I Was Just Having Fun With The Time Limit - Chapter 143

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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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Sermon broke into a broad grin.
“This is all I’ve ever learned to do?”
“Come down first. Come down and talk.”
At my words, Sermon obediently descended to the ground.
I could understand the situation unfolding before me. Simply put, we were being ambushed.
‘Though it was remarkably obvious for an ambush.’
He had deliberately exposed himself atop a tree branch as if putting himself on display.
Like a young child showing off.
This was probably meant as a welcoming greeting.
“Do you know how startled I was?”
“I don’t quite understand why you were startled, but since you say you were, I apologize.”
Sermon smiled warmly and stroked my head.
‘Wow, how warm.’
In Sermon’s touch lay affection that rivaled Teacher Biatone’s, or perhaps even surpassed it in this very moment.
A truly pure and crystalline affection came through.
“Come sit beside me.”
Sermon sat down next to me.
I brushed the leaves clinging to Sermon’s body away.
“How careless of you, walking around with leaves stuck to you like this.”
“So you’ve done nothing but scold me from our first meeting until now.”
“That’s because you keep doing things worthy of scolding.”
Viscount Biatonn spoke in a cool voice.
“I had no idea Prince Sermon would come to greet us.”
“It’s only natural since you’re family.”
“Did you also come to greet the other princes when they visited?”
Sermon shook his head.
He adopted a somewhat serious expression and bowed at the waist.
Then he gestured for Viscount Biatonn to come closer and whispered softly to him.
“They aren’t my younger sister.”
Though it was a whisper, everyone heard it anyway.
They aren’t his younger sister, he said.
That’s clearly an absurd excuse—
“That’s true enough.”
“You understand, don’t you, Viscount Biatonn?”
“I find myself in complete agreement.”
How easily he accepts such an unreasonable explanation.
He probably doesn’t truly agree so much as he’s simply letting it pass.
“Since the Ducal Residence isn’t far from here, we’ll depart again as we are. The carriage roof is gone, but it shouldn’t be uncomfortable, should it?”
“Not at all.”
The carriage set off once more.
I looked up at the sky.
The dense foliage obscured most of it, but what little I could see was a brilliant blue.
The glimpses of sky that appeared between the leaves were strikingly azure.
The rich scent of wood and earth seeping deep into my lungs, the wind flowing through the open ceiling—it was truly wonderful.
‘So this is why people drive convertibles!’
I’d seen plenty of wealthy people driving convertibles on television.
Glamorous rich men and women looked so cool speeding along in their convertibles.
…Yeah, right.
The pleasure lasted only a moment.
The wind was so fierce that my hair whipped wildly around my face.
The hair I’d grown out over the past year since getting a short cut kept slapping against my face.
The convertible aesthetic only looked good in dramas.
Sermon asked me.
“Are you hurt somewhere? Why do you look like that?”
“It feels like my hair is slapping me in the face.”
“Should I cut it for you?”
Sermon still approached problem-solving in the most extreme way possible.
* * *
The secret Blaedok Duchy, hidden deep within the forest.
Even the servants of the Ducal Residence were said to be skilled assassins.
‘Is this really a place where people live?’
I gazed at the Blaedok Castle. The entire tall wall was surrounded by massive vines.
It felt like a very ancient fortress.
The gate creaked open on its own.
‘Not even a guard?’
It looked more like an abandoned castle than a Ducal Residence.
There was no sign of anyone at all.
There wasn’t even the faintest scent of human habitation.
I wondered if we’d come to the wrong place.
‘This place feels ominous for some reason.’
As if reading my mind, Viscount Biatonn reassured me.
“You likely won’t encounter the servants unless absolutely necessary. They move with extreme discretion.”
For instance, you might wake from sleep to find breakfast already laid out.
Or when searching for the washroom, arrows suddenly materialize from thin air to point the way.
If you need something, you simply speak into the empty air.
He said it helps to think of it as ghosts listening to you from somewhere unseen.
That sounded rather frightening, actually.
Sermon spoke.
“Should we go see Glass Lake today?”
“I’d like that.”
The Blaedok Duchy felt inexplicably eerie and frightening—I had no desire to linger there.
Without exaggeration, there was not a trace of human warmth in this place.
The utter absence of vitality made me want to flee as quickly as possible.
“Right. It’s only about an hour by carriage from here. Let’s set a boat out in the middle of Glass Lake and enjoy brunch.”
Sermon lifted a basket—I wasn’t sure when he’d prepared it.
Though I couldn’t say for certain, the way Bumblebee’s nose was twitching suggested there had to be something delicious inside.
“Did you prepare this yourself, Brother?”
“Yes. It probably pales in comparison to your maid’s culinary skills.”
“Not at all. Just knowing that you prepared it for me is more than enough to make me happy. I’m really looking forward to it.”
“You’re putting me under pressure by saying that.”
Truly, when I look at him like this, he seems so affectionate and kind.
Remembering how he’d tried to kill Bumblebee without a shred of malice sent a chill down my spine.
In any case, we arrived at Glass Lake.
Glass Lake was said to be a lake formed over thousands of years as water accumulated in the crater of a massive mountain.
“Wow…!”
I couldn’t help but gasp in wonder.
The water was so transparent that I could see every pebble on the bottom.
“It seems like mermaids would live here.”
“There are no mermaids here.”
“Pardon?”
“I killed them all.”
“…”
At those words, Viscount Biatonn let out a small cough.
“Your Highness. That is not humor.”
Sermon’s expression grew slightly flustered.
He looked as though he were thinking, “What? You didn’t find that funny?”
“…Was that supposed to be a joke?”
“Wasn’t it amusing?”
“…If you wish, I shall study the comedic elements involved.”
“No, never mind.”
Whether fortunately or unfortunately, Sermon’s words were not true.
Viscount Biatonn explained the facts.
“The water of Glass Lake is so pure that nothing can live in it. Not even a single fish can survive in such an environment. Glass Lake has a very peculiar phenomenon—lightning-type magic doesn’t work here.”
“Electricity doesn’t conduct through water?”
“Yes. I learned this from my mother. It’s inexplicable, but it is the truth.”
Oh, how fascinating.
“So it’s naturally ultrapure water?”
“Pardon?”
“Water with minimal organic matter and electrical conductivity—deionized water with almost no impurities! Highly filtered distilled water!”
Viscount Biatonn laughed heartily at something he found amusing.
“I thought you’d be sad that mermaids couldn’t live in such a place.”
“But I’m delighted that I’ve discovered ultra-pure water.”
In modern science, it’s essential for semiconductor manufacturing processes.
I thought that if Grandfather Tesleron and Teacher Karin researched this place together with me, we might be able to produce something truly remarkable.
“So that’s… what makes you happy.”
“Yes, it does. Aren’t you happy, Teacher Biatone?”
“Whatever the case may be, if the Princess is happy, then I’m happy too. Haha!”
Viscount Biatonn asked again, as if something still lingered in his mind.
“So you’re not particularly sad that there are no mysterious creatures like mermaids, then?”
It seemed as though he was hoping to find childlike wonder in me.
Would Viscount Biatonn be pleased if I showed a little sadness?
“Are you really certain there are no living creatures at all?”
I put on a slightly disappointed expression.
Honestly, I was a bit disappointed myself.
“Yes, unfortunately it’s an environment where no living creature can survive.”
“No living creatures at all?”
“Yes, no living creatures at all.”
“Then, dragons can’t live here either?”
“Hmm.”
Viscount Biatonn pondered for a moment before speaking.
“I’m not entirely certain, but couldn’t dragons survive here? I’ve heard they can live even in lava. Though I’m not sure if that’s true.”
“It’s true!”
I saw it in a novel.
Though the character had no significant role in the story, there was indeed a passage mentioning a fire dragon that lived in lava.
“You really believe that?”
“Yes!”
“I see, you believe it.”
“Why?”
“It’s nothing.”
For some reason, Viscount Biatonn seemed pleased.
He was grinning widely, though I couldn’t quite understand why he was so happy.
Though I didn’t fully understand, the affectionate way he looked at me made my heart feel lighter.
‘Anyway, discovering ultra-pure water. What unexpected fortune.’
A good feeling washed over me.
This would surely make a significant contribution to the advancement of magical engineering.
* * *
We boarded the boat.
It was a small vessel that could barely fit the three of us.
“I’ll row us, sir.”
“No. I’ll row it myself.”
“Your Highness?”
“Yes. I’ve been practicing for this day.”
“I understand.”
So he’d been practicing—Prince Sermon handled the oars with remarkable ease.
“You’re really fast!”
“Quite skilled, wouldn’t you say?”
“Yes. You’re amazing at this. You could compete in a canoe race.”
The boat glided forward with surprising swiftness.
It felt like skimming across the water’s surface, leaving behind gentle white ripples.
I leaned my head over the boat’s edge to peer beneath the water.
“Can I dip my feet in?”
Viscount Biatonn shook his head.
“Despite its shallow appearance, the water depth exceeds 500 meters.”
“Really? Over 500 meters? That’s impossible!”
To my eyes, the water seemed to reach only about my waist.
The water was so incredibly clear that it created an optical illusion.
“It’s the tenth deepest lake in the world, after all.”
“Then I really can’t dip my feet in?”
It felt like being in the middle of a glass mirror.
From a distance, it seemed to hold the very reflection of the sky itself.
It was more beautiful than any lake I’d ever imagined.
“If it seems dangerous, you can just have your teacher hold you.”
“That is… well, yes.”
In reality, someone with superhuman abilities like Viscount Biatonn wouldn’t find something like water particularly troublesome.
“With Viscount Biatonn beside me, I wouldn’t be scared even if a 500-meter grandfather came along.”
“Hold my hand tightly. The water is far colder than you’d expect, so we’ll only dip them in briefly.”
“Understood.”
I perched myself on the boat’s railing.
The boat was small, but my legs were so short that they didn’t reach the water.
Why am I so short-legged!
As I made a dejected face, Viscount Biatonn sighed in resignation and wrapped his arms around me beneath my armpits, lifting me up.

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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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