Her eyes sparkled again.
“Do you know Ents? They're forest spirits...”
Even as we walked together, Angelina’s sparkling eyes and excited voice never ceased.
&
“Yes, please have a seat.”
Erbain Pimalle greeted me in the drawing room with a gentle smile.
“The rumors coming from House Signal of late have been no trifling matter.”
“Fortunately, something good has happened to the house.”
Erbain nodded lightly.
“I heard that Belmardian exclusively permitted House Signal to use the reconstruction method.”
“That is correct. When I went to report to the kingdom, I happened to have the opportunity to speak with the Young Lady Eileen, and I was fortunate enough to share something helpful with her at that time.”
“Oho. Could you tell me a bit more?”
I explained that I had once read records about rice in an old book, and that we had experimented together based on that content, leading to the current results.
“Wow, you really saw it in a book?”
“Yes. It was a book I read as a child, but now I don’t even know where it is.”
“What a pity...”
Angelina was listening to my story with great interest.
To the point that she could scarcely take her eyes off me.
Erbain, seeing his daughter’s reaction, merely chuckled without saying a word.
And after taking a sip of tea,
he looked at me and asked gently.
“So.”
A brief silence.
“What is the real reason you came here.”
His voice was still mild.
But strangely, that single sentence seemed to stop my breath.
He did not press me.
He did not probe me.
He simply waited quietly.
And yet, that was even more frightening.
If I lied,
I would be found out immediately.
It was not a matter of reading expressions or tone.
Merely by exchanging a few more lines of conversation,
he was the type to naturally pinpoint the core of what his opponent was hiding.
He was incomparable to Count Crevio.
He was not sharp and aggressive like the Baron or Eileen,
but he was undoubtedly in a more perfected state than they were.
He was a truly fearsome opponent.
I took a light breath.
“I had been continually discussing mysteries with the Young Lady Angelina. And I judged that the place—and the person—who could be of the most help with this matter were House Pimalle and the Young Lady Angelina.”
I turned my gaze toward Angelina and smiled slightly.
Seeing my smile, Angelina smiled as well.
“Information regarding a mystery? Have you found some kind of treasure?”
“Huh! So it really was related to a mystery?”
I shook my head.
“It is not a treasure. However, I thought that if I spoke with the Young Lady Angelina, I might be able to obtain related records or clues.”
“Hmm... a mystery.”
Erbain took another sip of tea, looking intrigued.
“That certainly is interesting. Most who come to see me only ever wish to discuss politics, or these days, personal affairs.”
Well, of course.
Where else would that blood go?
“But it seems you have not yet found what you are looking for.”
“Actually... what I wish to find is information regarding a certain symbol.”
The moment I specified that it was a symbol,
Angelina’s eyes sparkled.
“S-symbol? Why didn’t you tell me that until now?”
Erbain answered first in my stead.
“Most likely, he was thinking of you.”
“Of me?”
Angelina blinked, unable to understand her father’s words.
Erbain continued calmly.
“Because you might be put in danger.”
“...”
Angelina’s expression grew quiet for a moment.
“Another reason is,”
Erbain’s gaze returned to me.
“you likely considered the possibility that our House Pimalle might be connected to that symbol as well.”
“...Yes.”
For a moment, I was dumbfounded.
I even had the illusion that he was peering straight through my head.
Then, from beside me, Angelina muttered very quietly.
“Because he was worried about me...”
Erbain immediately continued.
“Our House Pimalle has never belonged to a particular faction. We may have had contact with them. But since its founding until now, this house has never once abandoned its neutrality.”
I nodded quietly.
That was precisely why I had come here.
Without further hesitation, I took out from within my breast the leather etched with that symbol.
Angelina was the first to lean in and look.
But she soon shook her head.
She appeared not to recognize it.
Before long, Erbain took it into his hands.
At first, it was simple curiosity.
But the more he looked,
his expression gradually hardened.
“This is...”
“Do you recognize it?”
“No. I am seeing it for the first time.”
Erbain continued, slowly tracing the symbol with his fingertips.
“However...”
Angelina and I both perked up our ears.
“I believe I can see the direction.”
He could see the direction just by looking at the symbol?
The thought process of a genius was beyond my comprehension.
Erbain placed the symbol down on the table.
“It appears to be an ordinary sun, but the sun is not drawn haphazardly as one might think.”
He pointed to the outer line of the symbol with his finger.
“Sometimes it is rendered as a full circle, sometimes with rays extending in straight lines. There are also cases where it is drawn with curved lines, or cultures that express it solely with radiance without a center.”
“...”
“But the way this sun is drawn is slightly different. Rather than a simple symbol, it is closer to a form that intentionally bestows authority.”
Angelina reacted immediately.
“Father. Isn’t the sun usually closely connected to royal authority?”
“As expected of my daughter.”
Erbain smiled softly.
Angelina’s face quickly became excited.
“Then does that mean there is a possibility this is related to royalty or the royal line?”
“It means the possibility seems high, but it is not yet certain.”
That was why.
Erbain’s expression had hardened.
I, too, broke out in a slight cold sweat.
Royal authority?
Why?
But soon I felt a small sense of relief.
At least, it was not a coat of arms used by the current royal family.
As far as I knew,
it was not that kind of symbol.
“Could it be from the lineage of another continent?”
“It could be, or it might not be.”
Erbain neither denied nor affirmed immediately.
“We must search for it first.”
The corner of his mouth rose ever so slightly.
“It has been a long time since something has truly piqued my interest.”
That was the face of a scholar.
He had grown slightly weary of meaningless conversations with insubstantial people for too long.
But this time was different.
A proper pursuit of knowledge had fallen before his eyes for the first time in a while.
“Angelina.”
“Yes?”
“Let us narrow it down from history. Royal authority, symbolic systems, records from before and after the kingdom’s founding. Starting there would be best.”
“This will be fun!!”
They truly were father and daughter.
Their eyes had become exactly the same.
We immediately headed to the study.
As soon as we entered the study, Erbain began picking up books without hesitation.
“It would be best to start by gathering books on the kingdom’s founding and the formation of its early royal authority.”
A short while later,
the two of them had stacked up books taller than themselves.
“There are likely more, but for now, I have selected those that do not stray too far from the kingdom’s founding and the history immediately surrounding it. If it is not here, we can gradually expand the scope.”
I was bewildered as I roughly examined several of the books.
Most of the stacked books had almost no illustrations.
“Then... does that mean we must search through all of them for similar symbols or depictions?”
“Of course.”
Angelina already had a book open, her eyes sparkling.
“Isn't this really interesting?”
Erbain had already started as well.
It was frightening.
Suddenly these people were becoming frightening.
These people, rather than sleeping tonight,
seemed like they wouldn’t let me leave at all if we could not find it.
I opened a book and began turning the pages one by one.
I read carefully, trying not to miss a single line,
but there was no way I could keep up with the other two’s speed.
By the time I was about halfway through one book,
the two of them were already on their second and third.
We searched for a long while like that,
but ultimately what we wanted did not appear.
As the outside gradually grew dark,
I quietly closed my book and rose from my seat.
“I shall take my leave for today, then.”
Erbain seemed too absorbed to hear my words.
So I naturally turned my gaze to Angelina.
I thought she, too, might not have heard me due to her focus,
but she was already looking at me, her book closed.
***
The next day as well, I took Angelina from the academy and headed to the mansion.
And it was when the third day came like that.
“Oh, wait a moment. This... please look at this.”
The moment I found a meaningful passage while turning the pages, I immediately called the two over.
Erbain, who had been concentrating, also came right over.
“The religion of the Kronos Kingdom at the time worshipped the sun as a god... hmm.”
Erbain kept his eyes fixed on the book and slowly followed the sentences down.
“This seems to be the most significant thing we have seen so far.”
Angelina spoke up at once.
“Father, Kronos is the previous dynasty.”
“Exactly. However, there are almost no records that the dynasty’s representative symbol was the sun.”
It was at that moment.
Erbain’s gaze stopped in mid-air.
And he closed his eyes.
A brief silence.
Angelina, too,
and I held our breath and watched him.
After a moment, Erbain opened his eyes again
and quietly closed the book.
“I believe this is correct.”
“What is?”
“What this symbol means.”
He picked up the leather fragment I had brought again.
And this time, he spoke in a much more certain voice.
“The old dynasty.”
“The... old dynasty?”
Erbain’s expression hardened noticeably.
“Almost no one knows of them. Their very existence is at the level of a floating rumor. Even among those who know, many doubt that they truly existed. But what is certain is that they do exist.”
The old dynasty.
During the time of the Kronos Kingdom,
the royal family that ruled the Oa Kingdom.
House Solaris.
It was a dynasty that had already collapsed nearly two hundred years ago,
meaning its traces still remained.
Erbain placed the symbol on the table and slowly pointed at it with his fingertip.
“But I did not judge this based solely on the sun.”
“Then what?”
“The hand.”
Only then did I lower my gaze to the bottom of the symbol.
Erbain continued his explanation.
“Usually, hands directed toward the sun take the form of supporting or embracing it. It is a symbol representing worship or prayer. But this one is different.”
“Hmm...”
“This hand is not receiving the sun...”
His fingertip stopped at the end of the symbol.
“It is trying to touch it.”
At that moment, Angelina’s eyes sparkled.
“Ah!”
“It is not a hand worshipping authority, but a hand reaching for authority. In other words... it appears to signify an attempt to reclaim lost royal authority.”
A chill ran down my spine.
The sun was royal authority.
And a hand reached out toward it.
It was closer to a symbol of restoration or usurpation, not worship.
“But this alone is still insufficient.”
Erbain immediately added.
“The form of the sun must match as well. The angle of the rays, the treatment of the outer lines, even the ratio of the central circle. The hand may be altered, but the sun does not change easily. Because it is the core of the symbolic system.”
Angelina nodded.
“In other words, the hand may have changed to mean the restoration of the old dynasty, but the sun is highly likely to remain in its original form.”
“Correct.”
I felt cold sweat trickling down.
I had the feeling of being entangled in something far greater than I had imagined.
“The possibility that our interpretation is correct is high. However, confirming the truth is another matter entirely. Therefore, we must be certain. If we narrow it down to books regarding the previous dynasty, we will find it quickly.”
Erbain picked up a book again.
And eventually,
we found it.
The old dynasty.
This symbol was definitely connected to them.
The sun’s expression and the derived symbolic system matched perfectly.
“With this, you have obtained the answer you sought.”
“Thank you. For these past few days... I am truly grateful, yet also sorry.”
Erbain shook his head and smiled.
“I, too, enjoyed myself thanks to you. It was a stimulation I had not felt in a long time. Hahaha.”
I suddenly grew curious and asked.
“Will you not ask? Where I obtained this.”
Erbain smiled softly.
“What I desire is the fulfillment of curiosity, not an excess of it. Knowledge is delightful, but in excess, it becomes poison.”
“...”
Only then did I understand.
Why House Pimalle had been able to maintain its neutrality until now.
“Thank you very much.”
“Do come visit again next time. You are welcome anytime.”
Since quite a long time had been spent, I had to return quickly.
After exchanging farewells with Erbain and leaving the study, I walked through the garden with her toward the mansion’s entrance.
“I am glad we were able to find the meaning of the symbol.”
“Thank you. The Young Lady Angelina’s help was the greatest.”
“No. I truly enjoyed it as well.”
Her voice was a little lower and more cautious than usual.
I scratched my head and spoke honestly.
“I am sorry if it felt like I was using you. I truly did not mean to. It is just that since the Young Lady Angelina enjoys books, I thought we might find some clues if we searched together.”
“...”
At those words, Angelina lowered her head.
Ah.
Did I hurt her feelings?
But the response was completely unexpected.
“Using me... you can do it more.”
“Pardon?”
“Mr. Rayon... you can use me all you want.”
Her face flushed red in an instant.
“However you wish... all you...”
She lowered her head and fidgeted with her fingers.
Wh-what does she mean?
“Ah, haha... I am glad you did not feel bad about it.”
“I feel good.”
This time, Angelina slowly raised her head.
“Rather... I wish you would use me every single day, Mr. Rayon. All the time, continuously... I want that too...”
Her words trailed off, but her gaze did not.
Even in the darkening garden, those eyes were clearly visible.
The eyes looking at me were shining brilliantly.
Just like when she looked at books.
The way Eileen looked at me,
the way Serapinrie glared at me, and the way Marsha looked up at me were all different.
But there was something common within them all.
Interest.
And in Angelina’s eyes as she looked at me, that interest was definitely present.
But then.
Why.
Did I feel a sense of danger?
“I-I will ask for your help if I need it.”
Angelina adjusted her glasses and lightly bit her lip.
“Hehe. Please need me all you want.”
Though her eyes gave off a somewhat dangerous feeling,
forming a good connection with House Pimalle was certainly not a bad thing.
Above all, Angelina was someone who would take on a major role within House Pimalle in the future.
And so, this current relationship was
precious in many ways.