Chapter 59
For a while, Davien was lost in thought, then looked at Yutias and asked,
“So, this time, are we requesting cooperation from the Magic Tower too?”
Yutias smiled brightly and answered,
“Of course. We need information about the Monster Wave. It will also make saving the residents of the territory easier. Besides, if your Helderios Knights led by you, Davien, and the skilled healer join, we can minimize injuries.”
Lloyd, who had been silently listening, spoke in a low voice,
“I’m going.”
Davien was surprised and asked,
“You’re going too? What about the paperwork?”
For a moment, she imagined the mountain of documents piled in the office, almost reaching the ceiling.
Yes, that pile of paperwork never seemed to end, no matter how much they organized it.
“Hey, don’t you remember after you went to Dorkan last time?”
Davien said, and Lloyd patted her shoulder,
“Take care, little sister.”
“Ehh?!”
“Even your aunt said she wanted to see you. Please, for the royal family’s sake.”
“Hey! How can you say that?”
After bickering for a while, Davien suddenly met my eyes, sighed, and said as if she understood,
“Alright, alright. I’ll do it, I’ll do it.”
Shaking her head, Davien agreed, and Lloyd called the captain.
“Tomorrow morning, we move to the territory from the training ground. Until then, cooperate with the 4th Division to complete all preparations. That’s all.”
“Yes, Duke!”
The captain saluted with full energy.
“Then let’s deal with the monsters… and finish up.”
Lloyd looked at the dying kobolds scattered across the training ground.
“When you’re done here, you can leave.”
Lloyd growled, clearly telling Yutias to get out, and Yutias smiled cheerfully.
“Ah, yes!”
“Then we’ll head back to the mansion. Kae, are you ready to go?”
Well, with a munchkin like Lloyd right next to me protecting me, what could go wrong?
I nodded. As I was about to leave the training ground, Yutias didn’t go back and followed me.
“Why aren’t you going?”
Davien frowned and asked, and Yutias shrugged.
“I’m walking.”
The Master of the Magic Tower, who usually teleported instantly, said he was going to walk. It was ridiculous.
Davien and Lloyd frowned at his answer.
Then suddenly—
“Woof! Woof!”
Outside the training ground, a black dog, no bigger than a calf, barked and jumped toward me, flames coming out of its mouth.
“Roba!”
A strong sulfur smell hit me with the fire. For some reason, whenever Roba was happy, it would breathe fire. Strangely, the flames never hurt me. They only tickled and felt warm.
Davien said that the hellhound’s flames recognized its owner.
While I scratched Roba’s neck, Yutias, looking scared, spoke.
“This… isn’t this a Hellhound? I can tell who brought it. I should have recognized it when I received a wyvern as an engagement gift. Truly amazing.”
‘Wyvern? A flying monster that bites people?’
Truly a Davien-style engagement gift.
By the way, why was Roba here at the training ground?
Since monsters often died here, I had forbidden Roba from entering so it wouldn’t see its kind dying.
‘But why is Roba here?’
At that moment, a small figure peeked from behind a pillar at the entrance.
“Ain!”
Ain’s white hair shimmered as she looked at us. Her face seemed about to burst into tears at any moment.
When I called her name, she ran quickly and hugged me.
“It’s dangerous here! Why didn’t you wait at the mansion?”
I naturally lifted Ain into my arms.
“Ho, what’s this?”
Yutias, watching us, spoke with curiosity.
“You don’t need to know. Go away.”
Davien spoke sharply, blocking Yutias, who tilted his head and asked,
“What’s that?”
‘What do you mean “that” to a person?!’ I wanted to say, but he kept talking.
“Davien, Lloyd. Did you have a hidden younger sibling in the Duke’s family?”
What? Did he just ask if there was a secret child in their house?
Before I could think it was a mistake, a fist suddenly flew from somewhere and hit Yutias’s head with a bang!
“You want to die?”
Davien’s face was full of deadly intent. The twins radiated a terrifying aura simultaneously. Talking about parents like that was enough to anger anyone.
Yes, he deserved that punch.
Yutias rubbed his head, pouting,
“That hurts, Princess!”
Tears formed in his eyes.
“You didn’t say it with words! Do you know how painful your punch is? I just felt the same….”
Before he could finish, another punch from Davien landed on his head.
“Do you really want to get beaten? Are you trying to make me mad?”
Swish!
Lloyd, who had been silently watching, drew his sword from another space. His deadly aura didn’t weaken.
“Davien, don’t hold back. I’ll handle the aftermath.”
Sweating, Yutias vanished with a poof.
“I’m leaving then!”
“That bastard… if I see him again, he’s dead.”
Davien ground her teeth, looking at Yutias’s empty spot.
I then spoke to Ain, who was still in my arms.
“Ain, did you come all the way here with Roba?”
Ain nodded.
“It’s dangerous here. What happened?”
Ain hugged me tightly.
“Did you come because you wanted to see me?”
Ain slowly nodded.
“When work ends, I’ll go. It’s too dangerous for a child here. The kobolds almost escaped the training ground. Next time, you must wait at the mansion, understood?”
Tears filled Ain’s eyes. I comforted her and said to the twins,
“Don’t cry, Ain. It’s dangerous. You could get hurt. Lloyd, Davien! We need to prepare for the expedition. I’ll go first!”
I carried Roba and Ain to the room and began preparing for tomorrow’s expedition. As I unpacked my bag, Ain ran over, pointing at the luggage, curious.
“Ah, tomorrow we leave for Helderios territory. Monster Wave… or something to investigate.”
Ain’s eyes widened, and she shook her head desperately.
She didn’t want me to go.
“Are you saying I shouldn’t go?”
Ain nodded vigorously, using all kinds of gestures. I couldn’t understand everything, but it was clear she didn’t want me to leave.
“It’s my duty, I have to go. Lloyd is going too. Don’t worry. You’ll sleep here a few nights, and I’ll be back soon!”
Even when I said this nicely, Ain shook her head.
“No, this time you can’t go. Ain, even if you stubbornly resist, some things can’t be avoided.”
Ain covered her ears and shook her head, then started opening the bag to unpack.
“No way.”
I took a robe from the wardrobe and carried Ain, who was pulling things from my bag.
“Ain, do you want to go out into town with me?”
Originally, I planned to go alone, but seeing Ain throw a tantrum, I changed my mind. There was a new big toy store in town. For kids, toys are the best, and I could also take care of my business.
However, when I said “town,” Ain panicked, struggled, and blocked the door. She shook her head fiercely.
“Ehh, why? Are you scared of going outside?”
Right, after what happened at the temple, she could be scared. But she can’t stay locked in the mansion forever. She needs to see the world too.
I smiled and said,
“Then you stay here. I’ll go alone!”
Ain jumped and held onto my leg.
“Hehe. You’ll go with me, right?”
Ain sighed but slowly nodded.
“Alright, let’s get ready to go!”
Holding my hand and following me, Ain suddenly stopped. She looked up at me, her expression saying “could it be… here?”
It made sense. The place I said we’d go wasn’t a carriage—it was the massive Helderios castle wall.
“I secretly heard from the knights that there’s a hidden hole here. Let’s see…”
I rustled through nearby grass.
There it was—a large stone with a cross mark near the castle wall.
‘I accidentally overheard some knights saying there’s a hidden hole here.’
Excited, I pushed the stone aside, revealing a hole large enough for an adult man to pass through.
“See! Isn’t it amazing?”
Ain, however, jumped back, shaking her head. She grabbed my clothes, as if to go back to the mansion.
“If we ride a carriage, Lloyd and Davien will follow. Let’s explore the town just the two of us. How about it?”
The real reason I sneaked out without them was different.
After the youngest knight confessed to me, seeing a jealous Lloyd didn’t feel good. I wanted to secretly prepare a gift. I could have gone with Davien, but she always teased Lloyd when we went together.
‘I’m going to have fun with Kae today!’
That would make jealous Lloyd follow, and with him having a lot of money, I wondered what gift to get. Luckily, his aide gave me perfect information.
‘Recently, Lloyd has been really into a certain author! He’s been reading only the books by that author for months! He normally doesn’t like those kinds of books. There’s a new book coming out with a fan signing event in town! If I get Lloyd a signed copy as a gift, he’ll love it.’
‘Oh.’
A new book with the author’s autograph—how could I resist?
While Ain hesitated, I went first into the hidden hole.
“If you keep hesitating, I’ll go first!”
