Chapter 82……………………………………………
Snap.
Lin picked up a doll she liked and twirled around with it in both hands, spinning as if dancing.
“Right after I got up, I was with Uncle Theo. And I saw Kei, Laura, and Miak too. And I got so many gifts!”
Seeing Lin smile so genuinely happy over just that, Miak, who usually had a dry demeanor, felt his eyes moisten slightly.
Huff.
Lin, whose simple joy even moved the usually stoic meerkat, soon noticed something in the room that hadn’t been there before.
“Huh? What’s that? Did someone give me that too?”
Ahem. That… is not something he offered on his own, but rather, it is by the clear right of the young lady—
“It’s Soju-kun’s loot!”
Miak, trying to explain with a slightly flustered expression, was cut off quickly by Kei, whose usually laid-back tone turned sharp.
“My loot?”
Ignoring Miak’s sharp glare, Kei grabbed Lin’s hand, who was showing interest, and escorted her to a large chest in the corner of the room.
The chest looked just like a treasure chest from a fairy tale and was so big that a child like Lin could probably lie down inside.
Seeing the lock positioned too high for Lin to open, Kei knelt down on one knee to lower himself and asked:
“May I open it for you?”
“Yes! Please!”
Click.
Kei quickly unlocked the chest and lifted the lid, meeting Lin’s eager eyes.
“Waaaaah!”
The golden shine reflecting from inside the chest made Lin’s mouth fall open in awe.
“Gold coins! So many gold coins! It really is a treasure chest!”
Overjoyed, Lin jumped up and down, pressing her hands on the chest as she peered inside.
“All this is my loot?”
“Yes. Compared to the combined size of the monsters Soju-kun defeated, it’s still not enough, but we took all the wealth of the one who dared to threaten him.”
“Monsters? Ah!”
Lin rolled her eyes sideways, recalling something, then suddenly brightened.
“Right! I won the bet!”
That was probably why she had been so excited since the morning of the Hunting Festival.
‘Gold coins… as big as a carriage…’
A bet with the bald man: he promised gold coins equal to the monsters Lin hunted!
“So these are the gold coins!”
Lin, bubbling with excitement, scooped handfuls of gold coins and stuffed them into her pocket.
One handful. Another handful.
Her small hands couldn’t hold many at once, so it took some time.
She refused Kei and Miak’s help, filling her pocket herself, then ran off somewhere.
“Miss Lin, the doctor said you should still be careful about going outside—”
“Yes! I’m not going outside!”
Todatodatoda!
Lin, moving her short legs quickly, arrived at the head of the household’s office.
“Uncle Theo!”
Bang!
Walking confidently through the office door, Lin shouted happily at Theodor, who widened his eyes in surprise at the unexpected visitor.
“Uncle, you don’t have to go to work anymore!”
I’m rich now!
Lin’s golden eyes sparkled with joy as much as the glittering gold in her pockets.
Theodor, a bit taken aback by his niece’s sudden decree, first lifted her onto his lap. He looked into her shining eyes and asked:
“Lin, what do you mean by that?”
“You know… Uncle Theo, you have to go out every day for work, right?”
“Hmm. Yes.”
Lin wiggled her tiny fingers to spread out Theodor’s large hand.
Whoosh.
Then she poured the gold coins from her pocket onto his hand and continued in an excited voice:
“I’ll make it so you don’t have to go to work. I’ll give you all this!”
“Oh.”
“Isn’t it enough? Don’t worry, there’s so much more in the room!”
Lin tilted her head at his reaction, then confidently tapped her chest, recalling the large pile of coins in the chest.
Theodor, amused by his niece’s lively display, also wondered how to explain why adults need to work. While he paused to think, Lin continued, beaming:
“So from now on, we’ll be together all day, like this morning!”
Lin, imagining her happy life as a rich girl, smiled widely.
Seeing her niece so happy after waking up from days of worry, Theodor looked at Lin with eyes full of warmth as she clung to his arm.
“I’ll make more time to be with you, Lin.”
Lin’s eyes drooped slightly as she caught the implication in his words.
“So… you still have to go to work? Can’t you skip it?”
“Hmm. Well…”
Theodor carefully chose his words and explained step by step in a gentle voice suitable for a child.
“I see. You have to protect people instead of Grandfather.”
“Right. Grandfather asked me to do this, so I have to work hard.”
“Okay… I guess there’s no choice then.”
Though disappointed, Lin understood and clenched her fist to encourage Theodor.
“Uncle, I’ll get stronger soon and help you too!”
“Yes.”
Patting his diligent niece’s head, Theodor gave her sincere praise she loved to hear.
“Lin, you’re an excellent successor to the Pegasus.”
Lin smiled broadly, enjoying her uncle’s touch.
Miak and Kei, who had followed into the office, looked on enviously at the warm interaction.
Since they were already in the office, everyone decided to have afternoon snacks together at the table.
Miak, trying to get Lin’s attention, began telling more about the gold coins in the chest.
Lin’s “loot”: the wealth confiscated from Peonal Pegasus and handed over to her as compensation, being the direct victim of the incident.
Hearing the full story, Lin’s eyes widened, then her brows furrowed.
“That bald man tried to kill Uncle?”
Gyaaah!
Hearing the full extent of Peonal’s deeds, Lin roared like a wild beast in anger.
Peonal and the council elders had plotted to eliminate the acting head of the household during the Pegasus Hunting Festival to seize power, but the plan was discovered.
Based on testimony from a servant brought by Kaidan, Theodor investigated everyone involved, from the subordinates executing the plan to the council elders giving orders, and imprisoned them in the underground jail.
“I see… To punish those bad beastmen, Uncle has to go to work, huh?”
Yes! Completely understood!
Lin nodded eagerly.
“Then Uncle will make all the bad beastmen pay.”
“Yes! Uncle, you can do it!”
To punish the council children who caused Lin to fall into a coma, Theodor planned to voluntarily work overtime in the underground prison for the time being.
Of course, the details of these tasks were far too dangerous to tell Lin yet.
“Ahhhh! Stop! I’ll give you my entire fortune… I’ll give you everything I’ve collected! Please, not my core! No!”
Ignoring Peonal’s frantic cries, Theodor focused on Lin in front of him.
“Grandfather was right to get rid of the group of bad people early!”
“You’re right. That’s why Father closed down the council too.”
No one now questioned whether Grandfather Felrod’s decision to revoke all council powers and disband the assembly had been too extreme.
All Pegasus clans criticized the council faction for causing such chaos at a festival long cherished as a family tradition.
Especially because they had deliberately released monsters knowing children could be harmed, the outrage even turned to fear.
