TYHL 172

~Chapter 172~

“Oh, then Ruby, you should have your own birthday party in the capital. Can’t let the emperor’s son outdo you.”

“But… he’s royalty… Wait, if I throw a party, is there even anyone who would come?”

“No one?”

“Hm, let’s see. Titi, Zerdin, Licht, Olivia, um, who else…”

What kind of people will you meet, and what sort of adult will you become?

Leviathan looked down at Rubian, who was excitedly counting on her fingers, feeling both anticipation and a touch of sadness.

“And last… Dad!”

She tossed her head back and beamed.

“Absolutely attending,” he said, drawing a doodle on her palm as if signing a contract. Rubian giggled at that.

‘…Why did that dream pop into my head all of a sudden?’

Leviathan didn’t pause his steps as the thought passed through him. Lately, he’d been haunted by strange, nameless dreams.

A dark night, hazy moonlight.

Facing someone, then dying.

He never remembered much after waking—except the cold, sharp sensation of a blade at his heart.

“You shouldn’t have challenged my father.”

‘When Rubian’s older… will she be as tall as me?’

He shook his head, startled by the stray thought.

What am I even thinking? It’s just a dream. Of course it vanishes the moment you open your eyes… Just a nightmare.

Back to Rubian’s diary!

This is a real, private diary this time. (Right?)

The old one, all scribbled over by my family, is just my homework journal now—a kind of family message board.

But this one, I just bought! Is it a locked diary?

Of course not. Ha! Turns out I don’t need one.

Why? I’m a magician, that’s why!

An advanced magician, born in the lost Magic Kingdom, Arcadia. That status meant I fought in the Demon War, became a fugitive, and ended up with more secrets than most kids my age…

But in the end, it brought me here—to this family. I’m glad I never gave up.

Sure, realizing I’d been reincarnated into a ‘novel’ helped me hang on, too.

Sometimes—well, honestly, pretty often these days—I wonder where this body was really born.

Will I find out someday?

If I do, will something change?

Who knows.

For now, I’ll just keep writing!

We made it to the capital!

Licht’s birthday party was unbelievable. The very peak of luxury and extravagance.

But the best part? The crowd. He goes to the academy and loves traveling all over the empire—of course he has a million friends!

Rumor is, with all this talk about the next crown prince, maybe the party was part flex, part strategy. Honestly? He’s doing great.

But honestly, I almost died.

My heart just isn’t built for all those stares and attention… If Khalid hadn’t stuck by my side, I probably would’ve run away. He kept the crowds at bay and found us little hideaways to catch our breath.

And, well, secretly sharing a little magic helped, too.

Wow. My birthday party, too… Was it really okay to make such a fuss? Are there laws against this kind of chaos?

Even His Majesty the Emperor teased me:

“For a second, I thought a new imperial holiday had been invented and no one told me, Lady Ruby.”
(Seriously, who sent an invitation to the emperor himself?!)

Anyway, this year was wild, too…

I’m fourteen now!

Oh, right! Khalid took off his fourth bracelet and gave it to me.

Ugh… Dad’s off on another monster hunt… (tears)

Is it okay to write this?

No one else will see, so I guess it’s fine.

So…

I felt weird all morning—tired, headachy, and just… off. My mood tanked for no reason.

I figured it was a cold. But then, suddenly, my stomach really hurt.

At first, I panicked, thinking it was the pain from the magic seal. But—

Turns out, it wasn’t.

Yeah. It started.

That once-a-month thing.

I was trying to clean up by myself when Mom totally caught me. She said she’d figured it was about time, and I shouldn’t be embarrassed—it just means I’m growing up healthy. She explained everything, step by step.

And honestly…

I think seeing her so happy made me even happier.

I had no clue what to do in my past life, so I’d just muddle through alone.

I’m so glad I have Mom this time.

I passed the academy transfer exam.

Not to brag, but…

I was top of my class! (joy) (cheering) (applause) (applause) (applause)

Easily one of the happiest days of my fifteen years!

Even crazier, Khalid came in second. I thought he only cared about sword fighting—when did he have time to study?

Anyway, soon I’ll be going to the academy with my brothers and friends! It’ll be a short stay, but I’m going to make the most of it!

Tonight, Titi slept over at my place.

We wore matching pajamas, hid under the covers, and snacked in secret—not that anyone would scold us.

I’m older than Titi, but we swore we’d always be best friends. To celebrate, we each shared a secret.

And Titi—
She confessed to Zerdin that she likes him. And he turned her down!

Oh wow.

I was just going to confess to sneaking out in disguise with my brothers to hang out downtown…

Titi is way more grown up than me.

These days, I really find myself wondering what it means to like someone.

(And what’s going to happen to our trio now…?)

The magic monument investigation is in its final stages.

There’s a place on the list with the “True Formula of Dispelling.” Where could it be?

Oh, and today, Khalid gave me his fifth bracelet.

I turned sixteen!

Khalid had his coming-of-age ceremony and was knighted before me.

I teased him—

“Oooh, Sir Khalid~”
at least three hundred times, and he didn’t flinch.

Didn’t he used to get embarrassed about stuff like that?

We’ve narrowed the last three possible sites for the magic monument.

I’m still investigating one myself. No matter how much I dig through the palace archives, nothing’s coming up! Where on earth could it be?!

Dad’s going to check one of the sites, and as for the other…

Khalid left without giving me the last bracelet.

All he left was a note—
gone like the wind! He even closed off my mana circuits so I couldn’t waste magic. I’m so annoyed! Of course, he’s off searching for the monument for my sake, but still… Leaving without saying goodbye is the worst. I’m preserving his note as evidence.

“I’ll be back. I’ll return all the bracelets, along with your magic formula. Wait for me.”

Khalid Liorque! Just because your handwriting is perfect doesn’t mean it’s okay! You better come back, or else—@%!@^!

…

…

Wow, I forgot this diary was here!

Feels weird to write again after so long.

What was I going to say?

Oh, right.

I’ve been pretty busy!

Had to prep for academy graduation exams, there was a funeral, and I kept sneaking into the imperial archives whenever I could.

Licht and I are still investigating the last remaining site, but we haven’t found anything solid yet. Honestly, it’s stressing me out.

Tomorrow, I’ll meet with Professor Yuliophe and re-examine her research on ancient place names.

In just a few days, I’ll turn eighteen.

Can you believe it? Eighteen!

I used to think I’d be out of the duke’s house before I became an adult… Ha, how naïve.

And Khalid…

It’s been two years since that note.

He still hasn’t come back to return the last bracelet.

…

…

Wait, hold on.

My thoughts are all over the place, so this might be jumbled.

How do I even explain this?

Today, while talking to Professor Yuliophe, a strange possibility popped into my head.

The final location for the magic monument.

All this time, I focused on the “magic” and on matching place names in documents—so much that I missed the obvious.

But what if I just think about where there might be a special “monument” of any kind?

Don’t I already know a place like that?

Yes, I do.

Our house in Zelox.

Past the herb-covered hill