──Academy.
Located at the center of Arumsaas were the underground dungeon Arumsaas owned and the library that was famous throughout the continent. There was also the academy that was the reason this city was called academy city. Originally it was a place for scholars to gather, but when anyone realized it also gathered students to educate.
Right now it boasted a popularity that gathered the young n.o.bles of the royal capital Centralle and the regions to it.
A girl who was attending such academy, Miranda Circry was the eldest daughter of Circry House, a capital n.o.ble.
Her light green wavy hair was cut at even length around her shoulder. The color of her eyes was the green of fresh verdure with a tinge of blue rather than normal green. And then her well ordered face and body style that was charming even from the view point of the same s.e.x were the object of adoration of the academy's boys.
Although, Miranda's popularity didn't come only from her beauty as female.
Circry House had no son, only three sisters.
In other words, if someone could marry the eldest daughter Miranda, it would be possible for them to inherit Circry House. The n.o.ble young men who were unable to inherit their house approached Miranda with such ulterior motive behind them.
Inside a large cla.s.sroom with the seats placed in a stair shape.
When the cla.s.s was over, Miranda put all her things like her textbook and so on into her bag and stood up. The girls immediately gathered around her.
「Mirandsan, how about drop by somewhere today on the way home?」
「Unfair~! Hey, go shopping with me instead.」
「You should go with me, Mirandsan.」
Girls who also had n.o.ble background gathered around her when she was at the academy.
Miranda made a vague smile and refused their invitation with her usual excuse.
「I'm sorry. My little sister is waiting at home. Besides my servant has just resigned so I'll have to do the housework. I have to go home quickly.」
Then the three girls went 「Ee~」 with a disappointed expression.
There, it was the boys who gathered around this time.
「Then, how about I walk you home? If you're going shopping you will need someone to carry your things right?」
「Me, me! I'm free right now Mirandchan!」
「You just shut up. Here it should be someone from a house of count like me──」
The young men were blatantly making their appeal.
Miranda responded with a smile even toward those men.
「Thank you. But, I will be fine by myself.」
Miranda said that and left the cla.s.sroom, but she noticed that she forgot something while walking in the corridor.
(Oh no. I have to return to get it back.)
She returned through the path she pa.s.sed. Then she heard voices from inside the cla.s.sroom when she approached the entrance. The men and women whose invitation she refused just now were speaking in irritation.
「What's with that woman! Even though I've taken the trouble to invite her」
The girl who approached her with a smile just now was complaining to her surrounding with a disgruntled voice.
「Even though I'm taking the trouble to get close to her because of the authority her Circry House has. Without that there is no way I'll call out to that kind of woman.」
One of the men clicked his tongue.
「Chih, you all are getting in the way. I need that woman in order to rise in the world! Circry House is a proper house that holds a wonderful position. If I can marry into that house, then even I」
There was only the six people who approached Miranda just now remaining inside the cla.s.sroom.
「But you know, that woman's little sister, her eyes cannot see isn't it? They said that it was because of accident but, it seems the truth is she cannot see since she was born you know? Isn't that a problem as n.o.ble?」
The topic changed into Miranda's little sister──Shannon.
One person, a pompous young man fiddled with his front bang while he started talking with a know-it-all air.
「The third daughter huh. The house where the two are living is originally a house to lock up the third daughter there. It's a truth that the Circry House wants to hide.」
Miranda bit her lower lip when the topic of Shannon came out.
(Even that child……that child hasn't done anything wrong.)
n.o.ble, and then status, position. All those things became hindrance that caused Shannon to get chased out from Centralle to Arumsaas. But, if she wasn't born in Circry House, it would also be doubtful whether Shannon would be able to grow until this age safely.
It could also be said that Shannon was able to survive because of the power of the house she was born into. If she was born in a poor house, she might be abandoned right away after she was born.
「Aren't you knowledgeable?」
「I asked my house to investigate. My house must have judged that it will be also beneficial for me to marry into Circry House. That's why you guys just give up. Actually I also have a plan──」
「Stop jesting! A third son like me needs to marry into her house in order to prove myself to my house!」
The reason why the men approached Miranda was clear. It was simply because they wanted to marry into her house.
Their aim was her Circry house. Miranda herself was nothing more than an extra.
(Well, I'm already aware of it──)
In the academy there was also a lot of students who didn't come from n.o.ble background, but fundamentally the majority of them was wealthy. Because of that many of the men who approached Miranda had similar reason with them.
But, perhaps they didn't think that they would be able to marry into a viscount house so suddenly that some of them were saying things like wanting to get introduced to her little sister.
Their objective was to marry a daughter of a n.o.ble and bought position as n.o.ble or raising their prestige toward their house.
(Well, just that is still cute compared to others.)
These men who were making ruckus were still in the cute category compared to the men from that kind of wealthy house. Previously there was even a son of a merchant who was talking about marriage proposal to her little sister as though he was talking about business discussion.
Besides, Miranda was also a daughter who was born to a n.o.ble house.
(n.o.ble can be as they are exactly because of their house. I can't criticize them.)
She had no intention to reproach the six people inside the cla.s.sroom because she guessed their circ.u.mstance.
Miranda turned around and left without doing anything──.
──The house of Circry sisters.
Waiting for her big sister's return was the third daughter of Circry House, Shannon Circry.
She was wearing red clothes. Her wavy light purple long hair had been cared really well. It was beautiful.
Her normally yellow eyes were s.h.i.+ning golden right now.
Shannon was alone inside the house. She was humming.
A teapot was moving at the same time with the humming. The teapot that was placed on a small round table inside the bedroom was floating by itself and pouring tea into a cup.
With her hands that were wrapped in arm gloves, Shannon rhythmically tapped the hand rest of the wheelchair she was sitting on with her fingertip. She had slender body and fair skin, but the figure of an ephemeral girl couldn't be found there.
The finger of her right hand touched her lips. She stopped humming after tea was poured into the cup and took a deep breath. She seemed to be tired. Shannon's eyes that were looking to the ceiling lost its s.h.i.+ne and returned to the yellow color.
Inside the dim room, Shannon's hand reached out searchingly for the cup. She then grabbed it with both her hands and brought it to her mouth.
「It's tiring just as I thought.」
She drank tea while remembering everything until now.
The girl called Shannon couldn't see by birth.
But, due to a certain incident as the impetus, she obtained eyes that could see "the flow of mana" that human couldn't see.
It happened three years ago.
「……It's already three years since that day.」
A really bitter emotion could be felt from her low voice. Shannon who harbored such deep frustration remembered what happened that day really clearly even now.
「Soon……it'll be soon.」
At that time, Shannon was still living in the mansion of Circry House──.
──Three years ago.
Shannon was pa.s.sing the time in her room like usual.
She couldn't see by birth, but they told everyone that it was caused by an accident in order to hide the fact.
Shannon's mother immediately died after Shannon was born. The second daughter Doris thought that Shannon stole their mother and held grudge against her. Because of that her att.i.tude toward Shannon was extremely bad even when they met in the mansion.
If there was something that could excuse Doris, at the time when Shannon was born she was very young and at the peak of the period when she wanted to be spoiled by her parents.
Her mother was also kind and the household could be said as harmonious.
But, that mother died from giving birth to Shannon. Because of losing the mother, it was as though the fire had vanished from Circry House.
The current head of house, Miranda and Shannon's father deeply loved their mother. Because of that he was completely absorbed into his work after that without taking a new wife.
Only the eldest daughter Miranda who was being kind to Shannon. For Shannon, Miranda was a big sister who could do anything that she was proud of. She was also like a mother to her.
One day it happened.
At the time when she thought that the constant daily life would continue forever.
「An important guest will come soon. You have to attend the party too.」
Her father told her that.
An important guest would come to the mansion of Circry House. Shannon who usually wouldn't be allowed to come out from her room was told to come out in front of everyone only for that day.
Shannon was feeling embarra.s.sed but happy of that.
(Wha, what to do? I cannot see, so won't I make some kind of blunder? A, as I thought not showing up will be……)
From the perspective of Shannon who was usually put at distance by her family, this was like she was recognized by her family. It made her happy.
The guest would be someone important. She asked Miranda many times what she should do so that she wouldn't blunder.
「Onee-sama, is it alright even if I show up?」
Miranda warmly encouraged Shannon.
「It's fine, Shannon. Besides, I'll also help you out.」
Doris seemed to be dissatisfied, but it was their father who decided to make Shannon attended, so she couldn't say any complain.
Inside her room Shannon was really looking forward to partic.i.p.ate at the party to welcome an important guest into their mansion.
(Will I be able to go outside after this? Not just to the garden inside the mansion, but outside……)
For Shannon who was half forced into a life of house arrest, it was a really meaningful day.
It happened at the day of the party.
「Welcome to our mansion.」
The party that was using the hall of the mansion was really extravagant. The state of the thorough preparation was conveyed even to the blind Shannon through the atmosphere. The servants inside the mansion were also really busy.
And then as for the guest who was welcomed──.
「Wonderful. I'm really pleased to receive the invitation.」
「Truly. If it's the invitation of Circry House that has tie to us, then there is no reason to refuse. Now, "Celes" too, give your greeting.」
──It was the count house Walt House.
「Nice to meet you, I am Celes Walt. I have heard from my parents about my lord viscount. It's a pleasure to meet you.」
Celes made a fluent greeting. Her father replied to it with a gentle voice that he had never directed to even his daughters. Shannon felt slightly jealous at his father's reaction.
「What a prim and proper young lady. No, this is Walt House we are talking about, so perhaps it will be better to call her a princess then.」
Shannon couldn't really understand what her father said about princess.
While she was thinking about the meaning that was filled into that word, her two big sisters greeted Count Walt, his wife, and Celes in turn.
And then Shannon's turn came──.
「Ni, nice to me──」
「Oh? This girl is?」
Celes interrupted when Shannon was going to give her greeting. And then she approached Shannon and brought her face closer. The scent of stranger that she wasn't used to smell was right in front of her.
(Wha, what!?)
She didn't know what she should do to deal with the sudden occurrence. Celes sighed while she was feeling bewildered.
「──What, this is boring. She is just a garbage.」
Shannon was shocked. Shannon who was shut inside the mansion until now had never really came into contact with other people, but this was the first time she got told something this terrible right to her face.
「……Eh? Ga, garbage?」
When Shannon tried to look for help from the people around her, she felt the presence of Miranda approaching.
But, the people other than her agreed with Celes's words and showered Shannon with scorning laugh.
「Shannon, it's alright. Let's leave this place with me.」
Miranda whispered to her ear and pushed her wheelchair. They left the venue like that. When her back was turned to the venue, she could hear various voices from behind.
「Celes, as expected that att.i.tude isn't good.」
「Yes, Otou-sama.」
When Celes apologized as though she was scolded for a small mischief, the adults around her laughed and forgave her.
「Well, it's fine then.」
「That's right. Besides what she said is the truth.」
「However, the house head too, why did he show that kind of child in front of everyone?」
Her relatives and others, her family were criticizing her. Far from defending her, they agreed with Celes and speaking ill of Shannon.
(Why……why!)
Miranda pushed the wheelchair as fast as she could to retreat from that place in a hurry.
At the end, she could hear her father's voice.
「No, I apologize for my embarra.s.sing daughter.」
(Embarra.s.sing……I am?)
The words that her father spoke while laughing in order to match the surrounding were deeply engraved into Shannon's chest.
Tears were falling out in large drops.
「Shannon? Are you okay? Let's return right away to your room.」
Shannon forcefully stopped the wheelchair, then she moved by herself while crying. Shannon originally could walk by herself. But she was sitting on a wheelchair simply because she was told to do that.
「Shannon, it's dangerous!」
Miranda talked to her in panic with her hand reaching out, but even that felt irritating to her. Tears were overflowing in large drop and then frustration welled up inside her.
The treatment as laughingstock to her made her felt fierce anger and sadness.
(I……in order to receive this kind of treatment I……if only, someone like me, wasn't born!)
After that she didn't know how she managed to somehow return to her room.
But, her body remembered the structure of the mansion. After she entered the room and closed the door, she buried her face into the bed and bawled.
She cried, and cried……and then, Shannon lifted her face.
「……What?」
Red particles were emitting light inside the darkness where there was nothing that could be seen by any means. They floated at the surrounding, clung to objects and showed their shape. It was surprising for Shannon who knew nothing except darkness.
Particles of light floated around her.
「Wha, what's this!?」
When Shannon raised her voice, the particles simultaneously started to move. They stuck to the surrounding furniture, room's wall, floor, and ceiling, showing the object's shape to Shannon.
「……Eh?」
Shannon looked around. The sight of shape formed from red lights looked completely the same with the position of the objects that her body remembered.
She looked at her hand.
Then, the red light turned and changed color. It showed her as yellow……no, as gold.
Shannon was entranced at her shape that she was seeing for the first time. She was feeling moved that she could see.
「Amazing. Amazing!」
Shannon whose eyes were bright red from crying until just now was feeling excited. She stood on her own legs and walked inside her room.
She stopped in front of a small table and when she tried touching it, it was certainly a table there.
The small red particles moved following Shannon's will. When she blew air from her mouth, they would soar up like dust and whirled in the air, starting to rotate.
When she realized that they moved just like she wanted, for some reason the red particles looked lovely to her.
「Just, what's this……eh? It's a bit hurt.」
Her eyes were gradually getting hurt. Shannon rubbed her eyes. Then, the particles of light that were visible until then suddenly vanished.
The sensation of getting suddenly thrown into darkness made her searched the particles in panic. Then the red light particles were slowly coming into view again.
But, her eyes hurt.
「I can see but it's really tiring.」
Shannon returned to her bed, closed her eyes, and calmed her breathing. Her body was slightly sweaty because she was getting too excited.
She wiped the sweat on her forehead and thought.
「That's right. I've to tell Onee-sama.」
She wanted to tell Miranda quickly about this happy occurrence. But, the party apparently was still going on. She could hear the noise.
Shannon waited until the party was over.
(I'll apologize for before this and then tell her that I can see now……I wonder if Onee-sama will be happy then.)
She was feeling complicated from getting turned into laughing stock at the party, even Shannon was opening her heart only to her big sister Miranda.
She then fell asleep for a bit. When she opened her eyes, it was getting dark inside the mansion. She could hear the voices of the servants tidying up the aftermath of the party. The time was just right.
Shannon poured power into her eyes and became able to see the red light particles. She then rushed outside the room.
Mysteriously, she could see people's location even with wall and pa.s.sage in between. Each person was emitting their own light with their own characteristic.
Shannon searched for the light of her beloved sister Miranda among those lights. It was her first time seeing the light, but she understood which was Miranda's light instinctually.
(Over there!)
She headed to a room that was near the hall. She advanced stealthily so that no one would discover her. Like that she approached until near Miranda, but then someone else was approaching Miranda's location.
(Who is it? Is that Otou-sama?)
Shannon guessed that it was her father from the aura and hid in the next room. She focused to listen to the voice in the next room, but she couldn't hear anything. However when Shannon focused to listen to sound, the red light particles shook and allowed Shannon to listen to the voice in the next room.
(Amazing! I am actually amazing!)
Shannon was rejoicing in her hiding. However, what she heard was a harsh reality.
Her father talked with a cold tone that was the opposite of his tone when talking to Celes.
『I thought itShannon would be useful but, the other side refused the marriage talk with you. It seems the talk of disinheritance is the truth.』
Miranda's voice was gloomy.
『Yes. But, there was no need to use Shannon like──』
『That's just how dangerous it is to get close to the current Walt House. Even so, that girl called Celes……she is even more than I imagined. I'm surprised that she is like that when she is the same age as Shannon.』
『Otou-sama, please don't blame Shannon too much.』
『You also has known about the matter today. Think about the house more.』
The two's conversation was continuing, but Shannon was dumbfounded.
「……They planned, to make me a laughingstock from the beginning? Onee-sama knew about that?」
Shannon's largely opened eyes s.h.i.+ned from increasing in power.
Tears spilled out, and then Shannon continued to cry without letting out any voice.
Next her father spoke about Shannon's treatment from here on.
『There is also no reason to keep thatShannon in this mansion. I'll send it to Arumsaas for studying. A servant who know the circ.u.mstance will also go along, so you just forget about it.』
That meant she would be chased out from the mansion.
Shannon noticed at that time that she was abandoned.
「Aha, ahahaha……I'm an idiot from getting excited that I could attend the party. What, so he planned to throw me away.」
However Miranda talked back to her father.
『No way! I won't accept that! If you're going to do it no matter what, then I'll also go to Arumsaas! I'll stay at Shannon's side forever!』
The words that the father spoke out wasn't something that should be directed to his daughter.
『……Do whatever you like. There won't be any problem if I make Doris take a husband. I held an expectation to you but, it's disappointing.』
Shannon at the next room saw Miranda rushed out from the room.
And then she cried while laughing.
「What's with that, even though she knew everything from the start. Even though she was also laughing at me……even though I believed her. Even though Onee-sama was the only one I trusted!」
She pressed her face with both her hands and wiped her tear. The tears she couldn't wipe fell on the floor in large drops, and the Shannon swore.
「Fine. I'll absolutely……absolutely won't forgive them. Otou-sama, Doris-oneesama, Mirandoneesama……also, everyone who made fun of me too! And then, that girl too!」
That day, Shannon was harboring a strong anger and vengeful thought toward that girl──Celes.
──At present.
Miranda who finished shopping at Arumsaas's shopping district was holding a brown paper bag that was stuffed with many things.
All of them were food ingredients for her and Shannon.
At Centralle she had no experience of returning home while holding heavy baggage. But, it was something that she experienced repeatedly since coming to Arumsaas.
Now she was used to shopping and she was also acquainted with the middle aged women who opened shop at the shopping district.
Her relations.h.i.+p with them was one where they would give her free extra sometimes.
「Haa, I've to hire new servant soon.」
But, for Miranda there was also a part of her that felt unwilling to do this.
Originally she planned to hire a servant and entrusted the majority of the shopping and housework to them.
The amount of money that her house sent her was enough to do that. In fact she had hired servant several times before but they all would immediately resign.
(I believe that the work condition isn't bad though. Is it no good even if I pay higher salary than other?)
Working time, holiday, and then salary──no matter which aspect, her treatment to the servant should be better than other employer.
A lot of young people came to Arumsaas in order to enroll into the academy. Because of that a lot of apartments for young people were constructed.
Largish houses with garden attached were prepared for wealthy n.o.ble and merchant. Those houses weren't just rented, some were also sold.
Most of them would change owner every several years, but there were also n.o.bles who would keep owners.h.i.+p of the house forever.
Circry House was also like that. They bought a house that was given to Miranda and Shannon.
But, Miranda also had it hard from being a student while taking care of her little sister and also doing the housework.
No matter how hard she worked, she couldn't keep up with the amount of work.
(Perhaps I should just ask our house to send servant……this is no good, wanting to rely on them right away like this.)
She shook her head and chided the indulgence of her own thinking while fastening her walking pace on her road home.
It seemed that she used too much time shopping. The setting of the sun and the brightness were gradually changing into evening.
(If I don't hurry back, Shannon will be waiting too long.)
When she looked forward, suddenly a young man with characteristic blue hair and eyes was walking from there.
She got a slightly young impression from his features. He looked like one or two year younger than her.
The male who looked like he had just turned from a boy into a young man had a saber dangling from his waist. His hand was holding a jacket. His s.h.i.+rt was largely opened around his chest.
(Ah, come to think of it, there is also this kind of man at the academy.)
On his neck was a silver pendant with blue gem……a Gem was s.h.i.+ning there.
(He has a rare thing there. Is he an adventurer?)
He wore boots and dressed in a casual fas.h.i.+on. His hair was ruffled up.
If he dressed with calmer style then he would look like a diligent young man which would be more appropriate for his age, which would be better than his current appearance. Miranda was thinking of such thing while walking to move pa.s.sed him.
But, the young man in front of her cut off Miranda's path. He put his hand on the wall so that Miranda's path was blocked.
「……Eh?」
While Miranda was bewildered, the young man spoke.
「Miss, where are you going?」
His tone felt somewhat awkward, and then his gaze was swimming around. He was also a bit sweaty. Even Miranda could see that he was nervous.
「E, err~……I'm going home.」
Then the young man replied back.
「I, I see.」
Miranda thought.
(……Huh? What is this person planning?)
Miranda was completely bewildered, but the young man seemed to be the same like her. He was acting completely restless. Even his nervous face was telling her that too.
「Err, what are you doing?」
When Miranda asked, the young man dropped his gaze and spoke with a feeble voice.
「Hi, hitting on you……miss.」
Miranda was speechless for a while hearing that reply. The young man was also stumped and fell into silence. The two of them turned completely stiff like that.
(Eh? Hitting on woman? Is. .h.i.tting on woman…..really something like this?)
Miranda had experienced getting hit on by man several times, but she had never received one that was this terrible until now.
The young man who was placing his hand on the wall seemed to get tired of that posture and took off his hand. He stood still in front of Miranda.
Sometimes he would grab the Gem in front of his chest and rolled it around. He was really tense.
And then, he finally opened his mouth. Just when she wondered what he would say……
「Is this, no good? Well, of course this is no good.」
……Suddenly it was he himself who was in rejection.
As expected even Miranda couldn't bear to look at him and gave him advice. Her helpful personality would be the ruin of her.
(Somehow, it would be too pitiful for him if it end like this.)
「Err……you are hitting on woman right? Then, you've to say what do you want to do. Like asking the woman to have tea together, or going to have fun, there are various things to do.」
The young man pondered for a bit. And then he answered.
「I'm fine with tea.」
「Right, that's it. Tea is fine! If that's the case, you have to say it clearly.」
(Eh? How is it become like I'm the one inviting him?)
Miranda was wondering why she was giving instruction on how to hit on woman toward a young man who she didn't know, but the talk was finally advancing so for now she waited for the young man's reaction.
「Then, won't you go have tea with me?」
「I'm sorry, I'm busy so I can't go have tea.」
The young man nodded when Miranda refused.
「Then a dinner. Do you like meat dish?」
「No. That's not it! Understand it, my reply just now was a refusal!」
「Aa, I see! You mentioned tea so I completely thought that you don't want to have tea.」
Normally Miranda would force a smile and refused to end the talk, but today she was getting into the talk with the other party due to a reason that even she didn't know what.
Miranda felt amused for some reason seeing the troubled young man before him. She felt interested to the young man who was different from all the men she saw until now and the young men who gathered around her.
「…..You are interesting aren't you.」
「Is that so?」
The young man scratched his hair shyly. Then suddenly a young man from the academy who was a bit narcissistic appeared from the street corner slightly ahead. His fingertips were toying with his long front hair.
「Hold right there!」
The young man rushed this way right after he yelled that. And then incomprehensibly he punched the young man who was. .h.i.tting on her.
The young man was sent flying. Miranda immediately put her paper bag on the ground and ran toward him to help him stand. He was punched on the cheek, but the injury wasn't so bad.
「A, are you alright!?」
The narcissistic young man walked to Miranda's side.
「That was dangerous, Miranda. But, I'm here so it's alright now. Come, this place is dangerous. I'll escort you until your home.」
The man said that and his hand reached out, but Miranda brushed off that hand.
「Thank you for trying to help me. But, what are you thinking to suddenly punch someone like that? This person hasn't done anything that deserve that.」
The young man heard Miranda's words and made a stupid face.
「No, but, that……wait a second, Miranda!」
He started to panic. Miranda ignored him and helped the blue haired young man to stand up and checked him for injury.
「You seems to be fine but, let's treat your face just in case. Come to my house.」
「……Eh?」
The two young men were taken aback hearing those words──.
