Chapter : 05
“Hmm… Adele. I feel like I’ve heard that name somewhere before.”
Every time his shimmering pale pink hair fluttered in the breeze, it almost felt as though a gentle spring wind had swept through the room.
Combined with his almost unnaturally pale skin and exquisitely refined features, he looked flawless.
Whether it was his face or his noble status, he had clearly been blessed with far better parents than I ever had.
“Brother? What are you doing here?”
Adolf blurted out in surprise. A moment later, he realized his mistake and quickly turned toward me.
“Oh, Adele. This is my older brother.”
I recognized him immediately.
After all, there was only one person in the Empire whom Adolf could call his older brother.
Kienne Winterton di Douglas.
The Crown Prince was an important character in the original story.
For starters, his face was far too handsome to belong to some insignificant extra.
More importantly, unlike many nobles, he wasn’t an idiot who relied solely on his prestigious title.
From childhood, Kienne had displayed extraordinary intelligence. After the Empress passed away, the Emperor fell gravely ill from grief, leaving Kienne to take over the affairs of state at an unusually young age.
From that moment onward, the Douglas Empire experienced astonishing growth.
While the nobility obsessed over meaningless things like lineage and prestige, Kienne boldly formed an alliance with the Magic Tower.
He laid railways across the Empire, established magical engineering factories, and built the foundation for the nation’s industrial revolution.
As a result, the Empire entered an unprecedented golden age in just seven years.
Which is exactly why I can enjoy a lifestyle that’s surprisingly modern in this world.
As my thoughts became tangled, he naturally stepped closer.
His blue eyes carefully studied me.
“Strange. This is our first meeting, yet you somehow feel familiar.”
…He’s sharper than I expected.
Did he really sense something the moment he saw me?
In the original story, we were destined to meet as researcher and sponsor, happily working together to destroy the world.
Kienne became deeply fascinated by my research on space-time distortion, eventually becoming its primary patron.
Of course, the original protagonist, Heon, eventually realized how dangerous the research was and came to warn the Crown Prince.
Kienne ignored every word.
At his core, he was someone who constantly chased excitement.
In fact, hearing that the research might bring about the end of the world only made him even more interested.
…Unlike the Crown Prince, Adolf was the one who fought to stop it, even sacrificing himself in the end.
He might seem simple, but Adolf had an unwavering sense of right and wrong.
Which meant one thing.
If I wanted to prevent the world’s destruction, Adolf was the number one person I needed to keep close.
Kienne, on the other hand…
…was the number one person I needed to avoid.
So there’s no reason to have a long conversation with the Crown Prince.
Having reached that conclusion, I calmly replied,
“I suppose I just have one of those common faces.”
“…Hmm. Is that so?”
After another glance at me, he accepted the explanation surprisingly easily.
At least pretend to think about it a little.
The Crown Prince stroked his chin thoughtfully.
“Come to think of it, I believe Adolf mentioned that someone named Adele works as a researcher at the Magic Tower.”
“…”
“As you probably know, I’ve always had quite an interest in that field. Tell me… what kind of research do you conduct, former researcher of the Magic Tower?”
His voice brimmed with curiosity.
I hesitated.
If I answered in detail, I knew exactly where his interest would lead.
Better to stay vague.
“Well… it’s rather complicated to explain here.”
I continued evenly.
“And as you know, most Magic Tower research is classified. Besides, I only recently resigned from my research position, so I need to be careful about what I discuss.”
“…What?”
The one who reacted with shock wasn’t Kienne.
It was Adolf.
“W-Wait… you left the Magic Tower?”
I nodded.
“Yeah. Just a few days ago.”
I had been wondering how to bring it up.
This actually worked out perfectly.
Once the Crown Prince left, I could finally discuss business with Adolf.
“Why?”
…The problem was that Kienne’s curiosity about a former Magic Tower researcher showed no signs of fading.
“What made you decide to leave? Becoming a researcher there isn’t easy. You must have studied for years.”
His tone clearly implied:
Why would anyone quit such a prestigious, well-paying job?
To be fair, although I often complained it was basically slavery, the salary of a Magic Tower researcher rivaled what top corporations paid.
From a modern perspective, it was like quitting a coveted corporate job to suddenly start your own business.
“Brother.”
Adolf quickly cut into the conversation.
“Why are you interrogating my friend about his personal life? I haven’t even had the chance to hear the story myself.”
Silence briefly settled over them.
Only then did Kienne turn away from me and look at his younger brother.
“Is that so?”
He shrugged casually.
“My apologies.”
Despite saying so, he didn’t look the slightest bit sorry.
“If the opportunity arises, I’d like to have a longer conversation with you.”
“Of course, if you wish.”
I smiled politely, the way any respectable adult would.
After all, conversations like that almost never actually happened.
Kienne smiled more deeply and extended his hand.
I instinctively accepted the handshake.
The moment our hands met, I felt an oddly subtle pressure.
“It was a pleasure meeting you.”
His lips were smiling.
His eyes weren’t.
Fortunately, at that moment the head butler behind him stepped forward and quietly reported,
“Your Highness, someone from House Miters has arrived. They request an audience.”
“Very well. Let’s go.”
Kienne answered before looking back at the two of us.
More precisely…
He looked at me.
“Until next time.”
That was just a polite farewell…
…right?
Leaving behind an unreadable smile, Crown Prince Kienne quietly walked away.
Only then did the tension leave my shoulders.
As I relaxed, a sigh escaped my lips.
“Sigh…”
“That was a little overwhelming, wasn’t it?”
Adolf laughed awkwardly.
“Haha… My brother’s a bit… unusual.”
Although he smiled apologetically, something about his expression remained stiff.
He quickly changed the subject.
“Anyway, what was that about leaving the Magic Tower?”
“Oh, well… I handed my resignation directly to my professor’s face—”
“…That sounds like a long story. Let’s head to the drawing room first.”
Adolf led me to his residence.
As soon as we entered the reception room, maids served an assortment of expensive refreshments.
Taking a sip of the warm tea, I finally felt myself recovering the peace of mind I’d almost lost.
“Alright.”
Adolf leaned forward.
“Now tell me. Why exactly did you quit the Magic Tower?”
“It wasn’t anything dramatic.”
I shrugged.
“I’ve just been questioning my life lately.”
“All of a sudden? You’ve been there for five years.”
“Yeah. But I didn’t want to become a sixth-year slave.”
I gave a bitter smile.
“No matter how many research achievements I produced, compared to my professor, I received almost nothing in return.”
As I spoke, I casually shrugged.
Beating around the bush had never suited my personality.
“So I decided to try something new.”
I looked him straight in the eye.
“The reason I came today is because I have a favor to ask.”
Adolf tilted his head.
“A favor?”
I took out the proposal for the new business I’d spent so much time preparing and placed it on the table.
“What’s this?”
“My future business.”
His eyes widened.
“Business?”
“It’s the blueprint.”
“There isn’t a prototype yet, but I’m planning to manufacture and sell magical tools myself.”
I slid one page of the report toward him.
It was filled with detailed notes explaining the principles behind the magical tool, prototype designs, estimated development schedules, and technical specifications.
Of course, Adolf specialized in swordsmanship, not magic.
There was no way he’d understand the details.
Still, looking well-prepared was important.
So I gave him a much simpler explanation.
“To put it simply…”
“It’s a subspace storage pouch.”
“A… subspace what?”
“Think of it as a practical product created by distorting space-time.”
“On the outside, it looks like an ordinary little pouch…”
I enthusiastically gestured with both hands as I explained.
“But it can store anything from a single table…”
“…to an entire house.”
I paused.
“Though I haven’t figured out exactly how I’m going to fit a house inside yet.”
