Chapter 6
They definitely said I couldn’t use divine power. That I would be abandoned, that I was a useless young lady.
Then… does that mean I just awakened?
I quickly emerged from the bushes and stretched my hand out toward an open space. Flames gently flickered from my fingertips before fading away.
I had no trouble controlling it.
It’s clear. This is an awakening!
I don’t have to live in hiding anymore!
“I have to tell the Lord right away…!”
I was about to storm into the office with the energy of a charging bull but managed to stop myself just before entering the building.
Now that I think about it, maybe there’s a better way than just going straight to Lord Tiberius.
A way to announce my awakening, clean up the dirty rumors people are spreading about me, and restore my reputation as the heir.
There’s a large cypress tree in the inner courtyard connected to the Lord’s office.
If I show my power there, it’ll draw as much attention as possible.
In other words—I’m going to set the courtyard on fire!
I know it sounds bold.
Especially since that tree looks quite valuable, and I do feel a little bad about burning it… but it’ll probably be fine.
To Ignitus, the most important thing is the power of fire.
They wouldn’t scold a successor who awakened after being considered powerless, would they?
Sneaking into the courtyard like an assassin, I boldly activated my power toward the neatly manicured cypress tree.
The moment my magic found something to burn, it devoured the tree like a starving beast.
All eyes turned to me in an instant.
“W-What?! Why is there suddenly a fire?!”
“The ancient tree of Tellus is burning!”
“Get the nobles right away!”
The servants in the house screamed and scattered in panic.
The ancient tree of Tellus?
When I heard them mention another family’s name, I finally looked at the plaque beneath the tree.
[This tree is a gift, a symbol of friendship between the two houses]
Oh no.
This tree is way more important than I thought!
But it was already too late to undo it. Branches were already succumbing to the flames one by one.
Since the damage was done, I decided to forget about the tree and focus on showing off my power.
“There! The young lady is inside!”
Someone screamed, but I basked in the attention, feeling triumphant.
“Yup! Look over here, everyone!”
Especially those who used to spout nonsense without knowing anything—watch closely, you brats!
I squeezed out more magic and shot the flames high into the sky.
Whoosh!
With a loud roar, a brilliant flash of light burst forth.
I forgot my goal for a moment and was captivated by the sight.
The bright light surrounding me was dazzling.
In my previous life, where divine power was a vague concept, this was something I could only dream about.
Back then, even conjuring a small flame made someone feel like they had mastered fire.
But what lay before me now was a raging inferno capable of devouring everything.
This was true Ignitus power.
A tear fell from my eye.
But the heat evaporated it before it could land anywhere.
“…ra!”
Amid the crackling flames, someone’s voice broke through.
“Callidora!”
It was Lord Abelus.
He stood in the middle of the garden, eyes wide in shock as he looked at me, unleashing flames toward the sky. Then he raised his hand toward the air.
Whoosh.
With the sound of a gust of wind, the fire vanished all at once.
The garden had turned to ashes—there wasn’t a single patch of green left.
“What on earth is this…!”
Abelus hurried over, suppressing my magic. He seemed like he was about to question me but glanced around nervously instead, quickly picked me up in his arms, and ran off.
Why is he so panicked?
Isn’t it a good thing for others to see I’ve awakened?
“What happened here?”
Inside the large room where he took me, Lord Tiberius and his aides were waiting.
Once I was let down from Abelus’ arms, I shouted proudly in front of everyone.
“Lord! I awakened!”
“Awakened? You mean you activated divine power on your own?”
“Didn’t they say back then that she didn’t have enough magic to be useful?”
“Who knows? Her condition could have changed since then.”
As the retainers murmured, Abelus looked up at the Lord.
“Uncle.”
“Yes. We need to verify this.”
At the adults’ command to use my power again, I tried to produce fire once more.
But maybe because I used up too much earlier, only a tiny flame appeared—and even that died out in less than ten seconds.
The family physician immediately gave his assessment.
“Awakening earlier than expected is a good sign. The manifestation appears normal.”
“That wasn’t what we were concerned about in the first place.”
“Beyond that, the original diagnosis remains unchanged. Her magic levels are exactly as expected. That’s all, my lord.”
Exactly as expected?
“But… it was much bigger earlier…”
“Exhausted in twenty seconds? What are we supposed to do with that…”
The physician sighed.
Leaving me behind, looking disappointed, the lord and other adults started discussing things among themselves.
I sat down on the floor in despair and buried my face in my knees.
“Hmm…”
Even though I created a much larger flame than in my past life, they were still this disappointed?
I wanted to hide somewhere.
On top of that, my body was completely drained after today’s ordeal.
Seriously, why did I even let myself get my hopes up?
“I thought I did good…”
In the end, I couldn’t break free from the label of “weak”!
As I mumbled and looked up, I met Abelus’ eyes—he was awkwardly reaching out to me.
When our eyes met, he glanced away, frowned slightly, then quickly stood at attention.
What was that? Did he think I was crying?
I was just thinking about what to do next.
It seemed the adults’ discussion had ended. Lord Tiberius walked toward me.
“This must be your first experience like this, so I won’t hold you accountable today. But remember this. Never use divine power inside buildings. People can get hurt. Unlike us, their bodies cannot endure flames. Understood?”
“…Yes.”
After I nodded, Tiberius turned away and headed toward his office with his aide.
Wait, he can’t leave yet! I haven’t said everything…
“We’re only losing more time.”
I ran up and grabbed the Lord’s robe.
“Lord! Don’t go!”
Tiberius turned back in surprise, looking down at me clinging to his feet.
“I won’t do it again. But I have something important to say!”
“What is it?”
“You abandoned me, right? What does it mean to be abandoned?”
As soon as I said those words, the atmosphere in the hall turned icy.
“What are you talking about?”
“Am I someone else’s child? Am I not part of Ignitus?”
When I asked again, Tiberius and his aides wore grim expressions.
“Come with me. I need to hear the full story.”
Finally!
I cheered inwardly.
“But… what does she mean by ‘Lord-dang’?”
“She probably just made up the word. Kids do that.”
