episode_0011

It was an unbelievable situation.

I didn’t control the soldiers because I trusted Ria.

I was simply curious about the unwavering confidence without a clear basis.

Controlling soldiers, as I told Ria, was not as easy as it sounded.

However, if there was someone to take responsibility, there was nothing stopping me from acting,

and Ria was that person to take responsibility.

Of course, I thought I would hear unpleasant words for controlling soldiers based on a child’s request.

That was all.

I might hear nagging about being naive or something like that.

If only I could figure out the reason behind those strange actions, it might be quite interesting, I thought.

Ria asked for my help and said, “People are getting hurt and dying, so we must save them.”

The statement itself was straightforward.

But why did she say that?

That intrigued me.

“At that time…”

Upon hearing the alias Star Child, Ria suddenly changed the atmosphere.

Was it related to the kingdom’s princess?

No, even if it was related, how did they know about this attack?

“Without directly ordering the attack…”

My thoughts took a strange turn, and I shook my head in disbelief.

It sounded absurd.

Realistically, it was impossible.

I sighed.

The current situation was becoming increasingly complex.

Hadn’t the soldiers received information while subduing the bandits?

The individual skills of the bandits were significant.

And they moved like a well-trained army, as if they were one body.

Lastly, they weren’t just ordinary bandits; they were after something specific,

probably the princess of the kingdom they had reportedly targeted intensively.

No matter how much I thought about it, this incident was not ordinary.

It was highly likely to be related to politics.

I ran my fingers through my hair nervously.

“…Is it my concern?”

My role seemed to be limited to managing the soldiers and protecting the procession.

Anything beyond that seemed to be the responsibility of my father and brother.

“…Confusing.”

After spending all day receiving the same thanks from the nobles in the procession, my head felt numb,

and beyond that, the image of the sleepy-eyed Ria came to mind again.

Who is that guy really?

I hadn’t failed to investigate him personally.

Although my ability to use people privately was limited, I could gather enough information.

The number of nobles was small, and the number of fallen nobles was even smaller.

With a little searching, couldn’t I easily identify which family he belonged to?

“…Lynas.”

Before his downfall, it was a name that Ria should have carried.

However, delving too deep into it seemed even more nonsensical.

It wasn’t a family with special abilities like sensing danger or seeing the future.

Even if they had noble abilities reemerge.

It was a story unrelated to the current situation.

“…Maybe it’s better to ask directly.”

Since I needed to maintain good relations with the nobles.

After going through the tedious routine of receiving thanks from the nobles, I finally started looking for Ria.

It was easy to find her.

She seemed unaware, but within the academy, she was somewhat famous for her cute yet peculiar demeanor.

If you asked passersby if they had seen a cute girl with sky-blue hair wearing pajamas and sleepy eyes mumbling to herself,

“Oh, her?” They would point you in the right direction.

Heading towards the location people indicated, I found Ria sitting by the fountain, seemingly lost in thought.

Just looking at her, she seemed lethargic.

It was almost hard to believe she was the same person who had a serious expression yesterday.

As I approached, I overheard Shasha and Ria chatting.

Shasha noticed me approaching and tugged at Ria’s pajamas, but Ria couldn’t stop talking.

She was teasing me.

I couldn’t help but ask without realizing it.

“Who are you teasing?”

“Shasha.”

Look at how shamelessly he twists his words.

***

Why is the prince in front of me?

By now, he should be surrounded by people and very busy.

Hey, could it be that he’s not as popular as I thought?

“What’s with that look…?”

“My gaze is always polite.”

“Ugh.”

He acts like a brat.

If adults are like that, then so be it.

I offered the candy I had been lightly licking.

“Would you like some?”

“…Will you eat it?”

“Ugh…”

The candy, despite being delicious, was so sweet that it seemed like I should stop eating it slowly.

But I couldn’t easily throw it away because this one piece cost 9,000 lire.

Lire is equivalent to the Korean won in value, so one stick of candy costs 9,000 won.

No matter how premium the fruit-flavored candy is, it’s truly an insane price.

As I grumbled while staring at the uneaten stick of candy, Deron spoke up.

“…How did you know?”

“How did you know?”

“That the Grand Array is under attack.”

Ah, was it a repetition of Shasha’s question?

I glanced briefly at the frozen Shasha and shrugged my shoulders.

“…Hmm, can we keep it a secret? Shasha let it go like that.”

“Don’t want to talk about it?”

“That’s right.”

There was no way I could come up with a proper excuse for this situation, so I didn’t even bother thinking about one.

“Anyway, since I didn’t do anything wrong, could you just let it go and I’ll give you the candy!”

If Deron insists on knowing more here, it would be quite awkward, so I deliberately laughed like a fool.

As I said, I hadn’t done anything strange; I just wanted to spare the kid a bit.

I definitely acted with good intentions.

True altruism doesn’t expect rewards,

but I’m a hypocrite.

It seemed like the best thing to do was to let this incident slide as a reward for my good deed.

“Hehe….”

Perhaps he sensed my intentions.

Deron, who was staring at me intently, didn’t act as aggressively as yesterday,

but looked down at me with a rather puzzled expression.

“…You want me to see it as candy, do I look like a kid?”

“…If you’re not a kid at 10 years old, then what are you.”

No, really, if you’re not a kid at 10 years old, then what are you.

Because of the way you speak and act, you must have been thoroughly educated.

You don’t look like a 10-year-old at all, but since you’re the same age as me, you must be 10 years old.

Ah….

“Young kids naturally dislike being called young, so I’ll help you understand.”

I suddenly realized.

Kids naturally want to be adults, and adults want to be kids.

So, having been an adult, I am beyond just being dissatisfied with the body of a child and am content.

As you grow older, things that shouldn’t bother you pile up, and the burdens you have to bear become heavier. Why would you like that?

I closed my eyes and hummed a tune like an uncle.

“…I want to remain a child forever……”

“Something feels really unpleasant.”

“Oh, that’s how you really feel….”

Something about Shasha subtly moving next to Deron and looking at me with a slightly displeased expression hurts in a subtle way.

“…Well, let’s stop playing around here and get busy for a while, okay?”

“…Yeah, who’s to blame for this.”

Today seemed to end early, but what about tomorrow?

I smirked mischievously.

It might be very mean of me to want to see that old man’s bewildered expression,

But my heart is quite narrow, so I couldn’t forget the 10-year-old boy who threatened me yesterday.

Vee-

I stuck out my tongue.

“What is it?”

“Ehehe….”

It was a teasing gesture as if to say, “If you can pull it out like you did with the threat yesterday, go ahead and try.”

Without hesitation, Deron grabbed my tongue and pulled it straight out.

“…Ouch!”

It hurts! It hurts a lot!

“…Don’t stick your tongue out at me.”

“…I’m sorry!”

It’s common sense not to pull a 10-year-old kid’s tongue like that!

As tears welled up more than expected, Deron subtly avoided my gaze, perhaps feeling something despite inflicting pain.

“…This is the prince being naughty….”

Shasha, this time, came over to my side and discreetly glanced at Deron.

This guy’s social skills are no joke.

Is this level necessary to enter the academy as a commoner?

To put it nicely, he was perceptive; to put it harshly, there was no shortage of bats in his belfry.

Making friends with a bat in the academy for the first time.

As I lamented my embarrassing situation, Deron suddenly apologized.

“…Sigh, fine, I’m sorry.”

He’s apologizing for this.

Quite surprising, I blinked in disbelief, and Shasha, embracing me, began to reprimand Deron.

“No matter if you’re a prince, you shouldn’t pull a lady’s tongue like that!”

What? I was just whimpering because it hurt.

Is that how it works?

Their atmosphere was quite serious, but I was too dazed to think about anything other than the pain.

Did I really see Shasha growling at the prince?

They say watching a fight is the most entertaining thing in the world.

Honestly, it was kind of fun.

Considering that kids usually become closer through fights, those two seem to be getting along.

Proudly watching them, the day came to an end.

And another day passed, and another.

Finally, the admission season was coming to a close.

The villainess has enrolled.