Chapter : 11
“I didn’t fall like last time. Lulu has grown!”
Soon, her trembling legs landed firmly on the ground.
Lulu, pretending to grip a sword with a solemn expression, struck what she called her “Hero Pose.”
“Lulu won’t lose to the knights!”
Seeing this, Angela cried out—
“My little salamander!”
“Waaah!”
“When did you grow up so much? I have to get this moment painted into a portrait!”
With a leaf stuck to her cheek, she scooped Lulu into her arms.
“Hehe. Kyaaa! That tickles!”
Lulu burst out laughing under the barrage of kisses.
After enjoying a round of happy play,
the two flopped down in the middle of the monster-infested forest.
“Hehe… hehe.”
“Salamander, why are you laughing?”
“Unni ate Lulu’s cheek, so Lulu’s face went ‘hoooop’.”
“Oh my, is that so?”
“Yes!”
Unable to stop giggling, Lulu rubbed both cheeks with her chubby little hands.
The spots her sister had kissed still carried a ghostly ticklishness.
Even if the knights are guarding the forest entrance, as long as I’m with unni, I’m happy!
Even if she couldn’t leave the forest, Lulu was totally—
“Lulu, what should we do?”
—totally…
“They’ve put up barbed wire at the entrance, so I don’t think we’ll be able to get eggs or bread.”
“B-bread?!”
—totally in a state of emergency.
A short while later, in the kitchen.
“One, two, three…”
Angela’s shoulders drooped as she counted the loaves of bread.
“This should last two days. After that, we’re in trouble. I guess I’ll have to skip as many meals as I can.”
Through the slightly open kitchen door,
a pair of red eyes trembled as they secretly watched everything.
If there’s no bread? Unni will starve.
If she starves? She’ll be hungry.
If she’s hungry? She’ll… collapse!
Lulu’s mind buzzed with extreme scenarios as she looked at her sister’s frail back, which somehow seemed even smaller today.
Th-this is a super emergency…!
She felt dizzy just thinking about it and instinctively took a step back.
But she quickly shook her head, regaining her resolve.
Trials make heroes stronger!
Indeed—
In fairy tales, the gods always gave heroes trials to overcome.
Granted, she never imagined they’d be so petty as to mess with food supplies…
Lulu will solve everything!
Her faint little eyebrows rose with determination.
Lulu tiptoed up the stairs so as not to be caught, went into her room, and pulled something out of her pocket.
It was a jewel.
“Are you still asleep? Jewel, wake up.”
For reference, the jewel had fallen asleep in tears of joy after Rian met Velix.
Since then, she’d kept it in her pocket so it wouldn’t wake up, but…
It seemed like it had gone into hibernation.
But now was a state of emergency.
Lulu shook the jewel with all her might.
“Jewel, jewel, wake up!”
—…Mmm, a beautiful jewel is always a late riser…
“This isn’t the time for that—achoo!”
And then—
Snnnrrrt.
Without meaning to, Lulu sniffled, and snot dripped out.
—…?
The jewel cracked an eye open sluggishly—then shrieked.
—Good heavens, the dragon’s snot is pouring out like a waterfall!
“Oh, waterfall. Snot waterfall… so cool.”
Pleased by the sudden compliment, Lulu giggled.
—Where’s the handkerchief for snot emergencies?! We must wipe away this vile mucus that dares to block your breath!
“I know, snnrf!”
Or maybe… it wasn’t cool?
She had thought to admire it for a moment since it was called a waterfall, but…
Looking a little crestfallen, Lulu wiped her nose with a handkerchief.
The jewel finally relaxed.
—Anyway, young hero, there must be a reason you woke me from my slumber.
“Oh right!”
At the jewel’s question, Lulu’s imagination screeched to a halt.
She suddenly pictured her sister crying over the meager pieces of bread.
“Jewel, I found Rian and got him to meet the knight, right? But then Rian starved and caught a cold, so the knight got mad, you know?”
—Oh?
“So the knight went to the Shadowm Village’s chief and went bam on the desk, you know…”
After a long and jumbled explanation, the jewel nodded.
—So basically, you need to get food from the village, but can’t go out because the knights are guarding the gates.
“Exactly!”
The sharp-witted jewel neatly summarized the child’s rambling.
—Then you must sneak over a section of the fence where there are no knights.
“Can we do that? I looked through the telescope, and the fence is super tall.”
—Heh-heh.
A smug chuckle escaped from Lulu’s palm.
—Young hero, as long as I’m with you, there’s nothing to worry about.
“Huh?”
—Don’t you have a magnificent cloak that could cover even the sky itself?
Poof!
“Waaah!”
And with that—
A small pair of wings sprouted from her back. They didn’t cover the sky, but they were still there.
—Oh, heavens! Such a cruel size of wings for a hero facing a trial!
The jewel wailed at the sight of wings barely the size of Lulu’s palms.
But Lulu didn’t care and ran excitedly around the dark forest.
It might not have been a perfect dragon form, but—
“Lulu’s got wings for the first time! I’m so happy!”
For Lulu, who was experiencing everything for the first time, even this was a joy.
—Goodness, young dragon, was this your first time summoning wings?
“Hm? Uh-huh! Yup-yup!”
Flapping her arms like a bird, Lulu nodded.
—…Then it makes sense. Since it’s your first time, even with my power, this must be the best we can manage.
“Do you think I can still fly with these?”
—I’m not certain, but it’s too soon to give up without trying. Run, young hero!
“Vwoooom—!”
Encouraged by the jewel, Lulu flapped her little wings and dashed toward the fence.
At present, Lulu and the jewel had snuck out of the tower without Angela knowing.
Her sister wouldn’t approve, but if Lulu came back with food, maybe she’d be happy.
“Here it is. The knights are over there—so if Lulu climbs over here, it’s fine.”
In front of her stood a fence like a towering wall.
It was so tall even a grown man couldn’t easily scale it.
Lulu swallowed hard.
But she would succeed.
“Here I go, Jewel.”
—Leap with all your might, young hero!
“Hiyaaah!”
With a strange kiai, Lulu focused all her strength in her back, and the tiny wings began to flap.
“I—I’m flying! Lulu’s flying!”
—Ohhh, to witness my master’s first wingbeat… I shall treasure this forever!
Though she wobbled like a weak feather, Lulu strained to rise higher.
Her trembling fists tightened.
Her eyes squeezed shut from the rush of air—
And Lulu soared—
“Wow, I cleared the fence!”
—and then crash-landed spectacularly.
Thud!
“Gack.”
One minute later—
Lulu, who had been lying face-down as if dead, slowly lifted her torso.
“Ooow…”
—Are you all right?!
Her knees and palms burned like fire.
Scraped on the dirt, her knees looked like they’d been clawed by a cat.
And then—
Gasp. Blood.
When she saw the red trickle on her palm, the sting and pain she’d ignored came rushing in like a wave.
Lulu was bleeding.
…Lulu is a pitiful child!
Once she registered the situation, hot tears welled up.
If she cried here, would unni come to comfort her?
Like the knights had rescued her before?
But—
—Young hero, get up!
The word hero made something twitch inside her heart.
That’s right.
Lulu was a hero.
The young hero appointed by the jewel!
“…A hero doesn’t cry. Sniff.”
Bravely, Lulu clenched her fists and stood.
Even her tightly set jaw and flaring nostrils radiated determination.
“Let’s go shopping, Jewel!”
—That’s the spirit!
Poof—
With her firm declaration, the wings vanished.
It must have been thanks to the jewel’s magic.
Eggs, eggs… ah, there they are!
After wandering around the village for a long time, Lulu finally stopped.
In front of a wooden door stood a weathered sign shaped like an egg.
This had to be the place selling eggs.
“Hellooo.”
She bowed to the egg seller and pointed to a tray of ten eggs.
“I’d like some eggs, please.”
“Running an errand, are you? How admirable. Ten eggs cost ten glium.”
“Ten… glium?”
“Glium.”
“Glyoo?”
Her chubby tongue felt like it folded in half.
“Glium? What’s glium?”
Flustered, Lulu fidgeted while the man kindly held up ten fingers.
“Your mother gave you some round coins, right?”
Lulu snuck out, so unni didn’t give her any of those!
“If you give me ten of those, we’re set.”
Another trial… another trial!
Faced with this unexpected obstacle, Lulu’s eyes began to tremble violently.
