TPOVF 08

Chapter 08

“Actually.”

Eurenia took a small breath. And then she revealed a secret she hadn’t told anyone since graduating from the academy.

“I have no mana. So I can’t use any magic at all.”

“Really?”

Startled by Eurenia’s words, Kailus stared at her.

“Not even a little?”

“Not at all.”

The boy’s eyes grew as large as apricot seeds.

That was understandable.

In this world, everyone could basically use magic.

She wasn’t talking about grand magic that split the earth or summoned rain.

Such magic, which required enormous amounts of mana, could only be used by high-ranking nobles or the Magic Tower.

The magic used by ordinary people was much more mundane.

Magic to keep dust off clothes in the closet, magic to make a pen write on its own, magic to make a hair tie quickly bind up one’s hair, and so on.

Just as in her previous world, everyone had a small knack or two.

Here, everyone could perform at least one everyday spell.

Using mana to perform magic was a basic skill in this world.

It was at the academy that Eurenia discovered she had no mana.

Until then, she had simply thought she lacked talent. But that wasn’t it.

Eurenia had no mana.

To be more precise, she had negative mana.

When someone else cast a spell, the mana circulating through Eurenia’s body would receive it in reverse. As a result, the magic would work in the exact opposite way of its original intent.

She remembered how shocked she had been when she first learned of her constitution.

‘It’s all thanks to Rex-nim.’

Eurenia smiled and fiddled with the chain of the necklace around her neck. It looked like an ordinary amethyst necklace at first glance.

But in reality, it was a gift imbued with Rex’s blessing.

‘Wear it at all times.’

Rex was the Imperial Magic Tower Master and the head of the Academy’s Department of Magic. He had discovered Eurenia’s constitution and exempted her from taking magic classes.

Thanks to Rex writing a letter of justification, Eurenia was exempted from magic classes.

If it hadn’t been for him, she would have had to take magic classes. And she would have failed them all, losing her scholarship as well.

‘No need for thanks. There’s no fun in forcing a student who can’t even use mana to learn magic.’

Rex had said that as he gave her the necklace. To prevent mana from draining her vital energy.

‘Magic should be used to save people. Remember that one thing.’

Even though she couldn’t use magic. Someday, becoming a wonderful teacher like Rex, someone who could set people’s lives straight.

That was Eurenia’s goal.

Occasionally, she did feel a bit disappointed that she was the only one in a world where magic was everyday life who couldn’t wield mana.

But she was more grateful that she could live well without being consumed by mana.

Mana, schmana.

She could just think of it as the price of being reincarnated.

Dust in the closet could be whisked away with a duster, writing could be done by holding a pen, and her hair could be tied up tightly with one band.

So it was fine.

It wasn’t like the world was in the middle of magical warfare. And it didn’t hinder her daily life.

Only very occasionally.

It became a bit troublesome when someone tried to use magic on her.

Like today.

“Young master, about earlier. You were trying to close the door, weren’t you? To keep Malenda out.”

“…That’s right.”

“And you were trying to spill the milk on Malenda.”

“…Yeah.”

When asked about the commotion that had happened a little while ago, Kailus’s voice grew small.

“I wasn’t… trying to do it to you, Teacher. I’m sorry.”

“I know.”

Eurenia deliberately smiled as if it were nothing and said,

“It all went in reverse because of my mana anyway. So it wasn’t your fault. You don’t have to apologize to me. Well, Malenda might think differently, though.”

“Hehe.”

At Eurenia’s playful words, the child’s shoulders shook with laughter.

It was the first time she had seen Kailus smile.

“I’ll keep today’s incident a secret for you, so you have to keep my secret too, alright?”

“Okay!”

“And from now on, please call me Eurenia. Or Teacher, whichever you prefer.”

“Okay, Teacher! I’m Kail.”

“Yes, Young Master Kail.”

Eurenia looked at the boy who was shyly introducing himself and smiled brightly.

The tips of the boy’s fingers, gripping her sleeve, were tinged a faint peach color.

* * *

Knock knock.

The person who politely knocked on the study door slowly turned the handle. Enzo, who had been summoned by the head of the household, opened the door and bowed deeply.

“You called for me, Your Grace?”

“Did you escort the tutor properly?”

Chester looked up from the documents he had been reading at Enzo’s appearance. Under his sharp gaze, Enzo cleared his throat.

“She met the nanny in the hallway and I handed her over.”

“I see.”

Chester replied indifferently and signed the documents. A faint smile lingered at the corners of his mouth as he carelessly scrawled his name.

It was because the face of Eurenia, who had realized the identity of “Chester Valerio” as “Cute Ches” upon seeing the signature on the contract, came to mind.

That face, gentle as a lamb, had turned red as if it were about to burst.

Even though it was nothing special. The tutor kept coming to mind.

‘Her reactions were certainly varied.’

As the Duke’s lips curved into a graceful arc, Enzo squinted. As if unable to believe what he had seen, he even rubbed his perfectly functional eyes.

“Was there anything out of the ordinary?”

“Pardon? Ah, yes!”

At Chester’s question, Enzo snapped back to his senses and straightened his posture.

“She did ask about the young master. But they were within the scope of routine questions. She seemed to want to reference them for the lesson curriculum.”

“What did you tell her?”

“Before I could answer, the nanny arrived. By now, they should be meeting the young master together.”

“I see.”

Chester mulled over Enzo’s response and massaged his temple.

“Never mind that. Have you secured the belamo?”

Chester asked, erasing the tutor’s face from his mind.

“Both fresh herbs and dried, all of it.”

As the topic changed, the atmosphere in the study grew heavy. At the head of the household’s question, Enzo’s expression also turned serious. He replied in a grave tone.

“As you commanded, I’ve secured a total of 2 kilograms—1 kilogram of each. With your permission, I will send them to your sister-in-law, Lady Maeve—ah, to the Marchioness Dalton.”

“Send them at once. And if there are any other herbs known to be good for purifying mana, send those as well.”

“Understood.”

“…I hope they prove effective.”

Chester muttered to himself. The light in his blue eyes, gazing out at the garden beyond the window, was tinged with worry.

“How long can Lillian endure with that small body of hers?”

“The young lady will recover soon.”

“I hope so.”

At Enzo’s words of comfort, Chester wore a bitter expression.

Maeve, who had requested the herbs, had said just last week that Lillian had coughed up blood.

The youngest of the family had been bedridden since birth. Unfortunately, she had inherited her late father’s chronic illness exactly as it was.

Since the child’s birth, a shadow of death had hung thickly over the family.

Would she survive until today?

Or would she endure until tomorrow?

Maeve was losing her mind over her daughter’s precarious condition. Eventually, she lost even the strength to care for Kailus and had asked Chester for help.

She, who cherished her children dearly, had chosen to let go of one of them on her own.

How much anguish and pain must she have endured before making that decision?

How difficult must it have been?

Raising two children alone without a husband must have been overwhelming enough.

Even just imagining it, Chester could fully understand his sister-in-law’s heart-wrenching pain.

That was why he felt uncomfortable looking at Kailus. Because seeing that child inevitably made him think of Lillian and Maeve.

Chester simply could not bring himself to smile at Kailus. He could not offer kind words or a gentle touch.

Spending happy moments with the child itself felt like doing something terrible to his sister-in-law and his youngest niece.

It felt like an act of turning away from their suffering.

‘I hope this tutor lasts.’

Chester averted his gaze from the lush scenery of the garden outside the window.

Once a proper tutor was assigned, he would no longer have to pay attention to Kailus.

If he left the child to the nanny and the tutor, the entire household could focus on Lillian’s recovery.

‘She seemed to have some backbone, so she should be fine.’

But then.

Bang bang!

As if to crush Chester’s hopes.

Bang!

“Your Grace, Your Grace!”

Kailus’s nanny, Malenda, knocked loudly on the study door. Chester and Enzo’s gazes simultaneously turned toward the door.

The sturdy door of the study was shaking noisily.