NOVEL NEXT Chapter 29
### Episode 29
“Citri, Your Majesty.”
“What…!”
“I have been troubled lately.”
Today, Citri, who had been training, lifted only her head while lying on the floor. It was due to Nahun’s magic power that restricted her ability to move freely.
Seeing Citri’s expression, Nahun narrowed his brows slightly.
“What is that expression?”
“How about my expression!”
“Isn’t it the expression of someone who thought I live without any troubles?”
Feeling pricked by Nahun’s observation, Citri averted her gaze slightly. It was only natural to think it surprising that someone like Nahun, who excels at everything, would be troubled.
This piqued her interest a bit. What kind of trouble could this monstrous being have? Citri urged him to speak.
“So what’s the trouble? I’ll listen. Hurry up and tell this sister.”
“Sister, what are you…?”
“Don’t nitpick and just say it.”
“…It’s about Seere.”
“Hmm?”
Citri tilted her head slightly.
Not long ago, Nahun had been boasting about how he could make a teddy bear drop. But just a few days later, he was saying he had trouble because of Seere, which made her curious.
“What happened?”
Citri felt a slight expectation. She wondered if Nahun had perhaps quarreled with Seere or was finally thinking of leaving that little brat because he got tired of her. If that happened, she planned to consider hiring him.
As if reading Citri’s expression, Nahun narrowed his eyes and said.
“To be clear, there is nothing to expect that your Majesty hopes for.”
“I, I am not expecting anything!”
“Just… it’s soon Seere’s birthday is all.”
“…That little brat’s birthday?”
“Little brat?”
“Se, Seere!”
Citri quickly corrected her words under Nahun’s sharp gaze. Then she sighed, realizing what Nahun’s trouble was.
“Wait, so you’re troubled about a birthday gift?”
“Yes.”
“What kind of…?”
Citri’s countenance clearly displayed her disappointment, thinking it might have been a serious concern. In response, Nahun couldn’t help but chuckle.
“What’s with that disappointed expression? Did you think I would leave Seere for you?”
“Ah… No? I never thought that.”
“I’m just saying this as a precaution, but please put away such expectations. I will not be leaving the 72nd floor.”
“…I got it. But if it’s a gift, Seere likes a lot of things, right? There are dolls, puddings… what else was there?”
“A cake.”
“Right, a cake. Since it’s her birthday, wouldn’t it be enough to buy her one big cake?”
Hearing Citri’s suggestion, Nahun sighed deeply.
“It’s not that I haven’t thought of such a simple idea.”
“D… simple? You….”
“But dolls are something I usually buy, and puddings and cakes are things she often has, right?”
In summary, Nahun didn’t want to give a standard gift.
“So you want to give her something a bit special then?”
“Well, as her first teacher, it’s important to me.”
Nahun aimed to see the ending. For that, it was crucial to maximize Seere’s fondness for him as much as her growth. He wanted to avoid any bad endings that existed in the game.
“What would a girl like?”
“What is it?”
“Of course, something pretty and shiny! Last time when Seere came to the treasure store on the 70th floor, didn’t she like shiny things? What did she take from there?”
“She took Andromalius’s crown. It was too big to wear, though.”
“Oh, right.”
Citri thought for a moment, then as if recalling something, spoke.
“Then let’s use that crown!”
“Excuse me?”
“The crown. If we could tweak it a bit so Seere could wear it, wouldn’t that be good?”
Nahun was slightly impressed. He hadn’t expected Citri to come up with a proper suggestion, but surprisingly she made a very good proposal.
“You’re suggesting we leave it to a craftsman to reduce its size and refine it.”
“That’s right.”
“I’m a bit amazed that Your Majesty Citri is offering such good ideas.”
“Hmph, who do you think I am… wait, what? Really?”
Ignoring Citri’s complaints, Nahun began to ponder how to acquire the crown. Currently, Andromalius’s crown was in Seere’s room.
“If I ask for it, Seere will obviously give it to me….”
He wanted it to be a surprise gift. If he asked Seere for it, it wouldn’t be a surprise anymore, which didn’t align with Nahun’s intentions.
“Should I sneak it out while she’s asleep?”
—
That night, Nahun walked carefully down the hallway, his expression anxious in case someone woke up. And behind him followed someone else.
A maid, Cecili, quietly trailed with her fluffy fox tail swaying. She was the accomplice Nahun had teamed up with this time.
To be more accurate, it was less that Nahun had chosen her and more that Cecili volunteered. After hearing Nahun’s desire to give Seere a surprise gift, she was moved and eagerly offered to help.
“Cecili, you’ve confirmed that Seere is definitely asleep, right?”
“Yes. I checked repeatedly by opening the door, and she was sleeping soundly.”
“Good.”
If Seere woke up, Nahun’s plans would all fall through. The two were tense as they approached Seere’s door like soldiers stepping onto a battlefield.
“Uh?”
But why was Seere, who should be sleeping soundly, now awake with wide eyes? Nahun and Cecili froze upon encountering her pure blue gaze.
“Teacher!”
“Uh, um? Uh… Seere.”
With a slightly bewildered expression, Nahun glanced at Cecili. She looked at him with an innocent expression. Regardless of what they were doing, Seere jumped off the bed and rushed toward Nahun.
Seere reached out with both hands, asking to be picked up, and Nahun lightly lifted her up.
“Hehe.”
“Wh- why aren’t you sleeping?”
“I was sleeping.”
“Huh? Then why did you wake up?”
Seere smiled brightly.
“I felt you coming, Teacher!”
“…Huh?”
“I felt your magic getting closer!”
Nahun stopped briefly to interpret Seere’s words. Then he realized who the culprit behind this situation was.
‘Did I wake her up?’
It was indeed himself. Seere had woken up because she felt Nahun’s magic getting closer. Nahun stood there momentarily in a daze, then he quietly glanced back.
Cecili was looking at him with a slightly resentful gaze. Nahun slightly closed and reopened his eyes as he expressed his apologies and took Seere to the bed.
Seere gazed at Nahun with curious eyes.
“Why did you come?”
“…I just came to check if you were sleeping well.”
“I slept well!”
“Still, you haven’t slept for even two hours yet… You should sleep more so you can go to class and train tomorrow.”
Nahun gently patted Seere’s back as he spoke.
“Shall we try to sleep a little longer?”
“Yes~.”
Nahun carefully laid Seere down on the bed and covered her with a blanket. But as he tried to get her to sleep, Seere just looked at Nahun with wide eyes, showing no sign of falling asleep.
“…Seere? Can’t you sleep?”
Nod nod.
It is usually the case that a short rest feels the least tiring. Seere, who had just woken up, was in that state. Nahun smiled slightly, feeling a bit helpless when he saw Seere’s eyes that didn’t even seem to carry the weight of sleep.
“Then how about a walk with your teacher?”
“Walk!”
Seere suddenly jumped up with a bright face. She stretched her hand out towards Nahun, asking to be picked up. Nahun lifted her up.
He then addressed Cecili.
“I’ll be back soon.”
“…Yes, Nahun.”
Cecili was quick-witted. While Nahun took Seere outside, she intended to get the crown. Nahun could tell that Cecili comprehended her intentions from her expression and gaze.
“Take care.”
—
Carrying Seere outside, Nahun looked up at the night sky. Seere also looked up at the sky and smiled brightly.
“Full moon!”
A round and large moon was hanging in the sky.
One thing that was a little different from the typical perception of the moon was that it shone in a bluish hue. Unlike reality, in The Ebel Queen Maker, the demon world’s moon was depicted as appearing blue.
Thanks to that, the nights in the demon world always created a bluish ambiance. Whenever night fell, Nahun always felt that he had entered the world of the game.
Nahun asked Seere.
“Is the moon beautiful?”
“Yes.”
“You like shiny things, huh?”
“I do!”
Upon seeing Seere’s beaming smile, Nahun couldn’t help but grin. Then he carefully set Seere down on the ground.
“Shall we walk a bit?”
“Yes~.”
Seere tightly held Nahun’s hand in one hand and hugged her teddy bear in the other. Holding her two favorite things, Seere smiled contentedly.
“Hehe~♪”
As they walked hand in hand through the garden, they sat on a bench set up inside. Nahun sat down, and Seere climbed onto his lap.
For a moment, they both gazed up at the sky in silence. The blue-glowing full moon and the twinkling stars—everything was what Seere loved.
“It’s beautiful!”
“It is.”
Nahun remarked.
“Seere.”
“Yes?”
“I wish you to always grow up healthy. While growing well is important, being healthy is just as important.”
Seere tilted her head. Not because she didn’t understand Nahun’s words, but because she didn’t know why he was suddenly saying this.
“So if you’re ever in trouble, be sure to tell me. If you’re tired, say you want to rest. You don’t have to endure it stubbornly when things get tough.”
What Nahun said was a reminder of when Seere had suffered from a cold before. Since she always smiled so much, he had said it beforehand, worried that he might not notice her condition.
Listening to Nahun’s words, Seere looked at him for a moment before turning her gaze back to the blue moon above.
“I like you.”
“Hmm?”
“I like how you are my teacher when no one else wanted to be. So I’ve never thought it was hard.”
Seere’s tone became serious, but her voice remained childlike and cute. However, Nahun could sense her sincerity in that adorable voice.
“Even though kendo is… scary, I want to try it more. Because it’s you teaching me.”
“…”
Nahun looked at her for a moment and chuckled. Then he reached out and lightly ruffled Seere’s hair as he spoke.
“I didn’t mean for you to become serious too. I’ve probably made it burdensome.”
“Umm… that’s not it.”
“Still, you have to make sure to tell me when things are tough. Just as learning is important, so is taking enough rest.”
Nod nod.
Seeing how well Seere listened, Nahun smiled comfortably. He wished that this child would not lose her pure heart when she learned all the truths eventually.
‘Is that too greedy?’
With a slightly bittersweet taste left at the end of his smile, Nahun slowly stood up. Cecili must have completed her mission by now.
“Seere, let’s go inside now. You should sleep soon to do well tomorrow.”
“Yes.”