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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: A Rift Between Friends
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She sold you, her own daughter.
For the sake of her son.
I mulled over Oscar’s words, trying my best to act unfazed.
‘So that’s how it was.’
Knowing my dad, he wouldn't have just run away with our child without telling my mother.
He must have told her where he was going. Though he probably never expected her to reveal his location to the emperor.
‘Does that mean the start of this tragedy was none other than my own mother?’
In the original story, I was kidnapped.
Then I would have been taken to the training center.
After my rank was confirmed, I would have been imprisoned.
‘She said Mom is working at the training center now. Then… then that means Mom knew everything.’
The entire process—being kidnapped without a clue, separated from my dad, having my rank revealed, and being imprisoned by the imperial family…
The mother from the original story knew, she saw it all, and yet she feigned ignorance and kept her mouth shut.
‘…This is quite a shock.’
The fact that my own mother, of all people, had contributed to my tragic life was truly shocking.
“Haa, haa.”
“Shocking, isn’t it?”
“Y-Yes… a little.”
As I answered meekly, Oscar stared at me with a strange look in his eyes for some reason.
“After you go to the training center, come straight to the Magic Tower. I’ll use my authority to recruit you early.”
“Huh…? Why would I? No, thank you.”
“What? Why?”
Feeling down, I absentmindedly doodled on the paper with my pen.
“I want to stay home with my dad. What would I even do there?”
“If you don’t join the Magic Tower, you’ll be thrown onto the battlefield. They don’t go easy on you just because you’re young. Even the child soldiers are all out there subjugating magical beasts with a hundred teeth.”
“I’m still not going. I don’t want to be separated from my dad.”
“So you have a safety net.”
Oscar scoffed.
“What, did your dad tell you not to do anything? Said he’d let you live like a princess who doesn’t have to lift a finger?”
“……”
“You can’t enjoy such luxury without a price. Just like how your mother sold you to protect her son.”
Oscar added, pushing my forehead firmly with his index finger.
“Your dad’s the same way. In exchange for letting you live like a princess, he’s probably planning to throw himself onto the battlefield.”
“……”
“You know your dad is a formidable man. Even the emperor couldn’t just order him to go to war as he pleased. Especially… wars of aggression. Your dad opposed them at every turn. But.”
Oscar paused and let out a smirk.
“Now he has a daughter, doesn’t he? The emperor probably wants to strip naked and dance right now. It’s easy to threaten him using you.”
“……”
“Do you want your dad to be blackmailed, unable to say a word against the emperor? To go and kill innocent people? Are you okay with that?”
That won’t happen. As long as I’m not one of the top three ranks subject to conscription, it’ll be fine, and I’ve already prepared for that.
However, I grew curious about Oscar’s true intentions, as he seemed to be trying to help me.
‘He really is the number one most inscrutable, sly character, isn’t he? Judging by how he talks, it doesn’t seem like he likes the emperor.’
Then why in the original story…
did he adamantly refuse when my dad asked him to support the revolution?
My eyes widened as I recalled the end of the original story.
After their successful rebellion, the final destination for my dad and Chessier was the imperial palace.
They had to behead the tyrannical emperor who had ruled the corrupt empire as a dictator.
When the rebel army arrived at the palace.
Standing beside the emperor was, surprisingly, the Master of the Magic Tower, Oscar.
‘Seeing that, I thought Oscar was on the emperor’s side after all.’
Strangely, Oscar only watched as the emperor was beheaded.
The emperor had even reached out, crying, “Ugh, Master of the Tower!” asking for help, but Oscar didn't even glance his way.
The only time Oscar stepped in.
‘Was after I, the final villain, appeared, right?’
I, who was thought to be dead, appeared in a brainwashed state.
The vicious emperor’s secretly hidden last resort. In other words, I was, though not by my own will, on the emperor’s side and my dad’s enemy.
In place of my panicked dad, Chessier tried to kill me, but Oscar was the one who blocked his path.
Oscar, who had never once abused his power, strangely fought Chessier to the point of coughing up blood in the end.
In any case, since he sided with the villain in the confrontation between the protagonist and the villains, I thought he was an enemy…
‘It’s so confusing. Then why did he protect me, but only watch when the emperor was dying?’
I furrowed my brow, deep in thought.
Oscar chuckled and rubbed my forehead.
“Smooth out that frown. You’ll get wrinkles.”
“Huu, it’s difficult.”
“What is?”
“You, Master of the Tower. I have no idea what goes on in your head.”
“Puhahaha…!”
Oscar clutched his stomach and laughed.
Is it that funny? I pouted at Oscar, who was laughing so hard there were tears in his eyes.
“Why are you being so nice to me?”
Both in the original story, where he desperately protected me.
And now, offering to scout me for the Magic Tower so I won’t be conscripted.
It was strange how this inscrutable man was so favorable only toward me.
‘Don’t tell me he and I had something going on?’
Like, something romantic?
It never came up in the original story, so I had no way of knowing.
I wanted to grab Oscar by the collar, shake him, and ask why he would protect me in the future.
“Because I love you?”
“…Whaaat?!”
Really romantic? Seeing my jaw drop, Oscar burst out laughing and added.
“I love geniuses.”
“Oh, you scared me!”
Seeing me clutch my chest in relief, Oscar slammed his hand on the desk and roared with laughter.
“Ahaha! Ahh, this kid is driving me crazy. Were you surprised?”
“Yes, a little. I almost misunderstood! The age gap between us is way too big, it would never work!”
“Puhahahaha!!”
Teasing people like that. I puffed out my cheeks and glared at Oscar.
“Haha, hey…”
“What is it?”
Wiping the tears from the corners of his eyes, Oscar gestured toward the window with his chin.
“Those two are fighting.”
“Huh?”
Wondering what he meant, I turned and saw two boys tangled up together in the first-floor garden.
Chessier and…
‘Leon?’
Chessier, pinned underneath, was being pummeled one-sidedly by Leon.
“W-What in the world is happening!”
Startled, I bolted out of the room.
* * *
Lilis could be seen through the window, scurrying out on her short legs.
Oscar rested his chin on his hand, watching Lilis with a faint smile.
“Age gap, my foot.”
For a moment, a flicker of fondness crossed his eyes as he gazed at Lilis.
A fondness that seemed, for some reason, very old…
“She’s a complete old soul on the inside. Such a good actress.”
* * *
“Stop!!”
As I shouted and ran toward them, Leon, who had been punching Chessier in the face, flinched and looked up.
“What do you think you’re doing!”
“……”
“Move! Let go of Chessier!”
Leon gritted his teeth, glared at Chessier pinned beneath him, and then finally stood up.
“A-Are you okay?”
I rushed over to Chessier. As he sat up, I could see his lip was already split open.
The wound that had just healed was…
“Why on earth!”
He must still have trauma from the assault, and now he’s been beaten again just one day after I brought him here.
And after I promised no one would ever hit him again.
“Why did you hit him! Why!”
Overcome with emotion, I turned to Leon and yelled.
He didn’t answer, only glaring at Chessier as if he wanted to kill him.
“Tell me! Why did you hit him!!”
“Don’t be friends with him.”
“…What?”
“I said don’t. He’s a bad guy.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“He… to you…!”
Leon started to say something but then clamped his mouth shut.
“Anyway, just listen to me. Don’t hang out with this bastard. I don’t like how arrogant he is for a commoner.”
“What did you say?”
Did I hear that right? Did Leon really just bring up his status as a commoner?
Anyone else in the world could ignore and look down on Chessier, but it shouldn't have been Leon.
Wasn’t he the cool older brother who, despite acting prickly, would secretly go around and scold anyone who spoke ill of Chessier?
‘Why is it turning out like this?’
I realized that, unlike in the original story, something had gone wrong with their relationship.
What went wrong? Where did it start to unravel?
Was it a mistake to rescue Chessier a little earlier?
No, setting all that aside…
I was simply disappointed in Leon.
“Am I not a commoner?”
“What?”
“I’ve lived my whole life thinking I was a commoner. If I wasn’t Dad’s daughter, you probably wouldn’t have even spoken to me, Brother.”
“Hey, that’s not it…”
“When I lived in Zenon, I had commoner friends. Susan and Joe were commoners. They were all kind, and I still miss them.”
“……”
“Just because I’m a noble now doesn’t mean I’m going to be picky about my friends. Chessier is my friend. So don’t hit him or look down on him.”
I said, looking straight at Leon with tears welling in my eyes.
Leon watched me and let out a hollow laugh. The rims of his eyes reddened slightly.
“You…”
“……”
“Are you closer to him than me? Do you like him more?”
The childish question, so typical of a twelve-year-old, made me lose all will to fight.
That’s right. Leon is still young.
So I should understand, but it wasn’t easy.
“I used to like you more, Brother, but now I don’t know. Because I hate people who use violence more than anyone in the world.”
I spoke coldly to the indignant-looking Leon. I wasn’t sure if words like these could fix his bad habits, but.
“……”
Leon’s eyes widened in shock, and he blinked.
Then, he clenched his jaw and trembled for a long moment before turning and running away.
