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For the next few days, I made a point of heading to the training grounds after lunch or once classes were over. Yet, Marize remained elusive. That pattern continued until an unexpected opportunity finally came my way.

Just as my classes wrapped up, a freshman named Oswald approached me.

“Excuse me, I’m Oswald, a freshman from Classroom A. You’re Olivia, right?”

The question came from a thin boy sporting straight black hair.

“Yes, that’s me. What can I do for you?”
“I heard you’ve been searching for Marize. She’s at the training grounds right now,” he informed me.

At that moment, it felt like my heart skipped a beat.

“Thank you, Oswald.”
“Happy to help. And you can just call me Oz, if you like.”

Grateful, I dashed towards the training grounds, but not before turning back to thank him again. His face lit up with a carefree smile. And sure enough, Marize was there, precisely as Oz had said. Upon noticing me, her face twisted into a scowl.

“Why, I was under the impression your classes ended early today,” she spat.
“What are you talking about? My schedule has been consistent.”
“So he lied to me!”

Confused, I gathered that Marize had assumed I’d gone home early, opting to stay and train after her own classes ended. Perhaps she had been practicing here regularly, unbeknownst to me.

Realizing my presence had disrupted her training, I tried to smooth things over.

“You know you can continue your training even with me around, right?” My attempt to mollify her only deepened her scowl.
“What are you up to?”
“I’m not scheming anything. You don’t have to stop training just because I’m here.”

She clenched her jaw, then snorted disdainfully.

“You shouldn’t concern yourself. I simply don’t want to be in your company,” she declared, her eyes shimmering with contempt. Despite the coldness, her gaze resembled warm light glinting off dark waters, so it’s pretty in a way.

“Why do you hate me so much? If you never tell me anything, how can I apologize?”
“Who said anything about apologizing? I just hate you, end of story.”

With that, she stands up and turns away. It’s clear she’s planning to leave, brushing off any concern I might have for her. But I’m not willing to let her go so easily.

“Wait!”

I reach out, attempting to grasp her shoulder, but she bats my hand away as if swatting an annoying fly.

“Why are you so infuriatingly cheerful all the time? Your parents are dead, aren’t they?”

“Yes, both my parents have passed away, and it’s a painful memory. But if I just keep moping around all day because of that, I’m sure they wouldn’t be happy with me either. I also don’t think that misfortune is something that should be weighing on me all the time. As long as I’m alive, I have to keep facing forward.”

“That’s just being idealistic to an extreme! It’s not like everyone is ridiculously strong like you!”

Hearing that, I started to get a weird feeling. It’s almost like she’s…

“Wait, are you also—”
“—!!”

I feel a tingling electric sensation seizing my body before I can finish.

Everything started eighteen years ago. A couple was being attacked by monsters, and a party of traveling adventurers luckily happened to pass by. It really was nothing unusual. If anything stood out, it was the fact that the male swordsman of the party had a spider monster as a Servant, and he was married to the female sorceress.

The couple was rescued by those adventurers, and in exchange, they invited them over to their city, to which the adventurers gladly obliged. During their stay together, the adventurers told the couple stories about their many travels. The couple responded with excitement and awe, mostly gaining respect for these adventurers who had accomplished so much. They also learned that those two adventurers were actually famous enough to have nicknames. All in all, the adventurers seemed like free-spirited celebrities to the couple, who had lived in the countryside their entire lives.

A few years later, the couple became parents to a small girl. Once she was old enough to talk, the couple began telling her tales about those adventurers they had met, mostly as nighttime stories. They even began visiting the adventurers’ guild from time to time, wanting to learn newer stories about that swordsman and the sorceress.

Because of how often the couple talked about those adventurers, their daughter began to think of them as a pair of heroes known throughout the entire world, gaining admiration for them that eclipsed her parents’.

Then a year ago, tragedy struck that peaceful family, around the time the girl turned eleven. The father passed away in an accident, and shortly after, an epidemic claimed the life of the mother. The girl felt like her entire world had lost all its shine and light, losing both her parents almost at the same time.

And then she recalled the adventurers her parents always talked about. They had stopped talking about them lately, but maybe hearing about them would brighten her mood somewhat and help her get over her parents’ deaths. Thinking that, she headed to the adventurers’ guild and asked about them. But all they told her was that both of those adventurers had already passed away.

She had lost both those dear to her, and those she admired. What happened next felt like a blur of memories. Somehow, an estranged uncle and his wife agreed to take her in and even arranged for her to be married to Viscount McNiel’s son. Her uncle was a merchant who wanted the security of being related to a noble. Meanwhile, Viscount McNiel wanted access to the resources of a merchant family. So the marriage was clearly one of convenience for both families. But as far as the girl was concerned, she did not stand to gain nearly enough from it.

She did not care anymore, though. Even if her uncle saw her as nothing but a tool for his business, and she would be getting married to some impoverished noble she had never seen, she did not care about anything anymore.

She had once learned a bit of magic, so she was allowed to attend Ingralowe’s Magic Academy, but that was only a grace period before the wedding. At first, she would need to study everything she needed to pass the entrance exam. While she worked on that, she heard that the orphaned daughter of those adventurers she admired so much was also attending the academy.

That was someone who also knew those adventurers and had lost both her parents. It was impossible for the girl not to relate to her. She was probably suffering just as much, thought the girl. They were both likely suffering just as much. And she would be able to understand the girl’s grief as well. That gave the girl the drive to study harder; now she had something to look forward to in the academy, and her desire to be there grew bigger each day. In the end, all her hopes were dashed, though. The adventurers’ daughter was surrounded by friends, living a happy life.

How did that happen? Why? How’s she living so happily even though her parents died? Why do I have to be the only unlucky one?

It was like her own misfortune was being rubbed in her face. That quickly transformed her sense of longing into a dagger of repugnance that pierced her heart. One day she actually ran into the adventurers’ daughter, and the girl was unable to stop herself from lashing out. The adventurers’ daughter just stared blankly at her, but the girl felt relief washing over her, finally getting an outlet for her piled-up emotions. That didn’t last long, though, as soon she felt inundated by further resentment.

Talking to the adventurers’ daughter had been a mistake. Rather than cutting her off, she tried even harder to get closer to the girl. And that brought forth further annoyance.

We’re in the same situation, so why do we have to be so different? We’re both just as unfortunate, so why can she smile and laugh so much? Why does she have to be so strong?

Her exasperation mounted rapidly. And now, in the present, all of those negative emotions took the form of magic. All of it was released into the open. Marize was still too young and inexperienced to know just how far emotions could drive magic.