As I stared blankly, he wiped away the tears welling up in his eyes and said.
"Ah, I apologize if I made you uncomfortable. I just found it funny to say such a thing in this situation."
"Funny..."
How could he say it's funny in a life-threatening situation?
"Of course, the young lady's plan isn't bad either."
He suddenly reined in his words.
"But I don't like complicated things."
Hee-ing!
The horse turned and stopped, facing only the ogre.
Wait, if this happens...
Uwoooo!!
Thump, thud!!
"Danger-"
"Shall I show you something fun?"
In this urgent situation, only the Crown Prince remained relaxed.
"Watch closely."
His posture changed.
He brought his hands together and held them out towards the oncoming ogre.
Then, he pulled one hand towards his body.
As if shooting an arrow.
That's when it happened.
Whoosh-
A white aura began to gather around his hand, soon forming the shape of a bow and arrow.
'Mana?'
No, this isn't mana.
What on earth is this...?
As if reading my thoughts, the Crown Prince said.
"It's called White Flame."
As soon as he finished speaking.
Thwack-!
The arrow made of pure white energy was shot towards the ogre.
The ogre, realizing something was wrong too late, tried to knock the arrow away with its club, but the arrow struck the ogre's chest accurately.
And then.
Whoosh!
'White flames...'
It burst into flames.
Consuming the ogre completely.
Uwo, uwoooo!!
The ogre thrashed and flailed wildly, then collapsed to the ground.
But that wasn't enough to extinguish the blazing white fire.
The pure white fire didn't spread to the grass, it only devoured the ogre.
As if trying to erase its very existence from this world.
"How is it? Doesn't it look like a giant bonfire?"
At those words, I blankly turned to look at the Crown Prince.
He was smiling as if he was genuinely enjoying himself, watching the ogre's demise.
At that moment, I finally became certain.
This man.
'He's not the Crown Prince I knew.'
The White Flame didn't leave even a speck of the ogre behind.
When the blazing flames had completely died down, the high-ranking magical beast, the ogre, was no longer there.
'Only ashes remain.'
I looked up at the mountain of ashes with a distant gaze.
I still couldn't believe it.
To burn that terrifying ogre like that.
'White Flame... was it?'
Creating an intangible bow and arrow and using it to burn the enemy.
He used the energy itself as a weapon.
It was like...
'Similar to Lordbel's mana.'
But a little different.
Even Lordbel's mana couldn't burn such a large body in an instant.
Then what is this...?
However, I couldn't continue my thoughts due to the Crown Prince's subsequent actions.
"Wait, what are you doing now?"
"Huh? What am I doing?"
The Crown Prince got off his horse and started rummaging through the ogre's ashes.
"I need to find something."
"Find something..."
"Don't just stand there, Princess, come and help."
"..."
What should I say.
'The conversation isn't going smoothly...'
Anyway, since he told me to help, I approached the Crown Prince and rummaged through the ashes.
What is he looking for?
I had no idea what it was, so I just rummaged through the ashes. Then.
Tap.
Something caught on my fingertip.
"What is it?"
I pulled it out of the ashes.
It was a transparent bead with a blue light.
Even though it was buried in the ashes, it wasn't dirty at all.
"Ah, you found it."
"This is..."
"A magic core. The ogre's core."
"This is, the magic core?"
I looked down at the bead - the magic core - with surprised eyes.
I had read about magic cores in a book.
Like a heart for humans. The driving force that moves magical beasts and a mysterious substance that doesn't belong to this world.
"But wasn't it completely extinct?"
The book had a description of the magic core and one more line added.
<Magic cores have revealed their existence in various forms throughout history, and there is clear evidence that magic cores existed, but they have completely hidden their existence in modern times. However, the author is confident that magic cores will reappear someday.>
In other words, magic cores did exist, but they disappeared a long time ago.
Then the Crown Prince replied.
"Not just anyone can get a magic core."
"You mean, not just anyone can get it..."
"Are you curious about what the arrow I shot earlier was?"
"..."
I couldn't answer the Crown Prince's question.
Because I was actually curious.
A power that resembled Lordbel's mana but was completely different.
What on earth was it...?
"They say it's divine power."
"Divine power...?"
"Yes. A special ability that the ancient god bestowed upon the imperial family."
The Crown Prince smiled gently.
"Divine power granted by a god, so in that sense, it's really similar to Lordbel's mana. Don't you think?"
It matched my thoughts exactly, so I was momentarily speechless.
"White Flame is the divine flame that burns everything. But it can't burn the magic core."
"So the core didn't burn and remained in the ashes."
"Similar, but different."
"Different?"
"Magic cores are originally intangible. To be precise, the magic power of the magical beast itself is collectively called the magic core."
"The magic power of the magical beast..."
"The flame that refines it is the divine flame, White Flame. Do you understand?"
I nodded slightly at the Crown Prince's words.
It was an abstract and difficult story, but I seemed to understand it vaguely.
In short, it was like this.
"The magical beast is a mine. The magic core is an intangible ore. White Flame is a tool that can extract and refine the ore... something like that."
I was momentarily worried that it might be too difficult a word for a 10-year-old to say, but the Crown Prince nodded nonchalantly.
"You understood well."
He stroked my head as if I was commendable.
Soon, he took his hand away with a 'oops' expression and said.
"Oh dear, my hand made your hair dirty."
He was referring to the ashes on his hand.
"It's okay. You can't even see it anyway."
I replied lightly.
"...May I ask one more question?"
"I'll answer as an apology. Ask away."
"Is it okay to tell me such important things...?"
"Important things?"
"Like divine power or how to make magic cores... isn't that supposed to be a secret?"
The book I read was written by someone commonly called a sage.
Even sages who left their names in history couldn't find the substance that was the magic core.
But is it okay to tell me how to make it so easily?
'Divine power too.'
Divine power, an ability granted by a god.
The Crown Prince spoke so easily and lightly, but it couldn't be as simple as it sounded.
The fact that it's not known means the imperial family is hiding it.
I quietly stared at the Crown Prince.
Secrets and secrets. What was the reason for telling me that?
If it had been Miracle, I would have understood.
The two were in a close relationship promised to be engaged. To become husband and wife in the future...
But I'm not Miracle. Why tell me these important things...?
"I wonder."
The Crown Prince tilted his head.
His platinum blonde hair scattered before my eyes.
He stared at me intently with a slanted gaze, then the Crown Prince smiled gently and said.
"Is it because I strangely feel familiar with the Princess?
"What do you-"
"Rather than that, it would be good to keep that magic core safe. It would be quite useful if you make it into a magical tool later."
"Wait a minute, you're telling me to keep this?"
"Yeah. Why? Is there a problem?"
"A problem..."
I was momentarily speechless with disbelief.
That's because.
"I know that magical tools made with magic cores have great power."
"Well, yeah."
"And they have a value that can't be converted into money."
At my words, the Crown Prince looked at me with a 'so what?' expression.
"...You could use this magic core much more usefully, Your Highness. More than anything, you're the one who created it."
"Hmm."
"I don't understand why you're giving this to me."
"I'm the one who doesn't understand the Princess well. Isn't it enough to just have it? It's a benefit."
"..."
I closed my lips for a moment at his words.
Then I answered quietly.
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