I became too good at playing the role of the adopted daughter, Chapter 138. At that moment.

A knock came at the door.

“It’s Zeno.”

“Come in.”

Zeno entered with a bright smile. “Sir Hixson is here too.”

Hixson raised a hand slightly in greeting. An awkward silence filled the space between the three.

The first to break the silence was Zeno.

“It’s a bit awkward, but anyway, I’m on my way to the winter castle’s supply warehouse on the Duke’s orders.”

Zeno opened a space pocket and pulled something out. “This is the top-quality magic ointment you asked for. The person in charge was a bit hesitant, so it took some time.”

In truth, Zeno understood the feelings of the person in charge. This top-quality magic ointment was made by the mages at the Magic Tower and was quite expensive. The official had said:

“Is your wrist completely shattered?

If not, then this level of ointment isn’t necessary. An intermediate one will do.”

Upon seeing the top-quality magic ointment, Hixson could grasp the situation instantly.

‘So, he was worried about Viola injuring her wrist earlier.’

Hixson fully accepted the Grass Sword.

He had successfully neutralized the Grass Sword without suppressing Viola.

Though Hixson got a little hurt in the process, at least Viola wasn’t harmed. In contrast, Heron had violently yanked Viola’s wrist, injuring it.

‘It wasn’t a serious injury, but…’

There was no strain on the bone. Only a little muscle soreness remained, causing slight pain.

‘So you called Viola to a separate room for this reason.’

Hixson was one of the few who understood Heron well. ‘Since losing Rael, you’ve changed rapidly.’

He had not shown any affection to anyone. Moreover, he did not exhibit that he cared for anyone, as he knew that if he cherished someone, that someone would suffer.

‘Conversely, you had an obsession with not being allowed to love anyone.’

Heron had a mission to protect humanity from the “Place Where the Eye Shines,” and to uphold that mission, he couldn’t have someone he loved. As his love for Rael grew, so did his fear.

He didn’t want to be apart from Rael, he always wanted to be with her.

Naturally, he couldn’t be actively involved in the war against the “Place Where the Eye Shines.”

Hixson felt pity for Heron.

‘To avoid getting caught up in the political machinations of central nobility, he couldn’t have someone he loved.’

The existence of a loved one becomes a weakness. So, Heron had ended up not loving anyone. ‘He didn’t want to show that he applied ointment on Viola.’

Hixson felt both bad and good about this.

‘You too are changing.’

Viola had made Heron change. Hixson quietly retreated without making a sound.

He cracked the door open and walked down the hallway.

While walking down the hallway, he accidentally bumped into Chief Butler Carlton.

“Carlton.”

“Yes, Sir Hixson.”

“Take this.”

Hixson pulled something from his space pocket and casually tossed it. “Isn’t this top-quality magic ointment?”

“Yeah. It’s for you.”

“Why are you giving this to me?”

Isn’t there a lack of reason here? “I don’t think I’ll need it anymore.”

“…Excuse me?”

“I feel like a good adult has appeared.”

What does that mean? Before Carlton could ask, Hixson waved his hand and walked away.

Hixson’s murmurs could be heard.

“Still not as much as me, though.”

* Only then did Viola realize Heron’s intentions.

‘He was worried that I was harmed?’

It wasn’t a serious injury. It was just a bit of a soreness in the wrist, so resting for a day or two would fix it.

“Why aren’t you eating your favorite snack?”

“It’s all cold now.”

“I see.”

From now on, I should order them to bring it in a magic container with warming magic. As Heron was lost in thought for a moment, Viola spoke up.

“I’m not averse to spending time with Dad.”

She locked eyes with Heron. “It’s just that I’m not used to it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you remember what I said when I first met Dad?”

Heron recalled that moment. I’d like you to love me if possible…

‘You will do that, right?’

‘I’m an orphan. I always wished for a family.’

‘Not just calling you my father, but to really be my father.’

As the memory of Viola back then surfaced, it tugged at his heart. The voice of the fragile and small child that felt like it would crumble in his grasp echoed in his ears.

“I needed a family and a father. But when I first came here, what I encountered was an ecosystem of survival of the fittest, and a brutal competition to survive.”

Heron’s heartache deepened. Those words were not wrong.

They had been his stance all along.

It should naturally be so.

To protect humanity from the “Place Where the Eye Shines,” one must become a perfect being both physically and mentally. “It’s not that I dislike that. But it’s also a fact that I couldn’t feel your warmth, Dad.”

Heron couldn’t find the words in front of his 13-year-old daughter. Viola’s words were all based on ‘facts.’

They were logically not wrong.

Viola continued.

“So it’s just that this place was awkward and unfamiliar. I’ve spent a lot of time with the lord Heron Bellatu of the Winter Castle, but the time spent with you as my father is simply too little.”

Bellatu was a rational family. They valued logic and reason.

Viola pointed this out.

“So I can treat you as the Duke without awkwardness, but as a daughter, I can’t help but be clumsy in treating you as my father.”

“That’s a logically correct statement.”

Heron opened the lid of the magic ointment. A scent resembling honey wafted out.

As expected of top-quality magic ointment, it smelled better than any ordinary scented candle.

Heron’s fingertips trembled slightly.

‘My fingertips are trembling.’

His hands wouldn’t shake even when hunting great monsters, yet they were trembling now.

He carefully applied the magic ointment onto Viola’s wrist.

His touch, while not as meticulous and gentle as Zeno’s, was still cautious enough. “But one thing needs correction.”

“What is it?”

“For the past year, we have spent quite a bit of time as father and daughter.”

Excuse me? When did that happen?

Viola felt a bit aggrieved.

It felt like the only thing they had done in a year was sparring at the training ground.

While Viola was feeling wronged, Heron asked, just as he had the very first time they met.

“Will you be my daughter?”

The expression was the same, but the words were very different now. After a brief awkward silence, Heron corrected himself.

“May I be your father?”

Heron’s fingertips started to visibly tremble. “I’ve come to need a family as well.”

And beyond that, Viola’s fingertips trembled even more. *

The outcast of the 6th Magic Tower.

Elcina, the failed disciple of Sirson, was currently experiencing a miracle.

“Lady Elcina!”

Keitarun waved at Elcina. This was the first time Elcina had seen Keitarun, the king of the slums, smile so brightly.

“Please make sure to rely on me when you wear your shoes!”

The beggar gang of the Magic Tower was essential personnel for the Winter Castle. People of the Winter Castle learn to fight against monsters from birth.

There were plenty of warriors, but a shortage of artisans.

Most of the beggar gang had one or more skills, filling the gaps in the Winter Castle.

Thanks to that, the beggar gang gradually regained its self-esteem and began to live with dignity.

Joy.

Every time Elcina saw them, her heart swelled. She never imagined such a thing would happen in her lifetime.

Rumors began to spread, and hope arose among the beggar gangs of each Magic Tower.

Things didn’t progress as smoothly as when Viola helped, but the beggar gang at the Magic Tower had now awakened to reality and started dreaming. That was indeed a significant change.

And the person who led this change was, of course, Viola. ‘Princess Viola. You really are something.

Elcina had been praised as a genius since her childhood.

She believed herself to be a genius.

But after meeting Viola, her thoughts changed. Viola was truly a genius among geniuses.

A person perfectly suited to the term genius.

‘I should get to work too.’

Elcina took on the role of nanny to a child named Benato. He was a baby boy born not long ago.

He was so adorable and cute that Elcina instantly fell in love with him the moment she laid eyes on him.

She cared for Benato with utmost dedication.

Fortunately, the Winter Castle had many experienced nannies, and with their support, it wasn’t too difficult.

This child. He instinctively senses mana.’ So, she said to Viola. “He’s a magic genius.”

“If Lady Elcina says that, he must really be a genius.”

“That’s right. We need to find him a good magic teacher.”

The earlier a child learns magic, the higher the probability of them excelling. “Can’t you be the one to teach him, Lady Elcina?”

“I can’t undo the seal on my magic.

It would be better to formally request a magic teacher from the Magic Tower.”

“Why can’t you undo it? I heard you did it yourself.”

She had sealed her own mana after becoming disillusioned with magic in the past. What kind of study is magic, if it cannot even benefit humans?

“I will never use this power again.”

She had sworn that to herself and firmly sealed her mana.

To unseal it, she would need three magic stones embedded in the heart of a great monster.

At this moment, she lacked the strength to hunt a great monster.

This is a choice I made myself. I must not regret it.’

That was an act of desecrating her past self. Elcina spoke.

“There are things required to unseal it, but they’re absolutely unattainable.”

She didn’t specify the details on purpose, fearing that Viola might feel burdened. “Absolutely unattainable?”

“Yes, it cannot be obtained.”

While it wasn’t strictly impossible, she chose to state it as impossible. “Is that so?”

“Therefore, it would be wise to request support from the Magic Tower. I believe I can provide commentary on theories from the side.”

She couldn’t bring herself to tell Viola that the magic stones from the great monsters were needed. That would not only insult her past self but also offload the burden onto Viola.

Elcina couldn’t act so shamelessly.

“Could it be that this is what you need?”

The genius Elcina was unaware. That Viola was actually a reincarnator.