Published: August 10, 2026
Lizel's cherished king had an older brother.
Once the first in line to inherit the throne, he had said that his younger brother taking the throne was simply "his own good fortune."
He had never once worried about inheriting the throne. Even if he had, he would have had more than enough ability to carry out his duties as king.
But more than that, he possessed an extraordinary obsession with, and talent for, magical research. As for the former, he could never quite keep it hidden; it had spilled out constantly.
That was why, the moment he learned of his younger brother's qualities as a king, he renounced his succession rights.
He betrayed everyone's expectations, cast aside the responsibilities he should have borne, resolved to shove all of it onto his young brother, and went to his father's side with a body trembling in delight and frenzy.
The hidden impulse had become a torrent, overflowing and swallowing even his own reason, driving him to hurry toward his father, the king.
As a result, the instant he declared that he was renouncing his succession rights, his father punched him in the face.
"So, that kind of monster tamer exists."
Lizel had once told him about the ruler of the aberrations.
Contrary to his feminine manner of speech, every gesture he made was gentlemanly to the core. Even after renouncing his succession rights, he still had the bearing of royalty.
In a low, calm voice, he said that as though enjoying a peaceful moment with an old friend.
After coming to Sars, a window had appeared irregularly from time to time. It was mainly used for status reports with the king, information exchange, or rather, all-out private chatter, but the king's older brother would often show his face there as well.
It was mainly used for status reports on whether there had been any changes in his health, or for information exchange to connect their worlds, or rather, for all-out hobby-fueled magical technology talk.
"Similar brothers" was what Lizel always thought.
"Are you interested?"
"Yes."
When Lizel asked that, the king's older brother said it without much emotion.
Contrary to his words, he did not seem especially strongly interested.
What there was, was the look of an experienced appraiser. Even if he had renounced his succession rights, the color in those half-lidded eyes, with their faint smile, was still unmistakably royal.
It was the true genius who, within the two-year deadline set by his biological father, had shown that if he wanted to walk the path of magical research, he would have to convince everyone with results—and in those two years, while still carrying out his royal duties, he had produced immense benefits for the nation.
"Well, in that case—"
And that was why Lizel had blurted it out on a whim.
Standing before talent that outstripped all others, and feeling secure and trusting enough to be on good terms with such a person, he had said it as a joke.
"I think it might be interesting to leak some of the window research to Mr. Ruler."
"Oh my, is one of me not enough?"
"No, I just want to see the two of you co-researching."
The king's older brother laughed elegantly. Lizel's own lips also softened in amusement.
Wrapped in a calm atmosphere like a leisurely afternoon tea time, the king's older brother nevertheless spoke.
With the air of someone reluctantly admonishing a child who had played a prank, he said gently,
"Lizel-chan, you've become quite the spoiled child."
Lizel blinked once.
Then he retraced his own careless remark. It was true that he had become more accustomed to relying on others than he had been during his noble days.
Back then, rather than relying on anyone, it had simply been a matter of dividing work in a businesslike fashion.
This one goes there, that one goes here, with no affection or personal feeling involved at all, only assigning the suitable task to the suitable person.
Thinking about it that way, maybe he had become less hesitant to rely on others.
Or perhaps, having finally been freed from the kind of environment where he had to pick and choose exactly who and when he could lean on, he had let himself loosen up a little.