Chapter 9

Baby Detective and Hide-and-Seek

“Floppy, floppy…”

Normally, no one could use the warp gates into the capital without the Emperor’s permission. It was part of the city’s defenses, so even nobles had to pass through the main gates.

But Duke Ersioni was an exception.
As one of the empire’s highest nobles, he alone was allowed to use them freely.

That privilege extended to his only daughter, Lirian.

So while warp magic had stolen her dream of adventure, friendship, and love, she dangled limply in Caesar’s arms all the way to their capital residence.

“Why’s my princess suddenly out of energy?”

He looked worried at her drooping little body, though he assumed it was warp-sickness. Folding space for instant travel often left the unaccustomed feeling nauseous or dizzy.

“We’ll visit the palace on the last day.”

“Mmh…”

“While you nap, Daddy will take care of some business. Then afterward, we’ll go explore the city together.”

“The city…?”

At those words, the melted-cheese Lirian suddenly perked up.

“It’s a city of schemers, but still the Empire’s heart. There’s plenty to see—street food, puppet shows for children, and even the Church’s blessing rituals. They don’t do much, but kids usually love them.”

Her violet eyes lit up again.

“If we’re lucky, we might even see the Sword of Dawn in the plaza.”

“With disguises too?!”

“…Disguises?”

Her father tilted his head at her sudden leap in logic.

“Yep! Whenever you sneak among people, you disguise yourself so no one recognizes you.”

Ah—pretending to be commoners, was it?

Watching her get so excited, clearly inspired by another puppet show, Caesar chuckled.

“All right, shall we disguise ourselves then?”

“Yes!”

“Good. Then since Lirian the detective needs a disguise later, it’s nap time now.”

“Boo, I hate naps.”

“Children need naps to play strong later.”

So Lirian reluctantly promised with a pinky swear before lying down. Caesar patted her gently until her eyes fluttered closed.

Just before sleep swallowed her, she saw it—a golden butterfly.

Butterfly?

She recognized it instantly as the strange one she’d seen in the library. She tried to force her eyes open, but her lids were heavier than any abyssal dragon.

Slip—her eyes closed.

And then, right before the dark took her, the butterfly turned into a silver-haired man.

How curious. A split soul with a will this strong…

His large hand covered her eyes.

The faint light that had shimmered around her seeped into her body.

Clang!

Chains broke somewhere in the distance.

This seal… I’ll take it away.

Lirian’s eyes shot open.

“…Huh?”

She felt completely refreshed, as though she’d slept deeply.

Blinking at the unfamiliar ceiling, she remembered she was in the capital residence.

No sign of the silver-haired man.

“…Did I imagine it again? No—I’m not stupid!”

Once was a mistake. Twice? No.

She leapt out of bed.

With all the determination of a five-year-old, she began ransacking the room.

“Mr. Butterfly, are you hiding?”

She tiptoed to peek into the wardrobe.

“Come play with me.”

She flopped down to peer under the bed.

“Butterfyyyyy!”

Even the trash bin got searched.

But there was no one.

Her cheeks puffed in frustration.

Fine. I’ll find you. No matter how well you hide, hide-and-seek always ends with the seeker winning.

And she vowed she’d catch both Illei and Illei #2.

At that moment, Caesar entered, having felt the racket from the hall.

“Princess, you—”

He froze at the sight of the room in chaos.

“Daddy! Let’s go, quick!”

“…Looks like someone got bored.”

“No, I need to catch him!”

“Catch… what? As long as you don’t jump into a lake after a giant chocolate cookie like when you were four…”

“I need to catch him and ask him questions!”

Probably about Illei.

Father and daughter exchanged their usual cryptic lines. Caesar easily scooped her up before she could bolt.

“Uwah!”

“According to imperial law, children must be bundled up tight before going out.”

“Really? That’s a law?”

“With nearly a thousand years of uselessly thick law books, it’s bound to be written somewhere.”

He set her on the bed and quickly dressed her in new clothes.

Snap, snap.

In no time at all, she was changed.

“…Is this the disguise?”

It was unlike anything she’d worn before. Looking at herself, Lirian’s eyes widened with excitement.

No one would guess this little girl was the Ersioni princess now.

“It’s a detective outfit. Your mother insisted. Do you like it?”

“Mm-hm! I saw in Rose—detectives are suuuper smart!”

And just like that, Lirian became a baby detective.

A beige blouse, checkered skirt, matching cape and detective cap—complete with a shiny silver badge pinned to her chest.

Caesar tied the cape’s ribbon into a neat bow, smiling proudly.

“What about you, Daddy? No disguise?”

“Oh, I’ll disguise too. Where there’s a detective, there must be a phantom thief.”

“What’s that?”

“A super strong, stylish villain.”

“Wow!”

She didn’t know what it meant, but she was thrilled that he’d disguise too.

“All done.”

He layered enchantments—protection, warmth, airflow—into her silver badge before setting her down.

Lirian tapped her little shoes against the floor, then spotted a magnifying glass on her belt.

“What’s this?”

Of course, curiosity won. She lifted it to the light, held it to her eye, then pulled it back.

“Daddy! The world’s growing bigger and smaller!”

“Haha, that’s a magnifying glass. Every detective needs one.”

“One eye gets huge!”

She peered through it—and nearly dropped it when she saw him.

Her father had finished his disguise.

A dangerously handsome phantom thief, complete with monocle, cloak, and even a beauty mark below his eye.

He grinned, wrapping his cloak around her dramatically.

“Shall we go, Detective?”

Lirian’s eyes bulged.

Wait… Daddy’s actually… old?!

After all, in her memory, Caesar looked exactly the same ten years later.

He didn’t age a bit. Neither had Illei, now that she thought of it.

…I need to invent an anti-wrinkle youth serum.

She frowned seriously at the thought.

Meanwhile, Caesar was just happy to go on a little date with his youngest daughter.

With stately steps, he walked out.

Servants bowed as they left the mansion, and a whole new world unfolded outside.

“Wow!”

Her worries vanished in an instant.

She jumped from his arms to the ground.

Sunlight poured down. White clouds dotted the bright blue sky. Mansions lined the streets, each elegant and colorful. Beyond them came the distant hum of city life.

Lirian ran toward it at once.

“Lirian, don’t run!”

But she couldn’t stop.

Before the Abyss erupted, her memories were all of their beloved homeland. Unlike most noble children, who grew up in the capital, she’d stayed in the duchy until adulthood.

So for her, the capital was strange and new.

Everything was neat, orderly, proper.

Big houses, tidy people, straight lines everywhere.

As she ran, her sharp ears picked up whispers others wouldn’t have heard.

“Oh my.”

“How rude, running about like that. She can’t be from a noble family.”

Lirian only found it funny. Wasn’t running around what kids were supposed to do?

Then their eyes widened as Caesar himself strode after her.

“…Wait. Black hair—could it be the Ersionis?”

Lirian paid no mind. She darted straight past the high-noble district.

And then the wide central boulevard opened before her—revealing the peaceful heart of the world.