Ch. 18

“Phewww. What am I supposed to do?”

I let out a deep sigh at my reflection in the full-length mirror.

“This is a problem. I think I’ve grown too much.”

I had... grown.

The number after the decimal point in my age had long since passed the halfway mark.

I was already well into the later half.

“It’s been a long road...”

My round, babyish face had sharpened and matured, and I’d shot up too, until I was now as tall as Hazel, who was over ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) 170 centimeters—

“My lady, what are you doing?”

“Ah! You scared me.”

The instant I turned around, my face was mercilessly buried in something soft.

“Aww, adorable. Throwing yourself into my arms all of a sudden.”

Squeeeze.

Hazel bent down and wrapped me up so tightly there wasn’t a gap left anywhere.

The feel of all those shifting muscles was alarmingly vivid...

“Hazel, air, air! And I’m all grown up now, so you can’t just hug me like this anymore—!”

“All grown up? Then why are you standing on tiptoe?”

Well.

What I meant was that I’d grown all the way up to Hazel’s chest.

“More importantly, have you picked out all your birthday presents yet? You’re almost 11.9 already!”

“Bwaaah.”

“Sniff... It feels like only yesterday you came back from Academy camp shouting, ‘I’m homeeee!’ and somehow it’s already been a whole year.”

Hazel teared up as she finally let me go.

That was true.

My age...

I was already in the late elevens.

“Still, I’m grateful you didn’t suddenly shoot up into a full adult overnight...”

“Excuse me, could you stop squishing my cheeks? They’re stretchy enough already. They’ll get longer.”

“They’re just filling out in a healthy way. All soft and squishy.”

“No! My jawline really did get sleeker and sharper!”

“Shar... per? Where?”

“Here, if you look reeeally closely at my jawline and the bridge of my nose, just a little— Ugh, forget it! I’m going out!”

It was infuriating.

The fact that I was the only one who could see this dramatic transformation!

Anyway, I spun away from the mirror and ran to the window.

When I pulled back the thick winter curtain, a glittering white world spread out before my eyes.

“It finally stopped snowing!”

“Where are you planning to go?”

I answered with a sly grin.

“Where’s the gardener?”

“He should be over by the herb hill.”

“Perfect! I’m going to lure my big brothers into something!”

The snow that had gone on for days had finally stopped.

And there was something I had absolutely wanted to do the moment the weather cleared up.

I was bustling around the dressing room, pulling on gloves and grabbing a scarf, when Hazel tapped a large chair.

“All of that is fine, but sit down first. I’ll do your hair!”

In her hand, she was holding two little hair ties like hostages.

“Huh? Wait. Are those two buns?”

“Buns...? Well, anyway, should I do one?”

“Hmm, no! Two!”

“Perfect! Hehe, at last the time has come to unveil the technique Lady Rosetta taught me.”

“...That was hair-tying technique she taught you, right?”

Swish swish swish.

The invincible maid’s hands moved so fast they were almost invisible.

And just like that, with two white buns perched on either side of my head, I was ready to go out.

“Dad!”

A welcome face I ran into on the way to the lobby.

He seemed to have just gotten back from the knights’ building or somewhere like that. He was taking off his coat and handing it to Butler Adolf when he spotted me and frowned.

I barreled down the stairs like I was rolling.

“I told you to come down one step at a time. It’s dangerous.”

His big hand poked one of the round lumps of hair on my head.

“What’s this? Who stuck cotton candy on you?”

“These are steamed buns!”

“What does that even mean? What’s the difference?”

“The density is completely differ— Huh? What’s that?”

Just then, I noticed the letter in Dad’s hand.

For some reason, the envelope looked familiar.

“Ah. I was just about to bring this to you.”

Licht!

I quickly took the letter.

I glanced around, and Dad gave a quick flick of his hand, dismissing every servant except Butler Adolf.

Because the fact that I was a mage was known by only a very small number of people even within the ducal house.

Only after the area had emptied out did I open the envelope.

“Oh...”

Along with a brief greeting, the letter contained information on the place names I had asked him about.

(omitted) “A place called ‘Hail Lo Ivina’ seems to refer to somewhere in the eastern jungle region of the continent. But there isn’t enough information to tell exactly where... For now, I’ve enclosed all the related materials. And next...”

Hmm.

I read Licht’s letter slowly, twice over.

With what he sent this time... I can probably narrow it down to about three places worth investigating.

I was still investigating the materials the second had left behind in the North.

The places where the magic formula that could complete the mark-breaking circle might be found.

I painstakingly interpreted the ancient-language materials and sent them to Licht in Imperial language, and then Licht searched the Imperial Palace archives based on that and sent back regional records connected to them.

Once the area had been narrowed down, Dad would send people out to see whether there was a stone stele like the one in the Academy Rare Books Archive.

“Can you figure out the next region to investigate?”

At the hand that tapped my cheek, I nodded hard.

“I think I can narrow it down a few more places.”

“Good. Let me know. I’ll have to start making plans for the next move.”

“......”

When I fell silent for a moment, Dad glanced at me while casually rolling up his sleeve.

“That ugly face again.”

“Ow.”

A flick landed on my forehead.

A little downcast, I grabbed the edge of Dad’s clothes.

“It’s just... you go on too many trips, Dad... And in spring you’ll have to go out on suppression campaigns too, and in between that you keep traveling around looking for magic formulas...”

If a place was confirmed to have a stele, Dad always went there himself.

Quietly, with only Asha and a few of the senior knights.

Because we couldn’t exactly let rumors spread that Duke Zebbert was tearing up the whole continent looking for magic formulas...

Apparently, he’d told the Imperial family he was traveling around to search for traces of the mages who had vanished over the past year.

Anyway, once Asha copied the formulas and brought them back, I looked over them again and verified exactly what kind of spell formula they were.

To be honest...

This was a very, very irrational way of doing things.

If I just went myself and took one look, the whole thing would be over!

But Dad refused to take me no matter what.

“When do I get to start going on your business trips with you? I’m already elev— no, almost twelve, so I’m basically all grown up!”

“You’re only just turning twelve.”

“Mmffrrgh.”

Dad stretched my cheek out long.

“I’ve told you over and over, not until after your eighteenth birthday. I only take Asha Drukan because she’s an adult now.”

“That’s so meeeean!”

I’m a much stronger mage than Asha!

But as if he had already predicted what I was about to say next, Dad didn’t give me a chance to open my mouth.

“More importantly, did you do your homework or not? Borbel and Ullin have been looking for you since morning.”

“Hk!”

An unexpected homework attack.

That was right.

These days, instead of going to the Academy, I was studying in the North.

Because the Magic Kingdom was being suspiciously quiet, which meant there were too many variables to consider in every direction.

Still, maybe after more time passes, I’ll be able to go to the Academy.

Once I got a little older.

Once I was strong enough to protect myself better than I could now.

“You didn’t do it, did you?”

As my eyes slowly slid away, Dad let go of my cheek with a sigh.

“So what, you think sticking two cute little cotton-candy puffs on your head is enough?”

“N-no...”

“Rubian.”

He crossed his arms.

His dark brows rose.

Uh-oh.

That posture meant...

“At this rate, do you think you’ll be able to take the Academy transfer exam later? Now who was it that kept going on and on about wanting a diploma from there?”

“......”

“Now, look here, Ruby. I asked around at my regular meetings, and apparently the Academy transfer exam has gotten much harder these days—”

“Uuuh...”

Emergency, emergency.

All units retreat.

Dad’s lecture button had been pressed.

“Dad’s meetings should be banned...”

I muttered under my breath while looking for a chance to escape. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

At that moment, my eyes met Butler Adolf’s near the entrance, and with a gentle smile, he cracked the door open juuuust a little.

Dad, who had been muttering on for a while, suddenly tilted his head as though he’d just remembered something.

“Come to think of it, Lady Camelan next door—”

Now!

“Why are you bringing up Titi, who entered the Academy at the top of her class, all of a sudden?!”

I shouted and bolted.

“No comparing me to your friend’s daughteeeer!”

And I tore out of the lobby.

Meanwhile, Leviathan was left behind alone.

“No, I was just saying Lady Camelan said she’d come visit next week...”

With a bewildered expression, he watched Rubian’s rapidly vanishing back.

“What did I do wrong this time?”

“Who knows.”

Butler Adolf closed the door, trying not to laugh.

“No comparing me to your friend’s daughteeeer!”

The words Rubian had shouted on her way out lingered like an echo.

It was absurd.

“Who am I comparing to who?”

Of course his child was the best.

Cute, brave, lovable.

He shrugged and started up the stairs, only to spot Borbel and Ullin hurrying busily back and forth across the second floor.

But then...

She slipped out again while they were distracted, didn’t she?

“Hah.”

Cute, brave, lovable.

And also very good at ditching things...

His troublesome eleven-year-old youngest daughter.

“She really is impossible.”

In spite of himself, he let out another short laugh.

“As long as she’s healthy, that’s enough.”

*****

The moment Leviathan stepped into his office, a maid brought something in.

“What’s this?”

“Lady Rosetta told us to bring it to you before she went out.”

It was a cup with steam rising from it.

Adolf checked the contents and his eyes widened slightly.

“Isn’t that medicinal tea?”

You really had to give her credit for her speed when it came to taking action.

Leviathan rubbed between his brows with a troubled look.

“Borbel said it contains herbs that help with restful sleep.”

At the maid’s words, Adolf asked gravely,

“Your Grace, have you been sleeping poorly?”

“Well...”

When he slept with Rosetta, he was always short on sleep.

Of course, the shameless person who kept his wife from sleeping properly and tormented her all night was always him, so it was no more than getting what he deserved...

But this morning had been a little different.

“...You startled me.”

Pink hair was the first thing he saw when he opened his eyes.

It was rare enough for Leviathan to wake up after Rosetta that he had been genuinely startled.

“When did you wake up? Come here.”

“What kind of dream were you having?”

“Hm?”

He had started to reach for her out of habit, then stopped.

Rosetta was looking at him with a worried face.

“You were tossing around like you were having a nightmare.”

“...Was I?”

He didn’t really remember.

Now that she mentions it, I guess I must have dreamed something.

That still was not enough reason to drink medicinal tea.

But if he refused to drink it, that would only lead to a bigger problem.

“Leave it.”

“Yes, sir.”

He obediently drank the bitter tea.

Nightmare...

Somehow, that word gave him a strange sense of déjà vu.

That was when it happened.

“AaaAAARGH!”

A bizarre scream rang faintly through the air.

“What the hell is that? Sounds like some newborn magical beast cub.”

Listening closely, he realized the sound was coming from behind the ducal castle.

Adolf hurried out into the corridor to check.

Leviathan rose to his feet, tightening his grip on his sword.

His expression hardened at once.

“Don’t tell me it’s a magical beast. A flying type? Damn it, what is Obron doing? Get the children first—”

“N-no. No, it isn’t that. Please calm yourself, Your Grace. It’s...”

“What is it?”

“It appears to be the young lady...”

“The young lady... my daughter?”

“AaaAAARGH!”

“......”

“......That’s her?”