C 71
Were there lizards that could fly in the world?
No, of course there could be. But it's a bit strange for it to flutter and fly.
I moved my wings with strength.
It really made a popping sound.
As far as I know, flying lizards usually have wings like flying squirrels under their front legs or simply those of flying snakes.
I felt strange, but Erno Etham naturally took me in his arms and patted my back, as if he expected this.
"...No, something is strange."
It's not normal.
Oh? It's strange.
I looked up in confusion, but Erno Etham had the kindest and friendliest expression I had ever seen.
Seeing that, my heart melted, and I wondered what it would be like.
"Yes, it's not so bad, is it?"
Because I have wings, I've become a rare mutant lizard that can fly.
"I was waiting for you to wake up."
"Kyu?"
"How's your body?"
I nodded and puffed up my chest with my front paw. It was to show that I was fine.
He meticulously inspected me here and there, then stroked my cheek.
"You must be tired because you just woke up, but could you help me with something?"
Erno Etham asked me something. I felt a bit nervous.
What is it?
When I nodded, Erno Etham's smile widened even more.
"He's angry... isn't he?"
This person's smile gets bigger the angrier he is, so I'm not sure how sincere it is.
Still, the touch was so kind that I didn't want to ask with my own mouth.
"I have a lot to give you. Because five years of gifts are overdue."
"...Kyuwoo?"
I'm not sure what you mean by five years.
As I tilted my head, Erno Etham stroked my cheek several times.
"Eirin, it's been five years since you slept to grow."
What?
What is the average lifespan of a lizard?
When I opened my mouth, he smiled and got up from his seat.
Then, he left the stack of papers piled up on one side of the desk and handed them to me one by one.
"Now, would you like to sign here first?"
What kind of signature can I make like this? My hand is so blunt that I can't even hold a pen. Actually, it's not a hand, it's more like a front paw.
"It's just a footprint of your foot."
It's even stranger that the signature is a seal of my foot.
Erno Etham briefly kissed my forehead.
As he looked at me with a friendly gaze, Erno Etham dipped my front paw in red ink and brought my paw to the paper.
Do I really have to do this?!
Tok, tok, tok.
Moving his hands almost mechanically at an imperceptible speed, Erno Etham quickly gathered a thick stack of papers with my round pawprint.
"Daughter."
I tilted my head, and he put me on the desk, carefully cleaning my front paws stained with ink.
"...Of course, I like you no matter how you look."
His large hand landed on my head. His warmth melted my lips.
"Could you turn into a human now? I want to hold you after a long time."
I turned my little head and looked at him.
When I blinked once, he knelt down and looked into my eyes.
"Daughter, could I ask you that favor?"
After looking at him for a long time, I slowly nodded my head.
I felt like I had to say yes even if it was impossible.
And somehow it seemed like I could do it.
"I want to become human."
The moment I made that wish, my eyes turned white.
When I closed my eyes and opened them, my body suddenly became larger. Before I could open my eyes, a large blanket wrapped around me.
"Fa... Father?"
It felt like I hadn't pronounced it for a long time. The feeling of my lips parting and my voice coming out was unfamiliar to me.
"Yes, Eirin."
He responded as he held me tightly wrapped in a blanket.
"I missed you."
"Yes..."
Oh? There was something about the pronunciation that felt right. However, visibility was still low.
"Since you didn't wake up, I thought my heart was dropping. I almost cut the emperor's throat."
"...What?"
That's treason, treason.
You can't casually make such bloody comments.
I couldn't expect anything different from a crazy psychopath.
"Still..."
It's so nice to be in his arms again.
I stretched my short arms and hugged Erno Etham tightly. Somehow, I felt that my heart was at ease.
"Dad..."
"Yes, daughter."
I hugged him with a weak expression and finally asked what I had been curious about since earlier.
"...Did five years really pass?"
I asked Erno Etam, trying to ignore the words that were naturally coming out of my mouth.
"Yes."
"...Did only my tongue grow?"
Why does it seem like the way I speak is normal but my height is still the same? I jumped up and stood, but I still had the same height.
"Hmm."
It's strange.
Even when I turned my head slightly, I still had the same height.
Except for the fact that his golden eyes had a slightly stranger gleam.
"Oh? I don't have a tail."
The tail that was always moving was gone.
Did I grow to be able to humanize properly? Well, if that's the case, I'm proud of it.
"Aren't you hungry?"
Right on cue, a grumbling sound came from my stomach. Erno Etham smiled as he lowered his head with cheeks flushed with a little embarrassment.
"...I'm hungry."
"Let's go to the dining room first."
"Yes."
"And after you finish eating, you must receive the gifts you haven't received in 5 years."
"Yes!"
I responded energetically. I don't know why he's obsessed with gifts.
As soon as I opened my eyes, it seemed like he was trying to get rid of something quickly, like a person who is doing something illegal.
"...Eirin?"
When I turned my head, a tall boy was looking at me. Red hair and golden eyes...
"Oh?"
He looked very much like Callan Etham.
"Did you wake up?"
A tall boy who looked like Callan Etham approached me and showed me his face.
"Incredible..."
He let out a low groan and extended his arms towards me and hugged me.
"You didn't wake up too late, did you?"
"B-Brother... Callan...?"
"Yes."
God, it really was him.
"Did you grow...?"
"Because five years have passed."
"So big...?"
"Because five years have passed."
There was only a head's difference between him and Erno Etham.
"It's real, it's not a dream... damn it."
"You're... you're suffocating me..."
He held me tightly in his arms, put his hands under my armpits, as if to spin in the same spot, and even touched my cheeks.
"It's true..."
"Callan, stop and let her go. Eirin is embarrassed."
Looking at the boy who had grown so tall that I wondered if all the opposite sexes were crying, I opened my mouth.
It felt like just yesterday when he was a little boy, but when I woke up, they said five years had passed...
"This isn't all. I should bring Silian. Where are you going, Father?"
"To the dining room."
"I only collected lizard plushies after you disappeared, and later, I even made plushies... Oh, it doesn't matter. It's not something you need to know."
Callan Etham, who muttered something incomprehensible, stroked my hair and smiled broadly at his dazzling appearance.
"You came back safe and sound, Eirin."
"...Yes, I came back."
I managed to spit out the words that were circulating in my mouth. It was something I really wanted to say.
"Yes!"
He patted my cheek a couple of times and then quickly disappeared somewhere.
"I wonder if Silian grew like this too."
Is this how it feels to see your children grow?
It was strange to see him grow with a moving, undistorted appearance.
"Oh...? Miss?"
This time it was Laurent.
He looked at me, opened his mouth, puckered his hardened lips, and soon began to shed large tears.
"Oh...?"
"My lady..."
Laurent looked at me for a long time before approaching me in disbelief.
"Ah..."
Erno Etham's annoyed sigh was barely audible.
Laurent approached and took my hand carefully as if he were unaware of it.
"She finally woke up..."
"Yes..."
"What a relief..."
Laurent cried sadly in front of me for a long time, saying he had been worried, but finally hesitated back at Erno Etham's annoyed voice.
"Until next time!"
"Yes... See you later..."
"Yes."
I deliberately smiled at Laurent and gently shook his hand.
"Why are you smiling so much?"
"What?"
"You were smiling, so I was wondering why you were smiling."
Was I smiling?
As I slowly raised my hand, the corners of my mouth were definitely lifted.
Why was I smiling...?
"I was worried about myself."
"So?"
"I love it when people worry about me, cry for me, and welcome me."
Yes, I loved it now. I simply enjoyed being happy like this.
"...But."
"Yes?"
"I was also very worried about my daughter."
Erno Etham said with a somewhat gruff expression.
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