I Was Just Having Fun With The Time Limit - Chapter 11

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Karin grew stern with Isabel.
Her tone became increasingly rigid.
“You worked hard today, I see.”
“Did I do well?”
“Adequately.”
“Hehe, I got praised.”
“I didn’t praise you.”
“Then you’ll praise me next time, right?”
Karin turned away coldly.
She couldn’t bear to look at the Princess’s bright, smiling face.
Whenever she gazed upon that face, her heart threatened to melt into something soft and mushy.
‘Extraordinary talent at such a tender age devours people from within.’
That’s what she believed.
She feared that this spotless, pure Princess would be consumed by her own demonic talent and fall down a dark path.
‘Viscount Biatonn is already mad, so I must at least keep my wits about me.’
Indeed, Biatonn truly seemed to have lost his mind.
He was the type who would overlook even grave sins from the Princess with “It’s fine, the Princess is adorable after all.”
Therefore, she decided she must be the stricter one.
Sadly, this was the only method she knew.
She had never received education rooted in love.
She did her best in her own way.
“Can mages fly in the sky when they become mages?”
“They can.”
“Really high?”
“However, it is not a preferred method. You die if you fall.”
“S-scary!”
Isabel was so startled by that blunt statement that she covered her eyes with her hands.
As if covering her eyes would hide the frightening thing from view.
The sight was so endearing, but the more adorable she became, the colder Karin’s expression grew.
“Starting tomorrow, we will begin formal magic lessons.”
“Yes. I’ll work hard.”
Only after Karin left the room did Isabel let out a deep sigh.
‘Phew, I almost got caught.’
She couldn’t properly meet Karin’s eyes when she said “You die if you fall.”
When Karin mentioned death, it was a terrifying matter.
Even in the novel, Karin would warn her prey with words like that.
‘Good thing I covered my eyes.’
Meanwhile, Karin returned to her own room.
Her cold expression unchanged, she locked the door.
“Silence.”
I deployed magic to block out the noise.
“Blind.”
I shut out the light seeping in from outside.
Her room grew much darker.
She glanced around the space before hopping onto the bed.
She pulled the blanket over herself.
Inside the blanket was something shaped like a person.
“So cute! So cute! So cute!”
The person-shaped object was a doll.
She hugged the doll tightly and unleashed all the emotions she had barely contained moments before.
Her fists pounded the doll relentlessly.
“Would it be okay to kidnap her?”
Her suppressed emotions, now intensified by forced restraint, caused her to lose proper control over her mana.
Crack—crackle-crackle—!
The doll’s body burst open in several places, stuffing spilling out everywhere.
“How can a person be so adorable and lovable?”
Soon the doll was half-destroyed.
Karin vented all her desires in this secret place and regained her composure.
Today, she resolved once more to remain cold toward the Princess.
* * *
Having destroyed 372 dolls thus far, Karin requested an audience with the Emperor.
“Beginning tomorrow, I shall commence intensive magical training.”
“I see.”
“She will become quite an exceptional mage.”
“That’s hardly surprising, given she carries Villorian blood.”
Karin sensed a peculiar kinship with the Emperor.
It was a subtle perception only kindred spirits could detect.
‘He’s pleased with her?’
In truth, the Emperor rarely visits Isabel’s chambers.
Publicly, rumors had spread that the Emperor did not favor Isabel.
Perhaps such rumors were inevitable, given that she could not properly learn the swordsmanship of the Villorian Empire.
‘But that’s not true.’
Today, as a teacher conducting a parent-teacher conference, Karin could be certain.
‘He’s the same type as me.’
In reality, the Emperor was quite fond of Isabel.
‘But he’s the type who desperately hides it.’
With her exceptional observational skills and intuition befitting a true mastermind, Karin had read the Emperor perfectly.
“Magical training may incur certain expenses.”
“Such trivial matters—consult with Biatone and proceed as you see fit.”
Biatone was utterly infatuated with the Princess.
The Emperor was well aware of this fact.
“Does that mean I can understand it as saying I can spend the budget however I please without concern?”
“I don’t recall saying such a thing.”
Karin grasped another truth.
Though he was of the same kind as her, the Emperor had not yet become aware of it.
Or perhaps he was still in denial.
In technical terms, he was experiencing the denial phase of infatuation.
“Does Your Majesty not wonder?”
“Wonder about what?”
“About what degree of magical talent the Princess specifically possesses.”
In magic, talent is paramount above all else.
Those without talent cannot rise above a certain level no matter how hard they try.
Karin had not yet revealed to Isabel the fact that she possessed extraordinary magical talent within her.
Yet the Emperor did not seem particularly curious.
“Is that important?”
“Most people consider it important. It’s usually the first thing they wonder about.”
“Have you forgotten where you are?”
This is the Sword Art Empire.
A place where modest achievements in swordsmanship are valued more than exceptional magical accomplishments.
Karin nodded and spoke again.
“I had momentarily forgotten. I shall take my leave now.”
“Wait.”
Ron asked.
“Is she happy?”
“….”
It was an unexpected question, so Karin fell silent for a moment.
“She laughed brightly while imagining flying through the sky.”
The image of the Princess covering her eyes came to mind.
A faint smile played at the corners of Karin’s lips.
“I see.”
That was enough.
Those words seemed to echo.
Karin was quite taken aback.
“I have never met a parent who asks such a thing.”
Does she have talent?
Can she do well?
Could she become an exceptional mage?
Everyone asked those questions.
No one had ever asked whether the child was happy.
‘Even I, who have trained in magic for nearly twenty years, have never been asked if I find joy in it.’
In her childhood, she constantly craved praise.
She needed to be acknowledged.
For Karin, magic was merely a tool for recognition and achievement.
“The rumors that Your Majesty despises the Princess appear to be unfounded.”
“Such rumors are circulating?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
After that, the Emperor neither confirmed nor denied it.
That silence was itself a powerful denial.
“Will you not set the record straight?”
“Would it not appear foolish to exert effort in correcting such trivial misunderstandings?”
His demeanor seemed to assert that I pay no mind whatsoever to such rumors.
Karin nodded.
“You make a fair point.”
The Emperor’s fingers dug deeply into the armrest of his chair, though Karin did not notice.
The armrest was solid metal.
* * *
Summer arrived.
Countless people flooded into Suel, the capital of the Villorian Empire.
The day when the sun rises.
In other words, the Emperor’s birthday was approaching.
Delegations from various nations and factions, including the Mirotell Magic Federation, visited the Imperial Palace.
A grand celebration had begun.
Ron, the guest of honor himself, did not particularly enjoy this annual event.
Serna adjusted the Emperor’s attire.
“Your Majesty, you must show only a hint of reluctance. After all, this is an important diplomatic affair.”
“Understood.”
“Promise me.”
Ron, who could not defy Serna’s words (?), reluctantly nodded.
Ron fulfilled his duties as Emperor.
He exchanged pleasantries with the delegations and graced the Banquet Hall with his presence.
‘How tedious.’
It seemed far better to wield a sword once more during this time.
The fact that this insufferably dull banquet would continue for an entire week was simply dreadful.
He possessed exceptionally keen hearing, and was forced to endure every whispered comment from the noblewomen about his appearance.
“Your Majesty’s face seems to literally radiate light.”
“How can anyone be so beautiful? I wish to commission a portrait and preserve it as a family heirloom.”
The announcer spoke.
“Before the gift presentation ceremony, we shall have a congratulatory performance from the prodigious pianist, Viscount Runta.”
The gift presentation ceremony would follow shortly.
Precious gems and rare spices, garments woven from exceptional fabrics, and masterpieces crafted by renowned artisans.
The delegation inspected the treasures they had brought with them.
At the same moment, I was playing and running about.
‘Children truly come alive when they’re at play.’
The best thing since possessing this body was that it no longer ached.
Having spent my entire life bedridden in the hospital, I seized every opportunity to dash about energetically.
A child’s body found joy in running, and the absence of pain was pure bliss.
‘This is so much fun!’
As a result, I had become covered head to toe in dirt—hardly befitting a princess.
Luluka chased after me, panting heavily.
Only when I crouched down could Luluka finally catch up to me.
“Huff, huff, what are you doing, Your Highness?”
“Midwife, isn’t it pretty?”
In my hand was a single yellow flower.
My hair was disheveled and my hands were caked with dirt.
Not a trace of the princess’s dignity and composure remained.
Soot was smudged across my face from who knows where.
Yet I smiled with pure, radiant innocence.
“I can make it shine here too.”
I channeled mana using the magic I had learned a few days ago.
The flower sparkled brilliantly.
“For you, Midwife. A gift.”
“Thank you so much! This will become a treasured—”
But then, something strange happened.
“Midwife?”
Luluka had vanished.
In the place where Luluka had been standing, only the yellow flower remained.
It was as though she had simply evaporated into thin air.
“Well, I never expected to discover such a treasure in a place like this.”
The man’s voice carried an ominous tone.
His gaze was fixed upon me.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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