In a world of magic, where magic is everything, life is determined by one's magical abilities. Life is easy for those who are skilled in magic, and the opposite is also true—life is difficult for those who are not. Magic assists them in their daily activities; they cannot live without it. They rely heavily on magic. Magic is a gift bestowed by the Gods to help them survive.
Great magic is determined by the capacity of one's Mana. If someone has little Mana, they will tire quickly when using large amounts of magic. On the other hand, if someone has an abundance of Mana, it requires greater control, which is harder than average. Mana is not only the activation source for spells but also serves as one's life energy—if someone uses an excessive amount of Mana or depletes it entirely, it could result in death.
In the current magical world, in the village of Valry, year 1726, a little girl named Jessica lived peacefully alongside her best friend, Jean.
As usual, Jessica was playing with her friend.
"Hey, Jess, let's play by the river," said Jean cheerfully, his face full of excitement.
"Alright, but what should we play?" Jessica replied, puzzled.
"How about we go fishing today?"
"Sounds good. In that case, wait here, I'll go get the fishing rod from home."
Jessica ran home to grab the fishing rod.
—A few minutes later.
"Jean, I brought the rod," she said, showing the rod she just picked up. "But I only have one," Jessica said a bit sadly.
"It's okay, you can be the one to fish. Let's go before it gets late," he said, taking her hand and leading her to the riverbank.
—Upon arriving at the riverbank, Zue quickly baited the hook before casting the line.
—A few hours passed. Evening came.
"Jess, let's go home, it's getting dark. Our parents will worry," Jean said with concern.
"But we haven't caught a single fish," Jessica replied with a frown of frustration.
"We can fish again tomorrow. Let's go home now," Jean reassured her.
"Fine." Jessica went home feeling disappointed.
As they walked home, they saw flames rising from the direction of the village.
"What's happening at the village!?"
They both ran frantically, panicked.
—At the village gate.
"Who are those strangers!?" asked Jessica, growing even more panicked.
"They're bandits! Why are there bandits here?!" Jean said, fearful of what might happen.
Screams for help echoed from inside the village. The bandits were burning houses, kidnapping children, and slaughtering their parents.
Four people tried to escape through the village gate but were caught by the bandits and killed.
Those who were just killed were Jessica and Jean's parents. The two children witnessed their parents' deaths right before their eyes.
"Haha, look what we've got here. These two kids could fetch a good price," said the bandit who had killed their parents, grinning wickedly.
Jessica was in complete shock, unable to believe what she saw. Jean tried to fight back in rage.
"Stop resisting," said the bandit, striking Jean hard.
The blow knocked Jean unconscious right in front of Jessica.
"Jean, wake up! Jean!" Jessica's tears began to flow uncontrollably.
"Stop crying," said the bandit as he dragged them to the place where the other kidnapped children were kept.
Jessica's emotions surged. Something began to take over her consciousness.
"What is this? Is this real? No… this can't be real," Jessica muttered weakly. "Someone… please help us…"
"No one is coming to save you, so shut up," the bandit sneered.
—Suddenly, power surged within her.
Jessica's eyes turned red, and a red aura surrounded her. Power flowed through her body. Her consciousness was overtaken by this force.
"What are you trying to do?" said the bandit.
Before he could realize it, both of his hands were severed by Jessica.
"Aaah! My hands, my hands!" the bandit screamed in agony.
Jessica was no longer in control. Her aura turned scorching hot.
"Kill. Kill all the bandits."
Jessica's desire to destroy them intensified. She conjured fire and incinerated the bandit completely.
—Jessica approached the remaining bandits.
"Who are you, little girl? Come here, and I won't hurt you. Capture her!" shouted the bandit leader arrogantly.
"Die." She launched fire at the bandits approaching her.
"What?!" The leader was stunned. "Forget capturing her, kill her!"
"Too slow."
The bandits' attacks seemed incredibly slow. She dodged all of them. Flames consumed every last bandit, leaving only the leader.
"Please, spare me! I won't do it again!" he begged on his knees.
"Your forgiveness is your death."
Flames brought his end.
—Jessica regained consciousness.
"What happened? Mom? Dad? Where are you?" When she came to, she remembered nothing.
"Where are you? Mom, Dad—what happened? Wake up… wake up!"
Seeing her parents lying lifeless, Jessica couldn't stop crying.
Her mental state broke down. She fainted.
—Royal envoys arrived.
"This is a disaster. We were dispatched to handle it, but it seems we're too late," said Vice-Captain Lela, shocked by the scene.
"According to surviving villagers, the bandits imprisoned the children to sell as slaves," Elie added. "But there's nothing here." She scanned the area.
"Detector," Lela activated a Mana-detection skill. "Mana detected at the village edge. Nineteen sources—likely the kidnapped children. Let's go." They ran through the ruins.
---
"These are the kidnapped children. Two kids are lying outside the cage, so there are seventeen inside," said Elie.
"You're wrong, El. There are eighteen inside," Lela corrected her.
"But you said you detected nineteen. Are you sure you didn't miscount?"—Elie, Lela's twin sister, asked.
"I didn't miscount. That means one of those two doesn't have any Mana, because I only detected one far from the cage."
Elie examined Jessica and Jean. "You're right. This red-haired girl has no Mana at all," she said in shock.
"It's impossible to live without Mana," Lela said, confused.
---
—Captain Jennie arrived.
"Captain Jennie."
"Did you find any evidence of a bandit attack?" she asked.
"There's no evidence," Elie replied.
"I'll check using Eye Information."
—Jennie activated her ability.
Eye Information is a rare power that allows one to see the timeline of events that were erased, even those completely removed from history. Information retains causality, space, time, fate, and Mana. Without Information, something never existed. If Information is lost, the thing itself ceases to exist.
Jennie reviewed the Information and explained, "This is strange. The villagers split into two factions. One faction kidnapped and sold children to cover the village's poverty, while the other opposed it. Their differences led to bloodshed."
"That's insane, Captain!" Lela exclaimed in frustration.
"Please don't joke, Captain. This is serious," Elie added calmly.
"I'm not joking. I swear it as a knight!!" Captain Jennie shouted.
"Sorry for doubting you, Captain."
"Me too. I apologize."
"It's fine. I'll take the children to the orphanage. You two report back to camp." The Captain lifted the children with magic.
"Understood."
After reporting in...
"Reporting is done. Let's go to the Captain."
"Alright, Sis."
"But first, Elie, there's something I want to talk about…"
—They arrived at the orphanage.
"Did you finish reporting?" asked the Captain.
"Yes. What about the children?" Sherina replied.
Eshi—the orphanage head—arrived and said, "…For now, they will stay here until they turn 12, before entering school."
Elie approached Eshi and said, "I already discussed this with Lela on our way. We'd like to adopt and raise the red-haired girl."
"Are you sure? That's fine as long as you take responsibility," Eshi replied.
"Yes, we are fully committed." Elie answered confidently.
"Very well, follow me for the adoption paperwork." Eshi led them to complete the process.
---
"…So, the next planet is Earth."
—Paperwork complete.
After finalizing the adoption, they brought Jessica to their home.
The Captain watched them leave and muttered, "Earlier, when I used Eye Information, I left something out… That girl has no Information across any point in the timeline."
—Arriving at home.
They reached a modest house near the Venus River. Despite being vice-knights, they were looked down upon for not being nobles.
Lela smiled and said to Jessica, "From now on, you'll live with us."
"I hope you feel at home, even if our house is simple," she added, patting Jessica's head.
Jessica replied with a gloomy face, "Why did you adopt me? Isn't it a burden?"
"You have no Mana. If people found out, they'd hate you. Living without Mana is seen as a curse. They believe being near you brings misfortune."
Elie placed her hand on Jessica's shoulder and said, "But that's not the only reason. We want you to be useful to the world. We'll train you to become someone great."
"Okay." Hearing that made Jessica feel happy.
—The next morning.
Elie approached Jessica in bed. "Wake up."
Jessica groaned, still sleepy. "Huh, is it morning already?"
Lela was preparing breakfast. "Good morning! Come eat—but wash your face first."
—Everyone at the table.
"How did you sleep, Zue?" Elie asked while eating.
"I slept well."
"Good! Then after breakfast, you're starting training," Elie said with a laugh.
"WHAAAAT!?"
—After breakfast.
"Alright! From now on, Elie and I will take turns training you every morning and evening, so get ready!"