Chapter 13
I pretended to face Edward hyung while sneaking a sidelong glance past him.
There was Rossi, embedded in the rock from where he’d been kicked earlier.
By sheer coincidence, its open beak had become firmly wedged into a crack in the stone.
Poor Rossi. I’ll have to fix its jaw joint when we get back.
“Lillian.”
Edward lowered his head deeply.
A moment later, when he raised it again, his eyes were glowing an icy blue, like those of a beast.
“Jokes aren’t funny.”
The sharpened aura of a seasoned martial artist made my entire body stiffen.
I tilted my head slightly and whispered so only Eden could hear.
“Run.”
As if sensing something, Eden’s body tensed.
Edward reached a hand toward me.
The moment he stepped into the straight line between me and the rock, I opened my mouth as wide as I could.
“Come back, Rossi!”
At that very instant—
Krrrrrraaaak!
The enormous boulder scraped across the ground, letting out a deafening screech.
Edward swiftly turned around.
But the boulder was just a little faster.
It charged toward the spot where he’d been standing, engulfing him in its path.
Clang!
The instant Edward collided with the boulder, a crisp metallic sound rang out.
That monster!
Because he had covered his entire body in aura, the impact sounded less like a boulder hitting human flesh and more like striking armor.
The recoil sent Edward’s body flying backward.
He landed safely with a practiced breakfall, then glared at me with his eyes wide.
As I met those piercing blue eyes, a strange sense of satisfaction welled up inside me.
For the first time, I was seeing Edward Sergeneb’s flustered expression.
Serves you right!
“Never let your guard down, brother.”
Savoring my victory, I flashed him a bright smile and flicked my fingers.
“No matter how much of an idiot your opponent may be. Even if they’re someone like me.”
A flash of blue flickered in Edward’s eyes.
Huh?
Wait.
Wasn’t I supposed to be trying to earn some points with this guy?
Somehow, in the heat of the moment, I’d ended up beating the judge senseless with everything I had.
Ah, whatever. Why should I care about getting points with a mad dog like him?
A mad dog needed its leash yanked tight.
Not flattery.
“Good job, Rossi.”
I gently stroked Rossi, who had delivered the boulder right in front of me.
The moment my hand touched it, Rossi’s jaw finally released the rock.
“L-Lily!”
Eloise, who had only just recovered from her shock, cried out with a pale face.
“Lily! Are you all right?”
“I’m perfectly fine, Sister.”
I waved my hand lightly and smiled at her.
But I didn’t have time to talk to her for long.
“See you later!”
“Lily!”
Leaving my sister’s cry behind me, I immediately started running, Eden tucked under my arm like a piece of luggage.
Edward had been hit by the boulder head-on, but thanks to his aura armor, it couldn’t have seriously injured him.
I had to use the brief moment when he’d been stunned to get as far away as possible.
As I desperately fled the training grounds, countless thoughts raced through my mind.
Come to think of it… it worked again?
I’d come up with the plan on the spur of the moment after successfully drawing the Silver Sword.
But who would’ve thought I’d actually manage to move an entire boulder?
It seemed the power source I’d installed inside Rossi was of much higher quality than I’d expected.
I’d taken the mana stone from Mother’s necklace and used it.
Where had that tiny, fingernail-sized mana stone been hiding such explosive power?
The thought briefly crossed my mind, but this wasn’t the time to get distracted.
Just as I quickly rounded a corner—
“My, Lady Lillian.”
I crashed straight into someone.
I staggered backward, only to freeze when I realized who I’d collided with.
“Zereto?”
He was the chief butler of the castle.
Adjusting the glasses that had been knocked slightly askew by our collision, he spoke.
“It’s fortunate that I happened to meet you here. Please come with me.”
“What?”
“The head of the household has summoned you.”
Silence descended over the training grounds after the two of them fled at full speed.
The knights who had been watching held their breath as they stared at the figure standing in the center of the training grounds.
“…Hah.”
Edward, the young man receiving everyone’s attention, suddenly exhaled.
A moment later, the corners of his lips slowly curled upward.
“Haha.”
His shoulders shook as laughter escaped him.
Then, without warning, Edward spat.
Ptooey.
The knights’ eyes widened in disbelief.
What Edward had spat out was blood.
What happened?
Edward wondered.
Creak. Creak.
The aura armor that had been shattered began repairing itself, emitting an eerie sound.
Edward had mastered his aura to such an extent that he could transform it into armor covering his entire body.
His aura wouldn’t break merely because he’d taken a few hits from a boulder.
Under normal circumstances, it shouldn’t even have sustained a crack.
“What was that?”
Muttering softly, he opened his palm.
Colorful specks of light.
Brilliant particles that shimmered like glitter glue children played with were scattered across his palm.
Edward rubbed the particles between his fingers.
They would have been invisible to ordinary people.
But Edward’s senses had been honed to their limits through years of extreme physical training, and he could see them clearly.
The moment Lillian Sergeneb had shouted—
“Come back, Rossi!”
Fragments of dazzling light, brilliant as fireworks, had surrounded the girl.
“Never let your guard down, brother.”
Her bright, carefree voice echoed in his mind again.
“No matter how much of an idiot your opponent may be.”
He even remembered the smile she had given him, her eyes sparkling.
“Yes.”
Edward smiled faintly.
“I let my guard down.”
Lillian Sergeneb.
The candidate for the Sergeneb family’s succession who possessed the least talent among the three siblings.
The hopelessly untalented girl whom he’d once wondered whether he would even feel anything from absorbing her powers in the future.
But hadn’t they said that nothing in this world lasted forever?
It seemed even that tedious arrangement had finally developed an unexpected variable.
Edward wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and rose to his feet.
His completely restored aura reflected the light with every movement.
“…Edward.”
Eloise cautiously approached him.
“A-Are you… all right?”
Edward walked straight past her.
As though she wasn’t there.
“…”
As if accustomed to it, Eloise lowered her head dejectedly.
“Father summoned me? Right now?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
Zereto nodded politely.
“Okay. Let’s go. …By the way, do you happen to have a hand mirror?”
I didn’t even need to look to know what I must have looked like.
I’d been running at full speed, so my hair was probably a complete mess, and my clothes must have been in even worse shape.
At a time like this, when I needed to leave even the slightest favorable impression on Father, I couldn’t exactly show up looking like a wandering ghost.
“I have one right here, my lady.”
The moment I looked into the hand mirror Zereto gave me—
“…Gasp.”
I noticed the glittering particles clinging to the corner of my mouth.
They were incredibly fine, but because I’d already seen them during the previous mana explosion, they were clearly visible to me.
Why are these here…? Don’t tell me…
There was only one reason mana residue appeared.
I’d used magic.
Obviously!
Did I unconsciously cause another mana explosion earlier?
I had gotten pretty emotional…
Come to think of it, I’d also been quite emotional when I accidentally sent Olga sprawling.
Could it be that whenever I lose control of my emotions, magic comes bursting out?
No, no, no!
My face went deathly pale.
Mana was essentially my life force—and my lifespan.
In other words, I’d just burned away another few days of my life!
Damn it! How am I supposed to control my emotions whenever I want?!
Should I start practicing meditation from today onward?
“Is something the matter, my lady?”
“No, no. It’s nothing.”
I hurriedly shook my head and vigorously wiped the corner of my mouth.
“Nothing at all. Let’s go see Father.”
“Are you taking that boy with you as well?”
The chief butler’s eyes shifted toward something.
Toward Eden, whose wrist I was still stubbornly holding.
“Of course. He’s mine.”
I answered firmly.
When I tugged hard on Eden’s wrist and said that, I felt him stiffen.
Eden glared at me rebelliously, but I pretended not to notice and refused to let go of his wrist.
At least today, I didn’t think I could leave him alone in my room.
What if Edward came barging in and smashed down my door?
“I understand, my lady.”
Was it just my imagination?
For a moment, I thought I saw the butler’s silver-gray eyes sweep over Eden.
I followed Zereto up the stairs to the fourth floor.
The fourth floor was the only level exclusively occupied by Father.
It was also somewhere I’d never been before.
I’ll be alone with Father.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous.
After all, something like this had practically never happened before.
To be more precise, I should say that I’d always avoided it.
The strongest and most frightening person in this castle.
To me, the word father itself had always been synonymous with fear.
But things were a little different now.
This is an opportunity.
I didn’t know why he’d summoned me, but either way, this was a precious chance to speak with Father alone.
Because Father wasn’t merely the ruler of this castle.
He was also my sole source of funding.
There was a limit to how much further I could modify Rossi using nothing but my allowance.
My goal today was to prove my usefulness as a magitech engineer and secure financial support from Father.
It would’ve been perfect if I could show Rossi off the moment I got this opportunity.
Unfortunately, Rossi seemed to have broken down after being pushed beyond its limits twice.
It was in no condition to demonstrate its performance in front of Father.
“Rossi… Rossi. Come on, wake up. Hm?”
No matter how desperately I called for it, my little mechanical bird didn’t move an inch.
The chief butler, Zereto, looked at me as though I were some kind of curiosity before speaking.
“We’re here, my lady.”
