Chapter 24
Lilia had hoped her father would wake up and quietly listen to her chatter like before.
She had prayed earnestly to meet him again, to feel his large hand rest on her head silently.
Even though she had been handling everything well on her own without him, she still had a little hope.
The tears she had held back began to gather, dropping from Lilia’s large eyes.
“Sniff…”
She wanted to cry loudly, but somehow she couldn’t.
Maybe if she cried, her sadness would grow even stronger.
Her small shoulders trembled as she sobbed quietly.
Then, it happened.
Plop.
Kiki, in the basket, lifted the lid and peeked out.
“Kiki? Were you feeling cramped?”
Kiki ran quickly to Lilia and snuggled into her arms, as if comforting her.
Sniffling through her tears, Lilia spoke slowly.
“No, I’m okay. I will definitely find the Healing Key for Father.”
“Psst.”
“You’ll help too, right?”
Kiki nodded vigorously, then looked around and closed his eyes, concentrating. His twitching whiskers were adorable.
After that, Kiki gestured lazily toward the chamomile flowers in the vase.
Wiping her tears, Lilia tilted her head.
“…Huh? Chamomile?”
This time, he tugged at her collar and struggled to climb onto the table.
But the smooth legs made him slip and slide down.
“Do you want to go there?”
Finally understanding, Lilia picked him up and carried him to the chamomile vase.
“Now, what are you curious about?”
Kiki sniffed the chamomile and lightly bit a petal.
“…You eat plants too?”
She never imagined seeing a ferret nibble plants.
Watching his little act with confused eyes, Lilia soon realized why.
Tap, tap.
Kiki ran back to Lilia and placed his tiny paw against her hand.
“This is the gesture for a contract, right?”
Lilia instinctively mirrored his movement.
Then, through the mana flowing from Kiki, she felt a clear, holy energy.
Her eyes widened.
“Oh? This is definitely a different power from mana.”
Kiki circled around the chamomile, flicking his tail.
“I see. This power was in the chamomile all along?”
There are usually two ways to keep flowers fresh: preservation and life extension.
Preservation magic is common.
The second method, life extension, is more like healing, using holy power rather than ordinary magic.
The special power in the chamomile must have been Melissa’s.
Her holy power.
Earlier, Melissa had prayed over the chamomile with her hands together.
That must have imbued it with her holy energy.
In the original story, Tiana also used holy power to extend the life of a child who didn’t have much time left.
“…Melissa used her holy power to extend the chamomile’s life.”
“Psst!”
Kiki nodded in agreement.
“But why does Melissa have holy power? Oh, right, she’s a former saint. That makes sense.”
Kiki tapped his chest in frustration, then started drawing a circle with his paw again.
“Ah, she wants me to use mana to summon the key?”
Lilia thought there must be a reason for Kiki’s behavior. She followed his lead and summoned the key from the book.
Flash!
“No way…”
Lilia couldn’t believe what she saw.
When the Authority Key touched the chamomile, it bounced as if alive.
At the same time, the book’s pages flipped, revealing a message.
[You can faintly feel holy power from this item.
By going to a holy place and using a holy item, you can obtain a new key.]
“Oh! So by touching the Authority Key, I can get hints for a new key!”
Now she finally understood a little of how things worked.
Lilia studied the text carefully.
“Holy power means holy energy… the holy place must be a temple.”
Her head spun.
There must be many holy items in a temple, filled with holy power.
“Alright, I need to go to the temple first.”
Lilia hugged Kiki tightly and shouted with excitement.
“I have to get the new key!”
Leaving her father’s room, she looked at his face and made a silent promise.
“Father, we’ll meet soon.”
Night had fallen.
The candle on the stand flickered dangerously.
Bang!
Bang, bang!
A rough man, half-asleep, jumped up at the sound of knocking.
He ran barefoot and opened the door.
“…M-Master! You’re here! What brings you here?”
The duke’s mountain lodge was far from the main castle, suitable for hunting or living with wild animals, but difficult for a noble to reach.
His owner, cloaked in black, asked in a low voice.
“Where is he?”
“Sleeping up in the tree, sir.”
“…Tsk, are you planning to raise him as a nephew or what?”
Shh…
A hand reached out from a long shadow behind him.
“…Gah! N-No!”
The shadow hand grabbed his neck, lifting him into the air.
A metal restraint fell to the floor with a plop.
“…Next time, that will be fastened to his ankle. No matter what, I will finish the lab by next year. Wait until then.”
The shadow released him, and the man fell to the ground.
Thump!
“Y-Yes, I understand!”
When he lifted his head, the figure had disappeared without a trace.
“No, Miss. You can’t.”
“Why not?”
Even though she had concluded she needed to go to the temple, she already faced an obstacle.
Slick brown hair.
Expensive horn-rimmed glasses for show.
Juan, who managed the schedules of all heirs, said it was impossible.
Other children could go out freely with parental permission.
But not Lilia.
“No, my nanny said it’s okay! Why not?”
“Miss, your nanny is only your guardian in name. She can take care of you, but she cannot manage your outings. Besides, for a child as young as you, outside is extremely, very dangerous!”
