Before the hero appeared in the empire.
This is a story about a child who had cast aside the feeling of love.
The bright red sunset was warmly shining down on the fields.
The golden rice grains were bowing their heads as if to say, “Hurry and harvest us!”
I returned home after harvesting rice with my dad in the bountiful paddies.
“Good job, my dear. Ana worked hard too.”
A mature, beautiful woman embraced me warmly.
Then, a handsome man with brown hair and yellow eyes looked at her and said.
“My dear, I think our Ana is a genius. Her sickle skills are no joke! She’s better at cutting rice than I am.”
“Hehe, you say that again. Are you trying to make our daughter a swordswoman?”
“Haha. If Ana wants to, I think it would be fine!”
“Absolutely not.”
When the woman spoke firmly, the man shrugged and sat down at the dining table.
Thus, the three of us had a simple yet warm dinner together.
For some reason, Dad, who seemed to be in a good mood that day, started drinking with Mom.
After a few drinks, Dad began to voice his regrets he had harbored over the years.
He said he had a knack for magic when he was young.
However, lacking the means for education, he missed the important growth period of his magical powers.
He ended up giving up on his dream of becoming a wizard.
“If I had managed to find a way to learn magic back then, we could have lived more comfortably than we do now,” he sighed.
Mom comforted him, saying she was already happy enough as it is.
Not wanting to see Dad sad, I smiled and told him I was very happy too.
At that, soft-hearted Dad started to well up with tears.
Yeah.
He was happy.
Though he couldn’t say he was wealthy, he had the ability to make a living.
He had loving parents who adored him.
He didn’t live a life that others envied.
But he could proudly declare he was happy.
And he believed this happiness would last forever.
Until that day a few years later.
Before the incident when Dad cheated.
BANG-
Mom screamed.
She was beating Dad with tears of blood streaming from her eyes, while Dad bowed his head like a sinner, quietly accepting the blows.
“I’m so sorry,” he kept saying. But still, his intentions had not changed.
He said he was going to leave us.
Dad, who was handsome enough for others to admire, caught the eye of a noblewoman from a marquis family one day.
That noblewoman offered Dad money in exchange for him to come to her mansion.
Though he refused at first, gradually, his desire for success and money began to change his heart.
In the end, he decided to go with that noblewoman on the condition that she would give a significant amount of money to both Mom and me.
Mom, who continued to strike him forcefully, ultimately lost strength and collapsed to the ground, crying bitterly.
Then Dad, wearing a face full of guilt, spoke to me.
“…I’m sorry for being such a bad dad, Ana. But you will understand one day.”
As he grabbed my hand, I almost cried too.
But I forced myself to swallow my tears and looked at him with a stoic face.
“With this money, you can drop farming and start doing what you want. I hope you never have to give up your dreams like I did.”
What a joke.
In the end, he was abandoning us for his own satisfaction.
“Then… take care, Ana.”
As he turned to walk out the door, my body trembled with fear.
I wanted to stop him from leaving.
If he truly loved Mom and me, I wanted to plead with him to stay.
But was it my pride?
Or was it that I lacked the courage to hold on to him?
I let him go without grabbing even a corner of his coat.
And just like that, he left us.
Time passed slowly, but it did pass.
Was time the cure after all?
After a while of just crying, Mom regained her strength and began to smile at me.
Now that it was just the two of us, she said she would raise me well and take revenge on that man who left.
Though Dad had left us,
there was still some happiness.
Because I still had my loving Mom.
With the immense wealth that came from the marquis family, we were able to buy a small house in the empire.
There, we began to live a reasonably comfortable life.
Mom, who was concerned about my future, was curious if I might have a talent for magic like Dad did, and so we walked together to the Magic Tower.
Was it fortunate or unfortunate that I inherited the blood of that man?
I had a magical ability.
Not just any ability, but the talent of a Great Magician.
From then on, my life completely changed.
With a talent that might emerge only once in a thousand years, the Emperor and the Great Sage took a keen interest in me.
I received their support and made tremendous progress.
Eventually, at the young age of just 12, I became a celebrity in the empire, having reached the 6th circle.
And this was just the beginning.
While practicing in a real combat scenario against swordsmen, I discovered I also had a talent for swordsmanship.
After that, I began training in swordplay as well.
By the age of 14, I reached the level of an Expert, earning the title of a prodigy in the empire.
Everyone looked up to me.
They always showed me kindness and showered me with praise.
But that only felt like pressure to me.
Everyone’s expectations made my shoulders heavier.
I wanted to hurry home.
I rushed over to find Mom.
“Ana! Welcome back! You must be tired?”
Mom greeted me with a warm smile.
Her expression was much brighter than before.
As I was receiving support from the empire, Mom’s life naturally became more prosperous.
From then on, when I wasn’t home, she started wearing the clothes she’d always wanted or buying things she liked, enjoying her own time.
I had felt guilty about leaving her alone at home while training or completing missions, but I was relieved to see her finding her own hobbies.
I had dinner with her, enjoying the warm food she prepared while chatting with her.
Mom’s face was full of excitement.
She mentioned that there was a meeting with noble noblewomen in the empire tomorrow, and she thought it would be nice to meet some good people.
Had she indeed been lonely all by herself?
I felt a pang of sympathy, but I didn’t show it and smiled at her, assuring her that she would definitely find good friends.
After sharing that warm meal,
I hoped she would meet wonderful people.
But perhaps my wish didn’t come true.
The next day.
Mom’s expression was very dark.
I asked her what was wrong, but she shook her head, saying it was nothing.
However, the anger flickering in her eyes and her trembling body clearly said otherwise.
Was there something wrong at the gathering with the noblewomen?
I discreetly inquired about it in the palace.
I heard that there was no problem at the tea party they held.
But upon looking at the list of those present, I found the reason.
The very noblewoman from the marquis family who had once taken my father away.
Her name was still vividly etched in my memory.
It was definitely that woman who had made Mom so furious.
To comfort her, I hurried home.
But for some reason, Mom was not there.
According to the neighbors, she had gone to the high-class clothing store.
Eventually, while I was waiting at home, she returned with her arms filled with clothes and jewelry.
I looked at her with a puzzled expression and asked what those clothes were.
Mom said she had someone to meet tomorrow and that she wanted to look good, so she overspent.
It wasn’t hard to guess who that person was.
It was the woman who had snatched away the man who was once Mom’s love.
Mom apologized profusely for spending money so carelessly.
I shook my head at her and told her it was okay.
I wanted Mom to not feel intimidated by that woman, to show that she was living a happier life than anyone else.
I hoped she could hold her head high in front of that woman.
I told Mom she didn’t have to worry about me and should spend without holding back.
Mom, with tears in her eyes, thanked me, and I smiled at her.
Just like that, another day passed.
Mom welcomed me back with a happy expression after I finished my training.
Had I successfully gotten one over on that woman?
I felt relieved and thankful.
After that, Mom developed a hobby.
She began buying rare jewels and fancy clothes.
While she might have been slightly overindulging, I didn’t intervene because I hoped for her happiness.
Then one day.
The Emperor called for me.
“What do you think about achieving some merit?”
I listened to his words closely.
He presented me with the proposal to head to the front lines where the demon race was engaged in battle and deal with them.
He suggested that with my strength, it would certainly be possible, and that upon my return, I would be granted a noble title and land.
If I were someone seeking power, I would have accepted without hesitation.
But I rejected him outright.
Going to the front lines to fight would take a minimum of a month.
While I had no qualms about battling demons for that month,
I could not allow myself to be away from Mom for that long.
Not to mention, I had been leaving her alone a lot lately.
If I were gone for a month, she would surely be sad.
And me? I wasn’t keen on being apart from her for such an extended period.
So, I refused the Emperor’s proposal.
However, Mom’s thoughts weren’t in line with mine.
“I want you to go, Ana.”
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