C 114
...
...
No one said anything in the ensuing silence. There was no way they could.
"The culprit ended up like this..."
"...Dad?"
"Yes, daughter."
Dad, with a refreshing expression, said with a smile somewhere.
I turned my head again and looked at something resembling a person with their head bowed over their knees, dressed only in underwear and a robe wrapped around their torso.
The ears that were standing on their head were drooped and trembling slightly, and the three tails hanging from the ground were curled up.
The man's face turned blue and doubled in size.
"Is... that a Suin?"
I said carefully.
Ah, at the moment when I suddenly thought that the smell had disappeared from the tip of my nose as I walked through the market, fortunately, I was able to humanize myself again.
"That's right."
"Ah..."
It must have been a Suin.
Okay, but is it possible to have a conversation with this person?
It doesn't seem like he's dead, but I couldn't even distinguish the expression on his swollen face.
"Do you know who I am, how...?!"
Shwaaa-
The moment Dad's scabbard lightly hit the table, the man's body trembled pitifully.
The phrase that had been leaking out suddenly fell silent.
"It's... a fox?"
He had three blue fox tails, and the erect ears also had water-colored fur.
The pupils that could be seen through the swollen eyes were greenish-brown.
"Aren't you going to apologize?"
My ears died as soon as the soft voice fell.
"...I-I'm sorry."
"No..."
But can the culprit be caught so easily? No matter how easy it is...
"Why did you do that?"
"Well, he didn't say that. You can go and interrogate him calmly."
My father's smiling face scared me even when I saw it.
He's a man who looks very young, but what the hell happened...?
"That smell is strange, isn't it?"
The man pursed his lips as if it was difficult to even speak, then furrowed his brow.
"I want to heal this man."
I thought with my eyes closed.
Pure white magical power radiated from my fingertips and enveloped the man in an instant. The man's eyes opened wide.
He rubbed his cheek a couple of times and furrowed his brow.
"It's nothing much. If you humanize for a long time, you naturally have symptoms of mana buildup, and that just relieves it."
"Relieves it?"
"It's a bit toxic to young Suins, so sometimes control is released."
He added that it wasn't dangerous and didn't seem to be lying.
"But really, why did you do that?"
"......"
The man quickly shut his mouth.
I looked at the culprit who had been caught.
Well, there's no way my father couldn't catch the culprit with his ability.
"He's not one of the strongest people in the world for no reason."
As I looked at the man, the man also looked at me.
"You really are a dragon."
"Did you think it was fake?"
"Not like that, but it's true that it's hard to believe."
The man said honestly.
It seemed like he was looking at a really strange legendary creature.
"We needed you."
"Why me?"
"......"
The man fell silent again.
The fact that he didn't say anything even after being beaten by my father must mean he's a person of strong character.
"Why did you sow Hatar in the empire?"
"He must have tried to go to war with the Empire."
The answer came from Dad. Go to war? For me, living in modern times, it was like a story from a distant country.
The man was still sitting on his knees with his mouth shut.
It was a bit surprising that even after being beaten like that, he kept his posture upright and didn't speak.
"Is he a loyal person?"
He didn't seem like such a bad person. Of course, I'm not sure he was a good person.
I'm sure there's someone behind this.
First of all, it seems that this person wasn't the real "boss."
At that moment.
"Ugh..."
Suddenly, the man let out a painful groan and clutched his stomach.
Ugh, ugh...
Then, suddenly, he covered his mouth and began to vomit. When I widened my eyes in bewilderment, he spat something out of his mouth.
"Do you know what this is?"
With a slightly pale face, he smiled.
"Foxes have something called a wish marble."
The man's greenish-brown eyes narrowed at first glance. Dad got in my way.
"Quite similar to you, isn't it? Lady Dragon. Dragons also have marbles."
As soon as he finished his words,
the world stopped.
Dad stopped, and Callan and Silian stopped moving.
"As expected, it doesn't work on you either. Is it because of the dragon's retrocompatible power?"
"...Dad?"
I grabbed my father's hem and shook it. But Dad didn't respond.
"Dad! Callan, Silian!"
No matter how many times I called, there was no response.
It really looked like he was hardened like a stone statue. I felt like my heart was pounding hard.
"After all, the dragon is also the source of mana. It would have been unthinkable if you weren't a child..."
The man took out something like a bracelet and approached me.
"No..."
I don't want to lose any more of my family. They're my precious family. If I don't protect them, no.
I opened my mouth when I saw the man approaching.
<Don't come near.>
The voice echoed like an echo. As I spoke, a language I didn't know flowed from my lips.
It's a language I don't know, but it's also a language I feel like I've known for a long time.
It couldn't have been more than strange.
Anyway, as soon as I finished my words, the man's steps stopped.
"It's not possible..."
The man seemed to be trying to move his body, but as if it wasn't easy, he pursed his lips with a puzzled look.
<Now, make Dad return to normal.>
Somehow, I came up with the idea that I could stop this man very easily.
As soon as I finished speaking, I felt the blood draining from my fingers.
"How the hell can she use dragon words...?"
His words couldn't finish.
He moved as if someone were manipulating him and in an instant, my father and my brothers returned to normal.
"Give me the marble."
I said, extending my hand.
He swallowed his breath as he clutched the orb tightly. Judging by his trembling gaze and clenched teeth, it was clear that he was desperately holding on.
However, he finally stepped forward and knelt, placing the marble in my hand.
A look of deep disappointment crossed the man's face.
In the man's hand, the marble that shone like water turned into a transparent glass marble in an instant when it reached my hand.
"...Eirin?"
"Dad...!"
Dad, who had returned to normal, called me in surprise.
I quickly hugged my father's leg. When I felt that I almost lost him forever, I felt sad for some reason.
"Dad, Dad... Dad..."
"Yes, daughter."
Dad hugged me tightly. I felt much better after his embrace.
"Can you tell me what happened?"
"That person used strange powers."
"I see."
He held me lightly in his arms and buried my head in his chest.
Then, he lightly rubbed my cheek. Then it fell silent.
The noise that always wore me out had completely disappeared. It was correct to say that not only the noise, but all sounds had disappeared.
Even with my eyes closed, I could feel my father's arm moving.
"You can open your eyes now."
When I turned my head slightly, I saw a man lying on the ground as if he had fainted.
A large bump appeared on the back of his head.
"This... that person."
I handed a marble the size of my two fists to my father, and my father frowned, picked it up, and passed it to Callan Etham.
Then, naturally, he took out a handkerchief and
wiped my hands.
"Dad?"
"Wait a moment, it's dirty."
"...Father just put it in my hands a moment ago, didn't he?"
Callan Etham asked in bewilderment.
Dad smiled when he saw Callan.
"You're a daughter too? Why? Can't you wash your hands?"
Callan Etham shook her head in disgust as Dad put away the handkerchief.
"Dad, I..."
My vision began to spin.
"Oh...?"
Is it another side effect of using my ability?
Feeling a throbbing in my head, I raised my hand to touch my forehead, and Dad patted me on the back.
"Daughter?"
"Dad, I feel dizzy and sleepy..."
My eyes blurred.
"Eirin!"
Despite my father's sad call, my eyes darkened.
Crack, crack.
Crack.
The direction of the gears' flow reversed again. Strangely, I could see the gear shifts.
And the moment I closed my eyes and opened them again, this time I was in the midst of hell.
"This money-devouring parasite! What's the point of not killing her right now? How long are you going to spend money on this bitch?! How long?!"
"Mother, please..."
"Hey, how long are you going to sleep?"
Yes, I woke up in a noisy, horrifying, and gut-wrenching hell.
Maybe that's what I thought.
Unless something ends, this hell will haunt me forever.
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