Chapter : 18
A warm afternoon.
In the tower, now enjoying unprecedented peace, various sounds could be heard.
On the top floor of the tower, Angela was tinkering with an artifact, making little cracking noises.
In the backyard, Lian was watering the vegetable patch.
And near the cabin, Velix was chopping firewood.
Among all these sounds, the most interesting one came from the basement.
“Once upon a time, long ago… there lived a baby duck who couldn’t wake up from its egg.”
In the tower’s basement, in a study filled with stacks of storybooks, Boseok-i was reading a picture book to Luru.
As Luru’s tiny hands turned the page, the next line continued:
“The baby duck was ready to be born, but it stayed snug inside its egg, because the world was scary. Snug, snug!”
“Sn, snug!”
Luru’s little bottom wiggled with delight.
Ah, what a thrilling onomatopoeia for a four-year-old.
“Come on out, baby duck! Come into the world and play with Luru! Snug, snug!”
Boseok-i’s lips curved in a satisfied smile.
There was nothing more enjoyable than the active reaction of a reader.
“The sun, who was taking a walk, asked the baby duck: If you’re scared to come into the world, why don’t you write a bucket list?”
“What’s a bucket list?”
But the story abruptly ended due to Luru’s question.
“To a curious young hero, a treasure trove of knowledge! A bucket list is a list of things you want to do before you die.”
“Before I die? Things I want to do?”
“Exactly. For example, wishes or dreams.”
“Yoho…”
Her big eyes sparkled with interest.
“Shall I try making a bucket list too?”
Before Boseok-i could even answer, Luru closed the storybook, opened a drawer, and pulled out crayons and paper.
“Hmm hmm~ hmm~.”
She lay on her round belly on the cushion and began drawing.
Boseok-i, hanging precariously near her chin, watched in awe.
“Oh, my god. Such amazing artistic sense. These squiggly, bumpy worms… reminiscent of surrealism…”
“It’s letters.”
“Letters, huh!”
“But Luru doesn’t know how to write letters, so she drew pictures instead.”
“Then they’re pictures!”
“I said letters!”
“My god!”
Boseok-i was left speechless at the nonsense.
Regardless, the child, immersed in her bucket list, hummed while explaining:
“Luru will grow to 8 meters and travel with Ungni, defeat villains who bother Ungni, go on picnics with the knight and Lian…”
And then…
“…who my mom and dad are…”
Her pen, which had been casually moving, stopped.
“My temporary master, why so?”
Startled, Boseok-i looked up.
Clutching the pen, Luru frowned seriously.
“…Actually, I’m curious about who my mom and dad are.”
Of course, just having her sister was enough to make Luru happy.
Thanks to Angela, who was very expressive in showing affection, she didn’t feel much longing for her parents. But sometimes…
“…Why did they come now? I was really scared! Waaah!”
Like when the knight hugged Lian.
“Do not worry, young hero. Even if you lose your memories, your body remembers your master.”
Boseok-i had wondered about her parents when she first learned that her master was a dragon.
Maybe she wanted to see them.
She had always imagined two giant dragons flying through the sky with a baby dragon between them.
“You ask Ungni if you don’t know.”
Finally, her long-held curiosity exploded.
“Yippee!”
The little dragon stomped her feet, rose lightly, and went up the Odo stairs to find Angela on the third floor.
The third floor was her sister’s workshop.
Papers for spells stacked busily.
Faded magical stones and dusty books.
“Huh? Our little salamander, what’s up?”
Angela, who had been examining something closely, lifted her gaze from the microscope.
Clenching her fists, Luru shouted:
“Ungni, hey! Have you ever seen Luru’s mom and dad?!”
“…Huh? Suddenly?”
“Ung! I’m Mari now, your rice grain! So, I want to know what my mom and dad look like!”
Angela looked puzzled, unsure how a four-year-old could be connected to her parents, but Luru’s eyes shone brighter than ever.
“Ah… right. Yes.”
What could she do?
Angela pretended to fumble her chin, then seemed to remember something and spoke.
“Ah… Luru’s parents… went on a journey.”
“A journey? Without Luru?”
Seeing the child’s eyebrows droop in disappointment, Angela quickly added:
“It’s not an ordinary journey. It’s a journey to save other children.”
“Other children…?”
“Yes. You have your parents and your sister, right? But in the world, there are many children without parents or siblings.”
Luru knew that.
Most of the Black Lake unit friends had lost their families.
“So, since your parents are heroes, they went on a long journey to save those children. Before leaving, they entrusted you to your sister because you’re still little.”
“Mom and Dad are really awesome…”
Luru was completely absorbed in Angela’s words.
In her mind, two adult dragons proudly soared through the sky, carrying children on their backs.
“When will Mom and Dad come back?!”
“After saving the children.”
“Huh?!”
The uncertain answer made Luru take a few steps back.
“Saving weak and kind people is a hero’s destiny. You’re a hero too, so you understand, right?”
Curious about when her parents could return, her quiet heart thumped.
“Kr, krik!”
The immense momentum made Luru clutch her chest.
“Young hero! Are you alright?”
Indeed.
Though young, Luru was a hero.
“If that’s the case…”
Huff. She took a deep breath and lifted her head resolutely.
“…Luru can wait until my parents return.”
“Yes, that’s my child.”
“Until my parents come back, I’ll grow big and strong!”
“Yes. Fly across the distant sky, shoot flames freely whenever I want, and become a magnificent dragon while staying in the tower…”
Whirr.
At that moment, an uneasy vibration came from Angela’s pocket.
Angela, who had just nuzzled Luru’s cheek, quickly checked her pocket.
The alarm artifact was going off.
Luru and Angela rushed out of the tower.
Fortunately, thanks to Velix, the situation had already been handled.
“This is already the fifth one.”
“Assassins are coming periodically. As if they’re certain someone lives in the tower.”
The alarm artifact was triggered by assassins who had appeared a few weeks ago.
The first assassin was discovered by Angela while walking in the forest.
Since then, one by one, they appeared, as if following orders.
It was strange.
If the king had sent someone to capture Angela and Luru, it would have been knights, not assassins.
At that moment…
Click.
Beneath serious adults, Luru, kneeling, pressed the cheek of a fainted assassin.
A flustered Lian quickly grabbed her small hand.
“Luru, don’t touch that! What if they open their eyes suddenly?”
“They’ll be a villain if they do. Boseok-i will shoot flames at them, right?”
“…True. A burning ritual is more painful than just killing them, and no corpse remains.”
“Bu-burning… what?”
Luru blinked her round eyes.
“What’s that? People disappear if burned?”
“Huh? Did you say that without knowing?”
“Hmm. Because when Luru shoots flames at the knight’s face… uh!”
Oops.
Luru covered her mouth with her wide-open hand.
Lian, realizing the situation late, frowned.
“What did you do to my brother…?”
“L-Luru… I need to go to the bathroom.”
“Wait! The conversation isn’t over yet!”
While Lian chased the pure mischief running away, a strong hand grabbed the thickly furred leg and pulled.
Velix dragged the unconscious assassin somewhere.
Soon, when the children could neither see nor hear him, he tied the man to a wooden pillar with rope.
Velix and Angela worked well together.
Meanwhile, Angela, who had quickly returned to the tower, poured water over the assassin’s body.
