Chapter 77……………………………………………………
“C-C! Me too, me too!”
“…?”
Then, Derek’s dad slowly tilted his head while lowering the bow he was holding.
“This?”
“Yes! I want to learn too!”
Magic, archery, swordsmanship, invention—anything that could help Mom, I wanted to learn it all!
“……”
At my words, Derek’s dad seemed to think for a moment, then silently handed me the bow he was holding.
I proudly took my dad’s bow—
“Ugh.”
No way!
The moment I received the bow from Dad, my arms, unable to bear the weight, dangled limply downward.
W-why is it so heavy?
It feels like it weighs as much as I do.
“I can’t lift it……”
I ended up frowning and gently placing the bow on the ground.
Derek’s dad looked at me as if he had expected this.
“And this?”
He then pulled something from his chest and handed it to me.
“Something I used a long time ago.”
I took what Dad handed me and tilted my head to examine it.
With leather in the center and ropes tied on both sides, it looked kind of like…
‘A slingshot.’
If I tied it to a forked branch, it could actually become one.
“What is this?”
I asked Derek’s dad, looking up at him.
He then took an oval-shaped stone from his pocket and answered:
“A sling.”
“Wow.”
“I’ll show you how.”
Dad took the stone and sling from me again.
“Careful.”
Then, with practiced skill, he hooked the string onto his fingers, the stone onto the leather, and assumed a stance.
I immediately stepped back about twenty steps.
Dad lifted the leather with one hand and took aim for a moment.
Then, with a big swing of his arm, he released the stone.
A whooshing sound briefly brushed past my ears—
Bang!
The stone hit the target dead on, and a huge blast echoed in my ears.
I instinctively covered my ears and stared blankly at the smoking target.
“W-what is this……?”
The target is dead.
Well, targets aren’t technically alive, but… it looked dead anyway.
“Beep……”
Yeppi also seemed shocked and timidly hid behind me, avoiding Derek’s dad.
The soldiers near the training area were also staring at the target and Derek’s dad in astonishment.
Ignoring them, Derek’s dad calmly handed the sling back to me.
“A gift.”
“This…?”
He wants me to… kill someone?
‘No, that’s only possible because it’s Dad.’
If I tried, I’d probably spin myself around along with the stone.
“Alright, I’ll try too.”
I grabbed the sling Dad handed me, setting my face with determination.
“So, like this……”
Watching Dad earlier, it looked like he hooked this side with his ring finger and the other side with his index finger.
Then you put the stone in here…
“Ready? Ready?”
I asked Dad, holding out my hand.
He nodded lightly.
“Now just spin it.”
“Like this? Behind my back?”
“Still difficult.”
“Ah, this isn’t the right posture?”
It did look a bit hard for me to do.
“Like this.”
Dad demonstrated, swinging his arm downward in a circular motion.
I nodded and began twirling my arm, imitating him.
Twirl, twirl…
“Uh, how long do I spin it?”
“As long as you want.”
“Uh… huh?”
If I do it like this, I might spin forever!
“…Now, release it.”
Finally, Dad gave the command himself.
As soon as I heard him, I released the sling, spreading my fingers.
“Wow.”
It didn’t reach the target, but it flew much farther than I expected!
Even for my first try, it almost reached the target!
“How’s that, Dad? How’s that!”
I jumped up and down happily, looking up at him.
“……”
Dad stared at where the stone had landed, then asked quietly:
“Was that where you intended?”
“Huh? Y-yeah!”
It went slightly to the side, but more or less, it was in the direction I wanted.
“……”
At my words, Derek’s dad suddenly looked serious.
“You have talent.”
“Gah. Really?”
“Really.”
My eyes lit up immediately.
I have talent for throwing stones, a master at it!
Woohoo!
…but what do I do with this?
Should I throw stones at anyone who comes to kill Mom?
“You take after me.”
Dad gently patted my head and gave a faint smile.
I stopped my thoughts and smiled faintly, copying him.
“Yeah, I take after you.”
“And the bow too.”
“Yeah, I’ll try the bow later.”
But please, a kid-sized bow, not that huge one.
Anyway.
“I want to practice this more!”
I eagerly loaded a stone into the sling and shouted.
Honestly, I was a bit hesitant at first, but it’s super fun once you actually try it.
‘I’ll keep throwing until I hit that target perfectly!’
A fun game… no, for training!
“Haaah, this is tough.”
Several hours later.
I dragged my exhausted body forward, staggering.
I used my arms the most, so why does my whole body feel so tired…?
“C-C.”
Finally, Derek’s dad lifted me up in his arms.
I wriggled naturally to get into the most comfortable position.
This unshakable comfort.
Derek’s bed… no, his arms.
“Don’t overdo it.”
Dad gently swept my hair back from my forehead.
I nodded slowly.
“But it was so much fun.”
Maybe because I’ve never used my body this much in the palace.
All my stress seemed to vanish at once.
“Come to think of it, I used to go out with Dad a lot at home.”
We went everywhere together—mountains, fields—watching him hunt.
‘So that’s why.’
Back then, I had to quietly stay in the palace, so it makes sense that my body aches now.
“Next time, I’ll teach you how to shoot the bow. And also the way I threw the stone.”
Throwing from below to above seemed to weaken the power.
Of course, I hope I’ll never need to aim at people.
“You still have energy to spare.”
Dad muttered while leaning slightly forward, seeming to want to put me down.
I wrapped my arms around his neck like a cicada, clinging.
“Mm, but I don’t have the strength to walk……”
Please carry me all the way to the bedroom.
Five stars, absolutely.
“Next time.”
Dad lifted me properly again and said.
I giggled.
“Yeah, next time.”
Looks like I have talent for long-range attacks.
I wonder if I’ll shoot well once I learn the bow too?
‘Maybe I got Mom’s athletic genes?’
I used to dominate all the neighborhood sports days, after all.
Though my parents’ insane athletic skills sometimes overshadowed mine…
“Haah.”
I yawned deeply as I thought about it.
Maybe because I used my body too much, I’m getting sleepy.
And Dad’s arms are warm, making me even sleepier.
“Dad, I’m going to sleep a little.”
“Mm.”
I couldn’t resist my heavy eyelids and closed my eyes.
If I sleep like this, it’ll be the best nap ever…
Warm, cozy, snug…
“Really, this little one?”
At that moment, someone’s shocked voice pierced into my ears.
