After the fight between my dad and grandfather, it was pretty obvious what would happen next. One of them would storm out, and the other would keep his mouth shut.
If they parted on such a misunderstanding, there might never be a chance of reconciliation. It wouldn’t have mattered how much I tried to talk them out of it.
For those who are angry and unwilling to listen, there was only one thing that worked.
‘Shock therapy!’
So I purposely staged this event.
Finding me who ran away was urgent. They would put away their anger and work together, even if they didn’t want to. Gradually, their anger will dissipate and they will converse with each other.
Of course, I didn’t forget to leave a clue.
‘I dropped the pendant on purpose!’
I told Maxim to tell dad and grandfather that the pendant was mine and that it was enchanted with a tracking spell.
In reality, it wasn’t.
‘Because the pendant naturally responds to my mana and always comes back to me.’
I didn’t tell Uncle Rabbit either cause he might throw a fit.
Anyway, once they found me, I planned to introduce them to the boy.
I let out a bit of mana, trying to get the pendant to react.
“But where is he?”
I looked around for him, but he was nowhere to be seen.
“Hmm.. where did he go…”
“Who are you looking for?”
“I’m looking for a boy this tall… urk?”
I turned around, hearing the voice. Brantley was leaning towards me. The slender eyes staring at me were filled with jealousy.
“Brantley, why are you here?”
“Earlier, you couldn’t take your eyes off the procession of the Knights. I wanted to see how great they were.”
“Huh?”
Was he serious? Or was he joking?
I tilted my head and looked up, but Brantley’s expression seemed serious.
“Are you jealous?”
“Yes. I am.”
I said it with a playful grin, trying to get him to loosen up. But his direct answer got me flustered instead.
“W-Well.. Will you help me find someone?”
“You need my help?”
“Yeah. If you see a boy around this tall, let me know.”
I raised my hand to about Brantley’s forehead and lowered it a bit more.
“He’s shorter than I. I saw one kid that small.”
“Really? Where is he?”
“He went in that direction.”
Brantley pointed to a small building beyond the small square.
“Why would he go there?”
Was it because he didn’t feel comfortable resting among knights older than him?
In any case, I had to find him before Dad and the Emperor found me.
“Let’s go there!”
“Sure.”
Brantley held out his hand.
I took the outstretched hand in return, and Brantley and I headed towards the building.
The knights looked at us adoringly as we walked hand in hand.
Up close, the building looked very old.
‘It had a creepy aura.’
I can’t believe there are buildings that are not maintained like this.
The windows were small and didn’t let in much light. As I kept stumbling, Brantley firmly supported me and said, “Let’s try lighting a fire with magic.”
“Wait. Look at this on the wall.”
I pointed to the wall, which was painted with arrays of barriers.
‘Why would they put a barrier against magic in this depleted building?’
At this point, I began to worry about the boy’s safety.
It was then that I heard what sounded like sobs coming from somewhere.
“Ungh, hng…”
“What’s that sound?”
“I think it’s coming from that room.”
Brantley stepped forward and grabbed the doorknob, then looked back at me, “I’ll go in. You stay here, it’s dangerous.”
“We should go together. Two’s better than one.”
“No. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
Will I be happy to put you in danger?
I tried to retort, but Brantley didn’t give me the chance to finish.
At that moment, the door slammed shut with a loud bang.
“Brantley!”
I grabbed the doorknob and jerked it, but it was locked tight.
I heard a familiar voice, “Don’t worry, my men will take care of the intruder well.”
“Marquis Fork?”
How long has he been here?
Fork stood behind me, holding a lantern. His face, shaded by the light, looked particularly grotesque.
A chill ran down my spine.
“Brantley, are you okay? Is anyone in there?”
I knocked on the door. But there was no sound. Marquis Fork laughed at my helplessness.
“This building is sealed. You can’t get out unless I want to. Do you want to know why this place is sound-proof?”
The Marquis Fork walked languidly towards me.
“Because this is the temple’s secret torture chamber.”
“!”
The Great Temple has a torture chamber?
I backed up against the wall and glared at him warily.
Marquis Fork showed a creepy smile. It was a far cry from the gentle, polite face he wore when he was in public.
“I was trying to lure you here anyway, but I’m glad you walked in on your own two feet. How did something so stupid push my son away?”
“…….”
“Who was behind you! How did you do it, tell me now!”
Fork approached me slowly and grabbed my shoulders. His appearance tinged with madness, gave me goosebumps.
This was the true nature of the man. Absolute terrifying!
The man, who was clearly intent on harming me, held onto my tiny body to prevent me from running away.
I was scared enough to cry.
‘I can’t show my weakness.’
If I looked scared, he’d be more inclined to do whatever he wanted.
I forced my eyes to focus and glared at him. “You’re upset with me because Ulrich got kicked out of the Academy. But that’s his fault, and I had nothing to do with… ow!”
“Shut up! I spent so much money on the Academy! If it wasn’t for you, Ulrich could have been the heir! You ruined all of that!”
So that was it.
The desire to be an Emperor.
How pathetic and ridiculous!
“Uncle, you are very mistaken.”
At my words, Marquis Fork gave me a puzzled look.
He seemed bewildered by the fact that a child wasn’t afraid and was speaking so calmly.
“How should I say this.. Someone like Ulrich who can’t do anything without bribery would have been kicked out, even if I weren’t here.”
“H-How dare you! This insolent…!”
“And His Majesty doesn’t like delusional people.”
“Shut up, you b*stard! I am the noble with the purest blood…!”
“Why don’t you try saying that in front of my dad?”
Marquis Fork’s face contorted viciously.
No matter how much he bragged about his blood, he was no match for my dad, the Emperor’s eldest son.
“You act like an innocent child in front of His Majesty! But it feels as if a devil is residing in you.”
“It’s better than being delusional and acting like a fool.”
“You witch, it’s only since you appeared that His Majesty has suddenly become so close to Prince Hart! It’s just as the Saint said. What kind of black magic have you been using? I’ll make you speak!”
Marquis of Fork, who had turned into a madman, tried to lift me up.
“N-No! Get away from me!”
Startled, I scrambled away and bit down on Fork’s hand.
“Ugh!”
With my tiny squirrel-like teeth, the bite would only sting, but luckily I took advantage of the opening and scurried away.
However, I soon hit a dead-end against a wall.
“Heh, give up! It’s time for your punishment.”
Smiling grimly, the Marquis of Fork pulled something out of his pocket.
It was a small blade studded with green gems.
“The Saint has a lot of grudges against you,” he said, “I didn’t think she’d be so willing to lend me a treasure of the temple. The ‘Viridescent Blade’ not only cuts through flesh but also the soul.”
Asta gave a holy relic to attack me? She was involved in this, after all.
“The Saint said you’ve been interfering with everything she’s been doing. At first, I couldn’t believe a small thing like you would be capable of doing so, but now I think it’s quite plausible.”.”
“I was only trying to keep Asta from bothering my dad. Didn’t Asta try to ruin His Majesty’s corn today as well?”
Marquis Fork chuckled in amusement.
“How did you know that? You’re too clever for your age. People might mistake you for a witch.”
“No one will believe your nonsense. Because you’ll have your tongue cut out for threatening the Prince’s daughter.”
“Y-You little rat… That’s enough of your arrogance!”
Marquis Fork swung his blade.
I started chanting a spell to protect myself.
My mana felt stagnant. But with a little more effort, the binding cracked open ,and the mana flowed out.
Just then, something stuck to my mana enveloped hand.
At the same time, a translucent screen appeared between me and the Marquis. He stopped his actions.
“What is this?”, I looked into my palm.
‘The pendant is back!’
But there was no sign of Dad and Grandfather around.
It seemed that I had suddenly released too much mana, and the pendant reacted to it and returned quickly.
It couldn’t guide back the two here.
“What trickery is this!”, Marquis Fork shouted.
‘Was he able to see this panel?’
Originally, only I could see this window.
A text appeared-
[ ‘Uncle Rabbit’ smirks pretending to be cool. “I’ll save you.” ]
At the same time, red light began to pour from the pendant. The gems in the relic also started to glow.
The moment the two lights met.
Bang!
There was a tremendous explosion.
Marquis Fork screamed.
My body swayed, but I could feel someone protecting me.
“Uncle Rabbit?”
But even he couldn’t stop the floor from being impacted.
I crashed, taking Marquis Fork with me.
“!”
Puff!
I landed on something fluffy. But when I came to my senses, it was hard ground. I’m sure it was something soft. I didn’t get hurt at all.
‘Did Uncle Rabbit save me? Uncle!’
But there was no translucent window.
‘Did Uncle Rabbit get hurt in the blast?’
I was worried about him.
I staggered to my feet and looked around.
This place was huge. I couldn’t believe how much space there was under the narrow building. It was also very clean. Someone was maintaining it regularly.
‘Is this a secret room?’
It was strange that the underground space, which should be dark, was illuminated.
“Where is all this light coming from?”
I looked up and saw a large transparent vessel filled with liquid.
It looked like a coffin.
Someone was sleeping in it.
A beautiful dark-haired Asian girl with a tiny dot under her eye.
There was only one such person in this world.
“Yenna?!”
After the fight between my dad and grandfather, it was pretty obvious what would happen next. One of them would storm out, and the other would keep his mouth shut.
If they parted on such a misunderstanding, there might never be a chance of reconciliation. It wouldn’t have mattered how much I tried to talk them out of it.
For those who are angry and unwilling to listen, there was only one thing that worked.
‘Shock therapy!’
So I purposely staged this event.
Finding me who ran away was urgent. They would put away their anger and work together, even if they didn’t want to. Gradually, their anger will dissipate and they will converse with each other.
Of course, I didn’t forget to leave a clue.
‘I dropped the pendant on purpose!’
I told Maxim to tell dad and grandfather that the pendant was mine and that it was enchanted with a tracking spell.
In reality, it wasn’t.
‘Because the pendant naturally responds to my mana and always comes back to me.’
I didn’t tell Uncle Rabbit either cause he might throw a fit.
Anyway, once they found me, I planned to introduce them to the boy.
I let out a bit of mana, trying to get the pendant to react.
“But where is he?”
I looked around for him, but he was nowhere to be seen.
“Hmm.. where did he go…”
“Who are you looking for?”
“I’m looking for a boy this tall… urk?”
I turned around, hearing the voice. Brantley was leaning towards me. The slender eyes staring at me were filled with jealousy.
“Brantley, why are you here?”
“Earlier, you couldn’t take your eyes off the procession of the Knights. I wanted to see how great they were.”
“Huh?”
Was he serious? Or was he joking?
I tilted my head and looked up, but Brantley’s expression seemed serious.
“Are you jealous?”
“Yes. I am.”
I said it with a playful grin, trying to get him to loosen up. But his direct answer got me flustered instead.
“W-Well.. Will you help me find someone?”
“You need my help?”
“Yeah. If you see a boy around this tall, let me know.”
I raised my hand to about Brantley’s forehead and lowered it a bit more.
“He’s shorter than I. I saw one kid that small.”
“Really? Where is he?”
“He went in that direction.”
Brantley pointed to a small building beyond the small square.
“Why would he go there?”
Was it because he didn’t feel comfortable resting among knights older than him?
In any case, I had to find him before Dad and the Emperor found me.
“Let’s go there!”
“Sure.”
Brantley held out his hand.
I took the outstretched hand in return, and Brantley and I headed towards the building.
The knights looked at us adoringly as we walked hand in hand.
Up close, the building looked very old.
‘It had a creepy aura.’
I can’t believe there are buildings that are not maintained like this.
The windows were small and didn’t let in much light. As I kept stumbling, Brantley firmly supported me and said, “Let’s try lighting a fire with magic.”
“Wait. Look at this on the wall.”
I pointed to the wall, which was painted with arrays of barriers.
‘Why would they put a barrier against magic in this depleted building?’
At this point, I began to worry about the boy’s safety.
It was then that I heard what sounded like sobs coming from somewhere.
“Ungh, hng…”
“What’s that sound?”
“I think it’s coming from that room.”
Brantley stepped forward and grabbed the doorknob, then looked back at me, “I’ll go in. You stay here, it’s dangerous.”
“We should go together. Two’s better than one.”
“No. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
Will I be happy to put you in danger?
I tried to retort, but Brantley didn’t give me the chance to finish.
At that moment, the door slammed shut with a loud bang.
“Brantley!”
I grabbed the doorknob and jerked it, but it was locked tight.
I heard a familiar voice, “Don’t worry, my men will take care of the intruder well.”
“Marquis Fork?”
How long has he been here?
Fork stood behind me, holding a lantern. His face, shaded by the light, looked particularly grotesque.
A chill ran down my spine.
“Brantley, are you okay? Is anyone in there?”
I knocked on the door. But there was no sound. Marquis Fork laughed at my helplessness.
“This building is sealed. You can’t get out unless I want to. Do you want to know why this place is sound-proof?”
The Marquis Fork walked languidly towards me.
“Because this is the temple’s secret torture chamber.”
“!”
The Great Temple has a torture chamber?
I backed up against the wall and glared at him warily.
Marquis Fork showed a creepy smile. It was a far cry from the gentle, polite face he wore when he was in public.
“I was trying to lure you here anyway, but I’m glad you walked in on your own two feet. How did something so stupid push my son away?”
“…….”
“Who was behind you! How did you do it, tell me now!”
Fork approached me slowly and grabbed my shoulders. His appearance tinged with madness, gave me goosebumps.
This was the true nature of the man. Absolute terrifying!
The man, who was clearly intent on harming me, held onto my tiny body to prevent me from running away.
I was scared enough to cry.
‘I can’t show my weakness.’
If I looked scared, he’d be more inclined to do whatever he wanted.
I forced my eyes to focus and glared at him. “You’re upset with me because Ulrich got kicked out of the Academy. But that’s his fault, and I had nothing to do with… ow!”
“Shut up! I spent so much money on the Academy! If it wasn’t for you, Ulrich could have been the heir! You ruined all of that!”
So that was it.
The desire to be an Emperor.
How pathetic and ridiculous!
“Uncle, you are very mistaken.”
At my words, Marquis Fork gave me a puzzled look.
He seemed bewildered by the fact that a child wasn’t afraid and was speaking so calmly.
“How should I say this.. Someone like Ulrich who can’t do anything without bribery would have been kicked out, even if I weren’t here.”
“H-How dare you! This insolent…!”
“And His Majesty doesn’t like delusional people.”
“Shut up, you b*stard! I am the noble with the purest blood…!”
“Why don’t you try saying that in front of my dad?”
Marquis Fork’s face contorted viciously.
No matter how much he bragged about his blood, he was no match for my dad, the Emperor’s eldest son.
“You act like an innocent child in front of His Majesty! But it feels as if a devil is residing in you.”
“It’s better than being delusional and acting like a fool.”
“You witch, it’s only since you appeared that His Majesty has suddenly become so close to Prince Hart! It’s just as the Saint said. What kind of black magic have you been using? I’ll make you speak!”
Marquis of Fork, who had turned into a madman, tried to lift me up.
“N-No! Get away from me!”
Startled, I scrambled away and bit down on Fork’s hand.
“Ugh!”
With my tiny squirrel-like teeth, the bite would only sting, but luckily I took advantage of the opening and scurried away.
However, I soon hit a dead-end against a wall.
“Heh, give up! It’s time for your punishment.”
Smiling grimly, the Marquis of Fork pulled something out of his pocket.
It was a small blade studded with green gems.
“The Saint has a lot of grudges against you,” he said, “I didn’t think she’d be so willing to lend me a treasure of the temple. The ‘Viridescent Blade’ not only cuts through flesh but also the soul.”
Asta gave a holy relic to attack me? She was involved in this, after all.
“The Saint said you’ve been interfering with everything she’s been doing. At first, I couldn’t believe a small thing like you would be capable of doing so, but now I think it’s quite plausible.”.”
“I was only trying to keep Asta from bothering my dad. Didn’t Asta try to ruin His Majesty’s corn today as well?”
Marquis Fork chuckled in amusement.
“How did you know that? You’re too clever for your age. People might mistake you for a witch.”
“No one will believe your nonsense. Because you’ll have your tongue cut out for threatening the Prince’s daughter.”
“Y-You little rat… That’s enough of your arrogance!”
Marquis Fork swung his blade.
I started chanting a spell to protect myself.
My mana felt stagnant. But with a little more effort, the binding cracked open ,and the mana flowed out.
Just then, something stuck to my mana enveloped hand.
At the same time, a translucent screen appeared between me and the Marquis. He stopped his actions.
“What is this?”, I looked into my palm.
‘The pendant is back!’
But there was no sign of Dad and Grandfather around.
It seemed that I had suddenly released too much mana, and the pendant reacted to it and returned quickly.
It couldn’t guide back the two here.
“What trickery is this!”, Marquis Fork shouted.
‘Was he able to see this panel?’
Originally, only I could see this window.
A text appeared-
[ ‘Uncle Rabbit’ smirks pretending to be cool. “I’ll save you.” ]
At the same time, red light began to pour from the pendant. The gems in the relic also started to glow.
The moment the two lights met.
Bang!
There was a tremendous explosion.
Marquis Fork screamed.
My body swayed, but I could feel someone protecting me.
“Uncle Rabbit?”
But even he couldn’t stop the floor from being impacted.
I crashed, taking Marquis Fork with me.
“!”
Puff!
I landed on something fluffy. But when I came to my senses, it was hard ground. I’m sure it was something soft. I didn’t get hurt at all.
‘Did Uncle Rabbit save me? Uncle!’
But there was no translucent window.
‘Did Uncle Rabbit get hurt in the blast?’
I was worried about him.
I staggered to my feet and looked around.
This place was huge. I couldn’t believe how much space there was under the narrow building. It was also very clean. Someone was maintaining it regularly.
‘Is this a secret room?’
It was strange that the underground space, which should be dark, was illuminated.
“Where is all this light coming from?”
I looked up and saw a large transparent vessel filled with liquid.
It looked like a coffin.
Someone was sleeping in it.
A beautiful dark-haired Asian girl with a tiny dot under her eye.
There was only one such person in this world.
“Yenna?!”
