Sel had quite a sheltered life, in her previous world, when her parents were still there.

They have come to many countries and places, mostly because of Sel's father's business as a politician. The Matsumoto couple was truly a lovey-dovey so their family was always together.

As a result, Sel, at a young age, gained considerable knowledge about cultures, even learned many soft skills.

So, when being brought to this world all of a sudden, she could easily adapt to it. Yet, it didn't mean the life in the church was not that hard.

Their daily meal simply had potatoes. A big meal for them was a meal with many potatoes. A bigger meal to them was a meal with a lot of potatoes. They ate potatoes day after day, week after week, month after month and year after year.

'... So this is a life of people living in the Forsaken Realm? The social I am living is truly ...! They still engage in that sort of discrimination.'

It was winter. People living in Hage village, as always, lacked provisions. Father Orsi and Sister Lily worked hard so that we could eat more. Sel wanted to do something for them, but as a five year-old kid, she couldn't do much. At least she could apply the modern world's knowledge to cook something tasty.

"My, Sel, you truly are a kind girl. But..." Sister Lily sweated, glancing over the dark potato dish she had made, "... you can just leave the cookery stuff for me. (^▽^;)"

Sel [crying-inside-but-smiling-outside.jpg] "..." I'M SORRYYYY SISTER!!! ╥﹏╥

"It's fine ^ ^. I am happy that you have helped me." She patted Sel's head, smiling. Then she looked over the clock, it pointed at 7 o'clock. It's already dinner time. "I haven't seen Asta and Yuno coming back. They might have lost... Sel, can you go find them for me?"

"Yes."

Sel nodded and went outside the church. She brought an old umbrella with her, protecting herself from the glowing snow.

As she was reincarnated after a sleep (sounds like a joke), she later discovered that people here could use magic. Magic is the refinement and application of magic power to perform a specific function, or spell. The source of all magic spells is mana, a form of energy that exists in nature and within people.

Magic seemed very important in this world so she insisted Father and Sister to teach her. At her current level, she could only sense other's mana, including Yuno. Asta was the only problem, she didn't sense anything from him...

Sel ran in the general direction of Yuno, and luckily Asta was there either. But it seemed like they had run into some troubles. Asta... seemed to have been beaten quite badly.

"I'll just make some money out of this. An orphan like you shouldn't be carrying around something high above your status. Magic is what makes the world go round, do you want to have a duel with me and die?"

The said man was having on his hand a necklace made of a gold-colored chain and a blue . But isn't it... Yuno's?

"Give that back to Yuno!" Asta yelled, making a grab for it.

The man raised a hand, then swung it down towards Asta, sending him flying away. "Filthy rats!! Don't touch me!"

He intended to go on with just that. But halfway up the road, Sel stood there, pointing the umbrella to him, threatening:

"Give it back before you go."

The man smirked, as if he was watching a comedy.

"Another rat wants to be a hero?"

Sel kept her head cool, wearing a serious expression. Knowing that there's no point in talking, she approached the man.

Her feet were splayed at right angles, her left arm sticking out behind him like the handle of a teacup. Even if she just had an umbrella in her hand, it can be used as a sword. And her mother, she used to teach her fencing.

【 More weight on your back foot. 】

【 So you can push off when you attack... 】

【 Always keep sideways to your opponent. 】

Sel swung the umbrella, making multiple consecutive slashes.

"HURTT!! YOU FILTHY! HOW DARE YOU...!" He yelled in a high pitch. Sel attacked him in his right arm, making him let go of the stolen necklace. He threw the necklace on the white snowy ground, staring irritably at her.

"Filthy? Are you implying yourself?" She lowered her pose, grabbing Yuno's necklace on the ground, "A so-called adult stealing from a kid is so ignoble..."

She pointed her finger to the man. This behavior can be considered disrespect but she couldn't bring herself to care about it.

"Stealing from a kid, beating another one, then saying we are filthy? Compared to garbage, you are even worse."

The man clenched his teeth, turning around then left. Didn't say a word back either.

Sel breathed more easily. She sure did put on an act, and now her legs felt weak as she fell down to the ground.

"Sel!!"

Both Asta and Yuno ran to her. They felt relief right the moment she came. At the same time, they were anxious to see Sel fight against the adult man.

Although she smiled almost every time, her outwardly calm and tranquil disposition was worn as a mask, to hide the unwanted feelings.

"You idiots! Why did you fight with that man? Run, and everything will be fine! What if something happened, huh!?"

That's the first time the two boys hear Sel shouting. She didn't smile anymore.

If the shouts were visible, they'd be reaching over the air, strangling the life from Sel. As the words got bitter, it would be possible to see why she gasped for breath.

She's worried... the feeling that the people close to her will one day disappear has been inside her for such a long time.

"Sel..." Tears welled up in Yuno's eyes as Sel shouted at them. "I... I..."

"Then why did you not run either!!?" Asta even shouted louder than her, snapping, "I WILL BECOME THE MAGIC EMPEROR!! There's no way I will run, but you are different Sel!"

"You still can talk like that, huh?"

The veins on Sel's forehead were popping like crazy. Asta, on the other hand, just stood there and laughed. His face was beaten, making his laugh look like a duck's.

"Shi shi shi~ Sel, Yuno, do you know..." Asta laid down to the snowy ground, grinning.

"You will catch a cold!"

"... how cool the Magic Emperor in the tale sister Lily told us is? I wanted to be like him, so that I can protect you two. But... dammit!! This time it was Sel that protected us!!! It should have been me, not you, Sel!!!"

Sel (╬ಠ益ಠ) "..." This idiot...!

"And also, I hated the idea that just because we are orphans, we are looked down on. It really... really gets on my nerves!! So, I will prove that even poor orphans like us can do something with our lives!! I'm gonna change this world, just wait and see!!!"

He was pilling nonsense on top of nonsense, with such eyes glittering. He then turned to Sel, asking: "Don't you like cool people, Sel!!?"

'What nonsense are you spouting???' She got goosebumps from what he said, "Well, I guess?"

"Huh, really? Sel, you like the Magic Emperor?" Yuno, with tears still filled his eyes, wondered. "So I will become the Magic Emperor too!"

Sel (╬ಠ益ಠ) "..." When did I claim that???

"Fine, fine. I will wait till that day!!" Sel flipped their forehead, sighing. "Now use that energy of yours to get back. Sister Lily is waiting for us. I don't want you two to die here in the cold."

Both Asta and Yuno knew, Sel's words were sometimes very mean...

But she was the kindest.

Yuno wept his tears, now smiling. He either. He also wanted to protect this girl. Affection is something so far away for their age. But at that moment, his feelings were already in the bud.

Asta didn't think too much about these kinds of things. The only thing he could be certain about was that he wanted to make Sel smile. Not a smile to hide her sorrow or anger, but a smile from the bottom of her heart.