriately. I had failed to meet his expectations.

In a corner of the training ground, I soaked a towel with water and covered my face, trying to hide my tears of frustration.

“Miss... Please, don’t be so hard on yourself. The story of Paula was already very touching, and even now, in a real situation, you would use the right magic after identifying the monster. You wouldn’t use wind magic on a Dryad...”

But Anna’s concerned voice revealed that she had noticed my distress. Her kindness in just being there and offering comforting words had saved me many times.

“No, but if I had used detection magic, I would have noticed.”

“Such...!”

I understood Anna’s point. In a real training scenario, no one uses detection magic. I would have used it if this were the actual forest.

But it was too late to say that now.

“I should have been able to. It’s only natural that no one in my family praises me...”

“That’s not true... Miss Lilianna is the most amazing person I know!”

“But my father, mother, and siblings were at a higher level when they were my age.”

“You’re achieving results in many fields! I... I think you’re already doing your best and achieving results...!”

“Thank you, Anna...”

I had been holding back my tears, but Anna’s voice made them well up. I knew she had pleaded with my family to say something nice about me, even though I was just a fourth daughter of a baron’s family, serving since I was ten.

Of course, I hadn’t just wallowed in sadness, hoping they would eventually recognize me. I had wished for a single compliment, asking for it every year on my birthday since I was ten, saying I didn’t want any gifts, just a compliment.

But neither Anna’s pleas nor my requests were answered. Each time, my family said they would consider it if I achieved something worthy of praise. Clearly, I hadn’t.

It’s not their fault... It’s mine. I haven’t met their expectations. I haven’t achieved anything worthy of praise. I’ve seen my family praise each other, and I’ve envied it. Only I, only I, can’t get a compliment. It’s my fault. I’m not good enough yet.

So, it’s not that they don’t like me. They don’t.

“Praise... me... I’m trying so hard... I came in first... Why...”

I couldn’t let Anna hear such selfish words. I whispered them into the towel, barely audible.

“Why... Why are your family so strict with you, Miss Lilianna...! My words aren’t enough... They don’t reach you...”

I couldn’t hear Anna’s sobs over my own, but I knew she was trying to hold back her tears, just like me.