For a while, I silently watched Sasha’s retreating figure, who gradually disappeared into the darkness, using the golden glow of the ‘Tears of the Star’ as a lamp to illuminate the dark path.

“He says he’ll send my socks as the last ingredient for the Ancient Key. Is he kidding?”

After a while, when Sasha completely hid his traces in the pitch-black forest, I pouted.

“Oh, I’m not a swindler.”

“Really?”

Look at that sly smile. It just makes me want to playfully poke him for no reason. I shook my head from side to side, feeling annoyed for no reason.

“If you say otherwise later, I won’t let it slide.”

“Would I ever do that?”
Sigh, it’s not fun. When I go back and forth like this, there are times when I deliberately give a stern warning outwardly.

Honestly, Lillis is not the type to play pranks or be foolish about matters of this scale, so I thought she would handle it well on her own. However, I judged that it’s better to make it clear.

“Let’s go back for now. By now, everyone must have noticed that I disappeared.”

Come to think of it, it seems like we’ve spent quite a bit of time here. The sky has already spread darkness in all directions, and it wouldn’t be strange even if the palace was turned upside down.

“If, by any chance, Jeff or Hecate comes looking for me, it’ll be troublesome.”

The probability of them already looking for me is very high. Falling suddenly from the balcony while being on Lillis’s back, both of us crying and pouring out tears and mucus, calling my name desperately; they might be searching the Bovalian castle and surroundings.

“Well, let’s quickly go back.”

“Just a moment.”

I kneeled down on one knee, thinking about lifting Lillis again, and tapped her shoulder as she bowed down.

“Clear that up for me. I don’t want anyone leaving traces of coming and going in this place.”

Following that, when Lillis pointed her finger at the glass shards scattered around the meteor with a frightening look, she stood up briskly, extending her legs.

“Let’s push them into the pit created by the meteor. We don’t need to carry those broken pieces around, right?”

“True.”

After that, she kicked the pieces away vigorously, pushing them all neatly into the pit. Then, after taking a short break by rubbing her ankles, I quickly hung on Lillis’s shoulder.

“Quack!”

After being safely lifted, Poby jumped up and bit the unicorn horn tightly on the detached hood, swaying up and down.

I found the sight amusing and worrying at the same time, wondering what would happen if those steel teeth bit into the unicorn horn with gold on it.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes, Your Highness. Hold on tight.”

Anyway, since we couldn’t delay any longer, Lillis ran towards the palace at full speed. It was to give me a quick way down and to return to her residence for a perfect alibi.

‘Come to think of it, I feel annoyed when I think about it quietly.’

The reason why the gods created me with utmost care came back to me.

‘There was a reason for the kind words, not to engage in worldly studies. Everything was planned.’

Now that I think about it, the reason why I was asked not to do things like studying the world was all there.

‘When I pursued perfection and became annoyed with dealing with humans, even when I distanced myself, the gods did nothing.’

As always, I watched from the mysterious face containing an unfathomable depth, where the mysterious truth was hidden.
Perhaps the reason I didn’t get scolded when I caused an accident was not because I was not at fault but because I was afraid that the nutrients for the World Tree might go wrong and disappear far away?

‘I can’t just sit idly by. I’ll kick this brat’s shinbone for sure.’

Anyway, wait for it, wicked god. I bit my lip slightly and rang the bell to start.

A moment later.

“Hey, don’t go to the bedroom, let’s scatter in the atrium.”

I didn’t even know how well Lillis was grasping the unknown shortcut, but it was quite useful that she entered the palace without being caught even once by the knights on night patrol.

“Um, why?”

Meanwhile, voices that seemed to be looking for me were heard several times from all directions. I changed my plan and decided to go to the atrium with Lillis instead of going straight to the bedroom. It was safer, and it was easy to explain if I encountered familiar faces or other servants.

“Because we might run into other people on the way to the bedroom. Unless you’re planning to carry me up and climb the walls.”

Lillis, quick-witted as she was, caught the meaning behind my words, but she playfully threw a joke after starting the engine unnecessarily.

“Then, should we try climbing the walls?”

“Enough! Stop the nonsense and disappear, which means put me down now.”

Upon hearing this, I made a clicking sound and patted Lillis’s shoulder with one hand, indicating that she should quickly put me down.