# 13
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'Why is a child who is only four years old so eloquent and intelligent?'
I was very suspicious that maybe Diana had gone back to being a child like me, but I couldn't find any sign of her innocent face.
“Once a day....I see.”
Perhaps because he was worried about the vivid story of his only daughter's hardships, Duke Elad's eyes sank and his voice became lifeless.
“Ha higg ha!”
*Hiccuping sound.*
While I was impatiently watching this scene, I started to hiccup without noticing.
Fortunately, Duke Elad quickly helped me.
Then he held out a glass of water in front of me.
Although I felt embarrassed by his kindness, I said, “Thank you.”
He craned his neck and quickly picked up his glass.
Fortunately, the hiccups stopped as soon as I drank water.
But since then, strange things have started to happen.
The Duke continued to push the bowl of food in front of me.
At first, I thought it was because of my mood, but it wasn't.
Belatedly, I thought he intended to serve the food to Diana, so I carefully picked it up with a fork and gave it to her, but the child shook his head.
“Diana is full!”
She was showing off her prominent stomach.
Eventually, I noticed what was happening and started putting the food that was in front of me into my mouth little by little.
It's only been a week since my return, but that's probably because I don't think I need to be hungry again.
There was joy beyond just eating.
I started eating with a more relaxed mind and quickly put my fork down.
Then Duke Elad, who had been sitting with Diana without leaving the table even after they had finished eating, raised his eyebrows.
“Did you eat it all already?”
"Yes."
“There's no need to care, this place is like...no, you can eat as much as you want anyway.”
“I ate my fill.”
“Hmm.”
Despite my honest answer, the Duke still seemed to disagree.
He said there was no need to care, but from the perspective of the person receiving the benefit, it was impossible not to care.
However, I usually don't eat much, and since I ate after being hungry for a long time, I didn't eat much.
While I was seriously considering whether I should force myf to eat more food, a savior appeared.
He was my role model.
* * *
“Are you coming back already?”
When Bianca, who seemed eager to enjoy Holy Communion in the Duke's castle, suddenly announced that she was returning to the Duchy, the Duke asked in a puzzled voice.
Bianca tried to smile with an embarrassed expression.
“His Highness the Archduke contacted me through the communication port a short while ago, and it seems that His Highness the Sixth heard the news from His Highness.”
“Any news from Diana?”
“Yes, I told him right away that I had found the princess...”
“I think he didn't believe it.”
The Duke had a bitter look on his face as he could guess without even looking at how the situation would develop next.
“I think he'd feel comfortable if I went and told him in person.”
“I was going to pay you back properly when you arrived at the castle, but I had no other choice. Your coming was a great help. I would like to thank His Highness the Archduke once again for sending you on this long journey.”
The Duke looked at Bianca, who silently lowered her head, then slowly turned her head.
I saw a child listening to their conversation and pretending not to.
I followed the child's gaze, full of longing and envy, and finally found Bianca.
It seemed that Countess Marietta had captured the child's heart in a short period of time.
The Duke looked at Leia curiously, unable to take his eyes off her.
She started out smart and strong when she reported to the orphanage director, but then she was shy and cautious
Her skeletal body looked much younger than her age, but her facial expressions looked very mature.
'But now again...'
She was like a child whose eyes sparkled under his randomly cut bangs.
I noticed that she had mana, but from the outside, she was just an ordinary child.
However, once it caught my attention, it strangely kept attracting my attention.
And it seems the same is true for Bianca.
“It's Leah.”
Leah's eyes widened in surprise when she heard a voice calling her properly for the first time since she'd been told her name.
Before I knew it, Bianca bent her knees in front of Leah, making eye contact with her and asking her sweetly.
“Do you remember what you said upstairs?”
"Yes."
Leah nodded quickly.
Before going down to the first floor, Bianca revealed her identity and explained that Leia had mana and that she almost ran away to the orphanage.
“You're not in good shape, but do you remember you saying that using mana without proper training can actually be dangerous?”
When Leah nodded again, Bianca gently stroked her head as if she was proud of her.
Bianca asked as Leah's eyes were about to blur with emotion.
“Then would you like to come with me?”
“Countess Marietta, what do you mean?”
“My point is clear, I want to take her with me, of course...if Leia wants.”
When the Duke asked again, Bianca expressed it more preciy.
Leia's eyes trembled as if she had been struck by a storm.
I didn't hear that wrong.
'Do you want me to go with you? with you? Really?’
In her previous life, Leah always wanted a place where she could feel comfortable and wanted someone who needed her.
However, I was so surprised that Bianca Marita, and no one else, told me this, that I didn't even know if my heart was beating properly.
While Leia was confused, the Duke frowned and said.
“I don’t know why you’re suddenly saying that, but there’s no need to worry, even in the duchy, there are plenty of magicians who know how to handle mana.”
“But....!”
“It is unlikely that they are trying to transfer the people of the empire to the emirate without any special reason.”
Bianca bit her lip because the Duke wasn't wrong.
All the children in Tesar's orphanage were under the authority of Duke Elad, and the Duke in particular decided to take Leia himf, so Bianca had no time to intervene.
But I couldn't completely relax.
Even I couldn't understand it, but I felt that I would regret it if I left Leia like this and returned to Pylos.
“Leah, tell me, what do you want to do?”
When Bianca refused to give in and chose Leia, the Duke clicked his tongue in amazement.
As if he couldn't lose, he looked at Leia and asked.
“Well, answer, since Diana follows you so much, will you go with Countess Marita?”
“Your Highness, isn’t this too harsh?”
Bianca gritted her teeth as she looked at Diana, who was holding her arm tightly in case Leia left.
However, if there is one positive aspect, it is the child's reaction.
The boy's eyes were wide open, his expression one of disbelief, but his cheeks were red and his eyes were sparkling. Anyone could say he was happy.
In fact, Leah was trembling with joy.
Bianca, who made such a suggestion to me, and Diana, who looked at me with bright eyes and held my arm as if they could never be separated.
'There's someone who wants me.'
Bianca might have suggested it because she was worried about the mana overflow, but it still seemed like a dream.
When Leia opened her mouth and hesitated to answer, the Duke waited for the child's answer with some feeling of anxiety.
"I . … ".
Finally, Leah's lips opened.
* * *
In the carriage, alone with sleeping Diana, I looked at the moon shining through the window.
After crossing the mountain range, it became the Duchy of Elad.
As a result, I chose to go with Diana.
This is because I felt a responsibility to quickly restore Jack's status, which had changed because of me.
But most of all, right before I open my mouth.
<Don't worry! If Oni goes, I'll get help!〉
The decisive reason was that Diana suddenly started crying.
They seem to have become very attached.
Since he had no intention of leaving the crying baby behind.
Of course, I would be lying if I said I had no regrets.
I didn't know when I would meet Bianca again, who was going to hide at some point, and I wanted to feel her kindness more.
'I also wanted to see her abilities in action from the side.'
However, as someone who knew little about the future, it was better for me to stay in the empire.
There is something I realized terribly in my previous life.
If you are uess, you cannot survive, and compassion only alleviates hunger for a moment, not salvation.
‘Even though I was transferred to the guild due to Master’s whim…’
If I didn't have mana and didn't constantly try to prove my worth, would I have been able to become an official guild member?
i don't think so.
“But I'm tired now.”
I was really tired of worrying because I didn't want to be abandoned and because I wanted to be acknowledged.
Moreover, what was the result of my hard work?
Terenceum was my birthplace and homeland.
The gentleman who took me when I was lying in the street.
Bosses who taught me a lot when I couldn't get along with my colleagues.
I truly thought of them as family, and wanted to be recognized as a proud member.
But the result of the effort was nothing but betrayal.
‘Of course, I want to believe that the master and the superiors don’t know about this….’
Jade had served the master long before me, and was the most powerful person after the chiefs.
Given the nature of Trinium's strong loyalty, it was difficult to accept that Jade had done such a thing on her own.
'. …Ha, what should I do if I keep thinking about it? It's already a relationship that's over.'
I laughed helplessly and shook my head.
I had no desire to repeat my past life.
“Now I will no longer live a miserable life linked to others.”
In this life, I wanted to stand alone and confident with the abilities I possess and the information about the future.