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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: Princess Lala's Magic Wand
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These four silver coins were the allowance Chessier had diligently saved, receiving one each week.
Was it the fourth day after he’d come to this house?
Chessier recalled the day he received his first allowance.
* * *
“Dad, allowance! Chessier lives with us now, so you have to give him one too!”
Unlike other noble young ladies, Lilis received an allowance from her father.
Chessier couldn’t understand it at first…
But he later learned it was a habit from their time in the countryside.
“Ah, an allowance. Right, I should give you an allowance. But, Princess, back then, your dad was poor, so I couldn't even buy you a birthday present and only gave you one copper coin a week.”
Enoch was naturally reluctant.
“We’re rich now, so you don’t need an allowance. If you need something, just tell me. If you need to spend money urgently, just tell the butler. You too, Chessier.”
“No way. Give me an allowance. I want to keep getting an allowance from you.”
“Why?”
“Ugh, Dad. Think about it. I’m still young. If I get everything I want and spend money like water, I’ll get spoiled, right? Right?”
“What are you talking about? Wasn’t living like a princess, getting everything you want and spending tons of money, the whole reason you wanted to come to the capital?”
“No, no. I’ll get spoiled.”
“What? Princess? Don’t worry, your dad will make sure you don’t get spoiled…”
“Haaah, James, I just want an allowance. Give me an allowance! Allowance!”
Enoch couldn’t understand Lilis’s whining, but in the end, they agreed on a weekly allowance of one silver coin.
As he left Enoch’s room with Lilis, each holding a silver coin, Chessier realized.
‘It’s because of me.’
Lilis’s intentions were always transparent behind her bright smile.
Chessier was just a freeloader in this house. How could he possibly ask for money?
Of course, Enoch had told him to speak up whenever he needed anything…
But it was obviously an uncomfortable situation. He could never bring himself to actually ask for money.
“Hmm, one silver coin a week should be enough, right?”
From then on, whenever it was allowance day, Lilis would always drag Chessier to Enoch’s room.
And so, he had collected four silver coins.
40,000 Ter.
* * *
Placing the four silver coins back into the pouch, Chessier pondered.
40,000 Ter.
It was enough to buy a doll or something similar that Lilis might like from a general store.
However.
‘She has so many dolls.’
Chessier shook his head, picturing the dolls of all kinds that filled Lilis’s bed, table, and even her vanity.
A birthday. Since it was a gift to commemorate a special day, he wanted to give her something she truly wanted.
‘Princess Lala…’
That blasted Princess Lala collection was all the rage across the empire, and the prices were steep.
The twins were preparing the dress and tiara, and Lilis already had the shoes, which had fallen into Enoch’s hands during the festival.
What remained was.
‘…A magic wand? Didn’t she hold something like that?’
Frowning as he tried to recall the image of Princess Lala from the storybook, Chessier let out a sigh.
Finally, he rose to his feet.
“Let’s just go out and see.”
* * *
He couldn’t even dream of visiting the shops in the commercial district frequented by nobles.
He had walked all the way to the commoner’s residential area.
After visiting a staggering twenty general stores, in Chessier’s hand was…
“Hah.”
A pink coin purse with a rabbit head on it.
Even this cost 10,000 Ter.
“Why is this so expensive? The jewels on it are all fake.”
The cheapest Princess Lala magic wand he could find at any store still cost seven silver coins.
The rabbit coin purse he had settled for looked shabby in comparison.
“They special-ordered it from the dressmaker, asking them to stud it with a ton of jewels.”
“With 200 diamonds and 5 rubies.”
His heart sank as he remembered the money-plastered gift the twins were preparing.
No matter how he looked at it, a one-silver-coin purse was an embarrassing birthday gift for a wealthy noble’s daughter.
‘Should I try to earn some money? There must be a place that pays by the day.’
As Chessier looked around, a small stall caught his eye.
It was a street stand operated separately by a general store.
A Princess Lala magic wand and Hero Louis’s magic sword (the male protagonist from the storybook ) were hanging on the display.
Below them, a pile of egg-shaped capsules for a lottery was stacked high, clearly a business tactic to snatch the pocket change of snot-nosed kids.
The probability of a Princess Lala magic wand coming out of one of those many capsule eggs was slim.
Naturally, half of them would be duds, and the other half would be useless cheap toys, but…
‘You never know.’
He had three silver coins left.
30,000 Ter.
It was enough money for at least 60 tries.
“Want to try your luck?”
The owner of the general store came out and asked.
“Ah, yes.”
With a determined expression, Chessier placed one silver coin on the stand.
* * *
After Enoch’s return.
Axion Libre, having reclaimed his position as the vice-captain of the holy knights, was patrolling the commoner’s residential area.
The festival was over, and the child traffickers who had shaken the capital had been caught, but he still couldn’t rest easy.
Axion spotted Chessier in front of a certain general store.
‘Isn’t that the kid Enoch brought home?’
He had first seen Chessier during the festival.
He later heard from Enoch that there were some circumstances, and he had decided to become the boy’s guardian…
He had thought, *what a pointless thing to do when raising one daughter is already a handful.*
But Enoch’s incomprehensible actions were nothing new.
Axion stood at a distance, watching Chessier.
“Oh dear, another blank?”
“……”
“Kid, you’ve only got one try left.”
The shop owner smiled apologetically.
Chessier nodded and crushed the egg-shaped capsule.
He read the small slip of paper that came out of the halved egg and slapped it down on the counter.
“Another blank. What a shame, kid.”
Chessier turned to leave without a second thought.
Then he froze.
His eyes widened when he noticed Axion standing behind him.
“…Hello.”
“Gasp, a Holy Knight! What brings you to such a humble place?! May the high glory and grace of the Primera shine upon you!”
The shop owner flustered about.
Axion asked.
“What were you doing here? It’s still dangerous for a child to be wandering around alone.”
“I’m fine. Thank you for your concern.”
“Wait.”
Axion grabbed Chessier’s arm as he was about to leave.
The two stared at each other in silence.
‘Why did I stop him?’
He didn’t even know himself. Axion was puzzled.
No…
He thought he might know why.
Axion gestured with his chin toward the toys on the stand.
“You want that? Enoch won’t buy it for you?”
“No. It’s not like that.”
“No, I get it. You might feel awkward asking for it, even if you want it.”
Axion nodded.
*That clueless Enoch,* he thought. *Would it kill him to get the boy a toy too while buying one for his daughter?*
“Come here.”
“Pardon?”
Axion dragged Chessier back to the front of the stand.
A toy sword that looked like something a boy would like was on display.
“You want this, right? Hero Louis… what is it.”
“It’s , Sir Holy Knight!”
“Right. Is this it?”
When asked, Chessier shook his head.
“Then what is it? What did you want so badly that you… did this so many times?”
Axion gestured with his chin at the pile of discarded eggshells on the ground.
Looking slightly embarrassed, Chessier hesitated before answering.
“…The Princess Lala Magic Wand.”
“……?”
Axion flinched and looked to see what a was.
It was a flashy toy—a pink stick adorned with a cluster of fake jewels.
‘This kid’s taste is…?’
For some reason, he didn't seem like a typical boy.
“N-Not the magic sword, but the magic wand? He must really want it; he’s already spent 30,000 Ter on this.”
The flustered owner offered an apologetic smile.
“I feel bad that he keeps getting duds, kid.”
“It’s alright. I’ll be going now.”
“Wait.”
Axion grabbed the back of Chessier’s collar.
Then, he took a gold coin from his pocket and slapped it onto the counter.
“W-Wha?”
The owner’s eyes went wide.
Chessier was stunned as well.
“Until we get one.”
Axion tossed a capsule egg to Chessier.
“Open it.”
