Chapter : 38
Although she was scared, Lulu, who had buried her face in the cushion, finally pushed it aside. Sniffling, she rubbed her tiny hands together like a fly.
“A-auntie. Lulu isn’t a bad dragon. Lulu is a good dragon. So, please don’t tell anyone else… that Lulu is a dragon.”
Once she confessed everything, Aselin’s expression turned deadly serious as she sat down on the sofa and quietly asked:
“…Does the princess know this too?”
“Yes. Big Sis tried to hide the fact that Lulu is a dragon.”
“She told you to keep it hidden? Because people would be afraid?”
“Yes…”
Lulu nodded, still sniffling.
“But Lulu… Lulu greets adults politely, and Lulu runs errands for Big Sis really well, and before… Lulu even herded horned rabbits in the forest…”
Faced with the child’s desperate excuses, Aselin could do nothing but listen in silence.
To be honest, she was shocked.
No—when the child’s wings had suddenly burst from her back, she had nearly screamed.
She couldn’t help but recall the terrifying illustrations of dragons she had once seen in the newspaper—
Creatures that devoured humans and burned down buildings with fire…
The idea that such monsters existed in the world was horrifying. After the dragon raids, the newspaper’s sensational illustrations had given Aselin nightmares for weeks.
But now, Lulu was far too tiny, almost laughably small, to inspire that kind of fear.
In fact—
The child is even more afraid of me than I am of her… I almost feel guilty.
“…Hmm.”
As Aselin fell deep into thought, the baby dragon kept trying to justify herself.
“And Lulu, sniffle… Lulu is so nice that Lulu’s friends even made a song for her, sniffle… I’ll sing it for you.”
“Lulu.”
Not hearing Aselin call her name, Lulu sang through her sniffles.
“Little salamander, sniffle, melts away the flu, melts frozen meat too~.”
Clap!
Aselin clapped lightly in front of Lulu, who was crying, and only then did the girl’s trembling eyes blink wide in surprise.
“If the princess wants to keep it a secret, then Auntie will hide Lulu too.”
“…R-really?”
Her already large eyes grew twice as wide.
Aselin laughed nervously, worried those big eyes might pop out.
“And, actually, Auntie already knew that Lulu was a good kid.”
“…Why?”
“Because Daisy told me. She said when she was hiding behind the door, Lulu didn’t tell anyone she was there, right?”
Aselin half-expected that this would make Lulu smile, but instead the girl’s face fell even further at the mention of Daisy.
“…But even so, I got caught and scolded by the man…”
“You must have been really scared.”
Seeing the child curl up like a pill bug, Aselin’s heart ached.
Of course, she wasn’t exactly in a position to comfort others herself. She had left her bedroom because she couldn’t fall back asleep. She already knew about the spell inscribed on her arm, and about the three days Conrad had given her. She had resigned herself to it.
In my dream, we were eating breakfast together in a small cottage as a family.
That strangely blissful dream only made her anxiety worse. Because all of it would vanish like foam after three days.
Still, if she could at least soothe this child’s tears during those three days, perhaps it wouldn’t be such a bad detour.
“…Lulu, should Auntie give you a hug?”
At her gentle whisper, Lulu’s ears twitched.
“A hug? Auntie will hug Lulu?”
“Yes. When something scary happens, hugging each other makes it better. Because hugs are warm.”
“…That’s right. Hugs are warm…!”
Stretching out her arms, Lulu nodded slowly and leaned into Aselin’s embrace.
“Thank you, Auntie—.”
Just as the child rested her head and began nodding off—
Flash!
The dark living room was suddenly bathed in golden light.
The source was Aselin’s arm, where the spell was inscribed.
Before she could even react, the light melted the spell away.
Moments later—
“…The spell… it’s gone?”
Aselin couldn’t help but wonder if she was dreaming.
Meanwhile.
In the Tower of the Shadow Forest—
Because of Lulu’s long outing, the enchanted fairy tale book that had been sleeping suddenly fluttered open.
The compass drawn on its pages with the word Reward popped out of the illustration.
Flutter.
Having done its job, the book fell back asleep, waiting for the next chapter.
Still dazed, Aselin looked down to find Lulu snoring softly in her arms.
The child’s sleeping face was utterly peaceful, untouched by shadows.
“M-my goodness…”
Hurriedly, she laid Lulu down on the sofa and covered her with a blanket. Her heart was still pounding, but she didn’t dare wake the child.
She carefully knocked on the bedroom door to wake the others.
“…Mm, what is it?”
“Forgive me for disturbing your sleep, Princess. But I must tell you something. Lulu erased my spell.”
“What? W-what did you say?!”
“Shh. Lulu just fell asleep.”
The unbelievable news spread quickly while Lulu slumbered.
“…Actually, my spell disappeared before I met Father. It happened when Lulu touched me…”
Even Daisy held out her arm as proof, and everyone stared at the sleeping baby dragon in astonishment.
“Our Lulu really is a blessing. She feeds the knights, melts away our family’s black magic too… She’s not a dragon, she’s an angel.”
Del sniffled on the spot.
“Father, you’ll wake Lulu.”
“Yes, let’s thank her when she wakes up in the morning.”
Their lives had been changed by an ability they hadn’t expected.
Naturally, they should’ve been happy, but Angela couldn’t help but feel uneasy as she watched everyone’s tears of joy.
…It’s a good thing, yes, that the black magic is gone.
But—
“Duke Velix. You said you read a lot of books about dragons after the raids. Did any of them say dragons could erase black magic?”
“…Of course not. If dragons could erase black magic, then they wouldn’t be considered…”
Velix trailed off.
“It’s best if we keep this ability a secret.”
“I agree. Even if it improves their image, people would try to exploit Lulu everywhere. And she already has to hide the fact she’s a dragon.”
“I concur.”
Angela carefully lifted Lulu into her arms.
Snore…
Whether from using her power or simply from the early hour, the child was fast asleep, unaware even if someone carried her away.
“…Lulu, just how big of a dragon are you planning to become, scaring your sister like this?”
From speaking with jewels to dissolving black magic, Lulu’s abilities were growing. And as they grew, so would the world around her.
For Lulu to grow up safely, the world itself may have to change.
Was hiding in the Shadow Forest really the only answer?
Angela’s worries deepened as the three days quickly passed.
“Little salamander melts the cold~, melts the flu~, melts frozen meat too~.”
On a bright morning, with the sun rising high, Lulu—who had been gloomy for days—hummed cheerfully.
“And even melts black magic~.”
Yes.
The reason her little round belly now stuck out with confidence instead of curling up like a pill bug—
Lulu went fwoosh— with golden light and erased the black magic!
The day after her nightmare, Auntie Aselin and the family hugged Lulu tightly for a whole hour, showering her with gratitude.
What Lulu had once thought of as a dangerous secret—the “erasing spells”—turned out to be her own special ability.
And it wasn’t just Lulu who was thrilled.
—To erase black magic… This is a gift only you possess! It’s God’s will that you defeat darkness and become a hero!
“My very own… ability?!”
—Yes! As dragons grow, each one develops unique powers. Yours is the quality of a hero who heals the sick!
“Ehem~. Lulu is amazing!”
The little belly that had once curled like a bug now stuck out proudly.
Lulu, the eraser of black magic—
“A hero!”
The baby dragon pretended to wield a sword, full of regained confidence.
“Lulu, there’s no such thing as a hero. And just so you know… this ability is a top-secret. Got it?”
Angela sighed as she watched.
Lulu blinked her big eyes.
