episode_0016

Academy.

To be honest, I was tempted.

I was interested in the academy itself,

and I was feeling some boredom after being in the magic tower for almost a year.

But.

“No.”

I shook my head with a sad expression.

Certainly, my heart wanted the academy,

but my head already knew.

The best place to fill my own shortcomings is,

none other than here. The magic tower.

“You… I think I should stay here.”

Of course, I could continue to develop at the academy.

But would the speed be the same as now?

‘Absolutely not.’

Meeting new people,

experiencing various things.

There was no way I could focus solely on my own ‘development’ like I do now.

I want to reach the point where I can become my own orchestra as soon as possible.

Right now, this is,

the top priority for me.

So, sadly,

I thought the academy wasn’t the right place for me.

“Sorry, Sister.”

Flora probably put a lot of thought into the suggestion,

so I felt very sorry for making this choice.

But, contrary to my expectations, she smiled.

“Hehe. It’s okay. I actually expected it.”

Was it that obvious?

Feeling sorry, I grabbed her hand and said.

-Snug.

“Instead, I’ll definitely go to the entrance and graduation ceremonies.”

Flora’s eyes widened, and then she chuckled and stroked my head.

“Forget the entrance ceremony, come to the graduation ceremony.”

“I’ll go to the entrance ceremony too!”

“No. Instead, give a congratulatory performance at my graduation ceremony.”

“Oh.”

‘I didn’t expect this.’

I flinched for a moment at her unexpected words.

“Why? Can’t you do it?”

“That’s not it…”

“Then? Don’t you want to?”

As Flora’s eyes started to turn slightly serpentine,

I was flustered and rattled off words like a waterfall.

“It’snotthatbutafterallyouknowperformingatthegraduationceremonyoftheprincessisamatteroftakingsomepressureintoconsiderationandIamalsowonderingifIcanpreparebythen….”

Whether she found my flustered state cute,

she smiled softly and said.

“Pfft. You’ll do well. I’ll take it that you will?”

“Ugh… Okay. I’ll definitely try.”

My head started to ache as the princess’s graduation celebration performance (?) was booked without me realizing it.

‘Is this a good thing?’

Actually, it’s a good thing.

If it’s the princess’s graduation ceremony, all the famous people will be there,

and I’m performing there?

‘Free viral marketing, insane.’

From the point of view of someone with a plan to earn royalties from music, I should be paying to perform.

‘Right. There’s still some time until graduation anyway, so I’ll just have to study hard until then.’

Now I have one more reason to study hard.

About 5 years until Flora’s academy graduation.

‘Let’s go for forced hard study…!’

At the age of 7, I chose the path of a pseudo-graduate student (?) on my own.

* * *

And some time later.

The morning of a bright new year.

The moment of farewell with Flora arrived.

To be honest, I felt a little sentimental.

She was the first friend I made in this other world,

and in a way, she was also a magic tower colleague.

Suddenly, I had a thought.

‘Come to think of it, we were always together in the magic tower.’

Now that I had to live in the magic tower without Flora, it was inevitable that one corner of my heart felt empty.

‘I wonder if Flora is a little sad too?’

As I thought that and looked at Flora,

I saw something amazing.

-Drip, drip.

I witnessed the “Princess who is trying to hold back but cannot control the tears that are gushing out.”

“Hiccup. Hiccup.”

But seeing the little girl crying,

this is really.

‘So cute?’

A wicked thought welled up inside me.

A wicked desire to tease her endlessly!

I quickly went to her side and started teasing her.

“Oh my~. Your Highness. What’s coming out of your eyes~?”

“U, ugh. T, this is sweat.”

“Sweat? Hmm~. Sweat in the middle of winter~. You should go to the hospital?”

“Q, Quiet! Hiccup.”

“From now on, I should call you Weepy Princess instead of Princess. Weepy Princess~. If you cry too much, you won’t grow taller~.”

“T, This is to my sister…!”

After being teased endlessly, Flora, who had stopped crying, puffed up her cheeks and started to huff and puff.

“Eeek. I’ll only cry until today, and I’ll be completely cool when I see you next time!”

“Yes, yes, Weepy Princess. Are you going to cry really coolly next time we meet?”

“Y, You…! Just you wait…!”

“Heehee. Sister is a crybaby.”

“Eek! I can’t take it anymore!”

Oh.

Did I tease her too much?

Suddenly, she rushed at me with tremendous momentum.

“Wait a minute. Sister Flora? Your eyes look a little dangerous?”

“Come here!”

“Wa, wait a minute!”

A bad feeling never fails to be right.

She approached me in an instant and started to pinch and pull my cheeks.

-Pinch pinch pinch

“Uuuuuuuuu.”

“Hehehe. You try it too.”

“I was wrong.”

“Not yet!”

How much time had passed like that?

Flora let go after my white cheeks turned red and swollen,

with a somewhat relieved (?) expression.

“Hoo. I feel a little relieved now.”

“Ugh. My cheeks aren’t mochi….”

“They’re white and the same, so what.”

We turned our heads away from each other for a moment,

-Whip.

We met each other’s eyes and burst into laughter at the same time.

-Chuckle.

“Hahahaha!”

“Hehehe.”

After laughing like that for a while.

“Serena.”

“Yeah.”

“Stay healthy.”

Flora, who really had to go now,

said goodbye to me.

“You too. Stay healthy.”

“Of course. I’m strong?”

“Ugh. Pretending to be strong.”

“It’s true~.”

“Whatever.”

We bickered until the end and finally let each other go.

“Goodbye, Serena.”

“Goodbye, Sister Flora.”

With this last greeting,

Flora left for the next magic tower.

I watched the carriage carrying Flora disappear until the end, and then returned to the magic tower.

-Creak.

In the lecture room, which looked the same as usual,

no one was sitting.

“Hoo….”

My heart was already tightening slightly,

but I stretched as if nothing was wrong and shouted.

-Ugh.

“Okay. I have to do my job too.”

‘Wait a little longer.’

I’ll give you the best graduation performance.

‘Until then, stay healthy.’

* * *

What is the largest and most splendid building in the city center of the Empire?

If you grab a passerby and ask, they will all give the same answer.

-That the Imperial Palace of the Empire is the largest and most splendid building.

And here,

the owner of the Imperial Palace, called the Sun of the Empire.

was facing his daughter, who had returned home after a long time.

Princess Flora paid her respects to her father, the Emperor, and greeted him.

“I greet the Sun of the Empire.”

The Emperor, with a solemn face and a grand physique,

asked in a monotone voice.

“What did you learn in the Purple Magic Tower?”

Normally, if she was asked what she had learned in the magic tower,

Flora would recite the unique magic of that magic tower.

But,

“In the Purple Magic Tower….”

Flora, who paused slightly,

gave a slightly different answer than usual.

“I think I learned my own shortcomings.”

Emperor Kasion Lorentes’s eyebrows moved slightly.

“Shortcomings. What shortcomings did you have?”

“I had many shortcomings.”

She closed her eyes and recalled the events of the past year.

“I lacked composure in my heart.”

“Because I lacked composure in my heart, I kept鞭策 myself.” (The term used is a direct translation of the Korean word. I will write a simple sentence to try and portray the intended meaning) Because I lacked composure in my heart, I continued to push myself harshly.

“Because I kept鞭策 myself, my vision narrowed.” Because I continued to push myself harshly, my vision narrowed.

“Because my vision narrowed, I lacked consideration for those around me.”

“Stop.”

The Emperor raised his hand,

to stop Flora from saying anything more.

“The attitude of recognizing your own shortcomings and trying to fix them is important. However, it is also important not to excessively belittle yourself in the process.”

Flora responded to the Emperor’s words by bowing her head.

The Emperor asked her the next question.

“Then, what did you gain there?”

Flora answered this question without hesitation.

“I gained a person.”

“A person?”

“Yes.”

“A person… a person.”

The Emperor pondered Flora’s answer several times.

After a short time,

he brought up a slightly random remark.

“Actually, I was a little worried.”

Worried?

The Emperor said to Flora, who had a puzzled expression, in a pleased voice.

“Since your position is what it is, you seemed too strict with yourself.”

“Ah….”

“Normally, your face was always dark and you didn’t seem to have any composure in your heart.”

The Emperor’s face as he said that,

looked somewhat bitter.

“Maybe it’s my fault.”

“After your mother died, I put too much of a burden on you, my only child.”

The Emperor’s eyes were facing Flora,

but the end of his gaze seemed to be looking at someone a little further away.

“Fortunately, it seems you have started to shine through the darkness on your own.”

“You flatter me.”

“I have something I want to say to you.”

-Raise your head.

At those words, Flora raised her head and looked at the Emperor.

The moment she raised her head, she was startled.

‘Father is smiling…?’

Because the Emperor, who always had no expression,

was looking at her with a clear smile.

He said in a soft voice.

“Enjoy life, my daughter.”

“The world is more beautiful than you think.”

Flora, who had a dazed face for a moment, bowed her head and answered.

“Yes, Father.”

“By the way, what kind of person did you gain? I’m a little curious.”

“Ah.”

She smiled brightly and said.

“I gained a sibling.”

“A sibling?”

“Yes. A very cute and lovely sibling.”

“Hmm hmm. I see. By the way, you must be tired, so go to your room and rest now.”

He chuckled and issued an order to Flora to leave.

She was also starting to feel tired, so she stepped back.

“Yes. Then I will take my leave now.”

-Thud.

As soon as Flora left with the sound of the door closing,

“Prime Minister.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The Emperor called the Prime Minister with his usual stern expression.

And issued one command.

“Find out everything about the child called ‘sibling’ that my daughter just mentioned.”

“I understand, Your Majesty.”

“Hoo….”

The Emperor clenched his fist tightly and asked the Prime Minister.

“But Prime Minister. This is just in case, just in case.”

“I am listening.”

“That sibling… wouldn’t be a man, would they?”

That’s right.

He was the Emperor, known externally for his charismatic politics,

called the Sun of the Empire,

but in the end, he was also just one daughter fool.

“Our Flora can’t…!”

-If they are a strange person, I will interrogate them myself.

The person who caused the Emperor’s strange fighting spirit (?) to burn was.

“A, Achoo! Sniffle. Is someone talking about me?”

He was coughing among the piles of books in the magic tower.

“Sniffle. There’s so much to study.”

…Shedding a few tears.