~Chapter 22~
“….”
This was not an ordinary storage room that could be passed by casually.
It was the contact point that the spy kid had written about.
The employee wearing a flamboyant striped suit near the door was…
‘A fellow spy?’
Knox put the monocle he was wearing into his jacket pocket and approached him.
“Have you seen a 5-year-old child? Blonde hair, twin ponytails.”
“Oh. You mean the blonde girl wearing a dress?”
As expected, the employees seemed to know Aisha.
‘So they are indeed spies too.’
Knox let out a bitter laugh inside.
So she really had come here to play spy. It was an expected fact, yet somehow it felt strangely bitter.
“So you know her. Good. I am her guardian. Where is the child?”
But then—
“5,000 gold.”
The employee, smiling unpleasantly, suddenly demanded money.
“?”
Knox raised one eyebrow, confused.
“5,000 gold and I’ll hand over the child. We are keeping her right now.”
The employee whispered ominously.
“…Are you saying you kidnapped the child?”
“We are simply keeping a lost child safe. You should pay the price for it. Why are you so stingy…”
KABOOM—!
At that moment.
With a thunderous noise like an earthquake, the storage door suddenly burst open, and a frightened man bumped Knox’s shoulder while running out in panic.
“T-This is crazy…! The, the ability suppression device has been released! Emergency!”
Ability suppression device?
Knox frowned at those words.
“What? The ability suppression device was released? Why would it be released!”
The man, gaining confidence from Knox’s confusion, shouted.
“What about the other employees? Did you release the monsters?”
“If we release the monsters, everyone here will die, idiot!”
“T-That girl!”
While the employees were exchanging urgent words, Knox listened closely to every single one.
In this kingdom, the only known ice ability belonged to the Duke of Crost’s family.
Maintaining his businesslike expression, Knox felt goosebumps rise on the back of his neck.
‘…No way.’
Suddenly realizing something, Knox’s eyes flashed open.
As if possessed by a familiar energy, he stepped into the entrance of the storage room.
Ice crystals filled the entire wall surface.
Bang—!
“D-Do something about this monster!”
“Who released the ability suppression device?! Damn it!”
After I released Lucas’ ability restraint device.
The precarious situation became overwhelmingly advantageous for us to the point of feeling anticlimactic.
“Minnodle, stay right behind me.”
Could a young boy’s back look this reliable?
“Yes!”
I nodded vigorously and stuck close to Lucas’ back, standing on tiptoe to look over his shoulder.
The situation already seemed over.
Ice pillars were standing wildly throughout the dark room where the employees had been wandering.
It looked like a cave made of ice.
‘…Are you a powerhouse? Why are you so strong?’
There was not much detailed information in the original story since he was treated as already dead.
‘So this is the Crost ice ability. This is ridiculous.’
The branch family’s power, like Tex’s ability, was strong, but Lucas was on a completely different level.
At that moment—
“Shoot sleeping poison! Put them to sleep first!”
At someone’s order, a large man jumped out from behind the iron cage.
He was aiming an arrow containing a sleeping potion at us.
“Minnodle, dodge!”
Lucas, who had not fully grasped the situation behind him, stepped in front of me late.
Thwip—
“Kek.”
Just before the bowstring was drawn, the man suddenly collapsed.
A long needle was stuck in his neck.
After confirming that the man had fallen, I looked at Lucas who was standing protectively in front of me, almost as if he was ready to take the hit for me.
The eyelids that had been tightly shut slowly opened.
“…Minnodle?”
Although he instinctively tried to protect me, fear was still hidden in his gaze.
He’s not nice in personality, but he’s brave.
They really resemble Calips’ son.
“Sir, did you protect me?”
Feeling oddly grateful, I tilted my head.
“…Of course! It’s only natural to protect someone weaker than me… huh?”
He muttered, face turning bright red, then suddenly stopped.
Then he checked the man who had collapsed.
“Why did that guy fall?”
Soon he found the needle stuck in the man’s neck.
“I’m a former spy. I carry self-defense poison needles.”
Although there had been no chance to show it until now.
“Ta-da— Isn’t it cool?”
Look at this finish.
The grip is perfectly sized for a baby hand.
Smooth black color that is hard to notice!
A child-sized poison needle, if you please.
“…You.”
I tried to boast since we had safely escaped the dangerous situation thanks to me, but his brow slightly furrowed when he saw the poison needle.
Oops. Maybe boasting about being a spy was not a good idea.
“Hmm. I said I’m not a spy, but it was an emergency… Still, surviving is the most important thing!”
I panicked and stammered an excuse—
“I… will repay it…”
“…Huh?”
“…I will definitely repay this debt!”
Suddenly, Lucas jumped up from his seat and shouted.
“Eek.”
Unable to endure his momentum, I rolled over and fell forward.
“Are you okay?!”
“Yes. I’m fine…”
But just as I was about to say it—
Through my ear touching the cold floor, I heard the vibrations of people running and a weak groaning sound.
“…Ugh.”
I heard it again. This time it was definitely a fragile groan.
‘What is it?’
I quickly raised my head like a spring and saw a man who had been knocked down by Lucas’ attack.
And beneath his body—
“…….”
Bright purple eyes were clearly shining, looking at me.
“Meow—.”
It was a kitten.
“Meow—.”
A small kitten was trapped under the man.
“Aisha!”
I suddenly ran toward that side, and a startled Lucas hurriedly chased after me.
But I couldn’t take my eyes off the kitten and asked.
“Can you move the man a little?”
“What?”
“The man! There’s a baby kitten underneath him!”
“Uh!”
Startled by my words, Lucas turned his head to check the kitten.
Soon, he slowly raised an ice pillar under the man’s head.
Thanks to that, the man’s head was tilted like it was resting on a high pillow.
“Thank you!”
I lay flat on the floor and stretched my hands toward the kitten.
“Come here. It’s okay now.”
But the kitten only trembled and did not come out.
It seemed like a little of its fur was still trapped under the man’s body.
I moved a little closer and carefully used both small hands to pull the kitten out.
Soon, a small ball of fur was in my arms.
The moment I met the purple eyes shining in the darkness—
My body froze.
‘Aisha.’
When I had escaped into the sewer under the garden—
The desperate voice of the uncle calling me inside that dark cave echoed in my mind.
Was this how he felt when he found me?
“….”
The thought lasted only for a moment. First, the kitten mattered more.
I shook my head and suddenly held the kitten out to Lucas.
“Sir. Please save this baby kitten.”
“What?”
“Didn’t you say you would repay your debt? When you return to the duke’s castle, please save this child.”
Lucas’ mysterious eyes quietly looked at me.
He scratched the back of his neck.
“…I will protect weak lives, whether animal or human. That is what the Crost duchy should naturally do.”
It was clearly a positive answer, but the way he spoke was slightly ambiguous.
Was he surprised that I asked him to save the kitten as repayment?
Did he not like it?
‘If you’re going to repay the debt, why are you so lukewarm?’
Of course, I ignored Lucas and checked the kitten.
Its life was fading, but I could feel a faint warmth from its palm.
This child was probably captured as food for monsters too.
‘Seriously, where is there even anything to eat that they would kidnap such a tiny thing?’
Perhaps it had not been fed; the baby kitten was dried up and thin.
Its purple eyes, with hardened eye crusts, held a little wariness, but it seemed too weak to even hiss.
“Instead of that wish, how about you become my subordinate and stay in the duke’s castle…”
“Sir! The baby looks very cold.”
“Huh.”
He tried to stroke the kitten but stopped and hid his hand behind his back.
Probably because his body temperature had dropped due to his ability.
“I am cold, so you should hold it.”
“Okay.”
I stuffed the barely breathing ball of fur inside my clothes.
“Gyaang—”
The kitten let out a faint whimper as it felt uncomfortable inside, but it stopped resisting as it felt my warmth.
It had a peaceful face, as if this kind of warmth was something it had never felt before.
If I hadn’t found this child, it would have probably died alone on the cold floor.
Just like me, shivering alone before being found by Calips.
“….”
Looking at the tiny living creature, I suddenly thought of my past.
“Anyway, Minnodle.”
While I was lost in thought, Lucas called me.
“Let’s go again. You protect the kitten, and I’ll protect you.”
Saying that, he nodded.
Or rather, he tried to nod.
A huge shadow suddenly appeared behind his small shoulder.
At the same time, a sword shot upward.
“Just die already, you ability user!”
Lucas’ eyes widened in surprise.
In my mind, dozens of possibilities swirled in an instant.
Lucas dies and I survive.
Then I would lose trust and become alone again.
I save Lucas and die instead.
Then there would be no loss of trust, and I would not be alone.
“Sir!”
If I had to choose between the two—
‘Although they kindly adopted me out of pity, they probably won’t trust me. It was the young lady who lied first.’
Mai’s voice, which had sounded like criticism, pierced my mind like an arrow.
Because of that, I made up my mind.
Even if I died, I would save him.
“Aisha!”
