Bab 3: Something Strange In The Garden Part 2

"Why can't I just read a history book?" I asked while pouting. I hated it. I do not know why all the books seemed to be off limits.

"Wait, Bella, Master, never told you why?" Mimi asked, seemingly confused.

"No, he just said they are off limits, and that is that," I answered. I have no idea how many times I have begged him to let me read the books in there, but he just won't let me.

I watched as Mimi held her head. "I thought you knew. Bella, all the books in our library are imbued with magic. As you know, books are expensive and can be sold for a high price, so Master has them all imbued with tracking magic in case someone tries to steal them. If someone who has not had their element awakened on their sixth birthday touches them, they will end up being affected by the mana infused in the tracking magic. It could cause them to get really sick. If they do not recover, they could easily die, or in some worse cases, they could swell up and explode."

"What!?" I screamed out. What was this little girl talking about!? Exploding people!? I held my head. Thank the gods that I never decided to sneak into the library in fear of being banned from it forever. But seriously, though, why is such a thing even possible? But now that I think about it. "Wait, are there things like magical items, and if there are, is this why I have never seen one at all?"

"Yes, Bella, when you were born, all the magical items were put into storage in order to protect you. Magic anywhere in the estate is strictly prohibited until the day of your awakening ceremony. I believe by the time you get home, all the magic items will finally be put back in place. It is quite hard dealing with daily tasks without them." While Mimi did answer, the way, she made it sound seemed kind of off to me.

"Are you saying me being born has caused you many troubles!?" I asked while pursing my lips. I wonder if I should kick her.

"By no means, Bella, it's just with you around it takes much longer to cook, to do the dishes, to heat the bath, to…."

"Alright, I get it! Stop trying to rub it in already! Also, Mimi…." I put on a bright smile as I stepped forward and raised my left leg behind me before kindly kicking it forward.

"Yes… Ouch! Why did you kick me!" Mimi yelled out.

"Humph! You little girl should know when to quit. Plus, I know that didn't hurt all that much. I am only five. I got like no muscle mass." I said with a snort.

"That doesn't mean it still won't hurt when you kick my shin!" Mimi had tears welling up in her eyes. It was making me feel bad. I knelt down and rubbed the spot I kicked. Trying to make it feel better but her foot slightly rose up as I heard: "Now kiss it."

"You brat!" I quickly slapped the spot I just kicked before standing up and stomping off. If people were to see us bantering like this, they would not think we were Master and servant but sisters. Even my family has no issues with how we interact with each other.

"Ouch! Wait, why is someone five years younger than me calling me a brat? Bella!" I laughed as I kept running. I could see the other servants all smiling as Mimi chased after me. This was also a daily occurrence for them.

The halls were decorated with a soft red carpet and had pottery and pictures lining the halls and walls. I have no idea how much any of these costs, but I am sure that they are probably expensive, so even as I ran, I was careful to never get too close to anything. I did not wish to get into trouble.

The estate where I live is quite big. Four floors and two basement floors. I am not sure what is on the second lowest basement floor, but I do know the first one is used for dry foods and other storage. The first floor had servant quarters, the kitchen, and preparation rooms. A large dining hall. A ballroom for parties and other important events. Multiple receiving rooms for different noble statuses. And a few other areas I am not allowed to go into or allowed to know about. The second floor is where the guest rooms are located. The third floor is where my room and my brothers' rooms are located, along with our personal retainers, like Mimi's room is right next to mine.

It would not make sense to have a personal maid to be on the first floor while you were on the third. It makes it so they can be at your beck and call at any time. However, my room is on the right wing, while my brothers' rooms are on the left wing. This is because women and men are not allowed to be close together after they reach a certain age unless they are married, which is fine with me. The library was set up dead smack in between the two wings.

It also stretched up to the third floor so it could be accessed from either floor. And on the very top floor was my parents' room as well as my father's office. His office has a lift that people can use to reach it without needing to climb all the stairs. The laziness of the rich. Well, I guess that counts for me as well because I will use it sometimes too. It's a hand pulled lift, so the servants have to help me use it, or it would never go anywhere. I really do wish I had a stronger physique.

I ran out into the back garden, where I finally stopped to catch my breath. Mimi stopped behind me, just as out of breath as I was. After catching my breath, I stood up and stretched my arms. The suns were beating down just as hot as usual. This world did not seem to have more than two seasons. You either got just right and hot and today was a just right day. Unlike my previous lives, that both had a winter season, this world, I guess because of the two suns, was in like an eternal spring and summer mix.

Which was not too bad. I was never one to like the cold after spending many years dealing with it during missions. Lying in the snow, waiting for my target…. I have no idea how many times I got sick during those years. Even during my training, they shoved me in an ice box and made me stay there for almost three days in nothing but a long tattered shirt that went past my knees.

"Bella, what did you plan to do in the garden?" Mimi asked as she came to my side.

"Yesterday, when I was here, I saw something strange, and I was hoping to maybe see it again." It happened yesterday morning when I was out for my daily stroll in the garden, which I do just to kill time. It was then that I saw a black shadow jump through one of the bushes. It was so quick I was unable to see what it was. So today, I was bound and determined to find out what it was!

"Bella, I do not think it would be a good idea to be going and searching for anything. Especially in gardens." Mimi's words caused me to stop my steps and turn around and give her a questioning look. "Why is that?" I asked.

"Because it might be a demon called a pixie." Mimi's answer caused my ears to perk right up. Demon! She said it! So there were demons in this world. Now my interest was even more piqued than before! This could be a chance to maybe find out what my system truly is.

"Let's go find this so called pixie. I want to ask it a few questions." I said with a voice full of determination.

"Bella, you do not understand how scary pixies are! They are able to mesmerize you and make you follow them back to their den to eat you. They are especially fond of tricking young kids into following them. They eat humans!" Once again, I paused my steps and turned around to see that Mimi seemed to be really frightened. Her face was pale, and she was shaking.

But there was one thing I had going for me, and that was… "But Mimi, I'm not human."

"Bella now is not the time to be joking around!" Mimi cried out. What am I supposed to say!? I was telling the truth! I think…. Maybe…. The system could be lying to me as well…At any rate, I still needed to find this so called pixie! If I find it and capture it and then tortur-ask it nicely about what demons are. I can finally get some answers. Then I will hunt down an angel and make them talk as well. But one step at a time. First, the pixie! With my mind set, I walked towards the spot where I saw it last time.