There Is No Place For Fakes

Philomel thought for a moment before she asked bluntly.

“Why did you come anyway? And even pretending to be a cat.” 

“What’s wrong with coming to see my daughter?”

Le Guin crossed his arms and replied in a tone that said it was natural.

“…Do you want to pick me up?”

Philomel asked with a puzzled expression.

“Let’s go back to the Magic Tower together.”

She looked at Le Guin’s outstretched hand for a moment, then jerked her head.

“I don’t know why you’re doing this now.”

He acted as if he didn’t need her and now he wanted to go to the Magic Tower together? His appearance was so sudden that she forgot about it for a while, but the first meeting with her real father didn’t end well.

“I don’t need it. Money or whatever you give me, I don’t need it.”

“We’re just blood mixed, but we’re no different.”

“I won’t appear again, so live well.”

Afterwards, even though she learned the secret of her birth from Lexion, the disappointment she felt at that time did not change. It might be better in that he didn’t mess with this or that woman, but it was still true that he arbitrarily gave birth to a child and did not properly take responsibility as his parent. Nurturing, affection, attention, things like that. Of course, he had to pay Catherine. But when it came to money, he gave the emperor too much to himself.

‘Even though I held back to manage my reputation and didn’t receive it well.’

If she had been extravagant like ‘Philomel’ in the book, wouldn’t it have been enough to easily buy a few islands by now?

“I just felt like I had to see you again. I thought I’d know why when I saw your face…”

“So do you know it already?”

Philomel and Le Guin looked at each other.

“I don’t know yet.”

Le Guin was still expressionless, so she was unable to read his emotions.

“Are you sorry for me?”

Philomel hesitated for a moment before asking. Then the man holding his chin furrowed his brow for a moment, then shook his head.

“I don’t know. I’ve never felt sorry for anyone.”

“You said you were sorry before.”

“Ah, sorry. Since you’re my child, of course I thought you were a wizard.”

“Sorry. I’m not sure.”

Philomel spat out the words, recalling the conversation she had with him at the magic tower.

“It’s just… usually in situations like that, other people say they’re sorry, so I just copied it.”

Le Guin answered lightly, as if he didn’t care at all.

‘I knew it’

Even then, he didn’t look sorry at all.

“Then do you sympathize with me?”

“Hmm. I don’t know that either. I’ve never felt pity for another person.”

‘What the hell do you know?’ the words went down her throat and then went back.

Little by little, Lexion’s words that Le Guin was an emotionless person reached her. She didn’t know if it’s possible for a creature to have no emotions at all, but at least he was in a different category than normal people.

She could feel that an insurmountable river flowed between him and herself. If he had raised Philomel like other parents, he wouldn’t have given her affection.

‘I’m coveting something that wasn’t mine in the first place.’

Philomel folded her regrets and put them away. Le Guin applied for Philomel.

“So you’re not going to the Magic Tower?”

“… I didn’t say I wasn’t going.”

To be honest, she didn’t really want to live in the Magic Tower. The reason why she dared to go to the Mage Tower in the first place was because it is a place where the influence of the empire did not reach. However, the emperor said yesterday that he had no intention of holding Philomel guilty. He even said he would send them wherever he wanted. If she believed those words right away, she didn’t even know how to use magic, so she had no reason to go to the mage tower.

‘To be honest, I want to go to a place where no one knows me and start a new life.’

She was sincere in prison about what she said to Catherine. Still, that was a good opportunity. If she stayed with him, she would be able to escape the palace even if she didn’t accept the three-month residency condition.

‘As a bonus, if you go to Angelium, the town next to the Magic Tower, you can also retrieve <Princess Elencia>.’

After that, she thought it would be better to think about it after leaving that place. It was a complete farewell to the imperial palace, where she had lived so far.

“Then it’s simple. We’re going to the Magic Tower.”

Le Guin held out her hand once more.

“But.”

However, Philomel’s hand, which was about to take hers, stopped in mid-air. What? For some reason, Philomel couldn’t hold his hand readily. Several faces passed before her eyes.

“Instead, promise me one thing. You’ll never leave without a word again. As for me…let me know and go.”

First the Countess Deles.

“Regardless of Your Majesty’s wishes, I also want to continue serving you.”

Then Count Pollan.

“… sorry.”

Eustis’s words of sorry sounded very awkward.

“It got weird a few months ago. She’s not the Ellen I knew.”

“Thank you for coming in one last time.”

And even what Catherine said.

‘Why do these memories come to my mind at this moment?’

As if someone had applied glue, her lips did not come off. As Philomel hesitated, the smile on Le Guin’s face slowly faded.

‘No, I have to seize the opportunity before he changes his mind.’

Philomel opened her mouth hastily, noticing that he might take back the offer.

“There…!”

When she managed to open her heavy mouth.

“Yes. Even just watching for a moment, I could see that you had lived a tight life.”

Le Guin muttered to himself and nodded.

“I think your life must have been very tiring. I can fully imagine how you feel right now.”

Le Guin continued, “I know, I know” and agreed to himself.

‘You know my heart that I don’t know? How can you be my father?’

He said with confidence.

“You want to fuck the humans here?”

“…Not at all.”

“I understand. I’m the type of person who can’t live without suffering. You resembles me in that way.”

It didn’t look like it at all. He seemed to have misunderstood Philomel’s silence. She hoped he didn’t create resemblances on his own. Before Philomel could say anything, the wizard laid down on the sofa and declared.

“Then I’ll be here too.”

“Yeah?”

What else are you talking about?

“I will stay here until you decide to go to the Magic Tower. I want to help you with your revenge.”

“No… What about the magic tower? Since it’s the magic tower, there shouldn’t be a mountain of tasks to handle.”

Philomel answered with her mouth wide open. Then Le Guin grinned and gave a reason that was difficult to understand with Philomel’s common sense.

“You didn’t know. I don’t do much work.”

“Can it be? Work rushes to the Mage Tower every day from all over the continent. Other than the Mage Tower Master who oversees the Mage Tower, who will take care of that?”

“You just have to let other guys do that. Phil, keep that in mind. Life is better when you work less and make more money.”

Le Guin said as if he was teaching a great life wisdom. From Philomel’s mouth came a busy, ‘huh’.

‘The Magic Tower, is it really okay as it is?’

Since it is the center of the magic world, the problem of the Magic Tower is not limited to the problem of the Magic Tower alone. Philomel swallowed the question, worrying about the future of the Belerov Empire and, by extension, the continent.

Le Guin said “Oh.” and clapped their hands.

“I forgot, but there was a reason why it was difficult for me to leave right now.”

“What is it?”

“Because the roads can cross.”

“Who have you been with?”

He was on his way.

“So that’s…”

Even if it was a promise, Le Guin opened his mouth and then closed it again with a sour expression.

“Why don’t you finish talking?”

“I’m too lazy to explain in detail. There’s such a thing. You’ll find out soon.”

Even though she didn’t ask earlier, he was talking about this and that! Philomel felt like shouting, but she managed to hold back. Yet she had reasons not to listen to Le Guin’s planting.

Philomel asked in an impatient voice, recalling <Princess Elencia>.

“Then can you move me to Angelium? I left my luggage there. And earlier… I just said it, but the answer was not revenge or something like that. I don’t want that.”

“If it’s yours, I’ve retrieved it, so don’t worry. It’ll be on its way here by now.”

“Is my luggage on the way?”

Did he even have a foot on the load to go there? Philomel didn’t understand, so she involuntarily tilted her head.