Ultimately, Atar’s surprise attack ended in failure.
The reason? Ifrit, who had been polymorphed into a human form, momentarily unleashed his full power.
As he fought against the suddenly appearing King of Fire Spirits, Atar was scorched from head to toe.
In the end, he was bound by Letter’s mana chains.
And almost simultaneously, a flood of scolding from a young-sounding voice rained down on him.
“In a city full of people… in broad daylight, no less… What on earth do you think you’re doing?”
Then came Letter’s stern command, ordering him to raise his hands in surrender.
Atar’s body moved on its own.
Even though it was the first time he had heard this voice, the tone and manner of speech felt strangely familiar.
After that, Atar, now wearing an awkward expression, endured the sharp gazes directed his way without resistance.
Then, looking at Lilian shaking her head at him, he finally spoke.
“So… who are you?”
He asked about the identity of the girl standing before him, arms crossed, scolding him harshly.
And then, he heard something shocking.
“Master’s daughter.”
“M-Master’s daughter? Seriously?”
“Isn’t it obvious just by looking?”
“Hmm, well… You do look alike…”
“Who said you could lower your hands? Keep them up.”
“…Judging by that glare, I guess it’s true.”
Atar’s face showed clear confusion.
It was only natural—ever since he had first met his master and until their farewell, he had never heard a single word about family.
But the more he looked, the more he had to nod in agreement.
She did bear a striking resemblance to his master.
And most of all, that Ifrit was by her side.
‘Master must have assigned him as her guardian.’
He had no doubts whatsoever.
***
Just as the tingling in Atar’s raised hands became unbearable, Sharne finally arrived.
Sharne, who could be described as Atar’s attendant or secretary, maintained her usual blank expression, even as she witnessed her master getting scolded.
“It is an honor to meet you, Princess. I am Sharne, in the service of Young Master Atar.”
“Ah, um.”
Letter was about the same height as Sharne.
She had youthful features.
She carried herself with a calm yet disciplined air.
That much was acceptable.
After all, Atar was the heir to the North—a man of considerable status.
It wasn’t strange for him to have a young attendant like Sharne.
However, something about the enormous leather pouches slung over Sharne’s shoulders made Letter uneasy.
They twitched slightly.
As if something alive was inside.
“Uh… Sharne? What’s in those?”
After acknowledging Sharne’s greeting, Letter immediately asked about the mysterious leather pouches.
Still expressionless, Sharne casually revealed their contents.
“I spotted individuals attempting to harm the Princess. So, I captured them.”
“…By yourself?”
“Yes.”
Letter was speechless.
Not that she disapproved—subduing those who had ill intentions toward her was certainly praiseworthy.
‘But considering who Sharne’s master was—none other than this battle maniac—was it really necessary for a child to handle it?’
“Would you like to see them?”
“N-No. That’s fine.”
Deciding to let Sharne deal with the captives however she saw fit, Lilian shot a glance at Letter.
Only then did Letter grant permission for Atar to lower his hands.
With a slight groan, Atar straightened up and began a simple introduction.
As a disciple of the Sage, he needed to introduce himself properly to the Sage’s daughter.
“Atar Lionheart. That’s my name.”
“Yes, Father has mentioned you a lot. He said there’s a strange older bro—oh, oh, oh… someone—who fights first and asks questions later.”
Letter’s face twisted momentarily, likely still holding onto her anger toward Atar.
So, Atar made an offer.
As an apology for the commotion, he would treat them to dinner.
“I just finished a commission, so my wallet’s nice and full.”
“Oh, I see… A commission? What kind of commission?”
“Nothing major. Just tracking down a few petty criminals and returning stolen goods to some chubby old lady.”
What followed was an explanation of why Atar, who should be in the North, was in a tourist city like Erifi.
“The short version?”
“He was making some extra cash.”
“I heard they were a sizable organization, so I had some expectations… but they were all weaklings.”
“He had spent a long time tracking the organization, gathering intel, and waiting for their so-called “big move.””
And when it finally happened, his fingers had practically itched with anticipation.
But in the end, not a single one of them had been a match for him.
“It was a waste of time. Though I did make a decent profit.”
Atar, looking disappointed, finished his story, then poked Sharne’s cheek with his finger.
Then he turned to Letter and asked, “Can I treat you to dinner? Since you’re Master’s daughter, I’d like to make a good impression.”
“Well… I think that ship has already sailed.”
Recalling how Atar had just been scolded by Letter, Sharne sighed and reluctantly nodded, telling him to do as he pleased.
But almost immediately, Lilian voiced a firm objection.
“Wait a minute. Cutting in line, are we? She’s spending time with me today.”
Lilian, too, wanted to make a good impression on the Sage’s daughter.
She refused to give up Letter.
“Make an appointment and come back. Maybe in a hundred years?”
“You’re so greedy, Princess.”
Watching the two, Letter let out a deep sigh.
She couldn’t believe how childish they were.
So, she stepped in and made the final call.
“Father told me to behave. Let’s just have dinner together.”
“Together?”
“With him?”
“…Yes. Together.”
‘Will they ever grow up?’
That was the thought running through Letter’s head as she observed the two childish adults before her.
***
“Does the food suit your taste?”
“Well… It’s okay.”
I nodded reluctantly at Atar’s question from across the table.
The atmosphere was just as uncomfortable as expected, but at least the food was good.
The real problem was the barrage of questions aimed at me.
Atar and Lilian bombarded me with inquiries about my relationship with Father, poking into a parental bond I hadn’t even realized I had.
“What does Master call you? Like, ‘My precious little princess’ or something?”
“He… just calls me by my name.”
“Ever sparred with him? He wouldn’t have gone easy on you just because you’re his daughter.”
“No. I’ve never sparred with Father.”
By this point, I wasn’t even sure if I was eating my food or inhaling it.
‘At the very least, can they let me eat in peace?’
As I continued imagining what a family life I had never experienced might be like, Atar suddenly made an unexpected suggestion while persistently asking about Asher and my relationship.
“You said you’re a professor at Primus.”
“Yes.”
“And that ancient dragon is your godfather.”
“Yes.”
“Then, you must be strong.”
“…What?”
A bad feeling crept over me as I waited for Atar to continue.
And sure enough—
“Why don’t we have a match?”
“Atar, are you insane? That’s Master’s daughter! Master’s daughter!”
Lilian, utterly dumbfounded by Atar’s genuine challenge, immediately questioned his sanity.
Of course, I refused without a second thought.
No one knew better than me how exhausting it was to fight Atar.
“I’m a professor now, not a warrior.”
“And so what?”
“It means I want to focus on teaching, not on fighting battle maniacs like you.”
***
After finishing dinner, instead of entertaining Atar’s ridiculous request, I returned to the academy with Ifrit.
Regardless of everything else, my current duty was as a professor teaching Mana Architecture.
That said, no matter how I looked at it, I knew Atar wouldn’t give up so easily.
“Ifrit.”
“What?”
“Could you stay in the underground waterway tonight for a bit?”
I sent Ifrit ahead to the route Atar had used to infiltrate the academy in the original story.
As a favor in return, I promised to show him around Primus.
That was a small price to pay.
And so, as usual, I worked on some paperwork for my class before falling asleep.
***
When I woke up early the next morning, as always—
—Tap, tap.
—Tap, tap.
“Mmm…?”
Ifrit was poking my cheek right beside my bed.
Then, with a puzzled voice, he spoke.
“That guy actually showed up in the waterway.”
“Huh. Just had a feeling, I guess.”
I thanked him for driving Atar away and got up.
After tidying up my messy hair and taking care of my morning routine, I gathered the paperwork I needed to process and headed to the café.
“What are you doing here?”
“Got a job. I’m a café employee now.”
“Hah… The orphanage must really be struggling, huh?”
This time, Karian and Lilian were in the middle of a heated argument.
Seeing that, I sighed and decided it would be better to just work on my paperwork in the faculty office today.
‘This is exhausting…’