Strongest Noble's Daughter Uses Water Magic

Affinity

Almost five years had passed since I was born into this new world. During these past five years, I, Levi Anberibca, had learned a lot about this new world I live in.

This world is called Aleiswey, and the kingdom I reside in is called Flammel Kingdom, one of the biggest kingdoms in the world, under the protection of my father, Duke Lennox Anberibca. In the world of Aleiswey, there exists things that could only be found in fantasy books in my previous life, things that are non-existent in my previous home world, things many teens dream to have existed.

Magic, monsters, half-beasts, you name it. All of those exist in this world. In exchange, however, as one would expect in many world of magic, technology does not exist here. While I am saddened that there were no such thing as television or video games in this world, I was actually quite fine with it. Ever since I learned magic exist, I spent whatever free time I had studying up on the subject. In my past life, I was never one for studying, but for this subject? How could I ever pass the opportunity to know more about magic? Not only that, but every resident of this world, commoners or royals, humans or fantasy creatures, all can use magic, and I am no exception of that, especially considering the family I was born in.

The Anberibca family is one of the strongest noble family in the Flammel Kingdom. According to history books, there were many records of how my ancestors burned enemies to ash, bend flames to their will, even supposedly saved many villages from forest fires simply by absorbing the flames. While I was not entirely sure about that last one, as they most likely put the flames out via a backfire, our family did sound cool. 

My father, especially, was the coolest. From what the many servants in the house had told me, a war broke out some years ago, one involving a different kingdom. Lennox was a part of the vanguard squad and, with his amazing fire magic and sword skills, he especially played the big role in pushing the enemy back. Supposedly, he singlehandedly reduced thousands of the enemy numbers, be it by burning them or cutting them down. As I was not even five-years-old when they told me this, there was limited amount of information the servants thought they could tell me. And as much as I wanted to tell them that I am actually older than I really am, they would never believe it. After all, even in a world of magic, reincarnation is on the list of impossibilities.

“Lady Levi. It's almost time for dinner,” a maid called.

“Just a minute. I'm almost done with this chapter,” I told her.

I was in the library in my home, doing some more early studying on magic. Normally, noble children were not to take lessons until the age of five, when they find out what affinity magic they have. This way, they could have a training schedule fitting for their magic, with the general lessons included of course. 

“You truly are eager to learn magic, aren't you?” the maid asked me.

“I am! I wonder what magic I'll be able to learn...” I said. “Do you think I'll be able to use the same magic as my brothers, Celis?”

“Hmm... I'm not so sure about Lord Viggo or Lord Inocenzio, but maybe Lord Edward.”

“Fire affinity... I wonder if father will teach me then. Then again, if I have wind affinity, I would have mother teach me instead.”

One lesson on magic affinity: it is usually passed down to future generations of a family, like a gene. No child can ever have two affinity, and in the rarest occasions, a child may have an affinity different from their parents.

One such example would be my three brothers. The oldest of the three, Edward, has a fire affinity like our father, but the second brother, Viggo, has earth affinity like their mother. Though the two are clearly brothers, they were still born with different affinity, one from their father's side, and the other from their mother's.

Hm? Their mother? Ah yes, it was never said. I am their half-sister, and my mom is their stepmother. Despite the fact that I am practically the illegitimate child, despite the fact that my mother is not their real mother, we still act as family. According to my parents, there were many people who were against them marrying one another, but due to my father's position in society, due to what this family is known for, in the end, they got married and had me.

As for Inocenzio, he was one of the rarest occasion. From what I heard, when their mother got extremely sick the month before his birth. The only way to cure her of her illness was by making a medicine using a really rare flower that bloomed in the coldest climate in Aleiswey. By the time they gave her the medicine, however, Inocenzio was to be born. Even though the remedy cured her illness, it was not a miracle worker; she still needed some proper rest in order to fully recover. It took everything in her power to give birth to him... as well as her life. And so, because of the flower, instead of fire or earth affinity, Inocenzio was gifted with healing affinity.

A knock was heard at the door. Celia and I turned our head and saw my mother there.

“Somehow, I knew I would find you two here,” she said.

“Mother!” I excitedly called out, putting down my book and rushing to her arms.

“Lady Ellis! Welcome home,” Celis bowed in greeting. “If I may, you're home sooner than expected.”

“I managed to convince my manager to let me off early. After all, tomorrow's Levi's big day,“ Ellis reasoned.

That's right; tomorrow would be my fifth birthday, since I was reborn into this world that is. Not only that, tomorrow, I would know what my magic affinity would be. As I had already studied up on what each affinity would do, I was pretty much prepared for anything.

“Now then, let's not waste any more time in the library. It's dinner time,” Ellis said, as she took me by the hand and led me to the dining room, with Celis following.

******

As we entered the dining room, sitting at a large table were none other than my father and brothers, with the servants standing by the doors to the kitchen. The four guys at the table turned to the door my mother and I walked through and had slightly surprised expression on their faces.

“Mother? When did you arrive?” Viggo asked.

“Some minutes ago,” Ellis answered, as she sat between father and Viggo on the former's left, while I sat on the other side of Viggo. “I couldn't wait for my work to be completely done, especially considering tomorrow.”

One mention of tomorrow, and the guys all had smiles on their faces. 

“That's right. Tomorrow is Levi's fifth birthday,” Edward recalled.

“Yeah. Tomorrow, we will finally know what her affinity is,” Inocenzio said.

“If her affinity is fire like father and Edward, our family will just be that much more powerful in terms of strength,” Viggo pointed out. “Not that there's anything wrong with wind affinity, mother.”

“It's okay, Viggo. I understand what you mean,” Ellis assured. “Truly, though, we will only know what it is when tomorrow comes. We can't just go around making assumptions here.”

“Your mother is right about that. To solely act on nothing but baseless assumptions would be unfitting for this family,” Lennox stated. “That being said, Levi, I understand you have already been studying on magic.”

“Yes, father. I have also read about the history of our land and our family,” I answered. I may not be one for studying anything not related to magic, but for a world where magic exists, I want to learn as much as I could about it. ... And I wanted to know everything about the monsters and non-human race that live in this world.

“You know, most kids would spend their time playing around or reading fantasy books. You must be the only kid who takes the time to study ahead,” Edward pointed out. 

He was right about one thing; most kids would spend their time playing. If not that, then they would read fantasy books, especially girls. But I am not a normal girl; I am reincarnated. Mentally, I am older than my brothers and I may be the same age as my parents. Not that they would ever know.

“Something tells me our sister will have a bright future ahead of her. Girl genius and daughter of one of the strongest dukes... no doubt you will be swarming with marriage proposals,” Viggo stated.

“I refuse to have my daughter wed some spineless, foolish noble,” Lennox declared. “Such a thing will be unbecoming in this family.”

“I do believe it is too early to be looking that far in the future, dear,” Ellis told him. “For now, let's focus on what will happen tomorrow.” She then faced me and asked, “Are you excited for your birthday?”

“Yes, mother! I am very excited!” I answered whole-heartedly. Tomorrow would practically be the day I learn how to use magic, after all. As a girl who had dreamt of such a thing, a girl who loves magic, how could I not get excited?

“Well, you better eat up and rest well. Tomorrow's going to be the most important day of your life,” Edward said, as the doors to the kitchen opened, and servants walked in with trays of food in hand.

******

The next day, after having an extravagant breakfast, I sat in the library doing some last-minute reading before the king's head mage arrives. All appraisals for a noble child's magic affinity, especially that of a duke or duchess's, was usually done by the head mage of the royal family. From what I heard from my brothers, it was not anything difficult; all I needed to do was pour mana in a crystal ball they will bring, and based on the color shown, my affinity will be revealed.

After that, I would have a week left of freedom to myself. Once the week was over, tutors in which my father will hire will arrive daily to give me lessons. While I would not be looking forward to the more general subjects, I was excited about my magic lessons, as well as some swordsmanship lessons. 

A knock was heard by the door, and I lifted my head to see Celis there. “Lady Levi. His highness's head mage has arrived,” she informed.

I happily closed the book I was reading and followed her to the living room where our guest and my family would be.

Upon arriving at the living room, I saw my parents sitting on a sofa, with my brothers standing by them. Sitting across from them, also on a sofa, was a middle-aged woman in white and lavender robes. Her hair was light brown and wavy, and she had glasses on. On a table between them was a crystal ball, rested on a purple cushion.

“Oh! Here is the girl of the hour,” Edward greeted.

“So this is the first daughter of the Anberibca family,” the guest said, as she stood up and bowed. “A pleasure to meet you, milady. I am the head mage of the Flammel Royal family. My name is Astarelle Constelix.”

“Likewise, it is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Levi Anberibca,” I greeted back, also bowing.

“Miss Levi, I assume you know the reason for me being here?” Astarelle asked.

“Yes!” I eagerly answered, resulting in a small giggle from the older woman.

“Forgive me for laughing. I have never seen a child this eager to know what their affinity is. Now then, let's not waste time. If you can please take a seat.” I nodded and walked to my family's side, sitting between my parents. “I want you to place your hand on the crystal ball, and pour just a bit of mana in it.”

“How do I do that? Pouring my mana in it, I mean,” I asked, placing my hand on the orb.

“Oh! I heard from your parents that you had been studying ahead of your peers, and assumed you know how to do that. Forgive me for my assumption. Well, first, close your eyes and relax. As you lax, you will feel a slight tingly feeling all over your body. That tingly feeling is your mana. All you have to do is move your mana to your hand, and gently push it out. Do you understand that?”

I simply nodded in confirmation to the question and did as told. Once my eyes were closed, I took in some calming breaths and started to feel something flowing all over me. Assuming it to be mana, I lightly tensed my muscles and slowly pushed the mana to my hand.

“Yes, that's right. Just like that,” I heard Astarelle say. I slowly opened my eyes and, to my joy, I saw my hand glowing, as did the crystal ball. Seconds later, the glow died down, and the ball turned blue. 

I tilted my head in confusion at the color. If my affinity was fire, it would have been red. If it was wind, it would have been green. That was what I had read in the books. Was I a rare case like Inocenzio? Then again, what affinity matched this blue color? It did not seem to be ice; the color was quite dark for it to be ice affinity.

“What is the meaning of this?!” my father suddenly shouted.

I turned to him in confusion and saw baffled expressions on his and Edward's faces. Turning to my mother and my other two brothers, I saw the same looks on their faces. Was this affinity an extremely rare one? No, that was not what their expressions were saying.

“T-There must be a mistake!” my mother exclaimed, confirming my thoughts about the reading. “Are you sure you did not get a defect crystal ball?”

Looking back at Astarelle, I saw she was just as shocked with the outcome as them. “That should not be possible. But still... For your child to have this affinity out of all others...”

“What's wrong?” I asked, wanting to know what was wrong with this affinity.

“Levi... That affinity is water,” Viggo informed.

“Water affinity?” I repeated in an unsure tone, as I unconsciously thought back to my death before being Levi Anberibca. My body trembled slightly at the memory, as I tried to push the thought to the back of my head. “So I'm a rare case like Inocenzio?”

“Your case is nothing like mine at all!” Inocenzio suddenly shouted, surprising me when he raised his voice like that. Just what exactly was wrong?

“I suppose it would not be possible for her to know, would it?” Astarelle said. “This is the first time... a noble child has this affinity of all affinities.”

I was getting a little irritated with how they were dodging the question. “What's wrong with water affinity?”

“You see, child... Water affinity is a common affinity. As such, a noble blood having this is... unspeakable.”

All her explanation did was confuse me even more. “If this affinity is common, how is it unspeakable?”

“No, that's not what I mean. What I mean to say is-”

“Only commoners use that affinity,” Edward blurted out. “It's a weak and useless affinity, and only good for cleanups. That affinity is not suited for combat! As a noblemen, a noblewoman, you will be sent to battle at a moment's notice! That is the rule in this family! And even if it isn't, there isn't a single noble in the world who uses magic as weak as that! Water can't destroy your opponents, nor does it protect you from attacks! And its healing property is weak! That magic... It's only for commoners!”

It was silent after that, as I slowly took in my eldest brother's words. Water magic... the thing that caused my death in my previous life... It is the weakest affinity? Thinking back on it, I had not seen nor read anything in the books regarding water magic. It was really that bad?!

“Shall I... take my leave?” Astarelle asked my father.

“Yes... As for the payment-”

“No need. I will make an exception for today.” Without another word, she left the room.

I nervously looked at my parents and brothers, then to the servants in the room with us. They each looked at me in pity, disgust, even disappointment. 

“Levi... Go to your room,” Lennox told me.

Hesitantly, I stood from my spot and walked out of the room. A few steps out, I turned to see if Celis was behind me as she usually would... only to see no one, and thus came to realize just how bad, how horrible this magic truly was. I did not know what else to do. All I could do... was run to my room, jump on my bed, and closed my eyes, hoping that this was just a nightmare.

******

Later that night, I was called for dinner. Upon seeing that I was wearing the dress I had worn when my affinity was revealed, I realized that it was not a nightmare; what happened earlier... was real. How this would affect me later, I did not know, but staying in my room was not going to help my situation.

As I entered the dining room, I noticed the atmosphere in it was extremely different from how it used to be. No one was willing to look me in the eye, nor did they even dare speak. We only sat in our seats and waited for our meal to arrive.

Some time during dinner, someone finally spoke first.

“Levi... As you know, it is simply not possible for a noble to have a commoner's magic. Even if the blood is half, many illegitimate children still possessed the affinity that their noble parent has,” Lennox spoke. “To say that you are a rare case would be understating it. That being said, it is unbecoming for this family if the public knows of your common affinity.”

I only looked at him, my eyes slowly widening as I process through his words. “What... What are you saying?” I dared ask.

“This family cannot have a disgraced member of any kind. There is a small house on the other side of town, with a view of the lake. Starting tomorrow, you will be living there under a different surname. I will give you the privilege to choose whatever name you wish, so long as it is not this family's name. Every month, a servant will be sent to your home to see progress on your wellbeing. If you need anything, you can just send them a list, and we will have someone send you what you need the next day.”

“Wait... Are you disowning me?” I dared to ask again. “Why? Because my affinity is water? Just because of that?!”

“You i***t. It may not be a big deal to you, but in the eyes of society, it is more than just a big deal,” Viggo said coldly. I flinched at the tone he used; it was way too different from how he usual acted.

“But what if I train hard enough and prove that water affinity is just as strong as fire and earth? I could make a big difference!”

Edward slammed his hand on the table and stood up. “Are you trying to tarnish our family name?!” I jumped in fright at his question. “Don't you understand? A noble using commoners-only magic is more than just a disgrace, even more so in this proud family. A family that you were never a part of.”

I felt my world came crashing down at those words. It was bad enough I was looked at in pity by my own family and the servants around us, but to be told all that... 

I turned to my mother and Inocenzio, both whom were silent the whole time. 

“M-Mother... Inocenzio... You two... You don't agree to this, do you...?” I stuttered.

Neither of them even glanced at me; just kept their eyes on the food or elsewhere.

“... I'm sorry...” my mother spoke at last.

“You should... hurry up and eat, so you can pack up for tomorrow,” Inocenzio said.

Any hope I had left for them simmered out, as I started to look down at the plate of food before me, no longer having much of an appetite.

“... Thank you for the food...” I weakly said, excusing myself from the room. 

As I ventured to my room, my mind replayed my family's words. How they had disowned me, how disgusted they were at me, how they... suddenly abandoned me. This pain... It was worse than when I found out I was reborn. So much so that... by the time I reached my room, I bawled my eyes out.