CH 102

It was a small, hard, jewel-like object.

The surface was very rough, but it was transparent enough to see the inside. There was also a thin layer of blood coating the outside.

‘Was it taken from the monster?’

Siervian had barely calmed down so had her eyes wide open again. But she stepped back so that her expression wasn’t seen.

Looking closely, there was faint blood on the knight’s hands. He must’ve tried to clean it, but the thing was still covered in blood.

“Oh my God, you’ll frighten Siervy! How could you behave like that in front of a child?”

“Gasp! I’m guilty of death.”

The knight had acted casually yet was surprised and quickly bowed his head.

Only then did he realize that the person in front of him was an eight-year-old child who had only been out of the Imperial Palace for the first time.

However, he was confused inside.

[Thoughts: Didn’t His Highness pull out the monster core himself when he was younger…?]

She didn’t know in detail, but it seemed the object was called a monster core.

What was more surprising was how her brother had picked it up himself when he was younger.

“Siervy, are you alright?”

Many of the thick furs she wore were made of monster’s pelt. Nevertheless, it was the first time she had seen a monster, and then the monster dying directly.

Siervian’s surprise was inevitable.

‘But I can’t seem afraid. I’m part of the imperial family! I have to be brave!’

“S- Siervy’s fine,” said Siervian as she gracefully raised her chin to the sky, as she had learned from her etiquette lessons.

Then, she grabbed Jane’s skirt again.

“Thank you, Sir,” Siervian said, not forgetting to reply to the knight who gave her the honor with grace and courtesy.

She clasped Jane’s hand with both her own hands.

“……”

“…Well, then excuse me. Your Highness.”

[Damian Elverdotte]

Thoughts: Cute.

[Adante Roid]

Thoughts: How cute.

[Jane Millas]

Thoughts: She’s so cute.

‘Was there a problem with my manners? It can’t be!’

How could there be such reactions when she showed them her elegant and mature appearance? Was it because of her body synchronization?

It was probably because of that!

Then suddenly, one thing struck her.

“By the way, it was Sir Roid who took it.”

He even got it himself! Didn’t he slay the monster earlier as well? Of course, Sir Roid’s swordsmanship was so great that it was worth believing.

“The glory of Your Highness is my glory,” said Sir Roid while lowering his head.

“I can take it for you, Siervy… it’s okay if you’re scared…”

“No!”

She thought it would be better to accept it under the circumstances, so Siervian quickly held out her hand.

“But what is this?”

“It’s the core of the monster. If we kill a monster, we are allowed to take it.”

“Ah….”

She was forced to accept it. But strangely, this core had been bothering her since earlier. It looked very weird, yet it felt very similar to a magic tool she had.

‘It doesn’t look anything like it. It’s strange.’

She questioned it even more when she held it in her hand. Oddly, she felt an urge to keep caressing this core.

“What is this for?”

Siervian asked as she observed the monster core.

Then the knight in front of her answered, “P-princess. The core of a monster is of no particular use. It’s just a souvenir for killing a monster…”

The knight was afraid of her getting angry because they gave her something useless.

‘But Siervian continued to wonder. It’s useless? Really?’

She definitely felt a strange energy. But the knight’s explanation was not wrong, seeing that her brother and Sir Roid nodded their heads.

“Thank you.”

After that, Damian quickly gave orders, and the situation was moderately settled.

“Take care of the injured and prepare to move again.”

“Yes! Your Highness.”

“Move the Cariby’s body away from the road.”

“Yes!”

The border guard, who was about to be reprimanded before, was relieved due to the princess who stepped in.

* * *

Their journey after that was uneventful.

As a result of examining status windows, Siervian also learned that it was not common for monsters to appear there.

The border was an important place after all, so it was strictly managed by them.

However, that didn’t mean that this Cariby’s appearance was someone’s fault either. She believed so because of the Cariby’s characteristics.

‘It had an impulsive personality and was often seen randomly…’

Surprisingly, the characteristic of the Cariby that she read about was true. They said that once it was hurt, it often died after rushing recklessly.

This was why the knights caught a lot of Cariby for their exams. Their behavior was predictable, and they were relatively easy to catch.

‘That’s why the Cariby was so bloodied.’

The Cariby that appeared today was thought to have been caught in a hunter’s trap near the road.

As a result, the injured Cariby had moved to a crowded place with a lot of people out of anger.

“The carriage is ready, princess. Are you going to sleep now?”

Because of the previous incident, she stayed here on the first day. Originally, she would have stayed at an inn on the outskirts of the empire, but the trip was delayed a little because of the Cariby adventure.

Snowy nights were dangerous. That was why the crown prince chose to stay here even though it was the first day. The carriage carrying Siervian was designed to be comfortable in preparation for this occasion.

“Thank you, Jane.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Jane once again hugged the princess and then moved over to the other carriage while telling her to call her right away if something happened.

As if to protect Siervian, several carriages surrounded hers.

Siervian calmly climbed into the carriage and looked out blankly after opening the window.

Meanwhile, the knights moved hurriedly and were preparing for dinner.

On one side, firewood was collected to make a fire, and on the other side, several barracks were built.

“It’s amazing.”

To Siervian, who was used to living in the city, all of that activity was amazing.

“The moon at the top of the snowy mountain looks just like my father’s eyes.”

The clear moonlight made the dark forest brighter.

‘What is he doing?’

Siervian grinned as she recalled her father, who worried until the moment she left.

“I need to get ready to sleep!”

She already missed her father, but she tried to speak bravely. If she wanted to hurry up and move, she had to sleep early. Only then would she not be a burden.

‘Let’s focus.’

Her clothes had been changed with Jane’s help earlier.

Siervian concentrated and tried a purification spell. It was one of the spells that her teacher taught her with all of his heart and soul when he heard she was going on a trip.

“Done!”

After a long time, magic appeared on her fingertips. The light rising to the top of her head showered down like a brilliant starlight. Siervian could feel that her body was purified cleanly.

“Phew…”

It was still a slightly difficult spell at her level. Still, she felt proud when she succeeded.

Siervian was in a good mood and laid down with a smile.

“Oh, yes. I have this.”

She focused on the core of the monster that the knight gave her earlier as she was lying down and looking at the sky.

“It’s useless?”

Since she first accepted the core, Siervian had been touching it for a long time. It was because when she touched it, her fingertips strangely felt warm. Usually, that kind of feeling was often related to mana.

“Hmm….”

During the day, Siervian in the carriage didn’t have much to do.

So she asked her brother about the monster core again.

His answer was the same as usual.

Mages had researched this core from the monster’s body thoroughly. Nevertheless, they didn’t find any use, so it was only used as a symbol of the bravery of knights now.

This was because monsters had different shapes of core in their bodies depending on their characteristics and strength.

‘There is still blood remaining.’

Jane saw the core she received as a gift and wiped it and returned it to Siervian.

However, she could still see the blood stains that were left at the bottom.

Siervian thought for a while and measured the amount of mana she had left and focused again.

‘I want to practice, I hope it’ll be fine.’

She tried to use the purification spell that she succeeded using a while ago. This time, she focused it on the object in her palm, not her entire body.

Perhaps because it was a different object from the other one she had worked with, she felt the group of lights hovering more subtly.

As she focused her mind with her eyes closed slightly, the mana surrounding the monster core erased the remaining blood stains.

“Phew…”

It was overwhelming to use a purification spell twice in a day. Nevertheless, she smiled proudly because she succeeded.

“I wish my time of awakening would come soon.”

The time of awakening was proof that they truly had become a mage. Despite her outstanding talent, it was difficult to invoke magic like this, but she was assured she will get better soon.

She heard that after awakening, her magic skills could suddenly increase by several levels.

Siervian’s anticipation grew as she listened to Karmen and her brother’s experiences.

Then, Siervian noticed something strange as she started to put the monster’s core aside.

“Was it originally this transparent…?”

Of course, the monster’s core was transparent earlier. However, it was also cloudy. But now, the inside of the core seemed a little more refined than before. It seemed to be more transparent.