2.
Lancel recalled a conversation that he had with his sister from a long time ago.
“Huh? What’s a mana circle? Is that really a thing?”
It was an exchange that vaguely revealed how little his sister understood the genre conventions of magic. His sister didn’t even know the concept of a “mana circle.”
“A mana circle is like a numerical scale used to classify a wizard’s power level. Each time you advance to a higher circle, you can cast stronger spells and so on…”
Despite his lengthy explanation, Lancel’s sister remained unimpressed. Her eyes showed no connection to the tedious, academic explanation.
“So, it’s basically something round, right?”
“…?”
In the end, the concept of “mana circles” in this game had been uniquely adapted in his sister’s peculiar way.
The compass-like object Marigold was currently holding was precisely that manifestation.
“Hngh…!”
Marigold strained until her face flushed crimson, but as expected, the compass needle remained motionless.
“Haaaaah!”
Baron Zenith finally called a halt when it looked like her face might burst.
“Stop, stop! You’ll pop your eyeballs out, you little rascal.”
“…Master, I think this thing’s broken. It’s impossible for it not to react at all.”
“Hmm, let’s take a look.”
Marigold’s sharply raised eyebrows immediately drooped toward the ground as soon as Baron Zenith accepted the compass.
Whirr—!
The compass slowly began to rotate, completing exactly five and a half revolutions.
‘Five circles.’
For wizards, it was a level called the Fifth Rank.
The First and Second Ranks were considered wizard apprentices.
The Third and Fourth Ranks were classified as intermediate-level wizards.
The Fifth Rank and above were considered high-level wizards.
Baron Zenith was a high-level wizard.
As an elder of the academy and a professor, he possessed the qualifications to serve in either role. Moreover, being a high-level wizard was the minimum requirement for receiving the title of baron from the Imperial Court.
“But it’s working perfectly fine?”
“…It’s supposed to be broken…”
Marigold, crestfallen, chewed her lip, her spirits completely deflated.
Unable to bear her dejection any longer, Lancel intervened.
“Hey, I’m sure if you train hard enough, you’ll get a basic grasp of magic. Don’t get so down on yourself, Miss Marigold.”
“…I’m not supposed to accept comfort from a knight…”
“What?”
“You little brat!”
“Ow!” Zenith’s tea spoon struck Marigold squarely on the forehead.
“Stop talking nonsense and bring me another cup of tea, you rascal!”
Lancel closed his eyes as he watched Marigold clutch her forehead and stumble toward the kitchen.
‘You want to be a wizard so bad despite lacking the talent that you already despise knights even before you can become an actual wizard…’
Lancel also considered that perhaps it was the other way around.
‘Did her hatred for knights drive her to seek the path of a wizard?’
He couldn’t be sure.
“Does she really think she can get into the academy acting like that?” Baron Zenith clicked his tongue.
“Academy? Is Miss Marigold applying to the Magic Department?”
“Why wouldn’t she? Applying is free, after all. But with her current skills, passing is just a pipe dream.”
“What are the admission requirements?”
“Magic should at least be at the First Rank.”
“That’s more lenient than I expected.”
“It’s not exactly difficult, I suppose.”
Indeed. Even using something vaguely resembling magic could earn you a First Rank.
The real question was whether someone without talent could actually achieve the top rank.
“When is the entrance exam?”
“It’s in three months. Mary is sixteen this year, so if she fails this exam, she’ll never have another chance.”
‘The academy…’
Lancel stroked his chin.
‘Spending this playthrough at the academy might be worthwhile.’
Yes, the Fallen Noblewoman Simulation had plenty of events within the academy itself.
As a place where talented commoners and noble children gathered, it might be worth Lancel’s time to mingle among them at least once.
‘Might as well give it a try.’
The important thing was to just do it first, then from there, all that was needed was to find a good path within. That was Lancel’s goal, so there was no reason to avoid it.
Getting in didn’t seem difficult for Lancel either.
‘I can just enter the Department of Knights as an instructor, so there’s no problem for me.’
Marigold, who was pouting as she brewed tea, was the real issue.
“If we start preparing diligently now, do you think we could pass?”
Zenith shook his head.
“Absolutely not.”
‘This is all hopeless, isn’t it?’
3.
“I’m back.”
“Sir Lancel! Welcome!”
After that day, Lancel visited Baron Zenith’s manor periodically under the pretext of investing gold coins in the baron’s airship research.
Since he could always draw funds through Baron Ibil Shen, this was the most convenient pretext.
Thanks to this, Lancel had to endure Baron Zenith’s lavish welcomes every time he visited.
“To take such a genuine interest in my research! If only all knights were like you, Sir Lancel! Come stay whenever you please.”
Lancel had been the only one to voluntarily invest in Baron Zenith’s research after the incident that turned the palace fields into a sea of flames. After about a week, Baron Zenith even offered him a permanent room in his manor.
Of course, Lancel had no interest whatsoever in Baron Zenith’s airship research. He just hoped nothing would go wrong if the thing actually worked.
“Where has Miss Marigold gone?”
Lancel was really only interested in Marigold’s whereabouts, as she had been practicing that strange mana cultivation method every day.
* * *
———
[Fallen Noblewoman Simulation]
Schedule for the second week of August:
Monday – Magic class (Location: Baron Zenith’s mansion).
Tuesday – Mana charging training (Location: Fallow Land).
Wednesday – Mana charging training (Location: Lake).
Thursday – Magic class (Location: Baron Zenith’s mansion).
Friday – Deep clean the mansion.
Saturday – Be a magic research assistant to Baron Zenith.
Sunday – Be a magic research assistant to Baron Zenith.
※ I love magic! Magic is the best! I can’t wait to use magic soon!
———
If one observed Marigold’s daily life, one might say she lived a life that was 33% maid, 33% assistant, and 33% apprentice.
Even while performing simple household chores like cleaning and cooking, she occasionally received magic lessons from Baron Zenith.
This happened twice a week.
On the days Baron Zenith left for the academy, she was granted her free time. During these breaks, Marigold was researching her own mana cultivation method
‘What is she doing?’
To Lancel, her actions seemed utterly absurd.
“The earth’s energy is flowing into me… the earth’s magic power is entering… entering… entering…! The Earth God’s magic power is surging… surging… surging…”
Tuesday.
A sound emanated from Marigold’s mouth as she buried her body in the soil of the Fallow Land.
Lancel watched from a distance, observing the spectacle.
“Whew… Whew…” Soon, Marigold began to snore.
‘She’s actually sleeping like that.’
While the mana cultivation methods in this world varied slightly between academies and wizards, Lancel had never seen anything like this. Such eccentric behavior seemed unique to Marigold.
‘She’s gathering magic powers by burying herself in a mud pile?’
Even Lancel, who had lived for centuries, had never witnessed such a sight.
============
—Congratulations! Marigold’s skin has benefited from the mud bath! Her skin is now as radiant and beautiful as polished marble!
※ Charm and Allure has gone UP! Dignity has gone DOWN!
============
‘…Well, at least something went up. Isn’t it better than nothing?’ Lancel thought, forcing himself to believe it as he gazed at the soundly sleeping Marigold.
“There’s a woman here?”
“What? A woman?”
Lancel had been around to clear out the scoundrels who had been loitering nearby and sent them far away.
“Hmm?” Marigold jolted awake. The sun was already beginning to set.
“Something… something feels…I like my magic powers have accumulated!”
Clenching her fists, Marigold’s eyes burned with determination.
‘Accumulated?’
Lancel let out a hollow laugh.
.
.
.
The next day.
“Hey! I came here because I heard that there was someone floating in the lake! You better come with me to the security headquarters now!”
“H-huh?! No, this is just a method for me to train my magic…”
“Enough with your nonsense! Get out here!”
“Ah, w-wait a minute!”
Marigold, who had been floating in the lake cultivating her mana, was being apprehended.
“Get out here now!”
The charge was for unauthorized entry into an area restricted to nobles.
“Stand straight. You’re coming with me to the security headquarters.”
“B-but I’m just a wizard apprentice researching magic…!”
“Shut up!”
‘You’re really pushing it with your antics, Marigold.’
In the end, it was only after Lancel intervened that Marigold was released from the dungeon.
After what must have been a brief interrogation, she emerged, her face streaked with tears. In her hand, she clutched a lone bowl of cold porridge.
“You should say, ‘Thank you for getting me out, Miss Marigold’.”
“…Thank you for getting me out.”
“How about adding ‘knight’ at the end?”
“…Knight.”
“I can’t hear you.”
“Knight… Sir…”
Her voice, barely audible as a mosquito’s buzz, came from beneath her bowed head. Her expression was steeped in shame.
The fact that she had received help from a knight she so despised seemed to have utterly shattered her pride. Perhaps…
“Return that porridge.”
“…Yes.”
Lancel took the dejected Marigold to a nearby restaurant.
They waited in silence amidst the bustling atmosphere for a long time.
“Your order is ready.”
“Bring me some mead as well.”
“Yes, Sir!”
Lancel gestured to the table.
“What are you waiting for? Eat. You must be starving after going all day without food.”
“Aren’t you going to eat, Sir Lancel?”
“I’ll eat when I’m ready. Just eat.”
“Yes, Sir!”
As a mountain of meat and bread was placed before her, Marigold’s spirits visibly lifted.
Lancel watched her chew and swallow with gusto, then suddenly spoke up.
“Miss Marigold, you know you don’t have any magical talent, right?”
“Cough!” Marigold choked on her drink at Lancel’s blunt question.
“Surely you know that already,” Lancel continued, sipping his mead. “Magic is a realm where even a century of relentless effort might only yield a grasp of the fundamentals for those lacking innate talent, Miss Marigold. Clinging to the impossible is a waste of life.”
“……”
“In my opinion, you’d be better off pursuing an easier path. With your diligence, you’re bound to find something more suited to your aptitude.”
‘Give up on magic,’ Lancel probed.
Even with the plot armor often granted to protagonists, Marigold’s talent still fell short of becoming an archmage. At best, she’d only ever be an ordinary mage.
‘That would be pointless. It’s just a normal ending, isn’t it?’
Eventually, a playthrough with exceptional magical talent will inevitably come. Waiting for that moment would be far more efficient.
With sufficient talent, she could even become a wizard and aim for the true ending.
Considering Marigold’s boundless potential, it wasn’t entirely impossible, though when that playthrough would occur remained a mystery.
“I’m saying this because I value your life, Miss Marigold. Even if you dislike a knight’s advice, please take it to heart.”
Yes. Marigold’s time was too precious to waste on endeavors where she lacked talent. Clinging to futile attachments would only lead to failure and unhappiness.
Lancel didn’t want to see her end up that way. That was his true motive.
“I have a goal, Sir Lancel,” Marigold said, setting down her fork.
“I want to become a high-level wizard, someone the Empire’s knights will all look up to… I want to change my future. I want to do things that can only be accomplished through magic.”
“That’s a rather grand ambition for a talentless wizard apprentice.”
“Ugh… I know my dream is big. But I want to pursue it to the end. Fortunately, I have a Master now. If I learn diligently, maybe I can somehow make it happen…”
It was indeed fortunate that she had caught Baron Zenith’s eye.
Lancel took another sip of his mead, studying Marigold’s face. He suddenly sensed a hint of impatience in her expression.
It was clear that her experiences from the previous iteration were influencing her in some way.
‘Is it because of the war? There’s no guarantee it will happen within the next ten years.’
He could only speculate silently.
“…Is it strange?”
Marigold’s eyes, fixed on Lancel, shimmered with an inexplicable moisture.
“Eat first.”
“…Yes!”
.
.
.
The next day.
============
[Fallen Noblewoman Simulation]
Charm: 45 -> 49 up!
Morality: 41 -> 39 down.
Dignity: 30 -> 29 down.
Emotions: 29 -> 33 up!
Allure: 16 -> 19 up!
Magic: 2
Strength: 16
Stamina: 8
Faith: 31
Condition: 48 -> 29 down
Karma: 0
Magic Affinity (New!): 0 -> 11 up!
============
“Huh?”
Lancel couldn’t believe his eyes. A strange new stat had appeared.
‘Magic Affinity?’
He recognized the term, but it was odd to see it associated with Marigold.
After all…
“Isn’t that a stat that only a non-human entity can have?”
Marigold… it seemed she had somehow transcended human limitations.
Probably cuz of the porridge.