Optical camouflage is difficult to practically implement with science alone.
In other words, becoming invisible.
Scientifically, it should be possible with radar and such, but apparently there are various issues—if the materials and reflection differ, it becomes impossible, and so on.
But by incorporating magic, somehow, I managed to do it.
"If I use this, could I go outside freely too?"
"Please wait a moment."
When I asked excitedly, Ikuto put a stop to it.
Right now, I had asked Sephiroth to make me transparent by splitting my body vertically in half.
I had planned to make my whole body disappear, but since I was stopped, I waited as I was for the next words.
"Ah, Your Highness. That's kind of scary, so please return to normal."
Since Herkov said so, I commanded without speaking aloud.
(Sephiroth, cancel it.)
(The reason for interrupting the trial is inappropriate.)
Despite complaining about being interrupted, Sephiroth dispelled the optical camouflage.
(Requesting demonstration experiment of technology designated optical camouflage.)
I was asked again.
She really doesn't let curiosity go unchecked.
But Ikuto and the others were facing each other and discussing.
What I could overhear was safety concerns about not letting me go out alone, and issues regarding their duties and responsibility problems.
If I, still a child and not allowed to move freely, went outside—moreover without permission—the retainers who knew and overlooked it or helped would be blamed.
To prevent that, they probably need absolute certainty that I won't be discovered.
"Then let's do an experiment too. All three of you, we're playing hide-and-seek."
"Lady Asha, by that, do you mean to test us by becoming invisible in this room?"
Wearle's triangular ears twitched restlessly as he spoke nervously.
"It's the opposite. You all will test me. Sephiroth and I will hide, so count to one hundred and then come find us."
As I spoke, I left the Emerald Room.
In that instant, Sephiroth made me invisible.
Recently I had been glowing because the retainers asked me to, but she extinguished that too to make me unseen.
(Recommendation: Under the desk.)
(That would be boring. I have to prove that being invisible allows me to protect myself.)
Just hiding isn't enough.
Unless I prove that I can escape immediately if it becomes dangerous, those three definitely won't give me permission.
(If someone enters the same room, measure withdrawal.)
(Understood.)
And so began our game of hide-and-seek, where I effectively utilized the large room for the first time.
"Oh, there you are. Hoh, you can be caught even when invisible?"
As I tried to move from beside the fireplace in the Golden Room, Ikuto grabbed my shoulder.
When I resigned myself and appeared, they were surprised again.
"How did you know? You couldn't see me, right?"
"Footsteps and the rustling of clothes from your movements. Also, considering Lady Asha's height, your shoulder would be right about here."
Apparently he predicted my size and direction of movement from the sounds of movement.
"One more time! After discussing with Sephiroth, once more!"
Taking off my shoes here to kill my footsteps would be wrong.
I taught Sephiroth a method to reflect and cancel sounds.
For footsteps, we have information like my weight and the hardness of the floor and shoe soles, so the rest is just adjustment.
"............There? Hmm, it does seem you only become invisible."
When I hid in the Blue Room, Wearle found me before I could move.
"You closed your eyes and used magic, didn't you? The wind came slightly. ............Could it be that you used the way wind flows to locate something that shouldn't be there?"
"Correct. By releasing wind in three stages around the surroundings, I also covered for leaks in case you were crouching."
It was a sonar-like application, pinpointing that where wind didn't hit uniformly, there was an object.
I learned that even if nothing is seen with the eyes, if there's a response with magic, presence is revealed.
"Hmm, reflection won't work for this, will it?"
(Magic generation is predictable.)
"But even if I cancel it, it eventually produces a different reaction from other things............"
After consulting with Sephiroth again, I challenged the hide-and-seek once more.
But since I'm not a true invisible man, my presence there can't be helped.
I have to make it so I can't be seen or heard.
Returning to the Emerald Room to think, I looked up to see numerous flasks of different shapes and sizes.
"No, wait. They know something is there. In that case, if you want to hide a tree, use the forest strategy—let's generate decoys."
(Requesting details.)
After consulting with Sephiroth, this time I activated separate magic to cause false recognition against wave-based detection like wind and water.
It was magic that appeared to block wave-based detection, similar to how sounds were canceled.
This proved effective, and Wearle became unable to capture us.
"Well, you think of all sorts of things. There, gotcha!"
"Uwaa!?"
But when I tried to slip into the Red Room, Herkov quickly grabbed me by the collar.
"Neither sound nor decoys work against Herkov's sense of smell—that's cheating."
"First of all, Your Highness with the invisible form is the amazing one."
Herkov put me down and spoke as if scolding me.
(Recommendation: Suggest scattering odor substances that paralyze the sense of smell.)
"Crushing the nose directly is questionable. Besides, I'm emitting a scent myself, so if I move, he'll notice."
Wearle's uniform method could be fooled with decoys.
But Herkov instinctively distinguishes living smells.
Deodorizing was useless, and even if I replaced it with different smells, I was found.
As Sephiroth said, attacking the sense of smell itself was possible, but that would be the same as taking off my shoes to eliminate footsteps.
"Alright, let's use magic this time."
"You're still going, Your Highness?"
"Because it's just Herkov left."
When the two of us headed to the Blue Room, Ikuto and Wearle were there taking a break.
"Were you caught again?"
"Sir Herkov's experience is different indeed."
"No, I want to rest too."
"We still have time until the next lesson."
Leaving Herkov behind, I went to the Emerald Room to have Sephiroth revise the technique.
But that day, I ultimately couldn't outwit Herkov.
Three days later.
"I don't understand anymore, I surrender, Your Highness."
I revealed myself at Herkov's voice.
Then Wearle and Ikuto applauded me.
"To think you could confuse a beastman's nose. Using wind magic to make the source of the smell unidentifiable didn't work well at first, it seems."
"Your disguises kept getting better and better."
To Wearle's question, Herkov answered while rubbing around his nose.
Ikuto was nodding with satisfaction.
"Lady Asha's growth is wonderful. You improved so much with just a little instruction on footwork."
"It's because you guys enjoyed teaching me that I kept getting better."
Just as Herkov complained, Wearle had also been teaching me good ways to handle wind magic.
"Hey, can I go outside now?"
"However, we cannot leave Lady Asha's side without reason."
"Well, in the end, we can move around more easily when we're with Your Highness?"
According to Ikuto and Herkov, because I'm there, the retainers can wander around the palace too.
Apparently those who work there have stricter restrictions on where they can enter and exit than the imperial family members who live there.
But where I want to go is somewhere else entirely.
"I want to go outside the palace. I want to see the capital of this empire."
The palace is about the size of a city, so there's no problem with daily life even without going out at all.
But wanting to sightsee even when there's no problem—that's the curiosity of me, who was Japanese in my previous life.
The moment I expressed my wish, the retainers each made difficult faces and fell into thought.
And Wearle muttered as if to himself:
"What you will see will be only once, will it not?"
It's true that before my father became emperor, I should have lived in a suburban mansion.
Whether it's because I'm too ignorant of the world, or because of my current position where my comings and goings are monitored.
They made somewhat grave faces.
Daily updates
Next time: Magic and Science 5