77-In the interlude Efa at Protosta Chief's official residence ②





A monster...

 Yifa was about to argue back and shushed him.
 Because she understood what Lise was trying to say.

''Yes, you would understand......... All (...) spirits avoid (...) that boy (...). It's not that they don't gather because they don't have magic power. It's not that they don't try to get close. It's as if they're wearing a miasma...

 Lizze continues in a firm voice.

'When I first saw you at the school, you said you were surprised. But soon after that, I noticed the strangeness of that boy sitting next to you and stood my ground. Even the spirits you were clothed with were strangely distant, not even one of them coming near the boy. I've never seen a scene like that before.

 An echo of something eerie mingled in his voice.

'I couldn't help but think. That if the Demon King was real, he must have been something like this.
That's right, Seika-kun is a little bit different, but he's still human. I'm not a demon king, and I'm not a demon race either.
Not a demon race, huh.... Are you sure?

 Lise asks.

'What do you know about that boy?'
'I grew up with Seika-kun in the mansion. So I've known him since he was little.
'Are the boy's parents really Count Lamprog and his wife?
'Oh no, your father is your husband, but your mother is the mistress... ...
Do you know your mother?
No.
'How do you know that the woman wasn't a demon? Was her father really an earl in the first place?
....
You're not much older than that boy. You don't know what happened before you were old enough to remember. How can you say that he didn't show any signs of abnormality at an early age? No ... ever since I can remember, as far as you know? Was there really not a single thing unusual about that boy?

 Yifa couldn't answer.
 
 It wasn't just that she was able to use magic despite her lack of magic power.
 Normally, is it possible for a small child to live in peace while being looked at so coldly by his brother, mother and servants?
 It's a good idea to learn on your own, achieve a high level of success without fear of monsters, and even get yourself accepted into a magical academy that you were a slave to, where you were not supposed to go.

 Despite the fact that they had been together since they were young, I knew very little about Seika myself.

 There's something, something serious to hide.
 I just have such a hunch.

''But........''

 Yifa says, trying to shake off her doubts.

'Seika-kun is a human being, and a good one at that. I believe that.
To believe in something is to not think about it.

 Lise said, pouring cold water on him.

'That's no different than asking God for help. It's tantamount to closing your eyes and putting your hands together to get the eye you want in a dice gamble.
....
'I don't know what that boy is, or why the spirits avoid him, either. But the boy is too foreign to blindly believe in his goodness. And you have no reason to be with him.
....
'Come to the rear of the palace, Yifa. You must stay away from that dangerous master.
"...but...

 Then Lizze said as if she suddenly realized.

''You........if you're not mistaken?''
What...?
'The rear court of Astiria is not just a place where the king's wives and mistresses live and paint a sloppy love/hate picture.
What, no?

 Lizze holds her head up.

'Oh dear.... So that's where it started. I had thought that our country's rear palace was widely known to the Empire...''

 Then Lizze says as if she's regained her composure.

'Good. Then I'll show you.
What?
It's faster to see it in person than it is to hear it in words. Tomorrow, we'll head to King's Landing Asta.
Yes, yes... but I didn't ask...
Does that boy tell you not to move from here?
'Not really, but...'
Then I don't see the problem. We won't be back in the mountains for a few days anyway. King's Landing is close. If we leave tomorrow, we'll be back before noon the day after tomorrow.
....
If you refuse, it won't be too late for you to see it in person.

 To be honest, I wasn't keen on it.
 But two nights ago, Seika's words to me suddenly came back to me.

 ----It's not just a matter of time before you get your own way.
 ----You're going to be an adult soon.

 Yifa found herself nodding her head.