The thing about mind magic is that, eventually, someone will find out you have it.

This makes it inconvenient when you want to use it on them again.

More importantly, it causes certain knights to annoy certain people by putting out a hyper-vigilant aura that dispels Perception based Skills.

It’s me. I am the annoyed person.

After getting back on the road, I’d tried to train [Translucent] some more by avoiding being noticed in the window whenever one of the knights would glance at the carriage. Every time I would sit close to the window, willing someone to look my way, my Skill would be immediately dispelled.

At first, I thought it was a limitation of my Class. As a [Young Lady of Darkness], I started to think maybe it required the skill to be under shade -but then I realized I’d hidden in the mid-morning sun earlier. So then I examined the Skill description.

[Translucent: While not invisible, you allow light to pass through you as if you aren’t even there. As such, the colors around you fade from your view to allow you to present as if you are a light shadow cast over the area you stand in. Total effectiveness is dependent on your Perception and Magic stats. Additional effects unlocked upon level up.]

So, no limiters there. What keeps breaking my Skill?

With a huff, I let myself feel the pull of [Translucent] as I stared out the window at the now colorless scenery once again. That was the moment that Sir Ouros looked towards me. It was as if a globe was shattering, the color returning to the world behind the cracking of glass. I stared back with wide eyes, and then he smiled -No, that's a smirk. I snarled to myself.

“That buffoon is doing it on purpose,” I took a deep breath, trying to quell the rage that began to bubble as I watched Sir Ouros.

But why? I ran through all the reasons to stunt an eight-year-old, coming up with less than nothing. It would’ve been my mother’s joy to see me cast [Translucent] even once -let alone the half dozen times since yesterday.

Ah. A thought struck me, not as the child Eunora, but as Maria. This isn’t about [Translucent].

Tapping the window, I drew Ouros’ attention away from my face. Gesturing with a finger, I called him closer. He took a step towards me, furrowed his brows, and stopped.

“Come.” I mouthed, “Here.”

Ouros looked over his shoulder as if hoping someone was standing behind him.

Yeah, you. Hurry up.

Finally looking back, he seemed to sigh as he started to make his way over again. Just before he got to the carriage, I slid the window up and over to open it.

“Can I help you, my lady?” Ouros wasn’t exactly scowling, but he didn’t look thrilled to be so close to me.

“Yeah,” I smiled, letting a grin split open, “Whatever you’re doing -can you knock it off?”

Whatever goodwill was bought with the smile was broken as a look of surprise came across Ouros’ face, “Ah, I’ve just been doing my usual patrols. I can’t really stop that.”

It’s been a while since I’ve felt such a whirl of emotions -granted, the past few hours have been almost exclusively mild annoyance, anger, and now irritation. But still. It’s different from what life in Maeve is usually like.

“Ah, I see.” I felt my smile tighten, “Well, I’m sure whatever Skill you’re using to patrol doesn’t need to be constantly active, does it?”

I saw a slight twitch in Ouros’ face as he looked off to the side, “I’m sure you’d rather be safe than sorry -we wouldn’t want something to happen to our lady simply because I made a poor judgment call.”

“Sir Ouros,” I let a sickly sweet tone envelop my voice, “Surely a knight of your status is in need of basic training -how are you to hone your base skills if you’re entirely reliant upon Skills.”

Meeting my eyes once again, I could hear the contained frustration in his voice, “My lady, surely you wouldn’t want your knights to be susceptible to attack. All my Skill is doing is simply allowing me to put up a mana field to defend against any sort of magic.”

You oaf, what bandit is going to attack with mind magic? Find a better excuse.

“Wow - do bandits usually use magic to attack?” I covered my mouth with one hand, “That’s so scary! I didn’t know a mana field could stop magic, is that true?”

“Well,” Ouros let out a breath, “No. But it can prevent certain magic from taking form at all.”

Narrowing my eyes, I stared at Ouros, “This certain magic wouldn’t happen to be mind magic, would it?”

“Well, yes.”

“I thought mind magic was exceedingly rare?”

“That is also true, yes.”

“Sir Ouros, it seems to me that there is such a thing as an abundance of caution.”

“...”

“Unless, of course, you’ve received reports of a credible threat?”

“Not explicitly, no.”

“Hm.” I tapped my mouth, “Seems to me you are simply wasting mana. Should you not release your skill?”

I gave Ouros a bright smile, “We wouldn’t want you to be in less than peak condition should something happen.”

Ouros opened his mouth, paused, and took a breath. I could see the tension fall from his shoulders as they slumped, “Is it such a bother to you that I protect my mind, my lady?”

Why does he sound like a wounded pup? It’s not like my Skill is brainwashing... Oh. I felt the oncoming sigh deep in my bones. Very well.

“I suppose not, Sir Ouros,” pausing, I looked briefly off to the horizon, “How far from Adeline are we?”

I wouldn’t say he looked suspicious but he didn’t exude the undying faith in one’s liege lord that I’d expect of a knight of the Dusk. Well, I’m not a liege lord but I am the liege lord’s daughter. Be nice to me, I’m tired.

“Only a few more hours, should the weather hold out.”

“So tomorrow we are to arrive at our destination?”

“If we do, it will be past sundown. We’ll likely have to break for camp if we don’t make well enough time.”

Leaning away from the window, I left it open, “Very well, you may go be vigilant elsewhere.”

How irritating, I thought to myself, what has that kid gone through to have a Skill related to destroying mind magic and Perception based stealth Skills? His Class must be an obscene rank to dispel [Translucent] as it is cast.

Truthfully, [Translucent] wasn’t the problem. The problem was that on my first use of [Steal Nerves], I’d targeted someone with enough self-awareness to grasp that I was shaking their confidence unnaturally. Eunora wouldn’t understand -but Maria, I, could tell it had crossed a line with this knight. Frowning, I bore holes in the wooden walls of the carriage with my eyes. Is [Steal Nerves] just gaslighting but with magic?

Luckily, our entourage only had one person capable of [Appraisal] and Knight Captain Rellar wouldn’t be able to use it on me -not because I’m special, but because he made an Oath to the Dawn family. And exiled or not, I still possess the Dawn name. So even if Ouros decided to tell someone he thought I had mind magic, likely no one would believe him. To anyone with [Inspect], I would simply show up as a [Noble] -and the reason [Young Lady of Darkness] is a rare Class isn’t because of its name. It’s because even to unlock this Class I already needed two mind magic Skills. And how, pray tell, would a seven-year-old have acquired mind magic?

As my mind began working in overdrive, I didn’t notice the glances from Ouros every time he circled the carriage. I, also, didn’t notice that his own mind seemed to be working through the problem that was me. Not that I would be able to decipher the stoic look on his face even if I did notice the glances.

Thus, I woke up just in time to feign elegance as we found rooms in Adeline. It took everything in me not to yawn in the clerk’s face as he showed me to their best room. He sent someone to set up a hot bath, and I indulged in some of the floral infusions that had been packed for me. Once I was clean and smelling of lavender and honey, I curled into the bed and fell asleep once again.

If my mother hadn’t sent a maid to handle me, I would’ve likely enjoyed traveling far more. I also would have worn riding clothes rather than the stuffy dresses that the maid insists I wear on every leg of this trip. Even now, as the suns are rising, rather than heading out she is styling my hair and arranging outfits meant for a young noble lady. The only saving grace is that no one has pulled out a corset. The shoes are even low heels with adornments -I could barely walk a mile in these, let alone ride a horse or trek through woods.

So tiring. When we get to the western estate I’m not wearing anything but a nightgown for a week.

At this point, it’s been several weeks of traveling. The whole troop makes quick work of loading and unloading the carriages, the guards are ever vigilant, the horses ever maintained. Once I was fully primped, that was when we set out.

Somehow the traveling today was more excruciating than the rest. Maybe it was because I’d finally wanted to test something and was held back. Maybe it was because we were, hopefully, on the last day of the trip. Maybe it was because when I think back on it, my conversation with Ouros was the longest I’d talked with anyone in a year and I didn’t mind it as much as I thought. Maybe it’s because I was tired of having a pound of bobby pins stabbing my scalp.

The area west of Adeline is a valley surrounded by a near-complete circle of mountains, the only easily traversable entrances are the three Kingdom roads that are positioned between the mountains. It was as if the mountain range split just to be sure there were ways to get in. One was just west of Adeline, the main entrance from Central Maeve. One was in the north of the valley -leading to a foreign kingdom. And the final exit from the valley is in the southwest, leading towards the coast and a long string of Maeven port cities. The valley itself is covered in a dense forest made up of hundred-foot tall trees -colossal in their own right, with vibrant leaves that shifted from green to blue as we made our way through. It’s supposed to take the full day for us to get to the northern exit. The Dawn’s western estate is meant to be a stronghold against the foreign powers that have attempted to conquer Maeve. Surrounding the estate is Fellan, a great walled city meant to ward off invasions of humans and monsters both.

Come to think of it, aside from some minor monster attacks between Juvel and Adeline, we’ve been relatively unbothered on the road.

Ah, I might jinx it. Better quit that thought while I’m ahead.

I can’t help but to wonder what monsters are found in the valley, though. Perhaps a griffon? A harpy? Goblins? I wonder if I could use [Steal Nerves] on a monster? Do they have such a thing as ‘confidence’?

Well, if I find myself face to face with one I’ll give it a go.

Putting my chin in my hand, I continued to stare pointlessly off into the distance.

A blink later, the suns were hidden beyond the canopy but their light was fading. Night had come and the carriage continued on.

We must be getting close if we’re not stopping to camp.