I Became the Sea Guardian’s Adopted Daughter

The wheezing sound of my breathing sounded annoying, even to my ears.

“Huuu.”

However, I took a deep breath, then exhaled. 

I should try and follow the doctor’s advice. As expected, I would always feel better after I sat down and rested whenever I was out of breath.

I looked around quickly. 

Fortunately, the maid named Marie, who replaced Azelta by my side while she was gone, didn’t seem to be too quick-witted.

She, who was cleaning the things outside the room while I pretended to be asleep, couldn’t find me hidden amongst the things in the room, since the room was too large.

Although the servants would be thrown into chaos the moment they knew I was gone, I couldn’t take that maid with me.

Couldn’t that maid have been planted for surveillance purposes? Nothing could be trusted until I found out the true intentions of Duke Ether.

Above all, once the servants in the Duchy got used to me, there’d inevitably be more eyes on me as well.

So, if I wanted to scout out my surroundings, the sooner I did it, the better.

“Huuuuu.”

I let out a deep sigh. Although I seemed like a child to others, I am not a child.

In my previous life, I was a person who had even experienced having to jump out of a window and use levitation magic, all just to escape from the maids who were chasing after me, one after the other.

That’s how much I liked being alone. Now, I needed that time even more.

“Aren’t you going to follow me?”

Since Duke Ether was accustomed to swords and warfare, maybe he saw the mana in my heart and decided to adopt me as his daughter.

Of course, if I had been merely a pushover in my previous life, I would’ve just gotten comfortable in my new life. 

Regardless of whether you approached me because of my mana or not, I would’ve thought that helping me after I said I needed help would be the end of it.

However, this life is different. 

First, I needed to find out Duke Ether’s true intentions! 

I raised my fist as if I was cheering myself on, and strode forward. For some reason, it seemed to be closer towards a toddle than a stride forward, but I tried to ignore that.

—Squeak! Squeak!

My pink, fluffy indoor shoes with teddy bears on it squeaked everytime I walked forward. So I was extremely cautious with my steps.

At this rate, I wouldn’t be able to take a look outside.

“Huuuuuu.”

Shortly thereafter, I ran out of breath again. 

I thought to myself while catching my breath. Thanks to the fact that I had slept soundly in a good environment and had been managed strictly by a doctor for half a day, my physical condition had been much better than when I was stuck in the Barony.

In addition to that, Azelta had said that she would serve me a tasty meal.

…Although of course, today would only be porridge though. Still, it couldn’t be compared to the meals I had eaten in the Barony.

During my time at the Barony, I had been confused to the point where I didn’t know whether the soft thing that touched my lips was mold or bread.

Since they couldn’t kill me openly because of the honour they held as an aristocratic family, they instead hoped that my disease would worsen and I would die.

‘Dying without making your family spend any more money is the way to be filial, my lady.”

That was also what a maid had said. 

Oho, why should I be filial to that damn family?

As a result of me doing the utmost to survive, although I was sold off as a five year old bride, I entered the bridal room as an adopted daughter instead of a bride, so it all seemed to have worked out well so far.

“First of all…”

However, that didn’t mean that I could relax just yet.

What I needed right now was my own space. 

It wasn’t just because I liked being alone. 

If the intention I discovered after confirming why this household has brought me in as their adopted daughter is a sinister one, then I find the right timing to escape. 

And to do that, I would need to scout out my surroundings first.

They’d notice it if I went too far, so even if it’s just closeby, I should still look around.

And if I get caught? 

All I had to do was just say that I wanted to come out because I was bored, like a child. After all, wasn’t it coming from the child who had lived their entire life trapped?

It wasn’t strange of me to want to explore.

“…”

Thinking that way, I suddenly frowned. 

Those five years where I had been imprisoned weren’t even easy for me, who possessed the consciousness of an adult.

Most of all, was the abuse that was inflicted on the mind and body of a child.

That wasn’t something that I, who was already weak with an incurable disease and inability to control my mana appropriately, could deal with.

So, my body always shook violently whenever I heard the sound of a person’s movements near me. 

Since that was how the aching pain in my young and fragile body had permeated greatly through me.

“…Well first of all, I don’t think that sort of thing will happen here, so it’s okay for now.”

I struggled to comfort myself. 

Although my time as an adult had been longer, my body still trembled when the large shadow of an adult fell upon me.

It was an instinctive fear. 

Fear that an opponent, whom I wouldn’t be able to defeat with my own strength, would hurt me.

“Damn it!”

Shaking off my dark thoughts, I took a step forward vigorously again. 

A place full of fog.

My head seemed to feel clearer once I took a deep breath.

“This fog…”

Although I had been thinking about it since before… I stretched my hand out into the fog that was so thick, even the lamps lit for nighttime were obscured.

This fog, that was so dense I could touch it, carried a familiar feeling.

“Isn’t this a mana fog?”

Then there must be a place where this mana comes from… I followed the fog as if I was possessed.

The darker the fog became, the more I could feel the mana.

Although I still couldn’t use the mana in my heart since it hadn’t settled into its proper position yet, this was a place where mana without an owner, was everywhere.

“Heavens, what is this?”

The deeper I walked into the mana fog, the more I couldn’t shut my mouth. All my complicated thoughts had already been pushed into the other corner of my mind.

“Wow!”

An exclamation came out automatically. 

This grass that grows like weeds! 

A bunch of grass was held joyfully in my outstretched hand. This was a herb that was a vital ingredient in producing an elixir that would be able to restore mana.

It was difficult to obtain properly since it was a medicinal herb that only bloomed in places full of mana, but here, it was growing everywhere like it was a weed

“To think that there would be such a treasure trove here!”

My hum came out naturally. 

I slowly made my way through the fog, forgetting about my resolution to not go too far.

What kind of magician could turn away when they saw such a thing? Huh?

I wanted to pick up this whole coast and put it all in my pocket.

“To think that such treasure would be scattered all over the floor, no way!”

After wandering around the treasure trove of nature, I came to a conclusion.

My life’s goal. I’ve decided!

“YOLO!”

This life would not end as stupidly as my previous life. 

It was a life that had ended by being stabbed in the back while giving my utmost to trying to save others. In any case, betrayal was the only return you’d get for trying to save other people.

Did I still want to live senselessly like that after dying such a death?

Although I didn’t know why I had been reincarnated, it was an opportunity.

It was also an opportunity to come to this treasure trove of a land.

Plus, what the hell was wrong with this world? There wasn’t even a single mage in this treasure trove. In other words, three was no competitor.

My body is a bit weak?

Becoming a mage was a piece of cake, as long as I gained some stamina and just learned how to control my mana.

Then, let’s just stay here until then! 

With such material and wealth at hand, becoming the youngest argemage was not just a pipe dream anymore.

“This is heaven, it’s heaven!”

I ran all over the place. 

Sand that was full of mana was kicked around by the teddy bear slippers and flew everywhere.

*** 

pls do not share this anywhere or the transmigration gods will transport u into boku no pico !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.wordpress.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:

It;s clear that there are no mages on this continent. I came to that conclusion after looking around for a while. 

How could such a paradise exist! 

It hadn’t been too long before the hem of my dress had been filled with elixir ingredients and white sand.

Although my hands were shiny and chapped from the white sand, it wasn’t an unpleasant feeling.

Rather, my heart was content. 

The white sand had mana that was of high purity enough to use as a material to make magic stones, which were able to hold a lot of mana at once.

Then how about the elixir herbs that were on top of it?

Naturally, it was even visibly shining due to the rich amount of mana in it.

“Wow…”

I looked around with sparkling eyes. Then, I ran to a place where there seemed to be a thicker concentration of green light.

Here too! There too!

“Elixir herbs!”

It was an elixir herb heaven!

I pulled out more of the green elixir herbs and gathered it in my arms.

If the mages of the Mage Tower I had been in saw this place, their eyes would’ve rolled back into their heads.

So what about the Sea of ​​Fog? So what about the monsters? 

If the mages of the Mage Tower in the world I had been in were in this world, it was clear that they would’ve blocked off all the monsters from here and a mountain of mages from all over would kneel and pray just to move here for the sand and herbs here.

In addition, the mana fog that I breathed in every time felt as if it were full of mana. I could fell the mana surrounding my heart responding sharply to the fog.

“Huuu…”

Although completely accepting all of the mana in the mana fog here was still difficult because of the burden it placed on my body, with the amount of mana floating around in the air, even now, it didn’t seem to be too much of a problem for me to use a small amount of magic.

—Whoosh! 

The fog that was surrounding me moved as I closed my eyes and drew in the mana. 

I just covered my body with the fog.

—Fwoosh! 

It was a simple invisibility magic. 

When I opened my eyes, I saw a cat wandering around, looking in my direction, with round eyes.

“Meow, mraow!”

As I turned around and made a cat sound, the cat’s eyes became even rounder. 

The appearance of the cat turning its head rapidly to look around since it couldn’t seem to see me after pricking its ears was cute.

Although I want to pet you, I’ll do it later since I’m a little busy right now.

Above all, cats were animals that were bad for the heart.

Since they were so cute.

—Tap tap tap! 

Although I had made fun of my shoes before, the sound of my footsteps were soft. 

This was because of the mana fog that was surrounding my feet to reduce the sound of my footsteps.

“Huuuu…”

My heart became more comfortable since I was using the mana that surrounded me instead.

As if freed from an old shackle, the mana around my heart began to spin vigorously to try to escape.

“You can’t yet, not yet.”

Since the mana within you could also notice the mana surrounding you, you had to leash it carefully.

I’ll use you a lot later, my mana friend.

“Huh?”

It was not too long after I had wandered for a few more minutes with a lively heart.

As I passed by about a dozen or so knights and maids, the places I walked past gradually became less crowded. 

And that place was in an area where the mana fog was particularly thick.

“Wow…”

The people here seemed to hate the mana fog, whether it was because they had a prejudice against it, or whether they didn’t know the true nature of the mana fog, but I didn’t.

The rich mana welcomed me back, as if I had returned to my hometown.

“Huu,”

Taking a deep breath, I noticed a strange object caught at the edge of my vision. 

Was that… 

“…A clam?” 

Although the clam was indeed a clam, it was an incredibly huge clam. Were all things here like this, with candy as big as a shield, and a clam the same as well?

However, this clam was too large to pass over so carelessly. 

It was a clam that was so big that it seemed as if it could naturally fit children like me in it, not to mention tall adults such as Duke Ether.

“What sort of thing would be so big?”

I quickly approached it, my eyes sparkling in curiosity. My only regret was that I couldn’t run because of my weak heart.

Thanks to this, the appearance of the clam was slowly revealed.

“Wow…”

The first thing that entered my vision was the large outer shell of the clam. The white and shiny backing of it seemed to shimmer in the background in pastel tones, even in the fog.

Furthermore, the lower shell that it led into seemed like a bar that was half my height.

Although this was just the appearance of an enlarged clam, I felt a lot of pressure when I actually became smaller than the clam.

“I hope it’s still not alive.”

Although there was no way that a clam could be alive inside if there wasn’t even any clam meat, coupled with such a shell for a house, the possibility of there being a clam despite there not being any clam meat still couldn’t be completely ruled out.

After all, isn’t this a place full of mana fog? No matter what unusual situation occurred, it still wouldn’t be considered strange for a place like this.

—Knock knock. 

I tried to knock on the back of the shell with my knuckles.

“…”

Of course, nothing happened. After all, there was no way the clamshell could react on its own.

It seems like I was beginning to think more like a child since I had become one.

I peeked inside the clam. 

The white sand and elixir herbs I was holding in my arms slipped inside the shell of the clam a little, but it was alright since I could quickly collect it later again.

“Come on!”

Perhaps it was hard to move like this since a child’s head was heavy.

After struggling for a few minutes, I finally got inside the giant clam.

“Wow!”

Unconsciously, I let go of the hem of my dress that was filled with sand and elixir herbs.

“Cough! Cough!”

Although the white sand had flown away, there was something in this place I couldn’t take my eyes off of, even as my heart was shaking violently from my fit of coughing.

It was none other than a giant adductor muscle!

“What the heck is that?”

I held my wheezing breath back and slowly made my way toward the adductor muscle.

The clam shell, which had dried up a long time ago and whose appearance was like the base of an old, white tree’s trunk, seemed as if it was a desk.

The height was also a little lower than my face, which was just the right height for a desk.

“Wow!”

Is this really a desk? Who used it? 

No matter how much I thought about it, it didn’t seem to be like that. 

It was because the part of the clam that connected to the bottom of the clamshell really seemed to resemble an adductor muscle. Even despite it being dry.

Above all, the smell of the sea was extremely pungent inside the shell.

“Okay, I’ve decided on this place!”

There was no one around. I banged my fist on the adductor muscle desk with a happy heart. 

—Rumble! 

And after a while, my eyes became round. 

Because that clamshell had closed with a loud bite.

In an instant, my surroundings became dark. 

***

“Your Grace, it’s Knight Rottier.”

There was a guest who had come to Ain’s office late at night. Ain pulled on his bell rope without a word. Then, he cocked his head slightly.

The one he had called for had clearly been Azelta.

Rottier entered the office with silent footsteps.

“What’s the matter?”

There was no way he had come without meaning business. Ain looked at the knight while holding a quill.

“Your Grace, Lady Nassia is gone.”

He had a frigid expression on. Ain narrowed his eyes and looked at him.

“Has the location been confirmed?”

“Yes. According to your orders.”

Knight Rottier looked out of the window into the distance and continued.

“Since she might feel uneasy with people constantly following her around, I’ve been secretly guarding her, all the way to a place where there aren’t that many eyes on her, however, she seems to be going further and further away.

“In which direction?”

“Near the Sea of ​​Fog.”

At Rottier’s words, Ain paused. Then, Rottier immediately said.

“It isn’t time for the monsters in the Sea of Fog to appear yet.”

 “—However, you still can’t let down your guard.”

Ain’s frigid words cut in. 

The reason he could remain such a staunch guardian of the Sea was because, even during an unlikely or wrong time, he was always prepared to face the danger. 

Rottier bowed his head.

“I understand. Then, shall I put a guard closer to the lady then?”

“No, I’ll go and personally—.”

Ain, who was about to get up, suddenly stopped. He thought of a child who, like himself when he was young, had a set of thorny spikes like a hedgehog, in order to protect himself from his surroundings.

If he attached someone to her now, as if he was monitoring her, that child would only run farther and farther away.

He knew because he had also been like that.

Above all, if he went to follow and protect Nassia now, wasn’t it just like he was openly revealing to her that he had been watching her all along?

She, who resembled how the young him had been, wouldn’t believe in such a sudden favour. So it was necessary for him to approach her very slowly.

“Just strengthen the perimeter. Since there are no monsters that rise from the ground or fall from the sky, all you need to do is clean up her surroundings… As long as there are no urgent situations.”

“Understood.”

The loyal knight bowed his head. 

Then, he looked out of the window with his master.

By now, the young miss, who was standing on guard with her thorns brandished to her surroundings, was sneaking around in the Sea of Fog.

All the while thinking that no one had noticed.

Rottier suddenly recalled the appearance of Nassia, who was sneaking out of the mansion. 

Her appearance of sneaking out of the mansion, as if she was the world’s best villain and was doing something very bad, was so absurd to Rottier, yet he couldn’t keep his eyes off of her.

As long as she was Nassia von Ether, there was nowhere in this region where she couldn’t go. 

He thought of those eyes, that despite being wary of their surroundings, still couldn’t hide their curiosity.

Although she was full of childish curiosity, her physical strength wouldn’t be able to support that, so the young miss would get tired out very quickly.

“…”

Just like his weak younger sibling.

She was a young lady who he had to keep an eye on. Rottier narrowed his eyes.