I Was Just Having Fun With The Time Limit – Chapter 85

Chapter 85

Father spoke in a slightly uncomfortable voice.

“Are you that happy to be held by Sir Viaton?”

“Yes! Very, very much!”

“Why?”

It was so much fun because it felt like I was role-playing with Father.

My body felt like this situation was a game of house.

My heart pounded and my mind felt warm and fuzzy, as if I was making memories with Father.

“Because, you see, I like being held.”

“……”

“It’s a secret, but I only tell it to the gatekeeper Ajusshi.”

I really liked being held.

To be more precise, I liked being in the arms of a ‘guardian’.

I think it’s because I’ve never been under the protection of a guardian, because it’s something I’ve never experienced in my past life.

“Your Highness is 7 years old. Aren’t you past the age of acting like a child?”

“Gatekeeper. If you run your mouth carelessly, I’ll cut out your tongue…… No, I’ll be your friend and we’ll have a deep conversation.”

“……What did you say?”

“Don’t talk down to me, Gatekeeper.”

Sir Viaton kept emphasizing ‘Gatekeeper’ at the end of every sentence.

There was no doubt that Sir Viaton was also serious about this role-playing.

Those two were really committed to this situation.

Teacher Viaton spoke again.

“Why do you think you’re lucky, Gatekeeper?”

Huh? What’s he talking about again?

“I’m asking why you’re happy that she’s not an overly mature child for her age, Gatekeeper, answer me, Gatekeeper! Why are you happy about that, Gatekeeper! You’re quite nosy for a Gatekeeper, Gatekeeper! You’re just a Gatekeeper, Gatekeeper!”

Now that I think about it, that’s true.

I did my best to participate in Father and Sir Viaton’s role-playing（?）.

“How dare you! Gatekeeper!”

It was fun because it felt like we were playing house. Sir Viaton seemed to be enjoying it too.

“Your Highness will only be held by me, Gatekeeper! You can’t hold her, Gatekeeper?”

“Kyahaha!”

I burst out laughing again without realizing it.

“This person is very lovely, Gatekeeper! Have you ever seen such a cute and lovely princess, Gatekeeper!”

He was so blatant with his flattery that I felt embarrassed and ashamed and wanted to hide.

I burrowed into Sir Viaton’s chest and hid my face.

Whoosh!

Something like a gust of wind blew.

‘What was that?’

Sir Viaton’s waist bent backward.

Wow. Amazing. It’s like he’s doing acrobatics.

“Kyahaha!”

I laughed again.

You know, it felt like when mothers and fathers lift their children up and down, playing that kind of game.

“How dare you, Gatekeeper! How dare you swing your sword at me, who’s like Your Highness’s fa……ther…… Huh? Where did he go?”

Father had disappeared.

I still didn’t know why he had role-played as a gatekeeper.

‘Well, as long as we all had fun together!’

Ron had disappeared somewhere and Viaton was holding the princess with a victorious smile.

Isabel had fallen asleep in Viaton’s arms.

To be precise, it was closer to fainting.

She had gone through too much for her young body and mind to handle, and as the tension eased, she fell asleep as if she had narcolepsy.

The Northern Grand Duke Rovena sighed.

“You and His Majesty haven’t changed even after 10 years.”

“You mean we’re still handsome?”

“It’s a wonder you’re both still alive.”

The old priestess（Kadelina）, who was leaning against the wall, intervened.

“Don’t say it’s a wonder.”

Having regained her identity as a priestess, she had regained her polite voice.

“Why?”

“I don’t like it.”

Just go ahead and advertise that you’re a dragon. Geez.

Rovena sighed deeply.

If she left her alone, she felt like she would cause a scene, shouting ‘I’m actually a Black Flame Dragon!’, so she decided to let it go.

Rovena approached Viaton.

Viaton, who was holding Isabel preciously, took two steps back.

“Why are you running away?”

“I’m afraid you’ll harm Her Highness.”

“Why would I harm that little child?”

“You caused such a fuss about taking away 5 years from a child who only has 14 years left.”

“Well, that’s……”

She glanced towards the old priestess（Kadelina）.

The reason Rovena had devised this scheme was to see how Isabel felt about Arun.

The old priestess was shaking her head frantically.

‘Yeah, I’m a bad dragon.’

Ghost stories about the Northern Grand Duke Rovena were already rampant anyway.

It wouldn’t make much difference if one more thing was added.

“Shut up and take this.”

Rovena tossed Honey Badger, whom she had been holding up by the scruff of his neck, with a flick!

It seemed like she threw him carelessly, but in fact, she had precisely controlled him with magic.

Honey Badger’s body landed on Viaton’s shoulder with a thud.

Honey Badger was not intimidated at all by Rovena, who possessed overwhelming power.

『Perfect landing.』

『I didn’t lose.』

He glared at Rovena with defiant eyes.

It was as if he was claiming, ‘It’s not because you threw me well, but because I landed beautifully’.

Seeing that, the old priestess couldn’t hide her pleased smile, and Viaton’s eyes narrowed.

“You’re controlling him meticulously? Master, you’re not that kind of person.”

“……”

“When did you ever care so much, when you were being so harsh, saying things like you have to kill him because he bit someone, or that he’s an insignificant creature?”

Arun’s mother and the so-called Black Flame Dragon, the current old priestess, tilted her head.

She asked with a strange smile.

“Did the Northern Grand Duke speak so coldly?”

“Th, that’s……”

Viaton chuckled.

“It’s exciting to see Master flustered for the first time.”

“My disciple, do you know this?”

“Is it my misunderstanding that you seem to be trying to change the subject?”

I didn’t know why she was suddenly trying to change the subject.

The only thing I could tell was that Rovena, the master, was very conscious of the old priestess.

The reason didn’t matter.

The only important thing is that Rovena is wary of the old priest.

The only important thing was that she had found a small weakness in Rovena, who had no weaknesses to be found.

“It’s about Isabel.”

“Please give my disciple valuable teachings.”

Rovena clenched her fists and then released them.

Seeing Kadelina, who was growling and breathing out hot air from her nostrils, it was urgent to change the subject.

“You felt something strange from the one-eyed giant last time, right? You said you smelled Wilhelm there.”

“Yes, I did.”

“I don’t know if that bastard intervened, but it seems like something artificial did.”

It was much stronger than a normal One-Eyed Giant and had high magical resistance.

It was a monster that had been artificially synthesized with something.

“I found a strange inscription on the giant’s corpse.”

“A strange inscription?”

I wondered for a moment whether I should tell him or not.

Ravina, the Dragon of Wisdom, tended to avoid excessive intervention in human affairs.

But then I suddenly saw Isabel’s small back as she fell asleep.

She brainwashed herself.

‘She’s not cute at all.’

Not cute.

Not cute.

Not cute.

She was talking in her sleep, suddenly saying ‘Patbingsu is delicious’, as if she was having a dream.

‘I used to like cute things.’

I ended up opening my mouth.

“Yes. The skull pattern you found on its shoulder. That was a magical inscription. But it’s strangely aimed at Isabel.”

“Huh?”

“Has that Wilhelm guy ever met Isabel?”

Viaton was convinced that Wilhelm was the culprit behind the past kidnapping attempt.

“Yes, probably.”

“Maybe the One-Eyed Giant appearing here wasn’t a coincidence.”

Viaton’s expression turned serious.

It was Viaton’s serious look that Rovena had rarely seen.

“Isabel used a lot of magic here, right?”

“That’s right. She volunteered diligently.”

“I think it smelled that.”

“Smelled what?”

“I have a feeling that Isabel is the target. Weren’t there any strange things related to Isabel?”

Now that I think about it, there were some strange things.

‘East, west, south, north. Monsters appeared simultaneously from all four directions. And the direction they were running in was all……’

I just thought they were heading towards the castle. But thinking about it after hearing Rovena’s words, they were all running towards the royal palace.

In other words, ‘where Isabel was’.

‘And one more thing.’

Viaton had arrived at the north wall first, and Isabel appeared afterwards.

“I remember the One-Eyed Giant becoming more ferocious when Her Highness appeared. The One-Eyed Giant is originally a pure physical monster with no intelligence, right?”

That’s why they were able to block it to some extent with the walls. Because it was a fool who just charged into the walls.

But that day was different.

‘Sometimes when it gets angry, it jumps up like that and swings its club.’

I just thought it was angry, but it seemed like that wasn’t the case.

Maybe it was an act aimed at Isabel.

“It jumped when Her Highness appeared. Maybe it wasn’t a coincidence.”

“I’ll bet my younger sister that it wasn’t a coincidence.”

“So, Master, you’re saying that Wilhelm might be targeting Her Highness?”

“Maybe.”

Honey Badger, who had heard all that, had seven exclamation marks appear above his head.

They were red exclamation marks.

It was a sign that he was very angry.

『I will protect Isabel at all costs.』

He snorted and puffed out his nostrils.

He, a honey badger, had no memory of Arun, but he instinctively said,

『I’ll tell Mom everything.』

『My mom is super strong.』

The old priestess, who was about to get angry at the words ‘I’ll bet my younger sister’, had the anger disappear from her face and pride bloom instead.

Muttering, ‘Well, Mother is great’, she nodded.

And a few days passed.