I Played the Role of the Adopted Daughter Too Well

In every slum, there was a beggar gang leader representing that slum. Here, that leader’s name was Wangcho. As representatives of the underprivileged, they were all very quick-witted and, in some cases, very sensitive. Wangcho had an instinctive ability to easily read the ‘energy of the strong’ that was invisible to the naked eye. The same was true for Keitarun, his second-in-command and he knew Viola as soon as he saw her.

 

‘She’s an Absolute Power!’

 

Her identity was unknown but his senses were telling him that a noble person, born with the fate of an absolute, who had gracefully bloomed in a high place, had arrived and he dared not look. That was the Viola he saw through his eyes.

 

‘I must not make eye contact.’

 

He had only made eye contact for a moment and fear consumed his entire body. He had never felt this much intense energy before.

 

‘I’m scared. Why on earth is someone like that here?’

 

Keitarun was sweating profusely and didn’t know what to do. Viola was not at ease either. She smiled warmly, but it had no effect at all. Keitarun swallowed his saliva and asked back.

 

“W-what are you curious about?”

 

“I’m looking for Sirson’s fallen disciple.”

 

“Well, we don’t know anyone like that!”

 

Keitarun was quick to deny Elsina, fearing that something bad might happen. Elsina had become a person hated by those in power in the Magic Tower, and beggars disliked being tangled up with Elsina. For no reason, they were afraid that if they got entangled with Elsina, they would be kicked out of the Magic Tower.

 

“You don’t know Elsina?”

 

“I really, really don’t know.”

 

“I can’t believe that the people of the Magic Tower don’t know Elsina. Not even a hedgehog passing by would believe you.”

 

Keitarun fell to his knees. As he faced Viola’s murderous voice, his mind turned white.

 

“We will live carefully as if we really don’t exist. Please just spare us.”

 

“Hmph.”

 

Viola often let out sounds she had no intention of making but she was feeling frustrated.

 

‘Wow, I’m a true Bellato now.’

 

For some reason, she felt like Zenon, who was standing behind her, was smiling happily. It almost made her scared to look back.

 

Viola opened her mouth again.

 

“Fine, you don’t know Elsina. Is there someone who teaches you letters?”

 

“Uh, none!”

 

The first thing Elsina wanted to do for the beggars was to help them escape illiteracy because she thought that they could live a humane life if they could read. At least they would be able to obtain the right to escape the magic tower, and they would also be able to gain knowledge about the outside world. However, Keitarun waved his hand and said that he had never done anything like that.

 

‘It seems like you really don’t know.’

 

Elsina may be using a pseudonym. However, Viola couldn’t just randomly say the pseudonym she knew from the novel.

 

“Then who teaches you physical exercise?”

 

“Physical exercise?”

 

“Think carefully before answering, don’t make me keep asking you questions.”

 

‘Sorry, everyone. I don’t want to persecute you.’

 

But if the Magic Tower guards were dispatched because she was causing a commotion, she would be in trouble. Time was life! Viola apologized to them in her heart.

 

‘Please understand.’

 

“There must be someone who teaches you yoga.”

 

Yoga was just another word for physical exercise but it was actually a meditation style. Viola remembered what she said to Jeremy a long time ago.

 

“I think practicing yoga meditation will be of great help to you.”

 

The ‘yoga meditation’ that appeared in those words was now ‘yoga exercise.’ The Beggar Gang was so repulsed by the term ‘meditation’ that they changed the term to exercise. Elsina created some of her movements by incorporating meditation into exercise.

 

“My God! If you are looking for a yoga teacher, there is one! Oh, I know! She lives in the first slum!”

 

* * *

 

Viola and Zenon walked along the well-paved street. The ground was covered with marble and felt soft to the touch. The feeling transmitted through the soles of her feet was quite comfortable. The sun had set and it was night, but the inside of the Magic Tower was bright. The city of the Magic Tower boasted a splendor that never went out.

 

‘It’s such a gorgeous and clean city…’

 

And yet there were beggars like Keitarun. This fact was truly bitter. Even if they hadn’t turned out like that, coexistence should have been possible. Viola thought people were really mean. She couldn’t forget the eyes filled with fear and horror.

 

‘No, but am I really someone who would cause such a fuss?’

 

It wasn’t very pleasant to see people shaking at the mere sight of herself. She kept seeing them begging for her forgiveness without even knowing what they had done wrong.

 

At that time, Zenon asked, “What are yoga exercises, princess? This is my first time hearing it.”

 

“I recently read about it in a news article.”

 

Actually, she saw it in the novel.

 

“You know about yoga meditation, right?”

 

“I understand that it is an elegant meditation style practiced by noble ladies. It is not very effective in training mana, but I know it is very helpful in training the mind in order to maintain a clear state of mind.”

 

“That’s right. Yoga meditation forces you to have a clear mind.”

 

Originally, the meditation ritual was completed by first meditating and then inducing the movement of mana. This was the original order of yoga meditation but for yoga exercise, the order was reversed.

 

“It’s where you make mana move on its own through special postures and breathing techniques.”

 

Induces mana without the user even being aware of it.

 

“Because the mana moves like that, the mana accumulates in your body without you knowing. It has a similar effect to meditation.”

 

“Is that possible?”

 

It would be possible with Medea.

 

“My sister Medea has turned the impossible into the possible.”

 

“That’s right.”

 

Zenon smiled and matched his stride with Viola. Viola was amazing again today.

 

‘When did she study something like that?’

 

It was touching to see her live fiercely every day.

 

‘As expected, she is our princess.’

 

Zenon promised once again to help Princess Viola, who was doing her best, with all his heart.

 

Before they knew it, they had arrived at the slum Keitarun had told them about. The first slum was an underdeveloped place located quite far from the city. The place was dark and full of a musty smell. A wooden gate, presumed to be the entrance to the village, was seen. After so many years, the wooden gate was almost rotten completely through. 

 

Children playing near the gate discovered Viola. The moment Viola raised her hand, they all ran away. Viola, a little embarrassed, put down her hand as if nothing had happened. The doors and windows of the houses were closed and all the children in the alleys disappeared. The adults who had been seen occasionally could now not be seen.

 

‘Am I that scary?’

 

Or perhaps there was an unwritten rule that one didn’t dare to encounter other people (wizards) except ‘when working.’

 

Viola spoke softly, “We came to learn yoga exercise, Teacher Elna.”

 

According to Keitarun, the teacher’s name was Elna. This was Elsina’s pseudonym but Keitarun didn’t think Elna was Elsina.

 

“I know you’re listening.”

 

She was speaking quietly, but she was sure Elna could hear her. However, Viola felt that she wasn’t very popular.

 

‘I can’t help it.’

 

She thought it would be like this anyway. She didn’t want to take too long.

 

“If you don’t answer, I will kill everyone.”

 

Viola’s murderous nature naturally responded to her words that she would kill them. Her force was blown out by the wind and scattered around her. She aroused the energy of the grass sword and while it was just ‘luck,’ Viola’s lethality was added to her swordsmanship. As Viola was so sensitive to her energy, she could feel exactly what she had done.

 

‘I want to cry!’

 

She felt an enormous ghostly energy. It was an energy that could cause the weak-hearted to see visions or faint. The warm hope of the happy world that Arin dreamed of! Wow! Kiss it all goodbye! That young lady wasn’t here. There was only a murderer who couldn’t control their excessive killing force.

 

‘Zenon. Please don’t smile so happily.’

 

Exactly two seconds later, the door of a house opened and a slender woman appeared. Viola was impressed without even realizing it.

 

‘Wow, you’re an adult.’

 

That person, with her tall stature and slender lines, was close to Viola’s ideal. It was a body shape that felt different from that of a solid martial artist. Viola grabbed the hem of her skirt and bowed.

 

“Nice to meet you, Elsina.”

 

She called her by her real name, not her alias, and Elsina didn’t deny it.

 

“What happened? Did the Magic Tower send you?”

 

“No. My name is Viola. I came to recruit Elsina.”

 

“Me?”

 

Elsina did not show much favor towards Viola. As soon as she arrived, Viola showed deadly force, so it was understandable.

 

“There is a child who needs Elsina’s warm care.”

 

“There are a lot of people like that here, too.”

 

Viola knew her future. Elsina embraced the beggars with her warm heart, but in the end, the beggars did not understand her. Because of the betrayal of the beggars, Elsina ended up being executed, and the beggars were forced to live even more miserable lives. In other words, Elsina’s method didn’t see much effect.

 

“If Elsina helps me, then I will help Elsina.”

 

“Why?”

 

“I just met a man named Keitarun. Even though he had done nothing wrong, he bowed his head and fell to his knees, begging for his life.”

 

Viola looked at Elsina.

 

“Something is wrong. He shouldn’t do that.”

 

She grinned.

 

“Isn’t it the duty of a noble to correct a mistake they see?”

 

“Let me help you.”

 

Elsina frowned slightly. She knew the name ‘Viola.’ This was the Iron-Blood Princess of Bellato, a girl with demonic talents. It was hard to understand why she suddenly appeared and said such a thing, but it didn’t seem like she was talking nonsense.

 

“How?”

 

Then, words that were uncharacteristic of a child began to flow from the little girl’s mouth. She spoke words that Elsina had never thought of.

 

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