Magician Marigold. (2)

2.

He recalled a conversation with his sister from long ago.

“Huh? What’s a Mana Circle? Is there such a thing?”

It was a passage that vaguely showed how low her understanding of the genre was in the realm of Magic. His sister didn’t even know the concept of a Circle.

“A Circle is like, a kind of numerical value that distinguishes the power levels of Wizards, and each time this Circle increases by one, stronger Magic does this and that…”

He explained at length, but his sister’s reaction was still lukewarm. She didn’t seem to empathize with the boring and pedantic explanation at all.

“So, you’re saying it’s something round?”

“……?”

In the end, the concept of a Circle in this game was applied in a slightly peculiar way, in his sister’s style.

The compass-shaped object that Marigold was holding right now was exactly that.

“Huuuuh!”

Marigold was straining so hard that her face turned bright red, but of course, the needle of the compass didn’t budge.

“Haaaaaaah!”

It was only when it seemed like her face was about to explode that Jenis declared a doctor’s stop.

“Stop, stop. You’re going to pop your eyeballs out, you little rascal.”

“…Master, I think this thing is broken. It’s impossible for it not to react this much.”

“I wonder. Let’s take a look.”

Marigold’s eyebrows, which had been raised high, immediately began to droop to the ground as soon as Jenis took the compass.

Weeeeng-!

The compass began to rotate slowly. Exactly five and a half turns.

‘5 Circle.’

It was a stage called 5th Rank in this world.

1st Rank to 2nd Rank were Beginner Wizards.

3rd Rank to 4th Rank were Intermediate Wizards.

5th Rank and above were classified as High-Level Wizards.

Jenis was also a High-Level Wizard.

A level sufficient to serve as an Elder of the School and a Professor at the Academy, and the standard for receiving the title of Baron from the Imperial Family, a High-Level Wizard.

“It’s fine?”

“……It should be broken……”

Marigold, who had become sullen, pouted her lips and became very dejected.

Lancel, who couldn’t stand to see it, intervened.

“Well, if you practice hard, you might be able to enter the world of Magic. Don’t be too discouraged, Miss Mary.”

“……I shouldn’t receive comfort from a Knight……”

What?

“You little rascal!”

“Ouch!”

The teaspoon that Jenis swung hit Marigold’s forehead squarely.

“Don’t talk nonsense and bring me another cup of tea, you rascal!”

Lancel quietly closed his eyes at the sight of Marigold grabbing her forehead and heading to the kitchen.

‘She pursues becoming a Wizard even though she has no talent, and she already hates Knights just because she’s been influenced by Wizards, even though she’s not a Wizard yet.’

No, maybe it’s the other way around. Did she start wanting to become a Wizard because she hated Knights?

He didn’t know.

“How can she pass the Academy like that?”

Jenis clicked his tongue.

“Academy? Is Miss Mary applying to the Magic Department?”

“Wouldn’t she? Applying is free, after all. But she can’t even dream of passing in her current state.”

“What are the admission requirements?”

“Magic of 1st Rank or higher.”

“It’s more lenient than I thought.”

“I can’t say it’s a difficult level.”

That’s right. Even if you used something similar to Magic, you were counted as 1st Rank.

The problem was whether it was possible for a person without talent to become 1st Rank.

“When is the entrance exam?”

“It’ll be in three months. Mary is sixteen this year, so if she fails this exam, she’ll never have a chance.”

Academy.

Lancel stroked his chin.

‘It might be nice to spend this round at the Academy.’

Yes. ‘Fallen Noble Lady Simulation’ was a game where quite a few events took place inside the Academy.

Since talented commoners and noble children all gathered there, Lancel could spend some time among them.

‘I’ll just try anything.’

First, he would try it. And then he would find a good route within it. That was Lancel’s goal, so there was no reason to avoid it.

It wasn’t that difficult to get in either.

‘I can enter the Knight Department as an instructor, so there’s no problem for me.’

Marigold, who was pouting and making tea, was the problem.

“If you prepare hard from now on, you might be able to pass, right?”

Jenis shook his head.

“No way.”

This was bad.

3.

“I’m here again.”

“Sir Lancel! Welcome!”

Lancel visited Baron Jenis’s mansion once in a while after that day. It was under the pretext of investing gold in the Airship research he was doing.

He could always get money through Baron Ibil Shen, so this was the easiest excuse.

Thanks to this, Lancel had to receive a grand welcome from Baron Jenis every time he went.

“To be so sincere about my research! I wish all Knights were like Sir Lancel! Come and stay anytime.”

Lancel was the one who was voluntarily investing in the investment that had been cut off after turning the fields of the Imperial Court into a sea of fire. After about a week, he was even given a room to stay in at all times.

Of course, Lancel had no interest in the flying object research that Baron Jenis was doing. It would be fortunate if it didn’t cause another accident if it was actually made.

“Where did Miss Mary go?”

He was only curious about the condition of Marigold, who was practicing strange Mana Cultivation Methods every day.

———

[Fallen Noble Lady Simulation]

Creating a schedule for the 2nd week of August.

Mon – Magic Class. (Location: Baron Jenis’s Mansion)

Tue – Mana Charging Training. (Location: Fallow Land)

Wed – Mana Charging Training. (Location: Lake)

Thu – Magic Class. (Location: Baron Jenis’s Mansion)

Fri – Mansion Cleaning.

Sat – Jenis’s Magic Research Assistant.

Sun – Jenis’s Magic Research Assistant.

※I love Magic! Magic is the best! I want to use Magic as soon as possible!

———

Looking at Marigold’s daily life, she was 33% like a maid, 33% like an assistant, and 33% like a disciple.

She did simple housework, cleaning, and cooking, and once in a while, she received teachings about Magic from Jenis.

On holidays given twice a week when Baron Jenis left for the academy.

Marigold was researching her own Mana Cultivation Method…

‘What are you doing?’

In Lancel’s eyes, this only looked like nonsense.

“The energy of the earth comes to me… the Magic Power of the earth enters… enters… enters…! The Magic Power of the Earth God is wildly… wildly… wildly…”

Tuesday.

The voice came from Marigold’s mouth, who had buried herself in the dirt of the fallow land.

Lancel was watching from a distance.

“Huya… huya…”

Soon, she began to snore.

‘She’s sleeping like that.’

The Mana Cultivation Method in this world showed slight differences for each school and each Wizard, but he had never seen anyone like this. This bizarre behavior was only Marigold’s.

To gather Magic Power by burying herself in a pile of mud. It was a sight that Lancel, who had lived for hundreds of years, was seeing for the first time.

==========

—Congratulations! Marigold’s skin has gained a beauty effect from the mud pack! Shiny, beautiful skin like marble!

※Charm and sex appeal increase! Dignity decreases!

==========

‘……Something did go up, at least.’

Wasn’t it better than nothing going up? Lancel tried to think that way and looked at Marigold, who was fast asleep.

“There’s a woman here?”

“What? A woman?”

He had only cleaned up the thugs who were loitering around and sent them far away.

“Uhm?”

Marigold woke up with a start. The sun was already setting.

“I feel like… I feel like… Magic Power has accumulated!”

Marigold clenched her fists and burned her eyes.

‘Would it have accumulated?’

Lancel burst out laughing.

.

.

.

The next day.

“There! I heard there’s a person floating in the lake! You’re coming with me to the Security Headquarters!”

“Yes, yes?! This is a method for practicing Magic…”

“Don’t talk nonsense and come out!”

“Ah, wait a minute!”

Marigold, who was floating in the lake and collecting Magic Power, was being caught.

“Come out right now!”

It was on the grounds that she had entered a place where only nobles could enter without permission.

“Stand up straight. You’re coming with me to the Security Headquarters from now on.”

“I, I’m just an apprentice Wizard who’s researching Magic…!”

“Shut up!”

‘She’s doing all sorts of things, Marigold.’

In the end, it was only after Lancel intervened that Marigold was released from the prison.

He didn’t know what kind of interrogation she had been through in the meantime, but she came out with her face covered in tears. In her hand, she was holding a bowl of Oatmeal again.

“You should say thank you for getting me out, Miss Mary.”

“……Thank you for getting me out.”

“Should I add ‘Sir’ at the end?”

“……Sir.”

“I can’t hear you.”

“Knight… Sir…”

The voice of the girl, who had her head down, was as thin as a mosquito’s. Her face was full of shame.

The fact that she had received help from a Knight, whom she hated so much, seemed to have shattered her pride. Probably.

“Return the Oatmeal.”

“……Yes.”

Lancel took the dejected Marigold to a nearby restaurant.

In the noisy atmosphere, they waited for the food without saying a word for a long time.

“Your order is here.”

“Bring me a honey wine too.”

“Yes!”

Lancel pointed to the table for Marigold.

“What are you doing? Why aren’t you eating? You must have been starving all day.”

“Aren’t you going to eat, Sir Lancel?”

“I’ll eat on my own, so eat.”

“Yes…!”

It could be seen that Marigold’s energy was returning as he put a lot of meat and bread in front of her.

Lancel, who was watching the girl chewing and swallowing the food with good appetite, suddenly opened his mouth.

“Miss Mary, you know that you don’t have a talent for Magic, right?”

“Cough!”

Marigold choked on the words that were said so directly.

“You can’t possibly not know that.”

Lancel continued, sipping his honey wine.

“Magic is an area where even if a person without talent struggles for a hundred years, they might only be able to do the basics. Miss Mary. It’s a waste of life to cling to something that can’t be done.”

“……”

“In my opinion, it looks like it would be better for Miss Mary to go down an easier path. With that much diligence, there must be something more suitable for you.”

Give up on Magic.

Lancel probed like that.

Even if she solved it with the protagonist buff, Marigold’s talent was still insufficient to become a Great Wizard.

At best, an ordinary Wizard.

That’s meaningless.

That’s just a normal ending, right?

A round with a good talent for Magic would definitely come someday. It was much more efficient to aim for that time.

If she had the talent, she could become a Great Wizard and aim for the regular ending.

Looking at Marigold’s endless potential, it wasn’t impossible. He didn’t know when that round would be.

“I’m saying this because your life is precious, Miss Mary. Even if you don’t like the Knight’s advice, take it to heart.”

Yes.

Marigold’s time was too precious to waste on something she had no talent for. If she had unnecessary regrets, it was obvious that she would end up unhappy without achieving anything.

Lancel didn’t want to see her like that. That was his true intention.

“I have a goal, Sir Lancel.”

Marigold said, putting down her fork.

“I want to become a great Wizard, someone that the Knights of the Empire will all look up to… I want to change my future. I want to do something that I can’t do without Magic.”

“That’s too grand a goal for an apprentice Wizard without talent.”

“Ugh… I know that my dream is big. But I want to try to the end. I happen to have a Master too. If I learn well, it might work out somehow…”

It was lucky that she caught Baron Jenis’s eye.

Lancel took a sip of his wine and stared at Marigold’s face. He suddenly felt a sense of urgency in her expression.

It was clear that the experience of the previous rounds had influenced her in some way.

‘Is it because of the war? There’s no guarantee that it will happen within 10 years.’

He could only guess.

“……Is it strange?”

Marigold’s eyes, which were staring at him, were sparkling with an unknown moisture.

“Eat first.”

“……Yes!”

.

.

.

The next day.

==========

[Fallen Noble Lady Simulation]

Charm 45 -> 49 UP!

Morality 41 -> 39 Down.

Dignity 30 -> 29 Down.

Sensitivity 29 -> 33 UP!

Sex Appeal 16 -> 19 UP!

Magic Power 2.

Strength 16.

Stamina 8.

Faith 31.

Condition 48 -> 29 Down.

Karma 0.

Mana Affinity (New!) 0 -> 11 UP!

==========

“Huh?”

Lancel doubted his eyes.

A strange item had appeared.

‘Mana Affinity?’

It was a status he had seen before. However, it was somewhat questionable that Marigold had it.

That was because.

“Wasn’t that a stat that only demi-humans had?”

Marigold… it seemed that she had deviated from human standards.