Freedom was something that Eliza gained very recently. Six years of age was when she was allowed out and enough time had passed. Despite her father’s insistence, Eliza’s mother won the argument and managed to suspend her Mana Implantation Ritual for a few years.

The ones capable of properly doing the ritual were far and far in-between and they were busy preparing Battle Mages for a war effort.

With whom, Eliza wasn’t privy to any information regarding that.

For now, she had to keep her mind off such troubles and as a result, never get close to her father for he was full of worry and fear. So much so that he seldom came home. Most of his personal army was sent out to aid the war effort and he’d started conscripting boys who were barely of age to train them.

That was what he kept himself busy with.

“Those are the farm fields,” said Iris as she pointed at a land covered with thick snow through the window. She then proceeded to explain, “Only a quarter of it is required to support your father’s land, for it isn’t large. Most of it is sent to the Royal Capital to be distributed across the kingdom.”

Eliza hadn’t left the mansion during winter ever since she required air as an infant so the chill in the carriage made the tips of her toes freeze and she shuddered ever so slightly despite her fur jacket and fur boots over wool socks.

“This place is so-” stared Eliza but trailed off.

After convincing her parents for the longest time, Eliza managed to get outside but what she saw with her own eyes wasn’t the magnificent outside world she expected. There was only loneliness and silence. People minding their business, doing their best to survive rather than enjoying the life they lived.

They wanted to survive, not live.

There was no joy.

Of that, Eliza was sure, for she couldn’t feel any from the pedestrians.

“The outside world isn’t as glamorous as you expected, is it?” asked Iris as a small smile crept up on her face. It was a hollow one devoid of emotion, or perhaps she hid the emotion behind a veil, and only the product of said emotion appeared.

“I thought there was freedom here,” mumbled Eliza.

“No one is truly free, milady,” said Iris and let out a short sigh, “Not even the ones that aren’t bound by duty.”

“What of the other continents? Berephith, for one?” asked Eliza.

She heard of the Republics and City-States that they had from the Compendium. There were no mandatory classes but it had its unsavory parts.

“My knowledge on the matter is lacking but perhaps Jane would know more of it. She came from there, after all,” said Iris and Eliza nodded her head. However, Iris added to her statement, “There isn’t any single law that it is reigned by, and thus, the strong make the rules in Berephith. It is often something the masses wouldn’t like.”

Dwarves were plentiful in Berephith, making up almost half the population whereas humans were the relative minority.

“What rules?” she asked.

“That, I do not know,” said Iris and closed her eyes before sinking back to her comfy seat. It was the main source of warmth in the carriage, even more so than their clothes.

Eliza focused on a house in the distance, utilizing her Telescopic Vision to its full effect to see a farmer, barely twelve, hacking away at a log with an axe.

She’d almost learned all of them but Microscopic Vision was the most difficult one. Considering that Telescopic Vision took half a year to learn, it wasn’t surprising. She knew what to see and look for when looking at the distance but Microscopic Vision wasn’t like that. She had to study and focus for hours on end to even grasp the basics of it.

Telescopic Vision didn’t use up any Mana but it strained the eyes, so much so that she couldn’t use it for long without her eyes bleeding. They’d turned red for a week, causing enough distress to Iris for it to be felt.

Her limit was ten seconds so far and to make full advantage of it, Eliza had made it a habit to only use it with one eye at any one time, which was apparently a big part of mastering it, making it the Skill with the highest mastery in her Skill List.

Skill List

Appraisal

1%

Polyglot

2%

Empathy

4%

Mental Immunity

1%

Mana Vision

3%

Soul Vision

1%

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Telescopic Vision

12%

Night Vision

5%

They were taking up a lot of space and she’d almost filled up half of her Skill List, which had a maximum space of 20. Three of her eight Skills were innate and Appraisal was indispensable, even if she could unlearn it if she saw it fit. Unless she learned Microscopic Vision, all the useful Vision Skills would end up barring her from learning much else.

Integrated Skills couldn’t be linked to Classes, sadly. If such a thing was possible, she could get Classes and then store those Skills within them, getting more usable space —it was common knowledge that Skills linked to Classes couldn’t be used for integration.

That was a large drawback.

It was absurd how many Classes were allowed but Eliza couldn’t manage to get one of them yet. Thus, she only had her Noble Class, still at Tier 1.

The requirements were foggy and the only answer she got, both from the Compendium and from others was that it’d happen when it was time.

“Please, don’t use that ugly Skill anymore,” said Iris and covered Eliza’s open eye with her palm.

“It’s alright. I know my limits,” said Eliza and closed her eyes, consciously turning off the Skill.

Her current limit was magnifying her sight to clearly see exactly five hundred meters away. It was less seeing clearly and more zooming in on a certain spot and then seeing that as if it was right before her eyes. As she was zooming into a certain spot, even the slightest pupil movement could drastically change the spot, making it unfit for trailing someone else, not to mention the short duration.

It was practically impossible to accuse someone of using a Skill, as that couldn’t be registered or tested in any manner. As such, only certain classes and an individual’s Level could be used as proof for a crime. However, most Skills had a physical tell. In the case of Telescopic Vision and Microscopic Vision, it was the veins near her temples bulging.

Its usage was dependent on Durability and a mere 12 wasn’t enough to keep either one up for long.

“Overusing it may even cause blindness,” warned Iris.

“No, that’s just an old wives’ tale,” corrected Eliza, “It’ll automatically turn off before it does that unless it’s my intent to go blind.”

“It still means you could lose your eyes,” Iris countered, intent on taking home the win.

“As I said, I know my limits,” said Eliza and huffed once.

Dealing with Iris was getting more annoying by the day, as if she was becoming more and more overprotective with time instead of less.

She was growing up.

That’s when Eliza felt something: an uncomfortable concoction of distress, helplessness, and peace.

It was the emotion of someone who’d given up.

Her eyes scoured the area. If her powers were picking up the emotion, it had to be close, only to find a dog that was nothing more than skin and bones lying near the road. It gasped and breathed heavily. The concoction of emotions was pierced by panic every few seconds, evidently from pain.

A single tear dropped from Eliza’s eyes and she activated her Soul Vision by using its emotions as fuel, intent on seeing the last throes of the creature. She knew that the soul would grow smaller and smaller until it turned into nothing but seeing it was different.

The Soul of the dog was green, as was the case with all beasts. Wise Beasts, the kind that spoke and had intelligence, had a teal shade whereas the normal kind without higher functions had a darker, emerald shade.

“Iris,” whispered Eliza, her entire body trembling ever so slightly. It felt like she’d come to terms with everything. The fact that she’d never be free. The fact that she was weak. The fact that she couldn’t escape her marriage. The fact that she’d… die one day.

Not hers.

Eliza thought to push the emotion away but she’d already come to terms with it.

There was no need to.

Not a tiny bit.

The disgusting sensation was gone as quickly as it appeared after the carriage sped away from the dog that waited for its death.

“Milady?” asked Iris, her brows furrowed.

“It’s nothing,” said Eliza and wiped the stray tear that flowed down her face, “I just rubbed my eye too hard. Straight to the Prophet’s, please. I… want to return to the estate as soon as possible.”

Iris solemnly nodded and knocked on the wall to instruct the coachman.

They hadn’t permitted her to go out merely because she wanted to sightsee. The purpose was for her to undergo the Mana Implantation Ritual and sightseeing was a benefit of that.

Her training regimen allowed her to almost complete the requirements from the mission, not due to exercise but because she was growing up. After recently turning six, Eliza realized that her Durability was beyond the norm but all others were mediocre.

Training them seemed ridiculous.

“Wait,” said Eliza.

Iris turned to her and regarded her with a slightly raised eyebrow.

“That dog we passed by. Put it out of its misery,” ordered Eliza, which Iris parroted to the coachman who lazily hopped off the coach and walked away, his footsteps audible thanks to the snow.

Iris closed one of the velvet curtains of the carriage and leaned back after the action. As she was trained to, she put both hands over her lap on top of each other and straightened her posture afterward.

That was exactly what Miss Corbin had taught Eliza.

“Why was that, milady?” asked Iris.

“It would have died a much slower death otherwise,” said Eliza and sighed slowly, “It’s better this way.”

Iris closed her eyes for a bit and the next time she opened it, it was peering at her.

“Who are you, truly?” she asked. Her nose was slightly scrunched and both brows slightly furrowed. It was an expression that Eliza knew well —disgust. Her expression started to resemble Miss Corbin more than it did the Iris she knew, “Are you truly a child?”

Was she… a child?

“You’re Lord Fairman’s daughter, I know that. I’ve been looking after you ever since your birth, I know that. I know you’re not an impostor that replaced the baby. I know you never hid it but… I just wish to know. What exactly are you?”

“I don’t know,” said Eliza after a moment’s silence.

It was the truth.

Even Eliza herself didn’t know what she was.

“Often, I feel like a grown woman stuck in a girl’s body. I know a lot but I don’t know how I know it. Somehow, I don’t know even the basics of survival in this world. I felt fear when I slept for the first time-” ranted on Eliza but stopped herself.

Why was she saying all that?

“So you’re a freak of nature, is what you’re saying,” said Iris, “You’re you for no reason at all.”

“As far as I’m aware,” said Eliza and rubbed her forehead.

Eliza had never acted like a child when not in the presence of Miss Corbin and everyone seemed to think of that as normal. It was almost ridiculous, quite frankly. Finding out that Iris had some doubts about it was relieving, in fact.

“I’ve had my doubts quite often but I assume the prophecy has something to do with it,” said Iris and looked to the side as the coachman came back after finishing his deed.

“What prophecy?” hissed Eliza.

That reminded her of what her father said at the family dinner.

“That you’d be taken by the Gods,” said Iris and slowly shook her head with closed eyes. She let out a chuckle for the first time in Eliza’s life, breaking apart her icy facade. Iris opened her eyes and proceeded, the emotions that were hidden away finally visible to Eliza, “The Prophet declared that you’d be taken by the Gods upon your birth. That you wouldn’t survive. But you did. That’s what I thought until I was tasked with raising you, at least.”

Eliza let out her own chuckle, Iris’s dominant emotion flooding into her and taking over.

“I think the Prophet may have been right,” said Iris.

“Because I’m not as children should be?” asked Eliza.

“Because you aren’t normal. Learning the hieroglyphs within mere months, enduring pain that no child should, and learning speech… that isn’t how children learn to speak,” she said and exhaled slowly, letting steam escape her mouth. The next time she opened her mouth, Iris’s words were louder, almost a yell, “I feel like I’m useless. Like I don’t deserve to be praised so by Lord Fairman. I didn’t raise you. You raised yourself!”

Irritation and… humor?

Could they even go together?

Iris giggled maniacally for a few seconds and slowly shook her head sloppily, as if drunk.

“I- I’m not worthy,” she said and like a marionette with its strings cut, she collapsed into the seat behind her.

Eliza had nothing to say.

She didn’t know what to say.

The rest of the ride was spent in silence.