I’ll start with some good old intelligence gathering. Lam was a shut-in, so I don’t have the slightest idea of the House of Mercure’s current state, not to mention the kingdom’s broader affairs. I only know a few superficial things that I learned from the security of my room. Wow, this isn’t a good look for a countess.
I needed to do some serious self-reflection on my lost self, who had abandoned her duties in favor of cowering in fear. Lam Mercure had been too weak. That was why everyone tortured her—although, I’d have argued it wasn’t normal for servants to hurt their master, whatever the circumstances might be.
Ultimately, this is Lord Mercure’s fault. If he hadn’t neglected Lam, the servants wouldn’t have treated her this horribly.
After walking for a couple of minutes, I reached the entrance of the mansion. A young butler spotted me.
“Well, that’s a problem. We can’t have you wandering around all on your own, madam. We already have enough work as it is,” he sneered.
His words implied that me trying to do my duties would cause him and the other servants more trouble than good. He’d much rather I stayed shut away in my room and out of the way. Too bad for him. The current me had no intention of letting people order me around.
“Pray tell me why I, the countess, would need your permission to move about my own home?” I asked, tilting my head to the side exaggeratedly.
The butler’s eyes widened in shock at my obvious provocation, but he still had no intention of heeding someone he deemed beneath him. “Listen, how about you just shut yourself away in your room like always? We’re busy here. If you keep being difficult, I’ll tell His Lordship.”
The servants had a tendency to bring up “His Lordship” whenever I did something they didn’t like. They knew that Lam’s family received substantial financial aid from the Mercure family and used that as leverage to make her obey their demands. However, I wasn’t the “good little countess” anymore. I had no plan on following that man’s orders and returning to my room.
“Suit yourself,” I said with a shrug. The young butler did not appreciate my response, and I could tell he was starting to get frustrated with me.
What an impatient man.
“Are you fine with His Lordship divorcing you? What if your family falls into poverty because of you?”
“That does not concern me,” I replied, airy.
After all, Lam had no happy memories of her childhood home. Just like in the earl’s household, she’d constantly endured pain and mockery at the hands of her parents and sisters. Her spineless nature had been ingrained in her long before she’d married into the Mercure family. Having been born sickly and frail, she’d been seen as a burden by everyone else. While her younger sisters were beautiful and elegant, Lam was plain and unremarkable. Her sisters had lovely blonde hair; Lam’s was a peculiar shade of green. Worst of all, she hadn’t lost her mana as a child. Because of these differences, her parents had always treated her unfairly, and finding a suitable match for her had been no easy feat.
As they grew up, Lam’s sisters had noticed the way their parents had treated Lam and started emulating their behavior. Every day, they berated the poor girl and forced her to do their chores. Not only had they treated her like their servant, but they’d also made a point to steal anything valuable she owned and beat her black and blue when she wouldn’t obey them. As a last-ditch effort, Lam had turned to her parents for help, but they’d simply joined the abuse, laughing as they mistreated her. Through it all, Lam had never tried to defend herself or retaliate, instead gritting her teeth and enduring in silence.
One day, rumors had reached Lam’s father that the Earl of Mercure was looking to remarry. As luck would have it, the only requirement for marrying into the Mercure family was possessing mana, a rare trait in this day and age. The baron and his wife had jumped at the opportunity and basically sold their daughter to the earl. Although Lam couldn’t use magic, that hadn’t concerned the Mercure family. They’d accepted the baron’s proposal and, in return, provided Lam’s family with continuous financial support.
Being the spineless weakling that she was, Lam could only do as she was told.
For these reasons, I had no particular attachment to my—well, Lam’s family. Sure, I was thankful that they’d fed and sheltered her as a child, but they’d also treated her horribly. She’d owned fewer personal belongings than a servant and hadn’t even been allowed to take her meals with the rest of the family. Perhaps marrying into the Mercure family had been a blessing in disguise, as it allowed her to leave that awful house.
Not to mention, the Mercures are professional mages! Just like in my past life.
There were eight types of magic: Fire, Water, Wood, Lightning, Wind, Earth, Light, and Dark. Most individuals who possessed mana were adept at using one attribute in particular, although that didn’t mean they couldn’t use the others. However, as a rule of thumb, their power with those types would always be less than half of what they could do with their primary attribute. Well, at least that was how things had been five hundred years ago. If the fundamentals of magic hadn’t changed, it would probably still be the same now.
Fire Magic allowed its users to manipulate fire, of course. They could use flames to burn things or couple it with Wind and Earth Magic to cause explosions. One could also use it to manipulate things like the temperature and brightness in an area. The only downside was that it was prone to accidents, as the fire could easily spread and cause an uncontrollable blaze. All in all, it was a dangerous attribute that required careful and deliberate use.
Water Magic was useful in everyday life, allowing users to create water, steam, and ice. The strongest Water Magic wielders could even manipulate the weather to their liking and trigger floods, making it a powerful attribute.
Wood Magic focused on controlling vegetation, enabling users to create and manipulate plants. Historically, it was especially valuable for agriculture.
Lightning Magic was considered the strongest offensive magical attribute. Its users could not only draw on electricity, but also enhance their movement speed, teleport in the blink of an eye, and create magnetic fields. It was also handy when it came to crafting and using magic items.
Wind Magic was the most user-friendly attribute, and could be used to manipulate gusts, adjust the composition of the air, and make people fly. It was often used in tandem with Fire and Water Magic to boost their effects.
Earth Magic allowed one to manipulate the ground itself, as well as all sorts of different minerals. Earth Magic masters could even produce rare precious stones and metals, making it pretty easy for its users to become rich.
Light Magic—my primary attribute—was similar to Fire Magic, as it could be used to control an area’s temperature and brightness. It could manipulate space as well, which was quite convenient.
Lastly, you had Dark Magic. On top of allowing its users to manipulate darkness and shadows, it could also be used to influence people’s minds and interfere with time. It was the rarest magic attribute, on top of being the hardest to use.