“Father, I’m really not a lolicon mage!”

“Oh? Son, then why do I keep feeling like you’re lying to me?”

“Father, please calm down first. I need to speak with Victoria.”

“Go ahead, son. Just pretend I’m not here.”

But with the Duke’s Sword's Ocular fixed on me, my body felt like it was being sliced apart by invisible blades. Ignoring him was impossible. Absolutely impossible.

“Victoria.” Freud took out a sphere. “Do you recognize this?”

Ah, th-this... isn’t this my Observer Unit One?

From the outside, it was almost intact. Only the center of the optical lens had a hole punched through it. That was where Freud’s crossbow bolt had struck. It pierced the main camera’s optical imaging array, then destroyed the control core. That was why the self-destruct system never activated, and the Observer had been captured almost completely intact.

At this point in time, Joseph Badan, the founder of the magi-engineering system, should already be serving as a mage under the ducal house. If Freud showed the Observer to him, he’d definitely figure out what it was.

I finally understood why Freud had bought me. Just like in my previous life, he had taken an interest in my abilities.

But how had he pinpointed me so precisely?

Could it be...?

I met Freud’s half-smiling gaze. Deep in his eyes, a faint trace of magic shimmered.

This was... a Demon Eye?

But the way we stared at each other so “affectionately” while probing each other only sent the Duke the wrong signal.

“See, son? The snow outside is beautiful. Don’t you think we should go have a little talk in the forest? I promise I’ll listen carefully to your explanation.”

“Wait, Father, stop!”

Seeing that Freud was about to get dragged out by Duke of Northberg and butchered, I suddenly panicked too. At the very least, he had to wait until I figured out how he’d discovered my secret before killing him.

“Fine, son. I’ll give you one minute.”

“Yes, Father. My neck almost snapped!”

“Now you only have fifty seconds left.”

“Alright, please listen.” Freud rolled his neck. “Father, do you remember that man who used counterfeit money at the exchange in Golden Lion City?”

“I remember. Weren’t you planning to hang him in spring?”

“That’s right. Him.” Freud said, “While investigating that man, I followed the clues to House Lude. During the investigation, I noticed a thin strand of magic following us the whole time. Normally, in some backwater place like that, finding spirits or ghosts wouldn’t be unusual. But this magic was different. It kept following us, almost like it was being remotely controlled. After we left the count’s estate, it followed us outside, so I shot an arrow at it. And then... well, this.”

“I heard about that from Zod. ‘Our young duke tried to shoot a bird and knocked down a ball instead, and it was freaking iron too.’”

“That idiot. Didn’t we agree to keep it secret? He got drunk again, didn’t he?”

“Go on,” the Duke said, toying with the Observer. “How did you use this sphere to find this little girl?”

“Of course, with my Demon Eye.”

The moment I heard the words Demon Eye, my heart clenched hard.

An eye that could see magic—there was only one kind. Insight Eyes.

This type of Demon Eye was harmless overall, but it could perceive magic. Some especially sensitive Insight Eyes could even distinguish the color of magic. The Observer was powered by my magic and maintained a psychic link with me. If Freud could see the color of magic, then finding me was only natural.

No wonder he had wandered all over House Lude the second time he came. He’d been looking for the Observer’s owner. And I’d stupidly spoken to him twice. Of course I got caught!

Damn it. In my previous life, this bastard had never mentioned his Demon Eye even once.

What an unfathomable asshole.

“So the young master is an Insight Eye bearer. My apologies for the disrespect.” I decided to seize the initiative. “Fine. Since you’ve already seen the hue of my magic, there’s no point hiding it anymore. The magi-tech machine you shot down was indeed under my control. But I wasn’t trying to pry into your secrets. I had fallen down the stairs and injured my leg, so I used it to go outside and watch the commotion.”

“Father.” Freud shrugged. “That’s the whole story. I’m not into little girls.”

Duke of Northberg looked me over. The Sword's Ocular in his eyes shot out a sharp gaze, as if it had split me cleanly into three pieces. I endured his stare without wavering. In the end, the Duke showed a faint smile instead.

“Little girl,” he said, “are you really only five?”

“I’m six, Your Grace.”

“Hahahahaha! Sorry. You’re so tiny and thin that I judged wrong.” The Duke laughed heartily. “Did you make this thing?”

I shook my head.

“Oh, I see. Then can you tell me how you got it?”

I hesitated.

I had already exposed far too many secrets. If this went any further, it might put my life at risk. I had to build a persona for myself, something at least somewhat believable. I couldn’t let them think I was too abnormal.

“I found this device by chance in the attic. Then somehow, without really understanding how, I learned to control it.”

“But I’m very curious. How exactly did you learn to operate it?”

“I tried injecting magic into it, and then...”

I gestured with my hand, trying to patch together a believable explanation. But the Duke kept smiling. The way he looked at me was like he was watching a clown perform, as if he were saying, Go on. Keep acting.

“Child, lying is bad. And you’re very bad at it.” The Duke held the Observer in his hand and glared at me sternly. “I’m a generous man, but what I hate most is being lied to. Even if it’s by a little girl. Do you know what those ten thousand gold coins represent? They represent that your life was bought by me. I can kill you whenever I want.”

Those icy words pierced straight through my mind.

A sword crest surfaced in the Duke’s eyes. The Sword's Ocular had activated.

Faced with that gaze, sharp as sword aura, my heart contracted violently. I couldn’t even breathe. So this was the hero of the Empire? He had only released the slightest bit of killing intent, yet my frail body was already unable to bear it.

“Stop, Father! This isn’t what we agreed on! Are you trying to kill her?”

“Kill her? Son, that might not be a bad idea.” The Duke sneered. “Don’t you find it strange? This six-year-old girl not only knows full table etiquette, but can also speak fluently with adults like us. Her thoughts are clear, her logic is tight, and her diction is precise. I remember exactly what you were doing at six. You ran around with a wooden sword, chasing the maids and trying to flip their skirts, then got the beating of your life from me. Now look at this child. Her own father just sold her, yet not only is she not crying or making a fuss, she’s calmly standing here and lying to my face.”

He glared at me.

“Son, do you think a six-year-old girl can do this? You bought a monster. And a very dangerous monster at that. She’s clever, talented, and bold beyond measure. But she’s terrible at lying.”

Hearing the Duke’s assessment, I realized I had ruined everything.

That’s right. I had ruined it from the very beginning.

What I had shown was far beyond the limit of a six-year-old girl. At this age, a child should be hugging a doll and whining sweetly, or playing house with friends while getting tormented by a tutor on the side.

And what was I doing?

I had sold my soul and signed a contract with an Abyssal Demon.

I had become the final disciple of the Grand Magister Aslet.

I held countless mysterious secrets from the Eternal Night Library.

I could even skillfully use the Ancient Alchemy of the ancient people.

A six-year-old girl couldn’t do any of that.

If I’d started crying the moment I got in the carriage, maybe I could’ve bluffed my way through. But now it was too late. My whole persona had already collapsed.

What do I do?

Am I going to be killed?

I closed my eyes and waited for my end. Before this hero of the Empire, I had no chance at all of turning things around. Maybe I could use an Arcane Fusion Bomb and take him down with me. But if it came to that, then this life of mine would be too pathetic.

And yet, what came down on my head was a gentle pat.

“Even so, you’re still Jenny’s child. I was certain of that from the moment I saw you.” The Duke’s rough hand stroked my head. “Victoria, do you remember my invitation by the barbecue stall? How about coming to work for my family?”

“Work?”

I didn’t fully understand the relationship between Mother and the ducal house, but this was the only lifeline I had right now. If I could create enough value for the ducal house, then in turn, they would protect me for that value. It was hard not to call that a win-win.

For someone like me, with no one to rely on, the protection of the ducal house was an opportunity I could only dream of.

“Yes, Your Grace. I accept.” I nodded. “Until I repay my debt, I will work properly for your house as an alchemist.”

The moment I said debt, the Duke and Freud exchanged a look.

“Father, isn’t this kid a little too straightforward?”

“Still better than you, you sneaky little bastard.”

“It’s really too much for you to describe your own son like that!”

“Shut up. I’ve lived my whole life open and aboveboard, so how the hell did I end up with a thing like you?”

“Father, my heart is wounded...”

For some reason, the bickering Northberg father and son in front of me seemed to drift farther and farther away. Their voices grew fainter too, like a magi-train receding into the distance as it brushed past me.

What’s happening to me?

Is this because I relaxed too suddenly after all that tension?

No... it’s because of that cold bath.

The maids of House Lude had wanted me cleaned up quickly so I could go meet the guests, so they’d forcibly thrown me into a tub of cold water. It was the dead of winter. Throwing a weak little girl into cold water was no different from trying to kill her.

My head feels so dizzy...

My body feels so heavy...

I can’t think anymore...

Is this what a severe cold feels like?