Special Story 4

Regardless of Silri and Blizzan’s antics, Heiji—still deeply troubled by the fact that Hayden would become the Tower Master instead of the Duke—rushed to find Graum.

Ever since Hayden stopped being a regular chess partner, Graum spent most of his time playing chess with Fyoren in the second-floor outer drawing room. Fyoren had become close with Graum, Caldeon’s contracted spirit, while commissioning him to look into spirits—specifically the earth spirits capable of opening the gates to the Spirit Village.

“I knew you’d be playing chess again.”

“Heiji, you’re here.”

“Welcome, Princess.”

Graum and Fyoren greeted her simultaneously. Fyoren, sensing the atmosphere, stood up immediately.

“This round is a draw.”

“I had that game won,” Graum grumbled.

“Haha, well, the Princess has arrived, hasn’t she?”

Once, when Heiji had come looking for Graum and the two men had ignored her while engrossed in their game, they had both suffered through her furious nagging until sunset.

Heiji, who had inherited her father’s noble and lofty pride, became excessively cold if she felt she was being pushed to the sidelines even slightly. Because of this, Eva called her the “Queen of the North.” After all, the three main powers of the North—Caldeon, Enria, and Hayden—all tended to yield to her.

“Fyoren, where are you going?” Heiji asked as she saw him trying to make a quick exit.

Fyoren paused awkwardly, then claimed his break was over and he needed to return to the agency.

“Your break should still have time left. If I hadn’t come, you would have kept playing chess.”

“…Ah, well, that’s…”

“Sit back down and listen. I have a problem.”

“A problem?” Graum asked, tidying the chess pieces.

Heiji sat on the sofa opposite him, let out a long sigh, and nodded. “It’s complicated.”

She waited for Fyoren to sit back down before continuing. “You know my brother decided to take over the Magic Tower, right?”

“Yes, I heard,” Fyoren replied. Graum looked at her with an expression that asked why that was a problem.

“As you both know, my brother is much stronger than me.”

“……”

“But he’s not becoming the Duke; he’s taking the Tower instead.”

“And?”

“I’m weaker and younger than him. Can someone like me really protect the North in his place? I don’t understand what he’s thinking, trying to hand the succession to me.”

Hearing her concern, Graum and Fyoren shared a look of realization. They both grasped the core of her anxiety. Heiji claimed her problem was the burden of the Dukedom being “pushed” onto her, but the truth was, she was frustrated by the fact that she was weaker than Hayden.

“Princess, why do you think you are weaker than the young master?” Fyoren asked, posing the same question Silri and Blizzan had.

Heiji sighed in frustration. “Isn’t it obvious? Anyone can see he’s stronger. That’s why he became the Tower Master despite having Black Ma—”

“Are you envious of the Black Mana?” Graum interrupted.

Her pride flared at the suggestion. “Envious?! I’m not envious of anything!”

“You said you wanted a consultation, but it seems you’re just throwing a tantrum over what you don’t have.”

“What?!”

“Now, now… Princess, you are plenty strong,” Fyoren interjected quickly. “You were simply born without Black Mana, but truthfully, you are likely the strongest person in the Empire—perhaps even the world.”

“How can I be the strongest in the world without Black Mana?” Heiji countered, her brow furrowing.

Graum slowly leaned back against the sofa and called her name. “Heiji.”

His voice and expression were so mature that Fyoren blinked slowly; it was strange to see a ten-year-old’s face looking so adult.

“You are ten years younger than Hayden. That means you still have much to learn. And while Hayden’s original Holy Power gradually diminished as he grew, yours is becoming stronger every day.”

Graum explained that the barriers Hayden erected with Holy Power could only provide temporary defense. In contrast, the barriers Heiji created remained steadfast even under the assault of countless monsters.

“Therefore, you are the only one who can truly protect the Empire with Holy Power and manage the Monster Forest. This is even more true now that the Saintesses of the Great Sanctuary have almost no Holy Power left.”

Thinking about it, he was right. Most of the Saintesses had lost their power, and even the Divine Tree within the Sanctuary was failing. The Sanctuary was losing its prestige. Rumors were even circulating that the gods, unable to overlook the Sanctuary’s corruption, had gathered the power once distributed among many and bestowed it all upon Heiji. There were even voices saying it was better for Heiji to hold all the Holy Power for the sake of the people.

“Lord Graum is right,” Fyoren added. “You possess what the young master does not. You needn’t think you are weaker than him.”

“It is only because you are younger than Hayden right now. By the time you reach his age, you will be a better ruler than even Caldeon.”

Graum had perfectly identified her true insecurity and provided a clear answer. Heiji’s face lit up, and she stood up abruptly.

“I knew I could count on you, Graum!”

She walked quickly toward him and threw her arms around his neck. “You’re my favorite!”

In an instant, Graum’s ears turned beet red. Fyoren, watching them, smiled at the innocent sight of the two ten-year-old children.

‘They look quite good together, perhaps because they’re of a similar age,’ Fyoren thought as he watched Graum struggle with embarrassment, telling her to let go, while Heiji clung to him, insisting he was the best.

***

“Heiji said that?” Enria asked, her eyes wide with surprise.

Silri nodded and took a sip of her tea. “Yes. Though if you look deeper, the real issue is something else.”

“Something else?”

“Black Mana.”

“…Ah.”

Silri explained that Heiji seemed quite upset about not possessing Black Mana like her brother. “She’s grown up being told she’s the strongest among her peers, after all.”

Belona’s son and Roseanne’s son both treated Heiji with immense admiration because she was the strongest of the group. Having been told she was exceptional since childhood, being “weaker” than her brother was bound to be a major concern.

Enria let out a small sigh. “It’ll be even worse if she finds out Hayden is a fragment of God.”

Even now, she felt a sense of inferiority; if she learned Hayden was a supernatural being, she would be even more heartbroken. Heiji shared Caldeon’s perfectionist streak, making her even more susceptible to such feelings.

“Well, from what I’ve seen, she’s much more like Caldeon than Hayden is,” Silri chuckled. “Hayden has a certain roundness to his personality, but Heiji… she looks exactly like you, Enria, yet her personality is the spitting image of her father.”

Enria laughed awkwardly and looked out the window. Time had flown; one child was an adult running the Magic Tower, and the other, at only eleven, was already thirsting for strength. Both were special beings, so it was natural for them to be different from other children, but Enria briefly wished Heiji could just grow up normally. However, with Lyven (Belona’s son) and Teiro (Roseanne’s son) constantly putting her on a pedestal, Heiji felt pressured to live up to their expectations.

“I hope she isn’t too upset.”

“Don’t be upset yourself. Heiji would resent me if she knew I told you. She didn’t want to show that side to her parents, which is why she consulted us instead.”

Silri told Enria to consider why Heiji had gone to Blizzan or Graum instead of Mom and Dad. Enria nodded, though she admitted it felt a little lonely to know her child already had secrets she couldn’t share with her parents.

“That’s just how it is. Don’t worry, Heiji is sharp—even sharper than Hayden. She’ll grow up fine.”

Enria smiled at Silri’s sincere comfort. “Thank you for telling me.”

“It wasn’t just for your sake. I just wanted an excuse to talk to you. Caldeon hasn’t been letting anyone see you lately.”

Because Enria had recently caught a cold, Caldeon had banned all people and spirits from coming near her, insisting she needed absolute rest. Silri grumbled about how Caldeon was still so overprotective after all these years.

Enria’s smile widened, looking relaxed and content. Silri, watching her, smiled softly.

“You truly are happy, Enria.”