MTLNOVEL Ch. 1
Chapter 01
“Happy birthday, my lady!!”
It was my sixteenth birthday.
Everything was perfect that day.
A massive birthday cake. A gold necklace and gold rings received as gifts.
Heartfelt congratulations from the steadfast members of the Family.
The anxious gaze of my father, who loved me so dearly.
Wait a moment. An anxious gaze?
“My dear daughter, I have something to say.”
The boss of the Ebenkera Family, Don Semelgreen Ebenkera, called me, Sigrin, in a grave voice.
On my birthday, I, Sigrin, adorned with a gold necklace around my neck and gold rings on my fingers, plopped down onto a plush sofa.
“Yes, Papa. Go ahead.”
“…My daughter, you look so adorable with that birthday party hat on your head.”
Beep!
I blew into the birthday whistle in my mouth. But sensing the unusual atmosphere, I tossed the whistle onto the low coffee table.
“What is it you want to say? It’s unlike you to hesitate, Father.”
“Hmm…”
Semelgreen ran his rough hand—mismatched with his refined appearance—through his light green-tinged white hair.
“Well, you see… Just a moment, I need to step out.”
“Go ahead.”
Pulling a cigar case from his pocket, Semelgreen stepped out to the veranda and puffed heavily on a thick cigar. His back was heavy with worry.
When he returned, he spoke in a low, subdued voice, holding an admissions booklet in his hand.
“Go to the Panoplia Academy in the Aurum Empire. The enrollment process is already complete.”
“What? All of a sudden?”
I, Sigrin, had spent my entire life on Nipi Island.
The idea of going anywhere else was unimaginable.
Especially since I was frailer than my siblings.
“You’re a bright girl, and it’s better for you to experience the wider world rather than stay here.”
“Oh, are you saying I should build connections with imperial nobles for the Family’s expansion into the empire?”
“…The academy is preparation for independence. Once you graduate, find a good job and become independent from the Family immediately.”
I crossed my arms and gave a wry smile.
“You’re keeping the eldest and the youngest with you, so why am I the only one being sent away?”
“…Can’t you just go willingly?”
“No.”
A black snake slithered onto Semelgreen’s shoulder. After exchanging a glance with the snake, he spoke firmly again, though sighs kept escaping his lips.
“Sigrin, my lovely girl. Regardless of how much I love you, you’re a burden to the Family.”
Even at his stern words, I didn’t blink.
“To call me a burden, I handle most of the administrative work for the Family’s businesses—mines, hot springs, taverns. And even if I’m weaker than my siblings, you know I’ve survived plenty of threats.”
“…Just go, Sigrin. Listen to your father.”
Clink, clink.
Fiddling with my gold rings, I scoffed.
“No way.”
✦ ✦ ✦
When I opened my eyes, I was floating on the sea. Seagulls soared in the sky above.
My bed had been moved onto a yacht.
“Our princess!! We love you!! Take care of yourself in the empire and eat your meals properly!!”
“Little sister!! Bring back souvenirs!!”
“Sis! Stay strong! Be happy in the empire too!”
Far off, at the Ebenkera port on Nipi Island, I saw my father, mother, eldest brother, youngest sibling, and dozens of high-ranking Family members.
I rushed to the edge of the boat and shouted.
“Are you kidding me right now????”
Yo-
Yo-
Yo-
I woke up to find the boat already sailing.
With a bitter laugh, I looked at Indigo, a high-ranking member of the Ebenkera Family. Wearing a fedora pulled low, he dragged my luggage-laden suitcase, holding a large parasol.
“Here’s your luggage, my lady.”
“…”
“And here’s some medicine good for blood pressure. Take it with these cookies.”
Indigo placed cute bear-shaped cookies and bitter herbal medicine in front of me.
✦ ✦ ✦
Nipi Island, the homeland of all active mafia families.
Due to its geography, the island was frequently invaded by foreign powers, and internally, it was constantly plagued by powerful magical beasts, leaving Nipi Island in perpetual chaos.
As a result, the residents of Nipi Island sought strong protectors.
This led to the rise of various factions on the archipelago’s large and small islands, later called “mafia,” meaning “brave ones” or “refuge.”
These organizations, known as mafia, grew in power over generations. They shifted from purely defensive roles to aggressive trade, earning both infamy and renown worldwide.
Among the many mafia factions, the most formidable was known as the “Ebenkera” Family.
Those born with the Ebenkera name were all exceptionally powerful. This included the current boss, Semelgreen, and his other children.
Except for one: Sigrin Ebenkera.
“Even if she was gravely ill as a child, how can someone of Ebenkera blood be this frail…!”
“She has no core to become an ability user.”
“I hesitate to say this, but… swordsmanship, magic, spirit arts… she shows no talent in any field. She has passion. Yes… plenty of passion. Just passion…”
In a Family with many enemies, I was the only one who needed protection.
I wished I had enough strength to protect myself, but I had no talent in any field.
“Don’t think too harshly of the boss. He’s sending you away because he cares deeply for you.”
Indigo, a Family executive steering the boat, cautiously spoke, gauging my expression.
But I only gave a bitter smile, recalling my father’s words.
[Once you graduate, find a good job and become independent from the Family immediately.]
His expression had been so conflicted when he said that.
There were likely many reasons he felt he had to send me away harshly. But dwelling on it felt a bit pathetic, so I pushed away the vague thoughts.
“What a shame. I wanted to live off an allowance forever.”
Among the flock of birds flying in the sky, one bird, flapping its wings alone, caught my eye.
I crossed my arms and clicked my tongue.
“…The boss prepared an enrollment gift in advance. I nearly forgot.”
“A gift?”
Nodding, Indigo pulled out a white violin case from his feet and presented it to me.
“Why a violin…?”
“It’s a weapon case that will be useful at the academy. Designed to look non-threatening.”
Sitting beside me, he opened the violin case. The inside was so dark it seemed bottomless.
“It’s enchanted with subspace magic. What’s inside?”
I reached into the violin case and pulled out the first thing I grabbed.
Stacks of cash kept coming out.
“Is this my inheritance in advance?”
“He called it living expenses.”
Oh, nice.
“Do you like the weapon case? Honestly, that’s the main point, not the money.”
I read the artifact description issued by the Magic Tower. Its features were as follows:
Capable of holding the capacity of a 6-ton truck.
Weighs 5 grams.
Fast and convenient weapon summoning.
Adjustable entrance size.
And so on.
“No wonder so many Magic Tower employees suddenly resigned.”
“Haha. The boss secured retirement funds for their great-grandchildren.”
I rummaged through the case some more.
A short-range teleportation artifact, a shield magic artifact.
Various weapons enchanted with lightweight magic.
Seeing all of it made me feel full, even without eating.
“Oh, and there’s a silenced gun in there too. If any student bothers you, take care of it at night and just send me a letter.”
When I stared at Indigo, he gave an awkward laugh.
“Just kidding, just kidding. Please use it only to scare them.”
✦ ✦ ✦
“New semester… I hate it so much.”
“When’s the break? Just kill me.”
“But this year, our grade has a lot of new students. It’ll freshen things up.”
The new semester began.
The main gate of Panoplia Academy was bustling with students returning from break.
“Hey, look over there. That car is insane. A noble’s heir?”
“The car’s shine is unreal.”
A luxurious black sedan stopped in front of the gate, and the noisy surroundings fell silent in an instant.
Burly men stepped out of the car first. After scanning the area, they opened the back door and stood with their hands behind their backs.
“Gasp!”
When a girl carrying a violin case emerged from the black sedan, everyone held their breath.
Her fine white hair, faintly tinged with green, and her vivid green eyes.
Her fair skin and light hair made her seem to glow alone. She was a girl so beautiful it was hard to look away.
“My lady, we’ll take our leave now!”
“Thank you for escorting me. Everyone, head back.”
“Yes, understood!”
When I, Sigrin, waved my hand, the men bowed deeply with respect and returned to the car.