Chapter 34

"Are you really five years old?"

"Huh?..."

I froze, taken aback by the sudden question.

"No, I've investigated you thoroughly, and frankly, I never would have thought you were three years younger than me. It just caught my attention, that's all."

Her words finally sank in. But the only thing that came out of my mouth was,

"U-Uh, well, um..."

My mind finally started to work.

(Why? No, that's right, I was too careless! Living in terms of years, I had forgotten and got carried away. She said she investigated me! Then, it's only natural for her to think that. Damn! A genius!! What should I do? Did she find out I'm from another world? No, no, wait, I never said anything like that! Then, what I need to do is not deny it but show that I'm a bit more advanced than others!)

Alright!!

And I managed to squeeze out some words.

"Ah, yes, indeed. I admit that I could do many things 'quite'... Oh, cough, quite early compared to other children. But I assure you, I am not, by any means, lying about my age."

I was interrupted mid-sentence but managed to come up with an excuse.

"I'm not doubting that you're lying about your age. However, it might be difficult to talk with the maids around, so let's have them leave. You all, please step back."

The maids, who had been told beforehand, quickly left in a matter of seconds.

"Then, I'll speak candidly."

As soon as the maids left, she spoke in the same manner as when we met in the alley.

"Ah... um..."

(I can't respond to a sudden change in tone...)

"That's my natural way of speaking. I inherited it from my mother. The maids assigned to me were also similar. If you don't like it, I can go back to the previous tone?"

"N-No, whichever is fine. Please choose the one that's more comfortable for you."

(I definitely prefer the 'boku' tone! It's more comfortable and easier to understand!)

"Alright? Then I'll continue this way.

What I want to know isn't that. I heard about you from your father. Apparently, you have the highest number of skills ever."

"Ah, yes. Despite my lack of talent, I'm quite embarrassed."

(I really don't want to continue this conversation; it will only lead to more trouble.)

"Ha ha ha, you lack talent? You must be joking. You're undoubtedly the greatest genius this country has ever seen. As I said, I investigated you. Not just by asking your father, but by hiring experts with money."

"Really? You hired experts? At your age?"

(This situation is getting dangerous; I want to go home as soon as possible!)

"My mother took immediate action when I asked her."

"Oh, I see."

(So, she's still 8 years old. It seems a bit too easy, but...)

"Yes, as you can tell from my way of speaking, my mother is a bit of a tomboy. She acts immediately when she thinks about something. And she found out about you."

"..."

(I'm getting nervous; my stomach is churning.)

"Speaking only a little over a year and a half, you started reading books without even learning the alphabet. Then, at just two years old, you started going outside and even bought a slave on your first day out. It's abnormal.

And your intuition is incredibly sharp, and you have an abnormal level of physical ability."

(Some parts are a bit off. Are your spies incompetent? Ah, it must be my father's information manipulation! I'm being played.)

But there's something I don't understand.

"Well, most of what you said is correct, but I don't understand the last part. How did you know about my sharp intuition and physical abilities?"

"Of course, I tested you."

"?"

"What do you mean by 'tested'?"

"Do you remember the first time we met?"

"Of course."

(What is she talking about?)

To my question,

"That was all set up by me," she dropped a bomb.

"Huh?"

"So, it was all set up by me. It was all an act."

"Huh? Why would you do something like that?"

"Because I wanted to test you. I hired thugs. First, I wanted to see if you noticed the thugs I assigned to you. And more importantly, you saw the three people who were still out of sight. You even saw that they were carrying burlap bags. You immediately gave orders to your guards. The bags, by the way, were designed to see the outside from the inside.

I saw it. Your impossible speed. Even with divine speed, it was clearly abnormal. Not just the speed, but the power of your punches. I heard from the thugs later. The power was extraordinary. The average level for your age is 3 to 5. I'm at level 15, and I've been training since I was three due to certain circumstances. The thug you hit was the strongest among them. He said it was the heaviest punch he had ever felt in his life. So, as your fiancé, I really want to know. What's the deal?"

She said all this in one breath.

(What a woman! This is bad! There were indeed 2 or 3 people there! If it was just being watched, I could explain it with divine speed. But if the person I hit is in on it, I can't explain it away! Damn! I hadn't hit anyone in a while and got carried away with excitement! The former can be explained with divine eyes, but the latter is a problem! I'll try to bluff for now.)

"I don't know what you mean by 'what's the deal.'"

"Interesting, trying to bluff, huh?

I haven't told anyone about this. I swear, I'm not trying to threaten you or anything. It's just that... you're probably the closest to my goal, or rather, my dream. I heard about our engagement right after I turned four. I was devastated. Honestly, I didn't like it. So I investigated. But after getting to know you, I changed my mind. That's why I'm talking to you candidly. I wanted to know about you so much that I went to such lengths."

...

A brief silence fell.

(I can't let this silence continue; it might make things worse. But I can't tell her everything. What should I do? What should I start with!)

After some thought, the words that came out were,

"Um... what exactly do you want to know about me?"

(I hope this isn't too bad; it limits the information she can get.)

"Everything!"

... My shallow strategy was shattered in an instant.

"I want to know everything from 1 to 10!"

She said this with more excitement than ever before.

"But... there are things I can't tell, even if you say 'everything.'"

In this world, asking about someone's status is a breach of etiquette. Status is personal, a matter of life and death. It's not something to be asked or answered lightly.

(This is only allowed because she's a princess! Really!)

"Right, sorry, I got too excited. Let's start with the secret of your strength, shall we?"

"That's because of my slave, Aina, and her fire attribute magic... (I've already confirmed that there's no magic on her)..."

The lie was seen through instantly.

"Ah, if you lie again, I'll tell your father and the duke about this."

She showed me a yellow card.

(Damn, she used an item! I didn't notice!)

Indeed, such magical items exist, as written in books. But divine eyes can't see everything in a range; they only see what you want to see. Naturally, there are oversights.

(... Is there no way out? Should I tell her about my continuous magical training? Damn, this is getting complicated.)

"... I'm sorry, Princess, but even as a princess, I cannot reveal my personal secrets or status. It could be a matter of life and death if it leaks out."

I indirectly told her that I don't trust her. It might cause some trouble for my family, but this is the only way.

"Does that mean you don't trust me?"

Despite my careful wording, she asked directly.

"..."

"Even if you break the engagement?"

... I was getting annoyed.

Since I'm going to be an adventurer anyway, I thought, I can just run away if things get bad. So I sat down in the chair in front of the princess and said,

"... Yes, even if you break the engagement."

"..."

This time, the princess fell silent.

"I really don't want anyone to see my status. I would kill anyone who sees or knows about it."

The princess's face tensed.

I'm serious. I haven't met them yet, but I plan to kill anyone who knows about my status, except for my parents. This is non-negotiable.

"I admit I was too careless. But there are things that should and shouldn't be said. I don't know what your goals are, but do you think I would help you?"

There's no way.

I had slightly suspected she was a reincarnated person, but that's not the case. A reincarnated person wouldn't ask like this. This kind of capriciousness is typical of a 5-year-old.

"Let me give you an answer.

Absolutely not!

Dissolving the engagement?

Yes, that would be a problem for my family. So?

Fine! If you hate marrying me so much, I'll talk to my father. If he doesn't dissolve the engagement, I'll leave home immediately!"

I would leave anyway, but it's a bluff.

"Wait, I'm sorry, I didn't think you'd get so angry! Please forgive me. I didn't mean to make you angry, I'm really sorry."

She started to tremble.

It was completely unexpected.

(Ah, this is bad, she's about to cry.)

I realized she was only 8 years old.

I? I'm 26 mentally this year.

This is getting awkward.

"I-I'm sorry, I said too much. I'm sorry, please don't cry."

I was flustered.

"It's okay, I'm not angry."

"Ah, you're not angry, not at all."

"That's great! I'm glad!"

She suddenly became cheerful.

"..."

"What's wrong?"

"Was it an act?"

"Hehehehehe..."

"......Hehehehehe, ha... I'm tired..."

I couldn't even get angry anymore.

"Can I go home now? I'm tired."

"Sure, it's that time anyway."

She signaled, and a maid came immediately.

(I hope she wasn't watching.)

The place seemed full of traps.

As a formality,

"I thank you for inviting me today."

She changed her tone and said,

"I'm grateful that you came. It was a very productive time."

(In my heart, I cursed as I left.)

In the garden afterward,

"Haah... Haah..."

I let out a long sigh.

"Are you okay?"

The maid asked.

"Yes. I'll return to my room now. Please take care of the cleanup."

"Of course! Please rest well."

She said and went to her room.

She fell onto the bed and curled up.

Despite appearing calm, she was terrified. She was almost in tears.

If he hadn't started to fluster, she would have definitely cried.

It was the first time in her life that she faced such intense anger.

The thought of being included in his words about killing was terrifying.

He was serious, and he could definitely carry it out.

The thought of it was unbearable.

She tried to suppress her hyperventilation and then seriously considered her future.

After talking, he would start to be wary.

If he found out she was a spy, he would definitely come to kill her.

Could she defend herself?

There was no way! He saw a burlap bag 100 meters away through a wall.

There must be some unknown ability.

The most famous book on magical items describes the Magic Eye Stone, but the description is slightly altered for clarity.

In other words, the Magic Eye Stone sees things differently from what is seen with divine eyes or appraisal.

The most important missing sentence is:

"It can see all skills with a rarity of 7 or lower."

It seems the user is not included...

And the right straight punch with no magic, which was not a level 10 person's punch.

This suggests the existence of an unknown, legendary skill.

"I can't give up, me.

He is the person closest to my dream."

1 meter = 1 mel

The protagonist normally says 1 meter.