Chapter 3 — NoGift

ARGENT put down the book that she finished reading. This was the tenth book she read after she regained consciousness yesterday. If she wanted to understand this world better, then she just couldn’t depend on the original owner’s memory. After all, this body was only that of a seven year old. How much could a child like that really know about this world? And she didn’t really want to ask anyone around here. That would be too troublesome. So these books were her most reliable source.

From all the reading that she’s done, she could clearly tell that this world has no technological advancement. Human’s way of living in this world mostly depended on Mana, Gifts, and magical tools. The lighting used in every household was some kind of mineral stone that evoked light once the sun sets. Foods can be put in a special pantry where the coldness inside can be regulated using Mana. If you want to call someone, all you need was a defero crystal. It’s a crystal ball the size of an adult man’s fist. If you input your Mana into the crystal and think of the person you wanted to call, then you could connect to that person as long as they have their own defero crystal. There was no need for television or cinemas because the closest they have to that kind of entertainment were stage plays and operas. The main mode of transportation were carriages, ships, and flying beasts such as gryphons and wyverns.

Argent admits that she’s quite interested in this way of living. Especially those magical tools that seemed to ignore the law of physics. She wanted to dismantle every last piece and see how it works. Well, she will eventually have a chance to do that since the Blackbourne family doesn’t necessarily lacked in resources. Of course, she’s also interested in those flying beasts as well. In the Earth where she originally came from, those were just things of legends. She wondered if she could buy a gryphon. Then maybe she could dissect it and see how its inside could differ from other animals. She could do all that later since those things were not really on top of her priorities right now.

Since she already decided that she would live as Argent Blackbourne, the least she could do was fulfill the original owner’s wishes. She might be indifferent but she’s not so ungrateful that she’d discard the original owner’s will. After all, she technically stole this body from her. The original owner, despite being such a weak chicken, was a genuinely kind child albeit a bit timid and slow. All she wanted was to protect her family, find her missing father, and help her twin sister live freely without being locked up. So she will fulfill all those wishes. Although she never really experienced having a family, as a form of gratitude to the original owner, she’s willing to care for these people.

Protecting the current Blackbourne family was not that hard, considering they’re still one of the few Ducal family in Albion. But once it’s revealed that the current Duke was actually a girl, then that’s another matter. The disappearance of the former Duke still remained a mystery. It’s actually kind of strange that the King’s court immediately declared him as dead just after six months of searching. There’s definitely some sort of conspiracy there. She was just not sure if the King himself was involved in that conspiracy. If he was, then the moment it was known that she was actually a girl, he might used that to completely wiped out their family.

Or maybe she’s just thinking too much. After all, the incident caused by Aurum three years ago was a very good excuse to get rid of them. But not only did the King not do that, he even pardoned Aurum without any heavy punishment. But it won’t hurt to be careful just in case. The best thing she could do was to gather power and influence. So by the time the secret of her gender was revealed, even the King of Albion won’t be able to move her or her family. She already has a rough plan in order to achieve that. But right now, on the top of her priority list was Aurum. She needed to get close to the girl. How could Argent help her if she couldn’t even speak to her?

She stood up and was planning to get another book when the door of the library suddenly burst opened. Felicia – the maid she first saw when she woke up – came running in. She was the daughter of the head maid and the butler – the only other two people who knew about her real gender. Argent could tell that the Duchess was really smart. When she gave birth, the only people present were the head maid and the butler. Since she didn’t know if her child will be a boy or a girl, she chose the two people she trusted the most to help her gave birth. That way, if she needed to conceal the gender of her child, then the two people would have no qualms helping her.

When Felicia saw Argent, she immediately gave a sigh of relief. “There you are, Young Lord, I’ve been looking for you everywhere,” she said. She looked at the scattered books around the floor. Just when did the Young Lord have interest in reading? The Young Lord hated studying that’s why she never thought that he will be in the manor’s library.

“What’s wrong?” Argent asked.

“The Duchess personally delivered your lunch but you’re not in your room. She was so worried. Everyone is looking for you. You shouldn’t run around like this, Young Lord. Especially since you just regained consciousness yesterday. What if you suddenly faint again?”

When she first met the Duchess yesterday, she told her that they found her lying unconscious on the steps leading to the tower. She first scolded her, telling her how foolish she’d been going to that tower without any protection. Then she embraced her, her body shaking. The Duchess told her how worried she was and how she could have died. That was the first time she’d been hugged by someone and she was surprised by how warm it was. Just by that, she could tell that the Duchess really loved the original owner.

“Where’s Mother now?”

“Hmm, probably looking for you in the garden.”

When Argent heard that, she walked outside the library.

“Wait- Young Lord, where are you going?”

“To Mother,” she simply answered and continued walking.

“Wait for me, Young Lord!” Felicia called, scratching her head. How could the Young Lord seemed to be calmer and more mature now? Totally different from his usual quiet and shy manner. Did what happen in the tower somewhat changed his personality? She shook her head. No, this was better. Now at least, he’s acting more like a Duke should.

———-

Argent found the Duchess just walking out of the garden. She couldn’t help but stare at her new mother. Anthea Blackbourne was a tall woman with short golden brown hair and a pair of amber eyes. Her skin was the color of bronze, it seemed to glow under the bright sun. Instead of wearing a dress, like any noble woman should, she’s wearing a tunic, trousers and knee high boots. Instead of describing her as beautiful, it’s more accurate to say that she’s handsome.

When Anthea saw her, she immediately ran to her. She knelt in front of her and held both her shoulders. “Where have you been? We’ve been searching for you for hours now,” she admonished but the worry in her face couldn’t be hidden.

Because of the incident three years ago, Anthea decided to limit the number of servants in the manor. Now, if something happened, they could only rely on a handful of people. Now, she seriously doubted if that was actually a good decision. If there were more servants around, then maybe someone could have stopped Argent from sneaking into the tower. Then nothing would have happened. If Argent actually died from exposure to Aurum’s Mana, she seriously wouldn’t know what to do. She already locked one of her daughters inside a tower, if she actually lost the other because of her own negligence, then she might as well kill herself.

“I was just in the library, reading books.”

“I see. Does Argent misses school? You’ve been absent for a week after all.”

Argent raised one of her brows. How did this mother of hers gave birth to that idea? Was reading books equivalent now to wanting to go to school? Maybe it’s time to educate her dear mother about her real situation in that school for aristocrats.

“Mother, actually, I don’t want to return to that school anymore.”

“Why?” Anthea asked, confused.

It’s hard to study because almost everyone has been bullying me,” Argent said directly. She has no intention to go back to that school. Despite this body now having a different soul, the composition was still the same. She’s still a NoGift. She could not even feel the so-called flow of Mana inside her body. She would not go back to a place where she would just be tortured by those brats with Gifts. And she would not waste her time to scheme against those said brats. That would just be a waste of her precious brain cells.

Anthea’s confused look immediately turned into anger. Her amber eyes almost looked like it was blazing. “Who are those brats who dared to bully you? Tell me their names and I’ll make sure they will regret what they did!”

“It’s fine, Mother. I could just transfer.”

“And let those brats get away with it? No, this Anthea Blackbourne won’t have it,” she said indignantly.

“Mother, the consequence of what you’re planning to do will be too troublesome to deal with. So for the sake of peace in our family, just let it go.”

Anthea stared at her daughter incredulously. She can’t believe that those words just came out of her overly shy daughter. It’s like she was talking to an adult. She was suddenly filled with worry. Did the exposure from Aurum’s Mana change her personality? Looked like she had to monitor this daughter more intensely. “Okay. Mother understands. I will immediately look for another school for you.”

“Thank you, Mother. Could it be possible to look for a school outside Albion? Preferably in Amexem?” It’s a country in the Western continent that’s run in democracy. It’s known for being much more liberal and free compared to other countries. But despite that, it’s economy was still at the top of the ladder.

Anthea wrinkled her brows. “But why? That’s on another whole continent!”

“Because I think they will be more open-minded there. People there won’t probably hurt me just because I’m a NoGift.” But the sole reason Argent wanted to go there was because she would probably face less problems if she built a business there. Of course she won’t tell that to her mother.

Anthea sighed. She understood her daughter’s reasoning, but how could she send her to somewhere so far away? Now she really wanted to roast those brats who bullied Argent. This was all their fault. “Let me think about it first, okay?”

“Okay, Mother.”

Anthea stood up and held her daughter’s hand. “Now, let’s eat lunch first. I’m starving and I bet you are too,” she said smiling down at Argent.

Argent nodded. Now that’s out of the way, she’d just have to think on how she could get close to her twin sister.