Regardless of that, Cesar just shrugged his shoulders lightly.
âEveryone seems to have forgotten who I am. I am the high priest, the head of the Great Temple, and the first servant of the god of light.â
Then he continued confidently, âIsnât divine power the most efficient way to suppress demonic energy? In our temple, there are many faithful priests of light.â
âNo, thatâs true, butâŠ.â
âNo matter what, raising a child in a templeâŠâŠâ
The two tried to protest, but somehow it didnât seem to work.
Cesar, who looked at the two with the eyes of a winner, sighed deeply.
âBut I think the space filled with divine power will be a little too much for Miss Tatiana, who is still a child.â
In an instant, I felt my heart sink.
âSo, then am I never going to the Great Temple for the rest of my life?â
No! It is said that itâs one of the greatest treasures of the Empire!
Someday, I really wanted to see the famous ceiling paintings and sculptures in the Great Temple.
âDonât worry. It just means that staying for a long time is unreasonable.â Cesar shook his head and smiled softly. âAs long as itâs a short visit, itâs possible for Miss Tatiana as well.â
âYou really mean it, right?â
âOf course. Also, if you grow up and become a little healthier, you will be able to stay longer.â
Thank god!
While I was sweeping my chest like that.
âWell said, Cesar.â
Siegfried broke into the conversation.
Then he drove the final nail in while looking at Cesar and Kirios alternately.
âEveryone agrees that Tatianaâs health comes first, right?â
Ugh.
At Siegfriedâs words I felt a sting. Well, Iâm not really sick anymoreâŠâŠ
Maybe itâs because I vomited blood before and collapsed, but everyone tended to be excessively concerned about my healthâŠ.
âThe dukeâs personal doctor is the best doctor who once worked in the imperial family. It will definitely be of great help to Tatianaâs health care.â
âIf itâs about a doctor, I can call one too!â
To that blow of conversation, Kirios protested with a resentful face.
âWhen the kid comes to the Magic Tower, I will be very nice to her, hmm? Iâm sure the other guys will love the little kid, too!â
âWhy donât you make an effective suggestion rather than only talking about it?â
Siegfriedâs face was filled with the smile of a victor.
I couldnât wait and opened my mouth again.
âThen, wouldnât it be great if Siegfried, Kirios and Cesar could all be Tatiâs guardians?â
In an instant, all eyes were on me.
Whoa, thatâs burdensome!
A cold sweat ran down my back, but I smiled steadfastly.
Come on, Iâm the ultimate decision-maker.
I grabbed the collar of Siegfried, who was sitting next to me, and looked at Cesar and Kirios with earnest eyes.
âTati wants to get along well with all three of you.â
Then I sullenly slumped my shoulders.
ââŠâŠ. Canât we?â
There was a heavy silence.
The three men seemed to be reading each otherâs faces, then answered as if nothing was wrong.
âOh, thereâs no way that canât be, right?â
âYes, letâs be fair.â
âNow that Iâm entrusted with the role of Miss Tatianaâs guardian, Iâll do my best.â
âThank you!â
I hugged Siegfried quickly, pretending I couldnât win against the joy. I buried my face in his arms, hiding the evil smile on my lips.
Thereâs no reason why there should be only one guardian, right?
Itâs a chance to have the best from the human world at my back, so wouldnât it be natural to want all three of them as guardians?
***
After a long discussion, it was decided that I would live in the dukeâs residence.
There were many dangerous experiments going on in the Magic Tower, and there were times when minor magic accidents occurred, so there was a risk of getting hurt.
Also, the temple was a place which was excessively filled with divine power, so itâs not a very good environment for me, who inherited demon blood.
âYou thought I wouldnât be able to take care of a kid?â
âDonât be a child, Kirios.â
Kirios grumbled for a long time, but eventually closed his mouth at Cesarâs scolding.
After riding for a long time, the carriage came to a smooth stop.
âWe have arrived.â
Siegfried glanced out of the window.
The townhouse of a ducal family stood in front of me. But now I couldnât afford to look at the townhouse at all.
BecauseâŠâŠ.
âCesar, Kirios.â
Feeling regretful, I clung to Kirios and Cesar without even realizing it.
âWhen are we seeing each other again?â
You know, we were together the whole time while we arrived in the Empire.
Itâs so sad to part like this!
âIâll see you again soon, Miss Tatiana.â Cesar stroked her head with a smile on his face. âWeâll come see you often, so much so that youâll even say youâre tired of us.â
âYes! Iâm not gonna get tired of you!â
Only then did I feel somewhat relieved and glance sideways at Kirios.
âThen, KiriosâŠâŠ.â
âOf course, I will come. So donât cry.â Kirios crossed his arms and smirked. âEven if youâre not crying, youâre ugly, and you look even uglier if you cry and wrinkle your face.â
âWhat, thatâs bad.â I puffed my cheeks petulantly, but I still couldnât help laughing.
Good, we will meet again in the future!
Just in time, Siegfried, who got out of the carriage first, reached out his hand to me.
âLetâs get off, Tatiana.â
âOh, yes!â
I headed for the door.
Siegfried went to grab my hand, and then wrapped his hands around my waist and hugged me.
âKyaa!â
Reflexively, I hugged Siegfried by the neck and widened my eyes.
âOh, he hugged me!â
âDonât get the wrong idea, itâs just because your steps are slow,â Siegfried said curtly as he adjusted his posture so that I could hug him comfortably.
Well, if you talk nicely, youâll get away with it. I pouted my lips and soon smiled.
But how could you hug me like this?
I leaned back comfortably in Siegfriedâs arms and waved wildly toward the carriage.
âYou two have to come see Tati next time! By all means!â
Cesar smiled through the window and waved at Tatiana.
Kirios next to him smiled and said, âHurry up and go in.â
At last, the carriage set off again. I stared blankly at the back.
âTheyâre gone.â
âBoth of them said that you could meet again.â
âStillâŠâŠ.â
Huh, I was feeling a bit down.
I looked at the townhouse with a slightly sullen face. At the same time, my mouth opened wide.
âWowâŠâŠthe castle where the princess lives!â
A five-story townhouse stood in the middle of a vast garden that was adorned with all sorts of precious flowers and decorative trees. The combination of cream-colored walls and the rose-colored roof was just like a work of art.
âYour chin is going to fall off.â
Sure enough, when Siegfried noticed my stupid expression and gave me a nagging.
No, people can be a little surprised! Do you have to be so mean?
I was glancing at him with a sulky face when a new voice interrupted my sulking.
âWelcome, my lord.â
A polite greeting was heard. It was the voice of a middle-aged woman.
When I looked back in amazement, many servants were bowing.
The middle-aged woman, who greeted first, praised Siegfried.
âI heard that you have executed the five demon kings. Congratulations.â
âYou must also have had a lot of trouble maintaining the dukeâs residence while I was gone.â
âYou say all kinds of things.â
The middle-aged woman, who once again bowed her head, shifted her eyes to me.
âBy the way, who is this lady?â
âHello, Iâm Tatiana.â
I hastily lowered my head while being in Siegfried arms.
Siegfried added an explanation.
âSomehow, for the time being, I have been assigned the role of a guardian for this child.â
Huh? Youâre using honorifics?
I pricked up my ears.
That middle-aged woman seemed to be no ordinary servant.
When Siegfried treats you with respect, you must be a person of high social status, right?
âGuardianâŠâŠ. are you saying?â
What?
In an instant I opened my eyes wide.
It was because for a moment, a subtle expression crossed the middle-aged womanâs face.
No matter how I look at it, it doesnât seem like she liked itâŠâŠâŠ?
âYes. Iâm going to take care of Tatiana for the time being, so please make it as convenient as possible so that the child doesnât feel uncomfortable.â
ââŠâŠâŠâ
The middle-aged woman, who had been staring at me quietly, soon changed her expression and smiled broadly.
âSure, leave it to me.â
âThank you.â
Siegfried nodded and moved into the townhouse.
As I was dangling in Siegfriedâs arms, I locked eyes with the middle-aged woman, who was looking at me just in time. There was no warmth in the eyes that stared back at me.
As if she had a lifelong enemy in front of her, her gaze was as cold as ice.
âAh.â
At the same time, I was sure.
After living among the demons for a long time, who hated me, I was very used to hostility being directed at me.