Chapter 82…
The moment she opened her eyes, a flash of white streaked across Ellie’s vision.
Crackle—BOOM!
With hardly a pause, a sound like a fruit splitting apart burst through the air, followed by a tremendous roar that shook her entire body.
It was thunder and lightning.
‘That scared me.’
Having been jolted awake, Ellie pressed a hand against her pounding chest and looked out the window.
The night sky, once black and studded with twinkling stars, was now smothered by heavy storm clouds.
A bright blue bolt of lightning tore apart the darkness where no stars or moon could be seen.
BOOOOM!
This time she didn’t jump—she’d been watching.
Ellie was not particularly afraid of thunder and lightning.
In the forest, thunderstorms and heavy rains were common. Sometimes lightning struck the tree next to their cabin and split it into pieces.
At first she used to tremble in fear at the loud sounds, but thanks to her brother’s calm attitude, Ellie gradually stopped being scared.
‘It’s just a natural phenomenon. Happens when low pressure meets high pressure. It’s like the sky clapping its hands. Or frying something. Maybe it’s making popcorn. Should we have popcorn tonight?’
Clapping wasn’t scary, nor was frying.
So thunder wasn’t scary either.
Eventually, stormy nights had naturally become “popcorn nights.”
‘I want popcorn…’
Or something fried.
Just thinking about it made her hungry, even though she had just woken up from sleep.
‘Still… it’s bedtime. I should sleep.’
Ellie forced her eyes shut and tried to sleep again.
But the lightning had no intention of letting her drift off.
Rrrrrumble… crackle… KWA-THUD!
There were simple “boom!” thunderclaps, but tonight the sounds were unusually crackly, like something frying.
It wasn’t normal popcorn either. It was the sound you heard when making popcorn soaked in butter or coated with caramel.
‘I’m hungry…’
Her hunger grew worse.
She hugged her stomach and tossed and turned, eventually opening her eyes again.
“Fabian… Juruna… you awake?”
“Snooore…”
“…Zzz…”
She softly called the two children, but only their deep breathing answered her.
A long day’s journey, the bandit commotion, and the unexpected stay at an inn due to the wagon breaking down—
It had been a tiring day.
Fabian and Juruna were not going to wake up.
Maybe Madam Laval was awake? But strangely, even Madam Laval was sprawled out, mouth open, fast asleep.
That was unusual. Madam Laval normally startled awake at the tiniest rustle and asked, “Do you need anything, princess?”
‘I shouldn’t wake them…’
They were all exhausted. It would be too cruel to wake them.
‘Hmm… what should I do?’
But Ellie couldn’t simply go back to sleep.
The more time passed, the clearer her mind became—and the hungrier she felt.
After a moment of hesitation, Ellie tiptoed to the door and slowly opened it.
“Your Majesty?”
“Shh.”
Lilkia was standing right outside the door.
Ellie quickly put a finger to her lips.
Lilkia’s eyes instantly sharpened.
‘Is something inside? An intruder?’
It was her instinctive reaction—Lilkia was always alert when it came to protecting Ellie.
‘No, no, no!’ Ellie shook her head and mouthed the words.
She glanced back nervously, but thankfully everyone inside continued sleeping soundly.
Ellie squeezed herself through the door crack.
She felt like she was sneaking out on a secret mission.
“What’s wrong?”
“I got hungry.”
“…Ah.”
That was better news than hearing an intruder had slipped in… much better.
“At this hour? You woke up hungry?”
“Yeah. The thunder sounds made me want popcorn. And fried food.”
“…Hooh.”
Oddly enough, it made sense.
Lilkia could surprisingly understand Ellie’s logic.
She had never connected thunder with food before, but now that Ellie said it, the resemblance to popcorn popping couldn’t be denied.
But was it right to eat that buttery, carb-heavy snack in the middle of the night?
“They say if you eat delicious food, it’s good for your body and your heart!”
Her brother said so.
Of course, he made it up.
But it was true that a stable mood helped stabilize one’s mana.
Therefore, eating popcorn would stabilize her mana and be good for her body.
Perfect logic.
Ellie admired her own reasoning.
Moments like this made her feel like a genius.
Crackle-crackle—CRACK!
Thunder rumbled again like applause.
“Doesn’t it sound like the thunder is saying ‘butter, butter’?”
“…….”
Lilkia’s resolve wavered.
She had only just finished her short shift on night watch, and exhaustion weighed on her body and mind.
She, too, needed something comforting.
“Th-then… just for tonight…”
Lilkia finally succumbed to Ellie’s temptation.
Hand in hand, they went downstairs to the inn’s dining area, where a few people were still seated.
Everyone had gone to bed early due to exhaustion, but it wasn’t that late yet.
“Do you need anything?” the innkeeper asked, recognizing Ellie.
“Yes! Popcorn!”
“…Popcorn?”
“The sky’s making popcorn noises.”
“Oh? Oh—oooh!”
The innkeeper’s eyes lit up.
He had special rainy-day menu items, but popcorn wasn’t one of them.
Still, the young lady’s idea was brilliant.
“How did you even think of such a dish? Butter’s rich aroma, the crunchy texture that cuts through damp weather, the popping sound when cooking—perfect for a stormy night like this. I’ll make it right away!”
He hurried into the kitchen.
Soon, the buttery smell of frying corn filled the entire dining hall.
“Sniff sniff… what’s that smell?”
“Butter?”
“Smells like popcorn.”
Even the other guests began sniffing the air and glancing toward the kitchen.
Before long, the innkeeper returned carrying a massive sack of popcorn.
“Your popcorn is ready!”
“Th-this much?!”
“You have many people traveling with you, don’t you?”
This was more than enough for Ellie’s entire group.
And on top of taking a late-night order, he was being extremely generous.
“It’s a bribe,” the innkeeper whispered.
“Huh?” Ellie blinked.
“You won’t tell the lord that I haven’t been paying the proper taxes, right? He might have me hanged.”
Ellie’s eyes widened.
“Hanged?”
He could die?!
It was harsher than Ellie had ever imagined.
“If the lord feels spiteful, yes. If he decides to frame me, there’s nothing I can do.”
“That’s wrong.”
Even if someone committed a crime, falsely accusing them and killing them was unquestionably wrong.
“But that’s how the world works, miss.”
The innkeeper grinned as he pushed the giant sack of popcorn into Ellie’s hands.
Ellie accepted the popcorn bribe.
But now she wondered—had she done something wrong too?
Doing wrong, being punished, being forgiven—
The lines between them blurred. It was confusing.
‘My brother said the distinction between good and evil confuses even the gods. And who knows if gods even exist?’
If her brother didn’t fully understand it, Ellie certainly couldn’t.
“The innkeeper was just teasing,” Lilkia reassured the sulking Ellie. “Don’t worry about it too much.”
Ellie looked at her, puzzled.
“You’re not bothered by it?”
“People live like this.”
“……!”
Ellie was shocked at how indifferent Lilkia seemed.
“If it doesn’t harm others, people overlook small wrongdoings. They slip up sometimes, and everyone pretends not to notice.”
If it doesn’t harm others.
Lilkia had given Ellie a standard to think about.
If the innkeeper didn’t pay taxes properly, the lord would be harmed.
‘But… harmed?’
The lord was the one extorting people like a bandit and driving them to poverty.
Yet if the lord extorted less, Ellie would also receive less.
‘…Huh?’
Ellie gasped at the sudden realization.
This wasn’t someone else’s story. It was connected to her.
‘Am I the biggest villain on top?!’
Ellie was horrified.
She had never given any such order, but the money the lord extracted like a thief eventually flowed to Ellie.
Did that make her an accomplice?
The innkeeper was the one technically committing a crime, yet Ellie felt like she was the worst one.
‘Wait—huh? Huhhh?!’
Was this the right way to think?
Who was she supposed to consult?
The Minister of Justice? A royal advisor? …Duke Wheaton?
Was this about money, law, or ethics?
It was impossible to tell.
