Strongest Noble's Daughter Uses Water Magic

Ever Since She Left *Edward*

How long had it been since she left? How long had it been since they last saw her, much less spoke to her?

Those questions had been on Edward's mind for the past couple of years now. Specifically since the day his family shunned her away. Even now, he could remember the shocked and saddened expressions she had at the news, as well as how she tried to convince her family to let her stay.

If Edward was allowed to say it, he was worried about his younger half-sister. Yes, he was the one who shunned her out the most, raised his voice at her about her affinity in the noble bloodline, especially their bloodline, but that did not mean he no longer cared for her, not like everyone else had. Well... 'everyone else' being his brothers, father, and their servants.

Like Edward, his step-mother, Ellis, also worried about her daughter. How could she not? She had pushed away her own blood, her own daughter, just because she weld a commoner's affinity. Ellis hid such feeling from many people, especially those who had not met Levi, but Edward knew how much she missed her. After all, he often would find the woman alone in the library, where his half-sister often frequents since she learned how to read and write at a very young age, gazing at the many books on the shelves with a saddened expression on her face.

Unlike them, though, Edward’s brothers practically forgot about their sister. No... Rather than saying they 'forgot' about her, it was more that they no longer acknowledged her as their sibling. In fact, they never even made any vague mentions of her. Even Inocenzio, who was once kind and close to Levi.

The servants were just as bad. Nay, they were worse. The only time he ever heard them speak about his half-sibling would be the day before, on, or after the monthly visit, and they were never anything good. Just complaints as to why they had to spend their day off making worthless visits, dropping off 'wasted' money, and even making deliveries to and from the two houses.

As a noble, Edward understood the complaints. His half-sister was now made into a commoner, after all, and yet this very commoner was practically given access to whatever their house had. On the other hand, as her brother, that did not mean he agreed with them. If anything, he was glad his sister was given access to so many. For all he knew, maybe she will do what she swore to and prove Water Magic was just as powerful as many others. If she was able to accomplish such a thing, maybe she would be welcomed back into their family. 

At least, that was what he had been hoping for since she had left. Unknown to many, Edward made secret visits to Levi's new home. The visits were not that often, but from what he knew, the girl had been practicing on her magic. Well, the correct term would be 'attempting to practice'.

For some reason, whenever his half-sister even attempted to use magic, she stopped before making even a little bit of progress. From what he could tell, it was not because she got exhausted easily. It was more as though... she grew frightened of it. Of what exactly, he did not know, but he had a good idea. 

'She's scared of what happens if she returns to this family,' he had thought once.

As Water Affinity is looked down upon by many nobles, it would not surprise him if his sister was aware of that. Especially after that last birthday she spent with them.

Every time he looked back to that day, he wanted to punch himself, scorch himself for being so blunt to his sister, and on her birthday no less. Sadly, the past could not be changed, no matter how he much wished for it. And as much as he wanted to make up for giving her such horrible birthday, he did not know what exactly he could do to do that. 

It was when he went patrolling one day, as part of his duty as a newly-made knight of Flammel Kingdom, that he had found his answer. He was walking along the market streets near Levi's new home, looking to buy something as a gift for her in the middle of his patrol. Today was her seventh birthday, and he wanted to give her something to make up for missing her birthday last year- that is, being forced to not celebrate her birthday last year, and the years to come. Thankfully for him, he was alone in his patrol; no one, friends and family alike, would know his true intentions in being here, especially his family. While Ellis may be happy he would be choosing a gift for his half-sister, the others? Far from it. 

As he continued browsing around the shops, he suddenly felt something- someone- almost bump into him. Edward looked down and was surprised to see Levi there, with a slave covered in bandages right by her.

“Why are you here?” he asked, in a tone that was quite cold.

Levi was about to call out to him, but quickly covered her mouth, an action that hurt Edward, though he did not let that show on his face. 

“There's that monster!” came a voice.

Edward lifted his head upwards and saw, approaching from the alley, a pair of slave traders chasing after the two girls. He did not know what slave traders were doing in Flammel Kingdom, where s*****y amongst the people is f*******n, but if these fools did anything to upset his sister, not even God could protect them from his brotherly wrath, as he stepped up and blocked their view of the girls.

“What is going on here?” he demanded, causing the pair of adults to come to a stop.

“What's going on is that you have our monster merchandise behind you, punk!” the pudgy of the two slave traders exclaimed.

“'Monster'? Are you referring to the two kids behind me?” Edward questioned, slightly narrowing his eyes at the pair in slight anger if they were referring to his sister..

“One of them may look like a kid, but she is a definite monster! Now if you would so kindly give us back our product, good knight, we will be on our way!” the skinny slave trader with rotted teeth said, making his way past Edward to get to the girls.

The eldest son and heir of the Anberibca Family refused to allow him to lay a hand on the girls, his sister especially, and grabbed the guy by the wrist. “I don't know what your deal is, but it seems neither of you know the rule of this kingdom, outsiders,” he coldly said, tightening his grip.

“Ow, ow, ow! What the hell?! Let me go!” the rotten teeth slave trader cried out.

“Why you punk! Let him go!” the pudgy trader exclaimed, as he tried to throw a punch at Edward.

Edward did not bat an eye, as he used the skinny slave trader as a shield for the punch, and kicked the dazed man to his companion, causing the latter to stumble down.

The pudgy guy glared at Edward. “You damn brat! Who the hell do you think you are?! You are nothing but a mere pawn in this kingdom! Once I find out whose family you belong to, I will-”

“You will what?” the knight interrupted, conjuring a large, dangerous fireball in his hand, leaving the adult stuttering in fear. “What were you saying you will be doing to the Anberibca Family?”

At his question, the slave trader let out a shrieked gasp. “Y-Y-... You're... an Anberibca...?”

“So you know my family. And yet you have the gals to threaten us? You even called me a 'mere pawn' earlier.”

“N-N-Nothing of the sort! I-I was just saying-”

“Do not bother talking your way out of this. Flare Binds.” The fireball Edward conjured made its way to the two guys and tied them up like ropes. “Struggle, and the flames will slowly burn you alive.”

“Wait! You have it all wrong! That thing behind you may look like a girl, but she is a bonafide monster!” the pudgy guy said.

Edward glanced at the pair for a brief moment, noticing the girl with his sister cowering behind her at those words.

'I see... So she was their target,' he thought. While he was glad it was not Levi they were targeting, it still did not change the fact that they had gone against the very law of this kingdom.

“And where and how is this child a monster?" he questioned. "All I see is a frightened little girl cowering in fear of slave traders. If you two truly are monster traders, we would be having a different conversation. However, you have a frightened child here, hiding in fear from the two of you.”

“No, I swear she is! Just take that ribbon off her head-”

“No need to. Even if she has animal parts, it changes nothing. Do you even know of the population in this kingdom? Who resides in this very city? It matters not if they are man or crossbreed; in this kingdom, both sides are equal! For an outsider like you to come here and dare break this promise, I will make sure you will be ruined, both in body and in spirit.”

The pudgy guy could only sweat a fall at my threat, unable to say another word.

Edward then turned to Levi and the apparent slave, specifically how close the two of them seemed to be, from his perspective. At the very least, from what he could tell, the girl seemed attached to his sister. Probably because Levi helped her out? Either way, he knew for sure he found the perfect gift for her.

“As for you two... Let's see... From the looks of it, the slave has no home or parents to speak of. I will have my hands full on these two idiots behind me, and it will not do my family any good if word gets out we have a slave in the household. Considering how you got yourself in her situation, girl, I trust you will take her in,” he said to Levi. 

As much as he wanted to truly tell her, "Today is your birthday. I'm sorry for missing out on your birthday last year, and what happened the year before. To make up for those, and the years to come, I present to you someone who will be your friend, your sister, your companion from this moment forward." Since Levi was, unfortunately, removed from the family, he could not say any of that. Not at the risk of having rumors spread, rumors which will reach his family's ears, and lead to unnecessary questioning. As much as it pained him to treat his own sister as a stranger, it is what it is, no matter how much he hated it.

“... Yes, sir...” he heard Levi utter out.

As she took the frightened slave by the arm, helped her up, Edward stopped them. “Wait." He knelt down to the slave, meeting her at eye level. “Raise your arms.” The girl shyly did as ordered, raising her bandaged and chained arms. Once her arms were out, Edward unsheathed his blade and cut the chains and cuffs off her. “Wouldn't want you to be the only resident here as a slave,” he stated, putting his weapon back in its sheath.

The girl looked at her now free wrists, cradling them as tears formed in her eyes. “Th-... Thank... you...” she said with a hoarse voice.

'I should be thanking you,' Edward thought, happy to know that Levi will no longer be alone from this moment forward. 

As he glanced at his half-sister, though, he noticed an unhappy expression on her face. The heir of the Anberibca Family did not need to ask to know what was wrong. It was pretty much obvious. The two were siblings, and yet, ever since she was forced to live in isolation, he did not do anything brotherly towards her. No visits, no letters, nothing. And yet, the first time they met since her fifth birthday, here he was, helping out a slave instead of asking about Levi's wellbeing, questioning why she was at the market instead of even giving her a simple greeting. 

******

After dropping off the slave traders at the castle guards, as well as bringing their cart of merchandise to the castle, Edward decided to sneak another visit to his sister, see how things were going with her and her new friend. It was night time by the time he arrived and from what he could see... the slave traders were speaking the truth the whole time, for the slave he left Levi with was actually a harpy, a monster who controls wind.

Under normal circumstances, as a knight, Edward should get rid of any adversaries that pose a threat to the kingdom. Of course, monsters are at the top of the list. However, from what Edward could see from where he was, the pair were hitting off quite well, as they both enjoyed what seemed to be a bread dish, most likely made by Levi.

He had been wondering for a while, but the girl sure knew how to cook for a former noble child. He knew for sure the library did not have any cookbooks, and his sister spent most of her time in the library. So where did she learn how to cook so well? She even found additional use for the unrefined magic stones, which usually were used by commoners to enhance their magic affinity when made into accessories. Not that it mattered to him, so long as Levi was able to take care of herself. 

Besides, unlike the previous times when he watched over her, today, she was especially happy. And he doubt it was just because it was her birthday today, but more because she had someone to celebrate the day with. Seeing this, Edward felt just as happy. Although, it still bothered him to know that he left a monster in her care, a monster that could attack her at any given moment. Sadly, even if he wanted to do something about it now, if he, a member of the strongest noble family, were to be seen in a commoner's area outside of patrols, it would raise questions, especially at this area, which was quite far from the neighborhood. And it was not like he could keep watching over her.

Just then, the harpy looked out the window, seemingly staring at him. This took him by surprise, as he quickly made his leave, and decided to head home for the night.

******

As soon as he returned home, he was greeted by several servants by the door.

"Welcome home, Lord Edward," they bowed.

"At ease," he relieved, handing them his sword to store away in his room.

"You're just in time for dinner, milord," one of the maids informed. "Your family is waiting for you in the dining room."

"Okay. Thanks." Without another word, Edward went straight for the dining room.

Upon arriving, he found his father, stepmother, and brothers at the dining table. The lone female of the family turned to him upon hearing the door open.

"Ah, Edward. Welcome home," she greeted, gaining the other three's attention.

"Brother! You're home unusually late today," Viggo said.

"I know. There was an incident in town I had to take care of, and a little something to investigate," Edward explained, taking his seat at the table.

"Really? What of, my son?" Lennox asked.

"Believe it or not, slave traders." 

"Slave traders? In this kingdom where such a thing is f*******n?" Inocenzio questioned.

"They must be outsiders. How foolish of them to think they can pass our kingdom with such illegal products," Viggo assumed.

"They claimed they were monster traders, which is different. However, those fools were chasing after a girl, claiming she was a monster."

Hearing that made Inocenzio sigh. "Are they fools or something? Crossbreeds may be part monsters, but they are still people of this kingdom."

"If I can be honest, I can't blame them for trying to sell the crossbreeds," Viggo spoke. "Commoners are one thing, but those half-monster race? Why did the kingdom allow those things to reside with us?"

"Because though they are part monsters, they are still part humans. Like how we nobles have our use in this kingdom, so do they," Lennox explained.

"We should at least be glad there isn't a crossbreed with noble blood. I'd feel ashamed of myself if there was one," Inocenzio said to Viggo.

"True that. If I had to choose between being related to a commoner or a crossbreed, I'd much rather choose a commoner. At least they don't show any disgrace to a noble by giving in to whatever wild instincts they have," the second born son said.

As his two younger brothers continue to badmouth crossbreeds, Edward could not help but think back to the harpy. Should he tell them about her? 

'... No. I best keep it silent, after all,' he decided. 'If I tell them about the harpy, and where she resides, there is a chance they will take extreme measures to make sure it is eradicated, as well as...' The eldest son held back a grimace upon thinking what would happen if his family tried to take care of the harpy, specifically the risk that would come if they dare take action. And he would rather not get Levi involve in the crossfire. Besides, thinking back to his visit... even if Levi did survive, considering how close she seemed to be with the harpy in such a short time, she would most likely be far from happy if they had done the deed.

As they chatted, though, Ellis remained silent, a saddened look on her face, in which Lennox noticed.

"Is something wrong, Ellis?" he asked.

"Hm? Oh, it's nothing. I'm just... feeling a little tired today, that's all," she said.

Despite her response, Edward could tell it was far from drowsiness. After all, today was Levi's birthday, the day this family removed her from their household. Though she did not do anything to prevent the decision from coming to be, she was still Levi's mother, and she still cared about her.

'... Perhaps it's okay to tell her.'

******

After dinner was over, Edward went to the library where he knew his stepmother would be, and found her sitting in a chair, reading a book with a maid standing by her side. Upon hearing the door open, Ellis looked up and saw her son enter the room.

"Oh! Edward. This is a surprise. I thought you'd be resting in your room now. Don't you have more knight work tomorrow?" she asked.

"I do. Just thought of having a little mother-son conversation for tonight," he said, glancing at the maid when he said that.

Thankfully for him, the maid caught on to the look and took her leave, and Ellis put down the book she was reading.

"This is even more unusual. We haven't spoke like this since... Well..."

Edward did not need her to finish that sentence, and replied, "Yeah. I know. That's kind of what I want to talk to you about, actually."

This caught Ellis's interest, for she did not think anyone still cared about her daughter in this family. "Oh? How so?"

"Because I met up with Levi today."

Ellis was taken aback by her stepson's words, a reaction quite understandable to him. "You... You did? H-How... How is she?"

Edward knew his stepmother was conflicted in asking that question. No one had spoken about Levi for a couple of years now, and any that did would only complain or badmouth the former Anberibca daughter.

"She's doing fine. And don't worry about this topic. I wouldn't be talking about Levi if I didn't want to."

Ellis could only nod, and contemplated her next question. "Has she... made any friends? It might be impossible, given how far she is from even the markets from where she lives in now but... did she?"

"If she did, I wouldn't know. Though you could say she made a new friend just today."

This brought the woman relief, as she raised her hands to her face in joy. "I'm so glad... What is her friend like?"

From there, Edward told her of the harpy now living with Levi. How it was the very girl the slave traders were chasing, and that she truly was a monster, just as they claimed. Furthermore, he even told her about how Levi and the harpy seemed to enjoy each other's company, despite being human and monster.

"So... Levi is living with a monster now?" Ellis questioned.

"I know I should've done something the moment I found out her true race but... Seeing how happy Levy was I just... I couldn't do it. After what we already did, what I did, I didn't want to take that smile away from her again."

Ellis placed a hand on his shoulder at that. "It's okay. You did the right thing," she told him. "If it was me, I probably would have done the same thing. No... I definitely would. She may have been removed from this family, but she's still my daughter. Besides, I'm sure if that harpy really was planning to kill her at some point, she would've done so by now, wouldn't she?"

Edward looked down when she said that, finding truth in those words. "Yeah... Yeah, that's true."

A small smile formed on his stepmother's face then. "I wonder if those two will get along well. They may be enjoying each other's company, but I do hope they become good friends."

The first Anberibca son thought back to when he last saw the pair, specifically how the two seemed to be getting along well enough already. A small smile formed on his face at the memory. "I'm sure they'll get along fine."