Chapter : 09
Their reunion was almost impossible to watch without tears.
Finding his only sibling after four years, Velix collapsed the moment he hugged Lian.
He couldn’t even speak properly.
“…I thought you were dead, Lian… Why are you here…?”
The younger brother he thought had died was alive and well.
But those four years had changed so much about him.
The hair that maids once kept neatly trimmed was now clumped and greasy, as if it hadn’t been washed in ages.
His bare toes were blistered, his hands rough and calloused.
The dress shirt he wore—who knew when he’d gotten it—had its cuffs torn and was dulled to a dusty gray.
The broad back embracing the boy trembled helplessly.
Velix cried like a child.
And then, the corners of Lian’s eyes—frozen stiff like ice—gradually turned red.
Lian still couldn’t quite believe this was real.
But seeing his brother sobbing, he found himself shedding large, round tears of his own.
“…Why did you take so long to find me? I was so scared! Waaaah!”
Lian buried himself into his brother’s arms.
Seeing their leader cry for the first time, the children watching from the side also found their eyes growing red.
At last, you have found Lian. One who has broken through prejudice and hardship—you have the makings of a hero! Blessings upon this young hero!
The little jewel dangling from the necklace wailed.
But Lulu, ignoring it, sniffled as she watched the two brothers.
So that’s what family is…
Her nose tingled without her realizing, and she sniffed hard.
If Lulu met her mom and dad… would she cry like the knight?
She wasn’t sure.
She had no memories of ever being with her parents.
Her earliest memory was crying in the Shadow Forest.
But Lulu has Oongni.
So, there was no need to cry.
She was busy wiping the snot from her upper lip when she heard the sound of someone standing up nearby.
It was Velix, who had finally poured out all the emotions he’d kept bottled up.
“Your name is Lulu, right?”
At his suddenly gentler tone, Lulu and Lian both answered at once.
“Yes? Yes! I’m Lulu!”
“Mm. Lulu.”
Velix walked toward her.
Even as he kept hold of Lian’s hand, he willingly knelt down to meet Lulu’s eyes for the first time.
“I should have listened to you back then instead of just getting angry. I’m sorry.”
“…Oh?”
The knight is apologizing.
Lulu’s eyes went wide.
“And thank you. You’re the one who really found Lian.”
“I saw you calling out to Lian in your sleep. When I saw that, I really wanted to find him.”
Velix said nothing, but Lulu knew.
His eyes toward her were different now.
…The knight doesn’t see me as just a dragon anymore.
And this time, he even called her by name.
* * *
What were the chances that the little boy stealing bread was actually the youngest son of Duke Cardin?
When the news spread that this story—like something out of a novel—was true, the whole village of Shedome was thrown into an uproar.
“Whoa. Then the boss is a noble?”
After Velix the Duke’s visit, Count Belton quickly established a security force and an orphanage in the village.
The temporary orphanage was nothing more than a shabby hut, but—
“There’s even a fireplace inside! This is awesome!”
The children were overjoyed.
At that moment, Max, the boy leader of the group, wore a bitter expression.
“So… I guess the boss will be going back to the duke’s castle now?”
“Go back? No way. I’m staying with you guys until the end!”
“…You have to go back to the castle.”
Velix corrected Lian’s unrealistic claim.
Of course, Lian ignored him completely and just hugged his friends.
Meanwhile—
I wanna be part of that too…
Standing next to Angela, Lulu glanced over at her friends busy hugging each other.
Then, shuffling closer bit by bit, she slipped her arms around Max’s back.
“Oongni, bye-bye! Lulu has friends now too!”
“Of course! Lulu, you come here too.”
Thankfully, Max pulled the left-out Lulu into the group.
Lulu is touched…!
“That’s right. If Lulu hadn’t stepped up this time, Lian would never have met the duke.”
“…Huh?”
“And you shared your warm fire with us. Thanks to you, Ellie’s frostbite healed.”
“Eh?!”
As the conversation’s focus shifted entirely onto Lulu—
“…Ahem! Lulu’s a good dragon, so… she just did what she should.”
With the spotlight on her, Lulu turned as red as a tomato.
“…Tomatoes are yummy. If they’re tasty, then bananas…”
She scratched her nose awkwardly, letting her thoughts wander elsewhere—
“Lulu. We actually prepared something for you.”
Was the real event just starting now?
The children suddenly looked shy.
Something better than a hug?!
Lulu’s ears perked up.
“Prepared something? What is it?”
“We wanted to give you a present, but we didn’t have money… so we made a song for you instead.”
A song?!
“Should we sing it now?”
When the excited Lulu nodded vigorously, the children exchanged glances and cleared their throats.
And—
“Warm fire melts the cold~. Melts colds, melts frozen meat~.”
Huh?!
“Baby dragon—”
“Wait! Since Lulu’s a dragon in secret, can we change it to salamander?”
“Oh, right! Sorry!”
At Angela’s request, the song was quickly edited.
“Baby salamander melts the cold~. Melts colds, a kind friend, baby salamander~.”
A beat that made your hips sway!
A melody that tugged at the heartstrings!
Even the lyrics were moving!
Lulu wiped away the tears that slipped out.
“…Guys, thank you so, so much! I’ll never forget this song for as long as I live!”
It was a moment when the bonds of the Black Lake Squad grew even stronger.
“Kids. Now that the song’s over, want to see this?”
Angela, smiling warmly, suddenly stepped in and handed them something.
“…What’s this?”
“A teddy bear.”
“A toy?!”
“It’s a toy!”
“Don’t get too excited, it’s not just one. I spent all my spare money to buy a bunch so you can each have one.”
“Wow! You’re the best, princess!”
“But I do want our friends to do something for Lulu in return…”
“I’ll do it! Absolutely!”
“If it’s for Lulu, I don’t even need the teddy bear!”
Angela’s smile deepened at their response.
“My, you cuties. Then if you see any suspicious strangers in the village, can you press the teddy bear’s paw?”
“What happens if we press it?”
“If you do, Lulu’s mouse doll will move. That way, we’ll know ahead of time that there’s danger.”
“Wow. That’s amazing!”
“Angela’s a mage, you know. This teddy bear is a magic doll.”
“Woooow! A magic doll!”
Angela quickly handed them out to the children, who were as excited as stampeding buffalo.
When they all poured out of the room like the tide going out, Lulu and Lian were left hugging each other alone.
“That’s funny.”
“Yeah, it is.”
The room suddenly felt warm.
Was it because of the fireplace burning brightly from Lulu’s fire?
No.
The real warmth came from the sound of the children’s laughter gathered around the Flame “Achoo.”
“Mhm.”
A satisfied sigh escaped Lulu’s small lips.
It had been a happy day for everyone.
* * *
“Baby salamander melts the cold~. Melts colds, a kind friend, baby salamander~.”
“Lulu, wash your hands before playing.”
“’Kay~.”
Still caught in the lingering mood of the mega-hit song, Lulu hummed as she scrubbed her hands clean.
Now her friends had warm homes to live in, and Lian had reunited with his family.
A true happy ending!
Back in the tower’s basement, Lulu wore a smug expression.
“Lulu’s a good dragon now.”
Her confident voice echoed through the room.
With her hands on her hips, even her round baby belly seemed to nod in agreement.
But—
“…Hmm?”
There was something bothering the little hero.
“Lulu became a hero, but fairy tale books still say dragons are bad.”
Yes.
Lulu had changed, but the library hadn’t.
“…In that case, Lulu will just have to make her own fairy tale book.”
She pulled out crayons and a sketchbook from the drawer, ready to start drawing when—
Young dragon, the time has come to call you a young hero.
The jewel in Lulu’s pocket spoke in awe.
“Oh. Jewel?”
Come to think of it, she had completely forgotten about Jewel after finding Lian for the knight.
It had been Jewel who’d asked her to save Lian in the first place!
“Just like you said, Lulu found Lian. Now Lulu’s a good dragon, right?”
Pleased to finally have someone to boast to, Lulu picked up Jewel and wiggled the corners of her mouth.
Indeed. Therefore, I shall proclaim it here and now. Young hero, before that—will you formally tell me your name?
In a suddenly serious tone, Jewel asked Lulu for her name.
