Chapter 13
He might be a fool, but his ears sure are sharp.
Still strange.
Other people feel natural, but only that man feels out of place.
I’ll have to ask Mafius about it later when I get the chance to contact him.
I stopped walking and glanced back over my shoulder.
“What is it, kid? Curious about me? If I were to say a thing or two about myself…!”
Whip.
I quickly turned away and kept walking, pretending not to see him.
Heavy thuds echoed behind me as the red-haired man caught up with big strides until he was right beside me.
“Why are you pretending not to notice?”
“That’s not it.”
“You’re curious about me, aren’t you?”
“No?”
“It’s fine. I’m willing to let little kids like you off the hook. My name’s Bharat.”
Mr. White, please do something about this.
I looked up at Mr. White, silently pleading for help.
The man who introduced himself as Bharat was promptly thrown out of the house the moment I sought White’s help.
From earlier, I’d already suspected it, but now I was sure—White was far stronger than I’d imagined.
‘He even uses magic, doesn’t he? He’s definitely not just some ordinary person.’
At first, I had thought of him only as a weird, crybaby uncle—but clearly, I was wrong.
After finishing the tour of the mansion, we returned to my room.
But now the table was piled high with cookies and desserts that hadn’t been there before.
“I thought you might be a little hungry, my lady, so I prepared some light refreshments. Dinner is being prepared, so please don’t eat too much.”
“…Can I really eat these?”
“Of course. Shall I serve them on a plate for you?”
“Yes!”
I held myself back from just grabbing with my hands, waiting patiently.
Sara quickly set one of each variety onto a plate and handed it to me.
I picked up a cookie topped with bright red jam and popped it straight into my mouth.
And then another.
In my eagerness, my cheeks soon puffed out like a squirrel’s. That’s when I caught Sara’s eyes.
‘Ah—I didn’t even realize…’
Because I was so used to sneaking food, I’d instinctively grabbed more than I meant to.
And I wasn’t even that hungry.
Was I about to get scolded?
I hesitated, about to put another cookie back down, when Sara smiled.
“Tasty, isn’t it? No need to rush. Take your time. If it’s not enough, I’ll bring more. Just don’t forget about dinner.”
“A… mmm (okay).”
Sara didn’t scold me at all. Instead, she even dabbed away the crumbs at the corner of my lips with a napkin.
“It’s even better with milk.”
Just as she said, once I sipped some milk, the cookie that had been thick in my mouth melted away instantly.
The lingering strawberry fragrance and sweetness made my eyes fly wide open.
“Is it delicious?”
Nod, nod!
After gulping the cookie down, I decided to try each one slowly.
A bite of a chocolate cookie, a bite of a cupcake with white cream on top.
Even if I left them after a single bite, nobody snatched them away.
“…”
I was so happy—so happy it made my stomach flutter uneasily.
So this is what happiness feels like.
First the luxurious meal earlier, now desserts on top of that!
“Sara, you should eat too.”
“I’m fine, my lady.”
“Still. This one hasn’t been touched. It’s yours.”
Sharing even with Sara made me feel even better.
Without realizing it, I cupped my cheeks with both hands and savored the cookie melting in my mouth.
‘Ah… maybe this life isn’t so bad after all.’
At first, I thought I’d been swindled, but looking again… maybe it wasn’t so bad.
The desserts I had always only stolen glances at—I could eat them freely now.
They say truly delicious food could tempt you to sell your soul to a devil.
That’s exactly how I felt right now. So I decided to change my mindset.
Since I’d already gained so much, I might as well make good use of it.
After finishing the cookies, Sara wheeled away the tray and left the room.
Alone again.
I leaned back on the sofa, patting my rounded belly. She had told me to eat just a little, but I’d ended up devouring half the plate without realizing.
Still, I was happy!
Even if I skipped dinner, I wouldn’t feel regretful.
“What should I do now… ah, right!”
I jumped up suddenly.
Reaching into the universal pouch still hanging at my side, I rummaged around.
Rustle, rustle.
I pulled out the gacha machine and the coin I’d gotten from Mapius.
Of course!
This pouch really was the best thing ever. One day I’d have to test how big an item it could hold.
“What’ll I get this time?”
Now I didn’t need food, and I had a family. What else did I need?
“It’d be nice if something useful came out.”
Since I’d need to rescue Callisto soon, a weapon would be great.
Buying one would be expensive.
I once worked at a forge for a few days, and selling just a few swords brought in a pile of gold coins.
I had even dreamed of becoming a blacksmith myself.
“Ahem.”
Though in just two days, I’d been accused of theft and kicked out.
Of course, I hadn’t been the culprit then either.
‘Forget the past!’
Humming a tune, I inserted the coin into the gacha machine and turned the lever.
Now that I had a family, surely no more strange people would appear.
A strong weapon would be good—but even better would be a magical item that could quickly take me to Callisto.
I imagined the perfect item as I wished.
Clack! The lever turned, and a bright blue capsule popped out.
Different from the white capsule I’d gotten the first time.
I had a good feeling about this one.
Holding my thumping chest, I set the capsule aside carefully.
If another weird person came out, I’d need to brace myself.
‘I’ll pray carefully this time! Even if I don’t believe in gods!’
Clutching the capsule between my palms, I pressed it to my forehead and shut my eyes.
“Dear god, please grant me a good weapon! Or at least a magical tool! Give me strength!”
I cracked my eyes open. The capsule looked even darker blue now—surely my prayer had worked.
Perfect! This one was different!
I twisted the capsule open.
Poof!
This time, thick black smoke filled the room.
“Cough!”
Does this smoke always come with it?!
Fanning with both arms, I scanned the floor for the item.
“Ah, there it is!”
Through the smoke, I spotted a rounded black lump of metal.
It looked like a weapon for sure. My prayer must’ve worked.
Clutching the gacha machine at my side, I grabbed the lump.
“Huh…?”
But why was it attached upwards like a pillar?
I ran my hand along the solid column.
Clank. Suddenly, the metal pillar moved.
Wha—?
Clank. As the smoke cleared, the figure revealed itself.
A towering frame clad in dark black armor.
Even darker hair, and deep navy eyes.
On his back, a massive sword as long as his body.
He was tall, but his face looked youthful—like a boy, maybe ten years older than me.
“…”
“…”
I blinked, then snapped back to my senses.
Why was it another person?!
My excitement quickly melted into unease. Nothing about him looked like a weapon or magical tool.
I shuffled backward as the armored figure stepped closer.
“…What is this?”
A low, gruff voice laced with irritation.
His scowl was as harsh as his tone.
“Don’t tell me—you’re the pathetic little thing who summoned me?”
