Episode 3
“I said that once too. To my mom—your grandmother.”
Now I was the one surprised.
“Wow… Like mother, like daughter, huh.”
Selly said it cheerfully this time, even though in her past life, it would’ve horrified her to hear something like that.
Her mom, who had been staring at her with a strange expression until now, finally smiled.
“Right? You saying the same thing I did… What a funny twist of fate.”
Selly’s mom also grew up without a dad. Her own mom—Selly’s grandma—had wanted to stay in this forest forever, but Selly’s mom gave up on that dream when she decided to follow a different one.
“So, Mom, did you leave the forest and make your dream come true?”
“I did.”
“Then I can too—”
“But I lost my mom.”
“…Huh?”
Why would that happen?
Selly knew her grandma died before she was born, but she had no idea it was because of her mom.
“How did it happen?”
“The outside world was too dangerous. If I hadn’t left…”
Her mom only gave a vague answer, then gently cupped Selly’s cheeks like she was holding a treasure.
She was looking at her daughter… and seeing her own mother in her face.
‘I really do look just like Grandma.’
Selly had seen a photo by her mom’s bed before.
“Selly, do you remember why I told you the outside world is dangerous?”
“Because the Demon King appears.”
Selly had always thought that was just a scary bedtime story—like “ghosts will come get you” or “the boogeyman will snatch you”—meant to scare kids into behaving.
‘Wait… Mom was serious this whole time?’
The Demon King had existed for real, but according to books, super powerful heroes defeated him around ten years ago.
But Mom… still lived in fear of a monster that was gone.
“I just…”
Her eyes welled up with tears as she looked at Selly. She was on the verge of crying when she suddenly pulled Selly into a tight hug.
“I don’t want to lose anyone ever again.”
…Did Grandma die because of the Demon King?
Now it made sense. Mom’s fear wasn’t irrational at all.
‘She was scared I’d die in the outside world like Grandma did. That’s why she never let me leave.’
Selly had felt annoyed earlier—thinking maybe she’d ended up with a bad mom again for hiding her acceptance letter.
But hearing this now, she couldn’t help but feel sorry for her.
Still, the Demon King’s long gone.
But her mom still lives in his shadow.
“When I lost my mom, I realized… I don’t need anything else. As long as I have you.”
She squeezed Selly’s hands and made a strong promise.
“Selly. You don’t have to give up on your dream.”
…Wait, is she finally letting me go to Spellmore?
“I’ll ask the Dryad Aunties to teach you magic instead.”
Ah, there it is. Selly gave in. Her mom was impossible to convince.
“The Dryads are the strongest mages in the world, aren’t they?”
Nod.
“You’re okay with that, right?”
Another nod.
Selly obediently nodded at everything her mom said.
Her mom smiled in relief, completely unaware…
That Selly only nodded so she could gather the momentum to go against her mom’s wishes.
That night, Selly ran away from home.
To the greatest magic school in the Empire—Spellmore Academy.
In the early dawn before the entrance ceremony, Selly packed her bag.
‘The outside world might really be dangerous, so I should bring a weapon, right?’
She opened the kitchen cupboard and grabbed a sharp, shiny object that glinted in the moonlight…
…a barbecue skewer.
There were no bad people in the forest, but there were hungry beasts. Selly once saw a giant eagle snatch up a goat as big as her. After that, her mom taught her:
“If something tries to eat you, stab it with this.”
“…”
“Fast as lightning!”
“…”
“With machine-like accuracy!”
She’d basically learned how to make eagle kebabs.
In the civilized world, walking around with a skewer might make people clear a path for her. People don’t usually mess with weirdos, right?
Self-defense: check.
And since low blood sugar doesn’t care who you are: sandwiches, check.
Next: school registration, due by 9 a.m…
Sneak…
Selly quietly slipped into her mom’s room and stood by her sleeping form. From behind her back, she pulled out a sheet of paper—
Her admission agreement.
‘I had a weird feeling about this, so I didn’t show her. Good thing I hid it.’
At the bottom, in the parent/guardian consent section, there was a glowing rainbow fingerprint image. It looked like a phone lock screen—but on paper.
‘I’ve never seen anything like this…’
She really hadn’t paid attention to how modern the world had become.
But Selly was sharp and quick to learn, both in her past and present lives. She gently pressed the sleeping mom’s finger onto the glowing fingerprint.
Press.
Nothing was on her hand, but her mom’s fingerprint appeared clearly on the paper, and a message popped up:
Parental consent confirmed.
Registration: check!
Runaway plan: almost complete!
…Almost.
Selly looked down at her mom, who was still peacefully sleeping, completely unaware that her daughter was about to run away.
She leaned in—
Soft.
And left a gentle kiss on her mom’s cheek, something she hadn’t done much since hitting the early stages of puberty.
She whispered,
“I love you, Mom.”
And also… I’m sorry.
She hoped her mom would understand one day what she couldn’t say right now.
‘I’m not running away because I hate you.’
Selly didn’t want to leave her either.
‘But a kid has to leave their mom’s arms to grow up.’
She wasn’t sure where she heard that before, but the phrase came to mind and comforted her heavy heart.
‘It’s time to go now.’
With her bulging backpack on, she headed for the door—when she heard tiny footsteps following her.
She turned around. It was the chick that had been brought inside yesterday to avoid the bully rooster. It blinked its sleepy eyes and waddled after her.
“Pee-yak, take care of my mom while I’m gone, okay?”
She gently put it back in its box, but its eyes suddenly popped open. Puffing up its fuzzy yellow chest, it declared:
“I’m runnin’ away from this crappy house too!”
“…What?”
One downside of understanding animals: their language is way less cute than their appearance.
“Ever heard of running away alone?”
I’m only ten, and I’ve gotta survive on my own—and now I’ve got another mouth to feed?
Nope. Not happening.
“I’ll wake Mom up.”
Snatch!
Selly pinched the tiny beak between her fingers.
“Fine. But if you run away too, we go our separate ways, got it?”
“F-Fine. A future hen like me—who’ll lay one perfectly balanced protein-rich egg a day—is gonna have tons of people wanting her.”
“Hmmm… a hen, huh?”
Now that she thought about it, she didn’t know how Spellmore served food. Maybe the chick could be a good source of protein… or even earn her some money.
Selly crouched down and opened the front pocket of her overalls. The chick hopped in confidently.
‘Hehe, Selly’s so dumb. I knew she couldn’t leave me behind.’
Selly couldn’t read minds—just understand words—so she had no idea what the chick was thinking.
Now the runaway was real.
Selly stepped out of the cabin and took out her old, worn compass, holding it up in the bright moonlight.
“Okay… North is that way, so West is over here.”
She’d already asked the birds for directions yesterday.
They didn’t know exactly where Spellmore was, but they’d all chirped that the nearest human city was to the west.
Selly started walking quickly down the westward path.
“If you leave at sunrise, you’ll get there around noon!”
Well, you’re a bird. That’s how long it takes when you fly. Who knows how long it’ll take a ten-year-old kid to walk it?
Still, her registration was complete, so she wouldn’t lose her spot.
‘But this time, I want to actually be there for the entrance ceremony.’
As she hurried along, Selly suddenly stopped in her tracks.
“Child of the forest…”
A voice whispered in the wind near her ear, giving her goosebumps.
She froze.
Suddenly, the small dandelion growing in the dirt just ahead of her began to grow—fast. It sprouted tall, towering over her.
Its thick stem rose like a tree trunk and blocked her path.
Then, from behind that huge dandelion stalk, a woman stepped out.
It was too dark to see her face… but from her elegant yet firm steps alone, Selly knew exactly who it was.
