Chapter 48

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Chapter 48 – Been Waiting Here

The time that stopped since the spring of his fourteen years old had gone by again. Iwer told Kiehl, whom she had not seen in a long time, about the past.

“Really, the Miss doesn’t even understand.”

“She still doesn’t know between Jenkins and Zanbar?”

“She won’t believe anyone who tells her. Our young master must go strategically!”

Kiehl, who was slightly drunk and blushed, sipped a beer and carefully asked Iwer, “Strategically… how?”

At that moment, Rio clasped Rosanne and Myu on the back before noisily approaching the table.

“Here you go, they’re here!”

“Oh my, come to think of it, who are these girls?”

Kiehl paused for a moment to think before answering.

“They are just the kids that followed me around. This is Rosanne. This is Myu.”

“Just…following… I see.”

“She wants to travel.”

The light in the dark inn was not very bright, so it was difficult to see, though Rosanne sitting in front of Iwer was very pure and beautiful.

If Bella was a demon — no, she was a real demon — then, this girl had an angelic atmosphere. Although the white wings were unseen, her face was radiant just by standing still. Iwer knew that the people around also glanced at Rosanne as soon as she entered.

‘…Huh. I don’t like her for some reason.’

At that moment, Rinne, who was wrestling with Jenkins at another table, called Kiehl.

“Kiehl! I found a way!”

He hurriedly got up and ran to Rinne. Iwer glanced at him and smiled warmly.

‘Our Young Master had always been the same.’

Then, Rio asked her carefully.

“What is your relationship with Kiehl, Miss Iwer?”

Taking that opportunity, Iwer introduced herself to Rosanne with a mean face.

“Hello, I am Iwer, who taught our Young Master what love is.”

Rosanne’s face became contemplative and she returned to her own room, followed by Myu. Rio turned to stone by the shocking fact he suddenly heard, though Iwer smiled pleased as she took a sip of the beer in front of her.

‘That wasn’t very wrong, was it?’

At least, she really did teach him.

The plan to bring Bella back went smoothly as if sailing in the wind. Rinne decided to focus on summoning her.

“First, let’s start by calculating how much magical power we need. The school has my lab.”

Even though Kiehl wanted to bring the entire laboratory to the Imperial Palace, he resisted it. It was Jenkins who was more urgent than anyone else.

“Please, do it as quickly as possible. The Miss calls once a day and asks when she will be summoned.”

Somehow, it reminded him of Kiehl a long time ago, who asked ‘when is Bella coming’ like a cuckoo.

“Be quiet, old man! It was because the summoning magic was complicated in the first place.”

Summoning magic was a magic that twists space, so it required precise coordinates and a high level of concentration.

After Bella became an adult, she slowly absorbed the power of the Demon King. So, they didn’t know if they might need more magic later than they needed to summon her now.

“There are amplification tools, so I’ll try to guess.”

“Rinne, I’ll leave the summons to you. Thanks.”

Iwer entered the Palace as a maid, and Jenkins was Kiehl’s escort.

Although she didn’t do any work as a maid, and as the escort, he didn’t even get close to Kiehl. From time to time, they sat on a tree overlooking Kiehl’s room and chatted while watching him working hard through the window.

“Oh, my God. The Young Master was the Crown Prince. I still can’t believe it.”

“He had talent since he was little.”

“By the way, Jen knew all that, though didn’t say anything. Even when we struggled for years.”

“….”

“Are you scared because it looks like I won this bet?”

Each time, Jenkins stuck out his tongue.

“It’s because I’m afraid it’s going to give the Young Master a blow. I cherish the Young Master dearly.”

“Well, I’m like that, too, you know.”

Even while they were quarreling, Kiehl found them and waved to them accordingly.

“By the way, when you see the Young Master, doesn’t he remind you of the Miss?”

“…It is.”

Kiehl, who worked without turning off the lights all night in his room, and the image of Bella, who locked herself up in her study a long time ago while organizing what she was so passionate about, were overlapping together.

Kiehl barely opened his sleepy eyes as he was doing more than he was supposed to. So, when he wanted to leave the Palace to go find the holy relics, no one could say anything. The sun had changed, and he had to go out.

In the original novel, he missed Rosanne and sneaked out of the Imperial Palace, even getting swept away by the nobility, like the current Emperor Raniet.

However, he wasn’t the Prince in the novel.

‘Because I can’t just ask to catch the real Bella.’

He had to make sure that not even a single ant living in the Imperial Palace could refute that he was enough without magic powers.

“Your Highness, a letter has arrived from the Cruell family.”

“Yes. Leave it there.”

He could.

Because more than half of Bella’s books had never happened — A love story with Rosanne —

‘She should be able to live here, too.’

And now, he decided to lay the foundation through Bella’s book. The nobles who were invited to the room as the day passed were either blushing or returning with their souls lost.

Kiehl calmly prepared one by one so that Bella could live in the Imperial Palace.

On the last day of the year 1166, he was wrapping up the year with Rinne and Rio, Iwer and Jenkins, who had brought good news from the School of Magic. They drank a glass of wine in Kiehl’s room, watching the fireworks to mark the new year.

“Uncle, isn’t it enough to say I’m a wizard that comes out once every one thousand years, not five-hundred years?”

“It’s just self-praise to say it was once every one thousand years. And, I’m not an uncle.”

“Ah! I’m sorry, grandpa.”

Because Jenkins was a half-demon, he could not use magic as a human or as a demon. Many of the theories that were only in his head were done very easily by Rinne.

“So, you mean you can do both attributes at once?”

“Yes. Although it’s hard to calculate with your head.”

“Oh, then look at me.”

Maybe, that was why they grunted. Nevertheless, surprisingly, Rinne and Jenkins got along really well.

“I think only good things have happened this year.”

As Kiehl swirled the wine glass, sparks that reflected flew off the surface of the wine.

“I know. Soon, the Miss will be here as well.”

“But, I don’t know if I can summon the Demon King…”

Unlike Kiehl, who was excited about meeting Bella, Rio and Iwer were very worried. Rio was worried about whether they could literally summon the Demon King to the human world.

“Young Master…. You have to convince her to come.”

“Yes.”

“I trust our Young Master, though I don’t trust the Miss.”

It was the same with Kiehl. She must have been very different from the Bella he knew as a child. As he searched for her like this, he sometimes wondered what would happen if she had given up on him away.

Hands, height, and face that have grown all of a sudden… At that time, he wanted to grow up so quickly. Nonetheless, now, he would rather go back to Kiehl that Bella loved, then he wouldn’t have this anxiety that the extinguished embers would twinkle and grow.

‘…Don’t leave.’

If she was by his side, somehow, there would be a chance.

They would see fireworks next year together. And, they would all sleep and watched the sunrise in 1167 together…

“Happy new year.”

Rinne stretched out and spoke vigorously.

“I will summon the magic amplification tool and match the wavelength a few more times.”

“You’re a monster in a different way, too.”

“That’s not what a three-hundred-year-old grandpa would say.”

“Respect the uncle.”

“Are you admitting that you are an uncle?”

Kiehl smiled warmly as he watched them play with words.

Now, it was really soon.

Just at that moment, a summoning circle appeared under Iwer’s radio.

“It’s the Miss!”

They could all hear it together. When they connected the loudspeaker, they heard a brief crackling sound.

Iwer was the first to announce this good news.

“Miss! Now we matched the wizard and the amplification tool! We’ll be able to summon you in a few days!”

Though Bella’s next words were very decisive and cold.

“Iwer. I am not going.”

In an instant, everyone doubted their ears and shut their mouths. Even Iwer, who had never been flustered, asked with her eyes wide open.

“Yes…?”

“I’m not going.”

“…Why? You said you wanted to come to the human world.”

Bella was silent for a moment before answering.

“I guess it’s my fate that I can’t go.”

“You only have to wait a few days?”

“No.”

Everything was loud, even the sound of Bella’s brief sigh.

“Is Jenkins there?”

“Yes…”

“When Kiehl becomes Emperor.”

There was no power in that voice.

“I swore to grant a wish, but you have to grant it for him instead.”

He searched for her so much, and now he could meet her…

“It’s not going to be much of a wish. Don’t you know? Wishes he has been wishing for since he was little.”

Even Jenkins was tired of seeing the terrifying push.

“…What if the wish is to find the Miss?”

“Ah… Why would he make such a wish?”

“You made him so happy. You suddenly left—”

“Then, just say I’m dead.”

With those words, Bella turned off the radio.

Rinne was shocked by the sudden dismissal, and she didn’t say anything. Everyone focused their gazes at Kiehl because he was the person most desperate than anyone else.

“Anyway, the Animal Kingdom is like this.”

“Originally, I think it’s a bit daunting.”

“Because they don’t even think about other people’s feelings. Young Master, don’t be too discouraged. Originally…”

Jenkins tried to comfort him, though Kiehl’s face was not discouraged. He was rather smiling as if he was out of his mind.

“Haha… 1167.”

“Uh?”

“Yes…?”

Kiehl hurriedly turned behind him and went back to his room. When he reached his room, taking a deep breath, he locked himself up. He then opened the drawer and grabbed a copy of the novel Bella had written.

“The year I have to go to the Demon Realm.”

He touched the words ‘Daughter of the Demon King’ in the novel. Bella was living within the hollow letters.

“You have been waiting here…. hoping for me to kill you…”

The person he loved was a terrible person.

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