Sabu Kyara 3 - (Bakarina, RaphaelWalt!SI)

It's been two years since I have become the new 'Marquis Dieke' and I have to say that all the intense planning for the economic and demographic recovery have been worthwhile due to the current growing situation within the fief.

The 'Seven and a Half' tax had produced some positive migrations towards my domain, but it was only as the 'Dieke Condos' started to appear more and provide some solid and safe 'mid-town' urban homes to the various locals. I had also started to provide the means for the farmers to set up fences all around their fields, creating tall barriers that kept the common pests from ruining their veggies.

The creation of a Clinic, followed then by a bigger library and even a school further incentivized young people from near fiefs to move into my land. And while this would usually create some contempt from nearby lords, the truth is that all I did was doing them a favor and they knew that: those people would have been jobless in most instances, and it would have led them to pursue criminal activities to survive.

So, rather than let them stay and possibly turn to banditry, the lords were more than 'accepting' of the fact they could move in my land... with a degree of unease at what a too big of a growth may determine in the next decade or so. At that point, I would have some solution to it through the creation of a standing army, but for now I had nothing to fear in that front.

Instead, I had to actually worry about finally filling up the manor's garrison to be 'fitting' of someone of my status. Finding veterans was a solution to this, but rather than put those old geezers in charge of the physical chores, I had them paid to drill those that were interested to work as soldiers for my fief.

While I didn't have the financial means to support the upkeep of a standing army, I could still create a small garrison that was not deliberately meant to just guard the house. The veterans had clear instructions: I needed troops that could just as easily defend the walls and personally take care of any bandits or mob trying to invade the domain.

It was a lot of money that got spent, but a mere year of training had some sufficiently-trained conscripts to take the role of garrison quite seriously. The servitude was also 'reorganized' to be able to pursue a sufficiently-paid wage with lesser chores to take care of.

There was a bit of a worry among the maids and butlers that I was planning to 'cut on the service', but the truth was that I had grown a bit weary of having servants sticking around to help bathing and clothing nobles. It felt so wrong and so barbaric in my more modern view that I just ruled that out of their chores. I also instituted turns and shifts so that no one would stick around to do the same thing all day everyday.

I was quite concerned with the sanity of those that lingered at the manor after my father's 'unexpected passing', but I saw no sign of genuine madness about it. Everyone actually looked well on a better mood as the tightness of some rules were rescinded by my mother's own request.

The woman had worked there as a maid and she knew what really troubled those like her. So, I saw fit to rework the contract with the servitude to give them greater chances to visit their families when needed within a few-days paid leave each month. The kitchen was also subjected to some changes to lessen the necessity for a large group to work through them.

And as I studied these matters, I also worked on something that required a bit more than just Wind Magic and some basic houseworking knowledge: plumbing. The basic plumbing system was indeed old and about a few years away to break up.

I had some 'smiths give it a look and commissioned replacement pieces and some modernized pieces. I looked at books on the matter and, a year in the role, I started to work on a plan to pump warm water as a source of heat. The project was possible within... a couple of years, and a lot of money.

It was grimace-worthy to learn that I was really far from getting all those wonderful public works done, but I also remembered that I couldn't just get all of that good modern stuff at once. Plus, I had no illusion it would be as perfect and the same as what I had envisioned.

I would have to use some very expensive magical stones to produce some effects that current plumbing and engineering can't recreate, and so that was... well, what really made modernization quite tedious to handle. I still had plans written down for the future while I took care of other important chores in the immediate days.

One of those long-standing chores was actually tutoring Sarah in the affairs of magic. As I had predicted and dreaded, she had a strong affinity in Dark Magic. Her power was indeed limited, but her control was surprisingly 'strong'.

The first test was for her to try and create some basic shapes and forms. The point of Dark Magic was mostly one of manipulation of existing beings or familiars. Since the former would just be too unsafe for her to learn at that young age (aka, her finding a way to mindcontrol maids into giving her cookies before lunch), I had Sara coached on the basic steps to create shapes.

I couldn't do anything myself with Wind Magic beyond something akin a Rasengan, and that was a rather destructive ball compared to its counterpart. Still, Sarah's most resilient creation was... 'Blackie'. A tiny little teddy bear made of pure darkness that was just as terrifying to look at as... well, adorable. In a rather creepy way, Sarah had created her own 'Ted', and I really hoped it didn't go the 'tiny bear going full on adult and doomer'.

I didn't need that in my life.

Still, the most perplexing bit of this training was less about her affinity and... more at the lack of repercussions on her mind and thoughts. Sarah kept her mind open through these days, showing no impact from using dark magic beyond standard magic exhaustion when she went a bit too far. Her mind was clear of any corruption, and it was clear that her instincts were not corrupted by the magic-

Which made zero sense.

A look into the basic books on Dark Magic remarked this element: people using dark magic had a chance to lose their minds. It wasn't just a coin flip sort of deal, it was a constant whispering and yanking from within the more dark magic is used.

Sarah had none of that. In fact, it was almost like she was utterly devoid of trouble in handling Dark Magic as if it was some other affinity.

...

I really don't know if this is good or bad.

In the end, however, Sarah was told to never mention her magic to anyone unless they were vetted about it. No matter how nice they were, even so confiding with them her affinity may actually put them in trouble. It was a serious talk that saw the child crying about 'not going to disobey' this rule, and I knew that she had all rights to feel confused about the need of this rule but...

The kingdom hated Dark Magic. It was unholy and akin to demonic. So, if Sarah was ever found out as a 'witch', then she would be put to death. And, as if this world's curious case of luck decided to remember we existed, we were soon given reason to be a bit worried abotu that secret slipping out.

It all started with an invitation letter that was sent all over the kingdom for Prince Gerald and Alan's tea party.

-d-d-d-d-

If I have to guess, I can say that this is the main Hamefura's story.

The reason I could safely say so was due to the sight of little Katarina having her proto-harem (both Princes and Mary Hunt) lurking about and keeping her some company. I was on my own through the duration of this 'wild party' as Sarah was more than happy to spend the entire time with mom... and mom was more than happy to spend the entire time sitting and entertain limited conversations.

I was really regretting having accepted the invitation, but I knew this would have been seen negatively by the royal family. One thing was to piss off a noble or two, another was annoying the fucking king by being an ill-cutured recently-raised little feudal lord.

At the very least, I knew that this event was 'canon' to some extent as this is where Katarina was bound to find about Sophia Ascart and... and yet that wasn't the case since she was already with the princes and Mary when the three should have been busy greeting others.

I didn't recall how that meeting was bound to happen, and I definitely wasn't planning to make an impression by looking into it as I was already getting singled out by my peers. Why? It wasn't my title, it wasn't my mature edge- it's the fact my hair is mostly white and my eyes red.

How does that impact conversations? Simple, I am sinful in appearance. My 'unholy' white hair, my 'demonic' red eyes- some may get subjectively crept out by this sort of treatment, but I already knew I was 'a handsome devil' or something so... that really did nothing to me.

Still, I decided to wander off because the constant hearing of 'loud whispers' from people trying to be quiet but also not was getting on my nerves. I didn't mind the insults, I found it extremely insulting they thought I was also deaf and dumb about it.

And then I found it- my way out of trouble: a bench near the vast garden of the royal palace. I took to sit there, sighing happily as the sight was distracting enough to just... well, sit there and waste what time we were meant to stay here for. The garden was huge: it was so big that I could definitely see it ruled as one of this world's seven wonders.

Still, as I was admiring the place, I noticed that someone had approached the bench.

"May I sit here or are you waiting for someone?"

I looked at the source of the question, inwardly screamed, and then nodded. "Sure, I am alone here."

[spoiler][/spoiler]

White hair, red eyes, a young girl. The younger sister of Nicole Ascart, Sophia Ascart, and the daughter of the Royal Prime Minister. Also, fellow reincarnator.

As she took a seat, Sophia's first move was to turn her gaze to the garden and study it with wonder.

"It's a beautiful place."

"It is."

...

"I am Sophia," She introduced herself calmly and I nodded.

"Raphael."

She smiled a bit and then... turned to look at me. It was clear the reason that had motivated her approach.

"Is your hair... natural?"

I nodded. "Born with it."

"Same for the red locks?"

"Yep."

She hummed, mesmerized by the sight. "And... did you have..."

"Problems?"

Sophia tensed up at my guess, but allowed a timid nod to reply to my question.

"Only at the party, only from the nobles. Commoners don't care."

"Is... that so?" She inquired and I nodded. "I see. I just... Do you think it's a curse?"

"Nah, it's jealousy," I replied firmly. "People hate and insult what they can't have. What they see is the kind of beauty that they will never have the chance to have."

"B-Beauty?"

"Objectively speaking, we are two beautiful children. Our hair is prisine white, well yours is more 'clean' than mine, and red eyes are piercing. We are incredibly gorgeous in an exotic way, so they all felt compelled by ignorance to call us 'cursed'. If we were truly cursed, they would just not approach us and not talk in our presence."

...

"Oh."

...

"Can I touch it a little bit? Your hair?"

I blinked at the request, glancing once more at Sophia as she had a giddy look on her face as I nodded and let her play a bit with my locks. Ultimately, she gave me a lap pillow that, luckily for me, no one found out about or...

So I thought.

After that party, I thought my close encounter with the 'death flags villainess' was over and I would have to worry for more encounters by the time we started the Academy at 15 but- but then I got a new invitation a month after the party.

Katarina Claes had organized a play date. And Sophia was going to be there.

AN

So much for promised years-long neutrality, plot! Next time, three Reincarnators go on a playdate.