When he returned to his rented room, Lillian was surprised to find a note lying on his desk.
{Meili's matter has already been taken care of.}
That was all it said—aside from a deep crimson lipstick mark at the edge of the paper. There was no doubt who it was from.
"Breaking into someone's home without permission, huh."
Lillian tore the note into pieces and tossed them into the trash.
Elsa, Meili, and the underground organization behind them weren't things he needed to focus on right now. More than a week had passed—though counting the days lost to time loops, it had been nearly two months.
And yet, his progress in "learning magic" hadn't advanced at all.
It was time to focus on that.
"Should I try my luck with the Sword Saint?" Lillian thought.
Because of his warning, Reinhard had been able to find Felt—the lost royal bloodline. That favor was undeniable. If Lillian asked, Reinhard's character ensured he would agree.
Still… using a Sword Saint's favor for something like this felt wasteful.
But if it could be used to build a relationship, perhaps the long-term gains would be greater?
After a brief consideration, he made his decision. Rather than delaying endlessly in search of a perfect strategy—only to let risks pile up—it was better to use what resources he had now and resolve the issue early.
Having made up his mind, he took a bath, changed clothes, and headed out toward the Guard Headquarters.
After walking for a few minutes, he suddenly heard someone shout from behind:
"Make way! Get out of the road!"
The sound of hooves followed.
Lillian lightly pushed off the ground and leapt aside. The next moment, an exquisitely ornate dragon carriage passed through the space he had just occupied.
A proud voice rang out from within: "Stop."
The pink-haired young driver pulled on the reins, and the massive ground dragon obediently came to a halt.
The extravagant carriage immediately drew the attention of passersby. Lillian assumed it belonged to some noble and paid it no mind, turning to leave—only to be stopped.
"Yo, brother."
A man in a helmet, dressed like a bandit, appeared out of nowhere and walked up to Lillian.
The moment Lillian saw him, realization struck. He looked back toward the carriage just as an orange-haired, red-eyed woman stepped down from it.
One of the five royal candidates—
Priscilla Barielle.
A woman blessed with extraordinary luck.
"What do you want?" Lillian asked, his gaze resting on the helmeted man.
This man was Al—Priscilla's knight. More explosively, he was also a transmigrator. Just not one with Subaru's level of protagonist halo.
"It's because I find you interesting," Priscilla said as she gracefully descended from the carriage. She walked toward Lillian, lifting her red folding fan slightly, curiosity gleaming in her eyes.
Interesting…?
Lillian didn't think there was anything interesting about himself. Dodging a carriage? Hundreds—no, thousands—of people could do that. Why would someone like Priscilla, who believed the world revolved around her, stop and step down just for that?
Then she spoke again—and Lillian's expression changed instantly.
"You too are from beyond the Great Waterfall, aren't you?"
"What…?"
The Great Waterfall marked the edge of the known world in this universe—an insurmountable boundary. No one knew what lay beyond it. Chaos, perhaps. Or a new world.
Priscilla's words translated directly into one meaning:
You're a transmigrator too, aren't you?
How could she tell?!
Lillian was stunned. His appearance was no different from the people of this world. His face was ordinary. Nothing stood out. Why was she so certain?
Was it Al who told her?
Lillian glanced at the helmeted man, whose face remained hidden. But even if Al was a transmigrator, how could he identify another one?
Taking a deep breath, Lillian asked in a low voice, "Why do you say that?"
Priscilla smiled faintly, her noble bearing fully revealed.
"Because I can see through everything," she said. As she spoke, her gaze dipped for just a moment before returning—but that brief motion did not escape Lillian.
His eyes lowered as well, following her line of sight.
They stopped at the pendant visible at his neck.
Its craftsmanship indeed didn't resemble anything from this world. Lillian usually kept it tucked under his clothes—but it must have slipped out when he dodged the carriage.
Just from this, she concluded I'm an otherworlder?
Was that recklessness—or terrifying perceptiveness?
Lillian pondered briefly before asking, "And you're that certain?"
"Of course."
Priscilla lifted her chin proudly. "My judgments are acknowledged by the world itself. They cannot be wrong."
"…"
"Since you are someone from beyond the Great Waterfall, then you cannot be an ordinary person. Tell me—do you have any interesting stories to share with me?"
"No."
"Stop right there!" Priscilla blocked Lillian as he attempted to leave. Having been rejected, a trace of displeasure arose in her heart, and a hint of irritation appeared on her delicate face. The next moment she raised her folding fan to conceal her expression, revealing only her crimson eyes filled with dissatisfaction.
"You would dare treat my goodwill with such contempt?"
Lillian stopped and suddenly asked, "Do you know magic?"
"What?" Priscilla was momentarily puzzled by his abrupt change of topic.
"Magic. If you understand it—and if you can teach me—I wouldn't mind telling you a few jokes you've never heard before. How about it?" Lillian spoke casually. He had no expectation that she would agree; he simply did not wish to waste time entangled with her.
"Magic, you say? Of course I understand it. Teaching you is not impossible—but you must defeat me first."
"Defeat you?"
"Brother, I suggest you leave while you still can," Al, who stood nearby, interjected. But he was immediately rebuked softly by Priscilla.
"Al, what are you saying?" Hearing this, he gave an awkward laugh and fell silent.
"That's right," she continued to Lillian. At the same time, she opened her left hand toward him. A gold coin appeared in her palm.
"You and I will each choose a side. Then the coin will be dropped from the air onto the ground. Whoever's chosen side faces upward wins. What do you say?"
"So… guessing heads or tails…"
This was a common game even on Earth. There was even the cliché saying: 'If you can't make a decision, toss a coin—not because the coin will decide for you, but because the moment it's in the air, you already know the answer.' In truth, someone with exceptional dynamic vision could determine which side would land upward just before the coin fell. However, since both parties chose their sides beforehand, even if one realized they had lost, they could not change their choice.
"If I win," Priscilla continued, "you will tell me everything you know about what lies beyond the Great Waterfall. And if you win… what do you want?"
Interesting. After a moment's consideration, Lillian said, "I want instruction in magic. If I have no talent for magic, then compensate me with a large sum of money."
"Hmph… how vulgar."
Lillian ignored her evaluation. Of course, he could have demanded something more excessive, but that would be meaningless—there was no guarantee she would honor the wager even if she lost.
"I accept," Priscilla declared generously. "Then choose your side first. I will simply take the remaining one."
"Confident?"
Priscilla smiled faintly, her expression completely free of doubt.
"Confidence is unnecessary. The world itself favors me—it will not allow anything unfavorable to occur. Therefore, the moment you agreed to this wager, I had already won."
"…Whatever makes you happy."
Lillian said this as he took the coin and inspected it, first confirming there was nothing unusual. Then he spoke:
"How about you take the side with the Divine Dragon engraved on it—the heads?"
"Very well. Then you take the reverse." She spoke without even asking for the coin back, casually waving her fan. "You may toss it."
"Really? Shouldn't something like this be handled by a neutral third party with no interest in either side?"
"There is no need for such trouble," Priscilla said. "No matter who tosses it, the winner will be me."
"…I hope your confidence brings you victory."
After speaking, Lillian curled his thumb slightly and flicked the coin upward without hesitation. The coin spun through the air, tracing a straight vertical arc with a brilliant golden gleam before falling.