Chapter 26 – They call me a special girl
Maria Campbell is my name. But, very few people actually call me that. Everyone calls me “the special girl with light magic.”
I grew up in a small border town far away from the capital, and my light magic first activated when I was five.
A friend that I was playing with tripped and fell, and injured her foot. It was bleeding, and was very painful. While thinking that I’d try and do something to help her, I touched her wound. Suddenly, a dazzling light burst out from my hands, and when it came in contact with her wounds, they disappeared instantly.
My light magic had healed her, curing all the injuries and pain.
However, at that time, I didn’t know what I had just done. If I had been born to a noble family, I would have had knowledge of magic to some extent, but…… I was born in a commoner’s family. At that time, I hadn’t even been to school yet, and I didn’t even know what magic was……
Also, my friend that I healed with magic knew nothing, just like me. A light just suddenly burst out from my hand. What’s more, all the injuries disappeared just like that after being enveloped in the light.
My friend was astonished at what happened, and was terrified. She screamed, pushed me, and ran away.
While I just froze there in confusion, my mother who was worried about me, came to find me, and found me there frozen to the spot.
After that, I was finally able to tell my mother about what happened, and she immediately brought me to city hall.
And so, after I was inspected by the government, I was recognized as a “light magician.”
Until I activated my latent magic abilities, I was just another ordinary kid. Even though my family’s not very rich, I’m very fortunate to be able to live with my energetic and reliable father, and my kind mother that loves to make sweets. If you really try to say that there’s something special, it’s that my mother is called the most beautiful woman in town, and since I looked so much like her, of course my father and everyone else in town loved me.
But…… After I became a user of “light magic,” everything changed.
In this country, those with magic powers are mostly nobles, and there’s almost no commoners with magic power. Nevertheless, I was born as someone with an extremely rare magic. However, almost all people born with such a magic would have a noble for a parent.
Because of that, when I was found out to have magic…… People started suspecting my mother of having an affair. It was probably also partly because I looked a lot like my mother, but not very much like father.
Especially since mother was the most beautiful woman in town…… People were saying that she must have hooked up with a noble at some point in time.
Of course, nothing of the sort happened, but……
Rumors spread very quick in a small town, and our family relationship became rocky……
Before long, my father who had always come back home immediately after work to listen to mother and I happily, would hardly ever come home at all. And so, mother who used to smile all the time would always have a blank expression and have her head down. Even though she also used to like making sweets so much, she wouldn’t make any at all anymore.
………All because I have magic……
Also, my family wasn’t all that changed. Even though all the townsfolk used to treat me so kindly, before I realized it they had all become distant from me, and my friends that had gotten along with me before would no longer play with me.
It was said that I must be the illegitimate child of some noble, since almost no commoner children ever have magic.
I probably wasn’t an easy presence to accept for the townsfolk that were used to living a peaceful life……
And so, since I had light magic – I was shunned by everyone, people were scared of me, and I became a presence to be avoided.
But even so, I…… couldn’t help but keep hoping. I want father to return home, I want mother to smile again, and once more, I want to be able to play with my friends.
That’s why I worked hard. I actively participated in household chores, never complained or said anything selfish, and desperately studied.
As long as I hung in there, worked hard, and was a good child, I desperately believed that I could return to my original life filled with happiness……
And, before I realized it, I’ve become “Maria Campbell, the special girl.”
Finally, I was chosen to be the school representative at our neighborhood school, and the teacher praised me for being a wonderful student.
But even so…… As usual, father wouldn’t come home…… And mother wouldn’t even look me in the eye anymore.
And, as for the other children, nobody would play with me anymore. They all ignored me, and while I wasn’t bullied, nobody would play with me.
And no matter how hard I worked, I was still called a “special girl,” and nothing changed.
In fact, contrary to my wishes, people would say behind my back “since she’s a noble’s illegitimate daughter, someone must hav