Lorraine - 2

Even if one is born with talent, if there's no support to nurture it, that talent can become nothing but poison.

Lorraine was a genius. No, to call her merely a genius would be an understatement. Her talent for Swordsmanship was so brilliant, it could only be described as overwhelming.

It was for this reason that no one doubted she would become a Knight or a Sword Master of high caliber. However, the problem lay in her family circumstances.

"Money to live on..."

When she was young, war had not yet broken out. However, countless greedy merchants would 'force' Commoners to borrow money, then use this to plunge them into immense debt. Lorraine's Family, too, was dependent on “work provided by merchants” to survive. Inevitably, they accumulated massive debts, forcing Lorraine to dedicate herself to labor instead of Swordsmanship.

Everyone lived this way, and it was considered normal at the time. Lorraine worked diligently without complaint. The problem, however, was that the merchant who lent money to Lorraine's parents incurred debt due to reckless business investments.

*Because of that, the interest rates soared even higher.*

Lorraine's Family, unable to repay the debt, were sold into slavery and scattered immediately.

About a year later, she heard the news: all her family members, except for her younger brother, had died, unable to endure the harsh labor.

*****...