Reincarnated in the Magical Realm

In the year 56 of the Esco Calendar, Duke Odyssey, the "Greatest Mage of the Empire and the First Commoner Duke," disappeared after sealing the magic dragon. This marked a turning point, as the once noble and symbolic surname, Odyssey, gradually faded into history, leaving only a town called Odyssey, known as the "Hometown of Mages," confirming the brilliance the family once possessed. In the year 556 of the Esco Calendar, Angelina Odyssey was born in a residence now reduced to a mere appearance matching the title of 'castle.' Under the care of her frail mother and the only old steward, Angelina safely grew to the age of five, despite being born weak and delicate. At the age of five, she would undergo her magical attribute detection. Inheriting the Odyssey family's iconic black hair and black eyes, Angelina, due to her fragile mother and the steward's limited mobility, grew almost wild in this somewhat dilapidated castle. Her mind was filled with the innocence and joy of a child. Since gaining awareness at the age of three, her mother, who told bedtime stories and occasionally sighed with a sad tone about Angelina's father who died early in a monster hunt, and the reality that the Odyssey family only had Angelina as its sole surviving member but enjoyed almost no noble treatment. However, the child growing up within the castle, with little interaction with the outside world, was always content with simple pleasures like having food to eat and new clothes to wear. A naive child, after all, has few worries. In the year 561, about a month after Angelina's fifth birthday, her mother, who had stayed in the room all the time, changed into a luxurious dress adorned with sparkling stones. Angelina was also dressed in a new, tight-fitting dress that accentuated her little belly. With most of her hair, usually left loose, now braided and adorned with beautiful jewelry, Angelina couldn't help but rest her chin on her hand to alleviate the discomfort of the heavier head. Holding her mother's cool hand tightly, Angelina left her home castle for the first time. They boarded a luxurious carriage. The carriage had no horses, and after both of them were seated, Angelina heard her mother softly chanting a spell. Two wing-shaped mists appeared in front of the carriage. Then, the small carriage took off gracefully in a stable wind. Angelina knew her mother was a wind-controlling mage, but this was the first time she witnessed her mother's magic. Her eyes gleamed as she leaned her head on her mother's hand, watching the scenery outside the window with curiosity. Angelina could feel the gentleness when her mother stroked her head. She heard her mother whisper, "Today, Angelina will also become a mage, becoming the pride of our Odyssey family." In her first journey, the destination was the palace of the Esco Empire. Angelina stood with a group of children about her age, all dressed in tight and shiny dresses. Angelina felt a bit awkward, as it was not only her first time leaving her home but also her first time meeting so many peers. Before entering the palace, her mother hung a gemstone necklace engraved with intricate patterns around Angelina's neck. She instructed her to obediently follow the adult guiding her. Then she placed Angelina's hand in the hands of a maid about ten years old. Watching her enter the palace gate, her mother sent her off with a gaze. Angelina remembered the maid who led her for a while. She wore a plain lace dress without any jewelry. During the journey, Angelina spoke a long string of words and asked countless questions, but the maid seemed unhappy. She kept her head down and occasionally replied in a few words, still a bit awkward. Angelina couldn't quite understand why the maid called her "miss." When she curiously asked, the maid seemed startled, tremblingly let go of her hand, and then knelt in front of her, begging for forgiveness and promising to address her as "Duke" from then on. It was truly bewildering. Until she reached the group of children of the same age, Angelina hadn't recovered from the shock. She dared not speak easily and could only wander her eyes, observing the others around her. Angelina felt that she was somewhat different from the others. The other children had their small circles, chatting in pairs with refined smiles. Only she stood alone, with a head full of curiosity, playing with the pretty little stone on her chest rather than enjoying the event. Angelina remembered her mother's advice to behave well, but at the same time, she was beginning to anticipate the end of this unknown journey today. Now, there were about a hundred children gathered in the hall of the Esco Imperial Palace. The hall, made of magic crystals, even children with little knowledge could perceive its extraordinary nature. Around the same moment the entrance to the hall closed, colorful light emanated from the center of the hall. The moment Angelina closed and reopened her eyes, a transparent stone, about twice her size, appeared in the previously empty center. Angelina widened her eyes. She remembered this stone appearing in her mother's storybook. This was a magical stone called the Magic Affinity Stone (though the one in the book was smaller). All the children in the palace held their breath the moment the stone appeared, their eyes sparkling with longing. Angelina flipped through her reserve knowledge: after the age of five, anyone could see their magical talents by placing their hands on the magical stone. The principle behind this was beyond her understanding at the age of five, but Angelina remembered that these magical stones were named "Magic Affinity Stones." Gathered under the guidance of several mages wearing large magic robes and unclear faces, the children formed a queue, eagerly waiting to connect with magic. Angelina was placed at the last spot, and as she was led to the end of the queue, her eyes were filled with confusion. A black-robed mage with a beautiful wand persistently tapped her magic stone necklace on her chest. Afterward, she was led to the end of the queue without saying a word, and the mage, without uttering a single sentence, returned to the vicinity of the Magic Affinity Stone. Clutching her own necklace, Angelina glanced at the long queue in front of her, feeling a bit aggrieved. Then her gaze fell on a boy in front of her, who was of similar height. Angelina, accustomed to the colorful hair seen around her and in storybooks, was encountering someone of her age with the same pure black hair for the first time. Yet, looking at the fluffy, curly black short hair, Angelina felt a certain warmth. Angelina cautiously pulled the hem of the boy's clothes, "I...I'm Angelina, and, uh, who are you?" This was Angelina's first attempt at striking up a conversation with someone her age, her voice trembling but clear enough. The boy turned around, and though he had equally youthful features, there was a lack of the seriousness and formality that Angelina had expected. He glanced at the magic stone on Angelina's chest, then slightly raised his chin and pointed to the magic stone-adorned pin on his own small tie. "Rheo Hebrew." After stating his name, Rheo fell silent for a few seconds. After a brief eye contact, revealing politeness and docility, he suddenly realized that the girl hadn't fully understood his precise meaning. Angelina was not particularly sensitive to topics like nobility and titles. Although her grandfather and mother had mentioned some things, she hadn't paid much attention, vaguely aware that she was the prestigious heir of the Odyssey Duke from history and might be the next in line for the current Duke position. Today, however, Angelina truly realized the tip of the iceberg of the preciousness of her status as the Duke's heir. Rheo, under Angelina's relentless questioning, revealed everything he knew. Angelina then learned that today's "Magic Affinity" event was a special ceremony convened by the king for all noble offspring of the Esco Empire. Participants included the bloodlines of families ranging from dukes to barons within the empire, and the order of affinity was determined by the size of their titles. Rheo belonged to the most pure-blooded line of the Hebrew family dukes, that is, the first heir to the Hebrew Duke. Besides him, there were also children from the Hebrew family scattered in marquisates, earldoms, baronies, and viscountcies, with no less than a dozen people. The lower the title, the more intermediate surnames they had between their first and last names. Counting on her fingers, Angelina gave up trying to remember the long list of names recited by Rheo as examples. Simple names were better. Upon realizing that Rheo had meticulously introduced the history of the Hebrew family to her, along with that long list of names, Angelina's temples throbbed. "Um, um, Rheo! I got it!" "It's Rheo Hebrew," Rheo corrected with a serious expression. "But saying the full name doesn't sound nice at all!" Angelina, scared off by Rheo's explanation about names, looked at his magic stone, grabbed Rheo's hand, praised him, and, using her own magic stone hanging around her neck, began to carefully compare the patterns on these two magic stones. With this turning point, Angelina finally had the chance to release all the words she had restrained herself from saying for the sake of being obedient. This included where she played in the castle every day, what she ate, and the stories she heard every day. In Angelina's eyes, Rheo, who had exchanged the first set of words with her, had become her first friend after leaving the castle. Rheo also felt the discomfort Angelina had experienced just now. He might have thought about interrupting, but once Angelina grabbed his hand and started talking non-stop, he fell into her topic rhythm passively. In the end, in this important affinity ceremony, most of Rheo's attention was drawn to the descriptions of Angelina's carefree daily life. He didn't even pay attention to the magic affinity situations of those relatives and friends with varying degrees of blood relations... When he came to his senses, the magic affinity ceremony for the two of them was only a few people away. Angelina naturally let go of Rheo; she had already been captivated by the dazzling and colorful light emanating from the magic stone right in front of her. While chatting with Rheo just now, Angelina had learned a bit about the specific functions of the Magic Affinity Stone. It measured three aspects: the affinity of magical elements, magical potential value, and spiritual value. These three factors were crucial in estimating the future prospects of a mage. Angelina, distracted during her chattering, paid some attention to the magic affinity testing of the others. However, this dazzling result was something she was witnessing for the first time. Inquisitively, Angelina scrutinized the child currently undergoing testing, a girl with wavy golden hair, roughly the same age but already half a head taller than her. Under the radiant multicolored light, she seemed to exude a sacred and unattainable mysterious aura. Wow. Angelina immediately shifted her eager gaze to Rheo but found him staring intently at the girl still illuminated by the multicolored light, his eyes unfocused. Angelina waved her hand in front of Rheo's eyes to bring his attention back, "Who is she?" Angelina asked softly. Rheo's expression, however, became momentarily strange. "Maria Raphael Hebrew, my cousin, two months older than me," he replied. Taking a cue from Rheo's expression, Angelina's mind cleared a bit. Middle surname + 1 = Hebrew Marquis line, in competition with Rheo, the heir to the ducal line. The affinity ceremony reached a c****x with Maria's miraculous and highly compatible results in all five magic elements. Even the mages in black robes gathered around Maria, unabashedly promoting their own impressive magic. Even the king seemed disturbed, apparently planning to make an appearance after the ceremony. The children waiting for testing after Maria had almost no smiles on their faces. While Angelina wasn't nervous, she noticed that her newfound friend Rheo looked tense. She gently tugged at Rheo's sleeve, and when he looked at her, she raised her hand to touch his soft, curly black hair, "Rheo, don't worry, you can do it. You will become a pride of the Hebrew family." Rheo's face, initially pale and stiff, gradually reddened. He pursed his lips tightly and gently pushed away Angelina's hand, turning his face away, "No need for you to say." Although Rheo's response didn't quite match Angelina's expectations, seeing the warmth return to his face, she sighed in relief. It seemed that touching the head, just like her mother did, was the best way to relieve tension. Angelina quieted down, earnestly watching the remaining tests ahead. The children at the back of the line were mostly offspring of higher nobility, with a higher likelihood of inheriting excellent mage bloodlines. Following Maria, the children, while not as outstanding, still demonstrated quite remarkable talents. Though Rheo wasn't a mage of all five elements, he showed potential in lightning magic after fire and gold elements, and his magic stone emitted a dazzling light, indicating exceptional aptitude, not inferior to Maria. Receiving a complex look from Rheo during the mage encirclement, Angelina quickly raised both thumbs, expressing congratulations to her little partner. Now, there were already two exceptional cases at the forefront. Despite being the last "contestant," Angelina's mood only grew slightly heavier, mainly due to her heightened expectations for her own affinity results. After five hundred years, the once-thick noble bloodline inherited from the strongest mage, the Odyssey Duke, had dwindled to just Angelina. Everyone in the palace was curious about Angelina's test results. Following the instructions, Angelina slowly approached and placed her hand on the oversized stone in front of her. Two mages in black robes waved their wands and chanted a short spell. The initially cool touch of the stone emitted a faint warmth after Angelina touched it. She stared at the stone, not blinking, as it seemed to undergo a subtle change. A faint layer of white light flickered, almost merging seamlessly with the surrounding environment, making it almost indistinguishable on close inspection. A mage suddenly waved his wand, causing a momentary darkness in the palace. Only then did the gentle, non-irritating white light from the Magic Affinity Stone in the center of the palace become apparent, reaching every corner of the palace. Angelina looked at the light shining for her, feeling a bit confused. It was said that the light from the affinity stone meant a connection with magic. However, she hadn't come across a case like hers in the records and examples she had read. The evaluation grades for all three testing items were displayed as "?" in Angelina's case, but she noticed the final verdict in the last column: "No Affinity."