[Hello, my friends! You’ve made it this far – impressive!
Yes, I’ve come to Crman. Crman is truly an amazing city, the dream of all artists!]
“Damn it, why does my brain only work well in strange directions?”
[In this box, there’s a hint to my next destination. The code to open the box can be found by solving my quiz. But be careful! If you get even one answer wrong, the box will explode right there!]
“Another quiz?!”
“How intriguing.”
Even the usually silent Ghieuspe joined in.
“With Aurora’s general knowledge, how can she….”
“It’s not that Aurora doesn’t study, it’s just that she’s actually smart,” defended Raffaello, as if he were her mother.
Oh, I remember hearing that line a lot in my previous life too.
“Teacher, it’s not that my kid doesn’t study; they’re actually smart. Isn’t there any way to make this work?”
“I’m sorry, we only accept scores above Grade 2.”
“If only they’d make an effort now….”
Every time I heard that, I had to hold back from mentioning that other kids were also working hard during those hours.
Anyway, let’s look at the quiz. So, what’s the quiz Aurora came up with?
[Several people are sitting at an oval table. Some of them are liars, while the rest always tell the truth.
Each person claims that the person sitting on either side of them is a liar.
One person said, ‘There are eleven of us here.’
Then another person spoke up, ‘That person’s lying. There are only ten of us.’
How many people are sitting at the table? Also, how many of them are liars?
Find the sum of these two numbers.]
“I’m too exhausted to even get angry at this point.”
Arkhangelo, who seemed to dislike quizzes the most, was the first to voice his frustration.
Meanwhile, Simone, with a thoughtful look, commented.
“This one’s a bit tough…. I might need some time.”
“I find it challenging too.”
Hearing their responses, I quietly spoke up.
“I think I know the answer.”
Everyone’s gaze turned toward me, looking as if they expected me to take charge once again.
Well, if they’re expecting it, I’d better deliver. I clapped my hands.
“Alright, focus! Starting the explanation! Turn off any distractions! Heads up and look at the board!”
“Yeah, it wouldn’t be the same without that.”
“Not sure what you mean, but it sounds like an opera opening or something.”
“Everyone claimed that the people on either side of them were liars! That means the number must be even. Because for each pair sitting side by side, one person has to be a liar and the other a truth-teller.”
“Oh, is that really true?”
“Then, there must be 10 people at the table, with 5 of them being liars.”
“Hold on, I still don’t get it.”
“That’s a great attitude! If you don’t understand, ask again—I welcome it! There’s no shame in not knowing!”
“………”
“If two liars were sitting next to each other, then their statement that the people beside them are liars would be true, which is contradictory! And if two truth-tellers were sitting together, they couldn’t claim the people next to them were liars!”
“Oh, I think I get it now.”
“So, since the liars and truth-tellers must alternate, there can only be an even number, making it 10 people.”
“Alright, Seraphina, now enter the answer.”
[15.]
As soon as she entered the answer, the box made a clicking sound and opened. Delighted, I high-fived my friends.
“It’s open! This one wasn’t such a hard question after all!”
“Well, it’s all thanks to you. But are you not going to speak formally anymore?”
“J-just be quiet.”
“By the way, Seraphina, you have quite a knack for reasoning, don’t you?”
“Haha, of course.”
In the world of admissions, the most important factor is academic background. I got into Ihoseon University with a high score on the Korean SAT.
In the admissions world, there were many instructors with terrible personalities. However, they were praised as the best because they’d attended places like Harvard or Oxford.
Anyway, we checked the paper inside the box. What was written on it was…
[Imperial Palace.]
“The Imperial Palace?”
Reading it left me a bit stunned.
No matter how audacious ‘that’ Aurora is, how could she hide out in a foreign imperial palace? The security would be ridiculously strict.
Is she bluffing?
“Hmm, indeed, the Imperial Palace does seem strange.”
Simone, too, looked troubled, sharing my concern.
“Above all, suddenly visiting the Imperial Palace of another country is a huge breach of etiquette.”
“Hmph, but Aurora must be in the palace. Or she might have left some clue there.”
“Arkhangelo is right. We need to go to the palace.”
Arkhangelo and Ghieuspe had a point. At this point, our only option seemed to be going to the Imperial Palace….
But how are we supposed to get into the Empire’s Imperial Palace?
There are a few methods for entering the Imperial Palace in romance novels. One, get invited to a banquet.
But we haven’t received an invitation.
Two, propose a contract marriage to the prince.
…Are you crazy? That’s not going to work.
Just as I was starting to think through it, Raffaelo spoke up confidently.
“Don’t worry about the palace. I have a friend there.”
“What? You have a friend who works in the palace?”
“No, more like living lavishly in the palace.”
Raffaelo smirked with a sly smile.
“My friend is none other than Allan, the prince of the Cassan Empire.”
***
“Oh, Allan!”
The Next Day.
To our surprise, we were directly invited to the prince’s palace in the Cassan Empire!
The prince, dressed in clothes that looked incredibly expensive at a glance, saw Raffaelo and greeted him warmly.
“Raffaelo, I never thought I’d see you again!”
“Yeah, I thought it would be forever.”
It seemed Raffaelo and Allan were genuinely close friends. Well, considering he could get us an invitation to the palace with just a letter, they must be pretty tight.
“Wow, Raffaelo, that’s really impressive!”
“I can become friends with anyone in just thirty minutes.”
“So that’s how you became friends with Arkhangelo too! Amazing!”
“…..….”
After Raffaelo and Allan had their moment, Allan turned his gaze to the rest of us.
“I am Allan Ophilette, the First Prince of Cassan. And you all are?”
“Marquess Simone Monteverdi.”
“Simone is currently a senator and was formerly a Minister of the Administration.”
With Raffaelo’s introduction, Allan looked at Simone with an intrigued expression.
“Ghieuspe Ascary. A mage from the Magic Tower.”
“Oh, may I ask your specialty?”
“Dark magic.”
“Ghieuspe is one of the strongest mages, ranking just below the head of the Magic Tower.”
“Wow, you’re all quite remarkable.”
Allan laughed heartily, exchanging pleasantries.
Then it was….
“I am Arkhangelo Phyro….”
“Rrrkghngh, mrrmpghng.”
Simone quickly covered Arkhangelo’s mouth, cutting him off, but fortunately, Allan didn’t mind Arkhangelo’s odd speech. Instead, he focused on the name Arkhangelo.
“Oh, the genius tenor Phyro! I’ve heard of the name that moved continents. It’s an honor to meet you.”
“The honor is mine.”
“Haha, Raffaelo. You truly hang out with some unique friends!”
“Haha… yeah….”
Somehow, it felt like Allan was subtly insulting Raffaelo’ personality.
“Lady Seraphina from Count’s Viviana family.”
“Seraphina is a spatial mage.”
“A lady mage, I see!”
“Seraphina is also a powerful mage.”
Allan shook my hand with enthusiasm.
“So, Raffaelo, I hear you’re in the army now?”
“Yes, I’m currently a Major in the army.”
“I knew you were destined for greatness. Sometimes, I miss those days we recklessly ran around racing horses.”
“Haha, I remember that time we escaped after destroying His Majesty’s garden.”
“Yes, that was quite the thrill.”
…I’m starting to understand why everyone becomes friends with Aurora.
After we all finished introducing ourselves, Allan looked at us one by one with a smile before speaking.
“So, what brings you to the Imperial Palace?”
“We’re looking for someone who’s here.”
Simone replied in a calm tone.
“We believe there may be clues regarding our friend’s whereabouts here.”
“Oh, in that case, I’ll assist you. Don’t worry about a thing.”
