Chapter 2: Chapter 1 : What Childhood?

"Well, I'll be off now."

"Take care."

It was an early morning, as Norton was being sent off by a maid. The older brother being 3 years older is already at the age where he could go for a first-level education.

Their parents had already tried to tutor him themselves to teach him the basics essentials like writing or reading and simple knowledge regarding his standing as an heir to the Duke's household. But most of it just flies past his head, so as of at the moment they've decided to enroll him at the nearby children's school in the village within their territory.

And with that, the little girl, Dolores Venefica is left without a playmate.

"Not that I needed him to begin with..."

She mumbled to herself, as she began exploring the estate by herself.

It has been a couple of months after her recovery, and already even already begun her own private tutor a while back ever since she was 5.

After her mother asked to teach her personally concerning her sharing her specialty involving magic, which interest her. And as that is progressing.

A loud crackling sound of brittle shards began to reverberate in the garden. As a huge ice block seems to have been conjured out of the air itself, it expands haphazardly in all directions, as it grows in size to the gazebo next to it.

After its explosive appearance, it continues to exclude an aura of power as it glows a beautiful radiant green that shimmers on the snow particles surrounding it. Seeing a practice well done, Dolores turned to the sage for an evaluation of her effort.

"No- No, this won't do."

"Huh?..."

Which ended up being waved away by a single decisive and dismissive sentence from her teacher.

"Dearie we've been over this many times before, but you don't really want to learn magic do you?"

"Huh, what do you mean mama, this ice I conjured is larger than the last time, my fireballs too!"

"There it is again…"

Yes, and this isn't the first time the point has been bought up. Dolores Venefica has been studying under her mother's wing, and as a sage of the kingdom, she's sure that there's not a more capable individual to tutor on magic in the world.

As the two of them had first begun their lessons and practices, the two were overjoyed at just how capable she was of succeeding in causing huge phenomena no normal person could even dream to be capable of. But as it continued.

"Dearie, it's just that, are you sure you remember what I told you the last time?"

"Yes I did, and you keep saying things too slowly only one thing at a time, repeating yourself even though you've already said it many times before, I can remember more than just one thing you know teacher, so don't underestimate me!"

Dolores pouted while closing her arm to the side in a cute gesture. Trying to dismiss what her parent is trying to explain to her back. She's been improving on casting many different spells, so she calls it at the moment, from the summoning of a fireball, calling a raging wind, and even a radiant light as bright as the sun, each one becoming bigger and stronger than the last.

It's only because of her evaluation as the kingdom's sage, that it seems like she had set her benchmark of evaluation of her own daughter way too high. Like she'd expect a replica of herself that she could never achieve, after all, she's only 6 which is basically a preschooler. And as she continued on.

"Dearie, are you sure you want to keep studying, it's fine if you don't want to keep it up, but you need to explain to me if something is of the matter that you dislike, it's just like with your private tutor too, you used to be so excited to study until you suddenly began to dislike studying with Enti."

There it is again, asking as if the problem comes from the student itself. She loves the practice and is performing exceedingly well in it, and at some point she began to have a hard time with her private studies, even though they already taught the basics that she needed for her age, the rest of it just began to feel boring as there's nothing much to do with it.

As that emotion began to reach its boiling point for Dolores.

"Alright then fine!! I'll just learn the blade from Father instead!!"

She declared in a tantrum before running inside of the estate. And yet her mother just couldn't help but giggle at her daughter's stride.

"Daddy, can I ask for something..."

"???"

As Haster Lon Obstein witnessed in a complete befuddlement on how his adorably cute daughter could show herself like that within his office. Between being faced with a mountain of paperwork, against that gesture by the 6-year-old.

"…Of course Dolores, I'd always have time on my hand for you Dearie! No matter how busy I look!"

And with that, the feelings for her daughter obviously beat the against the papers of duty.

"So tell me, what is it you need?"

"Mmm, it's just that, brother has always been the one to be taught by you, but now that he has to go to school, I wonder if I can be the one to study the blade as well."

"Ah did you always want to try it? Well, you could've always asked, but what about your mother's lesson? Isn't it that she's the one to teach you about magic at the moment?"

"I don't want to study from mother at the moment."

And as she said that with a pout, with an adorable innocent dissatisfaction of a child has with something. It's not a gesture any parent could overcome and therefore.

A sharp booming crash rang through the estate

It began the next morning in the estate's garden. Several dummies equipped with plated metal armor were lined up one after another. Only for them a moment later.

As they all suddenly flung into the air, before proceeding to get smashed into a pulp, each one somehow crushed with force strong enough to turn them into a disk of crushed scrap metal.

And as she landed with a perfect landing after the pursuit of the poor dummies in the air, Dolores Venefica shook a beat of sweat off her brow and looked in the direction of her instructor for his examination.

"!!!"

"…"

She was as perturbed as he was, after witnessing the inhumane feat just done before. Dolores attempted to give it her all on her first attempt to convince her father that she's cut out to train under him without worry that she might get herself hurt. But all of a sudden, once she picked up the wooden stick, it felt as if her adrenaline took over her with excitement for validation.

Only for afterwards realized just how abnormal of a feat she had done was. Haster Lon Obstein witnessed what was supposed to be a 6-year-old girl, as she perfectly executed such a feat along with monstrous strength. Nothing sort of unsettling and a clear signal that something is not normal. He had already heard from his wife that the girl was wholly capable of amassing a ridiculous amount of magic already, but to see such strength the creature was capable of. As Dolores slowly began being worried about how it might turn out to be.

"Dear The Heavenly gods above… my daughter.. my daughter is a monster…."

her line of thought was cut off by her father's unnerved voice. Just before Dolores's heart could begin to sink from what's next, he began increasing his tone in an instant.

"MY DAUGHTER IS A MONSTER!!! OH, HOW BLESSED SHE IS IN THE NAME OF FARBAUIT!!!"

"!!?"

He began to express a cathartic shout in a prayer to the heavens above. Before running towards his daughter with open arms and picks her up in the air as she began being spun around.

"Da- Daddy what do you mean I'm a monster!!??"

"Exactly, to think my own daughter could be so capable of brutalizing her enemies so ruthlessly at the age of a preschooler, what fate!!"

"Heeh???"

"So that's what happened with your mother.."

"It's just that mother, no matter how much I've worked she seems to have way too high of an expectations from me."

"Really, Was she that tough with you?"

"It's as if when I blow up a house once, she'd expect me to blow up a country next!"

As she continued her rant to her other parent, she kept bashing away at a steel pillar whilst turning it into pieces solely with a wooden staff, and Haster listened closely to what his 6-year-old daughter was unsatisfied with. Seemingly just entertaining the little kid's tantrum.

"Is that so? But you know kiddo, I'm also not that capable of magic either, there are things we aren't good at, but if it seems like you're too stupid to learn magic from your mother, you could always truly excel at what you're good at."

"That's as if you're calling me retarded musclehead…."

"And that's fine for us too."

As the metal pillar was launched several feet in the air before crashing down onto the garden, Dolores stood there holding the wooden polearm that had now broken into two pieces. Haster went ahead and grabbed his daughter lifting her up over his shoulder.

"You know dearie, no matter what changes with your mother and me, we will always believe in what you can be, even if it doesn't seem like it at times."

"?.."

"So we just want you guys to remember that.."

It was a wonderful evening. Dolores and her father seem to be playing about the estate the whole day. It was already a time when the fancy corridor of his home had begun to be dyed a vibrant orange and soon to be dark.

"They seem to be getting along well now…"

Looking at it on his way back, Norton began to feel a certain distance. After hearing that not only has his sister managed to shock both of their parents with her unparalleled talent, he decides to just push himself on his studies at the new school he's in and back to his toys.

After all, he couldn't even keep up with the most basic of training his father so thoroughly has been beating into him for the past years or so now as the household heir. Even if he's unaware of that being the case. As he was just about to go to his room.

"Norton, can you help me with the usual?"

"Coming Mother!"

Obediently he run ahead to her side. It has always somehow been siblings chores helping with their mother's magical equipment and a few other things. But those two were still unaware that the reason she asked them specifically as opposed to the few maid and servants they have within the estate, is just because she wants to interact with them.

On the way there though.

"I heard you got caught in a fight already?"

"?.."

"Just tell me what happened and I won't get mad."

"There was a guy who kept saying he knows more than me… So I punched him…"

"Is that all?.."

Listening with an exasperated sigh to her son's day. She almost felt like it was a waste worrying about just how big an event in a basic education school could be. So she chided in her own words very simply on the same level as the kid's age.

"Well perhaps he has a point, you're not exactly the brightest."

"I don't want to hear that from mom, mom's the smartest."

"While I am, remember back then when I tried to teach you magic so that you could light the fire in your bedroom without asking Tem's help?"

"I couldn't manage to do it."

"Hmm, Maybe it's better that you didn't get the chance to burn the house now didn't you?"

The windows passed them giving a glance of the garden. Visible through it were the sister and her father continuing to spar in a way too brutal and serious to be a playful activity. But their expression and laughter filled with excitement with each other say otherwise.

"They said it turns out little sister is as strong as father."

"So it seems."

His pace stopped when he heard that, and he began to look a bit down.

"She got angry over my tutoring before going to Daddy. you know, while you don't know it, dearie, you were always the better student."

It didn't get processed in the young boy's mind at the moment. But someday she hopes the siblings figure out what that means.

As the evening came about, Dolores was covered in dirt and scruff over the day. A heavy fatigue weighs upon her entire body, and even though it seems it's because her father was just excited to finally bond with his daughter. A shiver ran down her spine when it seemed like he was a bit too serious about it.

"But that was a weird feeling."

Looking back at it now, it was Dolores's first time swinging something. But it all seemingly came all too naturally for her. As if every instinctive guess as to where she should position herself and where to swing seemed to all be correct even if she had no clear base of why or how.

"But did father have to go that hard, somehow it just doesn't sit well with me…"

Continuing her steps pondering over it, another set of footsteps can be heard towards her,

"Little miss, it's dinnertime soon."

"Oh, Enti, what's for dinner anyway?"

"Since it is his first day of school in the village, Tem baked up a salami bread for the young sir."

"Mou, why does it seem like he always gets the attention."

It took Dolores quite a few while to adjust to the fact that the estate has full-blown maids as its workforce. Which makes sense considering the family position along with just how big the estate is. There's Enti who is the head maid deputy of cleaning, Tem who is chief of the kitchen, and another one who manages the garden.

In fact for the size of the estate, she's surprised that there aren't any more servants.

"Surprising to hear you being jealous little lady, even though you used to adore your older brother so much"

"What is that supposed to mean!? What is there to adore in that dumbass."

"That's actually what were wondering as well miss.."

"?..."

It's a cozy atmosphere within a well-lit dining room. An assortment of bread is served in baskets along with the many side dishes decorating the table with a variant of colors. Along with the happy family sharing about their days.

"Dearie listen to this, it seems Norton got into a fight with his classmate."

"Huh, well how hard did you hit him? Kiddo?"

The father jovially laughed completely disregarding and even encouraging his son's action. With an exasperated gesture, the wife can only sigh away at them.

"Mo, I don't think you should be encouraging it dear."

"I doubt he could even throw a punch anyway, Well so long as that doesn't become a habit."

The boy in question himself though just seems to be busying himself with the salami bread on his plate.

"Norton is fine, but Dolores doesn't do what he did okay! I think you might actually kill someone I you try."

"Who do you think I am, father I'm not a wild dog unlike brother is."

"Nah he's a puppy, unlike you who's a crazy red dragon. Bwahaha!"

"Father, I'll get mad you know!"

The father's presence is too strong, that the family members have a hard time avoiding to just get caught up in the same flow and world as he is. But it seems the man just won't stop.

"Norton, how is it that your little sister already went above and beyond when you still can't even swing a sword after all this time?"

In that spur of the moment, brought that out. Hearing that, Dolores began to feel an odd emotion stirring within her.

(No, no this isn't right)

Although she was happy to show off her talent to her father and herself on just what it is she's capable of at such a young age. She didn't think to realize that in comparison, had she just thwarted her brother's work for the past year, and with a comparison as if he couldn't even beat in his lifetime.

With a similar expression of worry, it seems it seems like her mother also has a similar line of thought. she heard that it was the same back then as well with Norton and their mother. That he couldn't manage to successfully cast any magic despite their efforts. Remembering that just reinforces this feeling of anxiousness about just what he might think.

And to hear their father bringing that up, although it's such a simple sentence. Just how insensitive he is to compare his sibling, not just how insensitive she herself had caused.

"Haster you sho-"

"Mhgh, Don't know."

But listening to it, Norton just kept on mindlessly shoving his favorite bread down his mouth. apathetic to it all. Now a different feeling is shaping up. After a relieved wind swept through the dining table.

"Ah I guess so, maybe I should just be tougher on you next time, how about that kiddo?"

"It's tiring…"

Somehow though, this time Dolores began to feel a sense of dissatisfaction as well. As much as her accomplishment has already been appreciated by her parents, this brother of hers hasn't even said a thing about it. It somehow just rubs her the wrong way, despite the lack of skills he possesses why does It feel like everyone continues to reward him?

"Well now that it seems Dolores is going to play with Daddy instead, how about you start studying with Mama instead, Norton?"

"Hmm, not sure... isn't the school enough?"

"What do you expect the village school to know more than me huh?"

"The teacher is funny."

"Oh care to tell."

And as with that, the dinner was rounded up in a hearty manner.

With a lethargic body after a hearty meal. Dolores drags her small body to the best her tiny legs can on the way to her room.

"Oh, I shouldn't have eaten too much, but I didn't expect the salami bread to be that good.."

"Welcome little miss."

As she entered her room with a closed door behind her. She was greeted by a person already in her room. Making a double-check to be sure that this was indeed her room, she looked again at the maid in front of her. And began to feel a surge of exasperation welling up from inside of herself.

"Tella, if you're here, that must mean."

"Yes, now that you've recovered from your head injury, your mother has instructed me to continue the tutoring from where we left off."

Hearing it confirmed for herself, she sighed as hard as she could. For the longest time, she has to come across this chore again. The family has always had the maid to handle the private tutoring to prepare them but as of the recent event.

"Why the long face? You're always very enthusiastic to learn something."

"Hmm, it's nothing, just, I got bored yeah! At some point, it just kind of happens."

"Well now, the things you need to learn right now are important whether you want it or not miss."

"Mu..."

Sulking away at that exchange, Dolores really couldn't say anything back. As she sat down on the wooden chair at her desk next to Tella her thoughts began to spin on that argument. So as Tella's lecture began in the dimly lit room.

Sure as the Duke's daughter, she's expected to be more competent than of the common people. More so if she's the daughter of both spectacular parents. So not only is she expected to have a higher head over her shoulders with the kingdom's politics, territory, and economy, but also be competent as a knight.

So what would ordinarily just be an expertise or specialization would be mandatory for her. Although it Is a tall order from an upbringing, it's expected from a young noble.

"Little miss, are you listening!?"

"Huh, yeah!"

"Pay attention now! reading and writing should be one of the most basic essentials in life."

After that scolding, the lesson continued until the oil lamp was put out.

As Daybreak hits. The crashing noise of metal could be heard earlier than the roosters. As a father and daughter duo has already begun their mourning routine that they've set for themselves.

Yawn~

Although she seemed to still be tired, she forced herself up to wake up early to train. she continues to swing without tire nor sluggishness. Witnessing that odd discrepancy the Haster appraises it thoroughly.

"Hmph, looking at it again, yeah this is odd, no simple dumb talent could account for this."

"What do you mean father?"

Stopping her swing, she turned to ask what her father's inspection was. Coming from a war veteran like him, there isn't anybody else more qualified to evaluate skills and talents when it comes to combat. So she listens in to what he has to say about it, because as much as she wants to take pride in it, Dolores knows that her talent is unnatural, no amount of luck could account to allow her to achieve the feats she had done the other day.

"This skill of yours, to be so capable at such a young age, must be a blessing."

"blessing?"

"yeah, just like the blessing of the sword saint, this level of skill must be caused by a blessing, in other words, it's a special trait you have that makes you capable even without any prior training."

Simply put, it seems to be an innate and hidden trait that very few people have. She's confused about just how it is still possible though.

"And the power it has is comparable to the blessing of the sword saint, but that can't be the case…"

"?.."

"Then I shall name it myself as the founder of this new blessing, in the name of Farbauti, I shall call it the blessing of the ashen war god!!"

"Don't go naming things by yourself Father!"

Continuing where they left off after listening to what was said, Dolores began to feel another doubt within herself. If it is all solely thanks to these supposed blessings, does she even have any real talent or potential without it? Or does the blessing count as a manifestation of it, she ponders it at the back of her mind as she continues striking without any rest.

Amidst the whole activity, she caught something at the edge of her eyesight.

"Heav ho!- Heave ho!"

At the garden lies Norton, who is tilling the garden soil with a hoe for some reason. Not sure whether there's any real reason for it. Considering he's the type of person to dig a hole if you just randomly give him a shovel.

Or if he's just trying out a new hobby. Since Tella is watching right beside him, there's no real reason for anyone to be worried about him. And after thinking that through, Dolores went back to focusing on how to brutally destroy the dummy in front of her.

"Alright, Dolores take a break for a moment."

Stopping at his command, she ready herself for what she might be asked for next.

"Before we go anywhere in your practice, I need you to start with the bare basics?"

"?"

"Yes it seems you already instinctively know all of those things, but I still want to go over it again."

"Mou, but do we though?"

"Indeed, one must never be caught lacking in the basics, for it'll be the foundation of literally everything else that comes after, while I'm confident you can handle it, I still want you to be capable of knowing what you are going to be doing and therefore you need to-"

After that long and panned-out explanation, Dolores spaced out quite a bit. But after being asked to do what was expected of her, she capably continued the practice without issue.

It was right amid the noon. Dolores was being called by her mother, and as per usual it seems like it's hardly ever a good thing for that to happen. Be it scolding or a chore about to be given out. She went ahead there along with Tella who sent the call.

Right before she was about to enter the room, the door to her mother's lab opened. Exited Norton who was pressing his left shoulder with his right hand. As if leading the way nodding over to the door.

"Ah, little sis, it's your turn."

"Wait, hold on, does this mean!!!"

She was shoved inside by her maid inside before she could finish her outcry, passing by Norton who waved his hand over her. Within the room, the front of it is prepped up to look like a pharmacy, with a disinfected smell in the air along with medical equipment on the table in front of a chair. Greeted by her mother, she instructed.

"Now Dolores, just sit on the chair for a bit."

"No no no, why do I need to?!"

Now with that, her concern began to increase even higher.

"As it seems that you possess a blessing, I need you to let me inspect it and give me a couple pints of your blood."

"No no no, mama not this time!!"

"Pretty please!"

And with that, her fear is being confirmed. For all matters of purpose, this isn't the first time her mother asked something as outrageous as that from her children. Be it blood reagent for her research, trying out a mystery liquid, and on rare occasions even strips of skin. There have been many times before when she's treating them as borderline guinea pigs. And Dolores was fine with it too, until.

"Anyway no matter what no!"

"Oh, how troubling, I didn't expect you to go into a rebellious phase this early on."

"No no, this isn't right Mother!"

"It's alright then, just hold still for a second."

Hearing that line of words, goosebumps could be felt across Dolores's body. And the odd lighting and feeling in the environment, she reflectively ducks down as if in fear of a hidden danger. A soft quip of the air could be heard instantly after she did, and it was followed by.

Snoore*

"!??"

A loud snoring came from Tella whose body quickly slumped hard on the carpet below. She is fully asleep, not even the hard fall seemed to have woken her up.

"Oh dearie, I missed."

Nonchalantly uttering that, the sage began to chant words of power as the room began to light up yet again.

"Now sit still sweetie, I don't want to completely trash the house."

"!!?"

Hearing that menacing proposal, Dolores quickly threw Tella's body in an attempt to block anything that could come after, before running a full sprint to escape the premise. The action just seemed all too natural to her as the optimal course of action as she skipped across the corridors with her tiny legs.

"Oh little sis, where-"

A crackling of air could be heard from behind her along with a chill going up her spine from a sudden change in the atmosphere. Reacting to that, Dolores reflectively turned her body and waved her arms across the area before a wall of ice conjured itself enveloping the width of the entire corridor in a cold blanket.

The sound of a projectile firing is heard, as huge cracks begin to form within the ice wall. As she just managed to preemptively block with her own ice barrier. And as several more of the crashing could be heard from the wall.

"Huh, it seems like this is sturdier than I thought, oh I see, due to the primal source it's a lot more concrete from the sprite's own expertise, huh-"

"Moo!! Mother I hate you!!!"

Dolores continued her run across in her escapee.

That afternoon. The father is taking the two siblings out to a path behind the estate, Dolores is unsure why exactly he asks the two of them to come with him, for if it's an errand or shopping trip. Tem would be the one to do it, she had heard that she was actually quite popular within the town near the estate.

Assuming that it's because of the event before. And that her father is taking the time to talk to both of them.

"So listen father! mother went mad again."

"Yeah, I saw you from the garden."

"Then why didn't you do anything!?"

Taking his word in or a bit, he lifted his daughter onto his shoulders. Dolores resisting a bit with a hit, began to hammer on her father's head in a fit. But the father simply laughed at that as he kept holding her up.

"Listen here sweetie, I just hope that you can forgive your mother, for she can be hard to understand at times and I don't expect you to figure it out for now."

Listening closely, Dolores still couldn't make sense of what he meant by that, after all, it was clear that her mother was in the wrong.

"But I can always say for sure though, is that we love you both very much, so I hope you tolerate her as usual, and if it does go out of line, you can come complaining to me, how about that?"

"But she attacked me you know! She's a wicked witch!"

"That may be so, but I still want to keep that in mind- ouch ouch this is starting to hurt kiddo."

Hearing that she was still being told that it seemed her father was still siding with his wife, she continued hammering on his scalp.

It was a bit of a trek across the town for the two kids, and they found themselves at the nearing edge of the town. It was reaching a time when it was going to be the evening soon.

"?.."

They arrived at the destination, it's a place of a grass field nearing a cliff peering over into the forest. It was a breathtaking sight as the sight of the sunset could be seen reflected upon the lake in the distance, as the whole view was visible next to a slab of stone.

The slabs aren't by themselves though, there are an array of several of the same kind of stones, all carved with letters those two couldn't make out at the front. Dolores quickly understood that it was a gravestone, and where exactly they were at.

"Is there a relative that is buried here?"

"No, no, but the people buried here are just as important."

Another observation could see that this is not a normal graveyard for the town, not only Is it arranged in a size not fit for the town, but each gravestone seems to be decorated with a various array of old iron weaponry next to each grave. The weather has caused most blades to begin to rot away with rust just like the person it's rested next to.

For a large graveyard, it is also quite well maintained, even though she doesn't seem to be anyone else, especially when inside the forest.

"Listen here, Norton, Dolores, sometimes when someone is hurt too much, they will stop being capable of interacting with this plane and move on to the afterlife"

"Father, we know that much about death Father."

"That's why, we must always respect the dead, and maintain the grave, cherish the memories and wishes on our burden."

Dolores couldn't figure out what expression her father might be making at the moment. But he could tell right is not what he'd usually show to other people.

"By doing that, that'll make it easier not just for us, but for the dead to…"

"?.."

"This is a grave for the people who fought under the Obstein family."

"!?.."

"So I want you kids, to take to heart, that it's because of their sacrifice, that we get to have the life we have now, and to carry on their wished, to life to the fullest, with your heads above your shoulders high."

A silence swept across the graveyard as the last rays of sun began to shimmer away across the hills on the horizon. A heart-wrenching atmosphere seems to hit the scene, putting weight onto Dolores, just what her father is telling her. And in that whirl of uncomfortableness, Dolores began hugging tight to the back of her father's head.

"This feels sad."

The first to speak up was the older brother. With an obviously down to his look, trying to cheer him up after bringing them here in the first place.

"That is how it should be, and I want you to remember."

It seems after that they went back to the mansion. Dolores still couldn't shake off the feeling of sadness over her shoulders that her father just seemingly placed on her from nowhere. While it seems Norton and his simpler mind just forget it quickly.

Between the lines_

"How long has it been… about time we drag him into the limelight after all this time. I'm sure he's had his cozy share in hiding. This activity should be doable as leverage over him."

"What might you be talking about your highness?"

"Nothing much, just get ready. I need an event organized."