Chapter – 31
Iris Floren. Facing Staleness?
In the presentation for this new work, the flashes of wit and the brilliant experimental spirit seemed to be gone.
Then what about safety?
Regarding this, Miss Iris answered, “It’s fine as long as it meets the emperor’s expectations.”
Was it really okay just to meet the emperor’s standards—even if it barely scraped by? Had it truly been a matter of considering the safety of the ability users, or was it time to start questioning that?
Damn Madame Rochette had gone and written one bad review after another.
The veins on Duke Tillard’s jaw stood out even more.
“Surely you know who reads the things she writes?”
“Th-this time, too, it sold well, Grandfather. Sales are absolutely fine—”
“Do you think sales are everything? Reputation is everything. And you, Cuern!”
The duke yelled at Cuern, who was trembling.
“Y-yes, Grandfather.”
“Why do you prepare materials for the court meeting like this?!”
Once there was something to get angry about, there was no end to it.
The young duke had to review Duke Tillard’s court materials first.
However—
“Because of you, Duke Boliver laughed so hard at me. He said it was fascinating enough to give him stomach cramps.”
“Ah……”
“That simple-minded fool Boliver laughed at me, Tillard!”
Cuern’s face flushed bright red.
Iris, standing beside him, struggled not to glance over.
In truth, she had been helping him handle things up until now.
‘I couldn’t ask Iris this time because she’s busy…’
The scolding showed no sign of stopping.
“And the Tillard Knights’ log?”
“Ramio is with Lirian right now—”
“Even if he isn’t there! You can collect this yourself, can’t you?”
“I-I’m sorry, Grandfather.”
There was a fact neither Cuern nor Iris knew.
Since Ramio had always left the log to Lirian, there was no one to hand it over to.
Duke Tillard rubbed his forehead.
The most useless granddaughter of all was not present.
Yet even without her, everything was expected to go perfectly as before.
“What in the world is going on here?!”
Erique Tillard bellowed in frustration.
His cherished grandchildren couldn’t even utter a word.
Iris bit her lower lip.
‘Ramio… where on earth is he? When is he planning to come back!’
Ramio was on his way back.
But he was rolling.
Ramio was trapped inside the Magic Curtain Artifact he himself had made.
He was confined in a black space, not even knowing where he was.
Ever since being “handled” by the First Prince.
Even after answering all the questions asked of him…
‘Lirian doesn’t like the underground.’
Right. Lirian hated the dark.
‘Why?’
Because whenever he acted foolishly, he’d be sent underground and locked up for days.
‘Why?’
Had the First Prince left some kind of questioning will in his previous life? That thought crossed his mind, and when his expression betrayed it, he was “handled” again.
‘What happened down there?’
Because Lirian had been foolish, his hair had been cut.
The side hair remained shorter than the back—because of that.
‘I didn’t do it.’
It had been Iris.
She disliked his pink hair for being gross.
She didn’t want her cousin to outshine her in any way.
But the First Prince smirked with one eye squinted.
‘Do I need to know that you didn’t do it?’
Damn it, then why ask?
He revealed his expression and got “handled” again.
After that, the First Prince and his shadow gang caught Ramio like a mouse.
As if it were a pastime for their journey.
Ramio shouted at Elias, who had come to watch him.
“Call Lirian!”
“No.”
He was ignored.
And he rolled.
Then Jeanne and the other shadows came to ask.
“Did you know that the Viscount Pavil deceived the lady?”
“Is it true that you were playing with your sister?”
Ramio didn’t even have the energy to ask why Lirian was being called “the lady.”
He obediently answered.
“Ah… I knew…”
“Roll.”
As instructed, he rolled again. The ordeal was even worse than the Imperial Knight training.
Ramio lay down and pleaded, having gained a deep enlightenment.
“P-please… call Lirian…”
“…No.”
“Please… Lirian…!”
“The lady is eating right now. She can’t be disturbed.”
At that moment, Ramio forgot all the deep enlightenment he had painstakingly gained.
He screamed.
“Lirian…!”
Why did her eating matter more than his suffering?
“…We’ll have to start over from the beginning.”
Elias spoke an objective assessment.
Ramio rolled down like a stone on a slope.
The clouds seemed endless.
While resting on the way back to the capital,
Lirian tilted her head at the carriage at the rear of the procession.
“What is Sir Elias doing in that carriage?”
Jeanne answered her.
Spending so much time together, Lirian had naturally become closest to Jeanne among the shadows.
She was practical and attentive.
And she answered questions well.
Though sometimes, her answers were a bit off.
“Sir Elias is conducting mental training.”
“…?”
In a carriage? How?
But Lirian didn’t dig deeper.
If an ability user says it, then it works.
That alone could explain many things.
“And miss, what are you holding in your arms…?”
“It’s a prototype made at the temple.”
She hadn’t spent all her time fixing the princess’ artifacts.
That was easy to fix, and since there was plenty of equipment and materials anyway…
Lirian set down the box and took out a silver bangle bracelet.
It was practical yet elegant, with a single twisted ornament.
It was suitable even for knights to wear.
“Would you like to try it first, Sir Jeanne?”
“Yes, miss.”
“Once you wear this, shoot your ability multiple times at the target I’ve hung on that tree.”
She had already carefully hung the target.
“Multiple times—?”
“About fifty times.”
Ability users had superior physical ability.
Still, shooting an ability fifty times in a row would tire anyone.
Whether she could do it, no one knew, but Jeanne immediately put on the thin silver bangle.
Curious shadows gathered around.
Jeanne focused and extended her hand toward the target.
An ability user of the Baltazar lineage borrowed the power of the earth.
The ground she stood on trembled, and sharp spikes of gravel and soil shot upward.
With everyone watching in anticipation—hit, hit, and hit again.
The spectators held their breath in awe.
“Wow…!”
Eventually, the target was shredded to a gruesome extent.
Yet because every hit was in the very center, nothing scattered around.
While everyone marveled at the target, Lirian asked the dazed Jeanne.
“How is it?”
“Both my focus and… when I channel my ability, it doesn’t dull at all!”
“That’s the effect of this bracelet. It reduces fatigue when using your ability.”
