A small inn room in a village near the lake.
Lizbette struck the floor once with her greatsword and said,
"The trial will now begin."
At that, Cat, whose body was tightly bound with rope, struggled and shouted,
"Cowards! We went through all that trouble to cooperate with you, and now this?!"
Beside him, Muscle, who was also bound with rope, murmured,
"Of all things, she turned out to be royalty. Talk about bad luck."
Beside him, the man wearing an eyepatch, likewise bound with rope, murmured,
"I was struck by a bolt from the blue."
Princess Sia sat neatly in a chair and said,
"It seems none of the three of you have reflected yet. Shall I help a little?"
She stretched out her hand and summoned thick blocks of ice over the three of their knees.
Princess Sia only smiled brightly, as if it were a light prank,
But the three of them writhed and made a huge fuss.
"It hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it is cold, it hurts!"
"Grrrgh!"
"Wait! My side!"
Just then, Lilian sent a blue bird flying and said,
"I sent a message saying we will take another airship with Trine tomorrow morning."
"Thank you. What about the grimoire the thieves stole?"
"It seems they accepted our offer to buy it at triple the price."
Lizbette crouched in front of Trine, stared intently at his face, and asked,
"Are you really Trine?"
"I told you I am."
"I still cannot tell, no matter how I look at you."
She was not teasing him. She was serious.
The recognition-obscuring effect was so powerful that even after knowing, she still could not tell.
Still narrowing her eyes, Lizbette asked,
"What gift did I give you?"
"You gave me a total of four mana potions."
"It does seem like you are Trine... Princess Sia, you recognized him well."
At that, Cat grinned from the side and replied,
"It must be the power of love."
At that, Princess Sia stared blankly for a moment.
Then she soon cleared her throat once, smiled, and said,
"It is only natural, since we are engaged."
Trine could not bring himself to react to those words.
After all, he was grateful that she had recognized him, but...
If Princess Sia truly came to like Trine, the situation would become complicated in many ways.
Suddenly, Lizbette grabbed Trine's eyepatch and pulled hard.
"It really will not come off."
"They said it will come off after a day."
"Why not just wear it for the rest of your life? It suits you quite well."
"I think so too."
Lizbette struck Trine on the head with her fist.
While Trine glared at Lizbette, Princess Sia clapped her hands and erased the ice blocks she had summoned as she said,
"Lady Lizbette, release Trine."
While Lizbette untied Trine's ropes, Sia looked at the other two and murmured,
"What shall we do with the other two? Terrorism against an airship is a serious crime, so it is difficult to forgive them easily."
At those words, Cat and Muscle made tragic expressions.
Whatever the current circumstances were, the two of them had already been wanted men even before this.
At this rate, even if they were treated leniently, they would be sentenced to several decades in prison.
"Ah, what a short life it was."
"I have no regrets."
Just then, Trine carefully asked,
“Princess. There was a law stating that if a commoner commits a crime against a noble, the noble can take that commoner as a servant, correct?”
At those words, Cat's ears perked up.
Muscle also looked at Trine with a slightly surprised expression.
Princess Sia asked back, as if she had been waiting for that question.
"Would that be acceptable to you?"
"It is true that these two saved my life when I fell from the airship, and besides, they are not bad people."
Princess Sia spoke to the two thieves as if she had no choice.
"Then can the two of you swear to serve Trine for the rest of your lives and never betray him?"
"I swear!"
"I swear."
"Good. Lizbette, release the other two as well."
The moment Cat and Muscle were free, they clung to Trine.
"Thanks, you bastard! This and that are all your fault, but thanks anyway!"
"I will call you Master from now on!"
"Fine, so get off me! It is creepy!"
***
Trine's group stayed one night at the inn and decided to board the airship early the next day.
Perhaps everyone was mentally exhausted, because as soon as night came, they each went to sleep.
Trine tried to secretly go outside and swing his sword again that day too,
But Lizbette somehow noticed and shoved him back into the room.
"You were injured quite badly today too, so rest quietly."
Even so, he could not fall asleep peacefully.
There was still one thing left to resolve.
After confirming that Cat and Muscle were asleep,
Trine quietly lit the lamp and opened the grimoire 'Hwaran.'
"You are not asleep yet, are you?"
At that, a voice sounded directly inside Trine's head.
'As if a grimoire could sleep?'
'Besides, is sleep what matters right now?'
'I think we have a great deal to talk about.'
"...So what exactly are you?"
'I am the grimoire Hwaran.'
'I was born from the fairy-tale book Lady Yuril gave you.'
At those words, Trine briefly checked the book's cover and murmured,
"It's true."
'It is true?! Is that really what you should be saying right now?!'
'How could you abandon me and not look for me even once?!'
'I bet you are the only master in the entire world who abandoned the grimoire he gave birth to!'
Only then did Trine remember the fact he had forgotten.
When he had fought desperately against the wolf monsters in the forest,
He had dropped the fairy-tale book without realizing it.
Afterward, he had been too distracted and had completely forgotten.
"...Sorry. I did not do it on purpose."
'Fine. I will accept that apology.'
'You should consider yourself fortunate that I have a broad heart.'
'And I roughly know your circumstances too, Master.'
"You know my circumstances?"
'You and I are practically of one body and mind.'
'I can read all of your thoughts.'
'Though the sensitivity is low because your mana circuits are broken.'
To be honest, Trine got goosebumps.
Even if she was a grimoire, the fact that she could read all his thoughts...
"Well, setting that aside, how did you become a grimoire?"
'I was born from your desperate longing and love for Lady Yuril.'
'To put it simply, I am no different from the child of you two.'
'In other words, Master, you are a bad man who abandoned his own child in the forest.'
...There were more than one or two things that felt suspicious.
First, he had never heard of a grimoire he could converse with directly.
On top of that, grimoires were not supposed to be created that easily.
What was especially suspicious was the name of the grimoire itself.
"Who gave you the name 'Hwaran'?"
'Naturally, I thought of it myself.'
"Liar. It is too unfamiliar and out of nowhere for that."
'Do not change the subject! Is that what matters right now?'
'In any case, from now on, you must treat me preciously.'
'Change my cover to natural white leather and give me a cute bookmark too.'
"To be honest, you are so suspicious that I want to just throw you away."
At that, Hwaran suddenly changed her attitude and spoke in a desperate voice, flustered.
'I am sorry! I was wrong! Just please do not throw me away!'
'I am truly not a suspicious book!'
'I will definitely be of help to you, Master!'
"Then honestly tell me what the name Hwaran means."
'Your problem is that you are unnecessarily sharp, Master.'
'Actually, it was my name before I reincarnated as a grimoire.'
'However, I have no lingering attachments to my previous life at all, so please do not mind it.'
"That makes you even more suspicious. How am I supposed to know what you might be plotting?"
At that, Hwaran paused for a moment.
Then, in a calm and firm voice, she said,
'Please believe me. My only wish is for you and Yuril to become happy together.'
...Trine let out a long sigh and said,
"Fine. But if you do anything even slightly suspicious, I will throw you away immediately."
'Yes, I will absolutely not disappoint you.'
'Besides, with a mind like yours, you would notice my lies right away, would you not?'
'A habit of suspicion is good, but trust is also important for a reliable partner like me.'
"So, what ability do you have exactly?"
'I can use the magic you can use in your place, Master.'
'I am more efficient than your current broken mana circuits.'
'Furthermore, I can use all the spells from the grimoires you have read so far.'
"That is amazing!"
Trine shouted without realizing it.
It meant she could cover all of Trine's current flaws.
On top of that, he would be able to use the grimoires he had lost again.
'Now you understand how amazing I am, yes?'
'So praise me to your heart's content.'
'For reference, I prefer natural white leather covers.'
"Good. If you truly help me, I can do that much for you."
Then, suddenly, Hwaran spoke in a slightly sad voice.
'However, I am not omnipotent either.'
'I merely support your magic, Master.'
"...Yeah. Just relying on you will not let me break Yuril's curse."
'Convenience is a double-edged sword.'
'Please do not grow arrogant simply because you have obtained me.'
"I know. Whether I have you or not, what I have to do does not change."
'Then I look forward to working with you from now on.'
"Same here."
His suspicions had not completely disappeared yet.
However, for some reason, Hwaran's voice seemed to carry sincerity.
So Trine decided to trust Hwaran for the time being.
"Good! Since we are on the topic, I should swing my sword today after all."
Trine put the book back inside his clothes, picked up his wooden sword, and opened the door.
For some reason, Lizbette and Princess Sia were standing there.
"I knew this would happen."
"Trine, I told you to rest properly today, did I not?"
Trine flusteredly stepped back.
"What?! How did you know?"
"Your voice shouting that you were going to swing your sword was heard all the way in the next room."
Lizbette approached to tie Trine up with rope.
Trine retreated even farther and shouted,
"Wait! Fine! I will sleep quietly!"
"Princess! Please catch Trine!"
"Please stay still!"
In the end, Trine was forced to sleep with his entire body bound in rope.
***
Two days later, after Trine's group took an airship and arrived at the Romer Empire airport,
Barbara, Narsha, and Butler Elford were waiting to greet them at the airport.
Everyone was relieved as soon as they confirmed Trine's face without the eyepatch.
But soon, after hearing the full story from Princess Sia...
"Kneel."
Barbara ordered Trine without warning.
When Trine knelt properly, Barbara looked down at him and asked,
"In the end, all of this happened because you did something stupid, right?"
"No, I could not help it either..."
"Die! You! Trash! Bastard!"
Barbara kicked Trine wildly.
Meanwhile, Princess Sia asked Butler Elford,
"Did nothing happen to all of you?"
"Nothing happened to us, but Prince Sirean's situation has become complicated."
"What do you mean?"
"It will be faster to go and confirm it yourselves."
Trine's group immediately moved by camel.
After half a day, they arrived at a small palace beside an oasis.
In front of the palace, lavishly decorated with gold, everyone lost themselves for a moment.
Princess Sia stared intently at the palace and asked Butler Elford,
"Where is this?"
"It is Prince Kumcheok's villa."
"Do not tell me the one who imprisoned my brother is..."
Just then, the palace gates opened.
Soon, soldiers came out carrying a palanquin.
The man riding atop the palanquin shouted,
"Oh, Princess Sia! I have been waiting for you to arrive!"
A handsome bronze face with a refreshing smile.
A slender yet muscular build.
And countless golden accessories.
Princess Sia narrowed her eyes and murmured,
"Prince Kumcheok..."
"Come inside! I prepared a small banquet for you!"
***
The inside of the palace was as splendid as the outside.
Decorations adorned with all kinds of gold.
Rare delicacies from land and sea laid out in abundance on the table.
Dancers who seemed to number in the dozens.
Thanks to that, the female students whispered among themselves.
"As expected, the Romer Empire has a lot of money."
"To think we would be personally entertained by a prince from this side."
"Everyone, do not relax. The other side is our enemy."
Meanwhile, familiar faces were sitting at one end of the table.
Princess Sia recognized them and went straight over.
"Brother Sirean, everyone, I am glad you are all safe."
Prince Sirean shook the handcuffs on his wrists and replied,
"Let me say this now. I have not exactly been living comfortably."
Soon, the other students also joined them, greeted each other happily, and asked after one another.
Instructor Eloy grinned at Trine.
"I heard you succeeded in deciphering the Book of Walpurgis?"
Trine smiled without realizing it and answered,
"It seems your team failed, Instructor."
"Hey! We succeeded in obtaining the flower of the Unfallen Cactus."
"Say that after taking off those handcuffs."
Just then, Prince Kumcheok sat at the head of the table and shouted,
"Now! You must all be hungry, so enjoy the meal!"
At those words, everyone carefully took their seats.
When Prince Kumcheok began tearing into the meat on his own,
Princess Sia smiled falsely and said,
"What do you want?"
"Hm. You are impatient."
"I would like you to understand my situation."
At that, Prince Kumcheok answered indifferently,
"Prince Sirean stole the flower of the Unfallen Cactus from our empire, so I imprisoned him."
"That flower is not exactly a treasure of the royal family, is it?"
"All treasures of our empire belong to us. Is that not obvious?"
As Princess Sia remained silent for a moment,
Prince Kumcheok laughed loudly by himself and said,
"Well, I am not such a demon either. I know your circumstances and why you need the flower."
Then he looked at Trine and asked,
"You are Trine, yes? Have you finished preparing to break Princess Sia's curse?"
After letting out a short sigh, Trine answered,
"If we have the flower of the Unfallen Cactus, I believe we can perform the ritual immediately."
"Good, good! Then I will specially permit the ritual to be performed here."
"Thank you."
"After the ritual ends, I will release Prince Sirean and the others as well."
At those words, Trine narrowed his eyes.
Why was he suddenly being this cooperative?
Sure enough, Prince Kumcheok smiled nastily and said,
"There is just one condition."
Prince Kumcheok rose from his seat.
Then he approached Princess Sia.
On his own, he stroked her hair and said,
"After the curse is broken, I shall personally become betrothed to Princess Sia."
Of course.
It was clear that Princess Sia was desperately trying to maintain a forced smile while hiding her disgust.
Trine briefly glanced at Princess Sia's expression and asked,
"If I may dare ask, Prince Kumcheok, why do you wish to become betrothed to Princess Sia?"
"Is that not obvious? Wanting to pluck such a beautiful flower is a man's desire, is it not?"
Prince Kumcheok suddenly put his nose to Princess Sia's hair and sniffed.
Princess Sia's expression finally began to twist.
At that, Prince Kumcheok smiled in satisfaction and said to Trine,
"Do not resent me for taking your fiancée. To begin with, she is a woman far too good for you, is she not?"