Chapter 15
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Even If I Have to Fight the World
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I woke up to find the Tower Lord gripping me, staring at me with an intense, passionate expression.
I had no idea what was going on.
"You'll have to explain..."
"Ah."
The Tower Lord widened his eyes and looked at me before opening his mouth.
"You didn't know?"
"Pardon?"
"Last night, Princess Lily came to see me."
What did she say?
I stared at the Tower Lord, who was beaming from ear to ear.
A grandfather smiling like that felt oddly strange.
But as if he didn't care about my thoughts, the Tower Lord continued speaking.
"Princess Lily has established a new standard for magic."
"..."
A new standard for magic?
No way...
"She showed up out of nowhere and said the three tiers—beginner, intermediate, advanced—were just too simplistic."
"..."
That was exactly what I'd said.
"Come to think of it, I realized she was right. Why hadn't I thought of that before?"
"..."
The Tower Lord gazed at me with a radiant smile.
"So, last night, while discussing new tiers with Princess Lily all through the night..."
"Yes."
"When I asked how she came up with such an idea, she said it was all from Prince Theodor's suggestions."
"...Well..."
It was true that I'd said it.
But I'd only made the suggestion—I didn't have the confidence to develop it into something perfect like Lily or the Tower Lord could.
Throwing out the idea was important, but developing it was just as crucial.
"So..."
The Tower Lord cleared his throat with a cough, then looked at me with a grin.
"I think I'll start working on the paper today."
"Pardon?"
A paper? Suddenly?
"Therefore, Princess Lily will guide you through the tower and assist with your examination in my place today..."
"No, that's..."
"Don't worry, of course! Princess Lily and Prince Theodor's names will be included as co-authors!"
"I wasn't worried about that."
"Haha! So humble. Well then, I'll..."
He was already tuning me out.
Staring at me with the eyes of a scholar consumed by passion, the Tower Lord backed away and vanished.
"It's been ages since that old man made such a face."
Before I knew it, my mother was standing beside me, smiling as she looked at me.
"Mother."
"Call me Mom."
She smiled softly and continued.
"The Tower Lord may not look it, but he's incredibly passionate about his studies."
Anyone could see that from his face.
"The last time he had that expression was back when I was a princess. It's been so long."
A warm sensation settled on my head.
Mother was stroking my hair.
"Teo is so smart."
"N-No. I just had a question..."
"That's what we call being smart."
She brushed off my words with a smile.
"Questioning what others don't even think to question. That's how people change the world."
"..."
"It seems you have a special talent we lack."
In the end, Mother kept stroking my head with a pleased expression until Lily came stomping over with a pouty face and dragged me away.
"Ah, Teo."
"Yes, Mom."
"Mom has some business to attend to."
"Uh..."
Before I could say anything, she pressed her lips to my forehead and stood up.
"See you later."
With that, she walked off into the distance.
What was that about?
I walked through the tower's interior again, this time with Lily.
Mom said she had business.
Of course, she wouldn't have come just to brag about me.
...Right?
I glanced sideways at Lily.
She was blinking sleepily, letting out a small yawn.
"Sis, aren't you tired?"
"Not at all!"
As if the yawn had never happened, she covered her mouth with her sleeve and smiled brightly.
According to the Tower Lord, she'd barely slept.
"You didn't get enough rest."
"Being with you makes all my fatigue vanish, Teo!"
"..."
I just looked at her quietly.
All-nighters aren't good for kids.
I didn't start pulling them until I was an adult myself.
"This won't do."
Someone else could handle my examination anyway.
With that thought, I took Lily's hand and led her to a room.
"Eek, Teo...!"
She mumbled in surprise but followed me anyway.
I pushed her onto the bed, covered her with the blanket, and drew the curtains.
"..."
Lily lay there, staring straight at me.
"Teo."
"Yeah, Sis."
"You're too kind."
"You're the kind one."
Co-author, really?
I'd only tossed out the idea, but she'd included my name without making me do any work. That was the greatest consideration she could offer.
Even if she was too young to fully understand that...
"You were thinking of me."
"I'm always thinking of you."
"You haven't been sneaking romance novels, have you?"
"Huh?"
Yeah. Kids shouldn't read that stuff.
I sighed softly as she tilted her head, then thanked her once more.
"Anyway, thanks for being so thoughtful."
"No problem!"
Lily smiled for a moment.
"..."
"..."
"But... do I really have to sleep?"
"Yes."
She pouted at my firm tone but fell asleep soon after.
See? You were tired.
I tucked her in properly and stepped out.
"Master."
Clue, who had been in the room the whole time, slowly approached me.
Come to think of it, she'd been reading alone since last night.
I hadn't paid her much attention since morning, getting caught up with the Tower Lord.
"Ah, what is it, Clue?"
"...Does Princess Lily like Master a lot?"
"Uh..."
It depends on what "like" means.
But that's too complex for me to explain...
"I think she does."
I nodded calmly.
"...I see."
Clue placed a hand on her chin and murmured.
"Why?"
"...Nothing."
She glanced at me slyly.
"Actually, Princess Lily..."
"What about Sis?"
"Last night, while watching you sleep, she mumbled something."
"Sis did?"
"Yes."
What could it have been?
But if it was last night...
"Wasn't it about magic?"
"It... was about magic, sort of."
Clue scratched her cheek ambiguously.
"Anyway, Master."
"Yeah?"
"Princess Lily seems to like you a lot."
She said it as if revealing something profound.
But was that such a big deal?
"Yeah, I like and appreciate Sis a ton too."
If it weren't for her, I never would've considered studying magic.
And family is still a foreign concept to me.
My orphanage friends felt more like buddies than family.
And once we grew up and entered society, we'd probably lose touch.
So maybe that's why an inexplicable affection had grown for my first family.
"..."
Clue stared at me quietly.
"What, Clue?"
"No... Understood."
She bowed her head slightly, and I looked at her.
I was originally supposed to tour with Lily, but...
"Clue, you've been stuck in here since yesterday, right?"
"Yes. I'm a doll, after all."
She smiled playfully.
Something about her tugged at me, so I spoke up.
"Clue, have you ever explored the tower?"
"I... don't think I've been in this tower."
This tower?
Well, she's a homunculus.
She might have lived longer than I imagined.
I nodded at the thought.
"Alright. Then let's look around together. I have to get... something like an examination, but going alone feels a bit off."
"...Am I okay for that, Master?"
"I'm scared to go alone."
Of course, no assassination attempts had happened yet.
But you never know.
Truth be told, that was just an excuse.
Clue never did anything on her own.
She mostly read the books I gave her or gazed out the window thoughtfully.
I'd even told her she could wander alone when idle, but she never listened.
She needed someone with her.
And the only one who could was me.
"Can you protect me, Clue?"
"..."
She stood slowly and pressed right up against my side.
A lukewarm warmth seeped through my arm.
"I'll protect you with my life, so don't worry, Master."
"Thanks, Clue. Let's go."
I started walking with Clue glued to my side.
The tower's corridors were quite beautiful.
For a magic tower, they had all sorts of artworks hanging around, and occasionally golems flying through the air.
"...The defensive spells are sloppy."
Not to Clue, apparently.
She tapped the wall with a serious expression.
"Is it dangerous?"
"Not dangerous."
"Oh, really?"
Wouldn't sloppy defenses make it dangerous?
"Ah. I meant you're not in danger, Master."
Clue smiled.
"I may not know much else, but I can definitely protect you."
She stopped tapping the wall, turned to me, and smiled softly.
"As long as you're safe, that's all that matters."
"Oh, right—your mana—"
"I'm fine for now."
Aren't you eating too little?
How far had we walked down the corridor with Clue?
"Ah, here it is."
We arrived at the place Lily had drilled into my head yesterday.
The spot for my examination.
As soon as I opened the door, I saw a woman with a weary face sitting at a desk, muttering as she wrote something.
"Let's see, so here the magic would..."
"Hello."
"Ah, yes..."
She slowly turned her head, and upon seeing me and Clue, her eyes widened as she straightened up.
"Ah, are you Prince Theodor by any chance?"
"Yes."
"Here for the examination? Please wait a moment. The Tower Lord..."
As if her fatigue had vanished, she hurriedly pulled something from a drawer.
I get it.
She's a grad student.
Poor soul.
"Here you go."
She pulled out two gems.
One red, one blue, both gleaming.
"Uh, these are..."
"One checks a knight's sword aura, the other a mage's mana."
Rubbing her eyes as if nothing had happened, she explained.
"..."
I gripped the gems in each hand.
"Now just channel your power into them."
What could these flimsy items even do?
But if asked, I comply.
I poured mana and... qi? Something like that into both hands.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Nothing's happeni—"
Before I finished, red light bloomed from one gem and blue from the other simultaneously.
"...!"
The grad student's eyes bulged.
"This...!"
Her shocked cry echoed.
Empress Milla wandered the magic tower.
More precisely, she watched the people wandering inside it.
"..."
Questioning what doesn't need questioning.
Sometimes, things seem so obvious that questioning them reveals why you'd overlooked them in the first place.
And those people are bound to be hated.
Not by people, but by the world itself.
It was a thought she'd had since giving birth to Theodor: he was an exceptionally gifted child.
Born with the world's blessing.
And paradoxically, that meant he couldn't escape the world's hatred.
Sweet-scented flowers always attract bugs.
Someone brushed past Milla.
"Seize him."
"Yes."
At her word, knights grabbed the passerby and brought him to her.
This was how one should carry doubts.
"..."
Milla slowly lowered her gaze to the captive.
Dazed eyes, bulging pockets.
She murmured.
"Passing by your empress without a greeting—what do you think you're doing?"
"..."
"Don't you know me?"
"..."
"Imprison him. Passing the nation's ruler without greeting is a crime."
"Y-Your Majesty."
"Does that not sound like law to you?"
"No, it does!"
The knights hurriedly dragged him away, and Milla watched before turning her gaze elsewhere.
She recalled the people who came to her when she first carried Theodor out to the balcony.
Two men.
Two who came within the hour, despite her orders never to approach.
As if they'd known in advance she and Theodor would be on the balcony.
After she killed them, the maids found daggers in their pockets.
Strange. They weren't loyal, but they lacked the guts for that.
"..."
That wasn't all.
Holy Kingdom folk swarming the moment she stepped away, as if by appointment.
Theodor had brilliantly resolved the cardinal's scheme that day, but without his sharpness, she might have lost him to them.
As if an unseen will dictated Theodor's life.
Milla gazed up at the sky.
The sun stung her eyes, but she ignored it, staring intently as she murmured.
"Even if the heavens envy and hate my child."
The sun's fierce light seared her retinas.
Closing her eyes would leave an afterimage of white, but still, she glared at it like an archenemy.
"It can never overcome my love."
For her beloved child, she would fight anyone.
Even if called a tyrant.