There Is No Place For Fakes [EN]: Chapter 127

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He smiled brightly at Philomell, but his face stiffened when he saw the person next to her.

Nasar approached them with measured steps and greeted them.

“Good afternoon, Philomell. And… Father.”

Le Guin’s expression turned colder than ever.

“Who are you calling ‘Father’?”

Even in front of the intimidating Master of the Magic Tower, Nasar didn’t back down.

“I was too flustered to properly greet you before. Please, think of me kindly, Father.”

(For the record, he still didn’t know the identity of Gwingwing the cat.)

“My name is Nasar Averide, and I am currently seeing your daughter. If possible, I would like to ask for your permission, Father…”

Le Guin gritted his teeth.

“You really are asking for it, you little– when I get my hands on you…”

He glanced at Philomell, grabbed Nasar’s arm, and pulled him away.

“Wait, let’s go somewhere quiet and have a serious conversation.”

“Where are you going?”

“It’s nothing. Phil, you go inside first.”

Nasar reassured Philomell even as he was being dragged away.

“It’s okay. I’ll go have a man-to-man talk with Father and come back. And please accept this.”

He held out a large bouquet of flowers he was holding.

“I was thinking of you on the way, and I couldn’t resist buying them. Of course, compared to Philomell…”

“This guy, even now!”

“I’ll be right back!”

Nasar, firmly gripped by Le Guin, quickly disappeared into the distance. Philomell felt a twinge of worry.

“Should I secretly follow them?”

She didn’t think Le Guin would actually harm Nasar, but…

‘…Hmm, should I? Maybe I should follow them after all?’

As Philomell was pondering, a figure jumped out from behind a nearby tree.

The man bowed deeply to Philomell.

“Good afternoon, Philomell.”

“Mr. Humphrey.”

Humphrey, the highest-ranking court wizard.

To Philomell, he was memorable as the wizard who had given a long-winded explanation when she asked about the prophecy in her childhood.

Philomell widened her eyes and asked him.

“Why were you hiding there?”

He looked like he was concealing something.

Humphrey wiped the cold sweat from his face and replied.

“When I saw the Master of the Magic Tower coming from afar, I reflexively…”

The wizard’s face had a somewhat yellowish tinge.

Philomell had seen a similar reaction in the past. When young Philomell asked about the Master of the Magic Tower, his face turned yellow, and he grabbed his stomach and hurried away.

‘I didn’t understand it back then, but…’

She had once overheard a conversation about the highest-ranking court wizard while chatting with her brothers.

“If Le Guin knew that Mr. Humphrey was here, he might faint. He used to work under Le Guin, but he left the Magic Tower because he was so stressed out.”

That was what Lexion had said.

In detail, the diligent and upright Humphrey often clashed with his boss, who was his polar opposite.

Lexion added with a smile, “You have to flatter Le Guin rather than giving him straightforward advice.”

Philomell felt sorry for the man in front of her, wondering how much he had suffered to react so strongly just from seeing Le Guin.

“Are you in a lot of pain?”

“It’s not too bad. It’s been quite a while since I left the Magic Tower, so the symptoms have eased.”

“…That’s the eased version.”

“Yes. But what’s really strange is that my stomach has been hurting occasionally for the past few months, even though nothing has happened. I think my body knew in advance that the Master of the Magic Tower would appear soon. Haha.”

Humphrey forced a smile.

‘Isn’t that because the source of your stomachache has been in the Imperial Palace since then?’

Philomell swallowed the truth she couldn’t reveal.

He looked at Philomell with eyes half-filled with respect and half-filled with amazement.

“Anyway, Philomell, you are amazing. To be able to get along so well with that person.”

Philomell said defensively.

“I can’t say he has a good personality, but he’s a pretty decent person once you get to know him. He has a human side to him…”

“…The Master of the Magic Tower?”

Humphrey gave her a dubious look before shaking his head.

“No, it’s nothing. Well, if that’s what Philomell thinks, then that’s how it is. He seems to cherish his daughter quite a bit.”

He took out two pieces of paper from his pocket and handed them to Philomell. They were fragments of a magic scroll used by the intruder.

“Please give this to the Master of the Magic Tower. We couldn’t find anything here, but something might come of it if you use the Magic Tower’s equipment.”

After finishing her conversation with Humphrey, Philomell returned to the Southern Palace.

Around the time she was arranging Nasar’s bouquet in a vase, Le Guin returned alone.

“What about Nasar?”

“Don’t worry, I didn’t do anything to him. I made myself clear.”

“What did you say?”

“If you want to earn my respect, defeat me with your strength.” Le Guin had said.

It was a daunting task.

Philomell, still worried about Nasar, secretly contacted him through the communication stone without Le Guin’s knowledge.

Contrary to her expectations, Nasar sounded cheerful.

“I’m sorry. I wanted to see Philomell before leaving, but my father wouldn’t allow it.”

“What did you two talk about?”

“Actually, my father has agreed to let us date!”

“…Really?”

“Yes! There are conditions, though. But don’t worry, I’ll work hard to meet them soon!”

Nasar had a much more positive outlook than Le Guin had anticipated.

Philomell was certain that the day would come when he actually met those conditions.

The Nasar she cared for would never give up. With a satisfied smile, Philomell returned to the room where Le Guin was waiting.

Le Guin, with his ever-watchful eyes, observed her every move.

“Did you contact that boy again?”

“…Do I have to report everything to you? I’m entitled to some privacy.”

“Hmm.”

Philomell handed him the scroll fragment to divert his attention.

“Humphrey returned this, suggesting it would be best to have it examined at the Magic Tower.”

“Okay. I’ll take a look when I go. Speaking of which…”

“What is it?”

He stared intently at his daughter.

“Phil, how much longer do you plan to stay here?”

Having grown impatient, he had been subtly hinting at his desire to return to the Magic Tower for some time.

Philomell stroked her cheek with her index finger.

“Well, at least until we find the escaped intruder…”

“Why do you feel you have to do that? You don’t need to concern yourself with it.”

“…Excuse me?”

“The reason you decided to stay here was to uncover the truth about that book, wasn’t it?”

“That’s right.”

“Then you know the truth now, so you’ve accomplished your goal.”

That was true.

By glimpsing the intruder’s memories, she had learned every detail of how *Princess Elencia* was created.

How that book came into her possession was still a mystery, but the intruder didn’t seem to know much about that.

Le Guin came to a firm conclusion.

“It’s all over now. Let’s return to the Magic Tower.”

“But Elencia…”

“I told you, you don’t need to worry about her. Just because you’re here doesn’t mean that woman will be found any faster.”

“But the intruder is likely to reappear at the store someday.”

The only place the escaped intruder could rely on was the store’s merchandise.

“Since I’m the only one who can enter the store, you need me.”

“They probably won’t come until the merchandise is restocked, and that’s not for another two months, right?”

“W-Well, that’s true.”

“It’s a waste of time to keep squatting here until then. And you don’t have to be in the Imperial Palace to enter the store.”

That was also true.

Even if Philomell captured the intruder in the store later, she could simply hand them over to the Emperor. There was no need to remain in the Imperial Palace.

“Even after catching the intruder, it’s up to the Emperor to decide what to do with them.”

Le Guin scratched his head.

“I don’t really understand why you’re so attached to the Princess.”

“…”

“It’s a pity, but it’s someone else’s problem, right?”

For some reason, she wanted to deny it, but she had no response.

Philomell had never even met the real Elencia. Not a friend, not family. People usually define that kind of relationship as ‘someone else’s problem’.

Le Guin reached out his hand as he had when they first reunited at the Imperial Palace.

“So let’s forget about it and go back to the Magic Tower.”

Philomell hesitated and then asked for time to think about it.

Sensing her wavering, he readily agreed.

That evening, Philomell lay on her bed and muttered to herself.

“When you think about it, he’s right.”

Although she was concerned about Elencia, that wasn’t a valid reason for Philomell to remain in the Imperial Palace.

On the other hand, there was a clear reason *not* to stay. Soon, the Emperor would announce the Princess’s disappearance. Then, naturally, the atmosphere in the palace would become chaotic.

It would be strange for the Master of the Magic Tower and his daughter, who were merely guests, to continue staying in the Imperial Palace for no apparent reason.

‘The Magic Tower.’

Philomell imagined life in the Magic Tower, something she had only vaguely considered.

In the Magic Tower, there was Le Guin, Lexion, Kadin, and Jeremiah.

‘Nasar also said he would follow me if I went.’

Unfamiliar places and unfamiliar lives awaited, but it wouldn’t be so bad with them. It would definitely be fun.

Philomell tried to imagine a plausible future and drifted off to sleep.