~Chapter 12~
The couple brought blankets, loitering nearby with doubtful faces until dawn, then returned to their room.
Siphon felt the same doubt.
If anyone had told her the noble lady who gave them the solution was only five years old, she would never have believed it.
‘It will definitely be fine.’
But her mistress had something extraordinary.
The little lady, despised in the Duke’s house, did not know what others knew, yet knew what others did not.
She stumbled with common language, but fluently spoke the unknown.
After staying awake all night, Siphon heard only the sound of steady breathing from inside.
‘It’s until tonight at midnight.’
Morning came.
She reminded herself she had taken the day off, curling up a little more.
She ate, tapped on the door to talk with her brother, dozed off, looked up at the sky again — and suddenly, it was nearly midnight the next day.
“Not much longer now. Rio? You’re okay, right?”
A knock came from inside.
The worried couple joined her, so the three of them now sat cramped in front of the door.
Counting the one inside, they were four.
How long had it been?
Back when they still held their baron’s title, they had gathered every day at the round table for meals and conversation.
Not since she ran away.
Now, like this, it felt strangely warm and nostalgic.
Finally, midnight came.
A neat knock from inside. Siphon flung the door open at once.
“How do you feel…?”
“Before, even a little walking made my heart hurt, and I felt cold sitting still. But now… I’m not in pain. I’m not cold.”
“…Really?”
“Yeah. Right now, I feel like I could run ten laps around the yard in summer and be fine.”
The boy clenched and unclenched his hand, taking in a breath like he couldn’t believe it.
“If only this albinism could be cured too.”
“…Maybe, if we get the chance, I’ll ask my lady again.”
“Yeah. I really want to meet her too.”
He had never been able to play freely in his life.
With such a weak body, even a few steps had been painful.
Yet now, though he had stayed up all night, he felt no ill effects.
“Truly… I want to meet her.”
He narrowed his eyes, speaking quietly with meaning.
Their parents, arriving late, hugged both children tightly.
It was a family reunion after years apart.
Unfortunately, the next day, I couldn’t go to the temple.
That was the day Siphon came back smiling brightly to thank me.
I had cut my hand with a knife, and a fever had me bedridden.
Ridiculous! To be so weak from just a scratch.
I wanted to heal with magic, but my power was barely a speck.
I think I asked that cursed squirrel several times to heal me, but it was no help.
So I ended up bedridden for four days, only surviving thanks to Siphon’s devoted care.
“Master?”
Ross was the first to react when I finally opened my eyes.
“You! Why are you so weak! I told you to fix it!”
“W-Well… healing magic is difficult, and a magic beast’s power depends on its master’s ability… right now, you’re a human baby…”
Even as he looked down, Ross still made excuses. I noticed the fat acorn necklace around his neck.
So I’m suffering, and you’re making acorn jewelry?
Fuming, I grabbed the necklace off his neck and shoved the acorn in my mouth, chewing hard with magic.
“Kyuuuk! My acorn!”
Ross collapsed like a melted candle.
“I spent ten hours finding the prettiest one…!”
He wailed, staring sorrowfully at the broken shell pieces.
To be fair, he wasn’t wrong.
I was still a Demon King, but my powers were sealed by a curse — weaker than a human baby.
So Ross couldn’t stay in human form for long either.
“Hmph. Time to change plans.”
“…Eh?”
“First, we do good deeds. The people here don’t like me, so I must become their chingny.”
“…What’s a chingny?”
I looked at the sprawled squirrel with disdain.
“You don’t know chingny? It’s the chingny plan!”
The old “attract customers” trick.
Long ago, I’d joined a circus for fun and learned how to draw in crowds.
Show a small trick to lure one person, then a grander trick, then ask for promotion.
Word spread, and within a week, the circus was booming.
That’s what I would do.
“….”
“First, call Siphon!”
“Kyuuu!”
Ross, startled, shot up and bolted from the room, crying.
Not even a flying squirrel, yet he sure moved fast.
Siphon came running at once when called.
She seemed even more loyal now that her brother had recovered.
“So… a maid with a problem?”
I explained my request while she brought in a fancier breakfast than usual.
She made a puzzled face.
“Yes, but no saving the dying. Just someone sick, or strange, maybe?”
“…Hmm.”
She seemed troubled by the sudden request.
“And they mustn’t dislike me too much.”
“Ah… that’s a little hard.”
Her firm refusal at my second request stung a bit.
Still, maybe it was good she felt more comfortable around me.
“…Then just one person. Even if they dislike me.”
I held up a single finger.
Siphon frowned slightly as she fixed my hair.
“One person? I can think of someone who’s had trouble lately…”
She trailed off, tying my hair half-up.
“Yes, I’m a genius. I can help! Heal, even avenge! Take this.”
I grabbed Ross by the scruff as he was making another acorn necklace and tossed him to Siphon.
“Kyut?!”
“Srunotti? Etti ni etti. Trutika pharani bhanakti.”
(“Heard that? Go find them. Fail, and I smash the acorn.”)
I rolled the unfinished acorn necklace Ross had dropped in my hand.
It was so big it barely fit in my small palm.
“Eeek.”
Ross squeaked, clinging to Siphon’s shoulder.
“Fine, then this body…”
I sighed deeply and hopped up. I would go to the temple.
With the outing pass I’d received earlier, leaving the Duke’s estate was easy.
Some looked curious I was going alone, but no one asked where I was going.
No one cared enough to assign an attendant — convenient, though it showed my status clearly.
Finding the way was simple.
I just grabbed someone’s sleeve.
Big eyes, bright smile, finger to lips, head tilted.
“Excuse me! Where’s the temple?!”
“Oh my, why are you going to the temple?”
“To find my Daddy! Hehe.”
“Your father’s there?”
“Yes! He doesn’t know the way, so I must go!”
My words made people blush, patting my cheeks, laughing warmly.
“My, such a brave errand. Go straight, then turn right. You’ll see a big, white building.”
They must have thought me a child on my first errand, for they were kind.
“Take this, be careful.”
They even gave me two cookies.
“Wow, thank you!”
I ate one cookie, holding the other in both hands, and kept going.
Along the way, I asked more people, and each gave me something — cookies, candies, fruit.
By the time I reached the temple, my pockets were stuffed.
My cheeks, hands, and pockets all bulged.
Getting inside wasn’t hard.
The temple bustled with worshippers, and the guards ignored anyone not suspicious. I slipped in among the crowd.
“Phew, where is it?”
Next, I had to find the prayer room.
If there was a holy relic inside, it would be perfect for threats.
Gods were stubborn; ordinary threats wouldn’t make them appear.
‘The prayer room… where could it be?’
Esther toddled through the bright white temple halls.
