Amelia… It’s really you, then that boy… that boy… Devil! What have you done? What have you done to my daughter?!

Ugh! This pressure!

I… I can’t… breathe…

Master! Master, please calm down!

Duke Ambrose, contain yourself! No one may disrupt my holy court!

But your honor, you don’t understand! My daughter went missing twenty years ago. That fiend… That fiend must have done something to my daughter!

Sit down, Duke! The court is in session.

But!

The answer to your question lies somewhere in the defendant’s memory. So please, my old friend, sit and witness. Even if you don’t like the answer.

I… Yes, I apologized.

Gasp! I can breathe again!

That mana was no joke. That man… Duke Ambrose… I feel like I heard his name somewhere before. It’s on the tip of my tongue.

Are you kidding? That’s Duke Ashton Ambrose, the master of Greenfield territory and one of the nine elders!

Five — after the devil murdered half of them.

How the hell did a manaless gardener’s child grow up to be the most dangerous mage in history?

I don’t know…

The duke in the memory approaches the bed. The boy lowers his head and steps to the corner. The girl is still reading.

“Hello, Amelia. How are you today?”

“That’s none of your business, you old fart. Why do people keep bothering me and treating my room like a playground?

Seep! Even her own father.

The duke is upset, but not with the girl…

“You! What are you doing here? Can’t you see you’re upsetting my daughter?!”

No, Duke… your daughter is just like that…

The voice fades out again. The duke reprimands the boy. His parents spank him and make him pick up shit in the horse stables.

He doesn’t seem upset — always has a smile on his face.

The girl, on the other hand, is always on the bed, always in a bad mood.

What illness does she have?

I’m a doctor, that’s clearly Silver Blood.

Oh, that’s easy to cure, just pop a pill and sleep it off.

No, not back then. Back then, there was no cure. The illness was terminal.

That means…

The season is changing. The girl is bleeding from her nose in the winter.

Amelia…

The boy doesn’t learn his lesson. He keeps sneaking in to keep the girl company. Her tongue is sharp, but I don’t think she actually hates him. Maybe she keeps lashing out because of the pain.

She lashes out at everybody — the duke, her mother, the servants. Only the boy is always smiling. Everyone else looks depressed.

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Wait, the duke’s wife… if I’m not mistaken…

It’s spring now. The boy brings flowers to Miss Amelia every day. Tch! Cheeky brat.

She gives up on chasing him away. Instead, she asks about the outside world.

The boy’s eyes sparkled. He ventures outside the mansion’s grounds to the village and mountains and relays what he sees to her.

Amelia listens to his every word and jots it down in her notebook. Man, she must long for freedom.

Her illness subsides in the summer. She can get up from bed and walk around the mansion. Her eyes gaze longingly out the windows. The young devil is never far away.

Ah, young love… how nostalgic.

The servants are pacing around the mansion. The duke and his wife are leaving for somewhere.

We were summoned to the elders’ summit. I should have brought her with me… I should have…

Miss Amelia is left alone with the servants. She has them move her bed to the library. This girl sure likes to read.

She spends her day reading difficult books — history, geography, math, and even magic. The boy is always nearby, occasionally playing with a wooden sword. In the evening, they sit on the balcony, sipping… wait, is that wine?! Who lets a terminally ill girl drink wine?!

I don’t know, man. But she seems to be in a better mood than usual. Look, she even cracks a smile at one of the devil’s jokes.

It’d be romantic if they weren’t so young.

Wait, I sense several presences approaching the mansion! They’re moving fast, leaping across the walls, and murdering the guards! They’re running towards the living quarters!

They break into the young miss’s room. Empty. They’re searching for her.

“What was that!?”

The boy hears the noises. Amelia puts down her wineglass and smiles.

“Something exciting. Smelly brat, go hide in the cupboard, they’re not here for you.”

“Huh? What do you mean? Do you know what’s happening, Amy?”

“No, but I’d like to find out.”

“Don’t be stupid, Amy. Come on, let’s go hide.”

“I refuse. Go, boy. This is your last chance. They’re coming.”

“But—”

They’re here!

There are six of them, dressed in black. All exuding mana!

You bastards! Don’t you dare touch my daughter! You hear me?! I’ll kill you! I’ll kill all of you!

Duke, please… the event is in the past…

The boy is frightened, but he picks up his wooden sword and stands in front of Miss Amelia.

“D-don’t come any closer! You are thieves, right? T-take what you want and go, or… or I’ll break your toes!”

“Ha! And what if I say I want her?”

“D-don’t come any closer!”

“Boss, this kid is also manaless.”

“Really? Ha! Lucky me, two birds with one stone. Take them both boys. We’re eating good tonight!”

No! Don’t you dare touch her! Don’t you dare touch her!

The men in black put black sacks on the children’s heads. The image is cut out.

I can sense their movements. They’re moving south. Bumpy. Coarse. Must be on a wooden cart.

They must’ve travelled for hours.

The cart stops and the children are thrown into a cold, damp room.

They’re others… manaless…

The sacks are removed. I see dozens of manaless children in a damp brick room. From toddlers to teenagers. They’re crying for help.

“Amy! Amy, are you okay!? Are you hurt?”

The girl is bleeding from her nose and mouth!

Amelia…

The metal door is opening. A hunchback man in a white coat is walking in.

“So these are the fresh meat you bought… one of them is damaged!”

“Gimme a break! Do you know how much trouble we went through to get this lot? There’s only so many wasted children around, ya mad coot.”

“Bah! Fine, here is your reward. Now bring me more! More!”

“Hahaha! Much obliged. Happy doing business with ya, doc. Let’s go, boys.”

The kidnappers leave. Leaving only the hunchback and two large goons with the children.

The hunchback is also manaless. What the hell is going on? I’ve never seen so many manaless people gather in one room before.

“Welcome, children! Welcome! Please do not be afraid. You’re not in danger. Quite the contrary, you are here today because you were specifically selected to help usher in a new age of mankind! One where the amount of mana in one’s body isn’t determined by birth!”