Chapter : 24
They couldn’t leave the forest, so their food supply became limited.
In the end, even the emergency jerky they had brought ran out, forcing the knights to hold an emergency meeting.
“What is this, Captain? Forget capturing a dragon, at this rate we’ll starve to death here!”
Del lightly smacked the complaining knight on the head.
“Ow!”
“Our families are waiting back in the capital, like little rabbits. You think we’re just going to die here? We’ll make it out alive no matter what.”
“And how exactly?”
It was then that—
“…Here, eat this.”
A small white hand reached out between the tall adult men.
The one holding the jerky was Chase.
“I don’t need it.”
“Your Highness, the last of the food must go to you. We’ll be fine.”
“Well… but if I don’t eat and starve, then that means… I could die, right?”
“We would starve before letting that happen.”
Ignoring Chase’s faint, hopeful question, Del shoved the jerky into his mouth.
“You’re still growing. Chew thoroughly and eat.”
Unfortunately, Del didn’t understand what Chase had been implying. He raised his brows and made sure Chase chewed the jerky.
Chomp, chomp.
In the end, flustered, Chase had no choice but to eat it.
The knights swallowed hard watching him.
Does it even taste good?
He didn’t know.
He couldn’t feel emotions, let alone taste.
Suddenly, annoyed with the act of chewing itself, Chase muttered blandly:
“…It’s so tiring.”
“What is, Your Highness?”
“Living.”
The noisy chatter instantly died down.
“W-we’re sorry for making things hard on you.”
“We beg your pardon, Your Highness! We should have secured a retreat sooner…”
Even if he was a bastard, he was still of royal blood.
While the knights stammered out apologies, Chase slipped away from the group with a bored expression.
I really do need to find the dragon and tick off something from my bucket list.
Truthfully, the thought of meeting the dragon again unsettled him.
Not only was the task itself troublesome, but when their hands had touched last time, a deep-sea terror had surged over him.
Still, with the 3rd Knight Order watching him, there was no chance of quietly dying unnoticed.
As much as I hate it… the dragon seems like my only answer.
If nothing else, he could at least pretend to fulfill the mission.
Lost in thought, the boy walked toward the tower.
“Kyahhh!”
A snarl rang out, and a horned rabbit leapt from the brush.
Its sharp little teeth sank into his pale arm—but Chase didn’t notice.
He couldn’t feel pain.
For a while, he just wandered around with the rabbit dangling from his arm.
“Oh.”
It was only when he realized the snarling sound was right beside him that he swung his arm and flung the creature away.
Thwack!
“Grrrk…!”
The horned rabbit hit a tree and scampered off angrily.
By then, Chase’s arm was a mess.
Does it look filthy?
He wouldn’t be able to wash for days in this place…
What if the dragon refused his request because he looked dirty?
Suddenly anxious, Chase rolled up his bloody shirt sleeve.
A little later.
Hiding one arm behind his back, Chase tossed a pebble at a shuttered window.
From the fourth floor, a round face popped out.
“Oh! Chayth!”
It was the dragon.
“I came to try the bucket list. But I don’t have any eggs right now, so… I can’t fry any.”
“Don’t worry! Lulu will give you one!”
The dragon gave him a confident thumbs-up and disappeared again.
From inside came voices:
“Unni! Lulu want egg fry!”
“There aren’t any eggs. We can’t leave the tower until the knights go.”
“Then cream bun?!”
“Lulu, cream buns need eggs, flour, sugar, and cream. If you want something, better to beg for fried eggs.”
“Eeehhhhh!”
“….”
Chase closed his eyes, listening to the dragon’s whining.
Do dragons… throw tantrums like normal kids?
Doubting for a moment, he shook his head.
No, that tantrum was anything but normal.
Indeed, even whining, the dragon’s cries were louder and stronger than any human child.
When the racket ended, the dragon poked his horned head back out.
“Sorry, egg fry is closed! No eggs!”
“Closed? Then I can’t do the bucket list?”
“Nope! Not like that! Lulu has plan!”
There was a rustling, and soon a basket tied to a rope was lowered down in front of Chase.
“Lulu only has this… but this will check one bucket list off!”
Chase peered inside.
It was a very old-looking bread roll.
Harder than frying five eggs… this is definitely higher difficulty.
But it didn’t matter.
Looking up with determination, he asked:
“If I eat this, does it count as completing the egg fry?”
“Hmmm… I guess it can, since it’s an emergency.”
The dragon puffed his cheeks irritably but still nodded.
“Fine.”
It was dry, tough, and probably smudged with the dragon’s fingerprints.
Not like I can feel pain anyway.
Chase bit into it without hesitation.
After a few chews, his face froze.
“…This taste.”
“How is it? Yummy?!”
“…”
Chase’s brows furrowed.
“Lulu hid it in the drawer a week ago to eat secretly… but gave it to you special.”
“It’s disgustingly awful.”
“Whaaat?!”
He was serious.
Chase spat it out.
It was the worst bread he had ever tasted.
“This time it’s not bread! It’s green onions! Lulu grew them in the back garden, super fresh!”
“They’re fresh, but too pungent. The white part is layered and slimy, annoying to chew.”
“This is spinach! Lian gathered and grew it!”
“Tastes like grass. Not as stringy as the onions, but makes me feel like a goat.”
“Huuuuh…”
At his cold reviews, Lulu puffed her cheeks like a pufferfish.
But what was strange was this—
Even while criticizing, Chase kept asking her for more food.
…Normally, if Lulu eats something gross, she spits it out immediately.
Yet Chase’s eyes sparkled brighter each time he ate something unappetizing.
“This time, Lulu will give really delicious food…!”
If Chase ate something delicious, he would surely be even happier.
So Lulu made up her mind.
For the sake of saving one boy, she would do something a little bad.
The great plan: Sneaking meat!
Morning.
She was eating with her sister, Lian, and the knight, sharing a pleasant meal.
“Looks like they still haven’t cleared the trees?”
“From what I see, probably not. Shadow Forest wood is too hard to cut with swords—it’ll take days.”
“They’re probably starving outside. Without strength, I wonder if they can even clear it.”
The adults kept chatting. Perfect timing!
With wide innocent eyes, Lulu slipped the meat from her plate into the pouch under the table.
Then, chewing one bite, she cried out loudly:
“Yummy!”
Hehe, maybe Lulu was a little rascal after all?!
Of course, the adults barely reacted.
“Princess, are you… worried about the knights?”
“No, but if they starve to death, that’s its own problem.”
“They’re knights. They’ll cut the trees before they ever starve.”
Glancing around once more, Lulu tilted her plate and dropped more meat into her pouch.
“Y-yummy meat!”
“Lulu, we know it’s tasty, but eat quietly.”
“Heeeng…”
Scolded unintentionally, Lulu smirked to herself.
Now I can give Chase something delicious!
After finishing, Lulu hurried back to her room, stuffed the pouch of meat into a basket, and lowered it out the window by rope.
“Today Lulu secretly brought meat! It’s horned rabbit meat! You must say it’s yummy, okay?”
These days, Chase always peeked out beneath the tower at lunchtime.
So surely he was there now too—
“Lulu! Can you come out for a moment?”
Her sister’s voice called from outside, making Lulu’s head snap around.
