THTE 59

Chapter 59

At Kaleo’s explanation, Nibellia nodded again.

“Jjeng-dang-seong!”

“Jeong-dang-seong (legitimacy).”

“Jeong-dang-seong!”

“……”

Detter, watching the affectionate exchange between father and daughter from a step away, briefly wondered, ‘Is it really okay to learn such an important concept like legitimacy in that way?’

But, well, what mattered was that she had learned it, so he decided to let it go.

“Legitimacy means a reason that makes something okay to do—like hitting someone.”

“It’s not only for hitting.”

Solles added new knowledge to his younger sister, who had once again picked up something new.

“Every action has a reason, right? If many people agree with that reason, then that becomes legitimacy.”

“For example?”

“For example, hmm…”

Solles thought for a moment, then looked out the window.

“Autumn is coming soon, right? Then it’ll get a little chilly.”

“When it’s chilly, it’s cold. Winter will come.”

“Right. And because it’s too cold, you buy warm clothes to wear.”

What do you think about buying clothes because it’s too cold?

To Solles’s question, Nibellia answered right away.

“Nibby likes that. Being cold is hard, so you have to dress warmly.”

“Exactly. That’s legitimacy.”

“Ooooh.”

Nibellia’s knowledge had been filled a little more.

Grinning, she snuggled right next to Solles, then slipped her head under his arm as he tried to read.

After bothering his reading, she plopped herself proudly onto his lap.

“Brother, you’re smart!”

She looked up at Solles and beamed.

“I like Brother!”

Solles laughed as well.

“I like you too, Nibby. But I heard you fought with a friend at kindergarten today?”

“Not a friend. And I won!”

Nibellia showed off her plump little fist as proof.

Solles knew well enough that getting hit by that fist hurt quite a bit.

Sometimes, only sometimes, when she got really upset, Nibellia couldn’t control her anger and swung her hand.

Even the lightest brush from it left a lingering sting for days.

Once, she had punched him in the stomach when he startled her as a prank, and the bruise lasted a whole week.

“Young Lady.”

At that moment, Aref returned from sword training.

“Aref!”

Nibellia hopped off Solles’s lap and ran over to him.

“You’re the busiest one of all, huh.”

Though a bit hurt by his sister’s lack of hesitation in leaving him, Solles also set his book aside and went to Aref.

His hair tips were still damp from washing up, and a pleasant soapy scent drifted around him.

Nibellia sniffed, then smiled brightly.

“Aref, you’re done? Now let’s play?”

“Yes. But, Young Lady, are you okay?”

“Why?”

“Because, today…”

The moment Aref heard she had fought, he had been shocked stiff.

I failed to protect her again…

If only he had been there, he could have stepped in and defended her.

Now he could swing his wooden sword fifty times without rest. Ardores even praised his form.

“…Young Lady.”

Aref fidgeted with the hem of his clothes.

“I—I’m your subordinate, right?”

“Mm-hm.”

“So, that means, I… I will…”

Next time, I’ll definitely protect you.

If anything happens, please call me.

I’m your subordinate.

And we are…

“……”

The thought that they liked each other flashed in his mind, and immediately his face, ears, and neck turned red, like his crimson eyes.

“…Are you hurt?”

Nibellia waved her hand in front of silent Aref.

“Brother, is Aref sick?”

“Hmm.”

Solles, watching quietly, shrugged his shoulders.

“Dunno. Doesn’t look like he’s sick.”

“……”

“Hey!”

Not liking her brother’s mischievous smile, Nibellia smacked his forearm.

Her hand, as always, stung.

The kindergarten incident ended peacefully like this.

“…You’re saying she asked for a wizard to be arranged?”

Or so it seemed.

But then, an unexpected problem popped up elsewhere.

“She really submitted such a request?”

“Yes, here’s the letter.”

Della, who always worked in a janitor’s outfit, was dressed in a proper suit for once.

A stylish pantsuit, like those worn by titled ladies.

“And where exactly have you been, if I may ask?”

“What’s it to you?”

“Well, just a spark of curiosity befitting an information guild employee.”

“Excuse and attempt both noted.”

Gathering her streaked brown hair, now showing patches of white, into a low tie, Della adjusted her glasses.

The letter Dellaq handed her indeed contained a request for an introduction to a wizard.

It even named the specific wizard.

The sender was a seven-year-old orphan girl the guild had been watching with special attention lately—Rima.

Della murmured the name written in the letter.

“Inerca…”

“Inerca is rather famous even in the Mage Tower, isn’t he?”

At Dellaq’s remark, Della nodded.

“One of the few lineage families that has produced magicians for three generations.”

In a society where magic was granted by rare talent, there were families that, against all odds, produced magicians for generations.

The Inerca family was one of those few.

“……”

Behind her thick glasses, Della’s green eyes gleamed sharply.

How in the world did she know this?

The Inerca family wasn’t exactly a state secret, but it wasn’t common public knowledge either.

The Mage Tower was a closed circle. As the sole society that protected magicians, they guarded their information fiercely.

In other words, a seven-year-old orphan girl should not—and could not—know this.

…This is starting to feel frightening.

She thought the scariest moment of her life had been forty years ago, but apparently, there was still more to come.

…No, Lady Muniel is still scarier.

The saint back then… truly, ugh.

Shaking her head to banish those memories, Della spoke.

“Dellaq, first of all…”

“Isn’t she amazing?”

The words Della was about to say froze in her throat.

She stared in disbelief at the handsome young man before her, this “Dellaq” who was acting as the guild master.

His face was lit with excitement as he began praising Rima.

“How did that little girl manage to get such information? What else might she know? I’m dying to find out!”

“Dellaq?”

“Ah, she’s such a talent, don’t you think? Too precious to be left in some duke’s household. We should have the guild protect her a little more…”

“Dellaq!”

Della shouted.

Only then did his unfocused eyes regain their clarity, though they still flickered like a candle in the wind.

“Uh, what… what did I just say?”

“Dellaq. Come here.”

Della opened a drawer and pulled out a small pouch. From it, she took out a piece of candy.

“Eat this.”

When she unwrapped it, a dark lump of honey candy was revealed.

“Eat it right here, in front of me.”

“Pardon?”

“Now!”

Startled by the commanding tone, Dellaq quickly popped it in his mouth.

He grimaced at the initial bitterness, then relaxed as the subtle sweetness spread.

When he bit into the deep red fruit at its core, the tartness made his eyes squint.

Della watched him the entire time.

“…Did I really just say that girl tempted me? Out loud?”

Remembering his words, Dellaq shuddered.

Only then did Della allow herself to breathe in relief.

Still, she trembled with a sharper fear than before.

This…

This wasn’t something to take lightly.

She had known it would be no small matter when the great witch hinted at it in her tent, but after what just happened, her resolve solidified.

Maybe she isn’t even human.

Muniel had never once described what kind of existence Rima was.

But from this moment, Della knew she could no longer see the girl without unease.

Pretending calm would be impossible.

The fear she felt now was no different from forty years ago, when she had fought monsters.

Rima, her pink hair neatly braided into two, hummed to herself.

They’re moving exactly as I instructed.

Nibbling cookies dipped in milk, she glanced over the report the guild had sent back in response to her letter.

Everything was perfect.

Young Lord Petra had invested, even going into debt, in the Phroc Kingdom’s magic stone mines.

The broker the guild introduced had persuaded him well.

It’s just a shame Lubeo didn’t invest too.

She had even manipulated public opinion through the newspapers to make it inevitable.

But it was fine.

The Phroc Kingdom’s mining project was her fabrication.

Well, the mining itself was real—but Petra’s money would be funneled into an account under one of Rima’s false names.

After laundering it clean, Rima would start her own merchant company.

She even had the name picked out.

“Kitty Trading Company.”

Rima deliberately said it aloud.

“The novel will go back to how it was. The plot cannot change without my permission. I’m the author.”

Her desperate muttering continued for a long time.

No one scolded her.

Still, she kept glancing around nervously, muttering, “I’ll put it back the way it was.”

“I’m the protagonist. This miracle belongs to me…!”

In the mirror, her reflection stared back—

A beautiful seven-year-old girl with striking pink hair.

“Announcement! I have an announcement!”

Nibellia declared proudly.

“Nibby’s going to start a business!”