AFRPR 24

Episode 24

“…Dudu will save them!”

Duren was able to finish his sentence safely.

That’s because two people were holding his shoulders and waist — front and back — so he didn’t fall.

“We should stop the carriage first,” said Estelle, feeling her heart drop at Duren’s near fall. She nodded in agreement.

“Mom, I’m going now!” Duren shouted and tried to jump out as soon as the carriage stopped.

But Lennox reached in between Duren’s sides and grabbed him tightly.

“You can’t go alone.”

“Then Mom, let’s go together!”

Lennox simply lifted Duren up into the air.

Duren wiggled and struggled to escape, but failed. As he dangled in the air, he shouted again.

Estelle tried not to laugh and forced a serious face — Duren was clearly very stubborn.

“Duren, it’s dangerous over there.”

“It’s not dangerous!”

Dudu even protected Grandma!
Dudu can protect Mom and others too!

“Duren’s right. It’s not dangerous for him,” Lennox added.

Duren looked confused.
Why is this man agreeing with me?

He stopped squirming in the air and stared at Lennox.

“To be exact, only you and I aren’t in danger.”

“What about Mom?”

“She is in danger.”

“Even if Dudu protects her?”

“Yes.”

Surprisingly, their conversation made sense.

“So only you and I will go,” Lennox concluded.

“Duke!” Estelle was shocked — she thought Lennox would stop Duren, not go along with him.

“I have to go anyway…” Lennox started, but then shook his head slightly, stopping himself.

Estelle realized it meant:
‘He already knows the truth.’

He knew no one was alive in that place.

He knew Duren wouldn’t be able to help anyone.

“What’s over there?” asked Duren when Estelle stayed silent.

“There are monsters. Big, scary ones.”

That wasn’t a lie — monsters appear wherever Magi is.

But Lennox quickly said,
“They were defeated recently, so it’s unlikely they’ll show up for now.”

Monsters follow patterns. If it were truly dangerous, they wouldn’t let them go at all.

“So come with me.”

Lennox couldn’t cook delicious food for a hungry child.

He also didn’t know how to make a crying child smile.

But there was something he could do.

“Only Winterlen can protect someone in a place like that.”

Since Duren was so eager to run off, Lennox figured he could just take him now.

But Duren looked at him suspiciously.

He clearly didn’t trust Lennox.

“If you go with the Duke, I’ll feel safer,” said Estelle.

“…Dudu can go alone.”

“You’ll need lots of hands to help people, right? Two is better than one.”

The Duke? Really?

Even Duren, who trusted everyone, didn’t trust this man.

“I’ll help you,” Lennox promised.

Still, Duren’s expression didn’t change.

“The Duke says he’ll follow your orders.”

“…Okay.”

Only after Lennox agreed to be Duren’s sidekick did Duren agree to go together.

As Lennox turned to leave with Duren, he looked back at Estelle.

“Estelle, you should take the carriage to the main castle. We won’t be able to ride the same one when we return.”

Being exposed to Magi made it dangerous to share a carriage.

But Estelle shook her head.

“Even if I take a different carriage later, I want to wait and see you both return.”

Duren would be heartbroken to learn the truth — that no one could be saved.

And if she wasn’t there when he came back, the pain might never heal.

“All right,” Lennox agreed, seeing her worried expression.

A few moments later, Estelle would realize she made the right choice not to leave first.

** * * * **

“Wait here,” Lennox said.

He left guards with Estelle and naturally picked up Duren.

But there was a problem…

“You can’t hold him like that!” Estelle was shocked.

Lennox had tucked Duren under his arm — like a handbag!

“If I want to avoid Magi, this is the best way.”

“Then give him a piggyback ride at least!”

Lennox had never given one before. How was he supposed to do it?

After thinking for a bit, he awkwardly placed Duren on his shoulders.

“W-whoa?”

Duren’s eyes widened. The view was so high!

“Hold on tight.”

“O-okay!”

Duren looked for something to grab and ended up holding Lennox’s hair.

“Got it!”

Pfft.

Duren grabbed two handfuls, making Lennox look like he had pigtails.

Estelle couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

“…”

Lennox didn’t need a mirror to know how ridiculous he looked.

A big man with pigtails? His pride was shattered.

But still — it was an efficient way to keep Duren stable.

And Lennox was a practical man. So he didn’t argue.

Still expressionless, he asked,
“Where do you want to go?”

“Over there!” said Duren, tugging Lennox’s hair like reins.

He pulled the right side hard — Lennox flinched.

“If you want to point, just use your finger,” Lennox said.

“Huh? Like this? Over there!”

Duren pointed with his finger but still didn’t let go of the hair.

He looked very proud of his solution.

“Pfft.”

“Snrk.”

Estelle, Pippin, and the guards burst into laughter.

“…Fine,” Lennox sighed and started walking.

Underfoot, dark, sticky Magi clung to the ground. Lennox frowned.

‘Disgusting.’

Voices full of hatred filled his mind.

If he were a sensitive person, he might have gone insane.

He didn’t show it, but the feeling was heavy.

Still, he kept walking where Duren pointed.

“It’s so dark,” Duren said.

“That dark stuff is Magi.”

Grrr…

Duren showed his teeth like a growl.

‘This feels weird.’

When he saved his grandma, he’d been so scared.

But now, he wasn’t afraid of the dark stuff.

He felt like he had to fight it.

“Where are the hurt people?”

Duren looked around.

“There are none.”

“Why?”

“Because they were all eaten.”

Lennox answered bluntly.

If Estelle had heard him, she would’ve stopped him immediately.

But unfortunately, it was just the two of them.

When a Magi crack appears, the whole area becomes like hell.

And hell has no survivors.

“Dudu will save them!”

Duren yanked Lennox’s hair hard. His head actually turned from the pull.

“Wait.”

Duren tried to jump down to look for survivors himself.

Lennox barely caught him before he fell into a Magi pit.

Quickly, Lennox spoke fast — to stop Duren from trying again.

“If you touch that black stuff, everything disappears — your grandma, your mom, everything. It doesn’t care if it’s important or not.”

“But Dudu’s okay.”

Lennox held Duren tighter so he wouldn’t slip away.

Even if touching Magi wouldn’t kill Duren, it would give him horrible nightmares.

And if it happened too often, he’d suffer from insomnia for life.

He was still too young to touch Magi.