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chapter 10
Adele let out a faint chuckle and handed the wooden practice staff she had picked up earlier to Vincent.
The boy’s eyes lit up the moment he held a weapon in his hands.
After spending an entire week doing nothing but endurance training, he had grown thoroughly sick of it.
Watching his excitement, Adele smiled to herself.
I wonder…
The two of them had met far earlier than they ever should have.
Would this premature encounter change his future as well?
Just as it had already prevented Vincent from committing his very first crime.
At that moment, rustling came from the nearby bushes.
All three of them turned toward the sound at once.
Please don’t let it be another cat…
The bushes shook violently.
Then something popped out.
It rolled forward… very, very slowly.
Naturally, everyone’s eyes followed its leisurely path.
Slowly.
Painfully slowly.
Eventually, it reached Adele’s feet and came to a stop.
It was a marble.
Or at least, it looked like one—a strangely colored glass marble that children might play with.
Except…
It was enormous.
Even the adult mage had to strain as he lifted it with both hands.
Granted, a mage’s physical strength was practically nonexistent to begin with.
“…What is this?”
Both Vincent and the mage stared curiously at the mysterious sphere that had appeared out of nowhere.
They turned it over repeatedly, peering into its depths to see what might be inside.
Even the mage, who claimed to spend his days observing the world itself, seemed unable to identify it.
Adele, however, couldn’t share their curiosity.
A glass marble.
A terrible feeling settled over her.
She knew exactly what it was.
She had seen one before.
It had been inside that strange space where she’d learned the truth—that this entire world existed within a story.
That place had been filled with countless marbles, and through one of them she had witnessed scenes connected to Vincent.
And…
When that space had collapsed, she had fallen while clutching that hateful marble in her hands.
Afterward, she’d been so occupied with training Vincent that she’d completely forgotten about it.
So why…
Why had another marble suddenly appeared in the training grounds?
Her heart pounded violently.
An ominous premonition wrapped around her.
The last time the space had shattered, she had been pulled into the marble.
If the same thing happened again…
Then…
There’s nothing inside this marble.
If the space collapsed once more…
Where would she end up this time?
Seeing Adele frozen in place, Vincent looked at her anxiously.
“…Adele?”
“You should call me Boss.”
Even in a moment like this, she refused to let the chain of command slip.
Only then did she glance at the marble in the mage’s hands.
How did this rotten thing even find me?
When she’d searched the entire city for it before, it hadn’t shown itself once.
Yet now it had come to her on its own.
For what purpose?
Questions floated endlessly through her mind.
“…There’s something strange about this marble.”
“You can actually see something?”
The mage merely shrugged at her question.
“I can’t sense anything at all.”
Both Adele and Vincent looked at him with obvious disbelief.
The mage simply smiled, completely unfazed.
“Everything that exists in this world follows certain laws.”
He looked toward Adele.
“I have a feeling you understand what I mean.”
“Of course she does!” Vincent puffed out his chest before Adele could answer. “Boss knows everything!”
Secretly pleased by her subordinate’s unwavering faith, Adele chose not to correct him.
She understood, more or less, what the mage meant by the world’s laws.
It was closely connected to the way she used her own power.
In fact…
She had already begun to grasp those laws herself.
Drawing strength from within her body.
Borrowing the power of nature.
Manifesting abilities beyond ordinary human limits.
The mysterious energy the Magic Tower called mana…
That was precisely what it was.
The mages probably rely more heavily on nature’s power… while people like me draw more from the strength inside ourselves.
Seeing that she understood, the mage continued.
“But this marble has no attributes whatsoever.”
He frowned thoughtfully.
“It makes me wonder whether it’s even made from the matter of this world.”
Not made from this world…
Adele silently looked up at him.
That wasn’t the kind of conclusion an ordinary resident of this world could reach.
This mage…
He knew far too many things that only someone outside the story should know.
I’d love to beat every answer out of him…
…but he’d probably die before he finished talking.
At that exact moment—
The ground beneath Adele gave way.
“A-Adele!”
“Miss Adele!”
Vincent and the mage both lunged toward her.
“Call me Boss.”
Neither of them could reach her.
It was as though an invisible wall separated them.
She was right before their eyes…
Yet impossibly far away.
A different space…
It was exactly what had happened a few days ago.
Unlike Adele, who remained remarkably calm, the mage’s pupils trembled in shock.
Closing his eyes, he muttered an incantation.
His entire body began glowing brilliantly.
Vincent, meanwhile, desperately continued trying to grab Adele’s hand.
The mage stretched out his arm again after casting his unknown spell.
His hand passed straight through her.
“…How?!”
A string of curses no child should ever hear spilled from his mouth.
Watching the two struggle, Adele clenched her fist.
She knew it was pointless.
Even so…
It was what she always did.
Power gathered into her fist.
Far greater than the force she normally used to smash through walls.
“Move.”
Realizing what she intended, the mage immediately scooped Vincent into his arms.
The boy thrashed wildly.
But no matter how physically weak the mage might have been…
A child who had trained for only a single week couldn’t overpower an adult.
“Adel—!”
“Boss.”
Muttering the correction one last time…
Adele threw her punch.
The instant her fist shot forward—
A violent gale erupted along its path, roaring upward like a raging tornado.
Several trees shook violently before snapping and crashing to the ground.
Then—
Crack!
Something invisible standing before her shattered like glass.
“Your Majesty, Lady Laila has arrived.”
“Oh? Is it already that time?”
Hearing the welcome news, the King of the Kingdom of Philonia turned toward the door with a warm smile.
Moments later, the tightly shut doors opened.
A golden-haired little girl entered while holding her father’s hand.
She was so exquisitely beautiful that she resembled a living doll more than an actual child.
Even the servants standing inside the royal office couldn’t help but smile at the sight of her.
Releasing her father’s hand, the girl lightly gathered the hem of her dress, bent her knees into a graceful curtsey, and spoke clearly.
“Laila greets the Sun of the Kingdom. I pray that Your Majesty has remained in good health.”
Her pronunciation was crisp and precise, as though every syllable had been carefully practiced.
The adults watching couldn’t help but laugh softly.
Everyone had completely fallen under the little girl’s charm.
As soon as her greeting ended, the prince seated beside the king rose from his chair and approached her.
“Count, I trust you’ve been well.”
“I have, Your Highness. You grow more distinguished with every passing day.”
“You flatter me.”
Prince Rohaide extended an arm toward the little lady, inviting her to take it.
“I’ve heard the two of you have important matters to discuss. Lady Laila and I shall spend some time walking in the gardens, so please speak freely.”
The Count nodded, visibly moved by the thoughtfulness of a child only ten years old.
The king likewise smiled proudly.
His son was becoming every bit the dignified prince he had hoped for—and seeing him treat his fiancée with such kindness filled him with satisfaction.
Matching his pace to Laila’s tiny steps, Rohaide slowly escorted her from the room.
“What an adorable couple.”
“Did you see how considerate His Highness was? Such maturity at his age.”
Bathed in everyone’s affectionate gazes, the two children walked through the palace corridors.
Beloved by the entire kingdom, they accepted the endless compliments with practiced smiles.
It was the effortless composure of children who had been adored since birth.
Nearly thirty minutes passed between leaving the king’s office and finally reaching the royal garden.
The instant they arrived…
The faint smile lingering on Rohaide’s face disappeared completely.
His expression turned cold without leaving even a trace of warmth behind.
Laila lowered her voice.
“…Your Highness. There are still many eyes watching us.”
“I know.”
Despite her warning, Rohaide lowered the arm that had been escorting her.
Naturally, Laila’s arm fell away as well.
“If the adults see us like this… they’ll be disappointed.”
“You always say that.”
At the weariness in his voice, Laila bit her lip tightly.
In an instant, tears welled in the little girl’s eyes.
“It’s depressing…”
Rohaide said flatly,
“…that I have to spend the rest of my life with someone like you.”
“Why do you hate me so much, Your Highness?”
Her voice trembled.
“My father likes me. His Majesty likes me too.”
“So why… why don’t you?”
Rohaide gave no answer.
If he simply left her alone…
She would stop crying on her own.
