Chapter 20
Every moment of listening to Isabel’s words was a series of shocks.
Things Karin had never taught came pouring out.
‘Understanding complex numbers and complex planes at the age of five?’
She herself was called a genius, but not to this extent.
Moreover, it seemed like Isabel perfectly understood trigonometry and calculations as well.
And linear algebra?
It was a concept that only appeared in the Mirotel Magic Federation’s universities.
“Who taught you?”
“Yes, yes?”
Isabel was momentarily flustered.
Isabel, who had never compared herself to the budding genius mages of the fantasy world, thought she was relatively ordinary.
She worried if she had made a mistake.
“Did, did I make any mistakes?”
You can’t make mistakes in front of the final boss.
If you’re going to make a mistake, you have to make it obvious.
If you pretend to know something and make a mistake, it will surely come back as a weakness.
Karin said.
“There are no mistakes. However, I must know who taught you.”
“Just……”
Isabel understood the final boss’s psychology.
‘The person who taught me in-depth mathematics that could help with magic. She might think that person is on my side and is trying to eliminate them.’
So that she can study the Mark of Narvidal more comfortably.
“I juth knew it from the bwginning.”
“……Yes?”
Isabel’s tongue became a little shorter.
This wasn’t like acting cute.
It was just a struggle based on survival instincts, like that of a five-year-old body.
“I knew it from the bwginning. Why? Did Ithabel do something wong?”
When she spoke like this, Karin’s attitude softened considerably.
Isabel had learned this through experience, and that experience shone today as well.
Karin’s expression relaxed a little.
“Are you saying you understood without being taught?”
“Yes.”
“Are you saying that no one taught you?”
“Yes!”
“I understand.”
Confirmation was complete.
‘Her Highness is a genius who appears once in 10,000 years, if at all. A genius among geniuses. A genius above geniuses.’
She was very happy about that, but it was hard to be completely happy.
‘Why does Her Highness have the Mark of Narvidal? Why was someone like Her Highness given a terminal diagnosis!’
She was frustrated by that.
Her eyes went to Isabel’s wrist.
Isabel noticed Karin’s gaze on her wrist.
She flinched.
As expected of the final boss, she seemed to have a great interest in the Mark of Narvidal.
“Why, why?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
Karin hid her feelings of pity for Isabel.
That was Karin’s way of loving Isabel in her own way.
Unfortunately, she didn’t know any other way.
“You, you definitely looked at the Mark of Narvidal!”
“I’m just a little interested.”
“A little interested?”
In the novel, those who the final boss was ‘a little interested in’ were all massacred.
Cold sweat trickled down.
Isabel made a resolution.
‘I must never leave the Imperial Palace!’
* * *
Karin said.
“Are you really not going?”
“No. I’ll stay in the Imperial Palace!”
Karin was frustrated.
She focused on one of the theories Isabel had mentioned in particular.
A matrix calculation formula expressed in linear algebra.
Isabel called it the Laplace Theorem, a concept that did not exist in the current world of magic formulas.
“You must present it at the academic conference yourself. You can officially publish it in an academic journal. This will be a great achievement for Your Highness and become your intellectual property. I will help you.”
Isabel felt a sense of crisis.
Now the final boss is trying to kidnap me.
“I don’t need achievements or intellectual property rights.”
“Why not?”
“I have a lot of money. My dad is super rich.”
What’s the use of all that when you’re born with an Emperor’s spoon in your mouth?
‘Hmph, you can’t kidnap me!’
Isabel hated kidnappings.
The memory of almost being kidnapped had become a trauma for her.
“You must go.”
“No.”
“This is Your Highness’s achievement. It’s a very honorable thing.”
“It’s okay.”
Karin couldn’t help but yell.
“Why are you so lacking in ambition! What if I steal Your Highness’s theory and publish it under my own name!”
“Are you angry at me?”
“Th, that……”
Karin bowed her head.
“I apologize.”
“Don’t be angry. It’s scary.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get angry. You have so little ambition and desire befitting royalty that it was difficult for me to understand.”
“I only have 16 years left.”
Isabel desperately smiled to avoid being hated by the final boss.
“Yes, I understand. I’m sorry. I wasn’t angry……”
Karin bowed deeply. Then she left the Princess’s room as if running away.
The door slammed shut because she left in such a hurry.
Tears fell from Karin’s eyes.
‘I almost got caught.’
She had run away in a hurry because she thought her tears would be seen.
“Sigh……”
She let out a deep sigh.
‘Her Highness understands the characteristics of royalty better than anyone.’
The Princess is acting more like a Princess than anyone else.
Chief Attendant Dailtha was even worried that Princess Isabel was too mature.
Isabel, who had such a high understanding of the position of Princess, strangely had no desire for honorable achievements.
‘That must be because she understands death so well and accepts it calmly.’
The five-year-old child was too composed in the face of death.
She was smiling, saying that she was living a life like a gift today as well.
Isabel’s face floated before her eyes, and tears streamed down her cheeks.
‘The time spent talking with her nanny today is much more precious than the few weeks of honorable time spent at the academic conference.’
Karin, who had wiped away all her tears, carefully knocked again and entered Isabel’s room.
She was going to apologize for leaving so rudely.
But Isabel spoke first.
“I’m sorry for upsetting you so much, Teacher.”
“……”
Karin bit her lip.
Tears almost welled up again.
I was the one who made the mistake, why is the Princess apologizing?
“No, it was my fault. I will never be angry with Your Highness again.”
Isabel held out her pinky finger.
“Promise!”
“Promise.”
They linked their pinky fingers together.
That finger was very small and precious.
Karin continued.
“Then I will go as your proxy. It will be presented under my name as your proxy for now, but I will follow the procedure to transfer it to Princess Isabel’s achievement later. You must allow me to do this much.”
“Thank you.”
“It will be published as the Isabel Theorem, not the Laplace Theorem.”
“Yes.”
Isabel, who had escaped the danger of being kidnapped, smiled brightly.
Karin felt a pang in her heart seeing that bright smile.
Her eyes went to the Mark of Narvidal.
‘I will definitely uncover the secret.’
Since history has been recorded, not a single person has survived the curse of the ‘Mark of Narvidal’.
This was a punishment from G*d, and all humanity accepted the Mark of Narvidal as a death sentence.
But Karin was different.
‘I will save Your Highness, even if it means exchanging it for my life.’
She will protect that sunshine-like smile.
That was the current goal of Karin, the final boss whose reason for living was war.
* * *
Karin left for the Mirotel Magic Federation.
And she left Isabel with one homework assignment.
It was to apply the magic formula she had created to the honey badger.
Knock knock.
She knocked on the door of Michael’s room, located on the 8th floor.
Michael happened to be in the room.
“Come in.”
Isabel felt puzzled after entering Michael’s room.
“Older Brother.”
“Yeah?”
“You didn’t go out of the palace at all today, right?”
“Yeah, I didn’t. Why?”
“Then how can your face be covered in dirt?”
“Huh? You don’t know?”
“That’s possible?”
“Yeah, it is! Hehe.”
As always, Michael had no thoughts today either.
“What were you doing?”
“I was playing hide-and-seek.”
“Alone?”
“Tsk, how can you play hide-and-seek alone? You can’t play hide-and-seek by yourself, you idiot.”
Michael’s attitude was like a monk preaching the truth of life.
Michael wagged his index finger.
“I played with Honey.”
He had named the honey badger Honey.
According to Michael, he and Honey had become very close.
He claimed that they were now close enough to play hide-and-seek together.
Honey was hiding in the wardrobe.
“Ehahaha! Even if you hide, you’re still in the palm of my hand…… Ow!”
Honey bit Michael’s hand hard!
“Oww! Hey! It’s unfair to attack me when I’m off guard! Why? Why are you glaring at me after you bit me? I’ll bite you back too!”
Michael and Honey faced each other for a while.
Honey, the most fearless animal in the world, bared its teeth at Michael and threatened him with a growl!
It seemed like he had completely forgotten the time when he made five lions kneel and beg for mercy!
“He says bite him if you can.”
“……Huh?”
“He says his skin is so tough and hard that your teeth won’t even tickle him.”
“Alright. I’ll show you the taste of my sharp teeth!”
Michael tried to grab Honey.
Honey nimbly dodged Michael’s hand.
Hide-and-seek had turned into tag.
“Growl! Growl!”
“He says you’re a selfish creature.”
“What does that mean?”
“He says it’s unfair that you always hide.”
Michael’s eyes turned to Isabel.
“But how do you know that?”
But the funny thing was that Honey’s eyes also turned to Isabel.
His pupils seemed to have turned into question marks.
It seemed like Honey understood Isabel’s words too.
It was a mysterious thing.
