Chapter 85
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[On the trail]
A man turned into rags I dragged myself back to the carriage. The children were still soundly asleep by then.
“hmm? “Did you move the kids?”
The great man checked the children lying side by side in the carriage and asked Modrea, who was watching the surroundings.
“…….”
Mordrea nodded slightly without saying a word. The great man looked at the doll with a curious expression.
‘Now I’m doing things I wasn’t even asked to do. ‘Is this something you can learn on your own?’
Daein thought that he should read the manual left by Dreitz properly when he had time.
Maybe there are more ways to use it than you thought.
“Well, take it slow.”
The great man entered the carriage and shook Lily’s shoulder to wake her up.
“kid. “Wake up for a moment.”
As mana was injected into her body to drive out the sleeping pills, Lily woke up, rubbing her sleepy eyes.
“Ugh… why?”
“Come outside and see. “Because I have something to show you.”
After a while, Lily came out of the carriage with a disheveled face. In the girl’s arms was a chicken doll that she always held when she slept.
Lily’s eyes widened when she found the man kneeling in front of the carriage.
“who is this?”
I couldn’t recognize it right away.
The man’s goblin mask was shattered and his face looked like an exploded punching bag.
“…….”
But for some reason, I felt creepy. The man’s familiar eyes. Lily began to recall memories of her terrible past one by one.
“Who are you…?”
Lily unconsciously took a step back and muttered, but her instincts had already revealed her opponent’s identity.
Tuk.
Something touched my back and I turned around to see a man standing behind me.
The great man said.
“Don’t run away, look straight ahead.”
The great man removed the gag from the man’s mouth, took out the goblin mask he had been using when pretending to be a fake, and placed it on his face.
After a while, a slow, cracked voice flowed from the freed mouth.
“Child of Fire…”
The moment she heard that voice, the girl returned to the laboratory in the cave of the past.
Shivering.
Lily clutched the doll in her arms and glared at the goblin mask.
In fact, I imagined this situation several times.
Because he said he was going to catch the goblin mask.
‘If we meet again, I won’t stay still!’
I even made bold promises in front of people.
However, when she actually faced the goblin mask again, no thoughts crossed her mind.
The goblin said, looking at Lily carefully.
“You did well to run away. Moreover, you rescued a reliable ally, harmed us, and captured me like this… But that’s it.”
“…….”
He chuckled.
The goblin leaned towards Lily and spoke. He seemed unfazed by the torture that tore his flesh and bones apart.
“You don’t think this is the end, do you?”
“Ugh…”
The girl, facing her own trauma, whimpered, unable to say a single word that was in her heart.
The great man quietly looked at the figure and thought.
‘It might have been better if we didn’t meet.’
Maybe it would have been better for him to deal with the goblins alone.
In a way that quietly buries the wounds of the past rather than bringing them up for no reason.
After that, if you find the little boy’s mother and return to Earth, you won’t have to worry about this place for a while.
I could have allowed the little boy to eat well and live well without having to face his painful past.
Good and good. By just ignoring it and forgetting about it.
But that meant the little boy would have to suffer from nightmares of goblins chasing him for the rest of his life.
The great man held Lily’s trembling hand.
“Are you still scared?”
The girl turned her head and looked up at the man. A scared face. The great man gave strength to his hand and continued speaking.
“What’s so scary about something like that? A child whose arms and legs are tied and who can only speak. “I can’t do anything to you anymore.”
Warm, big hands. And a confident voice.
Lily felt her anxious mind calming down little by little.
The man who let go of his hand gently pushed Lily’s back forward and said.
“Go ahead and say whatever you want to say. “It’s okay to show it with action.”
“Yeah…”
Lily, with her back pushed down, walked forward one step at a time. A man’s voice, no different from usual, came from behind me.
“Let’s have breakfast when we’re done.”
“…huh.”
The girl walked forward with strides. He confidently faced the goblin who was looking at him with his eyes focused.
The goblin said with a chuckle.
“Do you think it will end if you just kill me? Child of fire. There is no place in the world for you to run to…”
Voila!
The goblin’s face turned to the side. Lily sighed, caressing her numb palm.
And I screamed with all my might.
“I’m not scared of you anymore!!!”
“…dare!”
The goblin contorted his face viciously and screamed, but Lily did not avoid his gaze and shouted at him.
“I’m not scared! “Not one!”
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
Fireworks filling the sky.
The fireworks, which easily numbered tens, hundreds, or even thousands, spread out so far that the end could not be seen, dyeing the sky red.
The goblin looked at the burning sky that Lily had created with a shocked face.
“How can I already have this much power…!”
This is ridiculous. The child who ran away from the laboratory grows much faster than the ‘other children’ who are developing their abilities in the organization.
Fluffy.
Lily’s body rose slightly into the air.
Hair spread out in all directions, and tremendous magical power emanated from the entire body.
With a light hand gesture, the flames in the sky all turned towards the goblin mask.
gulp.
The goblin mask swallowed its saliva and muttered without realizing it.
“Witch…”
the girl said, her ruby-like eyes shining sinisterly.
“Wendy’s enemy. “I’ll pay you back now.”
At that time, a man came up from behind and placed his hand on Lily’s head.
“Don’t kill me.”
“…why?”
When Lily turned around with a somewhat dissatisfied face, the great man brushed down the girl’s hair that was all over the place and said,
“I still have something left to ask.”
Lily pouted her lips for a moment and nodded obediently.
“…okay.”
Lily, now calm, came down to the floor. The girl glared at the goblin mask once and then returned to the carriage.
The great man took off the mask of the man who was still dazed, put the gag back in his mouth, and spoke.
“Then let’s have an in-depth conversation again later.”
“…….”
*
*
*
That evening.
A rural village at the western end of the Teru Kingdom. A carriage pulled in there.
A quick glance.
When a rare, luxury carriage appeared, villagers stuck their heads out the window and glanced.
“What kind of carriage?”
“Isn’t this a nobleman’s parade?”
“What kind of business is there in this corner of the village?…”
The villagers, who looked scruffy, looked at the carriage with worried expressions.
A carriage that looks precious even at a glance. There was a high probability that someone of valuable status would be on board.
And when valuable people showed up in the village, almost always something unfortunate happened.
The great man sitting on the roof of the carriage was able to look around the village at a glance.
“It’s a fairly poor-looking neighborhood.”
It was a barren rural village with a remote location and no specialties.
The great man spoke to Lily, who was sitting next to him.
“Is this right here?”
“huh! Just go down that road!”
Lily looked very nervous.
The hometown I left when I was young and returned a few years later. Faint memories were coming back.
“there! “It’s over there!”
The voice got louder and faster. My heart was pounding so fast that I didn’t know what to do.
The great man looked at Lily with a worried face.
‘Is this guy’s mother still alive?’
Of course, I never told Lily, but the great man saw the chances as less than half.
In a rural area like this, it was not easy for a woman to survive in an environment so poor that she had to sell her children as well.
‘Besides…’
The great man turned his head and looked at the sack being dragged around tied to the back of the carriage. The blood-stained sack contained the mask of an unconscious goblin.
‘Those guys may have kidnapped me to use as a hostage.’
Although we used various other methods, including the use of bone spurs, the goblin held out much better than expected.
So I was thinking of keeping him alive for a while longer.
If you have enough time, there is a way to extract all the information you have, even if it means breaking your mind.
And if a situation arises, goblins could be used as pandemonium and negotiation cards.
While the man was thinking about various things in his head, Lily jumped up from the roof of the carriage and shouted.
“Over there!”
The carriage stopped and Lily jumped out of the carriage and ran home.
But the girl stopped in front of the door. The outstretched hand hesitated in front of the door.
The great man stood next to him and asked.
“Why aren’t you going in?”
“What should I do without my mom?”
Lily wasn’t stupid either. I knew that my mother might be dead, even though I didn’t say it out loud.
The great man said.
“Let’s think about it then.”
“…huh.”
Lily closed her eyes and knocked on the door.
After a while, a frightened voice was heard from beyond the door.
“…who are you?”
A woman’s voice. The great man turned his head and looked at Lily. Lily’s eyes were as big as a flower lantern.
Lily said in a trembling voice.
“mom?”
The great man took a step back. A frightened voice was heard again from inside the door.
“who are you? Who are you?…”
“Mom!! it’s me! “Lily!”
“…baby?”
The door burst open and a woman in shabby clothes appeared.
The woman’s eyes widened and she looked at Lily with an expression of disbelief. It seemed like he didn’t know what to do.
At that moment, Lily jumped into her mother’s arms first.
“mom-!!”
“How how…”
The woman kept repeating the word ‘how.’ Soon tears began to flow from her eyes.
“How could you…!”
“mom! I miss you!”
The mother and daughter hugged each other and cried loudly. The story that had been buried broke out with tears, and the emotions that had been suppressed exploded.
And after a few steps, the great man sighed.
“Phew.”
*
*
*
A barbecue party took place late at night.
Daein took out the grill and camping supplies in front of the house’s yard, spread them out, and took out all the meat he had brought in the wagon.
And he gave the kids a mission.
“Go and call all the villagers.”
At first, the villagers were wary of Daein’s group, but attracted by the smell of grilling meat, they began to gather one or two at a time.
Among the villagers who tasted the meat, some shed tears.
“When was the last time you ate meat?…”
“It’s delicious. “It’s really delicious!”
“Perhaps there is someone called the Saint of the Carriage…”
The wary atmosphere quickly changed to a welcoming one.
After learning about Lily’s story, the villagers went to the mother and daughter and offered congratulatory words.
“I heard your daughter was sold far away and came back? Congratulations!”
“If you look closely, you can see that your face remains from when you were young.”
“Your face has become so bright and prettier!”
While he was throwing away the man, he also took out some alcohol.
“Let’s all have a drink.”
As the excitement grew, some of the village men stepped forward and shouted.
“Singing is a must on a day like this!”
One or two people came forward and began to sing, and someone beat a drum or something to beat the beat.
It was the happiest night for Lily.
“You know, Mom. “What did you say back then…!”
The girl talked to her mother all night long about the adventure that started on Earth. Some of them embarrassed the great man.
“hey! “Don’t talk like that!”
“It’s melong!”
Jang Young-shin worked hard to impress Lily’s mother, and
siblings Zeke and Hannah looked at the mother and daughter with envy.
Mordrea watched the surroundings with an expressionless face on the roof.
It was an unforgettable night for many.
After the party, everyone in the village went home and fell asleep.
Lily’s mother slowly combed her sleeping daughter’s hair.
She raised her head and looked at the great man sitting across from her. Everyone was asleep and only two people were awake.
“How should I repay this favor…”
The great man laughed and shook his head.
“What about grace? “Thanks to the little guy, I had fun for a few months.”
“But…”
“…….”
When the great man stared at her silently, she avoided his gaze and lowered her head.
“Why are you looking at me like that?…”
“Mother. “Would you like to take a short walk with me?”
“yes?”
When she looked embarrassed, the great man smiled softly and said,
“I have something to tell you separately. “In a quiet place.”
In an instant, her face turned red.
“…Then, shall we walk for a while?”
After a while, the two walked down the path side by side.
It was Daein who spoke first.
“When the little boy meets his mom again, I want to make it the best day ever.”
“Oh yes….”
“I ate a lot of my favorite meat, many people congratulated me, and I fell asleep while chatting next to my mom… It somehow went as planned.”
When Daein smiled happily, she laughed along with him.
A secluded trail. A pair of men and women walking shoulder to shoulder.
The great man stopped and said.
“Actually, I was a little confused at first. But now I can be sure.”
“yes?”
“I wanted to talk… but I just wasn’t in the mood because of the little boy.”
As the atmosphere changed strangely, her voice trembled a little.
“What are you talking about…”
The great man turned his head and looked at her gently.
The little girl definitely took after her mother, and even without makeup, she was quite a beauty.
The great man approached her.
“So I decided to stay put until the party was over. “Now I finally have a chance.”
“You’re in trouble if you do this.”
The woman blushed shyly, but there was a faint smile on her lips as if she didn’t hate it.
The great man quickly approached her.
“I’ve been waiting to tell you this for a really long time…”
I reached out my hand and gently cupped her cheek, and she quietly closed her eyes.
The great man lowered his hand and grabbed her neck.
“Wow!”
The great man asked the fake, whose eyes were wide in surprise, in a cold voice.
“Where is your real mother?”
[On the trail] End
ⓒ Ganjjajang