Chapter 90

Lirika stood by the window, gazing at the distant mountains while deeply reflecting on yesterday's events.

As cherry blossoms danced in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of promise written there.

Lirika was staring blankly at the situation when someone whispered in her ear.

"But even if you're weak, there are always tricks for the weak."

"!!"

Startled, she turned around, and then woke up from her dream. Lirika froze.

Startled, her eyes widened, and in the darkness, someone was looking down at her. Her heart was beating so fast and hard it felt like it might jump out.

She couldn't even blink as she looked at the person, and it was Altears.

With a blank expression, Altears was looking down at her.

'Why...'

Was the dream continuing, or had she woken up? Moreover, the expression on His Majesty's face.

It was similar to one she had seen before, a face worn down and eroded like an ancient statue.

She was scared.

Honestly, she was really scared.

Feeling her breathing become rough, Lirika mustered all her courage.

"Ah, Father...?"

Altears' expression wavered. He frowned, and it was unclear if he was angry, but his hand continued to stroke her head.

Would my head wear out from this?

"Since you're my daughter, I can't lose."

"That, that's... that's..."

She didn't know how to respond, floundering internally, 'Oh no, oh no, what should I do?'

She could feel her face heating up. Fortunately, the room was dark, and Lirika was relieved, but Altears could clearly see her flushed face. He chuckled, and she puffed out her cheeks.

She wanted to protest but couldn't.

"Lirika."

He called her name, paused briefly, and then continued.

"Did you have a strange dream?"

"?!"

Startled, her eyes widened involuntarily.

"How—"

"Don't have it."

"Wh-what?"

The words slipped out before she could stop them. Altears said,

"You can choose not to have it. Since you're a magician, if you wish not to have it, you won't."

"But, can that really be done?"

"It can. If you wish it."

Seeing his firm expression, she had no more words to say.

"...Yes."

She answered softly, and Altears called her name again.

"Lirika."

"You're young."

She didn't say, 'I'm ten now,' but Altears continued in a low, firm voice.

"I'm an adult."

"Y-yes...?"

She couldn't grasp what he was saying, and her voice rose at the end.

"So even if you don't help me, it's fine. I'll take care of my own business. Understand?"

"Yes."

Though puzzled, Lirika nodded. Altears finally removed his hand.

"Good."

He stood up.

"And one more thing."

"Yes."

"Don't learn magic from anyone else."

"They don't even know I'm a magician."

"But magic girls use magic too. Got it?"

"Yes."

Lirika nodded. Altears smiled at her response.

"Get more sleep." He disappeared, but Lirika couldn't fall asleep.

Leaning against the bed pillow, Lirika thought about the dream.

'Why did I have such a dream?'

And why did Father say those things?

It felt like the dream and Father's words were somehow connected.

But Father didn't want to tell me.

Then I'll just have to not know.

Lirika thought this and drifted back to sleep.

* * *

To prepare for the test to obtain the artifact fang, Diare was receiving separate training these days. As a result, the time she spent with Lirika had drastically decreased.

Even when they met, Diare was often wrapped in bandages, which made Lirika worry. Diare would always reassure her, "This is nothing, I'll get better soon."

After a few days of continuous snow, Diare, who had finally come to the palace, said with sparkling eyes,

"I want to listen to Lady Haya's class too."

"Can you do that?"

Bryne nodded.

"Since Lady Diare is the princess's companion, she can attend the class."

"I see."

Diare said, "Ahem," and lifted her chin.

"I'm the princess's only companion."

"Hehe, that's great!"

Lirika readily agreed, and Haya taught the class without any discomfort.

The problem was Diare.

At first, she was enthusiastic with sparkling eyes, but as the class went on, the light in her eyes faded.

Lirika glanced over and saw her scribbling in the corner of her slate.

'Ah, a puppy? So cute.'

But is it okay to draw a puppy during class?

When the break came, Diare covered her face with both hands and exclaimed in front of the snacks,

"I'm sorry! I can't listen anymore!"

Bryne and Raub couldn't help but look at each other and bite their lips to keep from laughing.

Lirika, being the princess, laughed.

"It's okay, the teacher's class is quite intense, right?"

"I've always admired the princess, but now I admire her even more. But the snacks are really good."

Diare ate an entire heavy chocolate pound cake and said goodbye with a happy expression.

"But at least I can say I attended a class from the Inro family."

Diare disappeared with a satisfied look.

"Did Lady Diare leave?"

When Haya asked, Lirika nodded.

"Yes, she said she had something to do..."

"Ah."

Haya smiled, and Lirika found herself starting to make excuses for Diare.

"Diare is a squire, so she must be very busy."

"Yes, the Wolf people produce many excellent warriors."

Haya nodded, and Lirika's eyes sparkled involuntarily.

"Yes, that's true. Diare is only two years older than me, but she's incredibly strong. I think she's amazing."

"Like the Pearl Knight."

Lirika's face turned red instantly.

"Y-You read that book?"

No, did the book spread even to that cold land?

"Of course. Any book that has been published, even once, is in the Inro family's collection. Hmm—"

Haya leaned in and whispered,

"We have far more books and materials than the royal library."

Lirika's eyes widened.

"That's incredible."

"Since I have almost no work outside and it's winter, reading stories is my greatest pleasure."

Haya added proudly.

"The oldest stories and the oldest songs, the Inro family remembers them all."

'Ah, that's why...'

Lirika thought about the dream. If she told the teacher about the dream, would he know?

But since 'Inro' appeared in the dream, she was a bit hesitant to ask directly.

I still don't know much about Teacher Haya. I know he's very knowledgeable and I'm learning a lot, but that doesn't mean I know him as a person...

'I might have that dream again.'

Let's gather the pieces of the story bit by bit. And when I know Teacher Haya better, I'll ask him then.

'Hmm, maybe he doesn't know either.'

It feels like a very old story.

Haya said,

"If the princess ever visits the Inro family, I'll open the library for you anytime."

"I'll gladly accept your invitation."

Lirika answered and smiled. Haya smiled back and resumed the class.

Winter was a good season for learning.

The kettle on the stove was steaming, warming the room. Wasting water like this in winter was a very luxurious thing, but the Sun Palace had running water. The weather was getting colder every day.

Bryne worriedly said it might become a record cold snap.

At night, they kept the water pipes slightly open. It was wasteful, but necessary to prevent them from freezing.

The cold was so intense that when you went outside, the snow under your feet turned into grains and felt like sand.

Studying in the room, which was sealed tightly, made the time longer.

After returning from a horse ride, Attil shivered and said,

"I had to dismount several times while riding."

"Why?"

"My breath froze and blocked the horse's nose."

Lirika's mouth dropped open. Attil sighed deeply.

"Riding will be impossible for a while."

"Right. The horses must be suffering."

"Well, not being ridden is also a kind of suffering. When it gets a bit warmer, we'll go out again. You can come with me and bring Sateboshi."

Attil's words made Lirika nod.

Whenever she went to the study to help Father, Lat looked pitiful.

He was bundled up in many layers of clothing, holding a hot water bottle, and shivering while working.

In contrast, Tan only added a thick woolen cloak and a sweater, and didn't seem to be suffering much from the cold.

Tan clicked his tongue. He once said to Lat,

"Hey, the study is warm, right?"

But received a murderous glare and quickly backed off, saying, "Well, everyone is different, I guess..."

Lat ground his teeth and said,

"I feel my life is threatened."

"Uh, sorry."

Tan awkwardly apologized. Lat glared at him before turning back to his papers. He muttered something that sounded like, 'I really hate the cold. Winter, just die. Ah, I want to go back south. Should I quit? Should I just abandon the chancellor? Damn, really—'

'He must really be struggling.'

Pai was also having a hard time. On the days Attil called him, he looked completely lifeless. His cheerful personality was nowhere to be seen, and with a cold, empty expression, he would say, "I hope you didn't call me for something trivial in this cold, Your Highness," and never leave the fireplace.

Eventually, he was wearing several coats. Even when Attil suggested he take some off, it was useless. Instead, he said,

"It's warm when it's on fire..."

which made everyone gasp. Finally, Attil said, "No, just don't come until it gets warmer," and shook his head.

Lirika brought Lat a new hot water bottle. He replaced the lukewarm one with the hot one and thanked her.

"Thank you, Princess."

"No, it's unusually cold this year. It must be tough."

Holding the hot water bottle, Lat's expression softened.

"Yes, they say this cold snap hasn't happened in nine years. It's causing a lot of work."

"Really?"

"Yes, the snow isn't melting, so villages are becoming isolated. It's impossible to transport food over long distances in this weather. The lords in various regions are in a difficult situation."

"I see."

Lirika nodded. In winter, messengers couldn't move, making it easier to plot a rebellion. Of course, no one would be crazy enough to raise an army, but it was a complicated season.

Magic lessons also started more intensively as Altears had said.

* * *

"The power of an artifact is not infinite. Usually, it has a set number of uses."

At Altears' words, Lirika's eyes widened.

"I thought it was permanent."

"When you use magic, you use power, right?"

"Yes."

"Does an artifact use its power every time it's used? Or does it not?"

"It would use it...?"

"So, for something like a magic gun, you either use a magic crystal or expose it to sunlight to recharge it."

"Oh!"

"Since you put a lot of power into the artifact when you make it, it will last quite a while, but it's better if it can recharge."

"Yes, of course."

"And there's compatibility between magic and gems. Gold, for example, fuses well with most magic, so we use it as a base—"

He mentioned that peridot is related to the sun, aquamarine to water, and crystal to purification, among others, and that different gems can be used depending on the magic.

"Have you ever broken a gem while engraving a magic circle?"

"What? No, I haven't."

"Hmm, then let's try that first. Knowing the limits is important."

Lirika's eyes widened at the bold idea of breaking a gem. Altears looked at her expression, found it amusing, and then looked up. Lirika followed his gaze and saw the same thing.

Despite the cold, the two of them were still having lessons in the garden. Somehow, Father used his power to keep the area warm, so there was no problem. The snow always melted in a circle around where they studied.

A rich floral scent wafted through the darkness.

Lirika's eyes widened. She was anxious and involuntarily looked at Father, meeting his gaze.

His blue eyes smiled with pleasure.

"What should we do about the disturbance?"