IPMB 10

Chapter 10

The young head of House Whisel, who had never met Rosietti, might not realize it, but the retired former head would undoubtedly feel the same sense of déjà vu.

Could someone really resemble her this much?

Her appearance, her voice, even her unrivaled, almost cheat-like talent…

Regina felt her mind going blank and closed her eyes.

At that moment, the keepsake the girl had left behind flashed through her mind.

Rosietti’s planetarium!

The planetarium, an astronomical projection device possessed by every sorcerer of House Kirges, responded only to its owner’s mana.

Rosietti Kirges’s planetarium had stopped functioning at the exact moment she drew her last breath.

Regina still possessed that broken device.

If this girl named Rosienne was connected to Rosietti in any way…?

The planetarium would activate.

When Regina finally opened her eyes again, determination filled her black gaze.

“Immediately after the Continental Conference ends two days from now, I will send an invitation to Winyak in the name of the Imperial Family.”

“Who will be invited?”

“The head of Winyak, the heir, and the disciple named Rosienne. All three must attend together.”

“Do you think the little Winyak will come willingly?”

“He will. Even if only to determine the identity of that Sacred Relic in the harem.”

A Sacred Relic whose identity had never once been revealed to the world.

Who wouldn’t be curious?

To the Transcendent families, a Sacred Relic was no different from the finest banquet imaginable, enough to whet their appetites.

Only then did the corners of Regina’s lips rise slightly.

So bring me that child you treasure so dearly, little Winyak.

Because I think I need to see that girl one more time.

After all sorts of twists and turns, we finally returned to the mansion where we were staying.

The moment we arrived, I sent Kallion straight into the bathroom.

Then I asked Lina, one of the maids, to make some milk with melted chocolate.

“No, Rosienne. You’ve been eating nothing but snacks lately and not getting enough protein. Didn’t you say you wanted to build muscle?”

The people in this house sometimes acted as though I wasn’t twelve, but two years old.

I confidently shook my head.

“It’s not for me. It’s for the young master, Lina.”

“The young master? Surely not…”

Of course, it would eventually be mine.

Lina stared at me as though I were insane while I grinned suspiciously.

I took the mug I’d practically stolen from her and returned to the room.

Kallion was shaking the water from his hair.

“Kali. How about a cup of cocoa? It’s good for calming the mind.”

“I’d rather have Rosi drink it. She didn’t sleep a wink worrying about me.”

Kallion had returned to his usual well-mannered young-master appearance.

As usual, he fed me the cocoa I’d brought for him.

Such an angel.

He really shouldn’t treat other people like this.

Even while thinking that, I drank the entire cup of cocoa, which was piled high with marshmallows.

Sob.

The twelve years I spent living in the slums must have awakened an appetite I never knew I had.

“Should I ask for another cup?”

“No, don’t. If they notice, I’ll get scolded. You know this has to stay a secret from Lina, right?”

“Okay. Now let’s eat some cookies.”

Kallion leaned lazily against the sofa opposite me and watched contentedly as I demolished the chocolate-chip cookies.

Then, in an offhand tone, he asked,

“By the way, Rosienne. I happened to hear something from the emperor when I met him.”

“Hmm?”

“They say there’s a Sacred Relic hidden in the Delphiam Imperial Palace. Apparently, it’s one left behind by the star of Winyak.”

“Oh, that?”

“…Oh, that?”

Kallion slowly repeated my words.

I continued talking without giving it much thought.

“It’s a sword.”

“A sword.”

“Yeah. Apparently it’s an old, broken sword. There’s no sheath, either. Just the hilt and half of the blade left behind.”

I only realized how unusually quiet Kallion had become after noticing that he was still holding the cookie he had been about to hand me.

Puzzled, I tugged on his sleeve.

“What’s wrong, oppa? You look like you’re hearing this for the first ti—”

Something felt ominous.

Only then did I realize the one fact I’d casually overlooked.

The corner of my mouth twitched awkwardly.

Wait.

Could it be that even after twelve years, that Sacred Relic still hasn’t been revealed to the world…?

Oh, damn it.

If that relic had fallen into Winyak’s hands, there’s no way I wouldn’t have known!

Stupid Rosietti!

Kallion was looking at me with the exact same expression as always.

I, on the other hand, felt a chill run down my spine.

It was getting harder and harder not to suspect something.

There were exactly two Sacred Relics known to have appeared on the continent so far.

Those were the ones possessed by the Transcendent families Yelzewa and Lailo.

The Sacred Relic of Yelzewa, the Transcendent family blessed with prophetic dreams, was the Eye of Prophecy.

Lailo’s Sacred Relic, which possessed the power to perform miracles of healing, was the Crystal of Resurrection.

As far as I knew, the Sacred Relic secretly kept by the Delphiam Imperial Family was the one left behind by Winyak’s star.

In my previous life as Rosietti Kirges, I had actually sneaked into the Imperial Palace to see that relic.

I’d overheard the heads of the families discussing it and, driven by curiosity, decided to investigate.

Of course, I’d been caught by Head Regina when I’d gotten almost all the way there.

Still, I remembered it clearly.

I remembered exactly what the Sacred Relic looked like and even what kind of power it possessed.

Since it was a relic left behind by Winyak’s star, it was useless to anyone who wasn’t of Winyak.

In fact, because it had never met its proper master, there was a high possibility that it would run wild.

But it hadn’t returned to Winyak during the past twelve years?

Then that meant no one knew about it except the people connected to the Delphiam Imperial Family, the Transcendent family Kirges, or the upper ranks of Whisel.

Not Lord Oen Winyak.

Not even Kallion.

But if a young child of uncertain origins who had no business knowing about it knew this much about the Sacred Relic…

I wanted to beat my own mouth senseless.

I’m going to sink without even having the chance to say a word!

I was careless.

Kallion was staring straight at me without even blinking.

His expression contained not the slightest trace of a smile, and my mouth went completely dry.

If Kallion pressed me about the source of my information, I would undoubtedly have nothing to say.

I might even be branded as a spy for Kirges or Whisel.

There were already plenty of people—including Head Oen—who disliked the fact that an unidentified child kept hanging around the young master.

I nervously watched Kallion’s eyes.

Maybe I’ll have to use memory manipulation…

But the risk was far too great.

No matter how weak he might appear, Kallion was the sole heir of Winyak.

There was no way he wouldn’t detect the star mana that would turn his brain into mush.

Moreover, a spell that tampered with memories, rather than simple brainwashing, required a variable amount of mana.

A planetarium was essential because it allowed the sorcerer to precisely calculate the coordinates of the star that served as the source of that mana.

What if I try it and accidentally make him even stupider than he is now?

While I anxiously fidgeted inside my head, Kallion suddenly broke into a radiant smile.

“I see. A broken sword.”

Argh, it’s blinding.

Whenever he smiled like that, I couldn’t help wondering whether someone was shining a halo behind him.

“Our Rosi certainly knows a lot.”

It was his trademark smile.

A bright, innocent grin with absolutely no ulterior motive.

Kallion was always too busy looking for the good and positive sides of things to suspect anything negative.

I answered awkwardly.

“Uh… actually, I heard it from Lord Whisel. He didn’t tell me the details, though.”

“Louise?”

Well, technically, it had been Louise’s father.

But I had heard it from the head of House Whisel, so it wasn’t exactly a lie.

Still smiling, Kallion asked,

“When did you become so close to Louise Whisel, Rosi?”

“Huh? Um, while I was on my way to find you…?”

“In that short amount of time? Enough to talk about Sacred Relics?”

Apparently, I’d been mistaken to think he was going to let it go.

I awkwardly turned my head away from his curious reddish-brown eyes.

“Does it really take a long time to build a friendship?”

“I heard you even rode on the head’s back.”

I didn’t exactly ride him. I more or less just freeloaded on him…

While cold sweat trickled down my back, Kallion continued relentlessly.

“So you met the head of Whisel for the first time today. Right?”

“Uh, yes. Something like that.”

“Then why did Rosi follow a stranger without any suspicion? You always tell me not to do that.”

“Uhh…”

Why is he so sharp today?

“We’re Winyak, and he was Whisel. Even though there are taboos between the families, there’s no harm in being cautious. What did Father tell us about dealing with the upper ranks of the Transcendent families?”

“…To speak formally, not show our emotions, maintain a certain distance, and behave without giving them anything they could use against us. We never know what they might seize upon and exploit at the Continental Conference.”

Somehow, the atmosphere seemed to be sinking.

I fidgeted with my fingers, hesitating.

The smile gradually disappeared from Kallion’s voice.

“Especially when it comes to the Sacred Relic. That should have been a confidential matter for the family. Yet you casually shared something that dangerous.”

“……”

“Rosienne. How should I interpret this?”

Kallion had sunk back into his chair and tilted his head slightly.

As though deep in thought, he touched the area around his lips and chin with his long fingers.

His gaze was stricter than I’d ever seen it.

I was usually the one scolding Kallion, so I wasn’t at all accustomed to being on the receiving end.

“Don’t approach strangers carelessly. Don’t follow them. Even if someone seems trustworthy, you have to get Rosi’s permission first. You were the one who taught me all of that. Aren’t you?”

“That is true, but…”

That’s because you’re way too softhearted.

I swallowed the rest of that sentence and rolled my eyes awkwardly.

For some reason, his words sounded remarkably similar to the stern reprimands my master had occasionally given me when I was Rosietti Kirges.

Don’t act however you please.

“Exercise restraint, Rosietti. I know better than anyone that you possess exceptional talent, but excessive arrogance will only become poison. I will not tolerate insolent behavior.”

I couldn’t help feeling unfairly accused.

It had been the same then as it was now.

I never meant any harm!

“But I only did it because I was worried about you, Kallion.”

The moment I saw Kallion hesitate, I attempted my own small rebellion.

“You said you’d be back soon, but you didn’t come. I was worried. You took so long that I seriously thought the emperor had eaten you.”

“……”

“And I’m almost twice as old as you.”

Obviously.

I was twenty-nine in my previous life!

Of course, if you excluded the first three years when I’d actually lived as a very young child, the difference was somewhat smaller.

But even so, I was certainly not at an age where I should be getting scolded by a fifteen-year-old boy.

I aimlessly kicked the floor with the tip of my shoe.

Then, suddenly, Kallion rose from the sofa.