Diancie opened her mouth, as if about to say something.
But after a brief hesitation, she still didn't voice the thought in her heart.
Even though Elias stayed by her side, she didn't know whether he'd be willing to become her trainer.
And so, Diancie found herself reluctant to bring it up.
At precisely this moment, Elias spoke first:
"If we wanted to read more human books like this, where would we need to go?"
As he spoke, he waved the book slightly using telekinesis.
Diancie stared blankly for a second, then gave it some thought before replying:
"W-Well, we might have to ask Her Highness to bring back a few more books…"
"Or maybe…we could sneak out and visit the human world ourselves."
Mentioning the second option, Diancie's expression dimmed slightly for a moment.
Though she was a little scared, she really did want to go see the human world.
According to Carbink who had visited before, it was way more fun than their underground kingdom.
But without a legitimate reason, there was no way Her Highness would let her run off.
Hearing Diancie's response, Elias nodded slightly.
It matched his guess.
Noticing her somewhat longing expression, he spoke again:
"In that case…want to come to the human world with me to have a look?"
"Relying on just the few books Her Highness brings back probably won't help us much."
Elias's voice was so calm, Diancie unconsciously thought he was mentioning some trivial matter.
Only after clearly understanding what he'd just said did she freeze abruptly.
"Eh?!"
…
"Your Highness, that's what's going on…"
In the clearing, Diancie stood nervously, holding a thick human book tightly in her arms, her head bowed, and speaking in a tiny voice.
Standing opposite her was the queen of the Carbink kingdom.
Since Diancie wasn't good at lying, her face was already dusted pink with embarrassment.
Her small hands gripping the book rubbed against it anxiously.
"You're saying you want to go to the human world…to find useful books to read?"
Across from her, the queen repeated Diancie's reason, skepticism heavy in her voice.
Not long ago, Diancie had suddenly come running up to her, saying she wanted to visit the human world.
Under normal circumstances, she'd refuse immediately without a second thought.
She knew Diancie's strength clearly—if she encountered even a slightly stronger Pokémon, she'd be done for.
And that was without mentioning her cute appearance and ability to create diamonds—both of which would drive any human utterly insane.
With all these risks, she had never allowed Diancie to wander off to the human world.
But this time…
Diancie had come to her claiming she wanted to visit the human world specifically to find useful books.
"Diancie, this is the most creative excuse you've used yet."
"Looks like your brain really has gotten smarter."
After a brief pause, the queen's face returned to calmness, speaking to Diancie indifferently.
Human writing was complicated and obscure—even she herself could barely understand it.
With Diancie's capabilities, it was impossible to imagine she'd learned enough to read these books independently.
"I—I really can!"
Unexpectedly, this time Diancie didn't shrink back from the challenge, puffing up her cheeks as she protested unhappily.
Seeing this, the queen's expression didn't change at all.
She reached out quickly, grasping the book Diancie held, and gently pulling it away before the latter could react.
"If you're so confident, I'll quiz you on a few sentences."
"If you answer them all correctly, I'll agree to your request."
The queen spoke, a faint smile appearing on her lips.
Usually, at this point, no matter how stubborn Diancie was, she'd obediently admit defeat.
Even if she held out stubbornly, the moment the queen asked the questions, the outcome wouldn't change.
Sure enough, upon hearing the queen's voice, Diancie instinctively took a small step back.
But just as she leaned backward, she bumped gently into something.
Glancing from the corner of her eyes, she realized Elias stood behind her.
Remembering his instructions before coming here, she took a deep breath, and under the queen's astonished gaze, nodded determinedly.
"No problem!"
She told her clearly.
Seeing Diancie's persistent confidence, the queen fell into silence for a moment.
For an instant, she even wondered: Could Diancie possibly really know?
But the thought was quickly dismissed.
She knew Diancie's abilities better than anyone else; it simply wasn't possible.
As she thought, she flipped the book open in her hand.
Seeing the dense human words filling the page, even she herself felt a slight dizziness.
Without a proper learning environment, mastering human writing was nearly impossible.
Carefully studying it, she pointed to a sentence and asked:
"What does this mean?"
"Pokémon also have different types."
Right after she asked the question, Diancie answered immediately without even looking at the page carefully.
The queen froze slightly.
Diancie actually translated it correctly; the meaning really was just that.
"Then what about this?"
Frowning slightly, she pointed at another place.
This time, she deliberately chose a more complex, lengthy sentence.
"There are also type advantages among Pokémon. Properly leveraging these type matchups can often lead to unexpected victories."
Exactly as before, Diancie tilted her head, as if carefully listening to something.
A few seconds passed, and she once again gave the correct answer.
Now, the queen fell into stunned silence.
She herself had spent a long while puzzling over that sentence before fully grasping its meaning.
Yet Diancie's translation speed…actually seemed faster than her own?
How was that possible?
She suspiciously studied Diancie, who appeared somewhat nervous and excited, but nothing else seemed unusual.
"What about here?"
"And this sentence, and the one below as well."
"…"
She asked several more questions in rapid succession, but without exception, Diancie answered quickly and correctly.
This time, it really seemed Diancie wasn't lying.
Though it was difficult to accept, as queen, she certainly couldn't go back on her word lightly.
Under Diancie's expectant gaze, she gritted her teeth slightly, reluctantly agreeing to let her visit the human world.
"Come back soon. Later, I'll write up a list of things you need to pay attention to, and you must remember to follow them carefully."
"Also, I'll send two clan members to accompany you. This is mandatory—no objections."
She repeatedly instructed Diancie, feeling deeply perplexed, as if encountering a ghost—unable even now to comprehend how Diancie had accomplished it.
After leaving the queen's presence, Diancie's eyes sparkled brightly as she looked toward Elias.
"Elias, we did it!"
"You're amazing!"
If not for Elias quietly translating the sentences into her ear in real-time, there was no way she could've understood any of those human sentences.