---
The afternoon sun hung low in the sky, casting long shadows across the Rosenthal estate. Giovanni sat on a stone bench in the garden, his grimoire open in his lap, his turquoise eyes scanning the pages without really seeing them.
Elizabeth floated beside him, unusually quiet.
It had been like this for the past hour—ever since they had returned from their walk. She would open her mouth, then close it. Frown. Til her head. Open her mouth again. Then fall silent.
Giovanni, who had learned to recognize the signs of an impending question, waited.
Finally, she spoke.
*"Hey, kid?"*
"Yes?"
*"What's the Diamond Kingdom actually like?"*
Giovanni looked up from his grimoire.
"You have been here for days," he said flatly. "How do you not know?"
*"I know the story version,"* Elizabeth said, waving a hand dismissively. *"You know, the anime version. But that's... different. That's just the plot. The characters. The battles."* She paused, her expression turning thoughtful. *"I don't know what it's actually like to *live* here. I've been in a hospital room my whole life, remember? I never even left my bed."*
Giovanni was quiet for a moment.
That was true. Elizabeth's knowledge of this world came entirely from stories—moving pictures on a screen, words on a page. She knew the broad strokes: the kingdoms, the magic, the major players. But she didn't know the texture of it. The daily life. The politics. The *reality*.
"What do you want to know?" he asked.
Elizabeth's face lit up.
*"Everything!"*
Giovanni sighed.
"That is not helpful."
*"Okay, okay. Let me think."* She tapped her chin, floating in a slow circle around him. *"Okay. First question: who's in charge? Like, actually in charge?"*
"The king," Giovanni said.
*"Yeah, but like... who's the king? What's his name? What's he like?"*
Giovanni closed his grimoire and set it aside. This was going to take a while.
"The current king is King Aldric III," he said. "He has ruled for thirty-two years. He is... old. Tired. Some say weak. Others say wise." He paused. "I have met him twice. He seemed neither weak nor wise. Just... tired."
*"Okay. And how does someone become king here?"*
"The throne is hereditary. It passes from parent to child. The current king inherited from his father, who inherited from his father, and so on."
*"So it's a bloodline thing."*
"Yes. There are four great noble houses that trace their lineage back to the founding of the kingdom. House Diamant—the ruling dynasty. House Grunwald—the military bloodline. House Eisenhart—the merchant dynasty. And House Rosenthal."
Elizabeth's eyes widened.
*"Wait. Your house is one of the four great houses?"*
Giovanni nodded.
"Yes. We are... distant relatives of the royal family. Our bloodline branched off from House Diamant several centuries ago. We are not in the direct line of succession, but we are still considered part of the royal bloodline."
*"So you're like... a prince?"*
Giovanni's expression flickered.
"I am the king's nephew," he said quietly. "My mother was his sister."
Elizabeth was silent for a moment.
*"Oh,"* she said softly. *"Right. Your mom..."*
"Yes."
*"I'm sorry."*
Giovanni shrugged, though the gesture was stiff.
"It was a long time ago. I never knew her."
Elizabeth didn't press. She just floated there, her expression thoughtful.
*"Okay,"* she said eventually. *"So there are four great houses. Diamant, Grunwald, Eisenhart, and Rosenthal. And the king comes from Diamant."*
"For now," Giovanni said. "But that is not guaranteed."
*"What do you mean?"*
Giovanni's turquoise eyes sharpened.
"The four houses are... competitive. The throne is not always inherited peacefully. There have been times in history when one house replaced another. When the Diamant dynasty grew weak, the Grunwalds tried to seize power. When the Eisenharts grew rich, they tried to buy the throne." He paused. "My own house has had its ambitions as well."
*"So it's like a game of thrones."*
Giovanni frowned.
"I do not know that reference."
*"Right, right. Basically, everyone's fighting for power and nobody trusts anybody."*
"That is... an accurate summary."
Elizabeth nodded slowly.
*"Okay. So what about the other noble houses? The ones that aren't one of the four great houses?"*
Giovanni considered this.
"There are many. Dozens. Perhaps hundreds. Most are minor houses with limited influence. They serve the great houses, marry into them when they can, and hope to rise in status." He paused. "But the great houses are the ones that matter. They control the military, the economy, the politics. They are the ones the king must keep happy."
*"And your house? What do you control?"*
Giovanni's expression flickered with something like pride.
"House Rosenthal has always produced the finest spatial mages in the kingdom. We are the ones who train the teleportation squads, who maintain the detection systems and the barriers of major cities, who develop new spatial techniques." He paused. "We are also... prideful. We value our independence. We do not bow easily."
*"So you're the proud, stubborn house."*
"Yes."
*"And Grunwald?"*
"The military house. They produce generals, commanders, soldiers. They value strength above all else. They are... violent. Brutal. They believe that power is the only true law." Giovanni's voice hardened. "They are not pleasant people."
*"And Eisenhart?"*
"Merchants. They control the trade routes, the markets, the treasury. They value money above all else. They will sell anything to anyone if the price is right." He paused. "They are greedy. But they are also useful. They keep the kingdom's economy running."
*"And Diamant?"*
"The ruling house. They are... decadent. Arrogant. They believe that their bloodline makes them superior to everyone else." Giovanni's expression darkened. "They are not entirely wrong. Their bloodline *is* the royal bloodline. But they have grown... complacent. Lazy. They rely on the other houses to do the actual work while they sit on their thrones."
Elizabeth was quiet for a moment.
*"You don't like them."*
"I do not like any of them," Giovanni said flatly. "They are all... corrupt. They play their games while the common people suffer. They hoard power and wealth while the kingdom rots from within."
*"Then why do you serve them?"*
Giovanni was silent for a long moment.
"Because I have no choice," he said finally. "I am a Rosenthal. I am the heir to my house. I have duties. Responsibilities. Expectations." He paused. "And because... because I believe things can change. If I become strong enough. If I gain enough power. I can change things."
Elizabeth looked at him—really looked at him—and something in her expression softened.
*"You're not like them,"* she said quietly. *"The other nobles, I mean. You're different."*
Giovanni looked away.
"I am exactly like them," he said. "I am just... better at hiding it."
*"No,"* Elizabeth said firmly. *"You're not. I've seen the way you talk about the common people. The way you worry about your aunt. The way you... the way you are with me."* She paused. *"You care, kid. You actually care."*
Giovanni didn't answer.
*"Okay,"* Elizabeth said, changing the subject. *"So what about the military? How does that work?"*
Giovanni was grateful for the shift.
"The Diamond Kingdom's military is similar to the Clover Kingdom's Magic Knights," he said. "There is a central army—the Crown's Guard—that answers directly to the king. And each noble house maintains its own private military force. House Rosenthal has its spatial mages. House Grunwald has its soldiers. House Eisenhart has its mercenaries."
*"And mages? How are they recruited?"*
"Most mages are recruited young. Trained intensively. Sent to serve wherever they are needed. The Crown's Guard takes the best. The houses take the rest." He paused. "It is... efficient. But it is also brutal. Those who cannot keep up are discarded."
*"That sounds intense."*
"It is. The Diamond Kingdom is... militaristic. We value strength. Power. Efficiency. We do not have the luxury of peace that other kingdoms enjoy." Giovanni's expression turned distant. "We are always fighting. Always preparing for war. Always trying to prove that we are the strongest."
*"Why?"*
Giovanni considered this.
"The kingdoms are separated by strong magic zones," he said. "Borders of wild, untamed mana that serve as natural barriers. But these zones are also... valuable. They contain resources—ores for barriers, metals for magic tools, wild magical beasts that cannot be domesticated. Every kingdom wants access to these resources. Every kingdom fights for them."
*"So you're all fighting over resources."*
"Yes. Constantly. The magic zones shift and change, and whoever controls the most valuable sections gains an advantage. It is a never-ending battle." He paused. "And because our own history is... bloody. We have fought each other as much as we have fought our enemies. The great houses are always scheming, always plotting, always looking for an advantage."
*"That's... exhausting."*
"It is."
Elizabeth was quiet for a moment.
*"Okay,"* she said. *"One more question. For now."*
"Ask."
*"What do you actually want? Like, if you could have anything?"*
Giovanni was silent for a long moment.
"I want to be strong enough that no one can tell me what to do," he said finally. "I want to be powerful enough to change things. I want to be... free."
*"That's not really an answer."*
"It is the only answer I have."
Elizabeth looked at him. Then, slowly, she smiled.
*"Okay,"* she said. *"That's a good enough answer for now."*
---
The next morning, Giovanni woke to pain.
Not the dull ache of exhaustion or the lingering remnants of a dream—this was sharp, splitting, a spike driven through his skull from temple to temple. He gasped, his hands flying to his head.
And then he heard it.
A sound. A *wrong* sound. Something that didn't belong in the quiet of his room.
He opened his eyes.
A figure stood at the foot of his bed.
Not Elizabeth. Not a servant. A man—tall, dark-clothed, face hidden behind a mask. He held a dagger in one hand, its blade gleaming in the faint light of dawn.
Giovanni's blood ran cold.
*"Kid!"*
Elizabeth's voice screamed in his mind. She was already out of the grimoire, floating between him and the intruder, her translucent form flickering with panic.
*"Kid, there's a man—he's—he's got a knife—"*
Giovanni didn't have time to think.
The assassin moved.
Giovanni's instincts took over.
He didn't reach for his grimoire. He didn't try to cast a spell. He just *reacted*—his body moving before his mind could catch up.
The void behind his ribs *surged*.
The assassin's dagger came down—
And Giovanni's hand swept through the air.
A line of distortion appeared—thin, precise, almost invisible. It cut through the space between them like a blade of pure nothingness.
The assassin didn't even have time to scream.
One moment he was there, dagger raised, body whole. The next, he was falling—two halves of a single man, cleanly bisected from shoulder to hip, collapsing onto the floor in a spray of blood.
Giovanni stood motionless.
His turquoise eyes were calm. Steady. Unreadable.
*"Oh my god,"* Elizabeth whispered. *"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god—"*
Giovanni looked at the body. Then at the blood spreading across his floor. Then at his hands.
His hands were clean.
*"Kid—kid, are you—you just—you killed him—"*
"Yes," Giovanni said.
His voice was flat. Emotionless.
*"You—you just—how are you so calm?! You're four years old! You just bisected a man!"*
Giovanni looked at her.
"It was not the first attempt," he said. "It will not be the last."
Elizabeth stared at him.
*"What?"*
Giovanni stepped over the body, walking to the window. The sun was rising, painting the sky in shades of gold and pink. It was beautiful. Peaceful.
"There have been others," he said quietly. "Two, before this one. Both failed. One was poison in my food. One was a servant who tried to smother me in my sleep." He paused. "I survived both. I will survive this."
*"Kid..."*
"I am a Rosenthal," Giovanni said. "I am the king's nephew. I am a potential heir to the throne. There are many who would prefer I not exist." He turned to face her, his expression still calm. "This is not new. This is simply... my life."
Elizabeth floated closer, her translucent form trembling.
*"That's... that's really messed up,"* she said quietly.
"Yes."
*"And you're just... okay with it?"*
"No." Giovanni's voice was soft. "But I have no choice. I cannot change who I am. I cannot change what I am. I can only... survive. And grow stronger. Until the day comes when no one dares to try."
Elizabeth looked at him—really looked at him—and something in her expression shifted. Something like fear. Something like pity. Something like determination.
*"Okay,"* she said. *"Then we'll survive together. And we'll get stronger together. And one day..."*
She paused.
*"One day, we'll make them all pay."*
Giovanni looked at her.
"That is a dangerous thing to say."
*"I know."*
"You could be killed for such words."
*"I know."*
Giovanni was quiet for a moment.
Then, slowly, the corner of his mouth twitched upward.
"You are insane," he said.
*"I know."*
"I like it."
Elizabeth grinned.
*"I know."*
---
The aftermath was chaos.
Servants rushed in, alerted by the noise. Guards were summoned. Lord Cassius himself came, his face pale, his eyes wild with fear.
Giovanni sat on the edge of his bed, wrapped in a blanket, answering questions in a monotone voice.
*"What happened?"*
*"An intruder. Masked. He had a knife."*
*"What happened to him?"*
*"I killed him."*
*"How?"*
*"Spatial magic."*
Lord Cassius's face was unreadable. He asked more questions—who, what, why—but Giovanni had no answers. Eventually, his uncle left, ordering guards to be doubled, tripled, stationed at every entrance.
When the room was finally empty, Elizabeth floated out of the grimoire.
*"Kid,"* she said quietly. *"Are you okay?"*
Giovanni didn't answer.
*"Kid?"*
"I am fine," he said.
*"You're not fine. You just killed a man. You're allowed to not be fine."*
Giovanni looked at her. His turquoise eyes were calm, steady, unreadable.
"I am fine," he repeated.
Elizabeth stared at him. Then, slowly, she floated closer.
*"You're lying,"* she said softly. *"You're lying, and that's okay. You don't have to be strong all the time."*
Giovanni's expression flickered.
"I do not know how to be anything else," he admitted.
Elizabeth reached out and took his hand.
*"Then let me teach you,"* she said.
Giovanni looked at her—at her translucent form, her sunken eyes, her pale skin. She was a ghost. A stranger. A girl from another world who had died alone in a hospital bed.
And yet, somehow, she was the only person who had ever seen him.
"Okay," he said quietly.
Elizabeth smiled.
*"Good. Now—let's talk about recruiting Sally."*
Giovanni blinked.
"What?"
*"Sally. The crazy researcher girl. The one with Gel Magic."* Elizabeth grinned. *"You said we needed to prioritize her, right? So let's make a plan."*
Giovanni stared at her for a moment. Then, slowly, the corner of his mouth twitched upward.
"You are insane," he said.
*"I know."*
"I like it."
*"I know."*
---
**End of Chapter 10**