"Hah. Betty is not so desperate that she needs pity from a human. Now leave."
Beatrice had already achieved what she wanted.
She had pulled Grin into the Forbidden Library for one reason only—to see whether he could cause any change in the Book of Wisdom.
Now that nothing had changed, there was no reason to keep him there any longer.
"Beatrice…"
Grin hesitated.
But he knew she had already told him to leave, and staying any longer would only irritate her.
Before opening the door, he still could not help turning back.
"Beatrice, if you want words to appear in that book, maybe it'd be better to write them yourself."
"Hehe, Master, maybe this idiot just can't read?"
"Holy hell—!"
Startled by the magic mirror's sudden remark, Grin quickly clapped a hand over its mouth.
"Damn bug."
On the other side, Beatrice's face darkened instantly.
Her twin drills fluttered wildly as mana surged around her, and a sharp purple crystal spike formed in her palm, its tip aimed straight at the magic mirror.
Creak—thud!
The door opened and shut in a single smooth motion.
Grin escaped the Forbidden Library in one piece.
"Master, why wouldn't you let me talk? That little shorty wanted to use me to hammer in nails. She's already courting death!"
"Please, I'm begging you. Just stop causing me trouble, alright?"
Exasperated, Grin grabbed the magic mirror and shook it hard until its eyes spun into spirals.
"Stop, stop, stop, Master! Listen to me! I sensed a lot of powerful magic books in that room just now. If we strike first and kill that little girl, all those treasures can be ours! Hahahaha!"
Grin felt his head begin to ache.
This magic mirror was a full-blown menace.
Luckily, it was not especially strong. If it had been, it probably would have already caused a disaster.
"Fine. Then I'll send you in to deal with her."
Having made up his mind to teach it a lesson, Grin turned back, opened the door a crack, and prepared to toss the mirror inside.
"Ah? Me? Wait, Master, I don't know how to fight!"
Ignoring the magic mirror's shrill cries, Grin threw it in and slammed the door shut with a bang.
"Phew… finally, some peace…"
He slid down against the door, ready to enjoy a moment of quiet.
Then a gentle female voice broke the silence.
"Good morning, Mr. Grin. May I call you that?"
Grin looked up and saw Emilia standing there in casual home clothes.
She wore a loose, misty blue knitted dress, soft and long, with almost no visible waistline. Fine snowflake patterns were woven into the collar and cuffs, and they only caught the light with a faint silver shimmer when she moved.
The skirt fell all the way to her ankles, but her bare feet still showed beneath it. Her toes were white as untouched snow, her nails a pale pink, and the open wooden sandals underfoot clicked softly against the dark walnut floor.
Grin had expected the half-elf to be beautiful.
He just had not expected this level of beauty.
The surprise in his eyes made Emilia take two hurried steps back at once.
"I-I'm sorry, Mr. Grin. I didn't mean to scare you."
As she spoke, she quickly swept her silver hair forward, trying to hide her unusually pointed ears.
Emilia had instinctively mistaken his reaction.
She thought he had been startled by her silver-haired half-elf appearance.
After all, her looks bore a strong resemblance to the Witch of Envy, the one said to have devoured half the world.
She looked far too much like Satella.
"Oh, my oblivious daughter. That was obviously just a normal reaction from a young man seeing you."
A cluster of starlight gathered in front of Emilia, then condensed into a fluffy little cat.
Puck.
One of the Four Great Spirits.
"Is that so?"
Emilia's flustered expression eased considerably.
She still had not properly thanked Grin for returning the Royal Selection insignia, and if she ended up frightening him away, that would only make things worse.
"So you must be Emilia, one of the candidates in the Royal Selection. Just as rumored, you are a beautiful and gentle lady."
Grin placed his left hand over his chest and gave her a slight bow.
A faint blush brushed across Emilia's cheeks, and she quickly moved to stop him.
"Mr. Grin, you're too good at saying comforting things. There's no way I have that kind of reputation. This isn't a formal setting, so you don't need to be so polite. Actually… I still haven't properly thanked you yet."
Grin answered with an easy smile.
"In that case, Emilia, there's no need to use honorifics with me either. Just call me Grin."
"Oh? Looks like there's a pretty smooth-talking guy in this mansion. Don't think you're getting past my guard that easily, Grin-kun."
Puck crossed his little arms and floated right in front of Grin like a strict father blocking a suspicious boy from approaching his daughter.
Even if Emilia could be slow on the uptake, she still understood what Puck meant and immediately pulled him back.
"Puck, honestly, you're teasing me again."
Puck gently rubbed against Emilia's cheek.
"I can't help it, Lia. My precious daughter is just too beautiful. If she lets her guard down, some bad guy might trick her away."
"Mwah~ Puck~"
Emilia blushed a little more at the praise and clutched the hem of her dress with both hands.
Puck admired her shy reaction for a moment before finally looking satisfied.
"By the way, Grin-kun, why were you coming out of Lia's room? Were you up to something naughty?"
He had wanted to ask that from the start, but Emilia had simply been too fun to tease first.
When Emilia heard that, she blinked and finally noticed the same thing, her bright eyes filling with confusion.
"Huh? Y-Yeah, Grin-kun, why are you here?"
"Huh? This is your room?"
Grin turned and looked.
Sure enough, the door behind him was not the same one he had entered through.
It seemed that leaving the Forbidden Library through the crossing door also sent you out through a random door somewhere else in the mansion.
And by sheer coincidence, this time it had led directly to Emilia's room.
"No, don't misunderstand. I came from Beatrice's place. I didn't go into Emilia's room."
Emilia gave a small nod of realization.
"Oh, I see. So Grin-kun came out through the crossing door. Then it really was just a misunderstanding, Puck."
Creak—
At that exact worst possible moment, Emilia's bedroom door opened from the inside.
And from within came an indecently cheerful voice.
"Hehehe, Master, Master, look what I found! A pair of premium silk stockings! If I wrap them around my handle, they should reduce wear and tear perfectly!"
The magic mirror slipped out through the gap in the door, using its own magic to levitate a pair of soft stockings at its side.
"Here, Master, one for you too. It even smells nice!"
As it spoke, the mirror floated one of the stockings right in front of Grin.
Smack!
Grin reacted instantly, leaping up and slapping both the stocking and the mirror away in one motion.
"Where did this ghost come from, calling anyone its master?!"
"Ow! Master, why did you hit me again?"
"No. Let me make this absolutely clear—I have nothing to do with this mirror!"