***
“It seems like he’s trying to confirm something with the Emperor.”
Serdin, who had just met Jayren, shared the new information he had learned.
“He was talking about some kind of experiment.”
“An experiment?”
“Maybe it has something to do with the Emperor’s illness from last time.”
Serdin spoke cautiously, as if he had a hunch.
Does he know that Delight had been subjected to the counterfeit magic stone experiment?
It matched the story Blueny had told me. It became clear that they were trying to check on Delight’s condition.
“The magic stone they gifted this time also seemed suspicious.”
“Then we just have to check it ourselves.”
“Where are you going?”
“To the place where the magic stones are stored!”
If the Kingdom of Soren was collaborating with Ilnord to produce counterfeit magic stones, then it was reasonable to suspect the magic stone they had gifted this time.
Checking the magic stones wasn’t difficult.
Just saying I wanted to see them was enough to get the door opened.
“What can we find out by looking at this?”
Even as Serdin examined it next to me, he seemed unimpressed.
On the outside, it looked ordinary.
I picked up one of the magic stones and examined it closely.
“Serdin, have you ever confessed to someone before?”
“Huh? Where did that come from all of a sudden?”
At my sudden question, Serdin stumbled backward in shock.
It wasn’t like I had confessed to him — I was just asking if he had ever done it. So, why was he so startled?
Seriously, you’re still a kid, huh?
A little mischief crept in.
“Have you really never confessed before?”
“………..”
“Wow, so even you haven’t done much, huh, Serdin.”
“I still know more than you! A little kid like you doesn’t even know what a confession is.”
“I do too!”
“Oh, really? Then why don’t you explain it to me, since I supposedly don’t know much either?”
This time, Serdin started teasing me with a mischievous grin.
Did he think I’d just stammer and be at a loss for words?
I’d show him how it’s done!
I puckered my lips confidently and opened my mouth.
“I like you!”
If you say it like that, isn’t that a confession?
Why is it so hard for people to just say those simple words?
When I felt the urge to yell it out myself in frustration—
“What nonsense are you spouting?!”
Delight appeared with a face full of shock, his hands trembling violently.
“How can you say you like that guy… My Ollia…!”
Muttering like he had lost his mind, Delight glared fiercely at Serdin.
“Prince Serdin, don’t get the wrong idea. Ollia would never like—”
“You have no right to nag me, Dad!”
But I turned my head sharply, ignoring him firmly.
“No right? I’m Ollia’s Dad. How could you say something so harsh…”
Hmph. Making that kind of face won’t work on me.
Instead, seeing that face made me even more annoyed.
What a clueless disciple who can’t even confess properly!
To think I’d end up worrying about my disciple’s love life of all things!
Never in my life did I think that…!
“Huft… Maybe I should’ve tried dating at least once.”
To think there was something in this world I hadn’t experienced.
This unexpected realization left me so embarrassed that I couldn’t help but let out a deep sigh.
“O-Ollia, what on earth are you talking about…? How could you say something so horrible?”
Delight, his face pale as a ghost, looked as if he was about to lose his mind.
“You’re only five years old! Love?! It’s way too early for that!”
The more he spoke, the more it seemed like he was about to pass out.
“Who the heck told my daughter such nonsense?!”
Delight’s gaze became deadly as if he was ready to kill someone on the spot. His eyes locked onto Serdin.
“It wasn’t me.”
Serdin’s survival instincts kicked in.
“What she just said wasn’t a real confession of love toward me.”
“Is that true?”
“It’s true.”
When Delight pressed him with a fierce stare, Serdin desperately denied it.
Is this really the time to be paying attention to Serdin?
Uh. This won’t do.
I grabbed Delight’s hand, still glaring at Serdin, and drew his attention to me.
“Dad. I like you.”
“…Ollia.”
Delight was overcome with emotion at that moment.
“What about you, Dad?”
I asked him quickly.
“Just saying I like you isn’t enough to express it. To me, you’re a precious, irreplaceable person.”
His words had a heroic resolve, but the grin spreading on his face betrayed his joy.
“See, Dad. That’s how you confess.”
Just like this.
‘If you do it like that, it’ll work, right?’
Honestly, I wasn’t sure if this was the correct method either.
I’d never confessed to anyone before, so how could I teach it properly?
‘Back then, the only things I loved were….’
When I lived in the mountains, it was mostly alcohol, and as a Great Archmage, it was magic stones.
‘Heh. If it’s about magic stones, I can teach you everything there is to know.’
Right, magic stones.
Forget about the confession for now and focus on the real reason we came here — the magic stones.
“Wow, look at all these magic stones!”
I deliberately shifted Delight’s attention to the magic stones.
On the surface, they looked exactly like pure magic stones, but there was a difference.
“This magic stone looks kind of strange.”
“Does it? It looks the same as the others to me.”
“Oh? This one is….”
“Do you recognize it too, Serdin?”
Zaire tilted his head in confusion, but Serdin’s reaction was different. It seemed he had also noticed something unusual about the magic stone.
“This is unexpected.”
“It feels like there’s a small mark if you touch it with your hand.”
Did he discover it by accident while following me in handling the magic stones?
Or maybe, since he’s a prince of Ilnord, he unconsciously noticed it.
“A mark, huh. It reminds me of a rather peculiar taste.”
Delight noticed it immediately.
The previous Emperor of Ilnord had an obsessive habit.
He would leave marks on the works of art he collected or items he deemed perfect.
And it wasn’t limited to works of art.
“It really is there. This is definitely a counterfeit magic stone.”
“Incredible. It’s not a magic stone, but it still looks like one.”
All the magic stones brought by the King of Soren were counterfeit.
That’s why it was horrifying.
Because all of these were likely the byproducts of a cruel and senseless experiment.
Without realizing it, my face twisted in disgust.
“Your Highness, I heard you were inspecting the magic stones, so His Majesty came because he was worried… Did you perhaps know about this and come here on purpose?”
Zaire turned to me and asked.
“Huh? I just heard that there were magic stones that sparkled like jewels, so I wanted to come see them.”
Of course, there weren’t any such stones here, but isn’t a child’s curiosity supposed to be unpredictable?
I tilted my head innocently, eyes gleaming with a shameless look.
“But to think they’re counterfeit magic stones… That’s scary.”
“Don’t worry. Something like this could never harm you, Your Highness.”
“Right. The magic stones you wanted to see, I’ll show them to you separately. These things are just trash.”
Feigning fear, I shivered slightly, and both Zaire and Delight kicked the counterfeit stones aside to reassure me.
“Okay! I’m not scared at all now!”
At this point, playing along with these child-like antics had become as natural as breathing.
I had completely adapted to being a child.
While I was secretly feeling a sense of pride, Zaire, who had been examining the counterfeit magic stone, spoke to Delight.
“Given the amount they brought, it’s safe to assume they were produced in the Kingdom of Soren.”
“So they really are in Soren.”
“What should we do now?”
“Set a trap.”
All that was left was to set a trap so tight that the King of Soren couldn’t move a single step.
“And since there’s a banquet scheduled for today, it’s perfect timing.”
Delight’s lips curled into a sly smile, as if he was looking forward to something.
Just as he expected, Jayren would most likely make his move during tonight’s banquet.
***
“Thank you for all your hospitality during my stay.”
This was where everything would come to an end.
Jayren had been eagerly awaiting this banquet.
“This is a special gift I personally prepared.”
He presented a pendant-shaped magical tool as a gift.
“At first glance, it looks like a simple pendant, but it’s actually a special item that preserves memories.”
“Memories?”
“Allow me to show you.”
Jayren eagerly explained his gift.
“When you open the pendant, you’ll see a mirror and a button on one side. If you want to keep a memory of a person or a scene, you simply press the button while they are reflected in the mirror. The pendant will record it.”
Just as he explained, he captured the reflection of me and Delight in the mirror.
Our images in the mirror suddenly froze, as if they were etched into it.
“This way, you can view it again any time you open the pendant.”
Then, our images were projected into the air, appearing as lifelike and vivid as if we were standing there.
“So, you can always see it through the pendant?”
“Yes, that’s correct. Plus, if you wish, you can delete the stored image and record another scene. It can be used endlessly.”
“Hmm.”
As Delight examined the pendant with interest, Jayren’s eyes narrowed in satisfaction.
“I hope you like it.”
“How could I not? I’ll gladly accept it. Thank you.”
Delight smiled, seemingly satisfied with the gift.
The meal resumed once more.
“Blueny, could you hand me that napkin over there?”
The napkin was a signal.
At his words, Blueny reached out across the table to grab the napkin.
However, since Blueny was wearing a long-sleeved dress today, the hem of her sleeve accidentally brushed against one of the table’s decorative candles.
“Blueny, watch out!”
“Be careful!”
At the moment when Blueny was about to be burned—
Delight cast a spell, extinguishing all the flames at once.
Thanks to that, Blueny was unharmed.
“That was a close call.”
“…Thank you.”
“It’s all thanks to His Majesty that my little sister is safe. We are grateful.”
“I’m just relieved that nothing happened.”
Delight’s calm demeanor returned.
Jayren watched him closely.
Blueny’s near accident wasn’t just a coincidence.
“We have to make the Emperor use magic during the banquet.”
This was something Jayren had deliberately arranged with Blueny.
The plan was to first activate the magical tool made from counterfeit magic stones and then force Delight to use mana.
When the mana from the magical tool clashed with the unstable mana of a mage, it would trigger a berserk reaction.
That’s why he needed a situation where Delight would have to use magic.
If there was really something wrong with Delight’s mana, the reaction would soon become apparent.
But no matter how long Jayren watched, there was no sign of any anomaly in Delight.
