Besides, everyone else had already played the game — and she was the only one who never had.
Riersha desperately wanted to try it.
Seeing the child’s eager interest, Ian checked the time and decided to take a short break.
“Did you know, Miss? This forest is a designated area where the use of abilities is permitted.”
“It’s not allowed other places?”
“As a general rule, no. It would cause quite a bit of trouble if everyone were using their abilities freely inside the main estate, wouldn’t it?”
“…I suppose so.”
Riersha wrinkled her nose as she briefly imagined abilities flying chaotically every which way throughout the estate, then gave a small nod.
Ian smiled warmly.
“And so, anyone who uses their abilities without authorization faces strict punishment.”
That was something she hadn’t known, and Riersha gave a startled flinch.
Memories of her own past came rushing back. All those days she had spent in the annex garden, practicing her abilities every single day in the name of special training…
When Riersha shifted guiltily with a look that made it obvious something had struck a nerve, Ian shook his head.
“Simple practice by a young child is perfectly fine. After all, the annex academy itself holds ability-based classes, does it not?”
“Yes, that’s true.”
Riersha let out a long breath of relief.
Ian continued his explanation.
“There are very few people within the main estate who are permitted to use their abilities freely. Lady Sona, Miss Riersha’s personal knight, is one such example.”
“Sona too?”
“Yes. Since she must be ready to protect you at any moment, there are no restrictions on her ability use. The same applies to the personal knights assigned to look after your brothers.”
It was all news to her. Riersha nodded to show she understood, and Ian steered the conversation back toward the subject of the “game.”
“The young masters used to play in this forest quite often. They could use their abilities as freely as they liked, because someone would always come along afterward to restore everything.”
“Wow, that’s amazing. What kind of games did they play out here?”
“The game they enjoyed most was a treasure hunt.”
“…A treasure hunt?!”
Riersha’s eyes went wide and sparkling.
Her small mind immediately erupted with a cascade of vivid imaginings.
A mysterious map revealing the hiding place of a buried treasure. And Riersha herself, map in hand, dashing eagerly through the forest in search of it.
In that moment, the forest beyond the window transformed before her eyes into an uncharted realm — a world made for adventure.
“The winner even gets to have a wish granted.”
“A wish? Like… any wish they want?”
“Yes. That’s the rule. It wouldn’t be any fun without something like that, would it?”
Riersha’s eyes went wider than Ian had ever seen them.
Win, and any wish would be granted. That meant…
If I do well, I might be able to get Oberon out!
For reasons unknown, Oberon had not uttered a single word since being placed in the underground prison — not even on the day Arcmund himself had gone to see him in person.
“What do I have to do to play?”
“What do you mean, how?”
Ian paused with a briefly puzzled expression before answering.
“You simply go to the young lord and tell him you would like to have a treasure hunt. Simple enough, isn’t it?”
⁂
The moment her lessons ended, Riersha went straight to find Pernoa.
She threw the study door wide open and marched in with all the boldness she possessed.
“Papa!”
“What is it?”
Pernoa, who had been deep in a serious conversation with Arcmund, tilted his head to one side.
She had just come from her lessons and looked a little disheveled, but rather than finding that off-putting, he thought she looked rather adorable.
Riersha drew in a great big breath and shouted at the top of her lungs, loud enough to shake the walls of the study.
“I wanna do a treasure hunt too!”
“…A treasure hunt?”
Arcmund, who had been quietly watching Riersha, echoed the words back in a question.
The little mouth enthusiastically crying “Treasure!” showed no signs of stopping. Whatever had gotten into her, it had thoroughly captured her curiosity.
“And just where exactly is this treasure supposed to be?”
“Over there.”
When Arcmund asked, Riersha pointed to the forest visible through the window.
“…Isn’t that just an ordinary forest?”
“No. Treasure!”
Riersha shook her head and cried out firmly.
Pernoa, however, had understood from the beginning what the child was talking about, and let out a quiet, amused exhale of a laugh.
“Ah, I think I know what you mean. Sometimes in the forest, we used to…”
But the words died in his throat before he could finish.
It would be a grave mistake to spend time playing combat games with her the way you used to with the young masters when they were little.
Rosinante’s worried words drifted back to him.
Still, looking down at that tiny upturned face, eyes brimming with pure longing — Pernoa’s resolve weakened. Just for a few seconds.
“Shall this grandfather give you the treasure himself?”
Arcmund lifted Riersha up with a sweep of his arms and settled her onto his knee as he asked.
Sitting securely on his knee, Riersha blinked up at him.
“…You, Grandpa?”
“That’s right. There’s a treasure vault in the ducal estate. Would you like me to give it to you?”
“Hmm…”
Riersha furrowed her brow. That wasn’t the answer she had been hoping for.
Nothing in the world could have turned her away from the treasure hunt she had already set her heart on.
Pernoa appeared to think it over for a moment before he spoke.
“…All right, then. Here is what we’ll do. Go and get the approval of Risideon, Ricador, and Riscal.”
“My brothers?”
“Yes. They all have their own schedules. If all three say they are willing, I will have the preparations made.”
In the end, after much deliberation, the answer he arrived at was not watching Riersha dissolve into tears from being turned down — but rather something he had never once done in his life: passing the decision off to someone else.
Arcmund, who had been listening to the exchange, clicked his tongue inwardly.
Then, with a lingering reluctance, he tried once more.
“Are you truly not interested in the real treasure? It’s worth far more — and far better.”
“No, thank you. I want to look for treasure with my brothers and make a wish come true.”
“Oh-ho, so that was your purpose all along.”
Riersha nodded earnestly. And all the while, she diligently opened her mouth each time Arcmund lifted another piece of confection to feed her, like a mother bird tirelessly offering morsels to her chick.
After quite a while of being fed treats, Riersha seemed to have had her fill and climbed down from Arcmund’s knee.
“Then I’m going to go find my brothers.”
“Off you go.”
Arcmund smiled softly as he watched his granddaughter trot away, having cheerfully brushed aside any offer of real treasure.
⁂
Meanwhile, at that very same hour.
Riscal was staring up at the gift Riersha had brought back from her recent trip to the capital, muttering to himself.
“What on earth is so entertaining about something this childish.”
The heroic feats of the champion playing out inside the vision stone were things he could do himself without any trouble at all.
Slaying monsters and rescuing a princess — that sort of thing was…
Riscal turned his head with a mildly disgruntled look. There on the sofa, sprawled out as though he owned the place, was Ricador.
“Why do you keep showing up without saying anything?”
“Because I’m bored.”
“If you need someone to play with, you could always find someone else.”
“Brother Risideon has been getting called by Father so often lately that it’s hard to even catch a glimpse of him. And Riersha is…”
Ricador’s expression soured. In truth, he had already made a stop at the annex where Riersha was staying before coming here.
Lately, for reasons he couldn’t figure out, she was never there when he came by.
“Where in the world is that kid and what is she doing?”
“I’m terribly sorry, young master. Miss Riersha made us promise to keep it a secret.”
“…Then where is she?”
“Oh my, I’m afraid I can’t say that either. The young masters are not permitted to come near, for the time being.”
That was how Ricador had been sent away.
It had been a baffling experience. To think something like this could happen to him in this lifetime.
Unable to bring himself to actually admit that out loud, Ricador settled for wearing a disgruntled pout.
“Did you finish watching all the gifts Riersha gave you?”
“Yes. Nothing special. Childish and dull.”
“Mine had a Demon Lord as the villain. What was yours?”
“A dragon. Before it could breathe fire, the hero destroyed the core embedded in the center of its head and won.”
“…”
“It was quite a difficult battle, actually. The wyverns were acting on the dragon’s commands, interfering with the hero at every turn. The entire empire nearly went up in flames.”
For someone who had declared just moments ago that it was all childish and dull, his description was remarkably thorough.
