Daiban felt like his mind had stopped.

His open mouth couldn’t close.

He had prepared everything perfectly, so that no one would know, not even his twin brother could notice. But how did this little one know?

“How did you know that?”

Diane did not answer. She just kept repeating the same thing.

“Hm? Daiban, don’t kill those people.”

In that moment, Daiban realized. This child is not so ordinary either.

Now that he thought about it, her actions and behavior were difficult to see as those of an ignorant 4-year-old.

Realizing this, Daiban rather felt calmer. Daiban took Diane’s hand firmly and said.

“It’s okay, I won’t kill them so painfully. They’ll probably die quickly. Their whole bodies will just go ‘poof’ and burst.”

Daiban kindly explained to his younger sister.

The reason he was surprised earlier was because the little one knew about his plan. The concept of it being against morals or ethics had not entered his mind. They provoked first, so he kills them. Only that fact moved today’s Daiban.

He decided to kindly explain it to the youngest.

“You must have heard too, how those humans insulted father disgracefully. I’m just trying to repay that. I quietly sent them away then to wait for the right time. Elder brother once told me. For the family, everything must be handled without future trouble.”

Diane couldn’t answer and kept her mouth tightly shut. Seeing this, Daiban only thought Diane understood well.

Just as Daiban smiled with satisfaction, Diane carefully spoke up.

“Me too.”

Diane, who had been fidgeting with her hands clasped together, raised her head. Her large eyes looked at Daiban clearly, without a trace of shrinking or being cowed.

“I was also angry that those people insulted dad. At that time, my fists were really itching too.”

Diane showed her fist that was not threatening at all, clenching and unclenching it with a serious face. Daiban swallowed the laughter that was about to escape.

“But still, killing people is not okay. What they did was wrong, but not wrong enough to die for.”

Daiban slightly furrowed his brow at the part he couldn’t understand.

“Then how wrong was it?”

“Huh?”

“Would it be enough to just cut off their legs without killing them?”

“…Huh?”

“Ah, I see! So you’re saying since those people misused their mouths, we should pull out their tongues? Well, that’s not difficult either.”

Daiban shrugged his shoulders and continued.

“Anyway, to teleport, we need mages to inject mana. I just need to replace one of their mana with mine. After that it’s super easy, while moving I’ll change it to an attack type-.”

“Ah, no! None of that is okay!”

“Then?”

To Daiban who was making a face like he really didn’t understand anything, Diane counted on her fingers and explained earnestly.

“Killing is not okay, cutting off legs is not okay! Pulling out tongues, all, all, all of it is not okay!”

“But Diane, think about it.”

Daiban bent down as if trying to meet Diane’s gaze. Brushing aside the hair that had slightly fallen to the side behind his ear, he said.

“Those fools provoked us first, we have to show them what happens when you provoke a predator that was just minding its own business.”

Diane took one big breath. Daiban quickly checked the time.

‘It’s about time they wake up.’

He needed to cast the mind control magic again before the fainted mage woke up.

As Daiban was about to adjust his mana again, Diane strode up to him. There was just about a hand span of distance between them. Daiban blankly stared at Diane who had approached him. It was then that her small hands like fern leaves firmly grasped both his cheeks.

“Daiban is the most important to me! I hate, hate, hate it even more for you to kill someone because of such humans!”

[This is the timeline separator]

“…You went sightseeing around?”

“Yes, yes! I was bored so I went sightseeing.”

“Ah, I see. Because you were bored.”

The duke raised the corner of his mouth crookedly. Behind him, I could see my guards trembling.

“And while you left the carriage, the guards didn’t notice anything, you say.”

‘That’s because I snuck out through the carriage window…’

“I didn’t know there were still people who can’t even do their job properly in my knighthood.”

It was when the duke was about to turn around. I decided to use the second strategy I had prepared for this moment.

“Ow! Suddenly my stomach-!”

“Where does it hurt?”

The duke immediately lowered his body to check my condition. Clemens, who heard me from the side, immediately had the carriage prepared.

“It seems to… hurt a little…”

“Depart immediately!”

I got into the carriage, still in the duke’s arms. Over the duke’s shoulder, I could see the guards looking like their legs were about to give out.

Today, knights other than Yan, who was out on a mission, were in charge of guarding me.

Even though Yan had become somewhat accustomed to the duke’s behavior, it seems the other knights weren’t.

‘At this rate, really no one but Yan might want to guard me.’

I was already trying to come back quickly without being caught, but the time it took for dad to come to the carriage was faster than the time it took for me to reach the carriage.

I barely managed to arrive just as my family was about to turn everything upside down upon realizing I wasn’t in the carriage.

“Call Garrison!”

As soon as the main gate opened, all the servants bustled about. I was taken straight up to the duke’s room to be examined by the physician.

“Th-there doesn’t seem to be anything particularly wrong…”

“Are you sure you checked thoroughly?”

“The little one said her stomach hurt, surely it’s not something she ate that went wrong?”

Beyond dad and brother, who were on edge, I could see people gathered in clusters outside the corridor.

“Oh no, what if the young lady is very ill?”

“It seems they’re saying something went wrong with the food…”

“Then is the young lady’s current illness all because of the food?!”

‘…Why does this feel familiar?’

Just then, I saw the knights standing outside the corridor hurriedly heading towards the kitchen. Seeing this, I was alarmed.

‘Cusses is innocent!’

Cusses was the head chef who spent day and night making my favorite chocolate cookies and pudding, as well as other foods I liked. I couldn’t let him be harmed.

“I’m not in pain anymore!”

“Eeek!”

As I suddenly sat up and spoke in a hurry, the physician fell backwards in shock.

The duke and Clemens quickly approached my side.

“Still, you should lie down, it’s good to rest when you’re not feeling well.”

“That’s right, what if the stomach pain comes back.”

I shook my head firmly. I even waved my arms at them.

“I think I was in pain earlier because it’s been a while since I went out! I’m not in pain at all now, so it’s okay!”

After telling them clearly, I also spoke distinctly to the people who were worrying about me outside the corridor.

“I’m not in pain anymore, and my pain wasn’t because of the food! How much care does Cusses put into cooking! There’s nothing wrong with Cusses’ food!”

“Young lady…”

A voice that sounded moved came from behind.

At the end of the corridor, Cusses, who was being dragged by Bart’s brawny strength, was covering his mouth with both hands.

His eyes were brimming with tears.

‘…I’ve inadvertently won over the head chef’s heart!’

Although I was flustered, I thought it was for the best and said words to drive the point home to Cusses.

“Cusses’ cooking is the most delicious! The cookies Cusses makes are the best!”

“Yes! I will dedicate the rest of my life to you, young lady! From now on, all the cooking I do will be made only for you!”

‘Th-there’s no need to go that far…’

I awkwardly scratched my face and slowly backed away. Actually, I was feeling very anxious right now.

“Okay, then I’m going to my room now! I’m going to rest, so no one come in!”

After saying that clearly, I hurried into my room. Only after closing the door did the tension ease. I slid down to the floor with my back against the door.

The silver snake silently crept out of the bag and raised its head straight.

[Tsk tsk, if you had made a contract, you wouldn’t have to worry about the price like this.]

“It’s okay, no one will come in now anyway.”

I trudged to the bed and flopped down. I stared blankly at the ceiling.

In the end, Daiban didn’t kill the inspection team. When I kept worrying, Daiban even made a pinky promise with me.

‘As you said, I won’t kill them. I won’t cut off their legs or pull out their tongues either. So don’t worry.’

Since Daiban had come there secretly, we couldn’t ride back in the carriage together.

He only took me to near the carriage and said he would come to the mansion separately.

‘I was really surprised though.’

In the original story, it was Daiban who killed the inspection team. He killed the inspection team and destroyed the evidence to make it look like a mana anomaly amplification accident.

‘No wonder I hadn’t seen him since morning.’

Now it seems it was all to set up that incident.

The reason I was able to find Daiban who was hiding was all because of the visible mana.

That is, the mana visible only to my eyes.

I don’t know whether I could see it from the beginning or if I started seeing it after the divine beast appeared. I hadn’t seen any mages when I was living with Rebecca.

I followed the artificially attached aura on the mage and was able to find the place where Daiban seemed to be.

At first, I couldn’t see him no matter how much I looked, so I wandered around the same place for a long time. It was then that the silver snake, who had been quiet, suddenly gave me a hint.

[Walk straight ahead, he’s over there.]

‘If the silver snake hadn’t helped, I wouldn’t have been able to find him.’

As the silver snake said, when I ignored the grass in front and the deep shadows and walked, I saw Daiban leaning against a tree, manipulating mana with his hand.

The silver snake told me later that it was a barrier cast for concealment.

[To conceal with mana, you need to cast a barrier.]

Since he had cast a barrier, no one would have known Daiban had come. If I couldn’t see the mana, I wouldn’t have been able to stop Daiban either.

Anyway, the reason I’m trying to be alone in my room now is all because of that. That I successfully stopped Daiban.

‘The inspection team people won’t die.’

They will safely return to the capital. In other words, those who were supposed to die didn’t die this time either.

‘I wonder what the price will be this time.’

First it was dizziness, then nosebleed, then fainting.

‘I hope it’s not too severe.’

I hope it’s resolved before Sophia comes to my room. That way, everyone won’t worry.

With that thought, I quietly waited for the price, but the price didn’t come immediately.

‘When will the price…’

It was then. It didn’t seem like much time had passed, but Sophia knocked on the door.

“Young lady, are you still sleeping?”

I suddenly got up from my seat. Time had already passed by more than two hours.

‘Gasp, I must have fallen asleep without realizing!’

I touched my face. My nose wasn’t bleeding, and I hadn’t fainted. I even fell soundly asleep without realizing it while waiting because I was bored.

“Sophia, just a moment!”

I quickly grabbed the silver snake and asked.

“About that price you mentioned. Is it possible to just pass without receiving it?”

[Ab-so-lutely, that will never happen.]

“But I feel completely fine right now…”

As I fidgeted with my hands while speaking, the silver snake replied as if it were obvious.

[Well then, there’s only one answer, isn’t there?]