CHAPTER 82………………………..
Esther could finally open her eyes feeling refreshed, without dreaming of diving into the waters melted from volcanoes and glaciers.
“Haa…”
With a long sigh, Esther glanced at Freyja, who was lying asleep beside her.
On Freyja’s fair chest was a deep trace of a curse.
Carefully, Esther stretched out her hand and placed her small palm over it.
Thump, thump, thump—
Along with the beating of her heart, a warm heat rose up through Esther’s fingertips.
“It’s warm.”
No—hot, really.
To vent this heat, Freyja must have been burning through quite a lot of energy.
“It’s a wonder she’s held out this long.”
Esther looked at her in amazement.
Surely the suffering and pain must have been unbearable, yet she endured—it felt admirable.
“Come to think of it, she was making something with the Ice Beast’s hide, wasn’t she.”
Probably something to help draw out the heat.
Esther was quietly watching her when she started to slip off the bed—
—Yaaah! You beggar master!
Something darted in like the wind through the slightly open window.
Esther’s gaze sharpened.
—Huh?
Magic surged into her hand, and the hatchling froze in shock.
—If you call me beggar master one more time…
—M-my master!
—Am I your buddy?
—M-my master… but master, really… no matter how you look at it, I’m obviously cuter, greater, and more brilliant than you…
Crunch—
Esther’s small hand suddenly clamped down on the hatchling’s head.
—M-master!
—What.
—I was so cold…
The plump hatchling spoke with a pitiful look.
Seeing its drooping ears, Esther released its head.
—So?
—D-don’t do that again… I hate the cold. I may be a genius and adorable, but… I’m weak against the cold.
With all that fat, what a whiner.
—Yeah, I know.
—…Huh?
At Esther’s words, the hatchling fell silent, then widened its eyes, looking wronged as it jutted its chin.
—Ugh…! Master brat, I hate you.
How brazen.
When Esther gave it an incredulous look, the hatchling fluttered up and perched on an old chandelier, deliberately turning its head away when Esther looked at it.
“Maybe I should explore the royal castle.”
Somewhere, there had to be the source drawing monsters into this kingdom.
“Those sly, cunning demons…”
Grinding her teeth, Esther recalled the book that was said to hold a “cure.”
“There’s no way they didn’t leave themselves a convenient device.”
Quietly, she slipped out of the room.
One of the perks of growing from age five to ten was her height.
With her new vantage point, she could do a lot more now.
For example, she no longer had to stand on tiptoe or drag over a chair to open a door.
“Where are you going, child?”
But the moment she opened the door, the scruff of her neck was caught.
Esther looked up with a weary face.
Caelos Egbert was staring down at her with the look of someone watching a troublemaker.
“…Well, I may cause trouble, but to be looked at like that…”
Thinking so, Esther quickly dropped her defiant gaze.
After all, she had gone off and caused trouble… and then slept for five years.
Caelos Egbert was standing right beside the door to the room where Freyja and she were.
“Wh…what are you doing, Father?”
“Guarding.”
“What…?”
“You and your mother.”
“…Ah.”
How crude.
Swallowing the words she couldn’t bear to speak, Esther nodded.
Honestly, if someone suddenly popped up outside your door, of course you’d be startled.
“I can’t afford to lose you again.”
Hearing the heavy regret in his voice, Esther looked at him with some pity, but there was nothing she could do.
“Well, you should’ve done better when you had the chance.”
She shook her head.
To him, it was probably a trauma. He had lost Freyja once, and then his daughter—herself—had slept, unawakened, for five years.
“It’s fine, nothing will happen. So, Father, go and rest.”
“No.”
His voice was firm.
Good grief. Esther scratched her cheek.
“Are you… not on good terms with Mother?”
“She’s angry with me. Rightly so—I wronged her. I took you away from her.”
He set Esther carefully down as he spoke.
“You took me away?”
“Yes. Freyja wanted to give birth to you and raise you herself, but around that time her health began to fail. I thought raising you would harm her, so…”
Caelos Egbert lowered his gaze.
“…So I took you from her and brought you to the family. I intended to return you once she recovered. It was my misjudgment, my arrogance.”
At his words, Esther grew quiet.
“My choice was made out of love for her, but in the end, I scorned you and dismissed her.”
He lashed himself with guilt. Standing guard all night was probably his way of punishing himself, of lessening that guilt.
“I see.”
If that was the case, it wasn’t her place to interfere. Esther simply nodded and started to sneak away.
“Alright then! Please protect Mother!”
“…Where are you going.”
Narrowing his eyes, Caelos Egbert questioned her as she tried to back away.
“Uh… water! I was thirsty.”
“Here.”
He pulled a canteen from his belt and handed it to her.
Esther froze.
“…Are we on an expedition or something?”
He even carried a canteen.
“And… I’m a little hungry too.”
“There’s dried meat and cookies.”
Expressionless, he fished more out.
Why on earth did he have jerky and cookies in his clothes? Jerky, okay, he’s a knight—but cookies?
“…Uh, the dried meat is too tough, and the cookies too hard…”
“They’re not hard.”
He tore a piece of jerky and popped it into her mouth.
“Mmm…!”
It wasn’t like the tough jerky she remembered. It was tender, melting in her mouth.
He tore another piece, and she nibbled at them one after another. By the fifth piece, she froze.
“This isn’t the time…”
It was so good she forgot herself.
Shaking her head firmly, she said,
“It’s such a fine night, with the moon so pretty… maybe a walk?”
“It’s raining.”
Turning her head, she saw the drizzle falling silently outside.
“No wonder it was so dark!”
The sky was covered in black clouds, not moonlight in sight.
Her face soured.
“What kind of person… is this thorough.”
She scowled and muttered, dissatisfied,
“Uh… then an… exploration?”
“If that’s the case, I’ll come with you.”
“…Huh?”
What was he saying?
“Didn’t you say you had to protect Mother?”
“I’ll protect Freyja—but you as well. And since you’re weaker than she is, you take priority.”
What a grand reason.
Though, logically, it didn’t quite hold up.
If he only ever protected the weak, he wouldn’t be here.
“But you like Mother more, don’t you?”
“….”
At that, he paused.
“I like you too. I love you as much as I love Freyja.”
“….”
Esther froze.
She hadn’t expected that. While she hesitated, he took her hand.
“So don’t go alone. If you were to come back like that again… I really wouldn’t be able to go on.”
His expression was blank, but the sincerity struck Esther silent.
“I don’t want to take you from Freyja anymore, nor fail to protect you again.”
Crouching down to meet her eyes, he explained in detail, and Esther stayed quiet.
“Um… but if you come, it won’t be fun.”
“That’s alright. Without you and Freyja, the world has never been fun for me anyway.”
“….”
How could she say no after that.
“And besides, Freyja is stronger than I am.”
“…Sorry?”
“Your mother has always been far stronger than me. If it were only swordsmanship, I would certainly lose.”
“Oh…”
Never challenge her, Esther reminded herself solemnly.
When she nodded gravely, the corners of his lips faintly curved.
“So. Honestly now—where were you planning to go?”
“The royal castle! To explore it!”
“The castle?”
“Yeah, I’m curious about the inside.”
—Though, truthfully, it was an exploration disguised as a search for a magic circle.
At her words, Caelos fell silent, then nodded.
“Very well. If you say so, then so it is. An exploration sounds good.”
“But… there aren’t any monsters inside the castle?”
“Correct.”
Strange.
If the castle had a magic circle or some device drawing monsters, then logically, this should be where they gathered most.
The fact that it wasn’t so could only mean one thing.
“There must be a special device installed in the castle.”
Esther nodded thoughtfully.
“Because your mother killed them all.”
“….”
Ah.
She may have been a genius, adorable, and beloved enough to see the starlight’s flow, but—sometimes she made mistakes.
“Of course!”
Esther snapped her head up.
“Just as I thought!”
And declared it brazenly.
