CHAPTER 62…………………………………..
Of course, my magic stone was a bit larger, but the magic stone necklace I gave to Ron was special. I had infused it with plenty of my mana.
If anything urgent happens to Ron, the signal would reach me immediately.
I just hoped such a situation would never arise.
“This necklace, always wear it, no matter when or where. Got it?”
“Shall I put it on now?”
“Yes. That would be best.”
When Ron wore the necklace, the magic stone glowed.
It had recognized that Ron was now its owner.
Seeing it like this made me secretly happy—it was like a couple’s necklace.
I felt like I was playing pretend with the cute little Ron.
“And there’s one last thing I’ll give you. Close your eyes.”
“Okay.”
While Ron closed his eyes, I opened the cake box.
Please, cake, stay safe.
I had lightly spread the cream only on top, anticipating it might shift during travel.
“….”
It was ruined.
The cake’s sponge was broken into pieces, and the cream was smeared everywhere.
“Ron, my mistake. I brought—”
“What’s this? It smells good.”
Even with his eyes still closed, Ron puckered his small lips cutely, wanting to eat it.
Well, it was night, so even if the cake was ruined, it wouldn’t be too visible, right?
I told myself that and handed him the box.
“Open your eyes.”
“Wow, what is this?”
“Ah… um… it’s, uh… the Bread of Chaos.”
“Bread of Chaos? Oh, that sounds cool.”
“….”
I had named it that because I couldn’t call it a cake. Apparently, the name suited it perfectly.
“Try it quickly. Even if it looks like this, it will taste good.”
“Did you make it yourself?”
“Yes.”
Ron’s eyes widened slightly, full of anticipation.
He took a bite, and why did my heart feel like it was about to jump out?
The taste shouldn’t be bad since Chef Pure had fully helped me.
“How is it?”
“The Bread of Chaos… it tastes exactly like its name!”
“Phew, that’s a relief. Let me try some too.”
I put a piece of the ruined cake in my mouth.
It was soft and filled with sweetness.
It was delicious.
But it hurt my heart that I couldn’t light candles or sing a birthday song.
“Ron.”
“Hmm?”
“This is how you use white whipped cream.”
I dabbed some whipped cream with my finger onto Ron’s cheek.
Ron froze in surprise, staring at me, looking incredibly cute.
Hehe.
But that moment didn’t last long.
“It’s cold…”
With that one word, Ron’s eyes sank.
His lips poked out.
Was he sulking?
Well, it was his first time, so it must have been sudden.
“Ron, sorry! I… I’ll wipe it off quickly… huff!”
Before I could finish speaking, something cold touched my cheek.
By the feel of it, it was whipped cream.
Just like I had done, Ron had done it to me.
Suddenly, all my tension melted.
“Ron! I thought you were sulking!”
“Hehe.”
Ron’s clear laughter spread around.
Embarrassed from the prank, he pressed his lips together.
I hadn’t realized Ron could look like this.
Anyway, I was relieved he liked it.
After finishing the Bread of Chaos, we continued talking.
“Ran, I have to go to the East tomorrow.”
“The East? For training?”
“Yes, special training at the Assassin Branch. My master said I have to train there to get stronger.”
“….”
Right, Ron was undergoing assassin training.
I furrowed my brows and let out a small sigh before asking,
“I see. When will you return?”
“I don’t know yet.”
“…Huh?”
Seeing me stare, Ron looked downcast.
I forced a casual expression and patted him reassuringly.
“It won’t take too long. Train well and come back.”
Before long, it was time to part.
We waved at each other, and I thought:
When Ron returns, I will surely uncover the cause of his disappearance.
I will, I promise, Ron.
The forest at dawn was cool.
Dew drops fell from the leaves along the path.
Ron held the gifts tightly in his arms, not wanting to drop a single one.
Once we left the tree-lined path, Ron’s master was waiting.
“Master!”
“Did you receive these again?”
“Yes, I got presents.”
“Hm, so you didn’t throw away that strange hat after all.”
Ron scratched the winged bread hat on his head.
At that moment, Gurtur handed him something.
“Take this.”
“What is this?”
Ron looked puzzled.
It was a sword.
His eyes widened.
During training, he had always used a wooden practice sword.
He had held a real sword a few times, but only briefly.
“It’s yours.”
“Mine?”
Ron never imagined he would own a real sword.
Not even a used one—it was a fine sword.
“Wow.”
The child’s innocent admiration made Gurtur chuckle.
“Do you like it that much?”
“Yes! I love it! But why are you giving this to me? Didn’t you say I still have ten thousand training sessions left?”
To Ron’s question, Gurtur turned sharply and said,
“I picked it up along the way.”
“Along the way?”
“Yes. The sun has already risen. We must hurry.”
“So you picked up such a fine dagger along the way?”
“Hm! Are you dawdling? Mount quickly.”
“Yes!”
Ron answered swiftly and hurried to the rear of his master.
Gurtur glanced back with narrowed eyes.
“You carry a lot of things. If the sword is too heavy, you may leave it behind.”
“I can carry everything! I’ll definitely take the dagger the master gave me!”
“….”
Hearing Ron’s determined words, Gurtur’s stern expression softened slightly.
He looked forward, restraining a small smile, and gripped the reins.
As they passed through forests and plains, other members of the Deble organization joined the line.
The sizeable group gradually began leaving the West.
After that event, I met Terseurus for the first time in a while.
Since he was Creamu’s cousin, it wasn’t unusual for him to visit the mansion.
Of course, the Duke still looked at him suspiciously.
At least the Duke was busy with work, which was fortunate.
“Terse, I’ll guide you to the garden.”
I carefully addressed him, checking the servants’ reactions.
“Yes.”
“Do you want to hold my hand?”
Creamu grabbed Terseurus’s hand, bouncing like a puppy.
Behind them, the real puppy, Roro, barked excitedly.
It was almost winter, so the flowers had wilted, and most leaves had fallen.
But I had chosen the garden in case anyone might overhear our conversation.
‘Better than the parlor, anyway.’
I accepted the cookies and warm tea from the maid and let them play.
Late autumn sunlight bathed the area.
Creamu and Roro ran energetically across the grass.
Creamu was growing rapidly but was still very much a child.
His short legs bounced around, making me smile just watching.
As I watched them play, I glanced at Terseurus sitting across from me.
“Hmm.”
When I made a small sound, he leaned forward, understanding my signal.
The maids were focused on Creamu and Roro, so we were unobserved.
Now was the opportunity.
“Terse, have you considered the proposal I gave you back then?”
Since that day, Terseurus seemed to have been thinking deeply.
Even his normally pale face looked more troubled.
“Yes. I have thought it through thoroughly.”
“And your conclusion?”
“I will join you.”
Of course!
I quietly celebrated but kept an eye on our surroundings.
I was curious about what made him decide.
Finally, he gave an unexpected answer:
“Because Ms. Maryanne is incredibly formidable.”
“…?”
“Yes. More formidable than anyone I’ve ever seen. And she’s intelligent too. Though she doesn’t fully remember my long name and calls me by a shortened version—that doesn’t count.”
When our eyes met, I saw Terseurus tense slightly.
It made sense—he hadn’t even flinched in front of his father, Raines, nor against assassins.
Seeing him react like this was understandable.
“Good! Then from now on, Terse, you are on my side.”
I took a bite of chocolate cake and savored the sweetness.
Then we secretly began to plan.
The Trensia Forest in the North.
The forest’s guardian has set a barrier, letting only those of the Keres bloodline enter.
But since Ron disappeared there, no one had gone in.
“With Terse, we can enter the forest at least.”
“But reaching the North is a long journey. Can you manage such a trip, Ms. Maryanne?”
“Ah, don’t worry about that.”
I gestured for Terse to lean closer.
He did so cautiously, eyes filled with concern.
How timid.
I chuckled lightly and whispered to him:
“I made a teleportation magic for travel. I am a magician, after all.”
“Oh, of course, Ms. Maryanne!”
“Hehe.”
His anxious eyes shifted to admiration.
With teleportation, we could reach the North and use Terse’s blood to open the door to Trensia Forest.
Now all that remained was to choose the right timing.
We had to wait until the Duke didn’t notice.
“Nuuna! Big brother!”
At that moment, I saw Creamu and Roro running toward us with the warm sun behind them.
