Chapter 5

The Eldenvalk domain, governed by Father, lay at the edge of the continent, facing the ocean.

The climate was mild and warm year-round.

A port town had been built within a bay-like indentation of the coastline, and it flourished thanks to the heavy traffic of people and goods moving in and out.

The estate of the Eldenvalk family, the lords of the region, was also located in that port town, and I ended up spending my second decade of life right there.

Though it was our own territory, in my previous life I had never set foot in it even once.

Back then, I had stubbornly refused to leave the royal capital, convinced that living there was the only proof of being a noble if one lacked magic.

It was my first time visiting my homeland in this second life.

It was far brighter and warmer than I had imagined, stimulating my youthful sensibilities to the fullest.

Not only domestic goods but also supplies from foreign countries flowed in abundance into the port town; rare imported items and books written in foreign languages provided me with a wealth of knowledge.

Moreover, because the port town enjoyed a mild climate and beautiful scenery, prominent figures and intellectuals from all over the world often chose it as a place to retire after finishing their life’s work. Many of them established relationships with Father, the lord, and even made my acquaintance as his daughter.

Some of them even undertook my education as a pastime for their twilight years.

In my previous life, I had dedicated all my time to unlocking magical talent, and when that proved impossible, I spent it plotting schemes to become Crown Princess.

In this life, having given up all of that, I had time to spare.

Most of my surplus time was spent learning and memorizing things I had never known in my own territory.

Learning was surprisingly fun, and I felt a sense of joy in the process of studying, remembering, and using the accumulated knowledge to understand even more difficult concepts.

Honestly, it was vastly better than practicing magic, where no matter how hard I tried, I made no progress… and felt absolutely no sense of accomplishment…

…No, that was just me complaining.

Magic wasn’t inferior to other fields of study. It was simply my fault for obsessing over magic despite having zero talent for it.

For someone with a certain degree of talent, mastering magic must have been genuinely fun.

Regardless, the moment I gave up on magic, I found myself enjoying learning about everything else.

Time flew by in a flash as I became engrossed in my studies.

Before I knew it…

…I had turned eighteen.

Eight years had passed since I returned to my ten-year-old self.

“Lady Eltriede is truly a fast learner. It seems you are blessed with exceptional innate brilliance.”

At the end of the lesson, those words left me momentarily bewildered.

Today, I was visiting Master Zingamen’s residence to study history.

Master Zingamen was an elderly gentleman with a fully whitened beard, and in his youth, he had served as a civil official in some foreign country.

He had retired in his old age and, following a common pattern in our port city, chose it as his retirement home to settle down.

There were quite a few such gentlemen in this city, and because they were retired, they tended to have a surprising amount of free time.

Quite a few eccentric individuals were willing to tutor the lord’s daughter just to pass the time.

Master Zingamen was one of them, and I was the one who imposed upon his kindness by visiting his home to beg for instruction… but…

“You overestimate me. I have no such talent…”

Taken aback by the abrupt flattery, I stammered, unsure how to reply.

“It is quite like you to be so unaccustomed to receiving praise… I have heard about the circumstances regarding where you stand in this country, milady.”

Master Zingamen said, stroking his lush white beard.

Hearing those words, I instinctively stiffened.

“Honestly, I harbor doubts about this country’s values, which measure a person’s worth solely by magic. Lady Eltriede, you who study so diligently, must surely know how other nations evaluate talent?”

“Magic exists only in our Spiritual Kingdom. Therefore, I hear that in other nations, magic is not used as a yardstick for talent, and people are instead evaluated based on intelligence, capability, and achievements, including family lineage.”

“Quite right.”

Master Zingamen nodded with satisfaction.

Precisely because it was a port town facing the sea, information from other countries transcended national borders and flowed in abundantly here.

Things I never would have known had I stayed in the royal capital, I was able to learn plenty of in the territory.

Thanks to that, I had reached a point where I could look back on the past and wonder, “Why on earth was I so obsessed with magic alone?”

“It might be taken as criticism of other nations, but I find it hard to understand why this country clings so stubbornly to magic alone. First of all, the evaluation of talent must be multifaceted. Even if someone has power, if they are a fool, you cannot entrust them with important matters. And even if they possess both literary and martial arts, if their character is wicked, giving them authority will only lead to chaos in the world.”

“Yes.”

“Magic is also nothing more than one among many qualities. Intelligence and personality are important too, yet if one’s value is decided solely by the presence or absence of magical ability, it is quite unbearable.”

The teacher’s tone, though calm, could not completely hide the sharpness lingering at the edges.

He must have understood how I was treated in this country and was expressing his indignation on my behalf.

For me, who had already experienced a first lifetime, those were emotions that had long since withered away, but should I rejoice that someone was angry for my sake?

“Well, what I want to say is that you, milady, should also broaden your horizons. Even if you cannot use magic, you are exceptional. If you go to another country, you will surely be sought after from all directions.”

“Do you really think so… Teacher, aren’t you praising me a little too much?”

“It is only natural to want to praise a well-performing student. In truth, there is almost nothing left for me to teach you. With your abilities, you could serve as a bureaucrat for a nation. Or even as the lady of a great noble house. You are not only capable, but also quite beautiful!”

Master Zingamen laughed heartily as he said that, but behind my smile, I remained utterly humbled and flustered.

He was good at teaching, but he praised his students far more than expected, didn’t he?

Was this also what they called being a doting parent?

Feeling entirely too out of place, I cut the conversation short and took my leave from the teacher’s retirement estate.

When I stepped outside, a blue sky stretched out before me, and the color of the sea reflecting in the distant scenery was deep and brilliantly blue.

“It is such fine weather again today, Milady.”

My maid, Noah, remarked.

Naturally, it was out of the question to let a noble lady walk around alone, so having an escort was a given.

In the end, she had ended up coming along with me when I retreated to the territory, too.

In my previous life, she should have been dismissed and gone from our household before I celebrated my eleventh birthday, but in this life, she was still serving me.

That, too, was one of the changes.

“I understand why Milady turned down the carriage. The sea breeze is cool and truly pleasant. Though I suppose for safety’s sake I should have scolded you…”

“Have you gotten used to this place too, Noah? When you were hired in the royal capital, you must have been bewildered by suddenly moving to such a remote land, weren’t you?”

“Oh, my, Milady. Just how many years do you think has passed since then? I got used to this wonderful port town right away. If anything, it’s cleaner than the royal capital, and many different kinds of goods are sold here. There’s no such thing as it being hard to live in.”

I didn’t think that was entirely true, though.

Certainly, this city served as a trade gateway with foreign countries, and many rare items came in from the outside.

Mindful of foreign visitors, Father, our ruler, also took the initiative to maintain high standards of hygiene and public security in the city.

Even so, to say it was easier to live in than the royal capital was going too far…

…No, that might just be my own biased view, stemming from my once-abnormal obsession with the royal capital.

“Milady. Noah will accompany you anywhere, even to a foreign country, if that is where you go. I believe it is my duty to see how brilliantly you, having reformed yourself, will grow.”

“Reformed, you say…”

Eight years ago, when I suddenly changed my aspirations from my obsession with using magic and retreated to the territory along with my parents, the household had interpreted it that way.

It seemed they had turned me into a legend with eccentric nicknames like “Milady’s Sudden Transformation” or “Milady of the Divine Oracle.” How cheeky.

Still, in my previous life… obsessed with magic and nobility as I was, I must have been a difficult master to serve, lacking any room to care for others.

Throwing my frustration at my servants because no matter how hard I tried, I could never use magic…

Noah in my previous life must have been unable to endure it and quit within a year or so.

Feeling a sense of guilt from those days, I tried to listen to what she said as much as possible, but…

Could it be that because of that, she was starting to take me lightly as a master?

“You shouldn’t say such reckless things, Noah. Do you really intend to follow me even to the ends of the earth?”

“Do you think I’m speaking without thinking? Master Zingamen’s lavish praise could be heard even by me waiting in the next room.”

–If you go to another country, you will be sought after from all directions.

Noah was taking Master Zingamen’s words completely to heart.

I couldn’t be quite that optimistic, but her words did contain a grain of truth.

I, too, had reached the stage in my second life where I needed to concretely consider my future path.

After all, I was eighteen years old.

In my previous life, that was around the time I was charging forward with the goal of becoming Crown Princess.

Since I had completely abandoned that path, all the more reason I should clearly formulate a new life plan with a renewed mindset.

Either way, as someone who couldn’t use magic, I would remain useless in this country forever.

If so, following Master Zingamen’s advice, departing for a foreign country might well be one correct answer.

In a foreign land, they would evaluate me based on things other than magic.

Fortunately, I had accumulated plenty of those capabilities over the eight years spent in this territory.

If I was not going to be accepted no matter what, embarking on a journey to a new frontier was certainly an option.

…Thinking such things, I would soon find out upon returning home.

That one cannot easily escape the karmic retribution of a past life.