"I'm so sorry!"
After my body had recovered, I went outside with Yuria, and out of nowhere, an apology greeted us.
Pink hair flipped forward violently.
She'd bent her waist back so hard that even the crown of her head—whorl and all—was fully visible.
Oh, guess she won't need to touch up her roots.
Is this one of the perks of living in a fantasy world?
While I was entertaining such trivial thoughts, the girl who'd apologized to us—or more precisely, to Yuria—lifted her head.
It was definitely Rubelina.
The young lady of House Astel, who was supposed to be attending today's debutante rehearsal.
It was so sudden that I glanced at Yuria, wondering what was going on.
She shook her head vigorously, as if she didn't know either.
Then what on earth was this about?
"Rubelina?"
"Yes!"
"Why are you apologizing all of a sudden?"
"Well, because I did something awful to Lady Yuria earlier. I was so startled that I reacted strangely…"
"…Ah."
Yuria seemed to have only just remembered as well.
So much had happened in the meantime that it had apparently slipped her mind for a moment.
Still, what a diligent child.
And clever, too.
A typical ten-year-old wouldn't have even guessed why Yuria had reacted the way she did back then.
"Mm, no, it's fine. I'm not bothered at all."
"Are, are you sure? You're not disappointed in me, are you…?"
"I'm not disappointed. If anything, I'm the one who's sorry. For scaring you."
"Not at all! I wasn't scared. I swear it, on the name of House Astel!"
She wasn't scared?
That was somewhat unexpected, if I was being honest.
"Then it's fine."
"I'm not fine with it. Besides, what happened to your hand? Don't tell me there's a scar…"
"It's completely healed."
"What!? That can't be. The wound was that bad. I saw it clearly, you know. The skin was torn so horribly, the flesh underneath was all… eeeek!?"
Yuria held out her hand as if to say "see for yourself," and Rubelina's reaction was priceless.
She's quite the reactive one.
I'd imagined a more typical noble young lady—something haughtier—but this was different.
"How did this happen? Her hand's perfectly fine all of a sudden…"
"Baal healed it."
"Baal…? Don't tell me you mean Lord Baal Argent?"
Hm? Lord?
Well, it wasn't an especially rare honorific in this world.
But I was usually addressed as "sir" or "young master," so it felt a bit unfamiliar.
It felt almost excessively reverent.
Rubelina's gaze darted around before finally settling on me.
Her eyes widened until they looked like they might pop right out, and then she came right up to my face.
"Wai—wait, could you possibly be Lord Baal Argent himself!?"
"Th-that's right. I'm Baal Argent. Do you know me, child?"
I asked, met with eyes sparkling so intensely it was almost unbearable.
The pressure was so great that I actually had to take a step back for a moment.
"Of course I know you! Oh, to think I'd actually get to meet my idol in person! I'd secretly hoped you'd be here when I heard you were coming to House Argent, but then I heard you'd gone off to study, so I'd given up hope…"
Gone off to study, huh.
It seemed this child knew quite a lot about me.
But why?
The only question in my mind was simply—why?
Fortunately, Rubelina herself seemed intent on resolving that very question, opening her mouth with a polite greeting.
"It's an honor to meet you, Lord Argent. I'm Rubelina Astel, the second daughter of the Marquis House of Astel."
"Yes, it's a pleasure to meet you too."
"It's embarrassing to admit, but I've admired you fervently for a long time. Since I dream of becoming a mage myself…"
"A mage?"
Ah, so that was it.
I'd thought the mana flowing around her seemed unusually well-refined.
"Yes. Though I'm still just a beginner—I've only just opened my 1st Circle."
"That's already impressive for someone your age. Plenty of people don't manage to reach the 1st Circle until they're well past fourteen."
Genius might be too strong a word, but she was certainly talented enough to be called gifted.
With talent like that, she must be getting plenty of high expectations from those around her, and yet she remained modest.
"So I've always made a habit of reading the works left behind by the Empire's most outstanding mages. Among them, something you wrote resonated with me so deeply…"
"To hear that you read it is a delight."
What I'd written wasn't anything particularly grand.
To put it simply, it was a book discussing mana itself.
Where it came from, how it was used.
How to circulate it, how to accumulate it, and so on.
In some ways, it could be considered the basics of magical application, but it was more like a summary—compiling all of that knowledge together with a new theory I'd developed, written in a way that was easier to understand.
Still, to think she'd read it.
A ten-year-old's mind would struggle to comprehend it. Impressive.
Since it didn't feel like empty flattery, I found myself quietly pleased.
Thump.
Something pressed firmly against my back.
Wondering what it was, I glanced behind me to find Yuria headbutting my back repeatedly, like a cat kneading with its head.
Though I wasn't sure "kneading" was quite the right word for it.
"Uuungh…"
"Yuria, what's wrong?"
"Baal. Yuria's here too."
"Ha ha, I'm sorry."
Did she feel left out?
Though she still couldn't express a wide range of emotions, there was a certain joy in watching Yuria slowly, gradually change.
I wondered what other changes she'd show once she became a little more honest with herself.
I couldn't help but be curious.
Meanwhile, perhaps curious about the topic she couldn't join in on, Yuria—who'd been puffing out her cheeks in irritation—switched her target to Rubelina this time.
"Rubelina."
"Yes?"
"Is Baal really that amazing? Yuria doesn't really know."
"What!? You—you don't know? About Lord Baal Argent, called the greatest genius mage the Empire has ever produced!?"
No, there's really no need to gild me quite so heavily.
At this point, instead of feeling proud, I was just a little embarrassed.
More importantly, who on earth came up with that title?
I'm hearing it for the first time in my life.
"Ahem! Allow me to explain in his stead. Lord Baal Argent, you see, reached the 7th Circle at the age of just twenty-two—an unprecedented feat for any mage!"
"I see."
It was clear she hadn't understood a single word.
She was probably just riding along with the mood, nodding at whatever Rubelina said.
I can see right through you, little one.
"Moreover, he opened his 1st Circle at the mere age of six, and reached the 6th Circle at just seventeen! And that's not all—Lord Rowell, the current Empire's only 8th Circle Archmage, is said to have praised his talent as, quote, 'a genius who might appear once in a thousand years!'"
Meanwhile, having apparently found that reaction satisfying, Rubelina now struck a distinctly noble-lady-like pose, unfurling a fan with a flourish as she continued her praise of me.
No, wait a moment.
More importantly—who is this "Lord Rowell"?
Don't tell me Rowell refers to the same Godwin Rowell I know.
The old geezer who's always too busy getting drunk?
That old man I know surely wouldn't have said something like that.
Bring me a transcript of that interview if there is one. I need to verify this.
"There are even speculations that he might, at this rate, reach the 9th Circle—an achievement unmatched in all of history. Well? Now you understand just how extraordinary he is, don't you?"
"Yes. Amazing. As his disciple, I'm proud."
"……Excuse me? Disciple?"
Yuria clapped her hands in her characteristically emotionless tone, saying "yay, yay,"
and Rubelina's body froze as if her strings had been cut.
Her head swiveled toward me with a creak.
Then, with another creak, it swiveled toward Yuria instead.
"Lady Yuria? Disciple—what do you mean by that?"
"Rubelina, didn't you know? Yuria is Baal's disciple. Ahem."
"I never heard anything about thaaaaaaat!"
Oh, what impressive lung capacity.
Might she consider a career change from mage to opera singer?
"Wai—wait, Yuria. You're a mage? This is the first I'm hearing of it."
"Mm, not a mage yet. But I will be soon."
"You mean it's your dream to become one?"
"Yes."
"I didn't know. Oh no, this is such a shock. And here I was hoping to claim that spot for myself…"
Claim the spot?
Don't tell me this child…
"…Were you planning to become my disciple?"
"Yes. It was my dream."
"Oh dear."
I'd unintentionally done something quite unkind, it seemed.
But why me, of all people? There are so many other great mages out there.
"I'm sorry. Unfortunately, I don't have the capacity to take on two disciples."
"There's no need to apologize. I simply had my own expectations and was disappointed on my own…"
Even as she said that, I could see the corners of her eyes drooping.
It wasn't my fault, but I still felt bad all the same.
"If there's anything you want, tell me. I can't be your mentor, but if it's about finding you another excellent teacher, I'd be more than willing to help."
"Really? You mean it? Then…"
Was there something she wanted?
Thinking it wouldn't be difficult to grant if it was something reasonable, I listened attentively—
"Please wait ten years for me!"
"……Hmm?"
"In ten years, I'll have grown into a lovely young lady, so please, when that time comes, accept me!"
"……"
I heard something I never expected in the slightest.
Was this... a confession?
With her cheeks flushed red, promising a future ten years from now, this little girl's bold declaration left me utterly speechless.
To give up the disciple position, only to set her sights on the position of spouse.
It was audacious for someone so young, but I couldn't bring myself to dislike it.
If anything, it just seemed adorable.
'That's the kind of thing kids that age tend to say.'
At that age, it's easy to mistake admiration for love.
It was proven true even in the original story, where even the adult Lyriette had once confused that very feeling.
It's similar to when little girls say things like, "When I grow up, I'm going to marry Daddy!"
Answering seriously here would be the immature thing to do.
So I smiled and nodded.
"Alright. In ten years, I'll be quite the middle-aged man, but if you're still fine with that, then of course."
"Really!? You mean it?!"
"Of course. I'm not the type to say one thing and mean another."
"Waaah…!"
Watching Rubelina bounce around as if she'd gained the whole world, I couldn't help feeling a bit warmed myself.
Ten years, forget that—she'd probably forget all about this in a year, tops.
She'll meet some handsome, adorable young lord her own age and quickly realize what real love feels like.
Well, if I could give a small child a bit of dream and hope until then, I suppose I'd fulfilled my duty as an adult.
"You promised, Lord Argent! I'll be sure to come back and remind you in ten years!"
"Yes, I'll be looking forward to it."
"……"
But why did a chill just run down my spine?
Was the aftereffect still lingering?
"Well, now that you've given your promise, I'll take my leave for today. Thank you so much for your precious time, Lord Argent. And you too, Lady Yuria."
"…Mm. Hurry and go, Rubelina."
"Yuria, at times like this, you're supposed to say 'take care.'"
"Hurry and go."
"Oh, you little rascal."
She wasn't usually this clumsy with her manners; she must still be a bit flustered.
Well, I supposed it could be corrected little by little.
That was what I was there for, after all, and Madam Caroline too.
Anyway, once Rubelina had waved her hand cheerfully and disappeared,
left alone in the corridor, Yuria stared up at me steadily.
Her expression suggested she had something to say.
Her emotions were still subtle, but by now I could roughly guess her intent just from her gaze alone.
"What's wrong, Yuria?"
"Baal. Are you marrying Rubelina?"
"Marrying? Is this about what I said earlier?"
"Yes."
Oh, this child.
Well, Yuria does have a purer side to her, in a way.
In some sense, she was even more untainted than Lyriette.
She must have taken my words at face value.
"Of course not."
"Then you lied?"
"In a way, I suppose you could say that."
"Lying is bad."
"True. But there's also such a thing as a white lie, you know."
Perhaps I should offer her a little life lesson here.
"Yuria, do you know how old I'll be when your friend grows up in ten years?"
"Don't know."
"Thirty-two. That's a twelve-year difference, you know."
"So?"
"Uh, hm?"
"What does that have to do with anything?"
…What? Usually, this is where people go "Ohh," and understand right away.
Maybe Yuria simply lacks the common sense to have preconceptions about age gaps?
That's entirely possible, I suppose.
"Well… you see, usually when there's that big of an age gap, it's hard to see the other person romantically. It's just that she hasn't realized that yet."
"I see. I understand."
"Oh, you got it?"
"Yes. Baal is a fool."
"……?"
Why did it end up at that conclusion?
"It seems this is still a bit hard to understand. The point is, children sometimes mistake admiration for something else. As they grow up, they naturally realize it isn't…"
Thump!
"Ow! No wait, what I mean is… childhood infatuation isn't necessarily bad, it's just that it tends to fade once you meet someone you truly love…"
Thump.
"Yu—Yuria? Please stop the headbutts…"
Grind.
"…Please don't grind your head while it's still pressed against me."
"Hmph."
I really had no idea what she was angry about this time.
It seemed my belief that I'd come to understand Yuria well had been nothing more than my own delusion.
