Chapter 19

I turned eight.

The visitors to my assigned plot were always the same, but one more person has been added since last year.

"Here, I've written a reply to Princess Diora. Reiven."

"I will inspect it."

Reiven, who is responsible for palace security, has started to mimic a delivery person.

He also checks the correspondence with Diora, who tried to propose marriage to me last year.

Diora, who is returning to her country, said she wants to correspond with me, and both the emperor and the Lucisaria side are enthusiastic.

Strategus Marquis, a relative by marriage, says that if I and the Lucisaria royal family are connected, the power dynamics in multiple countries in that region will drastically change.

He intends to obstruct it as much as possible because there is a risk that the position of his daughter in another country will decline.

In exchange for forgiving his rudeness, we investigated the background, and Strategus Marquis, perhaps out of frustration, asked me whether I preferred him secretly reading the letters or seeing them in front of me.

As a result, Reiven now brings Princess Diora's letters and checks the replies I write.

"After a year of correspondence, it's all about studying. That's not very romantic, is it?"

Yeah, Reiven has started to act more polite, but he's still a rude person at heart.

But thinking about how he was sent here, he must have some trust from Strategus Marquis.

"Isn't it your job to make sure I don't write anything romantic?"

After all, last year's engagement proposal caused quite a stir, not just with Strategus Marquis.

The balance of power in the so-called Academy Kingdom, a country with considerable authority, would change significantly if imperial blood were to enter it.

I learned this from Reiven, who is well-informed about the power dynamics in the palace.

Until then, I was just surprised by the sudden bad reputation.

It seems that if Diora and I were to marry, I, who am both distant and close to the imperial throne, would gain power, and the vigilance would rise sharply.

Many imperial nobles dislike my rise, and rumors spread rapidly.

"Can't we just stop the correspondence? It's too much trouble."

"The correspondence itself is fun, and I really appreciate the recommended books from the Kingdom of Lucisaria."

"Those are academic papers, right? I have to read them in advance when they're sent to me. It's really tiring."

It seems he has to do that too, so it's not easy being a watchdog.

Well, I wouldn't say it's a complete change.

After all, Reiven has a sense of guilt for being reprimanded by his superior, so he doesn't push it.

He was silent and didn't move until he was called from the wall, and he comes immediately when called and answers anything that doesn't disadvantage Strategus Marquis, so he's more useful than I thought.

"Reiven, if you've read everything, can we exchange opinions on the papers?"

"No way! ... Sir."

Reiven corrects himself, having been glared at by Ikt for being too casual.

"Really, no way. I don't understand half of the exchanges with this princess, so I'm having trouble reporting to the marquis. Can't we make the exchanges a bit shorter?"

"Hmm, how much is appropriate for a letter? Is six pages too much?"

To be honest, I never wrote letters in my previous life, so I don't know what's appropriate.

Herkov and Wearrel, who have correspondence with their families, told me about their experiences.

"I finish in one page. I just write what I want to say."

"I write about six pages when I include updates on my family and seasonal topics."

Harti gives an answer that reflects individual differences.

"Considering the distance, it seems reasonable for monthly exchanges."

"That's what they say, Reiven."

"Still, can't you write something more interesting? Besides your impressions of the papers, how the herbs in the garden are doing, or stories about foreign lands you've heard from former adventurers. You can talk about those things with the people here, can't you?"

"But it's fresh and fun to tell someone else the stories I hear from them."

The daily life that Diora writes about is also fresh to me.

Unlike me, who is just a nominal prince, she is a real princess, which is interesting.

Our lives are different, and hers has a strong fantasy flavor.

As I thought this, Reiven averted his eyes and scratched his cheek, looking uncomfortable.

"What's wrong?"

"Ah, the real you?"

"What do you mean?"

No one answers when I ask.

Confused, I hear a voice that only I can hear.

(The master's lack of human relationships is concerning.)

(No, that's not new. If that's true, how little do they know about how much I stay in here?)

(Humans seek answers within themselves because they have self-awareness and learn wisdom. There must have been a discrepancy between the answer within you and the master's answer.)

The one calling me master is the consciousness in the flask, which I named Tama.

It has grown a lot in a year but is still a bit stiff.

It has a high learning ability, having started to speak by listening to our conversations, and can now move out of the flask without being seen by anyone, so improvements are likely soon.

Actually, it roams the palace more freely than I do.

(Be more straightforward.)

(How should I express it?)

(Unexpected, maybe? Unexpectedly, you have no friends...?)

It feels hollow to say it myself.

I didn't have many friends in my previous life, and for now, Diora, who proposed a provisional engagement, is my only friend.

"I'd like to be friends with Diora."

"Well, I've heard she is lovely and intelligent, and she gets along well with Asha-sama."

Why does Harti sound disappointed?

"Not Reiven, but because of the complications. I'm not suitable for Diora. There's no need for Strategus Marquis to worry. Diora will find someone better eventually."

"Is it wise to wither at such a young age?"

Just as I was about to respond to Reiven's rudeness, Sefira asks nonchalantly.

(What does 'wither' mean? I assume it's a metaphor.)

Oops, that's dangerous.

I almost reacted like an eight-year-old shouldn't know that.

While I'm silent, Ikt elbows Reiven in the side.

Herkov then grabs Reiven by the collar and escorts him out as he crouches in pain.

"Um?"

"Don't worry, Asha-sama. His words are not to be emulated."

The nursemaid is overprotective.

Wearrel changes the subject protectively.

"Since you read the papers for the letters, let's take a longer break today."

I pretend not to notice and head gratefully to the alchemy room.

"How did the recovery potion I set up yesterday turn out?"

(It has reacted without any issues.)

"Good, good. If that's the case, let's confirm its effects and then try an experiment to see if Sefira can learn the spell as a formula."

(First, I need an explanation of the metaphor 'a person withers.')

It won't let anything unknown go.

Reluctantly, I start by comparing humans to plants and explain up to reproduction.

(I understand.)

"That's good."

Sefira, the closest entity to a spirit, is a personification of the divine work in nature, whose existence is unconfirmed.

It is said that very rarely, elves can see and communicate with spirits, who are said to know the truths of the world and teach the secrets of magic.

However, Sefira, despite its high learning ability, doesn't seem to know the truths.

"Hey, do you ever get tired or have trouble remembering things?"

(There are no issues with the energy consumption of the thoughts you mentioned or the limits of memory capacity.)

Even if it's not a spirit, the ability to remember anything and not get tired is useful.

Moreover, I can use magic as a formula to teach theories to Sefira, which is similar to programming.

It can perform tasks quickly and repeatedly.

Most importantly, with a solid sense of self, it can now pass through physical barriers.

It has become an incredibly convenient existence.

Well, using Sefira's characteristics, I've only done things like inserting formulas to read text and see through stacked pages to browse the palace's library.

It's a bad thing, though, since it's essentially偷看.

"I was hesitant to do anything other than alchemy because of others' eyes, but thanks to Sefira, I'm no longer troubled by the correspondence with Diora. I hope you keep growing at this rate."

The mysterious consciousness turned out to be a useful alchemical creation, just as I expected.

Updated daily

Next: Weaning from the Nursemaid 2