The Adored Daughter of the Disliked Duke's House: My Magic Power Increases Every Time I'm Praised, So I've Been Perfecting Cuteness Since Infancy! - Episode 16

—This body is small and weak, but it is useful.

I can enter most places in the royal palace, and the mages do not suspect me at all.

If there is one drawback, it is that I am never alone.

There is always a servant or a maid by my side, and at least five guards are constantly watching over me.

The only time I am truly alone is when I sleep, but even then, there are soldiers standing guard beyond the door.

Well, it doesn’t matter. There is plenty of time.

Five years, ten years, fifteen years.

By then, the Demon King will have fully revived.

And when that time comes, this body will be of great use.

“Demon King… Please, until that day comes, do not forget about me.”

I sneak out of bed and make my way to the rooftop garden, gazing up at the sky.

Tonight, the sky is clear, and the stars twinkle above me.

“I wish upon a star…♡”

I clasp my hands together in prayer.

It is merely an imitation of humans, yet there is something oddly compelling about it.

Wishes will surely come true.

This strange act holds a mysterious power that makes one believe in that.

“Disgusting.”

A sudden voice startles me, and I turn around.

There stands a small human.

A human of the same size as this one.

I know this human.

He is this one’s “friend.”

“What are you doing out here so late, Alverio?”

He might have overheard me just now.

But it doesn’t matter.

He is just a small child. I can deceive him easily.

I just have to smile and act like this one.

Or so I thought.

“Cut it out, monster. Watching you pretend like that gives me chills.”

What an insolent brat.

Leo somehow found himself in the rooftop garden.

I thought the creature inside him had come here with some purpose, but…

“I wish upon a star…♡”

That pathetic and sickening line made both Al and me grimace.

But we couldn’t just stand there and watch.

Al and I exchanged glances and nodded.

We had already discussed our plan on the way here.

“Be careful.”

“Leave it to me.”

It was not a simple plan.

(But if it’s Al, he’ll be fine.)

I stayed hidden while sending Al forward and held my breath.

“Monster? What are you talking about, Alverio?”

“I’m talking about you, pretending to be Leo, you monster.”

“I am me.”

Beyond the rose arch, Al and Leo continued their conversation.

“You still think you can fool me? Even though a mere child like me has already seen through you?”

I could feel the creature’s presence waver at those words.

(It’s working.)

“Is it some kind of possession magic? Seems advanced, but you suck at it.”

As Al pressed on, the creature’s presence trembled again.

His taunts were effective.

(As expected of this little brat.)

He was the perfect choice for this job.

Originally, we had considered forcibly exorcising the creature using light magic, but we had no way of knowing what effect that would have on Leo’s body and soul.

So instead, we decided to provoke the creature into leaving Leo’s body on its own.

That was why we had asked Al to go all out with his taunts.

“A pure child like me can tell, you know? I can smell your disgusting presence from a mile away.”

However, the creature was not so easily rattled.

“Monster? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

It continued its act, but Al just scoffed.

“Ha.”

He did it so naturally that it was terrifying.

“Are you scared?”

“…What?”

Leo tilted his head slightly. His cheek twitched.

“I mean, isn’t it obvious? Hiding by pretending to be Leo, acting all secretive. You’re scared, aren’t you? Of a little kid.”

“How pathetic.”

I couldn’t help but mentally applaud that perfect mockery.

And in the next moment—

Dark, malevolent energy erupted from Leo’s body.

It filled the air with a rancid stench as it took form.

“You little brat! How dare you!”

What emerged was a mass of black sludge, a disgusting creature shaped like a giant frog, reeking of rot.

Beside it, Leo’s body collapsed to the ground.

(Now!)

I quickly gathered my magic and used a direct spell to retrieve Leo’s body.

The creature, completely consumed by rage, didn’t even notice.

The body in my arms was warm. He was unconscious, but his face was peaceful, as if he were merely sleeping.

A closer look at his chest showed the pink gemstone still shining brightly.

We had successfully saved both his body and soul.

“Thank goodness…!”

My voice trembled with relief.

All day, I had been worrying about what might happen to Leo.

(The plan was a success!)

But it wasn’t over yet.

I tossed a small stone toward Al—it was our prearranged signal to retreat.

Al nodded and took a step back.

(Now I just have to carry Leo and escape to where the adults are!)

Even though carrying a person is no easy task, using direct magic makes it trivial.

I turned to head toward the garden exit.

But things didn’t go so smoothly.

—BAM!—

A sharp sound rang out.

The stars disappeared.

The rooftop garden was suddenly shrouded in darkness.

(No, they didn’t disappear—they were blocked!)

With my enhanced vision, I saw a dark barrier covering the area.

We had been trapped inside.

Testing it, I threw a small magic-infused stone, but it bounced back upon impact.

(This barrier blocks both physical and magical attacks. Breaking it would take an enormous amount of magic—too much time.)

There was no choice.

I hid Leo’s body behind a flowerbed and gathered my magic, touching the metal arch covered in roses.

It crackled as it transformed.

In seconds, it became a sword.

“Al!”

I shouted as I threw the sword.

Without hesitation, Al reached out and caught it.

As I watched him, I quickly conjured more magic.

Flaming arrows materialized and shot toward our enemy.

“Foolish.”

The sludge monster blocked them with its body, suffering no damage.

Instead, the fire set several flowerbeds ablaze, lighting up the garden.

“Come out, little rats.”

There was no point in hiding now.

I stepped up beside Al, sword in hand.

“Ah, if it isn’t the despised duke’s daughter.”

The monster grinned wickedly.

“Two brats. Unexpected, but killing you both will surely please the Demon King.”

I shuddered—not from fear, but from sheer disgust.

Beside me, Al looked just as sickened.

“That thing is gross.”

“Agreed.”

“But it’s strong.”

Sweat beaded on Al’s forehead.

My own palms were damp as well.

This was no foe to take lightly.

“My father will break the barrier soon.”

“Then we just have to survive until then, right?”

“Yes. Just a few minutes. Can you do it?”

“Of course. I can see it clearly today.”

Al’s sword pointed straight at the creature’s throat.

He was magnificent.

“My name is Mukrain.”

“Now, come, little brats!”