Oren pointed to his disciples on either side with his chin and added a word to the butler, who was holding back a scoff.

“Don’t make a fuss about me taking them out for a while.”

“How did you get through the guards…!”

“It’s as easy as eating a porridge to me.”

Heint swallowed his words as he looked at the man who was smiling wickedly. He was a dangerous man who could cut off their neck anytime, even in front of Duke Brioche. The wall of the Souvri mansion might have been easy enough for him to get over even if he rolled over it.

Oren, who had easily shut the butler’s mouth, urged him to hand over the reward and then walked away with his disciples.

Entering the mansion, Izeline glanced at her teacher with curiosity.

‘Why doesn’t he ask?’

Heint’s question was something Oren should have had as well.

How did Michael and Robert get out of the mansion? Still, since they had caused a big incident in Toulouse, Oren didn’t ask the two children anything about their journey here, the reason they approached the slaver dangerously, or anything else.

He only said that they should fill their stomachs and leave, then mentioned Robert’s talent.

“I know you’re a natural, but from now on, using mana is forbidden.”

“It’s my mana. It’s my choice.”

“It’s a condition of the class. You’re not even paying tuition.”

“….”

Robert was about to reply. However, when Izeline put meat in his mouth, his round cheeks were filled as he chewed it all up.

Oren had seen through it.

How dangerous Robert’s uncontrolled power was when his emotions were intense.

“You’ll make a hole face in my face at this rate. If you have any questions, ask.”

At the sound of Oren’s voice, Izeline suddenly came to her senses. Passing through the main hall and climbing the stairs, she looked at her teacher quietly.

Oren, who seemed to have already guessed her question, grinned.

“Are you curious about how I know the dog hole?”

“….!”

She wasn’t the only one who was surprised. Robert and Michael’s eyes also widened as if their eyeballs were about to pop out.

Oren chuckled, finding their reaction funny.

“I’m barely holding the itch in my mouth from talking to Karif.”

As he said that, he turned his gaze to Robert.

“You little brat.”

“Oh, what to do…”

“Children the size of rats are walking around the downtown area without any attendants, and I’d be a fool not to notice.”

He was talking about when he was branded a button thief.

To think that he had known about it for so long…

Izeline and Robert’s eyes shook with embarrassment. The next moment, Oren added a word as if to tell them not to worry.

“It’s more fun to keep it a secret.”

It seemed that Karif racking his brains over this matter gave him quite a bit of pleasure.

“You shouldn’t tell him either.”

“Haha…”

He threatened even Michael, and then, saying that he was tired and needed to rest, he swung his long legs and went upstairs.

“You should get some rest, too.”

Michael spoke, worried about Izeline, who had been through a lot.

She wasn’t showing it, but how scared must that little child have been? It wouldn’t have been strange for her to cry and make a fuss, but she had calmly taken care of the slightly older Camry instead, which was strangely impressive.

‘My father had a good eye for people.’

He remembered when she had confidently told Duke Brioche that Robert would be a great knight and asked him to allow him to continue his swordsmanship training, and in the previous situation where she had been kidnapped by a slaver.

‘She was born to be a leader.’

Still, in his eyes, she was just a cute kid.

“Oh?”

Izeline’s eyes widened as she watched Michael gently brush her hair back. He tapped her chubby cheeks twice and smiled, his eyes twinkling beautifully.

“Sleep well.”

“Oh… Michael too….”

As she blankly replied, Robert furiously pushed Michael away.

“You’we trying to steal her! Go away! Right now!”

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Izel.”

Even while being pushed away, he winked and disappeared, and Robert grumbled as he watched him go.

But as soon as they were alone, he softened his expression and looked at Izeline with a worried face. She had almost been sold to a slave trader.

“Looks like she’s already been sold to another place. Only a child named Camry was inside.”

Oh, how loud his heart had pounded at that moment. He never wanted to feel that feeling again, a feeling as if the world was falling apart again. Robert looked at Izeline intently. The fact that she was in front of him like this felt more precious than anything.

“Robert. Let’s wash up and go to bed.”

She smiled as she spoke, looking a little tired. Fatigue had washed over her as soon as she got home.

“Are you okay, Izel?”

She nodded slightly as he asked gently.

“I’ll do it by myself today.”

There was a lot on her mind.

The boy who would normally insist on helping her, perhaps noticing her condition, nodded without saying anything.

“Okay…”

Of course, his eyes were dripping with regret.

Click.

After entering the room, she washed her body just enough to get rid of the dirt and lay down on the bed.

As she stared blankly at the ceiling, the events from earlier came to mind.

Upon returning to Souvri, the first place she visited wasn’t the Armaty mansion. She took Camry home first. At that moment, Robert’s eyes shook at the sight of Camry bowing his head deeply and apologizing.

“It’s not your fault for being sick…”

He had never imagined hearing such words from anyone other than Izeline…. From someone who had despised him at one point as well.

Camry’s single sentence seemed to break something within Robert.

And something was broken within Izeline, too.

“What, really…”

When she arrived at her house, she didn’t expect Ben’s reaction, as he hugged her and cried. Maybe it was because she hadn’t thought about it deeply.

“Izel! Sob… Izel… My daughter…”

She fell into confusion as an unfamiliar shock passed through her head. It was a father she couldn’t remember. A being so dispensable that one could say, ‘The author must have found it annoying to create a father, so they didn’t,’ and move on.

However, her heart told her otherwise, that he was more than a mere character.

“This word is real…”

Izeline, who was staring intently at her open palm, muttered to herself. They were her real family and friends.

Come to think of it, she had always considered everything surrounding her to be real…

Just by observing her attitude towards Robert, everything became clear. Could it be that she had been unintentionally discriminating against the main character and extras?

Everything was confusing.

“It’s like magic…”

That was what she thought when she entered this world. This was another world that definitely existed. Then, what was the novel that she read before she possessed Izeline?

Could it be a book of prophecy instead?

Knock.

Just then, a small knock on the door woke her from her thoughts.

Now, she could tell who it was just by the sound. As she turned her head slightly, the door was carefully opened even though she hadn’t told him to come in. Soon, Robert, holding a pillow, came into the room hesitantly.

“Izeline….”

He said he understood when she told him she wanted to be alone, but he couldn’t stand it and came looking for her. Izeline felt like she was going to laugh.

Such a cutie.

Did he like her that much?

Robert seemed very nervous that she would tell him to go away. Avoiding her gaze, he approached her while looking at the floor and then stealthily climbed onto the bed. However, when his eyes finally met hers, he opened his mouth with a whimper.

“I’m sc-scared.”

“….”

He was able to pierce through Mithril’s walls and blow up buildings, but now he was acting coy? She was about to tell him to stop trying to fool her with those words, but she shut her mouth because Robert’s hand was tightly gripping her sleeve.

His red eyes shook slightly. He opened his mouth with a face that looked like he was about to cry.

“When I close my eyes, you keep disappearing.”

“….”

“I can’t be alone anymore…”

“….”

Izeline felt bad and bit her lower lip tightly. She carefully removed Robert’s hand that was holding onto her sleeve and gently wrapped it with both of her hands.

“I’m sorry. For diswappearing all of a sudden.”

Her green eyes and his red eyes met in the air.

“Let’s be together.”

“….”

“Let’s be together all the time.”

“….”

Without hearing her answer, Robert suddenly hugged her. As she slipped one hand between his beautiful black hair and patted his back with the other, he felt a sense of security from her soft touch.

And so, he was completely nestled in her arms.

His statement was serious.

Now, it felt like he really couldn’t live a single moment without Izeline.

—