When Irene arrived, the two were already fighting, so she didn’t hear the reason.

It seems to be about an object, given what they’re saying… I wonder if Jesse knows the exact reason?

“Do you know why the Duke and the Crown Prince are fighting?”

“Because of Mareng,” Jesse promptly replied.

“The Crown Prince is asking for Mareng, an outrageous request, so my master is angry.”

“I see.”

Though Irene didn’t know what Mareng was, judging by Carlos’s absolute refusal, it must be something important to him.

“You could just not give it, AC.”

Zerdin was the one to raise the white flag in the fierce battle of wills.

“That’s why you’re hated, Master.”

Of course, he didn’t give up; he spat out some harsh words.

Carlos raised his eyebrows as if incredulous.

“Who’s hated by whom?”

“Obviously, by Irene.”

Huh? Me?

Caught off guard by the sudden mention of her name and their gazes turning to her, Irene became restless and looked down.

The sound of footsteps on the freshly mowed lawn came closer. When the sound stopped in front of her, Irene swallowed dryly and raised her head.

The moment a large hand touched her head, Irene’s eyes widened.

Carlos casually removed a fallen leaf from her hair.

If I knew it was there, I would have taken it off myself.

Irene touched her hair, her cheeks slightly flushed.

The leaf that had been removed by Carlos’s hand fluttered away.

Unconsciously following the leaf with her eyes, Irene suddenly noticed the surrounding trees were bare.

That meant a lot of time had passed.

Her lips slightly parted, a realization dawned on Irene.

‘I’m still alive, miraculously.’

She had thought she would die soon, but she was still alive.

“…”

At the same time, she wondered how much longer she could be alive.

I hadn’t heard the reason why I was needed here, even though I was told I was brought here because I was needed.

‘When will he tell me?’

Is it because he can’t tell me?

If so, it’s probably not good. If it were, there would be no reason to withhold it.

Perhaps the reason he’s been so kind is also because of that.

Feel free to ask if you have any questions or need further clarifications.
Irene immediately moved to a new seat and picked up her utensils.

When she first arrived at Esper Castle, she ate so little that she wondered if it was okay. Now, she finished her meal neatly.

“I’m full.”

This indicated how well she had adapted to life at Esper Castle. Jesse looked at her contentedly as she even enjoyed her dessert.

“Today, let’s learn about demons.”

Jerdeen, who had written the word ‘demons’ in big letters on the green chalkboard, asked Irene.

“Do you know what demons are?”

“They are evil monsters that harm humans.”

Jerdeen smiled at the immediate answer.

“Thought so. After all, the temples teach that, and it’s written in many books.”

“Does that mean it’s not true?”

“No, it’s not entirely wrong. Demons generally do harm people.”

Jerdeen then wrote the word ‘magic’ next to ‘demons.’

“Basically, a demon is a monster that uses magic. Beings like orcs, gargoyles, or slimes are called monsters because they can’t use magic.”

Irene diligently wrote down everything Jerdeen said in her notebook.

“Thus, demons are generally smarter than monsters. You can’t use magic if you’re unintelligent. There are a lot of formulas and magical circles to memorize.”

I see. It was a far-off tale for Irene, who hadn’t yet fully grasped the basics of magic.

“So dealing with demons is quite challenging. Even low-ranked demons are easy, but it takes dozens of skilled knights or wizards to barely capture an A-ranked one.”

“Wow.”

Demons were more formidable beings than she had thought.

Recalling that the Esper territory was said to be swarming with demons, Irene had never seen a demon so far.

‘Ah, I have seen one, actually.’

She remembered seeing a cute demon named Yomi while she was exploring Esper Castle.

And on the way to the Esper territory, she also saw a grotesque demon that looked like a rabbit.

Ah, it didn’t use magic, so is it just a monster?

What is the difference between the demon trophies that are a specialty of the Esper territory?

“Are demons and monsters different?”

At Irene’s question, Jerdeen gave a thumbs-up.

“Good question.”

He wrote ‘monsters’ and ‘tamed demons’ under the word ‘demons.’

“Demons can be largely classified into monsters and tamed demons.”

So the tamed demon that Jerdeen had asked Carlos for was a demon.

“Domesticated demons are called tamed demons, and wild ones are called monsters.”

“Ah, so the one that the crown prince asked you for was a domesticated demon.”

“Correct.”

Jerdeen frowned, recalling that day.

“Master is too much. He has asked every year during the Taming Festival, but he never agreed even once.”

“The Taming Festival?”

A festival she heard for the first time. Is it a festival?

“Ah, you wouldn’t know.”

Jerdeen wrote ‘Taming Festival’ on the chalkboard and explained.

“The Taming Festival is the day when tamed demons are assigned their owners. It happens only once a year, so if you miss it, you have to wait until the next year.”

I see. Today, she heard many fascinating stories.

“And tomorrow is the Taming Festival, so…”

Jerdeen trailed off and stared intently at Irene.

‘Why is he looking at me like that?’

Feeling nervous under his meaningful gaze, Irene clenched her pen.

With a sly smile, Jerdeen asked in a voice full of anticipation.

“Wouldn’t you like to see the Taming Festival up close?”