‘What?’

‘Is the Cardinal mistaken? Is she not the daughter of a baron?’

‘She is being called before my son?’

‘This small child with this horrendous hair?’

(Huh, they seem confused. I suppose the order we're called depends on our rank in the nobility. Also, what's up with that last one?! Rude!)

The more she got closer to the Cardinal, the more she could hear nobles talking. Some openly questioned the rise of her family in the ranks of nobility even though it was their King's decision, while others just decided to insult her looks.

Alice clenched her jaw and steadied her breathing, recalling her mother's advice to endure the harsh words thrown her way.

Still, the issue lay in the fact that their insults were not only directed at her but also inadvertently at her mother, who bore a striking resemblance to Alice.

(She must be having a really bad time in this sea of people, hearing all that...)

As she looked around herself, there were many mean glares from children who had not been called yet, possibly angry that her family became a count one and not theirs.

Alice positioned herself in front of the chair and the Cardinal began his prayer. She did not know when she should tell the Cardinal that she did not need the artifact. At first, she wanted to do this before the prayer began, but she missed her chance since the Cardinal started immediately. She hoped the Cardinal knew this beforehand and would not embarrass her in front of all of these people, forcing her to decline the artifact.

And, as the prayer reached its conclusion, the Cardinal slowly raised the intricate, steampunk-looking sphere, presenting it to Alice.

(Nooooooooo!)

“I-I do not need it, thank you…”

"Mmh?"

“I… am already awakened, so…”

The Cardinal looked at her in the eyes for the first time and, after a few seconds of awkward silence in the whole temple, he sighed.

(You're sighing at the first thing I say after becoming an adult?! That's just rude!)

The man came closer to her and talked in a low voice so that only she could hear.

"You should have informed me earlier. You've only succeeded in embarrassing yourself in front of everyone."

"I am sorry..."

(Then you should give people a chance to interject before you start your stupid prayer!)

"You can go back among the others."

Her cheeks flushed, and Alice slowly made her way to where she stood before. Most of the new adults giggled as they saw her crestfallen face.

"Look at her sleeves. Does she think she is a diva?"

"Pfft. More like a busker, if you ask me."

"Then again, with her backwater family, any amount of money she brings back home would help."

A group of girls on Alice's left was whispering, but she could still perfectly hear them.

(... I'm right next to you, you know? And those sleeves were only added to hide the burn scar on my arm...)

Alice bit her lip, resisting the urge to confront them. Choosing to remain composed, Alice opted to silently imagine retaliating with her strengthening spell and smashing them to pieces.

As she glanced around, Alice caught sight of the Horace guy from earlier. He stared back, mirroring the incredulous expression she had made upon hearing his tongue click.

(Well, I suppose he assumed I was making fun of him, so I will allow it this time.)

***

“I… I am so sorry Ally! This is all my fault!”

“Eh? No, it was not, Mother…”

”It was! It was because of my hair!”

(Again with that? Good grief...)

“I tell you, it was not... Most of their criticism targeted my stature, our family's noble rank, and my premature awakening. You don't need to concern yourself with their words. In any case, I like my hair, so I do not care if people do not.”

“Alice, I too am sorry that you had to endure it for so long. I even told the temple in advance that you did not need the artifact, but it seems they did not bother informing the Cardinal…”

“It is quite alright. It is not your fault either, Father.”

”Are you okay, Sister?”

Rising onto her tiptoes, Alice gently ruffled her little brother's hair, reassuring him with a warm smile.

"I am, do not worry. Do not expect this to happen at your own coming-of-age ceremony either. By then, you will be a tall, handsome young man who will surely awaken a wonderful element in the temple. And I will be there watching."

Though he still had a frown on his face, Alistair smiled back at her. He had been quite shocked by all the hate she underwent, especially since he thought his big sister was the cutest thing ever and believed just a week before that awakening years in advance was considered a feat.

"It is a promise, then."

***

The carriage Alice was in was progressing smoothly seemingly unaffected by the uneven terrain.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Since she had avoided the activation of her mana veins by an instructor as an already-awakened adult, she was already by the afternoon on her way back from the capital. She had wanted to visit more of the city, especially the bustling commoner district, but her father's insistence on an immediate return due to his responsibilities at the mansion left her longing unfulfilled.

Not even half an hour had passed since the departure, so the capital was still visible in the distance.

(Farewell, capital... Well, Father swore that he would take me back there someday, so it's fine.)

Alice turned her attention to her mother and brother who slept uncomfortably against their respective window.

(They did look exhausted this morning. I bet they didn't sleep well because of me...)

At that moment, a soft voice murmured from her left side, capturing Alice's attention.

"You can take a nap too, Alice."

"I could not even if I wanted to, Father. I am too used to staying awake during trips in our carriage. "

"I suppose it is usually difficult to sleep without a proper suspension system like this one."

"It really is. I often have to use my magic to dampen all the bumping."

"Do you? I will do my best to make your trips to the Vallmonts' manor more bearable. That is if you want to finish your lessons."

As he said that, Edgar awkwardly scratched his neck. Alice immediately picked up on that, as it was something she did from time to time.

(Is he probing me for information about what I'll do from now on? Can't he just ask directly? Well, I guess we'll have to address the elephant in the room one day or another...)

"About that... I do not think I will, now that I am an adult."

"O-oh, I see... What do you plan to do instead of studying, then?"

"... I think I want to be an adventurer."

Edgar became completely pale and, after several seconds, he heavily sighed.

"And here I was, telling your mother that she was mistaken..."

"... Did Mother guess this?"

"Indeed, she did. She was anxious every time she saw you talking with that D-rank party. I told her that you were just curious, but it seems I was wrong. Alice, why would you want to be an adventurer?"

"To help people, I suppose? I also want to travel. Learning about the way of life of these men solidified those desires."

"I want you to renounce it."

"Eh?"

"Renounce being an adventurer. If you want to help people, publish books like your magic instructor advised you to. If you want to travel, do so through your noble duties. You do not need to get yourself in danger. You don't even need money."

"But I want to help more directly! I want to use magic too!"

"Keep it down, Alice. You will wake up everyone. I am sure you would rather not have three people arguing against you."

"... I suppose you are right."

"You might not like to hear this, but you are not built to be an adventurer. To me, you look way too fragile for this."

"I may look feeble, but I am not. My magic makes me way stronger than you think."

"At the very least, postpone it until Alistair has his coming-of-age ceremony. At the moment, you are the only one who could inherit my title if something was to happen to me. I cannot allow you to put your life in danger just for fun."

Alice's eyes started to well up, making it difficult for her to think straight. She felt her throat tighten as the weight of the conversation bore down on her.

(This is not fair... He's basically saying that I will never be an adventurer.)

She took a deep breath before addressing the other elephant in the room, her voice barely a whisper.

"Father, you want me to wait more than two years... but you know what will happen after Alistair comes of age, do you not?"

Edgar's face showed his understanding, but he remained silent, urging Alice to continue.

"I will be married off in a political marriage. I will lose all freedom."

Tears streamed down Alice's cheeks, but she stubbornly held her father's gaze. Edgar's eyes softened with empathy.

"I am glad that you are aware of your responsibilities as a noble daughter, Alice. Your mother and I do have reservations about forcing marriage on you, which is why you are still not engaged yet. Still, we cannot ignore the necessity of such a marriage for the sake of our family's future."

Alice clenched her fists, her voice wavering.

"I am not questioning it, and I am even prepared for that. My point is that I can only do how I please until then. If I wait, I will not have any time left to be an adventurer. My window of freedom is that limited."

Edgar was stunned by what his daughter said. She wasn't speaking particularly loud but, even so, her words had a lot of weight. He understood that this was something she had pondered for a long time.

Because he wasn't saying anything back, Alice decided to continue.

"Please allow me to be an adventurer. I will even come back to the mansion on the weekends. I will do my best to perform my other duties as a noble."

The silence in the carriage grew heavy, the tension palpable between father and daughter. Edgar finally looked down, his brow furrowed in thought, before finally meeting Alice's gaze once more.

"If you are truly serious about becoming an adventurer, I will at least allow you to prove your worth. If you can show me that you are capable and strong enough, then... I might reconsider."

Alice looked at her father in disbelief, her eyes wide with a glint of hope.

"How can I prove that to you?"

"Face me in a battle. We shall keep it a secret and hold it the day after we return to the mansion."

"... I know I probably cannot defeat you in a battle. I have heard that you are a very skilled swordsman. Not to mention that your magic will make it even more difficult..."

"I will consider it a loss if you can hit me once."

(Uh... It sounds almost too easy now.)

"I just have to try until I touch you, then?"

"It will also end if I touch you. I heard your magic makes you quite fast, so I am sure you can dodge my sword."

"W-wait Father... One touch is not fair to me... How about a little more before I am considered defeated?"

"Two times, then."

"M-may I ask for five?"

"Three."

"What do you think of four?"

"Three. If you try to negotiate even more, you can forget my offer."

"Uh... Three is perfect."

"Just know that I will not hold back. I want you to stay with us."

"I will not either. I will use everything in my arsenal."

At last, they had found a compromise. For a few minutes, however, nobody was talking and the atmosphere in the carriage was just awkward. As such, Alice decided to fake falling asleep, and she eventually dozed off for real. Incidentally, her father did the exact same thing.