I Was Just Having Fun With The Time Limit - Chapter 20

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

Every moment of listening to Isabel’s words was a continuous shock.
Content that Karin had never once taught me came pouring out effortlessly.
‘She understands complex numbers and the complex plane at five years old?’
She too had been called a genius, but not to this degree.
Moreover, she seemed to have perfect knowledge of trigonometric functions and calculations as well.
And linear algebra, no less.
That was a concept that only emerged from universities in the Mirotell Magic Federation.
“Who taught you this?”
“Y-yes?”
Isabel was momentarily flustered.
Having never compared herself to the young prodigy mages of the fantasy world, Isabel believed herself to be relatively ordinary.
She worried that perhaps she had made a mistake.
“D-did I say something wrong?”
One cannot afford mistakes before the final mastermind.
If one must make a mistake, it should be done openly and brazenly.
A careless pretense of knowledge followed by a mistake would surely become a weakness that would return to haunt her.
Karin spoke.
“There is nothing wrong. However, I must absolutely know who taught you.”
“Well….”
Isabel understood the final mastermind’s psychology.
‘Someone who taught me mathematics deep enough to aid my magic. She judged that person to be on her side, and may be trying to eliminate those on her side.’
That way she could research Narbidal’s mark more comfortably.
“I just knew it from the beginning.”
“…Yes?”
Isabel’s tongue became slightly slurred.
This was not some form of cuteness.
It was merely a struggle born from survival instinct, the thrashing of a five-year-old body.
“I knew it from the beginning. Why? Did Isabel do something wrong?”
Whenever she spoke like this, Karin’s attitude would soften considerably.
Isabel had learned this through experience, and that experience shone today as well.
Karin’s expression relaxed slightly.
“You mean you understood it without being taught?”
“Yes.”
“You mean no one taught you?”
“Yes!”
“I see.”
The confirmation was complete.
‘The Princess is undoubtedly a genius who appears once every ten thousand years, if that. A genius among geniuses. A genius beyond genius.’
She was very pleased by this, yet it was difficult to be purely joyful.
‘Why does the Princess bear Narbidal’s mark? Why has a death sentence been passed upon someone like her!’
It was clear to me.
Her gaze fixed on Isabel’s wrist.
Isabel noticed that Karin’s eyes were directed at her wrist.
She flinched in surprise.
True to form as the final mastermind, she seemed deeply interested in Narbidal’s mark.
“Why, why are you looking?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
Karin concealed her pitying feelings toward Isabel.
It was her way of loving Isabel.
Unfortunately, she knew no other method.
“But, you were definitely looking at Narbidal’s mark, weren’t you?”
“I’m merely a little curious.”
“Merely a little curious?”
In the novel, everyone who was “a little curious” was slaughtered by the final mastermind.
Cold sweat poured down my face.
I made a resolution.
‘I absolutely must never leave the Imperial Palace!’
* * *
Karin spoke.
“You truly won’t go?”
“Yes. I’ll stay in the Imperial Palace!”
Karin was frustrated.
She focused particularly on one of the theories Isabel had mentioned.
Matrix calculations expressed through linear algebra.
Isabel had called this the Laplace theorem, which was a concept that didn’t exist in the current magical formula world.
“You must present it directly at the academy. It can be formally published in academic journals. This will become a great achievement for the Princess and intellectual property. I will help you.”
Isabel felt a sense of danger.
So the final mastermind is trying to abduct me now.
“I don’t need achievements or intellectual property.”
“Why not?”
“I have plenty of money. My father is incredibly wealthy.”
Born with a golden spoon as the Emperor’s daughter—what use was any of that?
‘Hmph, she won’t be able to capture me!’
Isabel shuddered at the thought of abduction.
The memory of nearly being kidnapped before had become a trauma for her.
“You must go.”
“I don’t want to.”
“This is your achievement as the Princess. It’s a very honorable matter.”
“That’s fine.”
Karin burst out shouting without realizing it.
“Why do you lack such ambition! What if I were to steal your theory and present it under my own name?”
“Are you angry with me?”
“That is… well…”
Karin lowered her head.
“I apologize.”
“Please don’t be angry. It frightens me.”
“I apologize. I wasn’t trying to be angry. It’s simply that your lack of ambition and desire—qualities one would expect of royalty—made it difficult for me to understand.”
“I only have sixteen years left, after all.”
Isabel laughed desperately, trying not to be hated by the final mastermind.
“Yes. I understand. I’m sorry. I wasn’t angry… I wasn’t.”
Karin bowed deeply and fled from the Princess’s chamber.
In her haste, the door slammed shut with a bang.
Tears streamed down Karin’s face.
‘I almost got caught.’
She had rushed away to hide the tears pouring down her cheeks.
“Sigh…”
A deep breath escaped her lips.
‘The Princess understands the nature of royalty better than anyone.’
The Princess behaved more like a Princess than anyone else.
Servant Dailsa was even concerned that Princess Isabel was far too precocious.
Yet despite Isabel’s profound understanding of her position, she strangely lacked ambition for honorable achievements.
‘It must be because she understands death so well and accepts it so calmly.’
A five-year-old child was far too serene in the face of death.
Even today, she laughed, saying she was living a life like a gift.
Isabel’s face flickered before her eyes, and tears began to fall uncontrollably.
‘A few weeks of honor at an academic conference means far less than today’s conversation with the Midwife.’
After wiping away all her tears, Karin carefully knocked again and entered Isabel’s chamber.
She intended to apologize first for leaving so rudely.
But Isabel spoke first.
“I’m sorry for upsetting you so much, Teacher.”
“…”
Karin bit her lip.
Tears threatened to spill forth once more.
She was the one at fault, so why was the Princess apologizing?
“No. It was my mistake. I promise I will never be angry with you again, Princess.”
Isabel extended her pinky finger.
“Promise!”
“Promise.”
Their pinky fingers intertwined.
That small finger felt infinitely precious.
Karin continued speaking.
“Then I shall go in your stead. For now, it will be announced under my name as your proxy, but I will complete the procedures to transfer it to Princess Isabel’s achievement later. You must permit me this much.”
“Thank you.”
“It will be published as the Isabel Theorem, not the Lapras Theorem.”
“Yes.”
Isabel, freed from the danger of abduction, smiled brightly.
Facing that radiant smile, Karin’s heart ached once more.
Her gaze turned toward Narbidal’s Mark.
‘I will uncover this secret, no matter what.’
Since history had been recorded, not a single soul had survived the curse of Narbidal’s Mark.
It was a punishment from the heavens, and all of humanity accepted Narbidal’s Mark as a death sentence.
But Karin was different.
‘I will save the Princess, even if I must trade my own life for it.’
She would protect that sunlit smile.
That was the current goal of Karin, the ultimate mastermind for whom war had been the reason for living.
* * *
Karin set out on her journey to the Mirotell Magic Federation.
And she left Isabel with one assignment.
It was to apply the magical formula she had just created to the Ratel.
Knock, knock.
She knocked on the door to Michael’s room on the eighth floor.
Michael happened to be inside his room.
“Come in.”
Isabel entered Michael’s room and felt puzzled.
“Brother.”
“Hmm?”
“You haven’t left the palace at all today, have you?”
“Right. I haven’t, but why?”
“Then how is your face covered in dirt?”
“Huh? I don’t know?”
“How is that even possible?”
“Right, how is it possible? Hehe.”
Michael, as always, had no thoughts in his head today either.
“What were you doing?”
“Playing hide-and-seek.”
“By yourself?”
“Tsk, how can you play hide-and-seek by yourself? You can’t play hide-and-seek alone, you fool.”
Michael’s attitude was like that of a monk expounding the truths of life.
Michael wiggled his index finger back and forth.
“I played it with Bumblebee.”
I gave the ratel the name Bumblebee.
According to Michael’s account, the ratel and he had become quite close.
He claimed they’d grown so close that they now played hide-and-seek together.
Bumblebee was hiding inside the wardrobe.
“Hehehehe! No matter where you hide, you’re in the palm of my hand… Ow!”
Bumblebee bit Michael’s hand with a sharp crunch.
“Argh! Hey! You sneaky little beast—attacking when I let my guard down? Why? You bite me and then glare at me like that? I’ll bite you right back!”
Michael and Bumblebee faced off, glaring at each other for a while.
Bumblebee, the most fearless animal in the world, bared his teeth at Michael and hissed, “Kyack! Kyack!”—a clear threat.
He seemed to have completely forgotten the memory of Michael forcing five lions to their knees with a stern command.
“He says if you can bite him, go ahead and try.”
“…What?”
“He says his hide is very tough and thick, so your teeth won’t even tickle him.”
“Oh yeah? Then I’ll show him what real teeth feel like!”
Michael tried to grab Bumblebee.
Bumblebee nimbly dodged Michael’s grasp.
The hide-and-seek had transformed into a game of tag.
“Kyack! Kyack!”
“Brother is a selfish creature, apparently.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“He’s complaining that you keep hiding while he has to seek—he thinks it’s unfair.”
Michael’s eyes turned toward Isabel.
“But how do you know that?”
What was interesting, however, was that Bumblebee’s eyes also turned toward Isabel.
His pupils seemed to transform into question marks.
Bumblebee appeared to understand Isabel’s words.
It was inexplicable.

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