Bang!
And then, I firmly locked the box and even cast the sealing magic I learned from Professor Richter.
Only then did the semi-transparent window that had been floating in the air disappear, and the room finally quieted down.
“Phew. I thought I was going to die trying to stall time.”
Did he really think I would jump into a dangerous thing like a contract?
This pendant is really strange.
‘It’s a fantasy world, so I’m not surprised there are demons that talk through translucent windows, but it STILL felt weird!’
I promised myself that I’ll give it back to Professor Richter tomorrow.
***
“Professor Richter?”
Upon arriving at the academy, I looked for Professor Richter in her office.
But no matter how many times I knocked on his door, there was no answer.
“This never happened before.”
Someone approached me from behind-
“Today’s magic lecture will be held outside.”
It was Professor Munich.
“Professor Richter has already gone out to the garden with her assistant to prepare for the outdoor lecture.”
“Oh, I see. Thank you for letting me know.”
As I nodded my thanks, Professor Munich narrowed his eyes.
“Why did you come looking for Professor Richter?”
“I have something to ask.”
“Do you get that many questions from listening to Professor Richter’s lectures?”
“What?”
“You never came to my office after lectures…..”
“?”
“Anyway, let’s go together. I was on my way to observe.”
Professor Munich walked ahead.
I looked up in bewilderment, then hurried to catch up with him.
“By the way, did Professor Richter have an assistant? I’ve never heard of him.”
“I guess she didn’t tell you either. Professor Richter just brought him in the morning and signed him up as an assistant. I was really surprised.”
Professor Munich said meaningfully.
Who could the assistant be to surprise him like that?
We met Richter on the way to the garden. She was lugging around a bunch of tools.
“Professor Richter!”
Seeing me shout and wave, Professor Richter’s face lit up.
I wondered if I should tell her about the pendant now. But seeing her busy with tools in both hands, it didn’t seem like the right time. That’s when Professor Richter lost grasp of one of the tools.
Professor Munich stretched his hand quickly and grabbed the falling tool.
“Be careful.”
“Thank you, Professor Munich.”
“Let me help you. Are there any other tools you need to move?”
“Yes. There’s some over there, I’ll show you.”
“Princess, you can go to the garden first.”
Professor Richter and Professor Munich disappeared together to get the tools.
I walked towards the garden lazily.
The Academy’s gardens were smaller than the Imperial Palace, but the landscaping was just as beautiful. And unlike the palace, there were strange plants growing everywhere, making it interesting to explore.
As I was walking around, I felt a cold gaze on me.
I turned my head to where I felt the gaze.
There, a boy with red hair and sharp eyes stood, glaring at me with his arms crossed. He was beautiful, with a noble appearance, and his playful freckles ironically suited him well.
He was a strikingly handsome, but it was strange how he was staring at me for no apparent reason.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
It was unexpected for me to ask so directly, so he raised an eyebrow in response.
But that was all. He continued to stare at me with cold eyes and casually replied, “Because you’re pretty.”
I was confused for a moment.
That cold stare and cynical tone. This was not the demeanor of admiring someone’s beauty.
‘Was he mocking me?’
But it didn’t seem so.
As I stood there confused, the boy spoke again.
“I just wanted to look at something pretty, can’t I?”
“It’s not….”
Is he trying to pick up a fight? Or not?
As I stood there confused, I heard someone behind me call out, “Hanelope!”
It was Kathrine.
“Kathrine!”
“What are you doing there?”
“That’s….”
Katrin asked bluntly.
I was about to say something about the boy when I realized that the boy in front of me had vanished.
“What were you doing?”
Katrin questioned me like a jealous lover.
It was odd, because her affectionate curiousness was similar to the attitude of the boy I’d just encountered.
“I just saw a boy like you.”
My answer made Kathrine frown.
At that moment, Professor Richter shouted from the center of the garden, “Everyone, please gather here. We’re going to start the lecture.”
Kathrine grabbed my hand tightly. Together we went to Professor Richter.
Richter, along with Professor Munich, brought various tools and spread them out.
Behind them, a young boy was effortlessly moving heavy tools. Everyone looked at him with curiosity.
“I heard he’s Professor Richter’s new assistant.”
Kathrine muttered.
I also looked at the boy. His back was in front of us as he was organizing the tools. Suddenly he turned back-
“Professor Richter’s assistant must be incredibly smart, right?”
“…….”
“He’s also tall and handsome.”
“…….”
“Hanelope?”
I couldn’t answer.
Within a few days, an acquaintance who had grown taller, but it was impossible to forget his face.
A beautiful boy with his jet-black hair as dark as the night and his silver eyes that glistened like pouring moonlight.
Brantley was finally here.
‘I guess he’s grown up in that time.’
Children of Brantley’s age grow up by leaps and bounds. But even considering that, Brantley seemed to be exceptionally well-grown.
Moreover, he looked like an older brother now that he was a bit taller.
As he tidied up, Brantley spotted me.
His silver eyes, which were narrowed with tension, gently arched when he saw me. It was as if the moonlight had turned to silver grains and was spilling over.
The other children couldn’t take their eyes off Brantley.
Since Duke Eisen usually didn’t bring him around, most people probably wouldn’t recognize him as the Duke’s son. However, there were exclamations of admiration from all around.
A slender yet well-proportioned body.
Even in ordinary clothes, he exuded an air of sophistication.
‘Brantley’s life must be tiring from all that attention.’
I chuckled to myself.
When I laughed, Brantley tilted his head as if to ask why. He didn’t realize that everyone was looking at him, but all his attention was on me.
‘Like a puppy meeting its master.’
I couldn’t completely focus on Brantley as I heard Jacob gnashing his teeth.
‘If you dare to mess with my cute puppy. I’ll kick your butt.’
Today’s lecture was about elemental magic that interacts with the soil of the garden to create a small earth soldier, also known as golem.
First, Richter made a golem that reached an adult’s knees.
“Wow, this is amazing!”
Magic was always fascinating to watch.
I could use magic too, but my memories of modern times were still faint, so it still felt unreal.
“You probably won’t be able to create them as large as this. Even if you make them the size of a baby’s finger, it’s still a success. Our new assistant, Brantley, will demonstrate.”
Now it was Brantley’s turn.
Brantley placed his hands on the soil and quietly chanted a spell.
Then, as if on cue, a lush green light emitted and the soil started to move. The mound of dirt that formed a hill gradually took shape. It turned into a small golem.
It plucked a small flower from its surroundings, and came to me in wobbly steps.
The garden area buzzed with excitement.
Kathrine was also surprised and whispered, “Is the handsome assistant giving you flowers?”
I looked at Brantley in puzzlement.
The boy had an anxious look on his face, staring only at me.
His behavior made me feel sorry for him, so I quickly accepted the flowers, and Brantley’s face brightened like a flower.
After Brantley’s demonstration, the children scattered around the garden and practiced building mini golems.
I took advantage of the opportunity to approach Professor Richter.
“Professor!”
“Are you facing any difficulty?”
Richter asked politely, then frowned, seeing the box I was holding.
“Is this…..”
Professor Richter’s expression darkened as she opened the box.
The ominous pendant was inside the box.
“I was worried when it suddenly disappeared again, but why is this pendant on the Princess?”
“I don’t know. I found it in my room. It even talked to me.”
“It talks?”
Richter gasped and quickly closed the lid, shivering as if she had experienced what I did.
“It didn’t speak with a voice, but it spoke in some weird cipher-like writing. I couldn’t read the letters, so I don’t know who he might be.”
“It could be a possessed pendant. Moving on its own and talking, it’s quite unusual. Could it be trying to bewitch the Princess?”
“He asked me to be his contractor.”
“What?…How dare it target My Lady!”
Richter glared at the box, and I had never seen her so frighteningly angry.
“This isn’t just something to be sealed, it’s something to be destroyed. Don’t worry, I won’t lose it this time and successfully get rid of this pendant.”
Richter said resolutely.
After returning the pendant, I went back to the garden to practice.
“Where have you been!”
Kathrine, who had been sitting off to one side, came running to me.
“I’m sorry. Were you waiting for me?”
“Of course! Come on over here. Let’s practice together.”
I could already hear kids practicing all around me.
“Oops!”
“Ugh!”
It seemed like they weren’t doing very well. Tiny, shapeless creatures, as well as clumps of dirt that had escaped their control, were flying around.
“Forget them. They’re all idiots.”
Kathrine sneered, and smugly started the spell. A small but distinctly shaped golem popped out of the dirt.
“Truly worthy of being the Spigent’s daughter!”
But Kathrine quickly dismissed the spell as if it were a nuisance.
They looked in disappointment.
“Lady Kathrine made it again! Maybe she can make the largest among us!”
“Annoying!”
Kathrine said sourly.
She was the daughter of the Archmage Spigent, so expectations had been placed on her from an early age.
The attention bothered her, so Kathrine often acted insincere.
It was the same with her twin, she said. Though I’ve never met him.
‘But even so, what she’s achieving is amazing!’
If Kathrine gave her best, she could achieve great things.
“Henelope, what are you doing instead of practising? Try it quickly. I want to see.”
I swallowed my disappointment as I heard Kathrine’s expectant voice.
“I’ll try.”
As I put my little hands in the dirt, I heard light footsteps behind me. Something brush past my ear.
I turned my head and saw a yellow flower.
“Take it.”
And a voice, completely different from the delicate rustling of flower petals, reached my ears.
It was the red-haired boy who kept staring at me earlier.
Bang!
And then, I firmly locked the box and even cast the sealing magic I learned from Professor Richter.
Only then did the semi-transparent window that had been floating in the air disappear, and the room finally quieted down.
“Phew. I thought I was going to die trying to stall time.”
Did he really think I would jump into a dangerous thing like a contract?
This pendant is really strange.
‘It’s a fantasy world, so I’m not surprised there are demons that talk through translucent windows, but it STILL felt weird!’
I promised myself that I’ll give it back to Professor Richter tomorrow.
***
“Professor Richter?”
Upon arriving at the academy, I looked for Professor Richter in her office.
But no matter how many times I knocked on his door, there was no answer.
“This never happened before.”
Someone approached me from behind-
“Today’s magic lecture will be held outside.”
It was Professor Munich.
“Professor Richter has already gone out to the garden with her assistant to prepare for the outdoor lecture.”
“Oh, I see. Thank you for letting me know.”
As I nodded my thanks, Professor Munich narrowed his eyes.
“Why did you come looking for Professor Richter?”
“I have something to ask.”
“Do you get that many questions from listening to Professor Richter’s lectures?”
“What?”
“You never came to my office after lectures…..”
“?”
“Anyway, let’s go together. I was on my way to observe.”
Professor Munich walked ahead.
I looked up in bewilderment, then hurried to catch up with him.
“By the way, did Professor Richter have an assistant? I’ve never heard of him.”
“I guess she didn’t tell you either. Professor Richter just brought him in the morning and signed him up as an assistant. I was really surprised.”
Professor Munich said meaningfully.
Who could the assistant be to surprise him like that?
We met Richter on the way to the garden. She was lugging around a bunch of tools.
“Professor Richter!”
Seeing me shout and wave, Professor Richter’s face lit up.
I wondered if I should tell her about the pendant now. But seeing her busy with tools in both hands, it didn’t seem like the right time. That’s when Professor Richter lost grasp of one of the tools.
Professor Munich stretched his hand quickly and grabbed the falling tool.
“Be careful.”
“Thank you, Professor Munich.”
“Let me help you. Are there any other tools you need to move?”
“Yes. There’s some over there, I’ll show you.”
“Princess, you can go to the garden first.”
Professor Richter and Professor Munich disappeared together to get the tools.
I walked towards the garden lazily.
The Academy’s gardens were smaller than the Imperial Palace, but the landscaping was just as beautiful. And unlike the palace, there were strange plants growing everywhere, making it interesting to explore.
As I was walking around, I felt a cold gaze on me.
I turned my head to where I felt the gaze.
There, a boy with red hair and sharp eyes stood, glaring at me with his arms crossed. He was beautiful, with a noble appearance, and his playful freckles ironically suited him well.
He was a strikingly handsome, but it was strange how he was staring at me for no apparent reason.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
It was unexpected for me to ask so directly, so he raised an eyebrow in response.
But that was all. He continued to stare at me with cold eyes and casually replied, “Because you’re pretty.”
I was confused for a moment.
That cold stare and cynical tone. This was not the demeanor of admiring someone’s beauty.
‘Was he mocking me?’
But it didn’t seem so.
As I stood there confused, the boy spoke again.
“I just wanted to look at something pretty, can’t I?”
“It’s not….”
Is he trying to pick up a fight? Or not?
As I stood there confused, I heard someone behind me call out, “Hanelope!”
It was Kathrine.
“Kathrine!”
“What are you doing there?”
“That’s….”
Katrin asked bluntly.
I was about to say something about the boy when I realized that the boy in front of me had vanished.
“What were you doing?”
Katrin questioned me like a jealous lover.
It was odd, because her affectionate curiousness was similar to the attitude of the boy I’d just encountered.
“I just saw a boy like you.”
My answer made Kathrine frown.
At that moment, Professor Richter shouted from the center of the garden, “Everyone, please gather here. We’re going to start the lecture.”
Kathrine grabbed my hand tightly. Together we went to Professor Richter.
Richter, along with Professor Munich, brought various tools and spread them out.
Behind them, a young boy was effortlessly moving heavy tools. Everyone looked at him with curiosity.
“I heard he’s Professor Richter’s new assistant.”
Kathrine muttered.
I also looked at the boy. His back was in front of us as he was organizing the tools. Suddenly he turned back-
“Professor Richter’s assistant must be incredibly smart, right?”
“…….”
“He’s also tall and handsome.”
“…….”
“Hanelope?”
I couldn’t answer.
Within a few days, an acquaintance who had grown taller, but it was impossible to forget his face.
A beautiful boy with his jet-black hair as dark as the night and his silver eyes that glistened like pouring moonlight.
Brantley was finally here.
‘I guess he’s grown up in that time.’
Children of Brantley’s age grow up by leaps and bounds. But even considering that, Brantley seemed to be exceptionally well-grown.
Moreover, he looked like an older brother now that he was a bit taller.
As he tidied up, Brantley spotted me.
His silver eyes, which were narrowed with tension, gently arched when he saw me. It was as if the moonlight had turned to silver grains and was spilling over.
The other children couldn’t take their eyes off Brantley.
Since Duke Eisen usually didn’t bring him around, most people probably wouldn’t recognize him as the Duke’s son. However, there were exclamations of admiration from all around.
A slender yet well-proportioned body.
Even in ordinary clothes, he exuded an air of sophistication.
‘Brantley’s life must be tiring from all that attention.’
I chuckled to myself.
When I laughed, Brantley tilted his head as if to ask why. He didn’t realize that everyone was looking at him, but all his attention was on me.
‘Like a puppy meeting its master.’
I couldn’t completely focus on Brantley as I heard Jacob gnashing his teeth.
‘If you dare to mess with my cute puppy. I’ll kick your butt.’
Today’s lecture was about elemental magic that interacts with the soil of the garden to create a small earth soldier, also known as golem.
First, Richter made a golem that reached an adult’s knees.
“Wow, this is amazing!”
Magic was always fascinating to watch.
I could use magic too, but my memories of modern times were still faint, so it still felt unreal.
“You probably won’t be able to create them as large as this. Even if you make them the size of a baby’s finger, it’s still a success. Our new assistant, Brantley, will demonstrate.”
Now it was Brantley’s turn.
Brantley placed his hands on the soil and quietly chanted a spell.
Then, as if on cue, a lush green light emitted and the soil started to move. The mound of dirt that formed a hill gradually took shape. It turned into a small golem.
It plucked a small flower from its surroundings, and came to me in wobbly steps.
The garden area buzzed with excitement.
Kathrine was also surprised and whispered, “Is the handsome assistant giving you flowers?”
I looked at Brantley in puzzlement.
The boy had an anxious look on his face, staring only at me.
His behavior made me feel sorry for him, so I quickly accepted the flowers, and Brantley’s face brightened like a flower.
After Brantley’s demonstration, the children scattered around the garden and practiced building mini golems.
I took advantage of the opportunity to approach Professor Richter.
“Professor!”
“Are you facing any difficulty?”
Richter asked politely, then frowned, seeing the box I was holding.
“Is this…..”
Professor Richter’s expression darkened as she opened the box.
The ominous pendant was inside the box.
“I was worried when it suddenly disappeared again, but why is this pendant on the Princess?”
“I don’t know. I found it in my room. It even talked to me.”
“It talks?”
Richter gasped and quickly closed the lid, shivering as if she had experienced what I did.
“It didn’t speak with a voice, but it spoke in some weird cipher-like writing. I couldn’t read the letters, so I don’t know who he might be.”
“It could be a possessed pendant. Moving on its own and talking, it’s quite unusual. Could it be trying to bewitch the Princess?”
“He asked me to be his contractor.”
“What?…How dare it target My Lady!”
Richter glared at the box, and I had never seen her so frighteningly angry.
“This isn’t just something to be sealed, it’s something to be destroyed. Don’t worry, I won’t lose it this time and successfully get rid of this pendant.”
Richter said resolutely.
After returning the pendant, I went back to the garden to practice.
“Where have you been!”
Kathrine, who had been sitting off to one side, came running to me.
“I’m sorry. Were you waiting for me?”
“Of course! Come on over here. Let’s practice together.”
I could already hear kids practicing all around me.
“Oops!”
“Ugh!”
It seemed like they weren’t doing very well. Tiny, shapeless creatures, as well as clumps of dirt that had escaped their control, were flying around.
“Forget them. They’re all idiots.”
Kathrine sneered, and smugly started the spell. A small but distinctly shaped golem popped out of the dirt.
“Truly worthy of being the Spigent’s daughter!”
But Kathrine quickly dismissed the spell as if it were a nuisance.
They looked in disappointment.
“Lady Kathrine made it again! Maybe she can make the largest among us!”
“Annoying!”
Kathrine said sourly.
She was the daughter of the Archmage Spigent, so expectations had been placed on her from an early age.
The attention bothered her, so Kathrine often acted insincere.
It was the same with her twin, she said. Though I’ve never met him.
‘But even so, what she’s achieving is amazing!’
If Kathrine gave her best, she could achieve great things.
“Henelope, what are you doing instead of practising? Try it quickly. I want to see.”
I swallowed my disappointment as I heard Kathrine’s expectant voice.
“I’ll try.”
As I put my little hands in the dirt, I heard light footsteps behind me. Something brush past my ear.
I turned my head and saw a yellow flower.
“Take it.”
And a voice, completely different from the delicate rustling of flower petals, reached my ears.
It was the red-haired boy who kept staring at me earlier.
