Chapter 01 …
The villagers at first thought it might just rain.
Dark clouds had gathered so densely that they covered the Milky Way in the night sky, casting the small frontier village into darkness. The sudden gloom had no explanation other than it being a sign of rain.
However, since the weather had seemed fair just earlier that day, Mrs. Lauren felt a bit puzzled as she gathered the laundry. But her curiosity about the gathering clouds lasted only a moment.
“Mom!”
Mrs. Lauren, hurriedly collecting the laundry in the front yard, quickly stopped her youngest, cheerful daughter from stepping outside.
“Sweetpea! What if you get caught in the rain? Go inside and play with Erika.”
Ignoring her mother’s advice, Sweetpea, who only heard what she wanted to hear, tried to run barefoot into the yard.
“Sweet.”
A gentle hand rested on Sweetpea’s shoulder from behind, making her stop in her tracks.
“Sis!”
Erika, the Lauren couple’s eldest, scooped up her younger sister.
“Mom’s busy working, so let’s play together.”
“But I want to be with Mom…”
Familiar with her little sister’s whining, Erika whispered a great secret into Sweetpea’s ear as if revealing something extraordinary.
“If you play with me, I’ll share chocolate with you without Mom knowing.”
“…Chocolate?”
“Shh, Mom can hear you.”
“Eep!”
“And I’ll tell you lots of fun stories you want to hear. You love mysterious tales, like the spirit of the secret spring or a fire-breathing bird, right?”
“Yeah! I love all the stories you tell! They’re so fun!”
“What story should I tell today?”
Sweetpea, deep in thought as if facing the dilemma of her life, had long forgotten any plan to bother her mother. After about ten seconds of pondering, she finally made a decision.
“This time, I want to hear about dragons!”
“…Dragons?”
“Yeah! They’re supposed to be huge and scary. Dad says he won’t tell me dragon myths because he’s afraid I won’t sleep at night.”
“Then I’ll tell you instead of Dad.”
Used to being loved, Sweetpea giggled as her sister pressed a kiss to her cheek. At last, Sweetpea was about to leave her busy mother behind and ascend the stairs in her sister’s arms.
Whoosh—
A sudden gust of wind blew through.
The thin blanket in Mrs. Lauren’s hands was swept away, and the clouds covering the moon parted, allowing moonlight to bathe the village.
Among the three mother-and-daughters, Sweetpea was the first to notice it.
The fierce wind carried a strange, otherworldly energy that a child could hardly describe. The ground trembled with a deep roar. Vines crawling along the house’s walls cried out to Sweetpea.
[Run! You have to run!]
But by the time Sweetpea saw, over Erika’s shoulder, a massive grayish bird approaching, it was already too late.
“Mom! Sis! Look at that!”
Mrs. Lauren and Erika turned their heads in the direction Sweetpea pointed, their hair fluttering in the wind. And when Sweetpea saw her sister and mother’s widened eyes as they realized it, she understood.
It wasn’t a bird. It was a creature so enormous that it cast a shadow over the village, as large as the nearby hills.
“Erika! Sweetpea! Run!”
The dragon had arrived over the village in an instant. As it opened its jaws, Mrs. Lauren shouted at the children to run—but she couldn’t escape herself. The flames from the dragon’s enormous maw engulfed her, even as she warned her daughters.
“Mom!”
Sweetpea reached out toward her mother lost in the flames, but there was no way to reach her from Erika’s arms as she carried Sweetpea to safety.
That was the last day Sweetpea saw her mother…
“I’m sorry, Sweet. I’m so sorry…”
It was also the day she had to part forever from her entire family.
“Sweetpea Lauren! You lazy little thing!”
Mrs. Margo’s heavy fist struck the crown of Sweetpea’s head. Knowing how much Mrs. Margo disliked whining children, Sweetpea gritted her teeth and endured the pain.
“You were supposed to fetch water from the well, and you spilled it all on the way back? Are you lying?”
“I-I’m not lying…”
“Another excuse, huh? Again?!”
Unable to contain her anger, Mrs. Margo struck Sweetpea’s head three more times in succession.
It had been impossible for the young Sweetpea to carry a large bucket of water alone. Until now, she had managed somehow to avoid punishment, but today, she had been tripped by Margo’s son, Chris, and spilled the water.
A boy taller and faster than her had tripped Sweetpea, who had a lame leg due to the accident—there was no way to avoid it.
“Do you think I feed you, clothe you, and put you to bed for nothing? I brought you in to help, but all you do is make more work!”
“I-I’m sorry…”
“Ugh, I thought taking in a poor orphan meant she’d at least pull her weight… But all you do is limp around, pretending to be pitiful. You can’t do a single useful thing…”
“…”
“What are you standing there for? Guests will be arriving soon, so get out!”
Sweetpea stepped out of the old tavern, wary of Mrs. Margo’s gaze. True to her earlier words, Mrs. Margo huffed in disgust and turned away at the sight of Sweetpea limping.
Outside, a few sparrows flew down and perched on Sweetpea’s head and shoulders. One even brushed its tiny beak against her nose.
“I’m fine, little ones,” Sweetpea said, stroking the sparrows’ heads as if thanking them for scolding Mrs. Margo on her behalf. Nearby, a small flower pressed its petals against her ankle.
“Thanks for comforting me, little violet,” Sweetpea whispered, kneeling to kiss the delicate petals. The jealous sparrows tugged playfully at her hair.
To any onlooker, it would seem strange. This was the only small, humble “talent” Sweetpea possessed, despite Mrs. Margo’s words that she could do nothing.
She didn’t remember when she had gained this ability—Sweetpea could communicate with animals and plants, understanding and responding to their thoughts.
Her family had assumed it was just the imagination of a young, curious child. But these conversations were real, not imagined.
Perhaps her deceased family would never know the truth.
Sweetpea lay in the grass near the tavern’s storage area, enjoying one of the few moments of freedom, listening to the comforting whispers of plants and the cheerful chatter of animals.
“Hey, limpy!”
But Sweetpea’s brief happiness was interrupted by the voice of a troublesome intruder.
Chris, Mrs. Margo’s son, had arrived. Sweetpea hurried to her feet, hoping to avoid being kicked in the ribs.
“So, orphan, lying around leisurely, huh?”
All the animals scattered to avoid the aggressive boy. The flowers and grass seemed to worry about Sweetpea, but could do nothing.
“Hey, are you ignoring me again?”
“N-No… I finished my work, and Mrs. Margo told me to go out, so I…”
“You really have no sense.”
Chris clicked his tongue and closed in. Sweetpea limped backward, but Chris was faster.
“Your family burned in a fire, and you lost your village. Our mom took you in, and you want to rest? Do you have no conscience? No sense?”
“…”
“Of course. Typical of someone from a village foolish enough to burn everything down during a festival.”
Sweetpea’s emotions surged, but she remained silent.
People had assumed the fire in her village happened due to a festival, though that wasn’t true. Sweetpea could never tell the truth—no one would believe her.
A dragon from legend had attacked the village…
No one would believe such a thing.
After the incident, Sweetpea ended up at the orphanage. But no one wanted to take in a child with a crippled leg. Mrs. Margo had brought her along cheaply to help with work.
No matter the reason, Sweetpea had nowhere else to go. So she endured Mrs. Margo’s constant scolding and Chris’s torment.
“You’re no fun if you don’t react.”
“…”
“Hey, hey!”
Chris pinched Sweetpea’s cheek sharply. She raised her tearful face, and satisfaction bloomed on his face.
“Blame your parents if you hate your situation. They’re the ones who left you.”
Sweetpea had endured Chris’s bullying alone, but now she could no longer hold back. She remembered how much her family had loved her.
“Our parents aren’t like that!”
“What?”
Insulting her parents—especially from someone whose only talent was bullying weaker people—was unforgivable.
“Our mom and dad never did anything to deserve what you’re saying!”
“You’ve lost your mind?”
“Take back the insult to my parents!”
“What if I don’t?”
“Then… I’ll say harsh things to you too!”
“Then try it.”
Chris glared, but Sweetpea didn’t back down. Trembling with fear, she took a deep breath and shouted:
“Idiot! Fool! Big, dumb gorilla!”
Her voice echoed, and silence fell. When she opened her eyes, Chris’s face was bright red.
“I was going to let you off if you behaved, but this brat—!”
Chris raised his large hand, about the same size as Mrs. Margo’s. Sweetpea froze, pale with fear. Yet, Chris couldn’t strike her.
“Ugh!”
Chris collapsed to the ground. Soon Sweetpea realized why—the grass and flowers had wrapped around his ankles like ropes.
They shouted to Sweetpea:
[We won’t last long, so run, Sweetpea!]
