Chapter 20
Perry shouted excitedly.
“Yes! Just thinking about getting to fly freely for the first time in ages makes Perry super excited!”
“I know it’s been stifling being stuck inside the carriage. Tonight, let’s fly to our heart’s content.”
“Yes!”
Once the relief expedition entered the lord’s castle, Raphael would be heavily restricted in her actions as an imperial princess. That was why she had chosen tonight.
Raphael took out the map Gillipus had given her and spread it open. She checked one last time to see if the location of the mirror fragment had changed. It hadn’t—the fragment was still marked on the boundary between sea and land.
“Looks like I’ll get a breath of sea air for the first time in a while.”
“The sea! Perry loves the sea. Can we play in the water?”
“That’ll be next time. Tonight, we finish our homework first.”
“Hiiing… okay.”
Raphael gently stroked Perry’s head as she pouted in disappointment, then put the map back into her clothes.
She took out a handful of spirit dust and sprinkled it over herself. The particles, sparkling in multicolored light like stars in the night sky, wrapped around Raphael’s small, round body before melting like snow and being absorbed.
Soon, Raphael’s body gradually became transparent and began to float lightly into the air.
“Let’s go, Perry.”
Together, Raphael and Perry kicked off the window frame of their lodging and soared high into the night sky.
At the same time.
From the lodging where the relief expedition sent from the capital was staying, a cloaked figure slipped out without a sound. Completely concealed from head to toe in a black cloak, the suspicious person moved quickly toward the outskirts of the village.
Upon entering the dark forest, the figure took out a small flute no bigger than a finger and blew it. Two masked men suddenly appeared from the trees.
“The letter?”
“Here it is.”
The cloaked person hesitated before pulling a small envelope from their clothes and handing it over. One of the masked men asked,
“Anything unusual?”
“I wrote everything in there.”
The masked men tucked the envelope deep into their clothes and said,
“You’d better not get any strange ideas. You know what we mean, right?”
“…Yes.”
“If something urgent changes, call us immediately. Don’t write it down on scraps of paper like this. It’s irritating.”
One of the masked men roughly patted the cloaked person’s shoulder in mockery, but the person said nothing, only bowing their head deeply.
“Keep doing your job well. Got it?”
“Yes.”
After the masked men vanished like the wind, the cloaked figure let out a long, deep sigh, then hurried back toward the village.
From atop a tall tree, the masked men watched as the cloaked figure returned to the lodging. They soon opened the envelope and began reading its contents. If there was anything urgent, it had to be reported to their employer immediately.
“!”
“What is it? What does it say?”
When one masked man froze as he read, the other snatched the paper and read it himself. Soon, he too cried out in shock.
“What? The imperial princess is a spirit summoner? And she rode in the same carriage with the duke the entire time? What the—”
“This isn’t the time for that. You go back to the imperial palace and report this. I’ll stay with our men and dig up more information.”
“Got it.”
The masked men leapt down from the tree and disappeared in different directions.
In the Sesta region, the lord’s castle stood at the center, with the harbor to the right and the White Cliffs and beach—a resort area—to the left. The White Cliffs were a famous tourist attraction tied to the legend of the Seven Sister Witches, drawing many visitors with their bizarre rock formations and breathtaking scenery.
Beneath the night sky there, Raphael and Perry were flying through the clouds, searching.
“Wow. The view’s incredible.”
“Master, why are those cliffs completely white? Did someone paint them?”
“The minerals in this region are unusual. I’d only heard about it before, but I didn’t realize they’d shine white even at night.”
“They’re so pretty! After we finish our homework, can I take one small white stone back with me?”
“Only a small one. If you get greedy, you won’t be able to fly.”
“Yes!”
With Raphael’s permission, Perry spun happily in the air. Seeing Perry so excited over a single stone, Raphael let out a small laugh.
“Oh? Master, over there!”
As Perry scanned the area around the cliffs, she spotted a small cave near the shoreline where the waves were breaking. Raphael quickly flew over, with Perry following close behind.
Up close, the entrance was small, but the interior of the cave seemed impossibly deep and wide.
Splash—
As Raphael landed on the cave floor, seawater splashed around her feet. She took out her spirit-water club and turned on the portable lamp she had brought.
“It seems deeper than I thought. Perry, do you smell any monsters?”
“Sniff, sniff. No. There don’t seem to be any.”
“Still, just in case—if something dangerous happens, you get out of the cave first. Got it?”
“Then what about you, Master?”
“In that situation, it’s better if you’re not here. As you know, I can’t use my divine powers, so just protecting myself is hard enough. So you fly out as fast as you can.”
“……”
When Perry didn’t answer, Raphael shone the lamp on her. Perry had her lips tightly pressed together, wearing a resolute expression.
“Master! Perry will protect you!”
“And who exactly is a little kid who can only fly supposed to protect?”
“Perry can make a little wind now.”
Perry stretched out both hands and focused with all her might.
A gentle breeze brushed against Raphael’s cheek, like a mother fanning her baby to sleep.
“Hngh!”
Raphael quickly turned her head and bit her lip. If she laughed here, Perry would definitely sulk again. So she did everything she could to hold it in.
“Huh? Was the wind too strong? Master?”
Perry spun around and floated right in front of Raphael’s face. Raphael squeezed her eyes shut on purpose, forcing a strained expression as she replied,
“Mmm. Perry’s skills have… really… improved a lot. I was a little… surprised.”
“Oh! Really? Then Perry will be gentler from now on.”
Perry worriedly stroked Raphael’s cheek with her small hand. Raphael barely suppressed her smile and gently ruffled Perry’s hair with her fingers.
“I’m fine now. Shall we go?”
“Yes.”
Raphael and Perry walked deep into the cave.
Inside, the air was damp, the ground uneven, and seawater pooled in many places. Water dripped from the ceiling, the plink-plink echoes resounding throughout the cave.
After walking for some time—
A faint vibration could be felt deep within the cave.
Kooong—
The sound was distant and muffled, but it was clearly a powerful impact.
“Perry, did you hear that?”
“Yes. It sounded like thunder.”
“Still no monster scent?”
“None at all.”
Raphael pondered. A powerful sound coming from inside a seaside cliff cave at this hour, where people rarely came—yet not a monster. Inevitably, her thoughts turned to the suspicious being who was collecting the mirror fragments. Whether one person or a group, that presence might be waiting ahead.
With that thought, her steps naturally quickened.
“Let’s see what kind of bastard it is. I want a look at their face.”
Her grip tightened on the club, and her pace quickened until she was running.
Kuaaang—
The sound was definitely getting closer. At last, a small light appeared in the distance.
At the end of the cave path was a vast open space, high and wide enough to resemble a dragon’s lair. The light and noise were coming from there.
Raphael stopped at the entrance and looked inside.
Kwa-gwa-gwang—!
Inside, rocks larger than carriages were piled up like a mountain. One of them shattered just moments ago, dust billowing into the air.
Through the hazy cloud of dust, a small silhouette appeared.
The figure, looking like a child, was punching the rocks while shouting to herself.
“I—I’m all grown up now!”
Kugugung—!
“D-Dad, I hate you!”
The rock exploded into pieces, crashing to the ground.
Raphael’s eyes widened in shock at the unexpected sight.
She had come looking for a mirror fragment, but instead found a pink-haired girl in a neat nightgown, smashing rocks while yelling about hating her dad. The girl was so small she didn’t even reach Raphael’s shoulder, despite Raphael herself being short for an adult.
Even the usually composed Raphael couldn’t help but be flustered by such an unforeseen scene. Perry clung to Raphael’s ear and whispered,
“Master, that kid’s strength is monstrous!”
“I see that.”
“Could she be the mirror thief?”
“I don’t think so… but we should check.”
With a scowl, Raphael approached the girl, who was angrily selecting her next rock. One hand tightly gripped her spirit-water club.
“Hey, kid. What are you doing here all by yourself?”
“Eek!”
Rosalie gasped in surprise at the sudden voice from behind and spun around.
Realizing that someone had entered her hideout—where she hadn’t been discovered for years—Rosalie turned pale and hurriedly hid among the rocks. Trembling with fear, she asked,
“W-Who are you?”
