Chapter 25
I definitely felt something pressing against my cheek, didn't I? Why is there no one around?
“……Was it a dream?”
But the sensation on my cheek felt too vivid to be a dream.
And where am I, anyway?
As I looked around, confused by the cave that was nothing but walls, the memories from before I fainted came rushing back.
“Exórdĭum!”
I cupped my cheeks with my hands and shouted.
“So, Awakening wasn't a dream?!”
It was reality. It felt too real to be a dream, especially the explosive power I felt at the moment of Awakening.
Even the memory of the brilliant white light that enveloped me.
I, who had been so frustrated that I couldn't even summon a tiny chick. I, who had been a perennial Level 5 honor student! ……But really, I actually became an Awakened?
This is just, truly…….
“So cool!”
I rubbed my nose and grinned.
“……Though it’s a slightly burdensome ability.”
That’s because I had planned to open a small bakery in the countryside and live a quiet life once I retired from the original story.
‘Is it okay for a bakery owner to be able to turn monsters into dust?’
Then again, that sounds like a pretty badass bakery owner.
‘Maybe it’s fine.’
As I nodded, deep in thought, a message written on the cave wall caught my eye.
Heinri’s message was left in pretty handwriting, clearly written with great care on the uneven wall.
「 I’ll go find something delicious outside. Sleep comfortably, Sister.
I love you, Sister. You know that, right?
From your kind and cute Heinri! 」
“So cute…….”
Just as I was reading the message with a satisfied smile, a messy, worm-like scrawl caught my eye right next to that neat handwriting.
「 The beast is going too. 」
“……Hmm.”
They must have both been written by Heinri, but the difference in temperature is immense.
So, it seems the kids brought me to this cave after I Awakened and collapsed.
In one corner of the cave, I could see a makeshift bed they had carefully prepared.
‘They didn’t have to go through all that trouble when we’ll be heading back to the forest soon anyway.’
Once Sislein and Heinri returned, all I had to do was call Julius with my ring.
‘The latest model(?) wizard carriage will come to pick us up.’
I smiled with satisfaction.
‘Wizard slaves are useful in so many ways.’
It was right then. A familiar voice reached my ears.
[ ……The cave is safe, so stay here for a while. It’s dangerous to go back just yet, child. ]
“……Yes?”
I looked around in surprise, but there was no one there. It seems it wasn't a dream that someone whispered ‘sticky rice’ in my ear earlier!
I asked urgently.
“Who are you? You’re the one who helped me Awaken earlier, right?”
But to my dismay, the person left only that voice and vanished into thin air again.
“Ah, wait, come back……!”
I was struggling with how to catch a voice that only echoed in my head when—
“Sister!”
Heinri came running in from the cave entrance, dropping firewood everywhere, and hugged me.
Behind him, I saw Sislein carrying a load of food and water.
“Annette.”
“Heinri, Sislein!”
I was so happy to see them that I stomped my feet.
“Sister, are you okay?”
Heinri asked. Sislein returned to my side with a look of deep concern.
‘Sob, my babies were worried about me.’
I beamed and nodded vigorously.
“Mm-hmm!”
Of course, I had just heard a suspicious voice, but for some reason, I didn’t want to talk about it.
I didn't want to worry them for no reason, and above all, I wanted to be cautious about the Awakening and share it only when I was certain.
I clenched both fists and held them up, sparkling, to reassure the boys.
“I’m full of energy!”
It was right then.
*Grumble—*
My stomach let out a sound like thunder.
“Ah…….”
As I grabbed my stomach, blushing, both boys burst into laughter.
A while later.
We lit a small fire in the cave and had dinner.
“Ah, this is so delicious. It’s so good!”
Sob, the meat isn't even seasoned, so why does it taste so good?
It was a feast fit for a king.
Beside Sislein, who was silently grilling the meat, Heinri boasted.
“Sister, eat a lot. You’re supposed to be hungry after Awakening. You know that, right?”
“Yeah!”
Then he glared at Sislein.
“Grill it faster.”
Sislein retorted while nonchalantly grilling the meat.
“You’re quite the eater. You eat well, and you’re quite good at bossily ordering people around, too.”
Heinri ignored him and said.
“It feels like we’re camping, it’s fun, right? I wanted to go on a picnic with you, Sister.”
His violet eyes curved softly, as if he were excited.
I felt happy in the romantic atmosphere, too.
“Yeah. It’s nice.”
“Annette. You’re planning to call Julius after you eat, right?”
At Sislein’s question, I thought for a moment before saying.
“Hmm~ I don’t know. Shall we stay here one more day? Like we’re camping!”
‘That voice in my head is still bothering me.’
Since it was the voice that helped me Awaken, I didn’t think it would give me advice that would harm me.
So, I thought it would be best to stay in this cave at least for tonight.
Heinri raised both hands.
“I agree! This cave is comfortable and I like it for some reason.”
Sislein, who was doing all the chores by himself, shrugged as he moved only the ripest blueberries onto my plate.
It meant he agreed.
* * *
Deep in the night.
The cave was filled only with the breathing of the sleeping children.
That was when a voice whispered softly into Annette’s ear, waking her from her deep sleep.
“Annette.”
Whisper, whisper.
“……Yeah?”
Annette opened her eyes in her sleep to see a boy she had never seen before looking at her.
He had hair that shone so white it felt holy, and gray eyes.
His eyes sparkled like the stars in the night sky.
‘Is he an angel?’
I was staring blankly at him when the boy whispered softly.
“Hello.”
“……Hello?”
“I’m your guide, ‘X’. I’ve come because I have something to tell you about your ‘ability’.”
The boy smiled and held out his hand to me.
“Will you come with me?”
His whispering voice was as sweet as cotton candy.
I stared blankly at the hand the boy held out.
‘He’s going to teach me about my power?’
The boy who appeared in the dawn, dyed deep by the moonlight, was so mysterious that for some reason, this whole situation felt like a dream.
The boy replied with a strangely inorganic face.
“Yes. You will learn many things.”
‘Ah, did he just answer? About what I said in my head……?’
“Because I can read your mind.”
The boy who introduced himself as ‘X’ smiled faintly.
“……!”
I blinked in surprise.
Should I follow him?
But the voice that helped me Awaken told me to stay in the cave.
Just then, a voice flowed into my head. It was the same voice that had warned me.
[ That child is our guide. ]
It meant he was safe.
*Gulp—*
I swallowed hard to suppress my rising fear and slowly took the guide boy’s hand.
His hand was neither warm nor cold.
“I have to come back soon. If Heinri and Sislein wake up and I’m not here, they’ll worry.”
The boy smiled silently and walked ahead.
I quickly followed the boy out of the cave. And as soon as I took a step outside, I was in awe.
‘Wow. Was it this pretty here?’
The scenery outside was beautiful enough to take my breath away.
Small, low-level spirits were flying around in the landscape I had thought was desolate during the day.
It was as romantic as fireflies embroidering the night sky.
Watching a spirit flutter up toward the tip of my nose, I smiled slightly.
“Hello?”
When I greeted them, the spirits seemed shy and flew up into the sky in a swarm, like a whirlwind.
The night here was sparkling, both in the sky and on the ground.
The boy walked faster than me, but every now and then, he would stop and wait for me to catch up.
We walked and walked along the beautiful forest path until we finally reached the lakeside.
“What is that?”
I couldn't hide my curiosity and asked the boy.
In the middle of the lake, a large flower was scattering a soft light.
“It’s really pretty.”
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a flower that grew almost as tall as me before.
The leaves were as big as a child.
As I ran over and poked the flower bud—
The boy behind me said.
“That’s the entrance.”
“The entrance to where?”
The moment I asked, the flower suddenly spread its leaves wide and swallowed me whole.
“……Huh?”
Hey, give me back my life?!
* * *
*Gulp—*
As I slid down what I assumed to be the ‘flower stem’, an entirely different place was revealed.
But there was an even more surprising fact than teleporting via a flower.
‘What incredible beauty.’
Standing in front of me were two incredibly handsome men.
“Child, we’ve been waiting for you.”
The man standing on the right, with a pure, lily-like appearance, said.
His eyelashes were as thick as a fan, and his long, light blue hair shone as if sprinkled with stardust. His white face and gray eyes were mysterious enough to be breathtaking.
‘He’s a beauty to a lethal degree.’
“Oh, hello……?”
I greeted them, blushing.
Then, the man standing on the left, with short red hair and golden eyes, laughed cheerfully.
He was a handsome man with a wild, red-wolf-like aura.
“You’re even smaller in person. You’re really the size of a fist. Cute.”
‘Ah, I think this is him. The person who pressed my cheeks. The voice is similar.’
I blinked, feeling a bit shy, and asked cautiously.
“Um, but who are you two?”
“Ah, we should start with introductions.”
The muscular, wild-looking handsome man said, crossing his thick arms.
“We are your parents. Your mom and dad.”
……Excuse me?
What kind of outrageous thing are you saying?
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