Chapter 31 ………………………..
Why on earth is there a person in this cave?
My hesitant body hurriedly moved forward.
The puppy bounced in place as if proud of completing its mission.
“A-are you alive?”
“……”
At my question, a pair of eyes appeared through the long, tangled hair.
“……!”
The child, barely propped up against the cold, hard cave floor, looked as if he might collapse at any moment.
He looked as though he hadn’t eaten for days—maybe surviving on only water—his body was thin and frail.
But just one thing—
Like a dying young beast desperately clinging to its last breath, the child’s eyes were sharp and fierce.
“Why… why are you here…?”
The child tightly pressed his lips together.
He seemed like he wanted to get away from this stranger—me—but he had no strength left, so he simply sat there, still.
His eyes trembled through his hair like a flickering candle about to go out in the wind.
And then I realized—
He was hurt.
I carefully looked him over, and I could see injuries all over his exposed skin.
“Oh my goodness!”
It looked like the result of living through a relentless struggle.
The child flinched as if to stop me, but that was all—
A small child didn’t have enough strength to resist.
“Stay still. I need to see if you have any serious wounds.”
At my firm voice, the child’s half-lidded eyes opened again.
And then, a faint, delicate voice slipped out between his wounded lips.
“…Wh-who… are… you?”
Startled at hearing his first words, I brightened the lantern.
The bright light lit up both of us.
In that moment, I could clearly see he was a boy.
And one more thing—
As he slowly raised his head, his face emerged from beneath the long hair that covered half of it.
A small face, and eyes red like rubies.
A hostile glare that pierced whoever he looked at.
A fierce spirit.
I suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu.
“…No way—you!”
I had seen him somewhere before.
I definitely remembered seeing him.
My mind searched frantically, then suddenly stopped as memories surged in—
A slave fighting to survive.
A blood-soaked floor.
A boy trapped in a lion’s cage.
The roaring cheers of the crowded arena.
“What’s your name?”
“…Lion… cub…”
“What? Lion cub?”
My heart dropped.
The words “lion cub” spilling out of his mouth shocked me.
For a few seconds, I could only stare at him blankly.
“Ron Ceres. Do you remember that name? Ron!”
The boy didn’t react.
In the original story, Ron went missing at a very young age.
So maybe he didn’t remember his own name.
Then—
“…Dre… bl.”
“What? Drebl?”
The boy glared sharply at me.
“Ah—I’m not from Drebl! Really, I’m not!”
I even waved both hands.
At that, his bright red eyes calmed slightly.
And that told me everything—
This child was the one sold to the merchant group at the slave market that day.
And through the long hair, I could now see his face clearly—
A face that looked strikingly similar to the drawing of Ron I found in the playroom.
‘…He is Ron Ceres!’
But why was he here?
Since there was no one around the cave… could he have escaped?
“…Wh… o…”
“My name? Oh—right, I never introduced myself.”
A proper introduction might calm him.
“I’m Mary—!”
I suddenly remembered—
Right now, I wasn’t in Maryanne’s form.
I was in my boy appearance.
“…Ahem. I’m Len.”
I deliberately lowered my voice.
It was embarrassing since I’d spoken as Maryanne just earlier, but I had no choice.
In case of danger, I needed to pretend not to know anything.
I couldn’t think of a good name, so I said something similar to Ron’s.
“…Dre… bl.”
“I told you, I’m not from Drebl. I’m just a decent citizen of the Empire!”
I shrugged while replying, pretending I had simply gotten lost on my way.
Hopefully he’d believe it.
Judging by the slight loosening in Ron’s wary expression, it seemed to be working.
Sensing the tension, the perceptive puppy squeezed between us.
Perfect timing—so I pet the puppy.
“See? If I were a bad person, would he cling to me like this?”
“……”
I boasted, but Ron’s eyelids were already drooping.
“Huh—Ron! I-I mean Lion cu—uh, kid!”
He collapsed onto the ground, and my mind went blank.
If I left him here, he would die.
I needed to save him—but I didn’t know where to start.
His thin, cold hand lay in the wavering lantern light.
Why was he so fragile?
My brows knitted in frustration, but Ron’s breathing seemed steadier, as if he were finally comfortable.
‘Just sleep for now.’
Seeing his face helped me calm down.
I did what I could—
I covered his freezing body with my cloak.
Then I found a spring in the cave, soaked my handkerchief, and brought water to his lips.
And because it didn’t feel like enough—
“Zelaws.”
Using magic, I created a tiny droplet of water in my palm and let it drip into Ron’s mouth.
He drank desperately, as if parched.
Watching him, my heart ached for reasons I couldn’t explain.
Then—
“…Uh… uh…”
A sound escaped his sleeping lips.
I leaned in close to hear.
“What is he saying?”
“S… save… me…”
He was having a nightmare.
I turned my head away, my chest tightening painfully.
“What kind of dream are you having…”
I gently patted his shoulder.
I felt the texture of the thick cloak I’d wrapped him in—
And the small body curled beneath it.
“How are you even smaller than me?”
Even accounting for malnutrition, he was so tiny for a boy.
Anyone would feel protective.
Something soft brushed my free hand.
The puppy had approached and was rubbing its head against me.
You’re really not shy at all.
But now’s not the time.
I tried to look back at Ron, but the puppy kept insisting.
“Alright, alright. I get it.”
I lazily scratched its fur here and there.
The pup, delighted, rolled onto its back, kicking happily.
“Shh! Quiet! You’ll wake him!”
But it was too late—
Ron’s slightly opened red eyes were watching the pup.
“Ah! You’re awake. Sorry.”
Ron said nothing, blinking slowly.
But then—
The faintest hint of a smile tugged at his lips.
Was he… smiling?
Ron looked like an injured baby bird—
Too small to even stand on its own.
Seeing such a child smile, even weakly, filled me with joy—and made my heart ache.
Ron, having briefly woken, soon fell asleep again.
‘May the nightmares fade… and only happy dreams find you.’
They say children are most beautiful when sleeping.
Ron was no exception—
Under the lantern light, he looked like a painting.
‘Ron, please grow up like this…’
I prayed as I watched him sleep, wishing he would never become a villain.
Then I whispered to the puppy leaning against me—
“Stay here and guard him for a bit. I’ll come back.”
Whine.
“I mean it. I’ll come back.”
Understanding, the pup scratched its cheek with a front paw.
I had to leave the cave first.
With my small body and limited strength, I couldn’t carry Ron out.
I needed to call Kauts or find someone who could help.
“Just wait a little.”
After a short goodbye, I hurried toward the exit.
Retracing my steps wasn’t difficult.
But as I walked, my hand brushed the wall—and I felt a strong pulse of energy.
‘What is that?’
I brightened the lantern.
“…Pink light!”
A stone jutted out of the cave wall like an icicle—
A stone glowing with a brilliant pink hue.
It wasn’t the lantern’s light causing it—
It was genuinely a different color from the surrounding rocks.
And strangely, my body reacted to it—
Like all my senses focused on that one stone.
An unfamiliar, tingling sensation.
‘So this—that’s why the cave pulled me here!’
“Found it!”
