TBULF 15

“This is a ‘Butterfly Pass’ used for reporting, held by the lady who manages the Grand Duchy’s internal affairs.”
“Ah…”
“From now on, you’ll report internal matters to His Highness the Grand Duke in my place. It’s best if you start learning in advance.”
“S-something this valuable…”
“It’s nothing special. Just a formal report that takes five minutes a day.”

No, you’ve just become my lifesaver.

Standing beside Lady Isidel, Tain muttered to me,
“I’ve never seen Lady Isidel praise someone like this before. You said you passed the test twice, right?”

At that moment, Lady Isidel’s face turned bright red.

“…Anyway, I’ve taken care of that young lady—what was her name, Tera or something.”

Taken care of… how exactly?

A chill ran down my spine, but I decided to focus only on the fact that I’d earned recognition from that adorable baby black panther.

I said seriously,
“Don’t forget—you promised to prepare the wedding as grandly as one for the imperial family!”

Lady Isidel turned her head sharply.
“…Kairocen always keeps its word.”

Just imagining what the wedding would be like already made my heart flutter!

Ah, really.

It was a night that felt perfectly complete, as if everything would turn out well.

***

That night, the light was still on in Raphael’s office.

It wasn’t working hours.

Which meant he was slightly outside his usual state of control.

He was thinking about the Epinettia Salon, Serentia’s voice, and words like “Please take care of me.”

Over the past few days, Serentia had thrown his world into complete disorder.

If he had to summarize all those sensations in one word…

“Uncomfortable.”

It felt like wearing a tie that didn’t fit.

Serentia Rosemary had stayed in the North for barely a month.

And in that short time, what had she done?

Like ruining a finely woven fabric, she had tangled everything up.

Now, he could finally define the unknown existence that was Serentia.

She was an uncontrollable variable.

Recalling her strangely shining violet eyes, Raphael made a clean decision.

“If I block it out for a while, it’ll become easier.”

Once he regained his numbness, her actions would no longer feel new.

He handed a bell-shaped magic tool to his dozing adjutant, Tain, outside the office.

“I’ll be away for three days. If something urgent happens, ring this.”

Tain looked confused.
“Will you come back immediately then?”

“No.”

“…?!”

“I won’t return—unless someone dies.”

***

The next morning.

I smiled happily while clutching the Butterfly Pass.

Everything was perfect.

‘To avoid death this cleverly… I’m so proud of myself!’

But just as I was enjoying that happiness—

A squirrel suddenly barged into my bedroom, stomping its feet.

“Serentia, you’re totally screwed!”

Its tail puffed up wildly as it smacked my arm repeatedly.

“What? And what kind of language is that, Grandpa? At your age?”

Even my teasing didn’t stop it.
It jumped all over my bed in a panic.

“Raphael just left Kairocen Castle!”

“Huh? When will he be back? Won’t it be soon?”

At this point, Raphael rarely left the castle.

“Alas! According to the squirrel intelligence network, he’ll be gone for three whole days!”

“I wilt if I don’t see Raphael…”

“And then you die. Farewell, my friend.”

What kind of cold-hearted squirrel is this?! You just said I’m screwed!

And just like that, my life was once again in danger.

I shot up faster than a bullet.

But when I hurried to find Raphael’s adjutant, Tain—

“W-what? You don’t even know where Raphael is?!”

This was an emergency.

“Well, Lord Raphael is always here and there—haha!”

Unlike Tain, who laughed cheerfully at the disappearance of his boss, my insides were rotting away.

The squirrel’s voice echoed in my head:

“Hmm! Judging by the pattern, you’ll probably die the morning after tomorrow.”

But I clenched my fist.

I had already built a building once.

I was much braver than before.

And besides—former Korean trait:

‘Tomorrow feels close, but the day after tomorrow feels far.’

As if reading my thoughts, the squirrel muttered in admiration.

“You’ve… grown.”

After steadying myself, I asked Tain seriously,
“Is there any chance Raphael might come back earlier?”

“Well… he said he wouldn’t return unless someone dies.”

“Yes, that would be me.”

“…What?”

“But I won’t die easily.”

“What do you mean—”

At that moment, my brain spun rapidly.

‘There’s only one way to bring Raphael back voluntarily.’

Hook his top priority.

And in a way, that would also be what benefits him the most.

“Well then, I’ll be off—to survive.”

Leaving Tain behind, I walked away with a dark aura.

And where I arrived was—

The gallery displaying portraits of the direct descendants of the Kairocen family.

***

Step by step, my pace quickened through the corridor.

As I first smiled happily at Raphael’s portrait, the squirrel—ruler of the mice beneath the floor—squeaked at me.

“So why are we here? It’s so quiet, and no one’s around.”

“Oh, that.”

I grinned and walked slowly so the short-legged squirrel could keep up.

And the place I stopped at was—

A portrait of a boy, about ten years old, with fluffy silver-white hair and gray eyes.

“The Kairocen family doesn’t only have Isidel and Raphael as direct descendants. You know that, right?”

“Th-there are a few more…”

“And among them, there’s exactly one more living in this castle.”

“Then… don’t tell me the one you’re targeting is—”

Currently ten years old.

A small silver-haired boy wearing glasses.

Below the portrait, the name read: Jacob Kairocen.

“That’s right. The one here—Jacob Kairocen.”

After Raphael’s older brother died, the boy had been left in his uncle’s care and lived in Kairocen Castle.

The squirrel covered its mouth with its paws, shocked.

“As if I’d approach Jacob? You know he—”

“Yes, he never leaves his room. I know. He was the same before the regression—he stayed secluded for a long time. But there’s one way to approach him.”

“…Ah, don’t tell me.”

“Yes. There’s only one thing Jacob wants. To build his own annex in the outer castle of Kairocen!”

The squirrel smacked its fluffy tail on the ground.

“If he comes out and says he wants to build it…”

“Raphael will come back immediately, no matter where he is. Right now, Jacob is his top priority.”

At my words, the squirrel puffed up its tail and wrote in elegant cursive on an acorn:

※ Serentia’s Sweet, Love-Filled Survival Mission ♥ — Part 2! ※
<Kairocen Castle> Outer District ‘Annex Area’
<(Tentative) Jacob’s Annex> Construction!

“I’ll even give ‘hidden rewards’ each time a building is completed with my power!”

Honestly, I wasn’t expecting any rewards.

‘Last time you said that and gave it to someone else, you scammer squirrel…’

Still, my eyes sparkled with ambition.

“And if I win Jacob over, it’ll be beneficial in the long run.”

“Why? Because he’s cute?”

“No.”

I said solemnly, like a schemer:

“Jacob will become my baby messenger.”

“Huh? Baby messenger? What’s that?”

“In romance novels, there’s usually a child around the main characters who helps develop their relationship.”

“Wait. Activating divine beast database…”

“…You have that, Grandpa?”

“Yes. But in my experience, ‘baby messengers’ in romance novels aren’t usually created deliberately. They occur naturally.”

“Really?”

“But I’m different.”

“….”

The squirrel looked at me, speechless.

I declared firmly:

“I’ll create one. A baby messenger. And get closer to Raphael.”