Chapter : 30
A Dawn Before Sunrise
“It’s almost time for our final check.”
A faint light flickered in the shadowed window of the tower in the shadowy forest, where it should have been completely dark.
“I packed the spare clothes, brought the water, gathered what little money I had, and I’ve got both mine and Lulu’s fake IDs…” Angela neatly packed her bag and tightened the straps.
Thus, the journey for the ‘Family Rescue Operation’ began.
The team selected to rescue the families of the Third Order Knights consisted of four members.
First, there was Angela, who was needed to imbue the tracking artifact with magic.
Then, Captain Del, who knew the identities of all the knights’ families and was indispensable for the task.
Felix had to accompany Angela for protection, and Lulu… Lulu was simply cute.
“I’d rather bring her along, even though it’s a bit of a bother. It’ll be better for my psychological stability. I can’t back down on this.”
That’s right. Angela had separation anxiety.
They’d only known each other for a little over a year, but Lulu’s past made their bond deeper.
“Lulu, are you ready?” Angela shouted as she tied her bag to her robe, hearing tiny feet descending the stairs above.
Then,
“Ha-cha!”
Lulu, jumping two steps at once, raised her tiny hand high.
“Lulu! Ready to save our friends!”
Now she could confidently strike a hero pose without a mistake.
Just then, a hand suddenly came down on Lulu’s head with a soft thud.
“We’re not going for fun.”
Angela shot a suspicious look.
Lulu, raising her head with a rattle, lifted her courageous eyebrows.
“You know, Lulu? I’m totally serious.”
She knew it, of course. She was aware that Captain Del sometimes had a sad look on his face because of his lost family.
“Lulu’s mom and dad are also rescuing kids. So Lulu will help rescue the knights’ families too!”
“…Oh, so you have a deep reason for that?”
“Yup!”
“Alright, if everything’s ready, let’s go.”
Angela quickly ended the conversation when Lulu mentioned her parents, and they opened the tower door. The night sky was full of stars.
Lulu sniffed the cold morning air.
“Princess. It’s time to leave.”
“Alright.”
Felix and Del, cloaked in robes, were already waiting outside.
“Are we leaving already? Are you sure you’ll come back safely?”
Just then, Lian, who had opened the cabin door, rubbed his eyes and asked.
Felix hurriedly turned to whisper to his younger sibling.
“Of course. If anything happens, I’ll come back to check on you.”
“I can hear everything.”
“It’s just a joke.”
Felix replied casually before gently addressing Lulu.
“Just a joke, Lulu.”
Though, depending on the situation, that joke might not remain a joke.
“Princess, Captain, have a safe journey. If anyone from the royal family arrives, we’ll explain it in a roundabout way.”
“…Princess, please save our wife.”
When the remaining knights finished their farewells, all four of them donned their cloaks.
They were about to leave the forest officially using Captain Del’s identity when…
“…Lulu, aren’t you going to say goodbye to Chase?”
Angela suddenly remembered the boy who hadn’t appeared and asked.
At that, Lulu visibly flinched and hesitated.
“…Chase, it’s okay if he doesn’t say goodbye.”
“Why?”
Angela, who didn’t particularly care about Chase, had never really interacted with him, even though they were step-siblings. She hadn’t sought him out after hearing about his accident.
But,
“Aren’t you friends with Chase?”
“Uuuu… Friends…”
When Lulu said “friends,” her lips pouted.
Just then, a voice from behind interrupted, and they all turned to see the unfamiliar voice of a boy.
“Can I come too?”
Chase slowly walked through the knights who had parted the way.
“Are you going outside? I’ll just be silent if you take me.”
However, no one answered the boy.
They were all a little surprised by his appearance.
If he were a normal person, or at least in the moonlight, his pupils would have been visible.
But Chase’s eyes, covered in shadow, seemed hollow, like glass marbles.
In the awkward silence, Angela glanced at Lulu, who was sticking to the ground.
If they were truly friends, Lulu should have been jumping up and down.
But seeing Lulu’s swollen white cheeks, it was clear she wasn’t pleased.
Finally, Angela spoke up.
“…Hmm, Chase, long time no see?”
“Yeah.”
“Why do you want to go outside? It might be dangerous.”
“Well…”
Chase’s indifferent gaze shifted to Lulu.
“Don’t you need someone to look after Lulu?”
“What?! Lulu’s not a baby!”
Suddenly hit by a stone, Lulu screamed.
But it wasn’t just Chase who treated Lulu like a child.
“Well, yeah… So, are you going to take care of her?”
“Even ‘Wungni’?!”
Chase, pondering Angela’s question, finally delivered his last blow.
“I’ll stick close to Lulu. I won’t let her go anywhere.”
“Hmph… Alright. But follow along quietly. Then, let’s all head out.”
Leaving the stone-like Lulu behind, the group began their journey.
A while later…
“Wungni, Wungnii—!”
The sound of Lulu running came through the quiet shadow forest.
Thus, the final member of the “Family Rescue Expedition” was Chase, who joined late, making the total number of members five.
Leighton Village, South of Shadowm
Leighton was located to the south of Shadowm Village, but it still belonged to the cold northern region, so there was no change in climate.
Positively speaking, it meant it would take about a week by carriage to get there.
However, there was a young dragon who felt like this week would be very long.
“Why did Chase come along? Does he want to tease Lulu more?”
Lulu, sulking as she leaned against the carriage window, glanced sideways.
Chase, as usual, was watching her closely.
Even now, he pretended to look at the ceiling vacantly, but…
Swish.
Whenever Lulu quietly tried to extend her hand, Chase would shrug and avoid it.
“…Eiiing—!”
Finally, Lulu’s nose wrinkled with anger.
“Chase, look at me!”
“Why?”
Chase turned his head at last.
But seeing his calm expression made Lulu even more irritated.
“When you hugged Lulu last time, you said, ‘Get away!’”
“Yeah.”
“That’s not something you do to a friend. So apologize to Lulu!”
“We were friends?”
A question even the devil would shake his head at.
“Gasp.”
“My goodness.”
The adults, who had been eavesdropping quietly, sighed before hastily pretending to sleep.
Lulu’s mouth hung open.
“…We weren’t friends? We made a bucket list together… and told each other secrets!”
“That’s friendship?”
“Yup! That’s what friends do! Lulu even promised to grant Chase’s wish!”
Lulu’s small hand trembled.
Then, Chase, looking like he didn’t understand, studied Lulu for a moment before shrugging.
“…I never thought of you as a friend.”
“Gasp!”
“Especially since you promised to grant my wish…”
The empty purple eyes that had been looking at the ground shifted to Lulu.
“I thought of you as my savior.”
“Cough!”
The adults, who had been eavesdropping, couldn’t help but exhale loudly.
“Savior…?”
Lulu, about to cry out of frustration, stood wide-eyed.
“Savior.”
According to Jewel, the term “savior” had a very positive meaning.
“It means someone who saves people, similar to a hero!”
That’s right.
Chase viewed Lulu as a ‘hero!’
‘…Did Lulu really seem that amazing?’
Lulu, staring at her little acorn-like fist, puffed her cheeks and looked at herself in the hand mirror.
In the mirror, a serious-looking baby dragon was staring back.
Though her cheeks were plump, and her eyes weren’t as sharp as Felix’s…
“…Lulu. The hero herself.”
The baby dragon, impressed with her own charisma, jumped out of the carriage.
‘Ah, Chase is getting off!’
Normally, heroes are the ones who escort the weak.
But Lulu, subconsciously extending her hand, stopped herself.
‘If I approach first, he might get scared.’
Because to Chase, Lulu was the hero herself!
Nodding firmly, Lulu fell deep into her thoughts.
