LUCIA

THE BEGINNING OF ALL STORIES (1)

He was born the third son of the Hawkes family of the Madoh Empire. The Hawkes family was a distinguished household known for its outstanding bloodline that had produced great magicians for generations. In a world where innate magical power was a measure of power and authority, the Hawkes family stood in a position to preside over order.

However, he was a variant that didn't deserve to bear the name of the great Hawkes family. He had poor magical power from birth and it didn't get better even when he got older. While his parents and siblings walked the path of first-class magicians, he was  unable to cast the magic for even a small flame and fell behind.

His parents and his siblings considered him to be the shame of their family. He was neglected by his parents and was a target of harassment for his siblings. His siblings' malicious pranks grew worse over time and got to the extent that it threatened his life.

When he woke up after being in a coma for a couple of days, he was banished from the house. His parents didn't want useless gossip to arise about siblings killing each other, so they decided to erase the issue from the root. So under the pretext of recuperation, he left on exile to a family-owned remote villa. This happened when he was ten.

He had been abandoned but now, he could enjoy a much calmer life. The old villa was so remote that people in his family almost couldn't find it and it became his home. There was no one to torment him and nobody who saw him as a bug.

The residents of the nearby village had never seen a noble personage before and were afraid due to all the terrible rumors surrounding the appearance of a noble but gradually forgot their fear when he caused no harm.

Although his magical power wasn't anything to write home about, he was very knowledgeable, so he was able to provide the solution to many difficult problems. The residents gradually forgot their fear of nobility and as more time passed, they began to follow the wise young noble.

He could not use magic, but he did not slack on getting knowledge into his head. He truly enjoyed reading books, gaining new knowledge, and exploring truths with unlimited imagination. Once he got lost in thought, he never realized the passing of the day nor the rising of the sun; he was simply absorbed into it. His knowledge was endlessly deep in every way, apart from his lowly magic.

* * *

He was immersed in a world of infinite imagination. In his head was a space made for questing for the truth. In his mind, his thoughts split and spread like the roots of a tree.

"Young master!"

He was startled awake by a fierce scream. He felt like he was just about to have something in his grasp, so it was really a pity. He frowned at the plump middle-aged woman beside him.

"Martha! I told you not to disturb me."

"I wouldn't if you behaved with moderation. You've been like this since last night and the sun is already high in the sky today! Whatever you do, I don't care, but you have to eat!"

Martha exclaimed.

Seeing Martha giving him a stern look with her hands on her waist, he smiled dispiritedly. Martha was obsessed with making sure he was eating properly and did not tolerate him skipping more than two meals.

'I won't die even if I don't eat. Why can't she understand?'

Even though his magical power was meagre, his innate bloodline was so exceptional that he would be fine even if he went starving for a week. However, Martha thought the young master she had been taking care of since he was a child was very weak, so even though he was now fifteen years old, he was still treated as a child.