CH 26

The moment I read the message, I remembered an event from a year ago.

When I left my room alone and got lost, I was taken to a place called a “Special Area”.

And there was a diary-like book called <Taylor’s Home>.

I wondered if it would still be there if I went back into that room.

There’s only so much you can get out of a single torn page, and since I didn’t know when the special area would open again, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity.

The party was in full swing, and I had to find a way to outsmart Maya.

With Othello still hovering close by, I wasn’t sure what to do.

And even though Recardo was farther away, he was still close enough to see me if I misbehaved.

My last skill manifestation had already made a strange impression on him, and I didn’t want to do anything more suspicious.

How could I divert people’s attention away from me…….

‘Right. That’s it!’

And at that moment, I remembered an item I had forgotten.

I opened my inventory and saw two items.

[Tight shoes]

[A ball of surprise]

It was explained that the shoes will let anyone who thinks of you know where you are, and the ball will draw everyone’s attention for about a minute.

I was nervous about whether this would work, but I chose the latter.

And that’s when I heard the giggles.

“There’s a little monster crawling around ♬”

And the little ball that had suddenly protruded from the width of my skirt, , began to move forward as if it had wheels on the bottom.

It was very colorful and had a tacky design, but the surprise ball was spinning and moving forward at a very high speed.

“I’m going to be a butterfly, a fancy caterpillar♪”

The cheerful nursery rhyme continued.

“Oh my, what is that?”

“Is that one of the little ladies’ or young masters’ toys – who brought it?”

Of course, the catchy lyrics and melodies that feel like you’ve heard them before were an added bonus.

The surface of the surprise ball constantly flashed in different colors, making it hard to look away.

“I don’t know where they made this, but it’s amazing.”

“It keeps singing. Is it a magic stone?”

Naturally, everyone’s eyes went wide.

~ Translations by Lurelia | Editing by Valpal | Read only at moonlightnovels.com ~

This was a world where simple modern technology was made possible by magic stones, or alchemy. Machines made of special stones could record and project images, and light bulbs were made to illuminate.

So, the reaction of these people was not all that strange.

“No way, a gemstone is too big for a child’s toy…….”

“They took Zestia’s mine, so the family must be rich.”

“But it’s really cute. It would be great to attach a poisonous stinger to it and use it as a sneak attack weapon…….”

Everyone’s eyes went blank, as if hypnotized for a moment by the item’s function.

A quick glance at Othello’s eyes revealed that he, too, had been drawn to the spectacle.

“Playing is the best! Gather around little friends ♪”

Oooh, a happy nursery rhyme medley.

As I caught my reflection in the mirror on one side of the surprise ball, I remembered that I had a time limit.

‘Oops, what am I doing? I need to run away.’

I was so excited that I almost stared at myself in disbelief.

Leaving Maya to stare in amazement, I moved quickly. I rounded the corner and saw the same long corridor as before. When I looked back, I saw nothing of the assembly.

‘Oh, interesting.’

After a short walk, I saw a large door in front of me.

The door swung open, and I was instantly transported into the room.

* * *

This was the same room from a year ago.

None of the furniture had changed its arrangement, and the color of the lighting remained the same.

Still, I cautiously crawled across the room, pushing the chair with more force than I had ever done before and climbing onto it with a groan.

Every day is remarkably new for a baby.

Before, I struggled like that toward the top of the desk, but now that I’ve grown up, I’m different…..

“Yay yay!”

And I was struggling again. I can’t reach it – I can’t reach it!

I saw another book on the desk.

This time, I really wanted to take that one and…….

“Ugh!”

My arms were short, so I barely caught hold of it.

I put the book in my arms, and as soon as my feet touched the ground, the weight of the book caused me to buckle and fall right off the chair.

“Ouch…….”

It hurt. I almost started to cry.

But, no. I barely held back the urge to cry and shifted my gaze to the book.

Nice to see you again, <Taylor’s Home>……? Huh?

But the book from the desk was not the book I knew.

It was untitled, and the pages were thinner than I’d ever seen. It was more like a notebook than a book.

The only thing that made it feel a little heavier was the quill pen.

When I opened the section with the quill, I was stunned.

[Who are you?]

The handwriting on the page pierced my brain. The handwriting bore a striking resemblance to that of the writing in <Taylor’s Home>.

The owner of this room.

If so, then <Taylor’s Home> was also written by the owner of this room, right?

I could only guess, but I couldn’t tell for certain. Staring at the page, I picked up the quill pen.

Even the quill felt heavy and clunky to me, and my hand shook as if I were suffering from hydrocephalus, but I carefully wrote each letter in Janut language. 

(T/N: Hydrocephalus is a neurological disorder caused by an abnormal buildup of cerebrospinal fluid in the ventricles (cavities) deep within the brain. This excess fluid causes the ventricles to widen, putting harmful pressure on the brain’s tissues.)

[Who are you, then?]

I’ll be honest, I was a little upset that I couldn’t get a copy of <Taylors’ Home>.

I had come all the way to this room to get the book, and all I got was this note.

Gritting my teeth, I put the quill back in the book and slid down the chair, leaving it on the table. I didn’t have the confidence to put the note back on the desk.

Ha… okay. I’ll just have to come back another time and check.

I’d been told before that this place is unaffected by time, so I should be in the same time zone when I return.

Hopefully Recardo or the others hadn’t noticed.

I moved towards the door.

* * *

Entering the square, Evan Taylors raised an eyebrow.

It looked like someone had been there.

Someone would have to be a genius or an alchemist to set foot in this square of special powers and complex formulas.

The only person who could have done that was…….

“……This is not the time for Cassilion to show up.”

Evan walked slowly over to the chair.

On the chair was a note he had purposely placed, disguised as a book.

It was meant to be a book, after all, since that’s what they’d torn a page from the last time.

Evan opened the notebook to reveal the quill pen.

His eyebrows rose as he saw the markings that answered his question.

~ Translations by Lurelia | Editing by Valpal | Read only at moonlightnovels.com ~

“…… Did they write it with their feet?”

His normally reticent lips twitched for a moment at the absurdity of the markings.

If he could get into the Square, he must be pretty good.

The question, ‘Who are you, then?’ suggests that his intruder doesn’t know anything about himself – the owner of the Square – or perhaps he was deliberately pretending not to.

This was a square where only physical force could be used, without the use of powers or magical objects, and if the intruder had intended to attack the owner, he would have set up a trap.

But there were no marks on the space other than those written on it.

‘What were they thinking?’

The crooked writing could not have been done by any normal person. The person must have been trying to hide their handwriting.

‘Even if that’s the case, it’s terrible.’

Evan arched an eyebrow at the slightly curved tip of the quill.

He picked it up and scribbled on the next page.

[It’s shameless to intrude into someone else’s space and ask who it is.]

[I warn you. Do not enter my space again. If you ignore the warning……..]

As soon as the ink was dry, he closed it and placed it on his desk.

Evan’s brow furrowed slightly at the presence of the unwelcome intruder.

Even the breeze of change was unwelcome.

Although…… it did feel a little refreshing.

As he turned his head, something on the floor glinted.

Bending down, Evan picked it up.

A small piece of jewelry, about the length of his palm, stretched out on Evan’s hand.