It all happened when Maria was a little girl.

She was barely four years old, and her Mana training had officially begun.

Since she was a genius, she had Awakened much earlier than others—at the age of three years old.

As a result, while others were still trying their hardest to go past the threshold, she was already learning the concepts of Magic.

If there was one word to use to describe the elegant young girl, it would be ‘Genius!’

Maria was the genius of the Helmsworth family—one of the great 4 Nobles.

The Crimsons, the Leonards, the Netherlores, and the Helmsworths.

Their families were as old as the Eastern Kingdom itself, so her family had access to numerous resources.

Still, according to what she was told, she was a bright star in their family—one whose talent was unmatched.

Maria, at that point, felt glad.

While it was not something she chose for herself, she relished the fact that she was special.

The only downside was when they compared her to her cousin—Stefan.

The Helmsworth family and the Netherlores used to be one household—until a portion defected and made the Netherlore faction.

As a result, she and Stefan were distant relatives—cousins to be precise.

It was unavoidable that they would meet—and every time, she would see the gaze Stefan used anytime their eyes met.

‘He doesn’t like me much…’ She often thought to herself.

It was only expected, though.

Childish jealousy was something that young humans were capable of. Besides, Stefan must have also received a lot of pressure from his family.

Naturally, his inclination toward his more talented competitor would be sour.

Maria decided to talk to him—patch things up eventually.

Magic didn’t determine their relationship as family… or as friends.

Unfortunately, the next day, the most ghastly thing occured.

****************

“RUUUUUNNNNN!!!”

“We can’t beat that thing!”

“What is this monster?!”

“Evacuate the young lady! Guark!!!”

While training in the field—trying her hardest to perfect the simple Spell her tutor made her practice alone—a horrendous monster appeared.

It fell from the sky—like a meteorite.

The ground shattered, like glass, and it was only a miracle that Maria didn’t get badly hurt—or worse—during the incident.

An invasion of the Helmsworth estate was never going to be taken lightly, so of course several Mages and Knights appeared to get rid of the monster.

However, no matter how many of them arrived at the scene, they all horribly failed.

‘W-what is that?!’ Maria asked herself as she sat on the ground, too petrified to move.

Her body had given up all the energy they had, so she couldn’t even stand.

The monster—like a murky dark sludge—was so repulsive that Maria would have vomited several times over if she could move her body in the slightest.

The smell of ammonia tingled her nose as she realized she had soiled herself while staring at the pure black slime monster.

It was over ten feet tall, and its several tentacles, coupled with it’s extremely flexible and durable physique, made it an impossible monster to kill.

Also, for some reason…

“Magic isn’t working!”

“What kind of Magic Beast is this?”

“This energy I’m sensing… is this even Magic?!”

All her protectors could do nothing in the presence of such absolute power.

They all dropped like flies—dying one after the other.

Even the ones who avoided combat and simply tried to evacuate her met the same fate.

Maria watched as blood and gore littered the field where she usually had her training. The monster showed no compassion as it slaughtered everyone in its path.

Maria waited for her turn… though it never came.

Finally, after wreaking enough destruction and carnage, the monster vanished—or more like it imploded.

Maria, who had patiently waited for her death while being drenched in sweat and pee, didn’t stop trembling even after the monster disappeared.

Whether it had died, or was simply waiting for the right time to kill her, she didn’t know.

And so, she could do nothing but shiver and replay the deaths of the brave men and women who sacrificed themselves for her—the true genius if the Helmsworth household.

By the time her parents—who were in an important meeting at the Royal Palace—along with several important figures in the Helmsworth household, arrived, the damage had been done.

The monster was gone… and the genius of the Helmsworth family was scarred forever.

************

“It took me weeks to stop shaking after that incident. Even after, I found it hard to properly express my emotions, so I was taught to numb them.”

‘Ah, I see. That’s why she’s usually blank.’

“I went through Magic Therapy, and it took me a lot of time to recover. But, even while going through the process, I heard that the day after that attack… Stefan Awakened.”

“Really?”

I still had no idea what connected the monster in her childhood to Stefan, or why she was suddenly reminded of that childhood experience when Stefan showed up after so many years.

“I often wondered at the coincidence, but since I wanted to forget that incident, I let everything go…” Her eyes were now looking very dark as she spoke.

It was like a burning anger was swelling within her.

“The reason why I brought up my past, and how it connects to Stefan is…” As she locked eyes with me, I could sense certainty.

“… Stefan’s felt exactly the same as that monster all those years ago.”

‘Huh?!’ My eyes widened slightly.

‘What is she talking about?’

“You felt it too, didn’t you? That power surrounding Stefan. It wasn’t Mana, was it? It felt completely different… repulsive! Its exactly the same as that monster from my childhood!”

“But you were young then. There’s no way you can vividly remember precisely how the energy—”

“Yes, I can! I’ve been able to distinguish certain Spells and Mana attributes from one another ever since I was a kid. I know what I’m talking about.”

My eyes widened as she responded. Maria truly was a genius.

Still, about what she said… I had to believe Maria at this point. Everything seemed too intense to be a lie.

‘If she’s right, though… then we’re in a bigger mess than I thought.’