Chapter 21
“Hehe.”
As expected, my mom is a genius.
I scratched the back of my head with an awkward smile. Geez… it’s not like I was bragging or anything, but I guess my cuteness gave me away.
“Well, really, who in this whole world could ever dislike our CiCi? Right?”
At last, Mom swept me up into her arms and began tickling my belly.
I shrieked with laughter and buried my face against her shoulder.
Ack—it tickles!
“Has old age finally come for me?”
Even then, Father still wore that grave expression, muttering under his breath.
“But still… the atmosphere has certainly changed.”
He placed his hand gently atop my head and continued, his voice softer than before.
“There used to be no place more suffocating than this hall.”
“……”
“And yet, with CiCi here… I find I can finally breathe.”
I peeked up, lifting my head just enough to meet Harzen Dad’s gaze.
It was only the beginning, but—
Could it be? Is it working, even a little?
Were his wounds beginning to heal, if only slightly?
“My wish to return home as soon as possible remains unchanged.”
He stroked my hair twice more, the corners of his eyes creasing faintly in a smile.
Instead of sighing, I nestled back into Mom’s shoulder.
I want to go home too.
If only everything would end, and we could return in peace. How wonderful that would be.
But since that wasn’t possible, here I was, struggling through this.
“By the way—”
Just then, Mom patted my back and spoke again.
“I wonder how Kyle and Derek are doing. I did send a letter telling them CeeCee was with us, but still…”
“And since our return will be later than the date written in that letter…”
Listening to their conversation, I allowed myself a small smile.
Don’t worry, everyone. Dad never even read that letter in the first place.
“To be honest, it would be a miracle if those two didn’t come chasing after us…”
That’s right, everyone. At this very moment, Dad is chasing after me. And we’re getting closer by the day.
“I miss my dads.”
I rubbed my cheek against Mom’s neck, muttering softly.
I wished they would hurry up and come. My reinforcements—who would scold me before anything else.
If only Zion Dad were here, too…
If he had been, maybe I could’ve roamed the palace more freely under the pretense of following him around.
Not that it mattered. I just hadn’t seen him in so long.
“I miss Zion Dad!”
If I’d known it would come to this, I would’ve begged Grandpa: Please, bring Zion Dad back!
Even now, maybe I could still…
“Zion is guarding the kingdom right now. But he’ll be back soon enough. Let’s trust him and wait, all right?”
While I was lost in thought, Mom flicked the tip of my nose and smiled warmly.
Snapping back to my senses, I nodded at once.
“Mm-hm!”
I had missed Zion Dad so much that I nearly made a foolish mistake.
But the most important thing right now wasn’t anything else—it was protecting Mom.
That’s why what I asked of Grandpa… really was the best choice.
With that, Mom would be safe.
Zion Dad, stay alive out there.
Dad can guard the kingdom.
CiCi will guard Mom.
With every connection, every promise I’ve made—I’ll use them all!
***
In the end, Grandpa truly was a man of his word.
Not even a full day had passed before he fulfilled our promise to perfection.
“Wow…”
I could only gape at the sight before me in dazed wonder.
Just yesterday, when I’d walked past here, this had been a reception room.
And now it was completely transformed.
“Do you like it?”
The most dependable man alive asked me.
I nodded vigorously, grinning from ear to ear.
“Yes!”
I hadn’t expected him to finish so quickly!
“Still… to think you’d ask for something like this. A laboratory, of all things…”
While I spun around, taking in the details with giddy excitement, Grandpa muttered as though baffled.
Yes—what I had asked for was my very own laboratory.
Why, of all things?
Because I need to make something that will protect Mom.
I might not know the future, but it wasn’t as though I lacked knowledge from the original story.
And I planned to use that knowledge.
“Hehe.”
I gazed at the shelves lined with strange ingredients, eyes sparkling.
That one, I’d never seen before.
And that one, too.
Not that I have the faintest idea what any of this is!
Still, one thing was clear—they all looked rare and valuable.
Naturally.
I’d never been interested in research before.
But if researchers are nearby, things are different.
Even if I couldn’t distinguish the materials, I could always ask them to fetch what I needed.
Mwahaha!
What do you think of my perfect plan?
Glancing at the awkwardly stiff researchers, I turned to Grandpa and bowed politely.
“Thank you so much, Grandpa.”
“If you need anything more, don’t hesitate to ask.”
“I’m fine for now!”
I’d already mentioned the essentials when I requested the lab yesterday.
Climbing up to the workbench made just my size, I slipped into full concentration mode.
Back when Kyle Dad had tried to drag me into his underground workshop, I’d bawled and refused.
But now, with a lab of my very own, the feeling was completely different.
Of course, I don’t have the talent Dad does for research…
But I, CeeCee—never forget the knowledge I’ve inherited from the main story!
“Whew.”
Recalling Kyle Dad’s crafting recipes, I grinned slyly.
Meanwhile, Grandpa and the researchers watched me with faint unease.
They needn’t worry.
What I was about to make was incredibly simple—like a child’s game.
Thanks to Kyle Dad.
And today, my project was this:
Sneezing Powder.
That gloriously straightforward name was, of course, Kyle Dad’s handiwork.
He’d invented so many things that naming them became too much of a bother.
Anyway, this “Sneezing Powder” made its user sneeze uncontrollably under a very specific condition.
And that condition?
The presence of killing intent.
Whenever someone nearby harbored murderous intent, the powder would trigger an unstoppable sneeze.
In the original, Mom and Dad used this powder to detect ambushes by monsters or demons.
Why had this recipe appeared in the main story?
Because Kyle Dad invented it on the fly while traveling toward the Demon Lord’s castle.
After dealing with one ambush after another—
***
[ “Argh, this is such a pain!” ]
***
He finally lost his temper and whipped it up.
The fact that he could create something like that simply because he was “annoyed”… I wished I had that kind of ability.
If I did, I could protect Mom for certain.
No!
I shook my head, cutting off the thought.
It was enough that I could make this much.
Besides, what good was having amazing dads, if they still couldn’t protect Mom in the end?
I can do it too!
Mom’s protection—let’s go!
Once more steeling my resolve, I grabbed the lab coat set neatly atop the workbench and pulled it on.
Whoa—there were goggles and gloves, too.
And they were perfectly my size!
As expected of Grandpa.
With the goggles in place, I looked up at him.
He met my eyes and gave a small nod.
A sign that it suited me well.
Harzen Dad had always nodded like that too, whenever I wore pretty clothes.
Anyway, now that I was properly dressed—
The next step is preparing the ingredients.
But I was still a child; I couldn’t handle them myself.
That’s why I had prepared something else.
“Grandpa!”
That’s right—authority!
