Chapter 76
Honestly, it was difficult to answer when asked like that.
It wasn’t that he disliked the place—but there were just way too few people around.
“Uh… uh, Es… I miss Grandma… and Grandpa too…”
If she had been asleep for five years, Marie Egbert would have collapsed again, wouldn’t she?
Originally, the plan had been to go to the land where a half-hearted pact had been made about a year later and resolve things—but that plan was shattered into pieces.
All that had changed was her body size.
“And… um, I miss my uncle too…”
Even that person who always called her “niece” was starting to feel a little nostalgic.
Still, no matter how you looked at it, living like this on a deserted island was too much.
“Uh, and… Aaron and Dylan too…”
As she named them one by one, Kaelos’s expression gradually darkened.
Seeing the way his lips pressed into a straight line made it even more awkward to speak.
‘And… what happened to Hakan Egbert?!’
There were too many things she was curious about.
Unable to voice the question, Esther only cast a subtle glance.
“Grandma… hasn’t collapsed again?”
“…What did you say?”
“I… I thought she might have collapsed again… someone said ‘uh-uh’ from the sky…”
“…Yes. Your mother collapsed not even a year after you passed out.”
She had expected as much.
It had been only a temporary measure to wake her up, but now it was awkward.
She had barely started to feel some closeness, yet Ernhart Egbert would surely still think of her as a fraud.
‘The work is piling up…’
She had just wanted the easiest, fastest shortcut, but now it felt like she had tripped along the way and ended up with a five-year recovery.
“…Weren’t you going to the capital soon?”
At Freya’s words, Kaelos slowly nodded, though he didn’t seem too eager.
“Yes. I can’t delay the extermination mission any longer, so I’ll have to go.”
“Couldn’t you take her along for a while then?”
“…….”
Mom, hang in there!
Mom, hang in there!
Esther quietly cheered in her heart.
She could see Kaelos hesitating, unsure of how to answer.
But it didn’t last long.
As Freya’s lips stiffened, his own opened hastily.
“…Very well. Esther, if we need to go to the capital soon, we’ll go together.”
“Great!”
Esther immediately raised her hand.
“On the condition that we promise to come back afterwards.”
“Yes!”
This was better than nothing.
“We’ll go once your strength returns somewhat. Walking is too hard otherwise.”
“Understood.”
“My child answers well, doesn’t she?”
“Well, I am a genius after all!”
Esther smiled confidently at the endless praise.
“Then you’ll need to eat plenty of vegetables and exercise regularly too.”
“Hmm… I prefer meat.”
Esther’s reluctant comment was met with the same gentle expression.
“You can eat both meat and vegetables together.”
“…….”
Surprisingly tactful.
But it wasn’t wrong, so Esther nodded absentmindedly in agreement.
“You’re good and amazing, our Esther.”
She presented small pieces of meat with large salad vegetables toward Esther.
“Well… I am a genius after all!”
Esther opened her small mouth, accepted the food, and ate it quickly.
For some reason, she felt like a fish that had been tricked into a trap.
“Ross.”
As soon as Esther called, a magic circle appeared in midair, and a small squirrel popped out, instantly transforming into human form.
“Maasterrrr!”
Esther, seated on the bed, staggered backward under the sudden weight.
“I’ve been waiting for you to call! Are you alright? Whew, I was so scared I’d lose you again.”
“Uh… yes.”
Esther lightly tapped Ross’s curly hair. It felt soft as ever.
“How is your body? Are you okay?”
“Except for the lost strength… I’m fine.”
“I’m so relieved. I missed you so much. Really…”
Esther, listening quietly, pursed her lips into a small circle.
What felt like a trivial moment to her turned out to matter a lot to someone else.
“You must have known I would wake up.”
“Yes, but… I was worried.”
Ross, nestled in Esther’s arms, had no intention of letting go for a long while.
“Get down now, it’s tiring.”
“Waaaah, I don’t want to! I don’t!”
“I said it’s tiring. We’ll do more later.”
“Noooo!”
“…….”
Esther snatched the acorn hanging from Ross’s neck and squeezed it.
“Kyaa! Ah, no!”
“You’re climbing again, huh?”
“Fine, I admit it, Master!”
When she began channeling magic to forcibly crush the acorn, Ross quickly jumped back and knelt.
“Do you enjoy getting hit? If you like it, I can do it as much as you want…”
“No! I’m sorry!”
Narrowing her eyes, Esther clicked her tongue and tossed the acorn.
Ross quickly caught it and hung it back around his neck.
“What about Raxsa?”
“That demon… ah, she’s coming.”
“Really? You know where?”
“Yes, Master’s strength has grown, so followers can sense each other!”
Ross said proudly. Esther fell silent.
“I can’t feel her.”
“Uh… um.”
Ross tilted his head at her question.
“That’s probably…”
Ross slowly drew out the word.
“Probably?”
“Isn’t it because Master is too weak?!”
“…….”
Crack!
The well-kept acorn splintered with a crunch, scattering into dust.
“Kyuuu?!”
Ross looked dumbfounded for a moment, then slowly lifted her head.
“Ma…Master…?”
Seeing her frozen, mouth agape, Esther smiled sharply.
“Strong, then weak… am I a rubber band?”
“Ah, no… that’s just… your body got weaker… though you have more mana, you can’t even walk!!”
Ross protested fiercely with teary eyes.
Esther finally realized what he meant—but it was too late. The acorn was already dust.
“So speak properly, so there’s no misunderstanding.”
“Try asking!”
“What…? You want me to destroy your entire acorn stash?”
“Waaaah… Master, I love you…”
Ross quickly curled her tail.
It was clear she barely imagined she could ever beat Esther.
Before she could speak further, Esther’s door opened.
“Lady Esther.”
“Ah, Raxsa.”
He entered, lightly nudged Ross who was collecting the acorn debris, and strode to kneel before Esther.
Taking her hand, he pressed his forehead gently to her knuckles.
“Sigh… seeing you grow so excellently makes me truly happy. Soon, you will become a mighty Demon Lord and stand tall above the skies of the Demon Realm.”
The one above the sky is the god, not her.
Esther frowned slightly, thinking he was saying something absurd.
This minion really doesn’t know when to stop being dramatic.
“Stop the nonsense.”
“Nonsense? My heart is not at ease. If you grow a little more and kill your parents with those hands, you will certainly become a great figure.”
Esther flinched slightly.
Her cold golden eyes subtly met Raxsa’s gaze.
“So cherish your human parents, Lady Esther. The more you value them, the more they value you… the more it will strengthen you on the day of your awakening.”
“…I know.”
After a long silence, Esther replied in a low voice.
“I’m already treating my parents well. I’ll lift the curse too. Don’t meddle in my affairs.”
“Yes, I know… this humble servant was just worried unnecessarily. You are already very excellent, Lady Esther.”
Despite her harsh words, Raxsa bowed obediently.
“You must have many questions. Ask me anything, and I will answer.”
“Alright.”
Esther forced thoughts of Kaelos and Freya from her mind.
“I’m curious about many things, but the urgent matter is my mother’s curse. Do you know anything about it?”
Raxsa smiled faintly and nodded.
“Of course, I know well. One of my specialties is punitive curses.”
Esther frowned slightly.
“You really… have some strange tastes…”
Raxsa widened his eyes at her pale expression, then frantically shook his head.
“…No, Lady Esther. You always misunderstand me, and it breaks my heart.”
Though “misunderstanding” aside, his tastes were definitely weird.
As Esther’s eyes narrowed, he dramatically clutched his chest.
“It feels as though my heart is being torn apart, Lady Esther.”
“Oh, I’d love to see that.”
“…Good heavens, what a truly… Demon Lord-like statement.”
No matter what she said, this sycophant still returned fawningly.
This guy was definitely completely insane.
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