Chapter 95

Xiaoming stood at the classroom door, took a deep breath, and firmly gripped the secret letter from his mother.

Hixon faced an absurd scene.

"What is all this?"

The water lapped at his ankles.

A heart-wrenching cry could also be heard.

"Give it back! I want it back!"

A voice, as if a child was throwing a tantrum, echoed.

The voice pierced through the noise-cancelling mana barrier that Xenon had set up and clearly reached Hixon's ears.

"Viola, did you develop a liking for swimming?"

"Not really."

Viola sat on the bed, looking at the water that had risen to her ankles with an indifferent gaze.

As time passed, the water rose to her knees.

Xenon smiled and said,

"If PongPong cries any more, the water will spill out."

Xenon swung his sword once.

With a crackling sound, the area around the door froze solid.

It was a waterproofing job using the Lasborn Ice Sword technique.

PongPong half-sobbed and half-shouted,

"I'll kill him."

Hixon scratched his head.

"So, the person she wants to kill is your father, right?"

"Yeah, probably."

"And Xenon is desperately trying to block the noise with the barrier."

"Yeah."

"Even so, you know this news will reach Heron, right?"

"Yeah."

She knew everything.

PongPong knew that Heron was the culprit who had killed (or so she thought) the beautiful flowers she had nurtured and was pouring out immense anger towards him.

"Wow. I didn't expect a crazy kid to show up in the Winter Castle, really intent on killing Heron. Even radiating murderous intent."

"Indeed."

"Why are you so calm, Viola?"

"Do I look calm?"

"Very."

No.

That was Hixon's misunderstanding.

Viola was actually deeply troubled.

It just seemed like she was sitting calmly and analyzing the situation due to the image and actions she had built up over time.

"What do you plan to do?"

Hixon's brow furrowed slightly.

For some reason, he was irritated.

'Heron, that despicable guy...!'

He was the one who had given Viola the flowers.

If that's the case, who knows what he might do, using this incident as an excuse.

'Somehow, I can imagine him laughing in his study while receiving a report on this.'

He would probably be eagerly waiting to see how the mischievous and adorable Viola would react and handle the situation.

"If you were my father, what do you think would have happened?"

"If it were me?"

Hixon's frown deepened.

"You would have been happy."

"Why?"

"Because you'd get to talk to your daughter again? You'd have a clear reason, and you could see your cute daughter's antics. It would be a great opportunity, wouldn't it?"

"......Sure."

Viola regretted asking.

She withdrew her gaze from Hixon, and Hixon felt hurt in his own way.

"Why? Really."

"Yeah. Really. Thanks."

"Hey, I mean it."

"I know."

Hixon felt a bit disappointed but couldn't show it because he had promised to be a good adult.

'Oh, right.

I almost forgot about PongPong, but the reason I came here was to check Viola's wrist and arm condition.'

"Is your arm okay?"

"Yeah."

"How can it be okay?"

Hixon walked through the water and grabbed Viola's fingertips, lifting them up.

He examined them as if they were a rare object.

"What? You really are okay?"

"Did you hope I wouldn't be?"

"Well, no......"

Even though Viola wasn't practicing martial arts, Hixon knew she had a natural talent for it.

In other words, Viola was a genius.

However, the ring from Kurumkurum was too heavy and excessive for the current Viola.

"It should make your movements heavy and your chest tight."

"Doesn't seem to be the case."

"Really?"

Viola wasn't just pretending; she was genuinely fine.

Hixon found it incomprehensible.

At the same time, his irritation slowly rose again.

'That guy must have laughed, thinking, "Of course my daughter can lift it without any trouble." He must have thought something like that.'

He had always disliked that friend, but today he found him particularly annoying.

Anyway, PongPong provided the answer to why Viola could lift the ring without any trouble.

"Huuuuuuu!"

Despite her heart-wrenching sobs, PongPong seemed determined to boast and hiccupped as she spoke.

"It's my strength, you fools!"

The tears in PongPong's eyes stopped as she busied herself with boasting, and in the meantime, Xenon channeled mana to freeze the entire elemental water and then turned it into powder.

He carefully placed the ice powder, which had been cleanly cut, into a specially made magic jar.

"I've obtained ice made from clean and delicious elemental water."

Xenon's smile deepened.

"I can make a much tastier strawberry ade now."

Xenon, who had wasted the strength of a 3rd-class knight to harvest the ice, looked quite satisfied.

Xenon seemed infinitely calm and peaceful, while PongPong looked urgent and agitated.

"I gave the water to the pretty flowers! Thanks to the best water I brought from the elemental realm, they grew lushly."

From what she said, it was understandable that PongPong might feel heartbroken.

She had been scolded by the Elemental King for bringing the water.

And that elemental water was called 'Arena,' which was said to be limited to one export to the human realm.

"How much did I get scolded for bringing that?"

"That was...... Arena?"

Viola was also taken aback.

The villainess Heidi, who was originally a villain, had been raised to the world's top-tier villainess by 'Arena.'

Arena was a very special water, often described in novels as an elixir of immortality.

Of course, it didn't actually grant immortality, but it was famous for being water that could work miracles.

"Do you know Arena?"

"Water that can work miracles. The life water that is said to exist only in the elemental realm."

Good grief.

You sprinkled it on the flower bed?

Viola was taken aback.

'How much must you love flowers to sprinkle Arena, which is considered a treasure among treasures for humans, on a flower bed?'

No matter how she thought about it, the characters in 'The Shadow of Bellato' were clearly not in their right minds.

"Yeah. I gifted Arena to the Nalreums."

"What are Nalreums?"

"I named them. I wanted them to grow strong and brave."

From what she said, the marigolds that had received the blessing of the elemental spirits were called 'Nalreums' and had gained properties similar to elemental flowers thanks to Arena's blessing.

"Oh, indeed. That's why Viola could lift the ring without any trouble."

"Yeah. Viola has such good affinity with elementals that she could be considered one herself."

That meant she wasn't significantly affected by the influence of the elemental flowers.

PongPong's expression turned serious.

"Then when are you going to kill Heron?"

"I can't."

"Why?"

"He's much stronger than you and even stronger than me."

"Then let's get stronger quickly. Let's kill him quickly."

This kid is really asking for trouble.

She's talking about ruining my beautiful and rosy future.

"Everything in the duke's mansion belongs to Father. He was the one who actually created the marigold garden, and I didn't contribute to it at all."

Ah, I don't care!

I don't know about that!

I have to avenge the Nalreums!!

PongPong was about to throw a tantrum but then closed her mouth.

"Let's go."

"Where?"

"To Father."

"R, really kill him?"

PongPong's face turned pale in an instant.

Although she had been shouting about killing Heron, it seemed to be just bravado.

PongPong had already sensed the residual mana in the marigold garden after the flowers had been cut.

She had indirectly felt Heron's formidable power and was now scared to death that Viola was going to see him.

"Of course, I'm not scared or anything. But still, it might be a bit much to actually kill him."

Viola, without looking at PongPong, spoke to Xenon.

"Xenon, set up an appointment with Father. I'll go see him."

"What reason should I give?"

You can't just meet anyone who wants to.

Xenon, who was usually calm, seemed a bit worried this time.

"I'll demand an apology."

"Huh?"

Hixon rubbed his forehead.

"Are you in your right mind?"

That despicable guy seems to care for his daughter, but this is a different matter.

Demanding an apology from Heron for cutting the flowers in the garden is out of the question.

Regardless of personal feelings, Heron was the kind of person who could execute someone for challenging the authority of the head of the house.

That's how Hixon saw Heron.

"I'm in my right mind."

"Snap out of it. You'll get into big trouble.

No, no, I'll go with you."

In the worst-case scenario, he could at least buy Viola time to escape.

Hixon had a solemn resolve.

"I will convey the Sixth Lady's wishes to the Duke."

***

The duke's study was filled with a heavy atmosphere.

Carlton had sighed hundreds of times in his heart.

'What is the Sixth Lady thinking?'

Recently, the Sixth Lady had been showing outstanding performance.

Carlton thought this was the most dangerous period.

Many people, intoxicated by their growth and achievements, ended up ruining things.

He thought Viola was different, but it seemed she was still a child.

'Even if the Sixth Lady is doing well, how can she demand an apology and set up a meeting with the Duke?'

In fact, Carlton had a very high opinion of Viola.

He thought she could become a great asset to Bellato, even if she couldn't become the head of the house.

'How can I protect her?'

The heavy atmosphere in the study was emanating from Heron.

If an ordinary person who couldn't handle mana entered this space, they would probably find it hard to breathe.

The air was so dense that one might suffocate if unlucky.

Knock knock.

A knocking sound was heard.

Viola entered the study.

PongPong stood to her right.

"Let's go."

The PongPong who had been raging about killing Heron was nowhere to be seen.

She clung to the hem of Viola's dress and entered hesitantly.

"Nice to see you again, Father."

"Yes. You demanded an apology from me."

Heron already knew everything.

He knew that the elemental who had given water to the marigold garden was PongPong and that PongPong had been shouting about killing him.

"You're the first child to come to me demanding an apology. Where is Hixon?"

"I'm not weak enough to need Hixon's strength."

Viola's eyes were full of confidence.

To Carlton, it was a dangerously misplaced confidence.

'You have courage, Sixth Lady, but you must distinguish between courage and recklessness.'

In fact, Viola wasn't full of confidence.

She was terrified.

But she had become adept at pretending to be calm.

No one would think Viola was scared.

"I think I know you well, Father. Even if you're in a bad mood, you're the kind of adult who acknowledges the truth. And I, as the White Bellato, have come to judge right and wrong accurately."

"Speak then."

The duke's eyes narrowed.

Viola was terrified to meet his gaze.

Heron was the type who would acknowledge the truth even if it made him unhappy, but he would not forgive a lie even if it made him happy.

'From the moment PongPong started ranting about killing Father, the answer was already clear.'

She couldn't just pretend not to know and let it pass.

If she had to confront him, she had to do it this way.

Her heart was pounding, but she moved with apparent calm.

She walked over and stood in front of the duke.

She took off the ring from her finger and held it out on her palm respectfully.

"I demand an apology from you, Father, for humiliating me."

To Carlton, it was completely incomprehensible.