A Maiden’s Unwanted Heroic Epic

‘Fufu, I won. How about another match?’

‘...N-no. Thank you.’

Practice from her childhood.

She was able to fight against adults, beat recruits, and even beat soldiers who weren't that good.

Most of the time, they looked surprised, or laughed and said, 'As expected’, and praised Selene for being a genius.

Sometimes, however, they reacted differently, they looked as if it was the end of the world, and they looked so frustrated that they were about to start crying.

When she saw them laughing, she wondered how could they not be frustrated after losing?

Or, why could they be so frustrated after only losing a single point?

At that time, Selene didn't understand their feelings.

She was blessed with many things.

She was beautiful and had beautiful golden hair.

When she went to banquets, all eyes were on her, she also had good sense in choosing dresses.

Her bone structure was good, and she could look good in anything she wore.

Though beauty was subjective, and preferences vary, at the very least, no one would call Selene ugly.

She was also smarter than most.

Compared to people her age, Selene was a cut above the rest, and she worked hard.

She could understand political topics that adults talked about, and everyone said she was a talented woman.

Of course, some of it was flattery, but objectively she was above average.

Even if she wasn't a genius, she was talented, and thanks to her teachers she was knowledgeable.

She was blessed with a talent for the sword, and was able to take on adult soldiers even as a child.

The more she swung her sword, the more her skill improved, and her hard work paid off.

And her father was a renowned General of the North and a Margrave. She came from a family that could be called great nobility.

Overall, Selene Christand was far from ordinary.

It was true that she was on the side of people who were envied, and if one looked objectively, she had been blessed with many things, and there were probably people who wanted to be like her.

However, Selene was also someone who didn't understand the feelings of those who lost.

Everyone has their own pride, and when pride is wounded, it hurts deeply.

For example, those who were defeated by Selene and praised her as a genius did so to protect their pride.

Different from them, the daughter of a general, full of talent.

By thinking it was only natural to lose to someone like that, they avoided the pain.

It was natural to feel upset when defeated by a child barely taller than their waist, especially if they had worked hard.

They had put in their own efforts, and they must have had some degree of pride from their effort.

At the time, Selene just thought of them as a foothold, and she didn't even understand the simple fact that those people also had lives, pride, and things to aim for.

Yet, strangely, once she understood the feelings of the defeated, she seemed to forget what it felt like to be a winner.

For example, Bery was the closest ‘Winner’ to her.

She had never seen her practice sword, but when they fought, she was no match for her.

At least that was the case when they were children――if Krische had not appeared and she had continued to fight with her, Bery might have continued to be superior to Selene with just that little ‘practice’.

Bery was incredibly smart, and blessed with all sorts of talents.

As her mother had said, Bery was a genius, and Selene could never beat her.

Selene had always envied her, for she was able to get everything she wanted without much effort.

It was a different story from losing to a well-trained warrior, like her father or his comrades.

She was a servant who did the work of the mansion every day and didn't even swing a sword.

And yet, it was so frustrating that no matter how much she trained, she was no match for Bery, and she always wondered why she didn't have that kind of talent.

But it was the same――surely many of the soldiers who were defeated by the young Selene thought that way.

Just as Selene had achieved things through her own efforts, they must have achieved things through their own efforts.

Just as Selene thought Berry was being unfair, They must have thought Selene was unfair.

Selene could get almost anything if she reached out for it.

But there would always be those who couldn't obtain them, and those who obtained things without even reaching out.

And often, people see value only in things they could obtain through effort.

While her talents, which couldn't surpass Berry's, were worthless to her, it must have been desperately desired by the soldiers who lost to her.

In the same way, Bery probably thought her talent was worthless, but to Selene, it was something she would have wanted desperately.

It is human nature to want what they don't have. People yearn for things they cannot have.

Even a girl with talents far surpassing Bery's waste her talents every day, admiring Bery, and wasting her talents for the vague goal of making someone happy, suffering from not being able to become like her.

Selene has her own pain, Bery has her pain, Krische has her own, and Kreschenta has her own.

Everyone else too, her father and mother, must have had their own sufferings.

Being blessed didn’t necessarily mean happiness.

For example, even if someone who was struggling to make ends meet obtains the lavish lifestyle of royalty, that does not mean that they will be freed from all pain.

Without knowing contentment, one would forever seek something more.

The important thing was to acknowledge and accept yourself.

To stop wishing for things you didn't have.

To cherish the small happiness.

Whether one was royalty or nobility, craftsman or hunter, even if you live from day to day, as long as you have the ability to accept yourself and enjoy small joys, you can be happy.

And even more so if you can meet someone to share that with.

If one could be fulfilled by a daily life where they could sigh over silly things, nothing more would be necessary.

At a Market Stall

"Hehe, this is delicious."

"...You really do nothing but eat huh."

While selling miscellaneous goods and wine at the stall, Krische nibbled on a skewer she bought from a nearby food stall, carefree as always.

They were visiting Linasera, a rural town in the mountains on the western outskirts.

It seems to have been developed about a thousand years ago, after it became a hot topic when the World Tree sprouted there.

There were veins of magic crystals, and naturally it's rich in magical power――and there was a small magic academy there, so despite the rugged terrain, it was not an entirely desolate area.

Rugged mountains surround the World Tree on all four sides to the south.

Only one road passed through the gap between the mountains like the maw of a dragon.

It should have been a dark and inconvenient place to live, but the World Tree's leaves scatter sunlight, illuminating the shaded areas.

Strangely, although the branches and leaves of the World Tree seemed no different from ordinary trees after it took root, they began to shine in the sunlight at some point.

Krische said that it was probably because the people living nearby wished for it to happen, and each World Tree had its own unique characteristics.

The World Tree of Albeneria scattered rainbow-colored petals once every few decades.

In Arbyagel, sky-blue flowers bloom.

Here, Kushenaras was famous for being the Demon Dragon, is known――and in Dogaruaz, Their sleeping place, there was a single flower on a high branch, a large indigo flower and vermilion fruit.

She tried eating one of them once and it was delicious.

It was a legendary fruit that had a dense magical power like dragon blood and was said to grant immortality and longevity.

In some places, there were literal flying lizards flying around, and the spirits that were often seen there were dancing, so it was full of individuality.

Folklore, local beliefs.

These blend together, and the more secluded the World Tree, the stronger the sense of mystery, while those in populated areas were often more glamorous.

Krische and Kreschenta hadn't particularly added any unique characteristics themselves, things just naturally turned out that way, and seeing that always made them go ‘Woah’ in amazement.

Spending time in such a world filled with legends and traditions, no matter what one saw, it felt fresh and mysterious when seen from this perspective.

It seems that humans were quite convenient creatures.

Bery and Crescenta were at the eastern end.

Anne and the others are Nartana.

Sometimes we visit the same town, other times they split up to do business in various places.

Mostly it was up to a whim――right now Kreschenta was probably complaining and relying on Bery.

Elvena was probably trying to bully Lira, but Anne was getting in her way.

Just imagining that was amusing, and Selene shook her shoulders slightly.

"...?"

"Nothing. I was just thinking about something stupid."

Krische put down the skewer she had finished eating with a puzzled look on her face, and yawned lightly.

Selene smiles wryly and patted her own knee, and Krische lays down on the bench and happily rests her head on it.

In the past, she might have thought it improper to be doing that kind of thing in public, but traveling around taught her about different cultures.

For example, even a simple chair at a street stall.

In dry areas, they just lay a carpet――the shopkeeper sat directly on it.

The goods would be arranged haphazardly on the carpet.

In contrast, in humid areas, it was common to set up a platform and sit on a chair.

This area was no exception, and benches were especially popular.

Street vendors here lay blankets and cushions on the benches.

It was also common for them to greet customers while lying down in a sloppy manner, and that seemed to be the way street vendors do things in this area.

They said that it was good to deliberately appear unmotivated in order to show that one's products were good enough to sell without desperate efforts.

Street vendors who were unaware of this common sense and desperately shout to attract customers were seen by local customers as shameful and lacking confidence in their products.

If a customer picked up a product to look at, speaking to them immediately was considered improper and rude.

The common sense in this area was to wait a while or wait until the customer opened their mouth before speaking to them.

This was probably because it was a peaceful area with good public safety.

Traveling to various lands exposed her to many cultures and customs.

Selene realized that the common sense she grew up with was just a small part of the world's broader common sense.

Men should be this way, women should be that way, nobles should be like this, merchants like that, craftsmen like this, etiquette and manners like this.

The common sense from Alberan where she was born and raised remained at her core, but encountering different worlds was enjoyable.

The look on Bery's face when they went to a place like Kreisharana, where dressing up was shameful and wearing the minimum amount of fabric was considered virtuous, was a sight to behold.

Was that two or three hundred years ago?

She remembered the time when she stopped Bery when she tried to escape to the mansion, and, for some reason, formed a united front with Elvena.

She stroked Krische’s head, who was fast asleep, and looked at her sleeping face.

Krische was free-spirited, taking only the convenient parts, such as saying that sloppiness was a virtue for street vendors in this area.

Then she would either sleep or eat, leaving the work to Selene.

Surprisingly, she seemed to enjoy running the street stall, but as expected she prefers to eat, sleeps, and plays.

If you leave her to do as she pleases, she will only do what she likes.

"I'd like to see some of your products."

"Yes, go ahead."

Perhaps someone related to the Magic Academy.

The black-haired young man, dressed in a fine cloak and robe, held a magic crystal engraved with a magic formula.

It was a simple item that heats up when magic power is poured into it.

Elvena's work――aside from food ingredients, Berry was an overly perfectionist and never sold anything she made herself.

The man stared at the engraving with a serious expression, and a man who seemed to be his companion, who was watching, also picked up another magic crystal and looked at it.

If anything, Selene wanted people to be interested in the swords she had forged, but ordinary swords were becoming less and less popular with each passing year.

It's not that the quality was bad, as the swords she displayed were all ones that exceeded Krische’s standard of ‘a pretty good sword’, but the latest trend was swords engraved with magical alloys.

Gimmicks like magical blades extending from the sword were popular, and the more high-end the preference, the stronger this trend became.

She was currently studying engraving――naturally, there was no way Selene would be able to engrave engravings like Bery and Elvena can, so she was learning from the basics.

Of course, with the help of the two of them she could create a masterpiece, but she felt frustrated and for now she was studying from books at night.

"...They're all wonderful. Who engraved these?"

"I received them from a magician I met during my travels, and he didn't even mention the name..."

"A wandering Doushi huh... What a shame. Loz"

"Yeah. I'd like to take as much as I can with this."

The man accompanying him took out ten small gold coins from the bag.

For a moment, Serene was taken aback, shaking her head in response.

There were only seven similar magical crystals displayed.

Even ten silver coins would be too much.

“Uh, well… these are only magical crystals for heat manipulation so…”

"Haha, you don't know its value. This is not the mainstream Four Phenomenon Two Element but a valuable item with a highly accurate original marking. That alone makes it academically valuable."

"Ha, yeah..."

"That said, if you say so, we are grateful. We'll take all seven, is that okay?"

"...Yes, I don't mind..."

The man's companion carefully wrapped each one in cloth as if they were jewels and put them in his bag.

The men smiled as if they had made a good purchase, and Selene felt like she was doing something wrong.

‘Oh, it's rare for Elvena to have something for sale.’

‘Yeah, I just engraved them lightly while I was practicing... I think they're fine as practical items.’

‘Hmm... I'll just line them up.’

The values ??they each thought were often not on the same level.

She had intended to sell it for one silver coin, or even a little less, but a small gold coin.

It would have been one thing if he had intended to sell it for that price from the start, but it was as if she was scamming them.

Elvena hadn't put much effort into it, and the magic crystals themselves were endless over there.

Her chest ached.

"...That was a good purchase. I'm Igla Windesur, the headmaster of this school in Linereselia. If you ever meet the Doushi in the future, please tell them to visit this magic school."

"Uh, yes..."

"Well then. Let's go, Loz."

"Ha."

The man waved off his cloak and walked away, and Selene sighed softly.

Elvena was skillful and smart.

Even though it was just a little effort, she had been researching magic for over a thousand years, so her skills were incomparable to those of an ordinary magician.

She thought she understood this, but perhaps she had underestimated it as a simple heat manipulation.

Being accustomed to Krische’s engraving, Selene seemed to have lost sight of general value.

“...I should warn Elvena too.”

Honestly, this kind of business was more of an excuse for sightseeing.

The goal was not making money, it was just a way to have fun.

Selling what she made was enjoyable, and that was all.

In that sense, magical crystals, which had such a significant impact here, might not be suitable.

The sword that Kreschenta had forged long ago, after a tit for a tat, saying ‘I'll show you what the finest quality is like’, was still on display in the museum as a miraculous item of unknown origin.

Since then, they had been quite careful, but this kind of thing still happened from time to time.

Before she knew it, even Elvena had become a magician who could easily surprise even the grand magicians.

While living over there, it didn’t feel real, but coming here made the recognition gap quite apparent.

Even Selene would be the greatest swordsman in the world if she walked this world.

It was incredible when thought about. In fact, many would be amazed by Selene’s swordsmanship.

She could feel the results of years of hard work and effort that she had accumulated without even realizing it――but she didn't think that it mattered.

Elvena was surely the same.

She didn’t think of herself as a great magician.

The great power she once desired so much, but now that she had it in her hands, it was just that.

She wondered why she had been so obsessed with such insignificant things.

Abilities were truly just additional value representing a person.

Neither her father nor his comrades were just strong.

Even Gallen, who couldn’t use magic, was deeply respected by her father and Krische.

The same goes for Dagra, who was merely an excellent unit commander.

He paled in comparison to superhumans like Kolkis.

But he was faithful to his mission, fought according to his beliefs, and became Krische’s most trusted subordinate――her right-hand man, and he served her with pride.

People were certainly not equal.

They were born with different backgrounds, talents, appearances, and intelligence.

Knowing this world and knowing themselves, and living their lives to the fullest without giving up――the image of them still burned into Selene's heart.

More than anything, they were beautiful and brilliant.

Compared to 1,500 years, it was only a moment, a fleeting moment.

Yet, for those who lived that instant, nothing in the future could surpass it, even if they spent eternity.

To Serene, ‘great people’ were such individuals, and it had nothing to do with abilities.

No matter how much Selene trained, they were never within her reach.

She didn't feel any regret about that.

It is because she was able to spend time with those people――and because the Selene of the past had a vivid admiration for them, that Selene was here now as Selene.

The ability to honestly think that she couldn't compete with them was the most important asset Selene had acquired.

"...silly sleeping face."

She pinched the cheek of her sister as she snored soundly.

Watching her furrowed brow with a wry smile, she stroked her hair.

Back then, she was always plagued by inferiority.

She knew she shouldn't look at others that way, but she looked at others by their abilities.

Even though it was their personalities that she loved, she was only envious and jealous of the things that were better than her, and mocked herself for not being worthy of them.

――The eternal birdcage was an endlessly kind cage, even to Selene.

Everyone spent their days doing what they wanted, what they wanted.

Abilities were worthless and meaningless, no one found them attractive, no one cared about them, everyone lived their lives as they were.

The greatest heroes and wise rulers of all time were children who were obsessed with being pampered.

Their servants were free and carefree, and even the dragons were fools who were obsessed with playing games.

The notion of who was superior to whom was a trivial value outside the cage――they vanished far away.

Eternity was stagnation.

There would be no opportunity to become a better person than now, and they would remain far behind those who died.

No matter how much she honed her abilities, Selene was Selene.

There was nowhere to aim for, nowhere to head towards.

She was sure her old self wouldn't have thought that this was happiness.

Whether you are happy or not was all a matter of your attitude.

"... Fufu"

She stroked Krische’s hair, narrowing her eyes.

Then she looked up at the presence of someone.

"Is that a Drop of Paradise... I never thought I'd see it here."

"Yes, I got it by chance."

A refined old couple appeared.

This time they weren't affiliated with the Magic Academy, but rather some kind of local noble.

The elderly man looked at the wine that Serene had placed in the adjacent box.

Bery’s wine was quite famous――it seemed to be circulating at a high price.

Carefully making a pillow from a blanket to avoid waking Krische, she took a bottle of wine from the adjacent box and handed it over.

“...There’s no mistake, this is something I saw a long time ago.”

The old man looked at the lid and nodded.

About a thousand years ago, the bottle lids were made of magic crystals shaped like bird cages.

While it wasn’t completely impossible to forge, it was distributed enough, and such effort was not worth it for a rarity.

“My father once let me drink it.”

“I see. We have also tasted it and found it very well-made.”

“I see. That’s somewhat intriguing.”

The old man looked at the lid, a quiet smile on his lips.

The old woman let out a refined laugh and told Selene.

“It’s just right. …Next week, my son, who has been away from home, is returning.”

“Oh my. …That’s a joyous occasion.”

"Yes. You know, it's okay to splurge a little every once in a while, right? Borok will be happy."

"That's not what I came here for."

"You're really stubborn. Can I have one, young lady?"

Selene nodded, accepted the payment, and bowed.

Then she placed Krische’s head back on her lap.

Cliche opened her eyes slightly, but as if she had no intention of waking up, she closed them instead, and Selene sighed in exasperation as she pulled on her cheeks again.

Kriche groaned, and Serene relaxed her cheek――realizing the elderly woman was smiling wryly, she blushed.

“You have a lovely younger sister.”

“Y-Yes… well…”

"Ufufu, be sure to get along."

The old woman said with a smile and looked at her husband.

Her husband nodded with a sullen look on his face, took the old woman's hand and walked away.

The two of them looked calm――once she must have been a much older woman than they were now, but when was that?

Just like her appearance, at some point, she had become childlike in mind as well.

A thousand and five hundred years of childhood had eroded her decades of adulthood.

Was that a good thing or a bad thing?

Either way, it was nothing to be proud of.

Selene sighed again and,

"Ugh..."

‘It's your fault’, she said, pulling her sister's cheek.