In a grand mansion fitting the description of a castle, in a quaint room.
The 2nd Princess, the word magician, the dragon-blooded… Hedera sipped
her tea, bathed in the light streaming through the window.
It was a high-grade tea leaf imported from the Celestial Realm. In the
human world, it was said to be priceless.
Meanwhile, her gaze was directed outside the window.
In the training ground were Valcon and two other knights.
Whoosh!
The knights wielding swords moved ceaselessly.
It was vastly different compared to just a week ago.
Valcon was still at the center, but the other two knights were now able to
keep up. Their synchronization was starting to show.
The training ground was filled with shouts.
"Give it your all! The Princess has ordered us not to underestimate the
opponent in this bet and to do our best!"
"Yes!"
Since Hedera hadn't explained the situation, Valcon likely saw Jaekiel as a
commoner parachuted in as an auditor.
Despite that, it was remarkable how hard he was trying. It wasn't just talk;
he clearly had no intention of being complacent.
Indeed, he wasn't a renowned knight for nothing.
"Hmm."
However, Hedera's thoughts were extremely complicated at the moment.
She put her teacup down with a clink. She couldn't even taste the famously
rich flavor of the tea leaves. Her thoughts were that tangled.
"…Jaekiel."
Furrowing her brow slightly, Hedera murmured.
A week ago, Jaekiel's presentation was amazing. As she already knew, his
magical prowess and potential were not to be underestimated. Still.
Yes, that's why Solana, the 3rd Princess, had recommended him for the
auditor position. It was obvious.
"It was within expectations."
It was expected, so she had anticipated it.
Yes, it was something she had clearly anticipated.
But even so…
The events of that time were full of questions for Hedera.
Not questions about others, but questions about herself.
If anticipated events occurred, she only needed to handle them as planned.
Hedera had always dealt with life's problems that way.
Rational thinking. Lack of emotion.
These were crucial elements for her, as a dragon-blooded and a word
magician. She had always viewed others merely as human entities.
Therefore, the memories of that day were just a mystery.
"Why did I…?"
Unconsciously encourage the bet.
Knowing that the timeframe was tight.
Knowing that the odds were slim.
Even going as far as to offer the Royal Treasury as a reward.
"…Why did I propose the bet?"
Although she had made a fair decision, it was true that Hedera had
encouraged it by promising an excessive reward.
She treated humans as mere humans and didn't expect anything from them.
She wasn't interested, so she didn't consider them as subjects of
amusement… Or so she thought.
…What was I feeling?
—I'm serious.
Suddenly, she recalled a word Jaekiel had said.
Hedera unfolded the letter she had crumpled.
One conspicuous line stood out.
[ In this short life, I hope you at least find happiness. ]
"…"
And beside it, a drawing she hadn't crumpled.
It was undoubtedly a drawing by Jaekiel. From a distant past, depicting
Hedera focused on her studies.
…Were there really days when I looked like this?
Did Jaekiel always see this face?
Hedera found it hard to believe and looked in the mirror. The bright girl had
disappeared, replaced by a woman with a cold expression.
An absurd drawing. It was ridiculous.
But the reason she hadn't crumpled this drawing yet.
[ In this short life, I hope you at least find happiness. ]
Happiness.
The girl in the drawing certainly looked happy.
"Could it be… for my happiness?"
Did he purely start doing his best as an auditor for Hedera's happiness and
accept these absurd bet conditions?
To somehow, no matter what, ensure my happiness?
And at the same time, was I expecting it?
Did I impulsively suggest it, hoping Jaekiel would find that happiness for
me?
If that's the case…
Really, if that's the case…
"Let's stop thinking."
Hedera shook her head vigorously.
What was important to her… At the same time, what was happiness…
It was only the Ascension Ceremony. Becoming a member of the Dragon
Clan in the Celestial Realm was her sole wish.
Emotionless. Hedera had to maintain that state.
Just ask him directly why he accepted the bet. That much wouldn't be
suspicious.
"Stop thinking about how to stop thinking about it."
The woman soon fell into deep meditation.
The day of departure and the bet.
I started warming up from dawn.
Swish.
The state of my ice magic, as always, was excellent.
It was more refined than when I was lounging around in the village. Using
magic frequently lately had improved my proficiency again.
Swish.
I created a few ice crystals and then stopped. I was confident in my magic
anyway, and there was something else I wanted to check.
I glanced at the pink-haired magician beside me.
"Belka."
"Ah, yes, yes…!"
Belka hurried over and stood at attention.
My constitution couldn't handle excessive cold in my body and mana. But
if I could get the heat to neutralize it from a person instead of Sun Grass?
…Convenient.
It took quite some time for my body to absorb the heat from Sun Grass. If I
wanted to use magic at 2 o'clock, I'd have to start chewing it at 1.
But if I got it from a person, it would be immediate.
I placed the back of my hand on Belka's forehead. Even that caused steam
to rise instantly.
Sizzle.
"Ahhh… It's cool…"
Belka stuck out her tongue like a puppy on a summer day, looking blissful.
I could also feel heat similar to Sun Grass.
But…
—!
At some point, Belka's eyes widened.
Snot dripped from Belka's nose.
"C-c-cold…! I'm going to freeze to death…!"
"For now, that's enough."
I immediately withdrew my hand.
As expected, the total heat was weak compared to Sun Grass.
If I had kept channeling cold, she would have definitely frozen to death.
"The total heat isn't sufficient…"
But the fact that I could get heat instantly was quite satisfactory. If nurtured,
the returns would be significant.
I showed Belka a Sun Grass.
"Say hello."
"Hello…! But to whom…?"
"To the Sun Grass. It's your senior."
"S-Senior Sun Grass…! Hello…!"
It was then.
"…What on earth are you doing?"
Anes appeared in the training ground. As usual, she was expressionless,
twirling a cube in one hand.
"It's time. Are you ready for departure?"
Checking the clock, it was already time to leave.
"Let's head out."
"Understood."
As the three of us started walking, Anes asked.
"…In the end, we didn't do any training for a week. Is it really okay to
leave like this?"
"There is no need to ask every little thing. You'll find out soon enough."
It wasn't that I didn't have any thoughts. I just had a specific plan and was
confident I could carry it out.
After all, this wasn't my first visit to Luiple.
"Understood."
Anes quickly gave up. She still seemed to have a lot on her mind, but it
wasn't something that could be resolved with words. Doubts could only be
resolved on site.
As we walked, we soon left the tower.
The starting point was a large plaza near the tower. Two large carriages
were already waiting.
Three knights on the other side greeted us.
"You actually showed up without running away, Auditor."
Valcon, fully armored and helmeted, started with a sneer, but I didn't bother
to respond.
The important person was someone else.
Slam.
Someone got off the large carriage and approached.
The 2nd Princess of the empire, dragon-blooded, word magician… It was
Hedera. She stood between me and Valcon, holding a yellow request paper.
"Due to the recent severe erosion phenomenon in the Luiple region, the
tower auditor and the escort knight will be dispatched. Both parties will
prioritize the safety of the citizens over competition."
"Yes! Princess!"
Valcon shouted loudly. I didn't bother.
Hedera nodded.
"Good. The oath is finished. Depart immediately."
The three knights immediately boarded the carriage, and Anes and Belka
got into the other carriage. I was slowly moving without much thought
when suddenly.
At that moment.
In an instant.
"Can we talk?"
Hedera's voice caught me.
When I turned my head halfway, Hedera had already removed her mask;
her pupils were slit vertically.
And in an unexpected moment, the word magic exploded.
"Tell me why you accepted the bet."
Flash!
An overwhelming force enveloped me.
I had basic resistance to word magic, but resisting it required a vast amount
of mana.
Simply put, with only one Sun Grass left, the cost-effectiveness of resisting
with high mana consumption wasn't good.
In an instant, I thought.
'This question is worth answering.'
It would be more beneficial to answer and conserve mana.
Having made my judgment, I applied minimal resistance, just enough for
my answer to come out vaguely.
Soon, my mouth spoke.
"I have a reason why I must win the bet."
"…"
And there was a brief silence.
"…?"
But on Hedera's face, surprise was particularly evident. I couldn't
understand why.
"…"
It was more than surprise. It was almost shock.
It didn't matter. I didn't make a mistake in my words.
"…Let's talk about the rest after the bet."
I turned away first.
I could feel her gaze piercing the back of my head.