by Yu Sakurai
This is a significant number in comparison to most other lands, whose sorcerer populations are less than 1 percent.
Our noble families have many sorcerers among their ranks, but even for commoners, without a drop of sorcerer’s blood in their veins, some powerful magicians can still be born by genetic mutation.
It’s a rare occurrence, but we have many commoners in our kingdom. The mutation can occur in less than 0.1 percent of all births and still be visible among the population, making—
“It looks like your guest has arrived, my lady.”
Lucian’s voice stirred me from my thoughts.
I cast my gaze off to the distance until I could make out the approaching figure.
“Good evening. I had a feeling I’d see you here,” I said.
The one who drew near was not Fritz but a young girl with chestnut-brown hair.
Sumia.
“…What’s that supposed to mean?”
Sumia’s eyes narrowed in suspicion as she responded to me.
Between that look on her face and her biting attempt at a greeting, she was nothing like the timid, adorable girl I’d seen with Fritz and the others.
“Are you saying you knew that Prince Fritz wasn’t the one who sent that letter? Then why did you come at all?”
“I suspected you were the sender, which was convenient for me, as I’ve been wanting to speak with you.”
“Don’t lie. I copied His Highness’s handwriting perfectly from the letters I’ve received from him. How could you know it was me?”
“The ‘apology’ part was rather telling.”
I knew Fritz’s personality well enough. There was no way he would send me any kind of guilt-ridden letter like that.
Falling for Sumia had only caused him to become more shortsighted. A man like that would never have such a drastic transformation overnight, even if his father—the king—really did give him a good scolding. It just wasn’t believable.
And in the first place…
If Fritz was the kind of man who could easily identify his irrationalities and own up to his actions, he never would have done something as foolish as denounce me publicly in front of the whole world like that.
“Sumia, you’re familiar enough with His Highness’s personality, no? You can’t really think I’d fall for a letter filled with that much ‘honor’ from a man like him.”
“…!”
“Only a few days ago, when I was Prince Fritz’s fiancée, such a sweet letter probably would have won me over… But unfortunately, I no longer feel any affinity or loyalty to His Highness.”
Witnessing Fritz’s utter foolishness, along with the blow that regained me my lost memories, were both enough for me to cast away any feelings I still had left for him. That’s why I was so suspicious to receive a letter like that.
“Sumia, why did you want to meet me tonight under false pretenses? I do have a guess or two, but I’d appreciate it if you would just come clean already.”
I cast her my best intimidating smile. Sumia shivered in fear.
How rude.
She had no need to act the part of the “delicate baron’s daughter” right now. It seemed like quite the overreaction.
“Don’t act so cocky! Fine, I’ll tell you! I want you to renounce your title and live as a commoner.”
“I’ll have to pass, thank you. Why in heaven’s name would I do such a thing?”
Honestly, now that I had the memories of my past life, there was a part of me that did want to give up my responsibilities as a noblewoman and live a carefree commoner’s life.
But after seventeen years of being Laetitia, I knew that my duties and pride weren’t things I could abandon so easily.
“Ha! You don’t get it, do you? I’m only asking for your sake. Imagine if I told Prince Fritz that I wanted you made a commoner because I was scared of your bullying. Wouldn’t you rather do it voluntarily than under His Highness’s orders?”
She smiled triumphantly. I felt a headache coming on.
I understood that I was in her way, but there was no justifying a request like that.
“…So, you’re serious, then? You intend to make me a commoner when I’ve done nothing wrong? This will lead to a serious clash between noble families. Do you have the slightest idea what will happen to the kingdom if you do this?”
“His Highness is head over heels for me, just so you know. He’ll do whatever I ask of him.”
“…I think you might be right about that.”
The accuracy of that statement was the cause of my headache.
Fritz, the crown prince, had lost all his senses in love.
He’d already banished me from the kingdom entirely. I had no reason to think he wouldn’t go as far as trying to strip me of my title too.
“His Highness will probably bow to your every request.”
“Exactly! You get it, don’t you? So do as I say and relinquish yo—”
“Nirz Village.”
“…!”
Sumia’s smile faltered when she heard that.
“You said you were born and raised here in the capital, but that was a lie, wasn’t it? You’re from the small village of Nirz, which is territory under your father’s domain.”
“……”
She fell completely silent.
The expression on her face—twisted into a fearful grimace—showed me plainly that I was correct.
“And that’s not the only lie you’ve told. You don’t have a drop of noble blood in your veins, do you? Both of your parents are the most average of commoners.”
“…H-How do you know that?!”
“I’ve always thought it was strange.”
The clue was in the genetics of magic.
“The amount and type of magic you possess is heavily dependent on your family’s bloodline. But your father…well, the baron you claim as your father, has no other Light Magic users like you in his family tree.”
“…What’s so strange about that?! Non-Light families can still have Light-using children! I wouldn’t be the first!!”
“Sure, it could be a mutation… But don’t you think a few details seem…off about that?”
“No, I don’t!”
“You, a rare wielder of Light Magic, were suddenly born into a noble family. But before you turned thirteen, that family had no idea of your powers. And then, despite having no education or experience as a noblewoman, you were still able to get close to the crown prince.”
A baron’s bastard child, raised as a commoner, is revealed to possess incredible powers. She then meets the prince, her soulmate, and the two fall in love.
It reminded me of romance novels from my past life, actually. But to see these events play out in front of me in the real world, well, that was more than fishy to me.
“Any of those points would be unlikely on their own. But all of them happening to the same girl? No, that’s not just luck. How could I not find it suspicious?”
My theory was that the baron himself had masterminded this plan, along with the Ilegar family—including their son, Ilius the Glasses Creep.
The Ilegars and the Gramwells were political opponents. My marriage plans with Fritz weren’t something they’d just take lying down.
The baron was a distant relative of theirs, and he’d informed the Ilegars that he’d discovered a young girl who could use Light Magic. He then claimed her as his own daughter, the families declared her the second coming of the Goddess, and they used their political ties to push her closer to the crown prince.
It was a plan so outrageous, they probably never even expected it to work.
But Fritz, for better or for worse, was completely fooled by Sumia’s darling, innocent act. That was the final piece of the puzzle, and the Ilegar family got everything they wanted.
But the plan was supposed to stop there. I was sure the Ilegars and Glasses Creep himself never expected Fritz to end our engagement in such a public setting.
I had no proof, but
I suspected Sumia went rogue that day when she told Fritz I pushed her down a staircase. Sumia most likely wanted to get me out of the way as soon as possible, so she went behind the Ilegars’ back and made up lies about me without consulting the family first.
As a result, Fritz believed her, lost his senses, and called off our engagement in front of a crowd of witnesses.
All of this was speculation on my part, but I felt confident it was close to the truth. Glasses Creep looked so panicked when it all went down, well, it was almost funny. It was an obvious sign that things had not gone according to his plans.
“I’ve been suspicious of you for some time, so I had your past investigated. I learned all about your true identity and the village you came from.”
“…You sure make it sound simple.” Sumia bit down hard on her lower lip. “My past was concealed very carefully, I’ll have you know.”
“After telling so many lies, you really think there was no evidence left to be found? My servants are highly skilled. With them on the job, it was only a matter of time before we found what we were looking for.”
I sung my servants’ praises with my head held high.
Lucian, my head servant, and everyone under him were all commoners of exceptional talent. Their upbringings also made them all the more perceptive when it came to understanding fellow commoners.
It was all thanks to their efforts and father’s connections that the investigation succeeded, and we were able to uncover Sumia’s past.
“Sumia, I won’t allow you to meddle in my affairs any longer. The only reason you were able to become His Highness’s fiancée was your so-called ‘noble blood.’ You understand how classist the people of this kingdom are, don’t you? It won’t be pretty if His Highness or his father find out who you really are.”
“…! You’re bluffing!!” she screamed. “If you had any proof about who I was, you’d have already revealed it to the whole world! This whole thing is just a trick!! I bet you don’t have a single scrap of evidence!!”
“…You just don’t know when to give up, do you?”
With a sigh, Lucian removed a piece of paper from his breast pocket.
I mentally praised him for his good timing. I took the paper and began to read it aloud.
“Sumia. Birth name: Merrow. Seventeen years of age. Third daughter of Griada and Diersen. Born in Nirz Village…”
The more I read, the paler Sumia’s face grew, until she was the color of candle wax.
It appeared she finally understood just how much I knew about her true identity.
“…You get it now, don’t you? All I have to do is say the word, and you’ll be facing charges for impersonating a noble.”
“…Liar.”
Sumia wrenched her trembling lips apart to speak.
Her eyes were wide with fear. She was desperate to deny the facts before her.
“Why are you doing this?! I don’t understand! If you figured out that much, you could destroy me whenever you wanted! Well?! What are you waiting for?!”
“I don’t see the point in it. Do you?” I calmly explained the facts to Sumia, who was starting to break down. “If I’d been a month earlier in getting to the bottom of it all, I would have informed His Highness in secret. But if there’s one thing I’m sure of, it’s that I wouldn’t have revealed my findings publicly.”
“And why is that?!”
“I’d have to be a real fool, wouldn’t I? If the public found out that the crown prince had become infatuated with a liar of such proportions…it would be a huge scandal for the royal family, and therefore the kingdom itself.”
“…!”
“But still, even if I had known just a little earlier, I don’t think it would have changed a thing. How could it? Revealing your true identity on that day wouldn’t make Fritz take me back. It would only serve to hurt his reputation, being the foolish prince who fell for such a wicked scheme. Furthermore, it would be a greater insult to myself, a duke’s daughter, and to my entire family as well.”
I shrugged.
“All of that is still true today. If I exposed your lies, I’d only be hurting the royal family’s reputation, and it would also ruin Fritz’s chances of finding a suitable fiancée. For now, I feel like it’s better to let you hold that title.”
It wasn’t just Sumia—she had the support of the Ilegar family behind her too.
As long as they knew of her true past, there was no way Sumia could betray that family by doing anything stupid. She was a puppet to do their bidding.
On top of that, by accepting my unfair punishment without making a fuss, the royal family would now be indebted to the Gramwells.
I wasn’t going to just let Glasses Creep get away with it all. I knew that if anyone had a plan to stop the Ilegars, it was my father.
“Sumia, I’d wager that calling me out here tonight was your own plan, right? I’ll be informing Glasses Cr— Ilius of your actions to be sure his family monitors you much more strictly. I hope you’ll put more thought into your future actions.”
I’d said my part. My business with Sumia was finished.
Just as I turned around, ready to return home with Lucian…
“Looks like words won’t be enough.”
Four walls of light suddenly formed a barrier around me.
With a sigh, I turned back around to face her. Through the glimmering walls of the cage, I could make out Sumia’s bloodshot eyes glaring at me.
“It’s all your fault!!”
“And? What exactly is this meant to accomplish?”
“You can’t break my walls with your magic! You’ll be trapped in there while I call for help!”
“What, you want to silence me? Do you really think that will work?”
Obviously, there were more copies of that report back at home. If she killed me here, there’d be no doubt as to the identity of the culprit.
Not that I had any intention of letting her do such a thing.
The cage of light looked to be over ten feet tall on every side.
The space above me was sealed off too. I was completely enclosed.
Even when she wasn’t enraged, Sumia possessed a large amount of magical energy. I knew the walls around me would be incredibly strong.
However, I could easily destroy this barrier with my magic. It would just take some craftiness on my part.
If I started a fire in this enclosed space, there was a good chance I wouldn’t be able to avoid the flames.
“…All right. Let’s give it a try, shall we?”
Once I made sure Lucian was at a safe distance, I turned my attention to the wall before me.
It was Water Magic that this situation demanded. Thanks to my newly improved energy flow, water was now simple for me to handle, even though it used to be my weakness.
Focus. Focus. And then, chant the spell.
My target was in front of me—I was going to strike just at the right angle to avoid Sumia, who was smiling at me smugly, as well as the surrounding ruins.
…Release.
“What…?”
Sumia’s mouth fell open as she watched her walls of light begin to break.
The tiny crack in the wall splintered out into a web of fissures.
Barriers may be strong on their own, but they fall apart when they’re even slightly disturbed.
I’d used the same “transmutation” technique as I did with the whisk, but this time on water. I could create the water with my spell and control its shape however I wanted. Over and over I compressed it, then sent it flying in a beam.
It was supposed to act like a water jet cutter—a tool I knew from my past life.
This was a technique I’d practiced as a countermeasure against Sumia’s Light Magic, and it finally came to use.
“This can’t be happening…”
Sumia sank to the ground across from the crumbling wall of light.
She was devastated to see her precious Light Magic be destroyed…or so I thought at first,
but that didn’t seem to be the whole story.
Fwish.
Sumia’s brown hair was severed just below her chin. The strands caught the moonlight and glimmered as they fell to the ground.
It looked as if the water blade had barely missed her neck.
…Oh no. That wasn’t supposed to happen.
I smiled at Sumia, who was still pale-faced and trembling, hoping she wouldn’t notice my mistake.
That water blade wasn’t supposed to hit Sumia when I discharged it. But I’d never used magic like that in a practical situation, so my aim wasn’t as accurate as I’d hoped.
I missed the mark and just barely grazed the side of Sumia’s neck, by the look of it.
Things could have gotten bloody. Horrifyingly, I’d almost sent her whole head flying off her body.
This world wasn’t as safe as the life I experienced in Japan, and therefore, I was always prepared to defend myself if the time came. Still, the former office worker in me who was used to peace and harmony didn’t actually want to resort to pointless violence.
What I really wanted was to avoid a sudden R-rated, gory twist in my life story. It would definitely haunt my dreams for the rest of my life.
…Attack spells are no joke. I have to be really careful with these.
With that lesson tucked away in my heart, I observed my surroundings and was relieved to see the water hadn’t harmed any of the ruins.
That was way too close.
These ruins were a thousand years old. They were an irreplaceable part of our history, just like a World Heritage Site back on Earth. Silently, I breathed a sigh of relief to see I hadn’t damaged them because of my careless mistake.
◆ ◆ ◆
“GOOD thing it only cut your hair. That could have been much worse…”
Sumia shuddered in response to Laetitia’s remark.
She sensed the intention behind her words—it was a clear threat.
Laetitia was warning Sumia that she could send her head flying whenever she felt like it. She let her off easy this time, only taking a bit of her hair, but Laetitia’s powers could be deadly whenever she wanted them to be.
Sumia was humiliated, enraged, and defeated.
The distinct feeling of fear was sending her heart into disarray.