âGo ahead. Keep your eyes cool.â
She cried too much and her eyes became bright red.
But my expression became a little brighter.
Iâm still a little confused, but Iâm not as scared as I was at first.
I still feel a little nervous, but I feel a little closer.
Iâll clean up my breakfast.
Maybe weâll move soon after we hear the story.
âOh, Iâll help you. What am I supposed to do?
âLetâs prepare tea and have some sweets.
I didnât do anything, but Iâm a little tired.
I see. Thereâs been a lot going on since yesterday. â
My father will prepare tea, so Iâll clean up after breakfast in the meantime.
Maria was wandering around a little and told to sit down with her father.
Nevertheless, Maria is thin.
That will make your journey difficult.
âThe washing is over. I wiped it and put it all in my magic bag. And then⊠the garbage is fine. All right.â
Itâs not that many because I clean it up while making it, and itâs easy.
âGood work. I made you a chocolate bar, but was that good?
Wheat confectionery bought in the village of Hattal.
Slightly sweet and crisp.
The chocolate inside is sweet and delicious.
After Lord Foronda has eaten it, I like it.
âYeah, itâs been a long time since I sold a chopper. I look forward to it!â
There are only bars without chocolate and some with dried fruit.\n
I like the black chocolate.
âItâs not always the same taste as what youâve eaten before.â
âLooks similar, though.â
Maria looks strangely at the chopper.
âGo ahead. Itâs sweet, crispy and delicious.â
Make sure Maria eats before she eats herself.
Itâs a little sweeter than the chocolate bar Lord Foronda gave me, but itâs delicious.
Phew. Itâs delicious for a long time. â
My father looks at Maria gently.
I wonder when we should start talking.
When I saw Maria, I ate all the chocolate bars and drank tea.
âCan I talk to you now?
â⊠yes. Iâll talk to you.â
âYou donât have to talk about anything you donât want to talk about.â
âYes. Um⊠I came to Hatal Village at the age of seven. My mother is skilled. Thatâs why thereâŠ..â
Mariaâs expression clouds.
Did you tell the church to check your skills?
âCheck your skills. My surroundings became noisy⊠and my mother went somewhere. I was in a dark room, and then I was alone. No one comes crying. Mom, Dadâs gone.â
I think heâs about 30, but heâs been in jail since he was seven?
âHave you ever been out of your room?
Arenât they completely imprisoned?
âWhen you leave the room, it suits people. Grab my hand. Say what you saw. Other than that, itâs always been a room. Oh, there was a cleaner. But I canât talk.â
Church⊠nobility? \nThey only let me out of my room when the aristocrats came, and they made me do something.
Otherwise, theyâre trapped in a dark room.
The only person who fits is the one who comes to clean.
But if you canât talk, thereâs no point.
âDo you know when you were marked as a slave?
âI donât know. After I left the room looking for my mother, I noticed that she was beaten up. I canât talk anymore.â
You said, âSay what you saw.â
âMaria, you couldnât talk, could you? How did you tell them what you saw?
âTalk in front of Chathris. Nothing else.â
Did you leave someone to talk to and make someone else talk to?
I nod when I see my father.
âOh, I can do itâŠ. one of the techniques used to obey a master.â
Your father turns a blind eye to what he told me when he approached me and whispered.
Maria looks at me with a strange look, shouting a little louder.
âMaria, what kind of person is Chathris?
Mariaâs expression fell apart in response to your fatherâs question.
âChathris, be gentle. Iâll be happy when I see you.â
The method used by the church has been successful.
When Maria talks about a person named Chathris, her expression becomes gentle.
Iâm so lonely, I let only one person trust me.
âMaria, do you know what your skills are?
Maria shook her head sideways in response to her fatherâs question.
Your fatherâs expression gets a little steep.
\nâMost nobles curse nobles.â
âThe curse used by nobles is a sophisticated curse. Thatâs why you may need a lot of purple potions. What if thereâs a rumor you bought dozens of purple potions all of a sudden?
Oh, youâre gonna find out?
Even though I need to train, I have people who use advanced curses.
How many people did you want to curse?
âMaria, can you erase that black lump in one go?
I see. Sheâs a precious woman who can lift the curse in one go. So itâs a sign of slavery. â
Maria, this is a skillâŠ
Maria stood up and shouted when her father tried to say something about her skills.
âNo, I prayed. Every day, every day. So itâs gone. I donât use it! I donât want to use it!
Maria screams at her fatherâs words.
The expression is distorted by fear.
Skills are scary for Maria.
âMaria-san, calm down. You donât have to use it.â
Grab Mariaâs hand as she stood up and trembled.
He trembled, but he squeezed my hand back.
âI donât need it. I prayed, itâs gone.â
I see. If you donât need Maria, you donât need her skills. Iâm glad itâs gone. â
â⊠really? Chathris, Iâm angry. I was so angry⊠scared.â
I wonder if a man named Chathris deserves a hell of a punishment.
âI donât need it⊠only trash can sell itâŠâ
I wish I could go to hell!
âNeither I nor Ivy intend to use Mariaâs skills. However, we need to know the correct information. Thatâs all. So you donât have to use it. Become, Ivy?
âYeah, you donât have to use it.â
When I nodded forcefully, Maria showed me a pleasant expression.