Chapter 8

"Aaaan, Noah..."

"..."

Claudia clung to Noah and began to sob.

"Hey..."

"This big brother has a scary face. Please go away quickly. Aaaan, aaaan..."

"Hey. Princess."

A voice of exasperation came from above.

"That crying act is a bit forced."

"..."

Claudia immediately stopped the crying she had been faking.

"Maybe it's scarier than the flames."

"..."

Noah pulled away from her, pouting. Looking down at Claudia's eyes, Noah showed a slightly surprised face. However, Claudia continued without hesitation.

"You don't understand. It might be scarier than the flames."

"..."

"Well, you do have a somewhat scary face, but not that scary."

"Judging by your own standards isn't good. You need to have a broader perspective."

"Your crying act is still terrible, even with a broader perspective."

"Ugh..."

"Princess. May I have a word with you?"

"..."

Not really.

But Karlheinz, who had a handsome but scary face, didn't seem to intend to let Claudia go.

Considering which was more troublesome, Claudia reluctantly turned around. Karlheinz, with a serious expression, bowed his head.

"I am Karlheinz Rinald Exner, the Chief Magician of the Royal Castle, appointed by His Majesty. I am glad to see you safe, but I can imagine how difficult your days must have been. Please accept my condolences."

"Lord Karlheinz, this is the first time anyone has visited my tower, so I'm really happy you came."

"..."

Karlheinz raised his face and looked at Claudia, who was smiling.

"You have beautiful golden eyes."

"..."

That must be why Noah was surprised earlier.

Claudia's eyes have seven colors, but now, with the help of magic, they appear as a clear golden color.

"Who is this boy? He seems to have a considerable amount of magical power."

"Noah is my servant. Isn't he strong and handsome?"

"Servant? I haven't heard any reports about that..."

"Everything else is still a secret."

Smiling, Claudia said this, and Karlheinz narrowed his eyes as if searching for something.

"Captain Karlheinz, the guards from the castle will be transferred here soon."

"Then, let's transfer Hannes Reister. It would be best to take his daughter with him. ... I would like to have a conversation with the princess in a different place."

"Sorry, Lord Karlheinz."

Claudia clung tightly to Noah's arm and said,

"It's almost my nap time."

"..."

Karlheinz's eyes widened.

"Nap time?"

"Hey! You don't know, Captain!"

The red-haired magician, who was preparing for the transfer of her uncle, advised Karlheinz.

"Kids this age can't stay awake for long."

"..."

"Is that so?"

"Yes! If you don't put them to bed at this time, they'll fall asleep in the evening and won't be able to sleep at night. The princess's nap time is a crucial matter here!"

(That's right. Good support, magician.)

Hearing this from his subordinate, Karlheinz looked at Claudia with a serious face.

"Then, please take your nap time. When do you plan to wake up..."

"Come on, Noah. Goodnight."

Claudia took Noah's hand and started walking. Noah looked like he wanted to say something but followed Claudia quietly.

They climbed the stairs and headed to a certain room. Claudia sat down on a fluffy sofa and yawned. On the other hand, Noah looked around the luxurious room, squinting his eyes.

"What is this gaudy room?"

"This is a special room prepared for the occasional visits of a certain old man who stays here for only a few hours."

There were unnecessarily large chandeliers and poisonous-colored carpets, too many unnecessary things. But there was no other choice.

"My room is more like a cell..."

"What?"

"It was a storage room used as a bedroom. Sleeping there would dirty my dress... haa."

She yawned and lay down on the sofa. Noah, standing beside the sofa, bent down to look at Claudia.

"When I used my ice magic against that man's flames, you provided assistance, didn't you?"

"Oh, you noticed that."

Not only in using magic, but also in sensitivity, he seemed to be highly skilled. This was an essential ability for a top-notch magician.

"Even if I use magic, if I borrow magic power from you, the backlash will return to you, right?"

"Hmm... Not as much as when you use it directly, but..."

Still, the backlash was not negligible, and she was sleepy.

Today, Claudia had been transferred to the tower, made Noah defeat four magicians, destroyed the barrier, and used transfer magic again to move to the upper floor where her uncle was.

From there, she gave Noah magic power and made him fight the last magician hired by her uncle and then Karlheinz.

Even just that much magic was too much for a six-year-old body.

If she hadn't used Noah as a medium, the magic power would have been uncontrolled, blowing up the tower, and Claudia would have fainted.

"Can you receive magic power even if we are far apart?"

"No problem. ... Because of the soul contract..."

Claudia reached out her small hand and patted Noah's head.

"My magic power seems to like yours."

"..."

"Considering that, you used it surprisingly well. ... Good job, Noah."

"..."

Did he not like being praised like a child?

Frowning, Noah pushed Claudia's hand away.

"What are you going to tell that Karlheinz guy?"

"Explain?"

"About you being the reincarnation of Adelheit and having incredible magic power."

"I won't. It's too troublesome."

But, I need to take care of you properly...

"Your...?"

"Yes. If you're going to stay by the princess's side, there needs to be a proper reason. ... No lies."

In her past life, it was simpler; 'Adelheit' just needed to take a disciple.

But she was getting very sleepy.

"You don't need to worry about anything."

"..."

"Because this is the responsibility of a master..."

Claudia started to breathe steadily, falling asleep.

That's why she didn't hear Noah's whispered words.

"---I don't need that from the beginning."

And a few hours later.

When Claudia woke up, Noah was gone, having disappeared from the tower.