《My Family is Obsessed with me》 Chapter 1 TL: Sibyl I was a warrior. A person who defeated the devil and saved the world. Did I live well? No. I lived a tough life from the beginning. I grew up in an orphanage, without any inkling of who my parents were. The director of the orphanage was a b*stard, so I was forced into a hard time. When I turned seven years old, I was attacked by a monster. At that moment, a voice rang in my head, ¡°Power of the warrior is restored.¡± There was no memory of my awakening. The orphanage turned out to be a temple. A benevolent but somehow frightened cardinal appeared before me and told me. ¡°You knocked down a monster, but your friends are already dead.¡± The cardinal informed me, in a grieving tone, ¡°You are a warrior. For your dead friends, if you train hard and become strong, then one day when the devil appears, you can slaughter him with your own hands. Will you do it?¡± Of course, I nodded. From then on, I got thrown into hell. Abused and whipped every day under the guise of corporal punishment. The whole time, I shed blood and lay down among the bodies of countless people. That was the most pain I had ever experienced. The cardinal was the one who¡¯d issued this order. ¡°The more you talk, the less the warrior¡¯s power, so don¡¯t make any noise.¡± I pursed my lips, unwilling to let any sound leak from me. A time of misery and suffering. I wanted to give up and run away, but I couldn¡¯t because I was the only one who could defeat the devil. I persevered to protect this world and its people. After living like that for 10 years, the year I finally turned 17 years old, the monsters burst out, and the devil appeared! For the first time in ten years, I could go out of the temple, but there was no time to rejoice. There were too many monsters. For nearly a year I only killed monsters, without a break. Sometimes I got company, but they didn¡¯t stay with me for long. Because the two Paladins that the Cardinal sent to watch over me did their best to interfere. They hated me very much. But when they were in danger of dying, I tried my best to rescue them. After all, I was a warrior. Since then, the look in the Paladins¡¯ eyes changed, and they helped me little by little. All of a sudden, one of the Paladins shouted. ¡°Mal, you can do it, its not that warrior powers are lost. I lied because I was afraid you¡¯d find out that you were being used while talking to other people. The purpose was to kill you and take the Pope¡¯s place!¡± The moment I succumbed to shock on hearing those words, the devil attacked me. After days of bloody fighting with the devil, I managed to win. Soon after that, the cardinal appeared. I realized it as soon as I saw him. What I had heard before the battle was true! I wanted to attack immediately, but I had been seriously injured by the Devil King¡¯s sword that delayed my recovery. The cardinal tried to kill me when I couldn¡¯t move, but he failed. The knight who had told me the truth blocked Cardinal¡¯s attack. Sadly, he was killed by another Paladin. The cardinal showed his true colours by killing even the Paladins who carried out his instructions well. All the people who had taught me in the temple, or who knew how the cardinal treated me, were killed. It wasn¡¯t just that. ¡°Your insect-like friends were also killed by me.¡± I couldn¡¯t remember what it felt like at that time. Yet I mustered all my remaining strength and swung the sword of the devil which had been lying beside me. However, my eyes shook, the sight before me hazy. I tried to attack, but couldn¡¯t succeed. The armor that the cardinal gave me before the battle exploded. The armor which was meant for protecting me, Nira. In case I lived, they had intended to use it to kill me. Realisation striking me was the last memory of my first life. I was a warrior, but I was only exploited till the end, and killed horribly. Then¡­ ¨C ¡ö¡ö¡ö In the sacred white space, I met him. My master, the God of all Gods. [You were going to have a glorious future as a warrior who defeated the devil. But the cardinal accepted the evil that lay in the world and became corrupt, twisting your destiny.] The Lord made a promise to me with deep sorrow. [You can avenge them with your hands. Yes, I will help you with everything. I will give you a chance to be reborn. I will present you with the same strength and memories as of your past life. I¡¯ll help you out the most. If possible, there¡¯s another¡­] He did not elaborate it further, but gave me a fair well with a warm smile. [Please be happy in this life. With those who love you, who care for you.] Soon after I heard this, I was reincarnated. My hearing was fine, but my vision looked very weak, perhaps because I was just born. But until then, there was hope that I will lead a happy life this time. But alas, the reality was cold. ¡°Lady! Wake up!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s use the sacred power of our lord right now! Come on!¡± There was a scream and an urgent noise, then the sound gradually faded away. The touch holding me has changed, too. I was very careful of my surroundings till now, but not anymore. I felt sick because I was being carried around like a backpack. Something or someone tried to cover my mouth. I fell helplessly into the water. And realized a little later. I was kidnapped as soon as I was born. Oh, my God¡­! It was so shocking that I couldn¡¯t speak, and became furious. But instead of being frustrated, I tried looking for an opportunity. After a while, the kidnapper took me outside without putting me to sleep. I realized intuitively that he meant to kill me. Seeing this chance, I tried to act nonchalant. Pushed the kidnapper as hard as possible and began flying high into the sky. Moving fast in the opposite direction shortly after gathering my mana and turning it into a wind. It was so hard. No matter how brave I was, this baby¡¯s body had its own limitations. I felt like I was going to break down soon, but only after flying a bit further did I decide to land. I felt too weak to land properly. Fortunately, a familiar and warm force surrounded me, safely dropping me on the floor. I couldn¡¯t see it, but I could tell by the sound. ¡°Meow.¡± It was a cat. I was embarrassed, but soon realized. It¡¯s the hand of the Lord. (T/N: Hand of the Lord = Hand of the God] ¡°Meow¡­¡­.¡± The cat cried for a long time as if sighing, and pressed its nose on to my forehead. It seemed as if it was stamping a seal on my forehead. Something hot wrapped around my entire body like a membrane. ¡®Did he have some kind of connection with it?¡¯ The cat stopped short and was small when it cried. ¡°Meow meow meow meow meow meow meow.¡± It was only eight times. I could see the cat moving away by a few trillion gold strings like light through my hazy vision. I couldn¡¯t even ask where I was going, but there was a noise nearby. Perhaps, a door opening. I heard people talking. ¡°What is it? I heard some noise.¡± Someone must have found me. The sound coming my way touched my face. ¡°You¡¯re not dead.¡± Strangely, the woman who is the owner of the hand was not surprised when the baby suddenly got burnt. I felt irritated by the way she spoke. But I was unable to do anything. ¡°There is no mark. This is cheap¡­¡­hm, you have a cute face. Well, will it be alright¡± The woman hugged me and took me into the warm building. It occurred to me. I had survived, but it couldn¡¯t be worse. I had an ominous feeling of falling into a monster¡¯s den. ¡°Director.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± The man¡¯s voice, who was called the director, was very blunt. ¡°I was at the door. A commoner must have thrown it away to have one less mouth in the family. It¡¯s fine. I think I can sell it at a high price later.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see, it¡¯s alright Miss. But he looks too young?¡±, as the vice-president said. ¡°The staff will take care of it. Well, if it¡¯s dead by that time, you can just throw it out.¡± ¡°Yes. Put it in an orphanage, the name is¡­ ¡­the diamond. Hey, grow up pretty enough to sell diamonds later on.¡± ¡°Yes. Diamond, that¡¯s great. I¡¯ll be going now.¡± The woman whispered to me as she walked. ¡°Don¡¯t die and grow pretty as you are. I want to have a real diamond, too.¡± The tone was soft, but it was creepy. I wanted to kill these disgusting people as well as the director and vice-director of the orphanage. But there was nothing a baby could do. ¡®I shall grow up here.¡¯ As a commodity which will be sold someday. ¡®Ha¡­what the hell is going on with my life¡­.¡¯ It was amazing. No. I was kidnapped and nearly killed as soon as I was born, it was fortunate that I survived. ¡®First of all, let¡¯s stay here. I don¡¯t know when you¡¯re going to sell me, but at least until then, I was going to provide you with some food and shelter. It will help you grow. ¡®Yes, let¡¯s do that. My second life, again, began in an orphanage. Chapter 2 It¡¯s been six years since I entered the orphanage. Currently, there were 20 children including myself. There were also four adults, along with the male director and the female vice-director who picked me up. These two who were supposed to take care of us, unsurprisingly, neglected us. They prioritized drinking outside more than our well-being and safety. The other two employees on the other hand only did the most minimal of work with eyes full of disdain. All the children in the orphanage were of excellent appearance, and the purpose of gathering us children was clear. It was to sell us for lots of money at the right time. Unfortunately, some children had already disappeared. ¡®I¡¯ll run away before I¡¯m sold.¡¯ I¡¯ve been preparing a lot. An example would be training the power of the warrior deep inside me and practicing the mana to help keep my body firm. However, no matter how much I rested well and trained, there was a limit because I currently bore a child¡¯s body. Furthermore, I was about the same size as children about four or five years of age. Although I was already seven. I was too small and too thin. ¡®Is this the aftereffects of over-using mana as a baby?¡¯ The exact reason was unknown. ¡®I would have definitely grown taller if I ate good food. If only I hadn¡¯t been kidnapped¡­¡¯ I remember hearing the word Lord before I was kidnapped. Perhaps, my birth mother is the master of a noble family. If I were a child of a noble household and I hadn¡¯t been kidnapped, I would have definitely grown up eating nutritious food, at least three times a day. ¡®What were my parents like? I don¡¯t think my birth mother was in good shape, but surely she¡¯s not dead?¡¯ It was a question that I had thought about countless times. But as always, I couldn¡¯t think of an answer. I was at a loss. It felt like I was trapped in a space full of darkness without even the lightest starlight. ¡®After all, I have no relationship with my family anymore¡­. You¡¯re just making yourself feel bad. Stop thinking.¡¯ At night I started to move. At the age of seven, I was able to use some magic including subspace and invisibility magic. To help my nutrition, I often visited the Lord¡¯s Castle either late at night or early in the morning using magic to steal food. ¡®It¡¯s still the same today.¡¯ The Lord was snoring on the bed, deep asleep. When the children who suffered because of this pathetic excuse of a human came to mind, the thought to kill him right there went through my mind. I could easily kill him now. But¡­ If I touch anybody in my state right now, my pursuers would be able to catch me right away. I had no choice but to put up with it. ¡®What is the Emperor doing that this piece of crap is still able to live well?¡¯ In my previous life, the Cardinal abhorred the Emperor to the extreme and didn¡¯t mention him at all. It was only after I got out of the temple, that I heard a few words about the emperor from someone else. ¡®The current Emperor was born as the second prince, the Cardinal¡¯s half-brother, and he had a common maid as his mother, right?¡¯ Nevertheless, it was said that he was excellent enough to become the Emperor by beating the Cardinal, the first prince born by the body of the Empress. But that was just how an Empire was. ¡®How come? I got rid of the Demon Lord, so there should no longer be any big problems.¡¯ After my reincarnation, I tried to get a lot of information from the orphanage. However, there was only very little information about the pope, the warrior, and the emperor. It was because the Lord caught and tortured all the people who talked about those of high status. It¡¯s been a while since I died and reincarnated yet I still don¡¯t know what age I¡¯m currently in. ¡®It should be around a year or two after my death..?¡¯ I couldn¡¯t figure it out. I glared at the Lord and approached the table cautiously. Outside, the people were starving and yet the table was filled with all kinds of luxurious food. I¡¯m going to need to store down all the food and accessories on the table where the Lord can¡¯t see. With some food packed, a sign of someone standing in the hallway outside the room was detected. I could only see its silhouette, but it seemed like that of a big adult man. That man, like me, was secretly approaching the Lord¡¯s office using various different magic. ¡®You¡¯re clearly a spy. So what information are you going to steal?¡¯ I thought it would be better to know just in case. Just like that, I followed the spy carefully. The spy moved a large picture in the office to open the safe and then took out a thick notebook from inside before starting to read it. The book contained a bunch of item names and their number. ¡®I¡¯m definitely in the books. Are they looking for evidence of corruption?¡¯ It was in that moment of questioning that a cold blade touched my neck and a thick voice rang behind my back. ¡°Release your magic and show yourself!¡¯ Of course, I didn¡¯t do what was asked. In an instant, I turned around and faced the man who threatened me with a powerful defensive spell around my neck. I was faster than any human at that moment. I then jumped up the floor and kicked the target as hard as I could. More specifically, the biggest weakness of a male¡­ ¡°¡­¡­!¡± The man who must¡¯ve been in great pain didn¡¯t groan even a tiny bit. But for a moment, I felt my body weaken. I ran immediately at the gap in reaction, out of the castle and into the orphanage. It took only five minutes to get back. I covered myself with a blanket and organized my breathing. ¡®It¡¯s hard¡­.?¡¯ My heart thumped and my head was in a mess. ¡®Who are those two men?¡¯ The first man who searched the safe was weaker than me and didn¡¯t know I existed. But the second man who put the knife to my neck wasn¡¯t in the least bit weak. At only seven years old, that man is an opponent I couldn¡¯t possibly win against. ¡®Did he see me?¡¯ It didn¡¯t seem like it¡­ It was dark, so he wouldn¡¯t see me just like how I could only see the spy¡¯s silhouette. ¡®I couldn¡¯t have been caught.¡¯ You would never imagine that an orphan child would be sneaking in and out of the Lord¡¯s Castle using multiple spells. ¡®All right, let¡¯s go to bed.¡¯ I had to rest quickly to recover. Thus, I hurried to sleep. I could never in my wildest dreams, imagine who I just met¡­. *** It wasn¡¯t until the next afternoon that I recovered a little. I suddenly had this thought. ¡®I shouldn¡¯t have come back to the orphanage right away yesterday.¡¯ However, seeing as he didn¡¯t come, it looks like he wasn¡¯t able to track my whereabouts. It was a relief, but I shouldn¡¯t use magic nor go out for the time being just in case. I sat on the bed blankly. The staff and the children didn¡¯t care about me at all. Mostly because I kept my distance intentionally. I didn¡¯t want to talk because it was awkward, especially since I had been silent for more than 10 years in my previous life. Besides, I¡¯m bound to leave this place in three years anyways. I didn¡¯t want to give my heart to someone and suffer later. ¡®I¡¯m a little lonely but¡­.¡¯ There¡¯s still a lot of work to do. I have to practice magic, review the knowledge from the book I stole from the Lord¡¯s Castle, and I haven¡¯t even begun to think about how to get revenge. I can¡¯t even think about the Cardinal rationally. ¡®I was fine when I was in the Temple though¡­?¡¯ However, reality was different. Whenever the thought of the Cardinal came to mind, all I could think of was the cruel pain of my past life that tore me apart. A deathly pain. In the end, I had no choice but to put off forming a specific plan for my revenge. When I get older and strong enough to withstand the pain of my past life, I¡¯ll think of it then. Thinking of the Cardinal was too hard. It was scary. I was afraid. Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks ¡®¡­.Let¡¯s stop doing that. You can¡¯t do that.¡¯ I took a deep breath and calmed my heart. ¡°Diamond.¡± Suddenly the Director called me. My back shivered. Based on this pattern of being called by the director at this time¡­ It means I¡¯m finally being sold. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡­ It¡¯s time already¡­?¡¯ Anxiety weighed on my soldiers, but I took a deep breath and pushed it down. It¡¯s okay to say that I¡¯m being sold. I can handle some mana, so if things get difficult I can always just run away. ¡®Everything¡¯s gonna be alright. It¡¯ll be okay¡­¡¯ But as soon as I saw the man in the Director¡¯s office, I lost my mind. It was a very ordinary man with a face and physique that I could forget in just a matter of seconds. But I could tell. ¡®He¡¯s using illusion magic.¡¯ Not just his face, his actual body shape was very different from what he was portraying right now. ¡°Diamond, I have someone who wants you. You¡¯re happy right?¡± The director kneeled and rubbed his hands against the man. It was clear that he had received enough money to satisfy his disgusting greed. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± The man extended his right hand to me with an expressionless face. This feeling was undoubtedly the second man from last night. ¡®I can¡¯t believe you didn¡¯t follow me right away at night and instead came when the Director was at work.¡¯ It looks like he paid for me so that he can officially take me. ¡®I¡¯m sure you paid a lot of money for me because I¡¯m useful. You won¡¯t kill me right away.¡¯ It had only been a short period of time, but I analyzed the situation carefully. It was fortunate that I wouldn¡¯t be killed but I didn¡¯t like holding hands, so I just bowed my head and stood by the man. Then, the man did something unexpected. He laid his right hand gently on my back, used his left to carefully support my hips, and lifted me up. ¡®¡­.Huh?¡¯ The man was so muscular that all I could feel was stiffness. However, there was no awkwardness in his movements at all, as if the action of hugging a child was familiar to him. The stable hug made me feel very comfortable, but I was deeply embarrassed. ¡®What? Why does he hold me so normally?¡¯ No, rather than normal, he held me as if a father were holding his child. Not one person in my two lives held me like this before. I curled up like a hedgehog with its guard up. Then, the man softly patted my back. It was gentle. As if trying to comfort me. I realized what he was trying to do in an instant. ¡®He¡¯s trying to get my guard down!¡¯ It must be that. ¡°Diamond, do you have anything you want to bring?¡± The man¡¯s question was said in an amiable tone. I shook my head. ¡°Do you want to say goodbye to your friends?¡± I shook my head again. ¡°Then can we go just like this?¡± I nodded this time. The man spoke in a clear voice towards the Director. ¡°Please erase all records of this child.¡± ¡°Yes! Of course! When we let go of one of our children, we completely erase them from our records. Not even a single mention of their name will be left!¡± The director groveled. The man gave the director a cold look and hugged me out of the orphanage. I turned my head and stared at the orphanage that grew smaller with each step. The place where I lived for over six years. But it wasn¡¯t home. ¡®I have to come back.¡¯ To punish those pathetic excuses of human beings called the ¡®Director¡¯, ¡®Vice-Director¡¯, and ¡®Employees¡¯. For the children. ¡®Will I be able to do that?¡¯ I was nervous because I was being held. The man stopped walking only after going deep into the forest on the north side of the orphanage. It was dark because of the trees abundant with white and lush leaves, but it was to some extent still possible to identify objects. There was an artificial tree in front of us. ¡®Is someone pretending to be a tree with illusion magic?¡¯ There was some weak mana. It was the mana of the first man who was looking through the Lord¡¯s account yesterday. ¡°I brought it,¡± said the man who was holding me. The illusion magic that was harboring the image of a tree disappeared and a different object appeared. Two triangular tents the size of which could be used by two or three adult men popped up. A man came out of the tent on the right. ¡°You came earlier than I expected.¡± As expected, it was the first man. The man then conjured up a ball of magic light the size of a fist. As the surroundings brightened, I could finally see the man¡¯s face. ¡®Hyuk.¡¯ I saw the man¡¯s silhouette yesterday, so I knew the first man was as big as a bear. The man looked about 20 years old, he was a good-looking man in terms of his facial features. However, his cheekbones stood out, his eyebrows were thick, and his eyes were puffy. It was a wild-looking face. Furthermore, the energy naturally emanating from his large muscular body was also tremendously strong. If it was a normal kid standing in front of him, they would be scared enough to burst into tears. I was a little surprised too. ¡°Hmmm¡­ You¡¯re definitely not an ordinary kid, seeing that you don¡¯t respond despite seeing me like this. Hi, what¡¯s your name?¡± I didn¡¯t open my mouth. So instead, the man holding me replied. ¡°Diamond.¡± ¡°They named her after a jewel?¡± ¡°Yes. I heard the names of the other children as well. They are all named after jewels.¡± ¡°Those are some pretty names to think of for the garbage director of an orphanage that sells children. How are you, Diamond?¡± I kept my mouth shut. ¡°Can¡¯t you speak?¡± Read latest Chapters at Wuxia World . Site Only The first man reached out one hand, grabbed my right cheek lightly, and then opened his eyes wide. ¡°Wow! It¡¯s so soft!¡± He grabbed my cheeks with both hands and pulled them sideways. It didn¡¯t hurt, but I didn¡¯t like it. So, I opened my mouth and snapped at the man¡¯s right finger. ¡°Argh!¡± The man jumped. In fact, I knew the man would soon punch me right away. Chapter 3 However, the first man didn¡¯t use violence. There wasn¡¯t even a sign of it at all. Instead, all that came was some small grumbling. ¡°What a stingy kid.¡± ¡°It was your fault. Apologize.¡± The first man grumbled at the second man¡¯s words. ¡°Father¡­¡± I guess it was a father-son relationship. ¡®Isn¡¯t it Big Bear and Little Bear then?¡¯ I looked up at the Big Bear. Thanks to the release of the illusion magic, I could finally see the two¡¯s real faces. Little Bear had black hair and unusual golden eyes, while Big Bear had normal brown hair and pupils. The color of both their hair and eyes were different, but that was all. The Little Bear was basically the Big Bear but just fifteen years younger. ¡°Just what did I do wrong?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t just touch someone without their permission.¡± ¡°But she¡¯s a jerk who attacked Father!¡± ¡°Still!¡± The Little Bear looked unhappy, but Big Bear just stared at him silently and then whispered to me. ¡°Sorry.¡± I blinked in surprise for a moment. The Little Bear had a little dissatisfaction in his eyes, but he seemed to concede, maybe even agree. ¡®Looks like it¡¯s not that he has a bad personality¡­ Just a little young¡­¡¯ I thought he was an adult because he looked about 20 years old and his voice was thick. But looking at the way he spoke and acted, it looked like he was only in his late teens or maybe even younger. ¡°How owd are you?¡± I couldn¡¯t pronounce my words well. It was natural because I was only seven years old. My upper and lower front teeth were missing and my tongue was still short. So, it was only natural that I couldn¡¯t speak normally. But the Little Bear burst into laughter. ¡°Wow, you¡¯re so cute! Say it again. How old are you?¡± I glared at him with force in my eyes. ¡°Are you glaring at me? That trick is so cute! Dad, look! She¡¯s so cute!¡± Big Bear, who was looking at me silently, had an expressionless face, but both ends of his firmly closed lips crept up. At least I think. ¡®Is that a smile?¡¯ As if answering my question, Little Bear cried out. ¡°Wow! Father laughed!?¡± I shook my head and asked the little bear. ¡°Why did you bwing me here?¡± ¡°Oh?¡± The Little Bear¡¯s golden eyes glittered again. ¡°Are you reawwy going to make fun of my pwonunciation?¡± Instead of an answer, all that I heard was a bout of laughter. ¡°Hahaha!¡± I was really angry this time. ¡°You¡¯re also a child! You¡¯re just as young as her. How can you make fun of her?¡± ¡°Oh, my. I think I¡¯m going crazy! It¡¯s so funny that my stomach hurts! Hahaha!¡± I was shaking with anger. Trying to calm myself down, I looked up at Big Bear. Annoyingly, however, both ends of Big Bear¡¯s lips were higher than before. Fortunately, when Big Bear saw my expression, he advised Little Bear. ¡°Juliano, stop laughing.¡± ¡°Ugh. Yes, sir.¡± Thanks to that. I found out his name. ¡®I¡¯ll still be calling you Little Bear though.¡¯ After all, that¡¯s what he looks like. The Little Bear said with a smile, his eyes shining, ¡°Hi Diamond, I¡¯m Juliano.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like the name Diamond. My name is Dia.¡± Some kids said that Diamond was too long, so they called me that way. I liked the way Dia sounded too. I liked the meaning of Diamond, the hardest of the jewels, but it was creepy to be called by the name the Director gave me. ¡°Of course, Dia. This father¡¯s name is Heladius.¡± ¡°What¡¯s your last name?¡± I didn¡¯t think these two were commoners without surnames. They were definitely nobles. High-ranking ones at that. Except for the existence of beings chosen directly by God to become warriors, mana was usually passed down by blood. And usually, the stronger the power and mana, the higher the status. ¡®Little Bear is weak compared to me, but by general standards, he is already very strong.¡¯ Not to mention Big Bear, who was much stronger than the current me. ¡®That¡¯s one hell of a high level of power.¡¯ In my previous life, I heard a brief explanation about the high noble families of the Empire. ¡®These guys must at least be of Marquis status. No¡­ Is it a Duke Family?¡¯ The only two Dukes, along with the Emperor, were the pillars that supported the world by just their existence. I was told that the continent could only be maintained because of the fact that direct descendants of their lineage remained. ¡®Which Duchy¡­?¡¯ When I glanced at the Little Bear, I thought of the black leopard with golden eyes. ¡®If I¡¯m correct there¡¯s a Duchy that uses it as a family crest.¡¯ ¡°We are from the Leocardia Duchy¡± I finally remembered. A family that protects the weak, practices justice, and is called the ¡®Empire¡¯s Shield.¡¯ They protected the people from all kinds of monsters, but they weren¡¯t called the Empire¡¯s Shield just because of that. It was because whenever the Empire was in a state of danger, the family stood at the forefront and blocked it. ¡®If the Emperor is the one that puts the empire in danger¡­ Will he be subject to the shield¡¯s might too?¡¯ I¡¯ve heard that it had actually happened before. ¡®These two bears must be directly related to the Leocardia family. Is the Big Bear the head and the Little Bear the heir? But why would the Duchy¡¯s people come all the way to this country estate?¡¯ I wondered so, but it was none of my business. I asked again. ¡°Just exactly how old are you?¡± ¡°¡­..Hmm. I¡¯m 13 years old.¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°I¡¯m 13. Oh, wait! You don¡¯t know how to count.¡± The Little Bear then showed ten fingers with his hands open. Next, he folded his thumb, index finger, and middle finger, then folded the rest as you normally would. ¡°What I mean is that I¡¯m thirteen.¡± ¡°I know how to count!¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± ¡°Hey! Are you going to keep ignoring me? I said I know how to write and read!¡± ¡°Wow, that¡¯s great! You¡¯ve been calling me you, but I¡¯m older than you. You should be calling me Brother.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not my brother! My family has long gone!¡¯ While I do think I have parents, I didn¡¯t know who they were. So technically, I didn¡¯t have a family right now. I said it with that thought in mind, but suddenly the Little Bear¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. He then looked elsewhere as if he was avoiding something and spoke. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± He apologized. ¡®What¡¯s wrong?¡¯ Big Bear then put his hand on my hair. It was similar to before, but there was a feeling of patting. Consolation, even. ¡®What the hell?¡¯ I stared at the Little Bear, then turned and faced the Big Bear. Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks ¡°I can tell why you brought me here.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s eat dinner first.¡± He responded with this. And with solemn eyes, he scanned me from head to toe. ¡°You have to eat well.¡± ¡°Yes! You¡¯re too small!¡± The word ¡®small¡¯ pierced me. I glared at the Little Bear. The Little Bear then grinned and pulled a cushion out of a subspace. ¡°Sit down here for a second. I¡¯ll prepare a meal for you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s cold in the woods, so put this on.¡± The Big Bear put me on the cushion and wrapped me in a thick, fluffy blanket. It was a careful and meticulous touch, contrary to his rugged body. Little Bear then asked, ¡°Dia, what kind of food do you like?¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to give me food?¡± ¡®Can I really eat it? Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s poisoned.¡¯ Even if it was poisoned, it wouldn¡¯t work on me because I¡¯m a warrior. ¡®If it¡¯s food for a princess, the food would be good right?¡¯ I thought it would be alright to eat. ¡°Meat.¡± ¡°Meat?¡± ¡°Yes. Meat.¡± The Little Bear quickly put his hand over his mouth. It was an act to cover up his laughter. I turned my head at the annoying sight, only to see Big Bear pulling this and that out of a subspace. He had the ends of his lips slightly raised as before. ¡®Ugh¡­.¡¯ I observed the two bears cooking with my mouth closed. ¡®¡­I think they¡¯re good people¡­¡¯ It is said that generation by generation, the Pope has been handed down [The Book of The Brave]. A book filled with all knowledge known of the power the Warriors bore. In my previous life, the Cardinal never allowed me to see [The Book of The Brave] for myself. He only explained that he already knew everything and that I needed not to worry. He said that in the book that there were three main powers the spirit of the warrior held. [Rejuvenation] that restores the body¡¯s state quickly. [Battle Ability] such as offense and defense. [Intuition] that was the instinct to feel crisis, see through the essence of actions and judge the truth. The Cardinal also placed emphasis on the fact that the warrior¡¯s [Intuition] only worked on monsters. However, I now knew that it was a lie. Intuition also worked when looking at people. And I could feel that these two had no bad intentions at all. It was warm and felt good. There was an unknown friendliness. Cardinal, who I was afraid of from the beginning, and the adults at the orphanage who were horrible. I could feel that Little Bear and Big Bear were different from them. ¡®But just in case, don¡¯t believe it!¡¯ I glanced at Little Bear who was scooping some soup into a bowl. It seemed very hot with steam rising from it. The Little Bear looked at me, looked at the soup, and used some magic. The white steam that had risen above the soup was slightly reduced. ¡®Why is he cooling it down?¡¯ I soon found out why. ¡°It¡¯s hot, so be careful. All right?¡± The Little Bear gently placed the bowl in my hand. He was big and had a scary face, of course, terrible energy flowed from him. But he was sweet. His voice, his eyes, his gestures. ¡®I feel like my face is¡­ burning up.¡¯ After confirming that there was nothing wrong with the soup using detection magic, I swallowed a spoonful of the soup. ¡°How is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s good!¡± Big Bear then approached and held out a plate of meat. ¡°Have this too.¡± Overall, the meat was nearly the size of my entire face, but it was cut into about 30 small square bites. ¡®¡­.He must be good at fencing.¡¯ ¡°Dad, isn¡¯t this too small?¡± ¡°Dia is small and young so it might get stuck in her throat. Chew it well.¡± The Big Bear said with emphasis. At first glance, it sounded like a threat to kill me if I didn¡¯t. However, there was no such thing and the atmosphere was very friendly even when Little Bear was considering the meaning of the words. ¡°Yes Dia, you don¡¯t have front teeth, so make sure to chew using the sides.¡± The Little Bear smiled brightly as he said those words. He was definitely young. ¡®Is he really 13 with that body?¡¯ It was a bit of a shock. The Little Bear looked at least 20 years old and at most 23. ¡®Doesn¡¯t that mean he¡¯s seven or ten years younger?¡¯ I¡¯m going to retaliate for being teased earlier. ¡°Very old!¡± ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m old-fashioned, but it¡¯s amazing that you know that word! You¡¯re so smart! Great!¡± The Little Bear smiled brightly again. The attack missed heroically. ¡®First.¡¯ ¡°The Duke¡¯s family is special in the way that all the children grow really fast. The fact that I¡¯ve grown up so fast since I was young is also the reason why I¡¯m old-fashioned.¡° ¡°Then doesn¡¯t that mean you¡¯ll age quickly?¡± ¡°No. After obtaining the body of a 20-year-old on my twelfth birthday I¡¯ve been aging slowly.¡± ¡°I see.¡± I heard that the people of the Duchy were special, but it was still so fascinating. ¡°Dia, how old are you really?¡± I really didn¡¯t want to answer. I frowned silently. ¡°Three years old?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Or four years old?¡± I ignored him again. The Big Bear who was eating quietly intervened. ¡°She¡¯ll be five years old. At least that¡¯s how tall she is. Dia, you¡¯re five years old right?¡± I wanted to tell them that I was already seven, but I thought that if I did they would make fun of me for being small. So, I shut my mouth. The two bears, however, seemed to think my silence was a sign of agreement. ¡°You¡¯re definitely five years old! Yeah, it¡¯s because you¡¯re young that you¡¯re so small. Eat a lot of meat. That¡¯s how one grows.¡± I wanted to throw the bowl right away at the face of the little bear, but I held it in. I couldn¡¯t throw away such precious and delicious meat. I ate hard and I tried to finish it all, but the amount was so large that I could only succeed in eating half. ¡°I¡¯m good.¡± I stroked my full stomach. The Big Bear and Little Bear then looked at my stomach with serious eyes. Somehow, I felt ashamed and grabbed the loose, old hem of my dress and covered my bulging belly. ¡°Your clothes are a little¡­ But we only have men¡¯s clothes¡­¡± The Little Bear looked at my clothes with disapproving eyes. Read latest Chapters at Wuxia World . Site Only ¡°Father, why don¡¯t you fix her coat.¡± ¡°It would be better to buy new ones at a clothing store.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be right back.¡± The Little Bear sprang up from his seat. I said in a hurry. ¡°The price for new clothes is high. Hey! Why are you bringing me here?¡± Chapter 4 Big Bear came up and scratched my head. Still, it was sweet. ¡°Because we need you. You¡¯re such an outstanding kid. Smart. Good at analyzing situations. Your mana is also incredibly strong.¡± ¡°I also think you¡¯re stronger than me. That¡¯s amazing!¡± This time, Little Bear patted me on the head. It didn¡¯t hurt, but unlike Big Bear¡¯s touch, it was a little rough. ¡°Juliano, gently.¡± ¡°What? Oh, okay¡­¡± The Little Bear¡¯s touch softened as the Big Bear¡¯s words came out. He was a little smaller than Big Bear, but his touch was equally warm. ¡®¡­It feels nice¡­¡¯ Big Bear suddenly asked, ¡°Illusion Magic¡­ I don¡¯t think they teach you that in an orphanage. Did you do self-study?¡± I learned it in my previous life. But I couldn¡¯t say that¡­ I hesitated for a moment, and Big Bear added, ¡°Self-study means that you learned it by yourself.¡± ¡°I know what you meant. If it makes any sense, I just looked and copied.¡± Just like that, I glossed over it. Big Bear and Little Bear were very impressed. ¡°You taught yourself! I can¡¯t believe you learned such advanced magic on your own! Dia, you¡¯re amazing! What a genius!¡± ¡°As Juliano said, you are indeed a genius. A kid like you is really rare. Our Leocardia Duchy always welcomes strong talents. Won¡¯t you come with us?¡± I asked to confirm. ¡°If I say I won¡¯t go, will you get rid of me?¡± The Little Bear looked shocked and Big Bear¡¯s eyes slightly widened, perhaps that was also a look of surprise. ¡°Absolutely not,¡± said the Big Bear. It was said in a very quiet and solemn tone. I could feel a steel will behind it. One saying that ¡®I will never do that even if the world ends.¡¯ ¡°Even if you decide to not go with us, we won¡¯t kill nor hurt you.¡± ¡°But we can¡¯t send you back to the orphanage. That place is truly rotted to the core¡± The Little Bear motioned an X with both hands with a determined expression. ¡°You don¡¯t have to work for our territory. But first, come with us. You¡¯ll be much better off than staying in that orphanage.¡± ¡°Yes. It doesn¡¯t matter what you choose to do later, we¡¯ll take care of you until you become an adult.¡± They were saying such nice things with sincerity, to the point that I almost believed them. ¡®I don¡¯t think they¡¯re lying¡­¡¯ But, I couldn¡¯t believe them completely. ¡°Are you worried about your orphanage friends? Is that why you can¡¯t bear to leave?¡± The Big Bear asked, and I nodded. It wasn¡¯t a lie. Before leaving at the age of ten, I had intended to punish the orphanage staff and the Lord. After all, there was a real problem. The entire purpose of the orphanage was disgusting, but aside from that, if all the orphanage staff who took care of them disappeared, it was the children who would become more miserable. ¡°They¡¯re all unable to use magic. They¡¯re just normal kids. I can¡¯t just burn everything and everyone to the grounds. But I don¡¯t mean that we¡¯ll leave it as is. I¡¯ll get them all to transfer to a normal orphanage in another estate. I, Leocardia Helladius, promise this in my name.¡± The Big Bear had me at his disposal. He could have just kidnapped me, taken me away, tie my body with artifacts, and detain me. It was just a matter of torturing me and forcing me to obey his orders. However, the Big Bear did not do so, even going as far as to make a promise under his name. Of course, I couldn¡¯t believe everything he said. But, my trust and favor had risen. ¡®If they save the children, I think¡­ it might be okay to follow them.¡¯ Living in the Duchy would mean that I needn¡¯t worry about food, clothing, and shelter. It would be helpful. ¡°Dia! Come with us! I¡¯ll give you a lot of delicious food! Like this.¡± The Little Bear pulled something about of his subspace. The round object wrapped in paper was a little larger than a thumbnail. As the Little Bear pulled the paper out, what appeared was something smooth. I asked with a tilt of my head, ¡°A bead?¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s not a bead, it¡¯s candy. Is this your first time seeing one?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I had heard of it, but never seen, let alone eaten it before. ¡°You can¡¯t chew on it, because you¡¯re young and your teeth will hurt. You¡¯ll have to do with just sucking it. Here you go.¡± I didn¡¯t open my mouth and looked at the candy with a suspicious gaze. Poison didn¡¯t work on me, but other substances and drugs did. ¡®The food was okay, but¡­ There won¡¯t be sleeping pills in it, right¡­?¡¯ The Little Bear smiled broadly as if my suspicious gaze was something amusing. He then took out another one and placed it in his mouth. It was funny to see his right cheek bulge out a little. The Little Bear then spoke loudly, as if for me to hear. ¡°Yum~ How delicious~! Go ahead and eat too, Dia.¡± I didn¡¯t want to, but Big Bear took the candy out of Little Bear¡¯s hand and placed it in mine. Afraid that there was something strange, I carefully scanned it with some detection magic. ¡®It¡¯s clear.¡¯ I carefully placed the candy in my mouth. Mimicking what the Little Bear did, I rolled it around to the right of my cheek with the intention of sucking it. After no more than a few seconds, I could taste the candy. ¡®Oh? This?¡¯ It was sweet! It was a sweet taste that I had never tasted in my previous life. One that I had only tasted once in my current life when I stole some dessert. Compared to the candy, the dessert I had before was no longer so sweet. The noble sugar melted in my mouth and seemed to shake my whole body sweetly. It was an ecstatic feeling as if the stars were shining right in front of you! ¡°This¡­ Wow!¡± When my mouth opened wide in admiration, the candy escaped out of my mouth and fell onto my clothes. ¡°Oh no!¡± Before I even realized it, I was already crying. However, instead of leaving it as it was, I grabbed the candy in my hand and put it in my mouth again. After all, I should never give up! ¡°Hyuk! Dia! That¡¯s dirty!¡± cried the Little Bear with a startled look. The Big Bear¡¯s eyes opened wide and said sternly, ¡°Spit it out.¡± I shook my head and kept sucking on the candy. It fell on my clothes, not on the dirt floor, so I didn¡¯t think there was anything wrong. ¡®Actually, there indeed may be a little dust on my clothes¡­¡¯ However, I had also picked up and eaten what had fallen on the ground before, dust was nothing. ¡°If you spit it out, I¡¯ll give you two more!¡± The Little Bear shouted, hurriedly taking another two candies out of his subspace. Of course, I spat it out right away. ¡°Good.¡± The candy fell down my clothes and finally, to the dirt floor. I reached out to the Little Bear. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± The Little Bear gave me two candies as he nodded along. I quickly placed one preciously in my subspace, and the other in my mouth. ¡®Oh, I like it so much!¡¯ Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks I had no idea the taste of sweetness could make me so ecstatic. I glanced at the candy on the dirt floor with sad eyes. ¡®What a waste¡­ Maybe I can take it back secretly¡­?¡¯ As if reading my thoughts, the Big Bear quietly turned to the candy and used a magic spell. The candy disappeared into dust without even a single sound. ¡°Phew.¡± The Little Bear wiped the sweat off his forehead and stared at me with pity. I was too ashamed to look at the sight. ¡®Ugh! Why are you crying!¡¯ I covered my eyes with my hands. ¡°Dia? What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I¡¯m ashamed of being such a child¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡®Why am I so childish¡­¡¯ I lived until I was 18 in my previous life. If you added the seven years from my current life, I¡¯m practically already 25. But even in my view of the current situation, my actions were clearly not that of a 25-year-old. I knew it was because of the abnormal environment I was around. In my previous life, I lived in a temple starting from the mere age of seven. My mind had hardly grown since then. I couldn¡¯t stay this way. I had finally gotten a new start after reincarnation, but my world was still very narrow. Above all, my body was still too young. ¡®I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything I can do about acting like a child¡­¡¯ Still, I was embarrassed. A long time passed before I raised my lowered head. What greeted me though was the sight of two bears closing their mouths tightly, their faces, however, were full of laughter. ¡®What¡¯s wrong?¡¯ The Little Bear grinned and whispered, ¡°Dia, if you come with us you can eat things far more delicious than that. Let¡¯s go together, okay?¡± ¡®Something more delicious?¡¯ It felt like my eyes were spinning. Still, I wouldn¡¯t fall for that. My mouth, however, was still diligently sucking on the candy. ¡®If it¡¯s better than this¡­ Oh no! I can¡¯t fall for it just because of some candy like a kid!¡¯ I focused on the two bears again. Their appearances were terrifying, but they seemed decent. However, I still couldn¡¯t be a hundred percent sure. ¡®Even if they¡¯re villains or someone related to the Cardinal, wouldn¡¯t it be fine if I just take a look at the situation and then run away?¡¯ The Big Bear was strong, but he didn¡¯t seem to have that much capacity. I nodded after finishing thinking. ¡°Dia will come with.¡± If the proposal they made earlier was true, I would only have to stay for about three years. ¡®I¡¯ll leave when I¡¯m about ten and come back here after.¡¯ If the Big Bear kept his promise, the children would be fine soon. However, even if he was a high-ranking noble, it would still be difficult to touch a Lord. ¡®I¡¯ll take care of it later.¡¯ By then, my body would be miles stronger, so it would be okay. ¡°You did a great job!¡± The Little Bear smiled brightly and hugged me. It was a careful and gentle touch like one would use on a treasure. It was really warm. It was awkward and strange, but I didn¡¯t hate it. So, I stayed in his arms. ¡°¡­Dia.¡± Suddenly, the Little Bear let me go. He frowned a little as his nose flared. ¡°Let¡¯s wash up for now.¡± I bowed my head in shame. ¡°There¡¯s a lake over there. Let¡¯s go and wash up over there,¡± said the Big Bear ¡°I¡¯ll go with her. Juliano, you go to the village and get Dia¡¯s shoes and clothes. Get ready to go.¡± ¡°Right away Father.¡± The Big Bear came forward and picked me up. Hugging was already awkward, but now that I was aware of what state I was in, I was even more worried. ¡°I know you can smell it. Put me down.¡± ¡°No.¡± I banged on his back, before bowing a little. I sniffed myself. But I couldn¡¯t tell because it was the smell of my won body. ¡°Isn¡¯t it¡­¡± ¡°No.¡± The Big Bear said convincingly, stroking my hair with one hand. It was still a soft touch. Like touching something lovely and cute. ¡®Am I that cute?¡¯ I had never heard such words in my past life. However, after reincarnation, the orphanage staff often told me that I was cute. But whatever they said was naturally horrifying to me, so I ignored them all. ¡°There.¡± The lake was not far away. ¡°I¡¯ll go take a shower then.¡± ¡°No. I¡¯ll help you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m used to doing it alone in the orphanage. And turn around! Protection needs to be drawn.¡± ¡°Protection needs to be drawn? Oh, privacy¡­¡± The Big Bear stared at me, and when I didn¡¯t back down, he sighed briefly before pulling a basket out of the subspace. There was a big towel and soap in the basket. I yelled as I received the basket. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare look!¡± ¡°Yes, I promise.¡± When the Big Bear turned his back, I used magic to move the water and began to wash my whole body. I usually did it roughly, but I did it meticulously this time. Especially, I paid a lot of attention to my dirty face. After washing up, I glanced at the water. The body covered by loose clothes was as thin as a skewer and pale. The short dark brown hair trimmed in the form of a haircut was rough and uneven. ¡®I indeed look pitiful.¡¯ My face, however, was fine. My cheeks were full of baby fat, so it added a hint of cuteness. Since I was freshly washed, my skin was a little pinkish and tender. I had round eyes the color of hair. It was a common dark brown, but they were very large and sparkling. The eyelashes were also very long. ¡®I washed it quite clean!¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m done.¡± I said as I stepped out of the lake. The Big Bear looked back at me, and his eyes grew a little bigger. ¡®What¡¯s wrong?¡¯ The Big Bear suddenly fell in front of me. He collapsed with only one knee remaining to support him. His eyes were obviously fixed on me, but they were cloudy as if looking at something else. ¡®What is he thinking?¡¯ The Big Bear closed his eyes. At first glance, he was just expressionless, but he was clenching his fist. Strong enough to reveal the blue veins on the back of his hand. Read latest Chapters at Wuxia World . Site Only ¡®He¡¯s suppressing a lot of pain¡­¡¯ I wanted to know what was going on, but I didn¡¯t think I should ask. So, I waited quietly. ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡± It was only a long time afterward that Big Bear opened his eyes and opened his mouth. It was a bitter voice. ¡°It reminded me of the old days.¡± Chapter 5 I didn¡¯t ask what old memories he had remembered. The Big Bear then picked me up slowly. His rigid body somehow felt more pitiful than before. I let him hug me one-sidedly. ¡®¡­But I don¡¯t think I should do that right now.¡¯ It was awkward, but I moved my hands and hugged the Big Bear¡¯s neck back lightly. Making it so that I could feel his warm body temperature below me. I¡¯m here, Big Bear. The Big Bear paused for a moment and then began to walk again. This time hugging me more preciously. *** When we returned, Little Bear had already finished organizing the tents. When he saw me, his face suddenly held an expression of surprise. ¡®What¡¯s wrong?¡¯ Soon the Little Bear came smiling. ¡°Come on, try it on.¡± ¡°Wow, it¡¯s new!¡± Since I grew up in an orphanage, I naturally didn¡¯t see, let alone come in contact with new clothes. I also rarely wore new clothes in my previous life. The temple did indeed give me new clothes, but that was only at first. Every night, under the whip of the Cardinal my clothes would soon be torn and stained with chunks of blood and flesh, eventually turning them old overnight. When I was finally allowed out of the temple to hunt the Demon Lord, the clothes I wore under my armor were never changed. ¡°Is this your first time wearing a new outfit?¡± The Little Bear asked with a startled look. ¡°Yes.¡± It was indeed the first time in my life. ¡°The shoes you gave are pretty too. The fit is perfect and it¡¯s not uncomfortable at all. Thank you.¡± I smiled and thanked him. In truth, I thought the Little Bear would puff up in pride, but he just patted my head affectionately with a look of discontent. The Big Bear approached and asked. ¡°Can you use thermal magic?¡± Thermal Magic was magic that could only be used by the spell caster themselves. It served to warm the body. In my previous life, the people of the temple did not teach me such magic, saying that warriors were born innately strong and that it wouldn¡¯t be necessary. But being strong did not mean that I did not feel cold and hot. When I was in pain from frostbite while fighting in the freezing cold, a female magician taught me a thermal spell. ¡®She was a very nice person.¡¯ If I remembered correctly she was a magician who used a two-handed magic sword. ¡°No. I can¡¯t¡­¡± Thermal Magic was quite special so I could not use it with my current body. ¡°It¡¯s a shame we didn¡¯t bring temperature regulating artifacts with us. Juliano, tell me you at least bought a coat or something?¡± ¡°Yes, I bought some.¡± ¡°Good job. Take it out.¡± From the subspace, the Little Bear took out a big, thick coat, gloves, a scarf, and a fur hat. I was happy because it was new, but as I put each item on my body, the more heavy and stuffy it became. ¡°It¡¯s uncomfortable, right? But you have to be careful so as to not catch a cold, so wear it well. It¡¯s going to get colder.¡± I nodded. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s go,¡± the Big Bear said as he hugged me. It was still awkward to be hugged by someone so I curled up a little. The Big Bear patted my back affectionately as if to say that everything would be okay, and then began to fly using magic. It was so fast that I couldn¡¯t even see clearly. ¡®It feels a bit strange.¡¯ I never imagined that I would leave the place where I lived for more than six years in this way. It was cool but also unfortunate as I couldn¡¯t punish the bad guys. ¡®I must come back in three years.¡¯ I decided again. However, as I settled in the Big Bear¡¯s comfortable and reliable arms, I started to feel sleepy. ¡®I can¡¯t sleep comfortably when Big Bear is working so hard¡­¡¯ But I still fell asleep. *** ¡°Dia, you have to eat.¡± The Little Bear shook me awake. As I opened my eyes, I took in the sight of an unfamiliar space, with Big Bear sitting on a chair holding me. ¡°Where?¡± ¡°We¡¯re at a restaurant.¡± The Little Bear across me laughed at the play in words he himself spat. Of course, I glared at the fool. The Big Bear looked at the Little Bear too. Only then did the Little Bear stop laughing and changed the topic. ¡°I ordered you some pork cutlet because I thought it would be quite delicious.¡± ¡°Pork cutre¡­ cutlet?¡± It was a very difficult word to pronounce first try. ¡°It¡¯s a wide piece of pork covered in bread crumbs and fried.¡± ¡°Oh, I know what that is. I¡¯ve had it before.¡± ¡°Really? I guess the food in the orphanage is quite good.¡± ¡°No. The orphanage food is bad. I ate it at the Lord¡¯s Castle.¡± ¡°At the Lord¡¯s Castle?¡± ¡°Yeah. I took the part that the Lord didn¡¯t eat and tried it.¡± Suddenly, the Little Bear looked at me with eyes full of sympathy. I felt a little burdened, so I raised my chin and asked, looking at the Big Bear. ¡°Where is this place?¡± ¡°The village at the edge of the next estate.¡± The Big Bear was expressionless as usual, but his eyes seemed a little warmer. ¡®I feel like I can see the emotions of the Big Bear better.¡¯ It was amazing to think that I just met him. Then, I suddenly noticed, I was on the Big Bear¡¯s lap. ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯d enjoy the chair.¡± The food would soon be served, and it would be even more inconvenient to eat like this. Thus, I made my decision. I wriggled down to the next chair. The Big Bear looked disappointed. ¡°Juliano and I will now use Illusion Magic artifacts. Don¡¯t be surprised.¡± The two pressed some part of the ring on their hands. When the Illusion Magic in the ring was triggered, the two suddenly assumed ordinary appearances. After a knock, the staff dragged the trays in. Thanks to the Illusion Magic, the staff was not intimidated by the size of the two bears. His eyes even sparkled as he looked at me. ¡°Oh, how cute you are. Here¡¯s a set of little bears.¡± The employee gave me a bear-shaped pink tray. Next to the circular pork cutlet was some round lettuce salad that had red ketchup over it shaped like a smiling face. They also added two cute round pickles to make ears and attach them to the pork cutlet. ¡°Is this a bear¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s cute, right? Well, I hope you enjoy your meal.¡± The staff gave the two bears their own meals and headed out. I was actually a little excited, my heart pounding. I had never had such cute food before. It was food personally made for me too. ¡°I¡¯ll cut it for you.¡± The Big Bear picked up his knife and split the pork cutlet into twenty small pieces in an instant. ¡°You have to chew it well.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± I looked at the smiling salad every time I took a bite of the pork cutlet. It was really good. ¡°Cute.¡± When the Little Bear said that, the Big Bear nodded in agreement. I said aloud, ¡°Yes, the bear face is so cute!¡± ¡°Not that.¡± The Little Bear¡¯s eyes twinkled as he tilted his head. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Nothing. Do you want some more?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m full.¡± The Big Bear and Little Bear¡¯s meal was soon over. ¡°Stay here. I¡¯ll get the carriage.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not going by magic anymore? Are we going by carriage?¡± Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t want to use magic anymore.¡± I wondered what was going on, but I didn¡¯t ask this time either. The Big Bear rubbed my head lightly and disappeared out the window. I looked over the window. ¡®It¡¯s so different from the Spania estate¡­¡¯ The buildings were big and the roadsides were well organized. The people who came and went were dressed properly and had clean faces. Above, all their expressions were not dark nor bad. ¡°It¡¯s so much more beautiful than where I was. Why is it so different when it¡¯s so close to the next area?¡± Compared to this place, the Spania area where I lived looked like hell. ¡°Because of the Lord. The owner of the Spania territory you were in is the worst piece of garbage.¡± The Little Bear¡¯s eyes shone fiercely when he pressed the ring button that released the Illusion Magic. ¡°We need to clean him up quickly.¡± ¡°Why not just clean him up now?¡± ¡°That Lord¡¯s backing is a little strong.¡± ¡°Backing? Who is it?¡± The Little Bear replied with an expression of difficulty. ¡°Just know there¡¯s someone like that.¡± ¡®There¡¯s someone strong enough that the Duke can¡¯t clean them up?¡¯ The Little Bear giggled and looked at me. ¡°You¡¯re so cute.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah. Here, look.¡± The Little Bear conjured a little magic mirror in front of my face. ¡°Try a smile.¡± The pink blush that spread across the cheeks filled with baby fat enhanced the small dimple at the side of the cheeks. The small lips opened slightly, and the front teeth peeked through slightly. The big eyes that glittered with loveliness only enhanced the picture. ¡®I didn¡¯t portray this feeling in the past.¡¯ After I washed clean and wore neat clothes, my appearance was emphasized. The smile on my face was a little awkward, but it was indeed undoubtedly cute. ¡®I¡¯m a little shy for some reason¡­¡¯ The Little Bear then asked with a smile, ¡°Dia, do you want to be my sister?¡± ¡°Do you want me to be your little sister because I¡¯m cute?¡± ¡°Of course you¡¯re adorable. But that¡¯s not the only reason. I feel like we get along quite well. Should I say you¡¯re like my own sibling. My sister. What?¡± I shook my head immediately. ¡°Hyuk! How can you say no right away? Dia, my family is great! We¡¯re Dukes you know!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°You can have even prettier shoes and clothes! You¡¯ll be treated well.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°You can eat bear-shaped food often!¡± My will shook a little, but I still answered firmly. ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°Even candy! No, you can eat even more delicious desserts than candy!¡± My will once again shook, but this time again I overcame the temptation. As I repeatedly refused, the Little Bear with a sullen face asked, ¡°Why don¡¯t you like it?¡± I couldn¡¯t trust the two bears just yet. Besides what kind of sibling could I be? I answered roughly. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be a noble.¡± ¡°Huh? Why?:¡± ¡°The Lord is bad.¡± ¡°You must hate all nobles because the Lord of Spania was bad, but not all nobles are like that. I and my father are both nobles, but we¡¯re good people.¡± The Little Bear pointed at himself with his hand and spoke proudly as if he had no shame. I asked, pretending not to see. ¡°How about the Duke?¡± ¡°The Duke?¡± ¡°Juliano¡¯s Dad.¡± I couldn¡¯t say Big Bear after all. ¡°My father is not the Duke.¡± ¡°Then why do you say the word, Duke?¡± ¡°Ah, is that why you thought so? The Duke is not my father, but my mother. My father is the Duke¡¯s husband.¡± The Little Bear pointed his hand to his face. ¡°Look, my hair is black and my eyes are gold. I also have black mana. These are the three characteristics of my family¡¯s direct lineage. You can only become Duke if you have these.¡± Suddenly, I remembered the fact that my mana was black. ¡°So Juliano¡¯s mother is the Duke, and she has those features?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I suddenly recalled the reason why the black leopard with golden eyes was used as a family crest. It was because of its appearance. ¡®But if you look at Little Bear, isn¡¯t he more bear than leopard?¡¯ Other than the color of his eyes and hair, he looked just like a Big Bear. ¡°Then what do you call him? I mean, Juliano¡¯s dad? Duchess?¡± ¡°No, we call him Count. If you marry a Duke, you become a Count. It¡¯s in the papers.¡± ¡°I see¡­ Oh, by the way¡­¡± The Little Bear was the Duke¡¯s Son and commoners had to use honorifics when talking to nobles. No matter what my actual status was, I was currently indeed a commoner¡­ ¡®Come to think of it, I¡¯ve been talking informally until now, but they haven¡¯t gotten angry at all.¡¯ If it was Spania¡¯s Lord, he would have already killed me the first time he heard it. In a very cruel way too. I made up my mind to be polite to the Little Bear. ¡°Sir!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Sir! Should I call you Young Master? After all, I have to use honorifics.¡± The Little Bear¡¯s eyes opened wide, before closing his mouth as if trying to suppress a smile. ¡°Hmm, I see. Call me by my first name, not Young Master.¡± ¡°Is this allowed?¡± ¡°Yes. Of course. Or you can directly call me brother.¡± ¡°About that¨C¡± The Little Bear grinned, before his face suddenly hardened as he put his right hand on the bracelet on his left wrist. ¡°That¡¯s strange. This bracelet is a set so you can see where the other person wearing it is. My father is getting farther and farther away. He¡¯s going out of town. What happened?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°But he told us to stay here.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± The Little Bear looked worried but nodded. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go.¡± The Little Bear once again cast his Illusion Magic, paid for the meal, and hugged me. It was a little awkward, but I hugged the Little Bear¡¯s neck back with my hands. The Little Bear opened his mouth after a while but soon recovered his expression as we entered the deserted road. The Little Bear, who used Invisibility Magic and Presence Erasing Magic to get there faster, hugged me and started running fast. We got out of town in less than five minutes. Soon we arrived at a forest full of large, leafy trees. The Little Bear¡¯s pace did not slow down at all because of this. ¡®Ah!¡¯ Because my magic was stronger than the Little Bear, I felt something through Detection Magic. I tapped one hand on the shoulder of the Little Bear holding me. The Little Bear understood my intention and stopped at once. I pointed to one side with my hand and whispered very quietly towards the Little Bear. Read latest Chapters at Wuxia World . Site Only ¡°A hundred meters ahead. Three bad guys.¡± The Little Bear nodded knowingly and dropped me on the floor. ¡°Wait here. It might be dangerous.¡± ¡°No.¡± I started running fast in the direction I just pointed out. Chapter 6 14th, it has 1.2K monthly views ???? ??? ???? Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks I was a warrior. Albeit one who died after being taken advantage of my entire previous life. I was reborn, so I tried to get revenge, but how could I be so unlucky to get kidnapped and sent to an orphanage? But¨C ¡°Why don¡¯t you come with us?¡± I was adopted by a rich family. Thus, I decided to leave in three years¡¯ time, after causing a moderate amount of trouble. Read latest Chapters at Wuxia World . Site Only ¡°Are you going to leave?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Are you really leaving us?¡± ¨CMy family refused to let me go. Why are they so obsessed with me?! Chapter 7 ¡°This is just a guess, but I think it¡¯s likely that you¡¯re of noble blood. Like Father said, it¡¯s rare for there to be geniuses among commoners, but what¡¯s more is that mana is usually passed down through blood. That means at least one of your parents must be of noble blood.¡± Little Bear didn¡¯t say more, but I understood. ¡®He probably thinks I¡¯m a child born out of a nobleman¡¯s extramarital affair.¡¯ He¡¯s wrong though. More than anything, I was most probably a direct descendant of the family. I heard the word ¡®Lord¡¯ when I was kidnapped after all. But of course, I wouldn¡¯t tell him this. ¡°There¡¯s no evidence, but if one of your parents is a nobleman, you¡¯ll be treated better. Our territory thinks ability is the most important, but that¡¯s not the same for the others. Over there, they think the higher the social status, the better. So, if you¡¯re actually a noble, you¡¯ll be less restricted. And although it¡¯s a little embarrassing to say, I just hope you can live a comfortable and happy life from now on.¡± The Little Bear mumbled every now and then, but I understood every single word. The Little Bear, was truly thinking of me. ¡®Why? It hasn¡¯t even been long since we met, but why do you care so much for me¡­?¡¯ Suddenly, an unknown emotion soared in my chest, blocking my throat. ¡®No, not suddenly.¡¯ After meeting the two bears, the emotion had come to visit occasionally. The feeling was unfamiliar and awkward, so for a moment, I didn¡¯t know what to do. So, I changed the subject. ¡°Can you tell me more about the Leocardia Family?¡± The Little Bear began to talk with a smile as if he were glad to hear my question. ¡°There is a mountain range called Chaos Mountains in the northernmost part of the continent. Right below it is the territory of our Leocardia Family.¡± ¡°Chaos Mountains¡­ Isn¡¯t that the place where an awful lot of high-grade monsters live? Why is the territory there?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a place blessed by God. It¡¯s safe. This is a very famous story, did you not hear of it?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡± I didn¡¯t hear of it even in my previous life. ¡°500 years ago, Lord God created the world and many creatures including us. At that time, he collected all the world¡¯s evils and created what we now know as monsters. As time went on, human evils accumulated and the monsters gradually became stronger and stronger. So, 300 years ago, Lord God appeared in human form and gave the humans various types of help. This includes blessing the land in front of the Chaos Mountains, making it a sanctuary.¡± ¡°Is that why you built the Duchy¡¯s castle there?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°You say that 300 years ago the Lord helped the humans a lot. Besides the sanctuary, what else did he do to help?¡± I prepared myself by clenching my fist in advance because my hands were shaking. The Little Bear replied with a smile. ¡°He prophesied that if the Demon Lord appeared, a warrior would appear to stop him.¡± I knew about this prophecy. That¡¯s why I brought up the story so I could use it as an excuse to ask more about the warrior in detail. ¡°In fact, the Demon Lord did appear 17 years ago. However, the warrior defeated the Demon Lord a year after he started to subjugate the monsters.¡± A huge shock ran through me as if lightning from the sky had struck me. ¡¯17 years ago? So you¡¯re saying I died 16 years ago?¡¯ I¡¯m seven years old now. Since the age at which you were born is counted as one year, if you calculate it this way¡­ ¡®It means that I was reborn 10 years after I died!¡¯ What do you mean it¡¯s not just a year or two! Without me, the Warrior, the Cardinal would have already become the Pope. If he¡¯s become the Pope, he would have even more power than when he was a Cardinal. ¡®Revenge is going to be harder than I thought¡­ Wait. No, it won¡¯t¡¯ The Lord God offered to help me. I was probably born 10 years later because this period is the most advantageous for revenge! ¡®Hoo¡­¡¯ I took a deep breath and calmed my heart which had been beating uneasily for a moment. ¡°Do you know anything about the warrior..? I¡¯ve only heard one story. The one that says he defeated the Demon King.¡± I heard it when I was sneaking about the Lord¡¯s Castle. ¨CA warrior named Debota appeared, and defeated the Demon Lord, before sadly dying. In addition, the only information known to the public about the warrior was that he was a speech-disabled person. Not even one person knew his face because he always wore his helmet. ¡®The Cardinal really buried everything about me thorughly.¡¯ It was two years ago that I learned about it, and to some extent, I did expect the Cardinal to have made his move. ¡®At first, I thought it was okay¡­¡¯ But maybe I was shocked inside, and I had to suffer multiple body aches for a few days. I could barely get up from my bed. I was in true shock. It felt like my past life, in which I was abused and taken advantage of, was even more wretchedly trampled upon. ¡®¡­Calm down. You need to be calm Dia.¡¯ I took another deep breath to hide the bubbling feelings. Fortunately, the Little Bear didn¡¯t see my face because he was looking out of the crevice between the carriage¡¯s window curtains. ¡°I don¡¯t know much about the warrior,¡± replied the Little Bear. I managed to hold back a sigh of regret. ¡°Actually, I used to dream of becoming a warrior. It was a power from the Lord, but I still thought I could become one if I tried hard enough. So I shouted to my parents that I would become a warrior but my mother opposed it. So¡­¡¯ The Little Bear stopped suddenly while talking and looked at me with an expression as if he made a mistake. ¡°So?¡± ¡°Well¡­ This will be our little secret. So you can¡¯t tell others ok?¡± ¡°Yes. I won¡¯t.¡± I put my index finger in front of my lips. The Little Bear whispered with shame, ¡°I ran away from home.¡± ¡°You ran away?¡± ¡°Yes. I thought I would become a warrior if I went into the Chaos Mountains and trained against the monsters to become strong. However, before I could even try, Father caught me at the entrance of the mountain range.¡± ¡°Well at that time¡­ How old were you?¡± ¡°Just like Dia, I was five. I only did it because I was young¡­¡± I was a little angry at the words, but I couldn¡¯t say what my real age was. ¡°How much I was scolded by Father then¡­ My mother¡­¡± The Little Bear sighed with a distant look as if he were recalling the past. ¡°My mother cried. She grabbed me and told me firmly that I should never become a warrior.¡± Again, another lightning bolt struck me. ¡®The Duke knows about me!¡¯ The Cardinal killed all those who knew how I lived in the temple. But before that, there could have been a few rumors that slipped past. ¡®Maybe that¡¯s how the Little Bear¡¯s mother, the Duke of Leocardia, learned about me.¡¯ Still, she probably wouldn¡¯t have known that the Cardinal killed me. But I realized the obvious. The Duke probably knew enough about me that she could feel sorry. It meant she sympathized with me. ¡®This is an opportunity.¡¯ An opportunity to learn more about my previous life. I remembered what happened, but my world in the past was too narrow. I needed proper information to analyze. ¡®I¡¯ll ask when I get a chance. I don¡¯t even know if the Duke will answer me¡­¡¯ ¡°I then promised my mother that I wouldn¡¯t become a warrior. The warrior was originally chosen by the Lord anyway, so I didn¡¯t have a chance from the start.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± ¡°I was frustrated you know! I really wanted to be a warrior! I really respect him! He¡¯s the kindest, most righteous, and just straight-up best man in the world!¡± The scene of me kicking the groins of the villainous men who attacked Big Bear replayed in my mind. I even went and poked their eyes. ¡°¡­¡± Suddenly, cold sweat dripped down my back. I quickly brought up the original topic. ¡°Tell me more about the Duke.¡± ¡°Ah yes. The current master of the Leocardia Family, the Duke, is my mother. Her name is Obdolisa Leocardia. She¡¯s a master of the two-handed sword!¡± Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks The excited Little Bear rambled on with a calm face but excited voice. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Two hours later, we arrived at the Gapo Estate. The territory said to be closest to the Leocardia Duchy. ¡®It¡¯s a little small, but it¡¯s clean and has a nice atmosphere.¡¯ We headed straight to the inn. The Big Bear then spoke, ¡°We¡¯re leaving at dawn tomorrow. Wash up first.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I washed up first before heading to the common room. A cleaner Big Bear came up and sat me on the sofa after washing up in the other bathroom. ¡°Let¡¯s dry our hair.¡± The Big Bear gently wiped my wet hair with a large soft towel. There was also magic in the world to dry hair. And although it consumed less mana, it¡¯s said to be very difficult to control because it has to be used very carefully due to the nature of hair. I and the Little Bear both didn¡¯t know how to use such magic. The Big Bear said he could use it, but couldn¡¯t do it on such a small and weak child like me. ¡®If even a single thing goes wrong, my hair might burn.¡¯ I didn¡¯t request it either. Instead, the Big Bear would dry my hair carefully like this every time. As if I was a precious child. Whenever Big Bear dried my hair, I could feel my heart warm up. ¡°Thank you! But where is Juliano?¡± ¡°He went to buy something for a second. He won¡¯t be long. Are you hungry?¡± ¡°No, not really.¡± In truth, I was indeed a little hungry, but I wanted to eat with Little Bear. ¡°When Juliano returns, let¡¯s eat together.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The Big Bear softly patted my hair. ¡°When we arrive at the territory, maybe we can-¡± Before he could finish his sentence, Little Bear¡¯s voice was heard through the door. ¡°Father, please open the door?¡± ¡°Dia, you go do it.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± I ran to the door and opened it. However, instead of the Little Bear, I saw another bear. ¡°It¡¯s a teddy bear!¡± It was so big that I couldn¡¯t even see Little Bear who was holding it from behind. The Little Bear managed to come inside with the teddy bear and shouted triumphantly. ¡°Ta-da! It¡¯s a secret bear!~!¡± Round eyes, a nose slightly peeking out from the front, a smiling mouth, a face with ears, and short legs below a plump belly. Every single part was cute! ¡®Wow!¡¯ Its dark brown hair that shone with luster also looked very soft. ¡°Why is it a secret bear?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s because he can hide secrets! Look here.¡± The Little Bear grabbed the teddy bear¡¯s right front foot and lifted it up. On it was a number pad from 0 to 9. ¡°The default password is 0000.¡± When I pressed 0 four times, something surprising happened. The soft-looking round belly suddenly disappeared. The teddy bear itself was so big that the empty space inside was large enough to remain even if I entered. ¡°You can place a diary, or whatever you want to hide here.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s why it¡¯s a secret bear.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right! It¡¯s a specialty of the Gapo Estate. It¡¯s hard to get, but I was lucky enough to buy it!¡± ¡°I see! I¡¯m happy for you. Congratulations.¡± I smiled. The Little Bear flinched before exchanging glances with the Big Bear. ¡®What¡¯s wrong?¡¯ I tilted my head, and the Big Bear said, ¡°Juliano, you have to say it clearly.¡± ¡°Oh, I see. Dia, this bear is yours!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It¡¯s yours. It¡¯s a gift!¡± The Little Bear smiled broadly and pushed the secret bear towards me. I was so surprised that my eyes were left wide open. ¡°Are you really giving it to me?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m telling you! Now, look at this.¡± The Little Bear grinned and held out the teddy bear¡¯s numbered foot to me. ¡°Decide your password. Just pick any four-digit number.¡± I hesitated and said, ¡°But isn¡¯t it expensive¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay!¡± ¡°But it¡¯s not okay for me¡­ This¡­ Uh¡­¡± It was burdensome. However, another emotion also blossomed clearly. Joy. The Little Bear obviously cared about me. He purely likes me like he likes the Big Bear. I was genuinely pleased with that fact. ¡®But¡­ I¡¯ll be leaving in three years¡­¡¯ Until then, I was planning on hiding many things. I was going to lie and hide the truth as much as possible. ¡®Can I really accept this kind of affection?¡¯ What was in front of me was only an object, but I knew that what the Little Bear was trying to give was more than that. No matter how clueless I was about human relationships, I knew how much he wanted to give it to me. ¡°Uh¡­ Do you not like it?¡± The Little Bear was immediately sullen. His broad shoulders dropped down. I was startled. ¡°No! That¡¯s not it!¡± ¡°Then what¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°It¡­ It looks expensive¡­¡± ¡°I am the Duchy¡¯s Young Master. I have a lot of money! Don¡¯t feel pressured and take it. It¡¯s cute, right? The fur is really soft too. Here, touch it.¡± The Little Bear held my hand and placed it on the teddy bear. I flinched at first, but soon my fingers moved at will. The dark brown fur was incredibly soft. ¡®My hands are about to melt.¡¯ This was the first time in both my lives that I had experienced this luxurious feeling. ¡°It¡¯s nice, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The Little Bear grinned. ¡°I¡¯m glad you like it. I bought it for you after all.¡± Read latest Chapters at Wuxia World . Site Only That¡¯s why it¡¯s burdensome¡­ ¡®I want to keep it¡­ But¡­¡¯ I couldn¡¯t say anything else. The Big Bear suddenly came close to me and bowed down. He then said with a friendly smile- Chapter 8 ¡°You must be burdened by the price. Well, let¡¯s do this then. Dia, this secret bear is non-refundable. Use it first, then when you get a little bigger, you can pass it on to another child. You can think of it as borrowing it for a little while.¡± The thought that I was just borrowing it rather than owning it completely made me feel a little more comfortable. I clutched my ticklish heat, contemplated a little more, and decided. I¡¯ll follow my feelings. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll take it.¡± Only then did the Little Bear smile brightly. ¡°Great! Then I¡¯ll lend it to you! But you decide the password. Choose a meaningful, easy-to-remember number. Make sure it¡¯s four digits.¡± If one normally thought of a four-digit number it would be their birthday. But I didn¡¯t know my birthday, whether it was in my previous life or now. ¡®Meaningful¡­?¡¯ I looked back at the Big Bear and Little Bear. ¡°Okay, we won¡¯t watch you.¡± The two bears turned around as if understanding my gaze as I didn¡¯t want them to look. ¡®That¡¯s not what I meant.¡¯ I was scratching my head as I set the password. 1005 The day I first met the two bears. It was a meaningful date for me. ¡°I¡¯m done.¡± ¡°Well done. I¡¯ll put this in your room then.¡± ¡°Yes, thank you.¡± But I don¡¯t think my expression was very good. As the Little Bear soon shook his head, approached me, and bowed down. He then asked, looking into my eyes. ¡°You don¡¯t like it?¡± ¡°What? No. I like it. It¡¯s really, really good.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s true, won¡¯t you smile? I want you to smile all the time. Like this, bright.¡± The Little Bear smiled with both hands stretching the ends of his mouth sideways. ¡®What a fool.¡¯ But¡­ I liked it. After meeting the two bears, a joy that was deeply embedded in my heart grew and spread throughout my entire body. I hugged the Little Bear. The Little Bear smiled before hugging me back. ¡°Father, look at this! Dia is hugging me tight! Ouch!¡± The Little Bear could only brag for a moment before the Big Bear took me right away. ¡°That was the first time!¡± The Little Bear grumbled. I blinked in embarrassment and laughed. ¡°Dia, your laugh is pretty too!¡± The Little Bear praised me, and the Big Bear nodded and agreed. I kept smiling and clasped my arms around the Big Bear¡¯s neck. Unlike the teddy bear which boasted a softness that seemingly melts, the Bear¡¯s arms were hard. But I liked it. The two Bear¡¯s arms. I laughed heartily and fully embraced the warmth of the two bears. ¡ª On the day that I slept with the secret teddy bear by my side, I thought I would have a good dream. Or at least I wouldn¡¯t have any nightmares. But I was wrong. [I can¡¯t believe such an incompetent and stupid bitch like you is the warrior!] [You useless piece of shit!] [You can¡¯t even do this? You should just die!] I hated the whip. I disdained it. I was scared¨C No. Terrified of the pain it inflicted as it tore my flesh. The feeling of isolation as the beatings wore my body out only grew day by day. But still, I was not allowed to make a single sound. The Cardinal stepped on me as though I was just dust. I wanted to die. But, I couldn¡¯t I was the Warrior. I had the duty of defeating the Demon Lord. I had to prevent even more innocents from becoming victims. I wanted to see the people smile brightly. For this reason, I endured and threw my pride away. But there was also another reason. ¡®I¡­¡¯ My eyes opened. My sight was blurred and out of focus but I could see Big Bear and Little Bear looking down at me with worried faces. The Little Bear asked urgently, ¡°Father, why is she so hot?¡± ¡°Find the priest. Now!¡± ¡°Dia, just wait a bit!¡± The Little Bear disappeared in the blink of an eye. The Big Bear wiped my forehead with a cloth with a nervous look. Soon, there was a cold feeling. ¡°Hoo¡­.¡± I groaned out a sigh, and this time Big Bear wiped my entire face with a cloth. It was an extremely cautious touch as if he was worried that something wrong might occur at any moment. It was so sweet that it made my tears flow. So, I was finally able to gather the courage to say it out loud. ¡°The truth is¡­ about me¡­¡± I didn¡¯t even know what I was talking about because my thoughts were all tangled up like a string of thread. Still, words came flowing out from top to bottom. ¡°I hate living.¡± ¡°Dia¡­?¡± ¡°I hate living. I want to leave. I even thought of all the reasons I would die for, but¡­The truth is¡­¡± I wanted to live. I wanted to live a normal life like everyone else. I wanted to have pleasant conversations, not heavy silence. I wanted to smile as I faced others. I wanted to exchange affection with sincerity. That¡¯s how I wanted to live. ¡°Just like everyone else, in a normal, happy way¡­ Just like that¡­ But¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t say anymore. As soon as the words that had been embedded in my soul came out, I lost the power to make a sound. I couldn¡¯t even keep my eyes open. ¡°Dia? Dia!¡± A Big Bear¡¯s scream was faintly heard before I plunged deep into the darkness. ¡ª ¡°¡­you have to go.¡± ¡°I know, but Dia¡­¡± Out of nowhere, I heard voices in the dark. It was Big Bear, as well as the voice of a strange man. ¡®Who is it¡­?¡¯ I didn¡¯t have the energy to think anymore as I was pushed back into the water like I was falling off a cliff. It was only a long time after that I could get out. ¡ª I knew I had closed my eyes for a very long time, but somehow my eyelids weren¡¯t heavy. My sight was blurred, but it became clear after a few blinks. ¡®Where am I?¡¯ Everything in the room, including the bed I was lying on was neat and luxurious. ¡®I burst to death because of the Cardinal¡­ How am I in an inn?¡¯ Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks When I raised my eyes, I saw a huge teddy bear. It was the one from Little Bear. ¡®Ah.¡¯ The cruel memories of the past that tore apart my soul finally receded, as if running away. I was now in the present. The thought brought me warm joy. ¡®¡­But, it¡¯s strange.¡¯ There was no one else in the bedroom but me. A chilly shiver was sent down my spine. ¡®Am I alone? Did¡­ they leave me?¡± It was at that moment of shock that the closed-door opened silently. It was the Little Bear who move very carefully as if not to wake me up. As he looked up, his face which was filled with dark clouds, shone like the midsummer sun in an instant. ¡°Dia! You¡¯re awake!¡± My heart brightened too. ¡°Yes¡­¡± I wanted to laugh and answer loudly, but I couldn¡¯t. The sound that came out of my mouth was small and faint. Both my lips and throat were scathing like a dry desert. ¡°Water, where¡¯s the water?¡± I managed to say a sentence. The Little Bear ran away immediately and returned with a pitcher full of water and an empty cup. He then carefully picked me up by the waist, poured water into the cup, and put it to my lips. ¡°Drink slowly.¡± I did as the Little Bear said. After drinking, I felt like I had drank an entire bottle. ¡°Are you okay?¡± The Little Bear wiped my sweaty forehead with a wet towel. It was a careful yet friendly touch like the Big Bear in my memory. I laughed from the bottom of my heart. ¡°Geez. Did I get sick?¡± ¡°Yes. You¡¯ve been bedridden for three days you know!¡± ¡°Hyuk¡­¡± ¡°On the first night I thought you would sleep it off, but your fever went up! I thought something was gonna happen! I even called the priest, but they didn¡¯t help at all. They said it was a cold but that they couldn¡¯t cure it with divine power.¡± Divine power was the power that theoretically could heal all wounds and diseases. However, there were areas or illnesses it didn¡¯t, or rather, couldn¡¯t treat due to individual differences. In my case, it was colds and body aches. ¡®I didn¡¯t think it would be the same as my previous life.¡¯ ¡°I was really worried. I, I thought something would go wrong¡­¡± Tears welled up in the Little Bear¡¯s eyes. I was shocked again. ¡®Ah!¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m glad you recovered!¡± The Little Bear clasped me in his arms and I wriggled my arms around the waist of Little Bear and patted him with my right hand on the back. ¡°I¡¯m okay now so don¡¯t cry.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not crying.¡± ¡°Yes, yes¡­¡± The Little Bear only released his hug after a long time. He then went to the bathroom, washed his face clean, and came back. ¡°Where is the Count?¡± ¡°Father went somewhere else for a while. He wanted to stay until you recovered, but something big happened.¡± In truth, I was a little disappointed. ¡®As expected of a child¡¯s body. I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m upset about this.¡¯ I remembered the conversation I heard while sick. A man told Big Bear he had to go. And¡­ Big Bear didn¡¯t seem to want to go. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Hydra, a seventh-class monster, appeared in two cities. Hydra isn¡¯t a strong species, but it¡¯s tricky to deal with. It does have eight mouths it can use to spray poison after all. It¡¯s hard to approach to catch without any casualties. Of course, that won¡¯t be the case when Father comes.¡± The Little Bear explained in detail as if afraid I would be disappointed. ¡°My Grandmother used to be the one who handled the Hydra, but she passed away a long time ago. Now that duty is passed onto Father.¡± I was familiar with the Hydra so I could understand why Big Bear had to go personally. But I was anxious. ¡°Hydra showed up in the city? Two of them?¡± Hydras were originally lone wolves. They were monsters that avoided places with people. ¡®Is it a mutant?¡¯ Monsters that behaved differently from their set patterns were usually called ¡®Mutants¡¯. But it was strange. ¡®Why are there still mutants?¡¯ Mutations only appeared when the Demon Lord came to this world. Since the Demon Lord has long gone, shouldn¡¯t the mutants have disappeared? ¡®I guess that isn¡¯t the case.¡¯ ¡°Yeah. It showed up at the place we stopped by. Do you remember the Tagus Teritory?¡± ¡°Yeah. The place where we had the chocolate eclairs. The one with Silver Fork.¡± ¡®Silver Fork¡¯ was the most famous dessert shop in the Empire. There were branches in various territories, and a week ago, we visited the one in the Tagus Territories. There were so many delicious things that I saw for the first time in my two lives. Everything was delicious, but I liked the chocolate eclair the most. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± The Little Bear smiled and continued, ¡°Father left two days ago when he heard the news. More than 10 people had already died in Tagus because of the Hydra.¡± For a moment, a wave of grief and guilt shook me. It was the warrior¡¯s duty to protect the people from the monsters. ¡®¡­No, I¡¯m no longer the warrior.¡¯ I still had the power of the warrior, but I had already completed my duty by defeating the Demon Lord in my past life. The warrior¡¯s duty¡­ ¡®No!¡¯ I hated it to point of trembling in disgust. ¡®I¡¯m not going on the path of the warrior again! But¡­ I can help a little bit.¡¯ The Big Bear must be suffering. ¡°Hey, what if we go too?¡± The Little Bear shook his head firmly. ¡°No, you¡¯re still sick. It¡¯s also dangerous.¡± It was true that I was still sick, so I focused on the other sentence. ¡°It¡¯s not dangerous. It¡¯s been two days. If you were the count, wouldn¡¯t you have taken care of everything already?¡± The Little Bear¡¯s eyes shook. I looked around and used my honest heart as bait. ¡°I miss the Count¡­¡± ¡°R-really?¡± ¡°Yes! I miss him a lot!¡± I waved my arms open. ¡°A lot! Lot! Lot!¡± I emphasized it like this. The Little Bear suddenly became a little sullen and asked me this question while looking at me. ¡°Do you like Father more than me¡­?¡± This time, it was my eyes that shook. The Little Bear pouted when I didn¡¯t say anything and then turned his eyes to the side. He looked like he was sulking. ¡®I can¡¯t believe he¡¯s upset over this!¡¯ He clearly looked like he was twenty but his heart was still that of a thirteen-year-old. ¡®Fine. I¡¯ll comfort you because I¡¯m older.¡¯ I clicked my tongue inside. Read latest Chapters at Wuxia World . Site Only ¡°I like both of you the same!¡± It was a lie. I liked the Big Bear better. ¡°But the Count is away for business right now. Of course, I miss him.¡± The Little Bear glanced at me, tilted his head, then opened his eyes. As if pondering on whether or not what I was saying was true. I sighed inwardly and added. Chapter 9 ¡°I like Juliano!¡± It was true that I liked the Little Bear. But of course, I liked Big Bear more. Either way, the words made my face turn red. ¡®How embarrassing¡­¡¯ But seeing Little Bear¡¯s face twinkling, although I wasn¡¯t sure at first, I thought it was good that I said it anyway. I stretched out my hands and hugged the Little Bear. The Little Bear smiled gently and then hugged me back. ¡°It looks like our Dia likes me a lot!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Yes, yes. But still, I won¡¯t allow it. You haven¡¯t recovered yet. Just riding in a carriage will be hard for you.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s focus on recovery for now. Eat, wash up, sleep a bit more, then get up. That way you¡¯ll be fine in a day or two, and if Father still doesn¡¯t come back by then, we¡¯ll go. Okay?¡± There was nothing wrong with the logic behind what Little Bear said. Still, I felt something amiss. ¡®First¡­¡¯ I grumbled and waved my hands around. ¡°It¡¯s going to be late soon. Let go of me.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll prepare the water in the tub for you. Wait a minute.¡± The Little Bear disappeared for a moment then came back a little later and took me to the bathroom. ¡°Huh? What¡¯s this?¡± White bubbles were blooming in the bathtub. ¡°It¡¯s a bubble bath. When you place some in hot water, it¡¯ll bubble up. It¡¯s good to use during baths.¡± ¡°It¡¯s my first time seeing something like this.¡± ¡°Do you want to touch it?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± I carefully stretched out my index finger and touched the foam. It was neither hot nor cold. As I took my finger back, a bubble as small as a nail was left on my finger. I then opened my mouth and swallowed the foam. ¡°Hey! Dia! You can¡¯t eat that! Quick, spit it out!¡± The Little Bear grabbed my face and pried my mouth open. I obediently let him do so. After all, there was nothing to see. I had already swallowed it. ¡°It doesn¡¯t taste good.¡± The Little Bear cried, ¡°Why the hell would you eat that? Your stomach might hurt!¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt.¡± Come to think of it, even in my past life, I never had a stomach ache no matter what I ate. ¡®Is it because I¡¯m a warrior?¡¯ ¡°No matter what I eat, my stomach never hurts.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a relief¡­ Still, don¡¯t ever eat things like this from now on, okay?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The Little Bear only left the bathroom after receiving a promise stating that I would not eat such things again. I slowly undressed and glided back in front of the bathtub. The bubbles were now so large that they covered the entirety of the bathtub that could fit even Big Bear. ¡°Wow~~~~¡± I went into the tub admiringly. The water came up to my shoulders, but the foam came up to the tip of my nose. It was itchy, but it felt quite nice. It was like I was enjoying a luxury that I would have never expected to experience. ¡®¡­I¡¯m happy.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t just because of the bubble bath. But also Big Bear and Little Bear. The more I spent time with the two bears, the more I knew of the thing called joy that I had never known before. I was truly happy. And, ¡®It feels like I¡¯m finally alive¡­¡¯ Before meeting the two bears I was desperate for survival. Not as much as in my previous life, but I was lonely. But now, I wasn¡¯t anymore. There were now two bears present by my side giving me warmth sincerely. ¡®I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m now living.¡¯ In my previous life, I learned that I couldn¡¯t die even when in pain. At that moment I felt it was better to just die. In truth, I wanted to live. I wanted to live a normal and happy life like everyone else. ¡®¡­I thought it would be hard to accomplish this.¡¯ But thanks to Big Bear and Little Bear, I started to enjoy life again, even if just a little bit. ¡®But this joy won¡¯t last forever¡­¡¯ I had to leave three years later. And if the situation changes when we arrive at the Duchy, I might have to leave even earlier. ¡®But¡­¡¯ It occurred to me that the hearts of the two bears for me would not change. I didn¡¯t know if this was because of my warrior¡¯s intuition, and there was also no basis. ¡®I could be wrong.¡¯ I still couldn¡¯t forget about the Cardinal and I could still vividly remember the pain. But the pain was in the past, and right now was in the present. ¡®Can¡¯t I trust them a little more?¡¯ For them who taught me how to live and what it meant to be happy. I smiled and enjoyed the bubble bath comfortably. After taking a bath, I went out in the new underwear and clothes that the Little Bear had prepared inside the bathroom. ¡°Although I did feed you soup for the three days you were asleep, it¡¯s still not good to eat greasy or solid food all of a sudden. Thus, let¡¯s eat soup today. Don¡¯t worry, I brought one that has a lot of meat in it.¡± The Little Bear laughed and said. I choked up a little at how much thought he put in. To not let his effort go to waste I smiled ear to ear and ate as much as I could. After the meal, the Little Bear took out some dessert. ¡°It¡¯s pudding that¡¯s easy to digest! It¡¯s new!¡± I ate up the pudding graciously. ¡°It¡¯s so delicious!¡± ¡°You want more, don¡¯t you? They only sell a hundred of them a day at this territory¡¯s Silver Fork. I bought the last one. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll buy another one tomorrow.¡± Even the Little Bear liked the sweets quite a bit. ¡®But he didn¡¯t eat any and gave it all to me!¡¯ I stood up from my chair and bowed. ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°Dia. You don¡¯t have to say that. I¡¯m just glad you ate well.¡± The Little Bear smiled heartily. He really did like me! My heart was bursting with joy. I hugged the Little Bear again. The firm embrace was filled with happiness. And the next day, I was even happier. Just after breakfast, Big Bear came back. ¡°Diamond.¡± The Big Bear approached me with a smile on his lips that most had never seen. I jumped right out of my seat and ran towards him. ¡°You¡¯re back!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The Big Bear gave me a big hug. One that wrapped around my entire body. No matter what, it seemed to protect me perfectly. ¡®¡­Oh, I see.¡¯ The reason why I fell sick was because the tension in my body had been relieved. Not only in my previous life but also in this one, my life was full of endless suffering. Then, I suddenly met the two bears who made me feel safe and happy. Unknowingly, the mountain-like caution and tension had been relieved. ¡®This¡­ isn¡¯t good.¡¯ If I constantly become sick because of the influence of the two bears. It wasn¡¯t good. ¡®No, it¡¯s not. It will be fine as long as I don¡¯t get sick again.¡¯ Maintaining one¡¯s health was not as easy as it sounded. Even more so as there is no way to relieve anxiety and tension that is so heavy to the point of causing pain. Once I arrive at the Castle, I¡¯ll start to eat better, so naturally, my body will get stronger, right? ¡®So, it¡¯s not anything bad.¡¯ I didn¡¯t want to speculate anything bad about these two people. ¡°Father, Dia really missed you.¡± The Little Bear said with a smile. ¡°Did you?¡± I was so shy that I had to cover my face with my hands before I nodded. I heard the Big Bear laughing in his thick voice. Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks ¡°I missed you too Dia.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes. Really.¡± The Big Bear patted me sweetly on the back. ¡°I was worried that you would be in a lot of pain, but¡­ is it alright now?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Show me your face.¡± I was still embarrassed but I put my hands down. If you excluded the three days I was asleep, Big Bear had technically only been away for a day. But strangely, the Big Bear¡¯s face seemed a little new. It was very pleasing. ¡®Because he missed me, huh¡­¡¯ The Big Bear scanned my face with careful eyes. ¡°You seem to have lost some weight. Did you eat breakfast?¡± ¡°Yes, we just finished.¡± ¡°What about dessert?¡± ¡°Not yet.¡± ¡°I brought something for you.¡± The Big Bear placed me back on my chair, took something out of his subspace, and put it on the table. It was a fountain, around the size of a human head, that was divided into four tiers. Dark brown chocolate flowed from top to bottom as the center pillar spun around. ¡°W-What is this?¡± ¡°Chocolate Fondue. They say it¡¯s a new item for the Silver Fork at the Tagus branch.¡± The Big Bear also took out a bowl full of marshmallows. ¡°Dip this in the chocolate.¡± ¡°Woah. Wow. Wow~ Wow~! Wow~~~!!!¡± I lost my composure. The Big Bear smiled and pointed to the chair. ¡°Juliano, eat with us. There¡¯s enough.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± The Little Bear sat next to me, grabbed a marshmallow with a fork, and dipped it in the chocolate. He then¡­ stuck it towards me without taking a bite¡­? ¡°Now, ah.¡± I swallowed it with my mouth open. In my mouth, the deep and rich taste of chocolate and the soft yet chewy texture of marshmallows held hands and danced happily. ¡®Wow!!!¡¯ My mouth was busy chewing so I cheered inwardly. The Little Bear laughed loudly and fed me another marshmallow with chocolate. It was the third time I tried one. ¡°Wait.¡± Big Bear stepped out. In an instant, he had dipped a marshmallow in chocolate and placed it in front of my mouth. ¡°Come on.¡± I grinned at the Big Bear with gratitude and swallowed. Before I could even turn over my neck, Little Bear already held out another marshmallow soaked in chocolate. As soon as I put it in my mouth, Big Bear popped out again. The Little Bear joined in. This time he was holding not one, but two marshmallows dressed in chocolate. One with each hand. ¡°¡­¡± The two bears said nothing. But it felt like they were both shouting at me with the look in their eyes. ¡®Eat mine! Not anyone else¡¯s. Mine!¡¯ A cold sweat broke down my back. I chewed the marshmallow I currently had in my mouth slowly and began to agonize. ¡®Which one should I eat?¡¯ I ended up in desperate agony. Even though I tried to chew as slowly as possible, the marshmallow in my mouth soon disappeared. It was time to make a choice. ¡®Yes, yes!¡¯ I decided. ¡°I will eat by myself!¡± The two bears looked both disappointed and not at the same time. It was a relief. I started eating the marshmallows at ease. The Little Bear also began to take some into his mouth and talked to the Big Bear. ¡°I guess the situation was quite good seeing that you even had time to get this.¡± ¡°Yes. The magicians of Tagus are quite outstanding. It was the first time that two hydras had appeared at the same time, so there were several casualties in the beginning, but they were soon able to keep some line of defense behind them.¡± ¡°But they couldn¡¯t attack right?¡± ¡°Yeah, they were just defending. The Hydras were taken care of by me. It was weird to see two of them in the city, so I also took the time to look around.¡± The Big Bear caressed my hair gently. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I was late.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s fine.¡± I happened to have a new marshmallow in my mouth. So when I opened my mouth to talk, chocolate dripped down my lips. The Big Bear took a handkerchief out of his subspace and wiped my mouth. As usual, my heart warmed. It was the familiar friendly touch. ¡°Tsk. I wanted to wipe it off for her.¡± The Little Bear grumbled. I continued eating the marshmallows as if I was unaware. ¡°Do you know why the Hydra suddenly appeared then?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know yet. But it¡¯s definitely strange. Two Hydras suddenly appearing and attacking people.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t a mutant then? One appears from time to time.¡± ¡°It might be. It¡¯s not like the Demon Lord has been re-appointed.¡± I tried to ask lightly. ¡°Isn¡¯t the Demon Lord dead?¡± ¡°Yes, he is. The great warrior killed him! The Demon Lord is an existence that appears when there¡¯s a lot of accumulated evil in the world. The Demon Lord, who comes out every few hundred years, can¡¯t come back for the next 16 years.¡± ¡°Juliano is right. I don¡¯t think the Demon Lord has returned just yet. Even after the warrior defeated the Demon Lord, mutants still sometimes appeared.¡± ¡®As expected, it was like that.¡¯ But it didn¡¯t feel very good. I ended up frowning. The Big Bear asked anxiously, ¡°Are you feeling sick?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m all better! Let¡¯s go!¡± The Big Bear only continued after putting his hand on my forehead and confirming that I had no fever. ¡°Yes, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Wait, Father. I¡¯ll go buy the pudding at the Silver Fork here. It¡¯s something Dia likes. It might take a while, so please wait here.¡± ¡°Okay, go ahead. Dia, if you¡¯re done eating, brush your teeth.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± After I brushed my teeth, the Big Bear hugged me, took me to the sofa, and sat down. ¡°I have something to tell you before we reach the Duchy.¡± The Big Bear patted my hair and said, ¡°When we reach the territory, I¡¯ll be very busy and we¡¯ll probably end up spending less time together.¡± The Big Bear whispered affectionately, but before a deep regret close to sadness pressed me, he followed. ¡°But I¡¯ll come running whenever you call me. I promise.¡± ¡°Really¡­?¡± ¡°Of course. I promise.¡± The Big Bear hugged me with warm arms. It was the safest feeling in the world. Suddenly, I had this thought. ¡®Is this what a Father¡¯s embrace is?¡¯ I didn¡¯t know if it was a question I could ever answer in the future. I held in a heavy sigh and asked the Big Bear. Read latest Chapters at Wuxia World . Site Only ¡°Why are you so nice to me?¡± No matter how clueless I was about relationships between people, I knew this. The two bears were endlessly kind to me. ¡®It¡¯s true that my talents are something to covet. It should be because they think I, no- my talent is something they must have.¡¯ But they didn¡¯t have to be this nice if it were just for that. Chapter 10 ¡°Do you think this is called being good?¡± ¡°Yes. You make sure I eat well, buy me desserts, buy me clothes, and take care of me when I¡¯m sick. You¡¯re being good! Extremely good!¡± The Big Bear released his hug and looked at me. His mouth was smiling but he looked sorry. The Big Bear whispered affectionately. ¡°Because we like you.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°We¡¯re being nice because we like you. You like us, right?¡± I looked down as I felt my face burning. But still, I nodded. ¡°If you like someone, it¡¯s only natural that you care for them with all your heart. I¡¯ll be nice to you even once we get to the Duke¡¯s Territory. I will assure you that you can live a happy ever after. This is also a promise in my name.¡± The Big Bear bowed his head and pressed his lips against my forehead. His touch was as warm as always. It was as if he was sealing the promise firmly. ¡®Oh¡­?¡¯ Once again, the warm emotions bubbled up inside me. My throat clogged and my eyes turned red. Tears were about to spring up and flow down my cheeks but I stubbornly held them in. The Big Bear wouldn¡¯t want me to cry. He would want me to smile. ¡°¡­Thank you!¡± I swallowed my breath and smiled brightly. The Big Bear smiled a little wider as if he were happy and took off one of the rings on his left hand. ¡°There will be a lot of monsters on the way forward. It can be dangerous, so keep this on. It¡¯s a defensive artifact.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not alright. We¡¯ll be avoiding the monsters as much as we can, but we have to prepare just in case. Here, give me your hand.¡± ¡°My hands will end up falling asleep because of that. I¡¯ll be uncomfortable.¡± ¡°It adjusts to suit the wearer. It¡¯ll be okay.¡± I really didn¡¯t need it, but I couldn¡¯t resist anymore. ¡®Like the secret bear, I¡¯ll return it to them later.¡¯ The Big Bear put the ring on my right middle finger. The ring, which was too big and too loose, shrunk as soon as the Big Bear injected mana into it. Compared to when it was on Big Bear¡¯s finger it was only a quarter of the size. ¡°¡­You¡¯re so small.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll end up sick at this rate.¡± ¡°In this state, you might not grow anymore.¡± After adding a short sigh at the end of the ramblings, the Big Bear gathered a coat, hand gloves, and scarf from his subspace. It wasn¡¯t anything I had worn before. They were all new, thick, and more luxurious. ¡°Did you buy new ones?¡± ¡°Yes. They told me it¡¯s warmer. You have to be careful not to catch a cold.¡± Something in me once again burned up at the thought of them buying something, especially for me. The Big Bear helped me put it all on. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s put on this hat too.¡± The hat he took out this time was dark brown, but it looked incredibly warm because it was designed to cover even the ears. It also had two ears popping up overhead. ¡°Woah~ It kind of looks like a bear?¡± The Big Bear put the hat over my head. The fur material was soft and my ears were fully covered, so it was without a doubt incredibly warm. The Big Bear suddenly spoke as he covered my head. ¡°How cute. The hair and hat look good on you. You look just like a cute little bear.¡± Speaking of bears, I suddenly thought of Little Bear. ¡°When is Juliano coming back?¡± Before I could finish my sentence there was a knock on the door and Little Bear came in. As soon as the Little Bear saw me, he came running with his eyes wide open. ¡°Woah~! So cute! Dad, did you buy this hat from Tagus? Do you have any other kinds? I think a cat one would be cute.¡± ¡°There are no other kinds.¡± ¡°What a shame.¡± The Little Bear sighed deeply. ¡°I bought pudding. Dia, are you still full? I¡¯ll give it to you later. Dad, let¡¯s leave now.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll hold Dia. Today is Father¡¯s turn to drive the carriage.¡± [t.n. ¨C Juliano switches between Father and Dad a lot] ¡°I¡¯ll hold her until we get to the carriage.¡± The Big Bear then scooped me up in his arms preciously and walked to the carriage. I could see the loss in Big Bear¡¯s face when he had to leave me inside the carriage. ¡®¡­How happy.¡¯ The Big Bear and Little Bear were truly so good. ¡°What should I talk about today?¡± The Little Bear spoke to me affectionately. ¡°Any story is fine.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The Little Bear told me this and that. All of which were things I was curious about. ¡°It¡¯s cool in the summer and warm in the winter. But can I really stay at the Duke¡¯s Castle?¡± ¡°Yes. Of course, you can. My mother will allow it. Dia, don¡¯t be too worried. Mother will definitely like you and be nice to you. But¡­ you shouldn¡¯t like her more than me. Okay?¡± The Little Bear was speaking very seriously. I tried to pretend not to notice, but the Little Bear persistently asked for an answer with his eyes. I repressed my laughter as I replied. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°You promise?¡± ¡°I promise.¡± The Little Bear laughed at last. I laughed too, but I was actually really worried inside. ¡®What if the Duke doesn¡¯t like me?¡¯ The Little Bear said she¡¯d like me, but I couldn¡¯t be so sure. ¡®If she doesn¡¯t like me¡­ Should I try and make it so she does?¡¯ So far, I had never before acted with the intention of making someone else like me. ¡®No, there¡¯s the Cardinal.¡¯ In my early days as a warrior, I wanted to look good in front of the Cardinal. I wanted to be recognized. I wanted to be loved. But the wish slowly grew covered in dust as I endured being whipped every night. The more I got hit, the less I looked like myself. ¡°Dia, what¡¯s wrong with your face.¡± The Little Bear brushed my hair. ¡°Are you feeling sick?¡± ¡°¡­No.¡± I looked to the window, trying to distract myself from the memory of the sharp pain slashing down my back. However, the curtains were closed to prevent curious eyes from looking. Thanks to the lighting stone embedded in the ceiling, the interior was bright as day, but it was frustrating because the curtains were thick and tightly closed. ¡°Phew¡­¡± I sighed. The Little Bear seemed to be aware of why I did such a thing. ¡°It¡¯s frustrating, isn¡¯t it? Hang in there just a little longer.¡± Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks ¡°When did you say we would arrive?¡± I asked again knowingly. ¡°This evening. Dinner will be served at the Duke¡¯s Castle. Have you tried the meat of the honey pigs? It¡¯s a specialty of our territory.¡± ¡°Honey pigs? What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Honey pigs are pigs that have honey-colored coats, unlike the usual brown. Their meat is much softer and more delicious than regular pigs. They call it the people¡¯s favorite meat.¡± The Little Bear told me all about the various dishes they harbored. I was gulping in anticipation when I realized. ¡®He¡¯s telling me this because he knows I¡¯m stressed.¡¯ The Little Bear was very considerate. ¡®Is this what having a brother is like?¡¯ I didn¡¯t know because I had no family. But suddenly a thought came to my head. Even if I did have a real brother, he probably wouldn¡¯t be as nice as Little Bear. Then suddenly, the carriage stopped. The Big Bear opened the door of the carriage and appeared. ¡°It looks like the third guard post is under the attack of the monsters. Juliano, use detection magic.¡± ¡°Understood. Right now I can detect about 50 sixth-class monsters.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go first and help just in case. Juliano, you¡¯re in charge of driving the carriage. Don¡¯t reveal your identity for now. Dia, you stay in the carriage. I¡¯ll meet up with you at the third post.¡± The Big Bear smiled at me before disappearing right away. I was a little disappointed. ¡°I want to go with him.¡± ¡°It¡¯s faster for Father to use flight magic alone.¡± ¡°Okay. But¡­ why are they being attacked by monsters? I thought monsters wouldn¡¯t be able to approach due to the Lord¡¯s Blessing.¡± ¡°The guard posts are outside of the blessed territory. They are facilities established in order to reduce the number of monsters lingering around and protect the people visiting the territory.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go now. Stay inside until I tell you to come out. All right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The Little Bear patted my head, closed the door, and went out. I was a little nervous but also excited to enter the Leocardia Territory. I was also worried about Big Bear. ¡®50 is a lot. But it should be okay, as they¡¯re just sixth-class monsters. Ugh¡­ I want to use detection magic.¡¯ I was curious about the situation but Big Bear¡¯s request to not use magic was stuck in my head. I couldn¡¯t just ignore it because it was said out of genuine concern. ¡®We¡¯re almost there but the carriage is going steady. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a dangerous situation¡­¡¯ But it was still too early to be relieved. Shivers suddenly went straight down my spine. It was my instinct as a warrior. It was the warning of a crisis. ¡®¡­!¡¯ I immediately cast a spell for detection magic, spreading the mana all over my body. Soon after, something pressed on the carriage. Gooong! Half its body was of an old woman, and the other half was of a monster in the shape of a bird. ¡®Harpy..!¡¯ The Harpy was pressing the carriage with its body, ramming his sharp fingers and claws on the roof. It wanted to break the carriage. ¡®I¡¯m the target.¡¯ Harpies were very fond of children. As prey, of course. It seemed to be able to detect where I was and the carriage was shaken significantly. Still, it did not break. ¡®The Big Bear did a great job casting this defense magic.¡¯ It was before I could do anything that- The Little Bear that was driving the horse in the front seat, suddenly changed his movements. Before the Harpy could attack any further, he jumped from his seat and cut off the Harpy¡¯s neck with a double-handed sword taken from his subspace. After kicking the Harpy¡¯s body away, he immediately went back to driving the horse. The horse seemed surprised and agitated by the Harpy¡¯s appearance, but when the Little Bear grabbed the reins right away, it slowly moved forward without any sign of agitation. I could see it all happen through the Detection Magic. ¡°Dia, are you okay?¡± I thought it would be small because it was called a guard post, but it wasn¡¯t. It was already quite large just looking at the outer walls of the first floor, which were piled up around it like a fence. In the center stood a large fortress enough to accommodate about 500 people. At first glance, it looked like a cylinder, but sharp windows stretched out countless times around it like a hedgehog¡¯s thorns. If monsters rushed to try and break down the fortress their whole bodies would be torn up until they collapsed. Many defensive spells were also permanently cast. ¡®Amazing! But why is everything so dark nowadays? Oh, that¡¯s Black Brick!¡¯ It harbored great defensive prowess, but with its quality came a high price. ¡®How great that they use it for whole buildings nowadays! But even more, this is just the third guard post, not the first!¡¯ The more I looked at it, the more I admired it, and the more I liked the Duke of Leocardia. I found out when I went around to exterminate monsters in my past life that even rich people would rarely spend money on such facilities. They usually didn¡¯t care if their people died or not. ¡®The Duke is different.¡¯ It was very difficult to deal with 50 high-grade monsters in the sixth class. Perhaps because of that, several of the soldiers and magicians were injured. However, there were no fatalities or serious injuries. They were all well-armed and well-trained. ¡®The Duke is amazing.¡¯ I hadn¡¯t even met her yet, but her favorability rating had already soared way up. ¡®Where¡¯s the Big Bear?¡¯ He was stronger than me so I couldn¡¯t find him even if I used detection magic. Still, I continued to use it. I could feel five people riding out of the third post and running towards the Little Bear¡¯s carriage. The first person asked loudly. ¡°This is Chamon Tant, deputy director of the third guard post of the Duchy of Leocardia. Are you alright?¡± It was as if they came running after seeing us being attacked by the Harpy. Still, I didn¡¯t think I should open my window yet, so I clung to the window of the carriage and simply listened. ¡°Yes. It¡¯s alright.¡± I heard Little Bear reply. ¡°The carriage has been attacked. Do you want to be repaired?¡± ¡®The Little Bear is using illusion magic so the other person couldn¡¯t have possibly known who he is, yet he still held a good attitude.¡¯ It meant that the people at the third guard post were well disciplined. ¡°Yes, I¡¯d like to have it repaired.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go inside the guard post for now. We¡¯ll escort you.¡± Tant¡¯s party surrounded us in three directions, on either side of the carriage, and behind us. Entering the outer wall of the third guardpost, the carriage slowed down and stopped completely. ¡°I¡¯ll take you to the lounge while it¡¯s being repaired. Is there a companion in the carriage?¡± ¡°Yes, there¡¯s one.¡± ¡°Can you give me your identification card, along with your party member¡¯s?¡± Read latest Chapters at Wuxia World . Site Only ¡°My party member is only five years old, they don¡¯t have an identification card yet. I¡¯ll give you mine.¡± The Little Bear gave Tant his identification card. It must have been a fake appropriate with their disguise. ¡°So you were an attendant of the Duke. Welcome.¡± ¡°Another fellow attendant went here first. Is he here?¡± Chapter 11 12-15 minutes 26.06.2022 ¡°It looks like when he heard of there being a harpy nest nearby. He went to deal with it himself to ensure the safety of the child. As expected, you have a child in your party.¡± My face turned warm. ¡®For me¡­?¡¯ ¡°You are indeed the attendant of the Duke, but we must still confirm the identity of your companion. Can I see the child for a second?¡± ¡°Yes. Just give me a second.¡± The Little Bear quietly approached the carriage door. I quickly stopped casting my detection magic and sat down as if I had done nothing. The Little Bear opened the door after knocking, made sure I was alright, and hugged me. Tant, the deputy director, stood straight in front of the carriage. Thanks to my detection magic, I already knew that she was a woman with a solid physique in her early 20s. ¡®What unique hair.¡¯ It was the color of ripe apricot. However, seeing it through detection magic, and seeing it in person were two different things. The impact was simply terrifying. A normal child would have been scared and cried, but instead, I smiled and politely greeted her. ¡°Hello.¡± Although my speech had improved a lot by talking to the two bears, my pronunciation still wasn¡¯t quite up to par. ¡®Ugh¡­¡¯ Tant¡¯s eyes opened wide. Soon she shouted with her hands on her cheeks. ¡°So cute!¡± The eyes of the people around us gathered at once. ¡°Oh my! That bear hat looks so good on you!¡± ¡°Look at how pale her cheeks are!¡± In an instant, the atmosphere around me heated up. Some even came up to me, their eyes shining. The Little Bear held me tighter in alarm. ¡°The child will be surprised.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, baby!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid.¡± The people added one after another before finally moving back. However, some people were still reluctant to take their gazes away. Still, they flinched and turned their heads after seeing Tant¡¯s fierce eyes. ¡°Baby, I¡¯m sorry for shouting.¡± Tant¡¯s gaze that shot at her colleagues was so sharp that it felt like it could pierce through their very bodies. But now, her eyes had softened, and she apologized to me in a sorry manner. ¡°Don¡¯t use honorifics. We¡¯re not aristocrats. Besides, she¡¯s not a baby!¡± ¡°Then what is she?¡± ¡°A child.¡± ¡°Oh, yes! Of course, she¡¯s a child!¡± Tant smiled brightly. The Little Bear laughed and stroked my hair before turning to Tant to ask, ¡°When do you think my party member will be back?¡± ¡°I believe he¡¯ll be back in an hour and a half, at the latest. Mostly due to the distance, but who knows? It may take even longer. Would you like me to prepare you a meal while you wait? Maybe a snack?¡± When the word ¡®snack¡¯ left Tant¡¯s mouth, her eyes locked on me. I wasn¡¯t that hungry, but I was still glad to hear the offer. ¡°Snack? What kind of snack?¡± ¡°There¡¯s ratfish fillet.¡± ¡°Gasp! You eat rats!?¡± I had never eaten a mouse, even in my previous life. Tant laughed and waved her arms as I exclaimed in a panic. ¡°We¡¯re not actually eating rats. The dish is just a combination of dried fish. I guarantee you it¡¯s delicious.¡± I couldn¡¯t believe it. Slyly, I whispered to the Little Bear beside me. ¡°Have you eaten such a thing before?¡± ¡°No, but there is an ocean at the eastern end of the territory. This fish was caught there. I¡¯ve heard of it before. It¡¯s good! Try it.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go over there and eat.¡± Tant pointed to a wooden bench right in front of the building. The Little Bear hugged me as we walked beside Tant. As we moved, eyes followed us. It was unusual after all to see children in a place frequently attacked by monsters. ¡®But everyone has such strong, piercing gazes.¡¯ It was burdensome. And strangely enough, some of the older-looking people looked at my face before suddenly looking away. ¡®What¡¯s wrong with them?¡¯ Tant conjured up a fire with a quick spell, baked a thin round piece of dried fish fillet, and gave it to me. It looked hard, but it was softer and warmer than I thought. It was, however, a little hard to chew. ¡°Oh! You don¡¯t have front teeth.¡± ¡°Yes.. It¡¯s hard¡­ Whoo.¡± I was clearly complaining, but Tant¡¯s laughter only grew louder. It was then- ¡°It¡¯s a monster!¡± A loud and clear cry descended from the third floor, the top of the fortress. ¡°North-west, 500 meters away! 25 Sixth-grade Harpies! Estimated arrival time is 3 minutes! Everybody get ready!¡± Tant¡¯s eyes, which had been relaxed, completely changed. Her body grew tense, and she picked up her machete, a tough grip securing it in her hands. She then quickly spoke to Little Bear. ¡°Go inside.¡± ¡°No. I¡¯ll stay and help. Just let me take the child inside the fort.¡± ¡°That way.¡± The Little Bear, guided by Tant, quickly took me to the ground floor of the fortress. It seemed that in this era, the interior of such fortresses was made of Black Brick. It looked tough and solid. Wizards were waiting by the palm-sized windows as well. When the monsters approached, they immediately attacked from the windows. ¡®They¡¯ve prepared well.¡¯ Even though they were being attacked, everyone was calm and unafraid. They systematically prepared for the attack without a hint of carelessness. The Little Bear sat me in the chair in front of the round table on the ground floor. ¡°Wait here. Don¡¯t use your mana. Got it?¡± The Little Bear patted my head before jumping right out. I unconsciously sighed as I looked at the Little Bear¡¯s receding back. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry, kid. It¡¯s safe here.¡± ¡°Yeah! Don¡¯t worry!¡± Many people gathered on the first floor and hollered at me. I also said a sentence, no, two. ¡°I¡¯m not a little baby! I¡¯m a grown child!¡± Everyone shut their mouths and turned away from me, looking the other way. ¡®What¡¯s wrong with them?¡¯ I grumbled and thought to myself. ¡®Detection Magic¡­ I want to use it¡­¡¯ ¡°100 meters! All hands, focus!¡± When the words came down, everyone¡¯s eyes, which had been relaxed, became very serious. ¡®Okay! I¡¯ll use it!¡¯ I began to monitor the situation using Detection Magic. As first announced, there were a total of 25 Harpies. ¡®They¡¯re not far¡­¡¯ All the Harpies were seriously injured as if they had been attacked and driven away by someone. However, they didn¡¯t seem weak at all. The Harpies flew in, terrifying blood spouting all over their bodies as if they weren¡¯t willing to die. Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks Their purpose seemed to be to make one more human accompany them on their journey to the underworld. They were predestined to die after all. ¡®Can we really stop them?¡¯ The reason why Harpies were rated as sixth-grade monsters was that they became stronger once weakened. It was a state that was not easy to handle. There might be more victims if this continues. ¡®Do I have to fight too?¡¯ I carefully reviewed the situation despite my impatience. ¡°First row, attack!¡¯ A middle-aged woman who seemed to be the General ordered in a loud voice. The wizards and archers behind the fort¡¯s exterior walls fired their attack magic and arrows. ¡°Oh my god!¡± Five of the 25 Harpies flew like arrows in the air and crashed with a scream of death. ¡®Wow! It¡¯s not easy for a normal person to shoot down a flying monster!¡¯ I was really impressed. But it wasn¡¯t the time to be relieved. The other twenty started flying faster as if enraged by the death of their comrades. It was too late for the second row to attack. ¡°Second row! Fall back and let the magicians support each group!¡± As instructed by the General, the wizards and archers fell behind, and the magicians came forward. The magicians soon faced the Harpies. ¡®Woah¡­¡¯ There were two people in a group. They continued to attack and defend each other naturally like water flowing through the rocks in a river. They couldn¡¯t kill all of the Harpies but got rid of ten in that single wave. Despite the small victory, the soldiers only grew more vigilant and helped the others still fighting. ¡®This¡­!¡¯ There were quite a few talented people in my previous life. However, few people showed such incredible and perfect organization skills. The rest of the Harpies began to fall quickly. When there were only four left- ¡°Kkaww!!¡± The loudest and strongest Harpy cried with passion. His sharp nails dug straight into the magician in front of him. It was incredibly fast, but thankfully, the magician succeeded in casting out a shield. Up till now, all attacks could be blocked by such shields, but this time was different. ¡°Crackkk!¡± The claws crushed the shield and flooded forward. Just before the Harpy could cut off the magician¡¯s neck, a black blade cut off the Harpy¡¯s wrist and flicked it sideways. It was the work of the Little Bear, who had been watching the situation keenly. Soon, the Little Bear also cut off the Harpy¡¯s neck. ¡°Three!¡± At the little bear¡¯s words, the other magicians shouted in one voice. ¡°Three!¡± It was the number of Harpies left. One of them was suddenly decapitated. It was done by a man who flew very fast from afar. ¡®Big Bear!¡¯ The Big Bear was not using Illusion Magic. Soon, one of the remaining two was also killed by Big Bear. Now, there was only one left. I thought the Big Bear would handle it, but he didn¡¯t. ¡®Huh¡­?¡¯ Something unknown, no, a cold sensation crept down my spine. At the same time, my heart suddenly skipped a beat. ¡°Stop.¡± It was because of the person who appeared, saying this one word. Big Bear, who came from the Harpy¡¯s nest, flew from the West. This person came from the North, where the Leocardia Duchy existed. ¡®Did she fly all the way here?¡¯ Even though I knew it was a long distance, and almost impossible, I still thought so. It was freezing cold here, and the wind was terrifyingly rough. ¡®No matter how much one could utilize their mana, it was terribly hard to use Flight Magic in such weather.¡¯ However, the person who flew here all the way from the Duchy seemed relaxed. The body that came down from the high sky had landed on the ground with overflowing ease. No, it was power. Blazing like the sun on a summer day, it was full of power and confidence. ¡®I can¡¯t¡­ see it..?¡¯ I couldn¡¯t gauge the person¡¯s power because they were stronger than me. The reason I could even sense her power was that she was confidently showing off her presence like Big Bear. However, while I could check Big Bear¡¯s power in detail, I couldn¡¯t see anything else from this person. ¡®Should I use stronger Detection Magic?¡¯ I hesitated because I knew the two bears would be worried about me being sick after using it. However, I couldn¡¯t help it. I was too curious. I knew who that person was. ¡®Opdolisa Leocardia.¡¯ The master of the Northernmost territory on the continent. The Shield of the Empire. The Duke. The wife of Big Bear and the mother of Little Bear. ¡®I want to see more. I want to know clearly.¡¯ After much consideration, I cast a stronger detection spell. When the Duke landed on the ground, she said this. ¡°I have to keep one alive for my research.¡± The Duke reached forward with one hand. Ever since the Duke¡¯s powerful appearance, the last Harpy had been frozen in place. ¡°Argh!¡± When the Duke pointed at him, the Harpy jumped at the Duke, screaming his ears out as if he had come to his senses. Then, a sword appeared in the Duke¡¯s hands. It was a huge two-handed sword well over 2 meters. The sword was black and unadorned. It was large and thick, making it look rough, but it felt like lava boiling at its highest temperature. ¡®Wow.¡¯ The Duke used the two-handed sword as a shield to block the Harpy¡¯s nail attack, and in a blink of an eye, hit the Harpy on the head with a kick. Kkuk! The Harpy¡¯s head was harder than stone, making it difficult to shock. However, with the Duke¡¯s kick, the Harpy¡¯s eyes soon rolled back, and its body fell to the floor. He must have fainted. ¡®Amazing!¡¯ The Big Bear took a net out of his subspace and threw it at the Harpy. It quickly grew and soon completely wrapped around the Harpy. Even if it regained consciousness, it could now not do anything as it was stuck in a net. ¡°My Lord!¡± ¡°Count!¡± The people bowed their heads, kneeling on one knee. Read latest Chapters at Wuxia World . Site Only Just as everyone was looking down, the Duke moved. The Duke returned the two-handed sword back into her subspace and approached the Big Bear closely. The height difference between the Duke and Big Bear was about ten centimeters, but when the Duke raised her toes, the two became about the same height. ¡®What?¡¯ I was startled. Chapter 12 11-14 minutes 26.06.2022 The Duke pressed her lips on Big Bear¡¯s lips. She wrapped her arms around the neck of Big Bear and pulled hard. It was as if she was trying to imprint her existence on him. ¡®Right. The two of them are married¡­¡¯ As I already knew why the two were doing that, I was a little ashamed to stay and watch. Quickly, I redirected my Detection Magic the other way. I saw the Little Bear just a few steps away. His arms were crossed and he looked like he was thinking, ¡°So Mother and Father are doing that again.¡± ¡®So they do that a lot¡­ Well, it¡¯s good that they¡¯re on good terms.¡¯ It was something new and mysterious to me. I had never seen such a good relationship before. ¡®But¡­ Is that really a kiss?¡¯ The Duke and Big Bear together were stronger than me so I couldn¡¯t see well, but I didn¡¯t think they were just kissing. ¡®How curious. Oh, Big Bear¡¯s hand!¡¯ The Big Bear stroked the Duke¡¯s back and waist with his hands. He then took the initiative to hold the Duke¡¯s hand. The Duke rubbed the Big Bear¡¯s hand with her thumb for a moment before clasping his fingers firmly. My heart thumped at the sight. ¡®I feel like I¡¯ve looked at something I shouldn¡¯t have seen.¡¯ Finally, the Big Bear and the Duke¡¯s lips separated. The Duke cleared her throat with a cough and said, ¡°Stand up.¡± Everyone clearly saw the two of them just did, but they weren¡¯t particularly surprised. Like the Little Bear, everyone harbored looks as if they were used to it. ¡°Everyone did a great job. General, report the situation and stabilize the troops. I¡¯ll give you half an hour.¡± ¡°Understood!¡± After the Duke gave her orders, everyone began to move quickly. ¡°Juliano.¡± The Duke let go of the Big Bear¡¯s hand and hugged her son tightly. The Little Bear faced his mother and released the Illusion Magic. It was only then that the people recognized that the man who wielded the double-handed sword was the Duke¡¯s son. The Duchy¡¯s Young Master. ¡°Mother.¡± The Little Bear grinned, and the Duke patted the Little Bear on the shoulder several times. At first glance, it was but a normal pat on the back, but there was deep affection between family in each movement. Tant went back inside the fortress and shouted, ¡°All the monsters have been defeated! The Lord, Count, and Young Master are here. Come out and pay your respects!¡± But¡­ ¡®What¡¯s wrong with me?¡¯ My heart started beating faster and my whole body stopped in place, frozen. It was a little hard to breathe. ¡®Oh, it¡¯s because I¡¯m nervous.¡¯ Now that the Duke was here, I could be kicked out at any moment. If I look at her and she takes it the wrong way¡­ ¡®I want to be with the two bears!¡¯ I had to look good. I was a little nervous and ran out of the fortress. However, before I could reach for the Little Bear came to the entrance and hugged me. ¡°It was cool earlier.¡± ¡°Earlier?¡± ¡°Yes. Cutting the Harpy¡¯s wrist- Hyuk!¡± I realized my mistake mid-sentence. The Little Bear squinted at me. ¡°You used Detection Magic didn¡¯t you?¡± I turned my eyes to the other side and looked behind Little Bear. The sun was setting. The world was filled with the intense golden red of the sun that was disappearing beyond. The people¡¯s hair and eyes were all different colors, but they were now all dyed by the color of the sunset. However, some people did not lose their colors but instead shone brighter. Big Bear. Little Bear. The Duke. The Little Bear had black hair and golden eyes. Features that were exclusive to the lineage of the Duke of Leocardia. The Duke was the same, but the colors were much deeper than the Little Bear¡¯s. Her black hair that was tied together and fell down to her waist was dark without a single hint of light. However, it didn¡¯t look evil at all. It was powerful and black like it could and would conquer all colors. The Duke¡¯s eyes were shining as brightly as her hair. If the Little Bear¡¯s eyes could be described as yellow-gold, the Duke¡¯s was shining gold itself. Mysterious and more beautiful than any other jewel in the world. ¡®So that¡¯s why their family crest is a black leopard with golden eyes. But¡­¡¯ The day was still ripe and there was much more to come. The Duke was tall and slim, with thin arms and legs. However, her whole body was full of fine muscles, as powerful and intense as the color of her hair and eyes. A person who, just by existing, could control her surroundings. Something suddenly came to mind. ¨CIt¡¯s an honor to fight by your side, Sir! Seventeen years ago, monsters infested the human territories with the appearance of the Demon Lord. The shadow of destruction hovered above mankind and continued to deepen, but many people did not give up and tried to fight. Their greatest hope was me. The Warrior. All the people who gathered next to me admired me, and the most passionate of them all was a female magician named Lisa. Lisa was a wielder of the two-handed sword. It was strong but too rough. Her technique was lacking. So there were times when I corrected her movements slightly. I couldn¡¯t speak, so I acted, and Lisa¡¯s eyes only grew hotter when she looked at me. ¨C¡±Thank you, Warrior! I respect you so much!¡± Lisa followed me ever since. She taught me thermal magic and also told me about other topics that I didn¡¯t know about. For example, the relationship between the Emperor and the Cardinal. It was only natural that the two Holy Knights, the watchdogs, were wary of Lisa. They desperately blocked everyone who approached me. Afraid that I¡¯d notice the truth that I was just a tool. ¡®It must have all been the Cardinal¡¯s orders.¡¯ However, I didn¡¯t know it at that time. Hearing constant urges from the two that one more monster could be killed if I didn¡¯t hang out with others, I deliberately distanced myself from Lisa. But after getting rid of the devil, I wanted to take time to meet her and get closer. But before I could do that, I died. ¡®So she was alive! I was afraid she was killed by the Cardinal!¡¯ It was such a relief. ¡®I can¡¯t believe she¡¯s become so strong and cool!¡¯ Lisa in my previous life was not as powerful as the Duke now. Her present ability showcased the result of constant hard work over the past 16 years. Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks ¡®However, her eyes were surely a different color.¡¯ At that time, it was not golden, but black like her hair. It seems that she used an artifact to hide the color of her eyes to hide that she was a direct descendant of Leocardia. I didn¡¯t notice at that time because I wasn¡¯t in a situation where I could look properly. ¡®Wow¡­! Lisa is the Duke?¡¯ The urge to run right away and ask in detail how she had been, washed over me. Of course, I couldn¡¯t. ¡®I have to pretend I don¡¯t know.¡¯ No one should know that the former Warrior has been reborn. Clearly, Lisa was not under the Cardinal¡¯s common, but she was more respectful to me than anyone else at the time. According to what the Little Bear said in the carriage, Lisa seemed to have figured out how miserable I was in my previous life. ¡®I¡¯m sure you felt sorry for me as The Warrior.¡¯ However, it was all in the past. Lisa was now the Duke. A person who was responsible for a lot of things. ¡®If she finds out who I am, she can use me.¡¯ In the worst-case scenario, she could sell me to the Pope. It was only right for me to be wary. I didn¡¯t think she would do so, but I had to wait and see first if she was connected to the Pope¡¯s men and gather information. After all, Lisa was well aware of my past situation and history. ¡®But I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s possible.¡¯ I didn¡¯t think it would be easy, because I was so young now. ¡®Let¡¯s stop thinking for now.¡¯ After making up my mind, I patted the Little Bear on the shoulder. ¡°Put me down.¡± The Little Bear seemed disappointed, but as I said, he put me on the floor. I bobbed along and stood in front of the Duke. ¡°Hello!¡± I bowed with my hands in front of my navel. ¡°My name is Dia! Please take good care of me!¡± I slowly lifted my upper body and stared at the Duke. The Duke was holding hands with Big Bear. ¡®How strange¡­¡¯ Most people who had seen me after I left with the two bears had always responded positively. Like Tant, who thought I was very cute and laughed loudly. But the Duke did not. Her face turned pale as if all her blood had been drained in an instant. Her lips began to tremble and the intense light in her golden eyes shook. It was as if she was reminded of a terrible memory. ¡®Why?¡¯ It was beyond comprehension. ¡°¡­Love¡± The Big bear whispered the Duke¡¯s pet name in a low voice, strengthening his hold on her hand. Only then did the light return to the Duke¡¯s eyes. With her face still pale, she opened her mouth. ¡°¡­Yes. Welcome¡­ Dia.¡± It was a voice and expression filled with unwelcomeness. My heart ached. It felt like I was being pricked by a thorn that popped out unexpectedly. My heart which had been filled with nothing but joy and expectation was suddenly pierced. I bowed my head, curling up my shoulders. Strangely enough, my eyes were watering. ¡®¡­What¡¯s wrong with me?¡¯ It was wrong to say that I was shocked by the Duke, I was more sad than anything. ¡®Is it because she¡¯s different from the Lisa I knew?¡¯ It seemed like that was why, but it also seemed like it wasn¡¯t. All I knew was that my heart was aching. I knew if I stayed like this, tears would soon spill from my eyes. ¡®What the hell is wrong with you Dia!¡¯ ¡°Mother¡­?¡± I felt that the Little Bear was a little embarrassed. He seemed quite surprised by the Duke¡¯s response. The Big Bear then said with a worried face, ¡°Juliano, take a carriage with Dia and head for the Duchy. It shouldn¡¯t be dangerous right now.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The Little Bear picked me up in a hurry and took me to the carriage, put me in the inner seat, and said affectionately, ¡°I want to stay with you but I have to drive the carriage. Bear with staying apart for a while until we get to the Duchy.¡± ¡°¡­don¡¯t want¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Right now, I don¡¯t want to be alone.¡± The Little Bear blinked in surprise and then smiled at me. ¡°Yes, let¡¯s stay in the horse seat together.¡± The Little Bear picked me up again, went to the horse seat, and had me sit next to him. He fastened the belt to the seat firmly before driving the carriage. I cuddled next to the Little Bear. I needed this kind of warmth. ¡®Why is it so cold?¡¯ My outfit was very thick and Little Bear was operating the carriage well, so there was little wind. It wasn¡¯t cold at all yet I felt like a winter breeze was blowing through my mind. ¡®Why does the Duke hate me?¡¯ Of course, she didn¡¯t know I was the warrior Debota. Then there must be another reason. ¡®Not everyone will like me.¡¯ I knew so, but the Duke¡¯s response was incomprehensible. It was heartbreaking, disappointing, and incredibly sad. I let out a long sigh. ¡°¡­Dia.¡± The fast-moving carriage was catching the wind. It would be difficult to have a conversation in a normal situation, but I could hear the words clearly because of the spell cast by the Little Bear. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I never imagined that my mother would react like that¡­ But, uh, I have a guess. You asked me before. Do I have any siblings besides my sister? Do you remember?¡± ¡°Yes, I remember.¡± Read latest Chapters at Wuxia World . Site Only ¡°Actually¡­ There was one more sibling aside from me and my sister. I immediately noticed it. The Little Bear¡¯s words were in the past tense. ¡°I had a younger sibling¡­ But she went to the sky when I was very young. Mother¡­ Mother must have thought of her.¡± I remembered. Chapter 13 On the day I left the Spania Territory, where I had stayed for six years, I remembered a brief incident in the dark forest. ¡®To be reminded of their lost child. Do I look like her?¡¯ The Little Bear said this, as if aware of my question. ¡°You look a lot like my sister when she was young. I didn¡¯t see it at first, but after you washed up in the lake in the dark forest, I was surprised that your face was so similar to ours.¡± I instantly remembered the surprised look on Little Bear¡¯s face. ¡°My sister changed a lot after she grew to her 20-year-old form on her birthday last year. Her face changed quite a bit. My father didn¡¯t seem to be bothered, so I also didn¡¯t think my mother would suddenly be reminded.¡± I thought of the pain on Big Bear¡¯s face when he saw me after my shower. I knew that, but I couldn¡¯t tell Little Bear. ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much. It¡¯ll be fine soon.¡± I didn¡¯t think so. I didn¡¯t know anything about parent-child relationships. However, in my past life, I had witnessed first-hand just how much pain parents had to go through when they lost their children. ¡®They said it was a gut-wrenching pain, right?¡¯ Furthermore, that pain is said to last forever. To have an existence close to you that reminds you of that suffering is no different from torture. ¡®I shouldn¡¯t be next to them.¡¯ I didn¡¯t want to bring more pain to Lisa, who was already suffering terribly. ¡®If I go somewhere else¡­ Will it finally be okay?¡¯ Big Bear and Little Bear can¡¯t kick me out of the territory because I¡¯m a child, but maybe I can go to a village outside of Leocardia instead. ¡®It doesn¡¯t matter as long as I can eat well¡­¡¯ But, I didn¡¯t want to be away from the two bears. I wanted to feel this friendly warmth more often in the future. ¡®I have to leave in three years¡­ but it seems I¡¯ve grown attached.¡¯ I let out a bitter sigh. The Little Bear held the reins in his left hand and moved his right hand to stroke my head. As if saying, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, nothing bad will happen.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s eat some candy.¡± The Little Bear took a candy out of his subspace and handed it to me. It was Little Bear¡¯s favorite yellow lemon candy. ¡°Juliano, you eat first.¡± The Little Bear bowed his head towards me and opened his mouth. ¡°Ah~.¡± He looked at me with his eyes wide, and I placed the candy inside his mouth. The Little Bear smiled brightly. ¡®This look¡­ It¡¯s quite nice.¡± The strange feeling of heartbreaking sadness subsided a little. I also grabbed the lemon-flavored candy and put one in my mouth. As my mind calmed down, I began to notice the surroundings little by little. The carriage was running on the road north of the third post. The roads were well laid out and were wide enough for four large wagons to pass by at the same time. On the edges of the road, luminous stones that glowed at night were embedded at a certain distance. Thanks to this, it was possible to see the road clearly even though the sun was almost set. ¡®It¡¯s very well executed.¡¯ There were several roads in cities and villages that we had stopped by so far, but none were so thought out to this extent. I looked up at the road in admiration. A high, thick outer wall standing in the distance slowly appeared as we continued to move forward. ¡®It¡¯s so big. No, it¡¯s wide.¡¯ Both ends couldn¡¯t be seen. Inside that outer wall was the land blessed by the Lord. And at the end, is the Chaos Mountains. ¡°I can¡¯t see the Duchy.¡± ¡°The territory is large. We need to go inside first.¡± ¡°I see. Well, it¡¯s good as long as I can find a job¡­¡± ¡°¡­Job?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± So I could survive even after leaving the Duchy. Even if I didn¡¯t need to, it¡¯s still good to have money. ¡°I¡¯m going to need living expenses. I think I¡¯d do better if I did something related to magic, after all, although I¡¯m small, I¡¯m good at magic and fighting. I think getting a job along those lines sounds good.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The Little Bear kept his mouth shut for a moment before finally saying, ¡°A five-year-old child doesn¡¯t need to work.¡± ¡®I¡¯m seven.¡¯ I thought I should tell him the truth. But I swallowed it down at the thought of him teasing me for being small. ¡°But adults make people even younger than me work.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because that adult is a bad person. Or the conditions there are very bad. Our territory is rich and you can officially work when you turn 13. But you have to go to school before that. Oh, you¡¯re old enough to go to kindergarten.¡± ¡°Kindergarten? What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Do you know what school is?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s a place where kids get together and learn knowledge from teachers.¡± The Little Bear smiled with satisfaction. ¡°Our Dia is so smart. Kindergarten is basically school but for children from three to seven years old.¡± ¡°Then should I go to kindergarten?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then how about the money?¡± ¡°It¡¯s free for young children, guests, and those who are sponsored. They give you free uniforms, gym clothes and if I¡¯m right, even snacks. They don¡¯t teach you in detail as they do in regular school but they also teach you various things. But our Dia already knows all the letters and numbers, so it should be easy for you.¡± ¡°You know a lot about kindergartens.¡± ¡°I went to one too.¡± ¡°Oh? Really? Even though you¡¯re the Young Master?¡± ¡°Yes. My mother told me to go to school with my sister because we needed to know the reality of the situation around us.¡± It was surprising that the children of the Duke, the noblest of aristocrats, learned together with the commoners. ¡°I only went to kindergarten and school in the morning and learned from specialized tutors in the afternoon. But it was fun. Like my mother said, it was a good experience. Dia, you¡¯ll go there too.¡± ¡°Well, but-¡± ¡°We¡¯re here. That¡¯s the third outer wall.¡± The entrance to all territories was bound to be strictly monitored and controlled after sunset. The large main gate of the outer wall as well as several small gates on the side were all closed. ¡°Halt!¡± One of the dozens of soldiers lined up on the wall shouted at the carriage. All the soldiers had strong shields and sharp swords in their hands. The Little Bear spoke loudly, using Light Magic to illuminate his face well. ¡°It¡¯s Juliano Leocardia.¡± ¡°Young Master!¡± ¡°You¡¯re back!¡± The soldiers who had been sharply on guard until now welcomed the Little Bear with bright smiles. ¡®Little Bear is so popular. Although they were so mean, they suddenly became so nice.¡¯ I smiled and looked at the Little Bear. The soldiers then said. ¡°Young Master, that child¡­?¡± ¡°A baby with a bear hat!¡± I shouted at once. ¡°I¡¯m not a baby! I¡¯m a full-grown child!¡± Half of the soldiers burst into laughter and the other half struggled to hold back their laughter. ¡°Why are you laughing!¡± I huffed and argued. The Little Bear patted my head as if asking me to hold it in, but he was also holding back his laughter. ¡°Come on in, Young Master!¡± The small gate on the right opened. The Little Bear drove the carriage towards it and waved at the soldiers again. I thought I should follow along, so I waved as well. ¡°Get home safely, Young Master!¡± ¡°Kid, have a good night!¡± ¡°Bye bye kid~!¡± The soldiers greeted and laughed loudly. ¡®Why are they laughing?¡¯ I grumbled inward and lowered my hand. ¡°It¡¯ll take a long time with the carriage, so let¡¯s fly from here.¡± After coming out through the thick outer wall, the Little Bear went to a nearby stable and handed over the carriage to the staff. ¡°Send it back to Duke¡¯s Estate tomorrow morning.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The Little Bear hugged me and flew up with Flight Magic. The fief land from a high place was much more impressive than when it was seen at a distance. ¡®It¡¯s usually dark at night, but somehow it¡¯s not dark at all.¡¯ It was thanks to the street lamps imbued with Light Magic. It was so expensive that there were only a few in the Spania Territory where I lived. All the roads in sight were spacious, neat, and clean. It was also clear that all the buildings were built of solid materials like stone, not wood. What was more impressive was the fact there were many more floors above the second floor. ¡°Wow! It looks so great!¡± The Little Bear pointed to one side with a proud face. ¡°That¡¯s the Duke¡¯s Castle.¡± Like the fortress of the third guard post, a cylindrical black building appeared. ¡®It¡¯s so biiiiig!!!¡¯ There were clearly well over 10 floors and the thickness of its walls was enormous. However, unlike the fortress, there was nothing sharp on the walls and there were many large windows. It didn¡¯t feel inferior to an iron wall. It was a huge fortress that could never be pierced. It was a huge and terrifying shield. The Duke¡¯s Castle stood on the front line like a shield defending the territory behind him. There were the Chaos Mountains ahead. ¡®I can¡¯t see a thing.¡¯ In front of the Duke¡¯s Castle, it was only a black world. A terrifying silence filled with darkness. It must be because there were so many incredibly strong monsters. ¡®It¡¯s good to train.¡¯ It was exactly as I thought. As the warrior who had killed the Demon Lord, there were monsters who I found difficult to deal with, but there were no monsters who were scary. There was only one thing I was afraid of. And it was a human being, not a monster. The Cardinal. When I thought of him, my back once again burned up in pain. ¡®¡­Let¡¯s stop thinking about it.¡¯ Suddenly, the Little Bear stopped in the air. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°My sister¡¯s magic feels stronger than usual. This is a sign that I need to come to her room. Ugh.¡± ¡°Why are you groaning?¡± ¡°I feel like Dia will be taken away.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°First of all, let¡¯s go.¡± The Little Bear continued to move forward. We entered the sixth floor of the Castle through the window. Perhaps because the castle was safe, there were no soldiers in the hallway, only a wandering maid. On the outside, she was an extremely ordinary-looking woman in her 20s but internally, she harbored a sharp and strong power. ¡®That¡¯s unique.¡¯ The woman smiled brightly and walked up to us. ¡°Welcome back, Young Master!¡± ¡°Hello, Lavigne.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re back in good health. What about the Count?¡± ¡°My father will come back together with my mother soon. Do you mind preparing a meal in advance? I¡¯d like a dish of honey pork, please.¡± ¡°Yes, but this baby..?¡± ¡°Hello! I¡¯m Dia!¡± ¡°Yes, hello.¡± Lady Lavigne and I greeted each other with a clear smile. ¡°I¡¯m a commoner so please don¡¯t use formal language with me.¡± ¡°No formal words?¡± ¡°No, Hi- Hi- No. Phew, it¡¯s hard.¡± Lavigne burst into laughter. I frowned and the Little Bear coughed. ¡°Lavigne, Dia will be upset.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. No, I¡¯m sorry Dia. You¡¯re so smart!¡± Lavigne¡¯s eyes glistened as she looked at me. ¡°How old are you?¡± Little Bear answered for me. ¡°She¡¯s five.¡± ¡°Wow! A five-year-old is so eloquent and smart! That¡¯s amazing!¡± ¡°Dia is a genius!¡± ¡®I¡¯m not five though. I¡¯m seven years old.¡¯ Even if I was teased after they knew the truth, I thought that I should tell them the truth now. As I was about to open my mouth, the Little Bear patted my head and said to Lavigne. ¡°She¡¯s going to be staying in the castle starting today. Lavigne, please take care of her. Prepare the guest room. I¡¯ll go take her to say hello to my sister first since she¡¯s calling. Lavigne, make sure to help her get ready for bed and take a bath.¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll see you in a little while.¡± As Lavigne waved to greet me, I also waved reflexively. The Little Bear held me in his arms and walked down the hallway, before knocking in front of a room at the end. I expected a voice to say ¡®Come in,¡¯ but the door popped open instead. Chapter 14 Marciana Leocardia, the Little Bear¡¯s fraternal twin sister, looked more like the Duke, but much cooler. Her bobbed hair was black, and her eyes golden. The intensity of the colors was much more similar to that of the Duke, not the Little Bear. It was a deep black that engulfed all colors and a radiant gold that glowed brighter than the sun. ¡®The stronger the Leocardia member, the richer the color, right?¡¯ This person¡¯s color was so clear that nobody would be unconvinced that she was the successor. Her strength was obvious. Even more than a Duke, it felt like I was looking at a giant leopard. ¡°Oh my! So cute!¡± When Marciana¡¯s eyes found me, they twinkled like the stars. ¡°Hi! My name is Marciana Leocardia.¡± ¡°Put me down.¡± The Little Bear seemed a little dissatisfied, but still, put me down on the floor. I bowed deeply with my hand together in front of my navel. ¡°Hello. This humble one¡¯s name is Dia. Please take care of me!¡± ¡°Oh my God!¡± Marciana gave a sudden scream, let out a deep breath, and gripped her heart. The eyes that were stuck on me shook wildly, shining brightly. Soon, Marciana opened her arms. ¡°Let me give you a hug. How about it? Come here.¡± It was a little scary. I stepped back without realizing it, and the Little Bear hugged me again taking me farther away. Marciana immediately ran after him and grabbed the Little Bear by the shoulder. ¡°Give her to me.¡± ¡°No way.¡± ¡°Give her to me!¡± ¡°No way!¡± Marciana was about 10 centimeters shorter than Little Bear and had a small physique. Her limbs were long and thin like her mother the Duke. But the very same Marciana was like a man with enormous power and lifted the giant Little Bear with her thin arms. There was no sign of struggle. It was like she was carrying cotton. ¡°I want to hug her, too! Give her to me!¡± ¡°No! No way! Dia isn¡¯t an object! Don¡¯t talk about her like that!¡± The Little Bear roared out loud. Marciana listened to the Little Bear¡¯s words, took away the arms that held Little Bear, and sighed. ¡°Dia, I¡¯m sorry.¡± I was surprised. ¡®How friendly to a mere commoner like me.¡¯ In my previous life, the Cardinal whipped me when I didn¡¯t do something right, scolding me for being a mere lowly orphan commoner. The Lord of Spania, the place where I grew up, trampled on all non-noblemen, saying that they were vulgar. But here, the Leocardia Duchy was different. ¡®She even grew up alongside the commoners. It¡¯s amazing.¡¯ I waved my hand. ¡°It¡¯s alright as long as she apologizes¡± ¡°Oh my god¡­¡± The Little Bear muttered. Marciana smiled brightly and her eyes lit up again. ¡°So cute! Dia, can you hug me just once, yeah?¡± ¡°No!¡± ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t cut in! I asked Dia not you!¡± ¡°Dia wouldn¡¯t want to anyway! Right?¡± The eyes of the brother-sister pair stuck to me at the same time. ¡°You don¡¯t want to, do you?¡± ¡°You want to, right?¡± The two asked one after another. I felt cold sweat trickling down my back. Truthfully, I wanted to hug Marciana at least once, too. ¡®I think she¡¯s a good person, but Little Bear¡­ is so frightening¡­¡¯ It was obvious that if I did hug her, Little Bear would be upset. ¡®Is this what adults do¡­ Oh wait, is he even an adult?¡¯ According to the explanation I heard on my way to the Duchy, the direct descendants of the Duke are treated according to their appeared age. The two are now 20 years old, so they should be treated as such. After all, they said that their brains also develop quickly. However, the two are actually just 13 years old. ¡®So it¡¯s because they¡¯re young¡¯ It was only then that I was convinced, but I still couldn¡¯t figure out what to do. Then, my savior appeared, rescuing me from my suffering. ¡°Dinner has been prepared.¡± It was Lavigne, the maid I encountered earlier. I raised my hands and shouted. ¡°Let¡¯s go eat!¡± The brother-sister pair grumbled at the same time but didn¡¯t continue to ask anymore. The Little Bear hugged me up and started walking. Marciana followed and glared at Little Bear with hawk eyes, apparently looking for an opportunity to take me away. The Little Bear was very wary of Marciana and hurried his steps. Soon, we arrived at a room past the corridor. The room was large enough for 10 people to sit and eat at the same time. It was filled only with the furniture needed, like tables and chairs, and they were neatly and comfortably decorated. ¡°Wow!¡± As soon as I saw the food on the table, I burst into admiration. Most of the dozens of dishes on the table were meat, and there were many dishes I saw for the first time. My mouth was watering in an instant. The Little Bear looked at my face and laughed loudly as he put me down on a chair. ¡°Put your hands forward.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± In an instant, my hands were cool and clean. It was Cleaning Magic. I would have done it myself but I couldn¡¯t use it as it required a lot of mana to use. ¡°This is Cleaning Magic. I¡¯ll teach you later.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll teach you! I¡¯m better!¡± cried Marciana, sitting across him. I thought the Little Bear would glare right away, but he nodded instead. ¡°Yes. Listen to her Dia. She uses magic better, so it¡¯s better for her to do it. But I¡¯ll be the one to teach you swordsmanship!¡± ¡°Swordsmanship?¡± ¡°Mhmm. I use dual swords like the Warrior. Dia, you like the warrior right? I can teach you how to wield dual swords!¡± ¡®I¡¯m definitely much much much better.¡¯ But I couldn¡¯t tell the truth. I nodded quietly, and the Little Bear grinned with delight. ¡°Lavigne, help Dia with her meal will you?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Lavigne smiled and happily approached before stopping beside me. ¡°What does our Dia want to eat first?¡± ¡°Shellfish!¡± As soon as they heard me, the brother-sister pair burst into laughter. Lavigne, as well as the others in the dining room, could not help laughing. ¡®How embarrassing¡­¡¯ ¡°Here, eat. This is called shellfish.¡± I forked the well-done golden shellfish and took it to my mouth. It was very delicious and savory, but hard to eat because I had no front teeth. ¡®Heuk, heuk¡¯ [t/n ¨C crying sfx] Lavigne seemed to notice my trouble. ¡°Let¡¯s eat this later. Maybe when you¡¯re a little bigger.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°What should our Dia eat next?¡± ¡°Jokbal!¡± (Steamed pig feet) ¡°Okay. Here you go.¡± ¡°It¡¯s so good!¡± The Little Bear and Marciana both had happy faces. They seemed to be watching me eat from the start. ¡°Have some too!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Yes, I will.¡± After answering steadily, the brother and sister began to eat, periodically looking at me and smiling happily. I focused on eating well. It was hard after I finished eating. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m so full.¡± When I looked down, my stomach was sticking out. ¡°I still want to eat dessert¡­¡± My stomach for rice dishes and desserts was different, but I couldn¡¯t even drink water anymore. ¡®I can¡¯t believe this¡­¡¯ The Little Bear smiled and comforted me. ¡°You can eat it tomorrow. Shall we wash up and sleep? Lavigne, have you prepared the bath?¡± ¡°Yes, Young Master.¡± ¡°Dia, I¡¯m going to go wash up and sleep as well. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow. ¡°See you tomorrow!¡± Marciana followed. I smiled and bowed my head. ¡°Yes. See you tomorrow.¡± Lavigne asked me, bending over, ¡°The bathroom is a little far. Do you want me to hug you over?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m full so I¡¯ll walk around to exercise.¡± ¡°Then shall we hold hands?¡± ¡°Okay!¡± I reached out my hand and Lavigne grinned as we faced each other. As I left the dining room, I heard Marciana¡¯s irritated voice behind me. ¡°I couldn¡¯t even hug her¡­¡± I rolled my eyes and pretended I didn¡¯t hear. Lavigne took me down the hall until a certain point. There was a cylindrical transparent box that could accommodate well over ten people. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s called an elevator. Have you never seen one?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s my first time.¡± ¡°The castle has 10 stories. You take this when your luggage is heavy or you need to move faster. Let¡¯s take it because even if you are full it¡¯s still far.¡± Lavigne put her right hand against the wall of the elevator. As the light brown mana, which was the same color as her hair, permeated the elevator, the transparent doors opened. I was surprised. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go on.¡± A little wary, I followed Lavigne in. ¡°It¡¯s going to move down now. Don¡¯t be surprised.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± I answered casually, but I was nervous. Lavigne laughed and pressed three of the buttons on the inside of the elevator. The door closed and it began to go down. ¡®What?¡¯ I was glad I listened to the explanation in advance, or else I would have cast an attack spell immediately. ¡°How interesting!¡± ¡°Is it?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± I wanted to press the buttons too. However, before I could ask, the elevator stopped. The door opened and I stepped out together with Lavigne. It was a bit disappointing. ¡°This is the third floor, and it¡¯s a space for guests. The room I prepared for you is here. But before that, let¡¯s wash up. Have you ever taken a bath? I mean the kind where other people wash it for you?¡± ¡°No need. I can wash by myself.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a guest. Guests must be looked after.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go in.¡± Inside the bathroom were two ladies in their 30s neatly dressed like Lavigne. They both looked at me and greeted me with glittering eyes, so I bowed. ¡°I¡¯ll be in your care!¡± The two people laughed and gently undressed me. I was surprised because it was my first time, but I stayed still. I was full, but I felt a little dazed when I went into the warm tub. The two bears took good care of me, but I was undoubtedly tired from all the traveling. Even more so with all the things that happened today. The Duke came to mind. ¡®Did she reject me¡­?¡¯ Again, an incomprehensible melancholy and sadness washed over me. My heart ached and my eyes ached. I closed my eyes. ¡°Are you sleepy? You can sleep.¡± Lavigne whispered softly. ¡°My hair isn¡¯t dry yet¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s all right. I¡¯ll wake you up. Sleep if you¡¯re sleepy.¡± Lavigne¡¯s words sounded like a safe temptation. ¡®It¡¯s not dangerous here.¡¯ It was Big Bear and Little Bear¡¯s home. A place that was blessed by the Lord. A place where monsters can¡¯t invade. ¡®I don¡¯t have to be on guard¡­¡¯ I fell into a deep, black sleep. ¡ª I slept soundly without a single dream. It was the first time I had slept so soundly since my rebirth. I didn¡¯t want to wake up. ¡®I want to sleep more.¡¯ It felt even better because it felt like I was floating in warm hot spring water. ¡°¡­The way she smiles is similar to that of when Marciana was young.¡± The voice of a woman I had heard was dry and grim like a desert. I couldn¡¯t feel anything more from the hoarse voice but it felt like she was desperately pressing down her emotions because she was afraid they would burst out. ¡°If our third was alive¡­ Would she be like this?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± I knew who the owner of this man¡¯s voice was. But I couldn¡¯t think of it. Lingering between deep sleep and consciousness, I couldn¡¯t think any further. ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t know you¡¯d be so distressed. I should have told you earlier¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°No, even I didn¡¯t know I¡¯d be like this. Are you alright?¡± ¡°When I first saw her, I was in pain too. But the more we were together, the more we laughed. She¡¯s a sweet and lovely child who has healed my wounds.¡± ¡°Are you thinking of her as the replacement for our third?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯ve never thought so. Dia is not our third. But Dia has indeed relieved me of my pain. Love, I hope you can find peace too. I hope that Dia¡¯s presence can help you heal, and¡­¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°I hope this cute little child who has lived a hard life can be happy. I really hope things go well for this child, who cried so hard she couldn¡¯t breathe because she wanted to live a normal and happy life.¡± The man¡¯s last few words were said in a whisper. But those words flowed into me and perfectly enveloped my whole body, no, my soul, with warmth. It was an affection that I felt for the first time in my two lives. Wholehearted care. I smiled and began to rise towards the happy reality. Chapter 15 ¡°It¡¯s only been a short time, but I fell in love with this kid.¡± The hand that swept over the hair covering my forehead to the side was cautious and gentle as if dealing with a precious treasure. ¡°I hope you will love this child just like I do. I want you also to experience this joy I feel. I hope¡­ I hope that your pain will be reduced little by little, just like mine. It will be hard, but won¡¯t you open your heart, even just a little bit?¡± ¡°I¡­ Hel, I¡¯m¡­¡± Something dripped onto the back of my hand, and the sensation completely awakened me. My eyes opened. My vision was a bit blurry, but after a couple of blinks, my sight was clear again. Through the open curtains, a dazzling light spread through the room. The Duke, Opdolisa Leocardia, sat in front of me with her back against the bright sun¡¯s light that had just risen, gracing the world. The light acted as a backlight, but I could still clearly see it. Tears were streaming from the Duke¡¯s eyes, falling onto her cheeks. Her tears that fell on the back of my hand woke me up. ¡°¡­Don¡¯t cry.¡± I didn¡¯t want to see Big Bear¡¯s wife, Little Bear, and Marciana¡¯s mother, Lisa, crying. I hoped that they would always be well and always happy. I slowly raised my upper body and stretched out my hand. I could not reach the Duke¡¯s face, so I took her left hand instead. My heart ached even more as I felt her cold and dry hands. I caressed the back of the Duke¡¯s hand. I wanted to deliver as much warmth as I could, no matter how little. ¡°Don¡¯t cry, please.¡± I looked at the Duke¡¯s eyes which seemed to be wandering in memories of the past and spoke out loud. Fortunately, my intent of consolation seemed to be conveyed. Soon, the light returned to the Duke¡¯s disturbed eyes. The Duke looked at me in amazement. Fortunately, there seemed to be no more tears in her eyes. When the Duke closed her eyes once and opened them, the tears that had been in her eyes flowed down and soon disappeared. The next thing that came to her face was a smile. It was faint and small, and hard to recognize, but it was still a smile. ¡°¡­Yes.¡± The Duke gently pulled my shoulder and led me into her arms. It was warm and friendly, just like those of the two bears. It made me want to stay in them for a long time. Showering me with a feeling of happiness that I had never known. ¡°I won¡¯t- I won¡¯t cry.¡± The Duke hugged me more forcefully with determination. At first, the Duke¡¯s body trembled violently. However, as I raised my hands and hugged her, the tremors slowly began to fade. After a long time, the Duke finally let me go. There were no signs of the previous weakness. She no longer looked like a patient suffering from pain, but rather the normal cool-headed and relaxed Duke. There were faint tear marks on her cheeks, but the Duke simply smiled. ¡°It¡¯s much better to smile, Duke. Please smile more from now on.¡± ¡°I will do as Dia says, I¡¯ll smile more from now on.¡± I laughed and said, ¡°Yes! Please do so!¡± The Duke smiled a little brighter and swept over my hair with one hand. It was a gentle gesture that the two bears also did often. ¡°I¡¯ll officially introduce myself. My name is Opdolisa Leocardia. You can call me either the Duke or the Lord.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have a last name, but my name is Dia. Please take good care of me, Duke!¡± The Duke hugged me again, before letting me go and whispering, ¡°Welcome to the Duchy, Dia.¡± *** Since I got up early, I had breakfast with Big Bear and the Duke in the small dining room just next door. All throughout the meal, the Duke kept her eyes on me. It was fortunate that there was no more pain or sadness in her eyes. However, her gaze that meticulously observed me from head to toe felt a little too persistent. ¡®Is there something wrong?¡¯ After the meal, the Duke said this. ¡°Come to my office after washing up.¡± As told, I washed up and went back to my room, where Little Bear was waiting. ¡°Juliano! Good morning.¡± The Little Bear smiled brightly and stretched out his arms to hold me. ¡°Yes, good morning. Did our Dia sleep well?¡± ¡°Yes! What about Juliano?¡± ¡°I also slept well. Wasn¡¯t it scary to wake up alone?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t wake up alone. The Count and Duke were there.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± The Little Bear seemed a little worried, so I reassured him right away. ¡°Just as you said she welcomed me! We even had breakfast together.¡± ¡°I see.¡± The Little Bear was finally relieved. ¡°Can you take me to the Duke¡¯s office? She told me to come after washing up.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± The Little Bear began to guide me down the hall, and I asked quietly, ¡°We awen¡¯t- aren¡¯t going to use the elevator?¡± Maybe it was because I talked to the two bears a lot before coming to the Duchy, I no longer felt awkward talking. However, my problem with pronunciation was still present. ¡®Ugh¡­ Let¡¯s try a little harder.¡¯ ¡°Yes, we don¡¯t need to ride it. It¡¯s just one floor down and the stairs are closer. The elevator is far away so it will only waste time.¡± ¡°Ah, I see.¡± I became a little sullen. The Little Bear then asked. ¡°You rode it yesterday. Do you want to ride it again?¡± ¡°Oh, no.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± I rolled my eyes. The Little Bear laughed out loud and then started walking in a different direction. ¡°Let¡¯s use the elevator.¡± ¡°But isn¡¯t it far?¡± ¡°Well, it isn¡¯t that far away. Even if it was really far away, as long as our Dia wants to ride it, we¡¯ll ride it. It¡¯s good right?¡± I nodded shyly. The Little Bear laughed louder and we finally arrived in front of the elevator. I shouted before the Little Bear¡¯s hand could move. ¡°Buttons! I¡¯m going to press them!¡± ¡°Wait a minute. You have to use mana to open the elevator door. You can¡¯t use magic so I¡¯ll do it for you. In the future ask someone else to do it for you. Got it?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The Little Bear opened the elevator door with his mana. After getting in I then walked towards the number buttons on the inner wall. ¡°Just press four.¡± I held my pounding heart with one hand and stretched out my other and pressed the button. The door of the elevator closed as a light illuminated the button. In just a few seconds, we arrived on the fourth floor. ¡®I want to ride it for a bit longer¡­¡¯ I swallowed a deep sigh of regret. The Little Bear laughed as if he had noticed my thoughts, and began to walk. As I was told before, I had to go to the office. However, it took a long time to arrive not because it was far away, but because of the people. ¡°Hello, Young Master!¡± ¡°Young Master, welcome back!¡± Everyone smiled brightly and welcomed the Little Bear. At the same time, their eyes sparkled as they looked at me. ¡°So cute!¡± ¡°So this kid is Diamond?¡± ¡°Hi!¡± I casually said hello to each face that approached. ¡°Hello!¡± Most people greeted me properly. However, ¡°Yes, you too!¡± There were people who made fun of me like this, but there was also another kind of reaction. There were people who looked at my face with complicated eyes. It was mainly people in their 40s or older. ¡®What¡¯s wrong? Is it because I look like Marciana?¡¯ I remembered what I saw as soon as I woke up in the morning. The tears of pain that flowed from the Duke¡¯s eyes. ¡®I¡¯m glad she could at least smile after that¡­¡¯ But I also knew that not all her sadness was gone. ¡®I hope I didn¡¯t hurt her more¡­¡¯ I sighed inwardly and hugged the Little Bear a little tighter. ¡°Were you surprised by the crowd?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m okay.¡± After that, the Little Bear only answered with a nod to the people who greeted us and passed by quickly, clearly not believing my answer. I observed the people around me. ¡®They¡¯re all officers.¡¯ The soldiers I saw at the third post had slightly different clothes depending on their positions. The people in the castle were also wearing different clothes. Lavigne¡¯s neat style seemed to be worn by maids and servants. ¡®Do the clothes that look more active and strong belong to the servants and soldiers only?¡¯ Most of the people on the 4th floor were wearing more luxurious clothes. Their bodies and movements were calm, and everyone felt like they were working desk jobs. ¡®But they definitely still do basic training.¡¯ I felt a certain strength from them. Some of those wearing the officer clothes looked pretty strong too. There was also one particularly strong person, who was as big as Big Bear. I had seen a lot of physiques like that, but I had never seen it on a grandfather in his 60s. ¡®Woah! To have muscles like that at that age!¡¯ The grandfather was wearing clothes with a design I had never seen before, it was neat and stylish. His white hair which was neatly pulled back was also very nice. ¡°Young Master, you¡¯ve come back safely.¡± The grandfather greeted him in a calm tone. ¡°Yes. Dia, this is Viscount Tolle Gallio, the head butler of our Duchy.¡± ¡°Hello! I¡¯m Dia! Nice to meet you!¡± I bowed my head. Gallio fixed his gaze on my face and nodded his head slightly in silence. There was no other reaction, but I could subtly sense something. He seemed to be both glad and worried. ¡°The Lord is waiting. Shall we?¡± Gallio led us to a solemn-looking door. The Little Bear knocked. Maybe he wasn¡¯t smart because he was strong. His knock made a loud thump. ¡°Come in.¡± As soon as the Little Bear heard the answer, he opened the door and went in. The Duke¡¯s office was quite spacious. It only had the furniture necessary just like all the other rooms. One wall was made of completely transparent glass, overlooking the estate. The Duke stood in front of the glass with her arms folded. ¡°Hello!¡± When the Little Bear placed me on the floor, I rushed in front of the Duke and greeted her with my hands in front of my stomach. We had already met earlier but it was still nice to see her. ¡°I¡¯m done washing up!¡± ¡°Good.¡± The Duke smiled slightly, reached out, and stroked my head. It was a little slower, but it was the same friendly gesture the two bears often did. ¡°Mother, I¡¯m also here.¡± ¡°Yeah. Did you have breakfast?¡± ¡°No, I haven¡¯t.¡± ¡°Go and eat first.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll eat later.¡± The Duke shook her head and firmly said, ¡°Go now.¡± ¡°¡­Okay.¡± The Little Bear glanced at me as he answered. He seemed worried about leaving me alone. In truth, I was a little worried, but I waved my hand anyway. ¡°See you later.¡± The Little Bear hesitated after receiving my greeting but eventually left. Now all that was left in the office were the Duke, Gallio the butler, and me. ¡°Sit on the sofa.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± As told by the Duke, I ran down to the sofa in front of the desk. But it was a tad bit too high. ¡®No, am I really so small¡­?¡¯ I felt a little depressed but I jumped up from the floor with a strong grip on the armrest of the sofa. ¡°Ah!¡± I could not help but shout Fortunately, I was able to successfully raise my hips onto the sofa. ¡°Phew.¡± I swept my forehead with relief. When I raised my eyes, I saw both the Duke and Gallio turning their heads to the other side. Their mouths were shut as if holding back laughter. ¡®What¡¯s wrong with them?¡¯ Soon the Duke coughed quietly and sat on the sofa opposite me. Gallio stood on the right side of the Duke. ¡°Dia, I called you alone to hear your opinion. I¡¯ve heard a lot about you from Hel.¡± ¡°Hel?¡± ¡°My husband. I heard that you call him Big Bear and Juliano, Little Bear.¡± My eyes shook. ¡°As Hel promised, we will take good care of you until you¡¯re an 18-year-old adult. Stay in the Duke¡¯s castle. You don¡¯t even have to serve our territory. All this I promise in the name of the Duke.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ Thank you!.¡± The Duke paused before speaking again a little later. ¡°I don¡¯t know much about the official process but¡­ Hel wants to adopt you. Adoption is¡­ It means accepting you as a formal family member. What do you think?¡± Edited by: Healing Moon Chapter 16 I shut my mouth. If I didn¡¯t, I felt like my heart would pop out of my mouth. ¡®If we become family¡­ I can call them Mom and Dad? Is that right?¡¯ I can call Big Bear Daddy! ¡®I can also call Little Bear Big Brother!¡¯ Joy filled my eyes in an instant. But it was only for a moment. ¡°¡­What does the Duke think about this? Please be honest.¡± I wanted to know what the Duke, who was staring at me, was thinking. In the next second, she lowered her eyes. That action told me all I needed to know. ¡®Oh¡­¡¯ My heart, which had previously soared into the sky with joy, fell to the floor. My whole body ached as if something had cut through my very being. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t really know.¡± The Duke whispered with a sigh. ¡°I know why Hel cares about you. And I want to treat you like that, too. But¡­ I¡¯m not confident that I can. Unlike Hel¡­ I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll think of you as my lost third child. I don¡¯t want that to happen. I don¡¯t want to do that to you.¡± It was a voice filled with a multitude of emotions that I couldn¡¯t decipher. Although I was sad and heartbroken, I was glad that the Duke told me her honest feelings. ¡°I¡­ refuse.¡± In the end, I had no choice but to say this. It was partially because of the Duke¡¯s words but that was not everything. It was because of the true reality that I had forgotten for a while. ¡®I shouldn¡¯t be deeply involved.¡¯ I had already given my heart to the two bears. ¡®However, being in an official relationship with them is another, bigger problem.¡¯ My goal was to get rid of the Cardinal, who is now in great power. If I somehow fail in my revenge, the people close to me will suffer greatly. ¡®I can¡¯t bother such good people.¡¯ And, I didn¡¯t even know if these people were truly unrelated to the Cardinal. I spoke a little more clearly. ¡°I¡¯m fine with the way we are now. I¡¯m fine with being just Dia*.¡± ¡°¡­Okay. I got it.¡± I could feel that she felt both relieved and disappointed at my answer. After a moment of silence, the Duke asked, ¡°What do you plan to do in the future?¡± ¡°I want to find a job.¡± ¡°Huh? What did you just say?¡± ¡°I want to get a job.¡± The Duke blinked with an incredulous expression on her face. She then turned her head and asked Gallio who was standing next to her, ¡°What did she just say?¡± ¡°She said that she wants to get a job.¡± Gallio replied calmly. The Duke closed her eyes and rubbed her temples with her fingers. ¡°¡­Our territory only allows kids to officially work once they turn 13. At your age, you should be attending daycare.¡± ¡°But how about the money?¡± ¡°The daycare center is free.¡± ¡°But there are many other things aside from daycare that do need money.¡± ¡°Other things?¡± I tried to pronounce everything as best I could. ¡°There¡¯s rent, food, and even clothes for when I grow bigger. I also want to buy books¡­ And¡­¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Tell me.¡± I hesitated for a moment and replied with open arms. ¡°I want to buy chocolate pudding from Silver Fork. It¡¯s very nice and delicious!¡± ¡°¡­¡± The Duke suddenly looked fatigued. ¡°Well, let¡¯s say that you do need to earn money. What can you do? ¡°I¡¯m strong and good at magic! I¡¯m good at fighting too! I can catch monsters! I heard that you can make a lot of money by selling monsters. All I need is for you to give me a permit!¡± Everything inside the territory was owned by the Lord, thus in principle, monster hunting had to be approved by the Lord. Usually, the permit is given free of charge, but I heard that you have to pay the Lord in the form of a certain tax on the by-products of the monsters you catch. ¡°What¡¯s the percentage on monster tax here?¡± ¡°50 percent.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ quite a bit.¡± ¡°The taxes in our territory are quite high, but that¡¯s because it¡¯s used for welfare.¡± ¡°For welfare?¡± ¡°It provides meals for people who can¡¯t afford to get a job, helps them pay for treatment when they¡¯re sick, and allows the people to attend daycare centers and schools for free.¡± ¡°Wow, that¡¯s too¡­!¡± The Duke laughed at my response. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s quite great. But, I can¡¯t give you a permit anyway.¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± ¡°I can see that you have a lot of mana, but you¡¯re too small right now. It¡¯s better not to use mana until you¡¯re all grown up.¡± It was the same words Big Bear had spoken before. ¡°But I still have a long time to go before I grow up.¡± ¡°Yes, eighteen is indeed too long. You can use it once you graduate from school. But for now, you¡¯re banned until you turn twelve.¡± ¡®But I¡¯ll be leaving when I turn ten¡­¡¯ I sighed and the Duke added persistently. ¡°If you use it before then, you¡¯ll be punished.¡± I flinched. Holding my hands together, trembling, I muttered in a small voice, ¡°I don¡¯t like being whipped¡­¡± As soon as I finished my words, the Duke¡¯s golden eyes emitted a fire of anger. ¡°You¡­ Who dared whip you?¡± the Duke grunted. I just bowed my head because I couldn¡¯t answer. ¡°¡­If someone tries to use violence against you, run away immediately and tell me.¡± Fortunately, the Duke didn¡¯t ask anymore. ¡°Okay? Answer me.¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± ¡°It won¡¯t be physical punishment, don¡¯t worry.¡± I breathed a long sigh of relief. The tension and anxiety that had coursed through my body also faded. But, I wondered what the punishment would be. I asked, slightly raising my head. ¡°What kind of punishment will it be?¡± The Duke looked at Gallio as if looking for advice. Gallio responded to the Duke¡¯s request. ¡°A ban on the chocolate pudding from Silver Fork.¡± ¡°Hyuk! No!¡± I screamed with my eyes wide open. The Duke declared, ¡°Yes.¡± I became sullen. The Duke¡¯s eyes shook for a moment but nodded resolutely. ¡°Once again, don¡¯t use magic until you¡¯re twelve. Got it?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯ll try.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say that and answer properly.¡± ¡°However, I could be attacked by a monster, fall down the stairs¡­ and the book I want might be out of reach!¡± ¡°There will be no monster attacks inside the territory. Both the situation with the stairs and the books can be solved by you being accompanied by a maid. Do you need a nanny, no, a babysitter?¡± ¡°A babysitter or a nanny? No, I¡¯m not that young.¡± The Duke engulfed my entire body in a hug. ¡°Yes, I¡¯d rather a maid accompany you because she¡¯s smart.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a commoner, so I don¡¯t need a maid.¡± ¡°You are too young. Commoner or not, you¡¯re at an age where you need someone to take care of you.¡± ¡°I can eat well without spilling food. I know how to wash by myself. I also brush my teeth well.¡± ¡°You barely got on that couch and you¡¯re telling me you don¡¯t need to be taken care of?¡± ¡°A-anyway, I managed to s-sit by myself, didn¡¯t I!¡± ¡°It took time.¡± ¡°It didn¡¯t take long!¡± ¡°Yes. Let¡¯s say it did take time, but you could eventually sit down alone. How about getting a book out of a high place?¡± ¡°I can do it with magic!¡± ¡°I told you! You can¡¯t use magic because you¡¯re too young!¡± Unknowingly, my eyes narrowed as I looked at the Duke. The Duke glared at me too. ¡°¡­My Lord.¡± Gallio called out to the Duke. The Duke cleared her throat, perhaps realizing that she had been arguing with a child. ¡°A maid will be assigned to take care of you.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Listen, I¡¯m the adult here.¡± ¡®If you count my past life, I¡¯m older! Well, is that really so?¡¯ I died at the age of 18 in my previous life, and now I¡¯m seven. In total, I¡¯d be 25 years old, and the Duke now was in her mid-30s. ¡®I¡¯m younger.¡¯ I finally agreed. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Good. Don¡¯t go anywhere without your maid and don¡¯t use magic.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t promise to not use magic. There might be cases where I can¡¯t avoid it.¡± The Duke looked like she was boiling mad, but nodded anyway as if she couldn¡¯t help it. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll let it slide if you can¡¯t avoid it. But any other time is unacceptable. Got it? Answer me.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t even think of getting a job anymore. Not until you¡¯re thirteen.¡± ¡°How will I make money then?¡± ¡°Tell me if you need money. I¡¯ll give you as much as you want.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to be in debt.¡± The Duke¡¯s eyes were re-energized. ¡°Why collect debt from a five-year-old? It¡¯s pocket money, pocket money!¡± ¡°What¡¯s pocket money?¡± It was the first time I had heard of it. ¡°Well, it¡¯s¡­ Gallio, explain.¡± ¡°Yes, pocket money is a small amount of money that an adult gives to a child at no cost. Children who get pocket money are free to spend it as they wish.¡± ¡°I see. But why does the Duke give me pocket money?¡± ¡°Because you¡¯re a child and our guest. I won¡¯t charge for things like rent, meals, clothes, etc. It¡¯s the rule that nobles provide food, clothing, and shelter to their guests. Besides, I¡¯m a Duke. A high-ranking noble like me should treat guests with more care than others. Pocket money is part of that. So take it. Got it?¡± The Duke spoke with a strained look on her face. I nodded because it was logical. ¡°Okay.¡± The Duke seemed relieved at last, but she continued, not letting go of the tension. ¡°Go to the daycare center starting tomorrow. Participate only in the morning classes and get separate lessons from the Duchy in the afternoon. Tomorrow will be your first day at the daycare center so you¡¯ll be tired. The separate lessons will start the day after tomorrow.¡± ¡°Yes, but lessons? Which kind?¡± ¡°Things like etiquette.¡± I was appalled by the word etiquette. ¡°Not manners, but etiquette? I¡¯m a commoner!¡± ¡°Even a commoner should learn basic etiquette.¡± ¡°How about I study something else?¡± ¡°You can.¡± Before I could smile brightly, the Duke said, ¡°Learn both etiquette and the lessons you want. Two in a day will be hard, so take turns every other day.¡± ¡°No etiquette.¡± ¡°Not possible.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to learn etiquette!¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t learn, there will be no more desserts in the future.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s too much.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not too much.¡± ¡°It¡¯s too much!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not too much!¡± ¡°¡­My Lord.¡± At Gallio¡¯s words, the Duke sobered up again and cleared her throat with a cough. ¡°Listen to me.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Answer.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Come on, come here.¡± I jumped off the sofa and walked around the central table to the Duke¡¯s front. The Duke smiled and stared at me for a moment. It was a look of emotion that I couldn¡¯t understand. Soon, the Duke smiled again and held out her right hand to me. ¡°Let¡¯s get along well from now on.¡± ¡°Yes! Please take care of me!¡± I bent down a little and held the Duke¡¯s right hand with both hands. Like Big Bear, her palm was hard yet very warm. *** After Dia left, Obdolisa, Duke of Leocardia, looked down at her right hand. There was a warm and itchy sensation left on the spot the small child held with her hands just now. ¡°Whoo¡­¡± Her mind was so tangled that she couldn¡¯t help but sigh. Her third came to mind. The child she had lost before she could even see her face. ¡®I never imagined it would become like this¡­¡¯ Twelve years ago, Obdolisa gave birth to Marciana and Juliano. The children were quite big not only because they were twins, but also because of the characteristics of the Leocardia family. She was forced to give birth through open surgery* when Obdolisa¡¯s life was in danger. Obdolisa, who wanted a big family, originally intended to have two more. However, when she experienced danger during childbirth, Helladius opposed having a next child. Obdolisa was only able to have a third child after persuading her husband for five straight years, and fortunately, she was in good health throughout her pregnancy. As she entered her last month of pregnancy, they ended up having to go up to the Capital¡¯s Imperial City. A few days after Helladius¡¯ hurried departure as the Lord¡¯s deputy, Obdolisa¡¯s third week before her due date arrived. Obdolisa was then left in the Hwajeon Village outside the territory. It was there she had heard some shocking news. Chapter 17 ¨CMr. Helladius is dead! The shock alone was enough to make Obdolisa¡¯s water break, and she went into childbirth. As soon as she gave birth to her child in misery, her memory cut off. When she came to her senses, Helladius, who was said to have died, was by her side. The joy was instantaneous. Helladius whispered as he wept, ¡°Our Third¡­¡± As soon as she gave birth to their child, she lost her breath. At the moment her water burst, she entered the closest house there was with only four attendants with her. Gallio, the butler, Julie, the former head of the magic swordsmen, and the priest and maid who were always with her throughout her pregnancy just in case. There was also the house owner. It was said that as the other three tried to save her, the maid helped deliver the child. It was only after Obdolisa¡¯s breath returned that the three could look back at the maid and child. But neither was in the house. They soon found the maid outside the house, but she had already been killed. Both the child and the landlord had disappeared. Realizing the seriousness of the situation, Julie immediately mobilized all the soldiers in the Duchy. When he heard of the news that still nothing had been found, Helladius hurriedly returned from the Imperial Capital. He tracked the child¡¯s tracks for days without sleeping. He spent every single moment with his eyes wide open. Then, he found the landlord, or should he say, kidnapper on a cliff in the territory. He was unconscious on the ground as if he was attacked by something. As soon as the kidnapper awoke and recognized Helladius as the Duke¡¯s husband, he bit the suicide pill in his mouth. ¨CWhat did you do to my child? What did you do! In response to Helladius, who was crying desperately, the kidnapper said this, ¨CHeaven¡­ Without completing any other words, the kidnapper died immediately. Helladius could not believe what the kidnapper had said. He couldn¡¯t. He just couldn¡¯t. Since then, he searched everywhere but still could not find his child. In the end, Helladius had no choice but to admit it. He had lost his third child, who he could not even see once. Obdolisa, too, didn¡¯t believe Helladius¡¯ words at first. She looked down and touched her slim belly. She couldn¡¯t even hold the child that was moving in it not so long ago. For the rest of her life, she wouldn¡¯t know what her child looked like. ¡®If only I hadn¡¯t lost consciousness!¡¯ ¡®If only I hadn¡¯t stepped outside!¡¯ ¡®If only I had taken more people with me!¡¯ Because she was one of the Dukes that supported the entire Empire, Obdolisa acted as resolutely as before. But inside, she recounted every action she could have done differently, shedding both blood and tears as she blamed herself. It was such a suffocating pain, that she felt it would be better to die. Then, she found out that Helladius was just as distressed as she was. ¨CIf only I hadn¡¯t gone to the Capital. Nothing would have happened. You wouldn¡¯t have been so shocked if I had stopped the false news that I was dead. I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m so sorry¡­ Obdolisa and Helladius hugged each other tightly and opened their hearts to each other. And this helped heal the wounds of the two people. However, the trace of this event would remain for the rest of their lives. Unless their dead child came back to life, the dark hole in their soul could not be filled. Nevertheless, Obdolisa slowly cheered up. Because she had to. She didn¡¯t want her husband to blame himself anymore. There were also their two children. She was also the Duke, the Lord, she had responsibilities. And¡­ ¡®Revenge!¡¯ It wasn¡¯t just a kidnapping for ransom. There wasn¡¯t even a demand for money. In the first place, everybody knew that kidnapping the Duke¡¯s child, the pillar that supported the entire empire, was crazy. There was only one purpose. To shake the Duke of Leocardia, the Shield of the Empire. ¡®And they achieved that goal.¡¯ The Master, the Duke of the family, had been in trouble. The Duke¡¯s husband fell into great frustration at the crisis of his wife and abduction of his child, and he could not look back on anything else. In the meantime, a huge incident took place in the Imperial Capital, and those behind the kidnapper achieved their purpose. ¡®But they didn¡¯t completely succeed.¡¯ They would think it was a perfect success, but it wasn¡¯t at all. There was something that the criminals behind the scenes couldn¡¯t guess. The thought of it sent a surge of joy through her, but it was not yet time to reveal it. It was not yet time to punish the criminals, so Obdolisa, externally, remained silent. Even though she knew who they were. ¡®One can¡¯t look only at what happened in the Imperial Capital.¡¯ The criminals behind the scenes could not be easily dealt with without proper evidence. Even with the power of the Duke of Leocardia, one of the pillars of the Empire. So, Obdolisa didn¡¯t act upon it and just stood strong and firm as the Shield of the Empire. Still, an immeasurable amount of anger resided inside her. It was like a swan floating quietly above the water, but below, its legs were kicking with all their might. Time passed, and Helladius traveled out of the territory in the name of training Juliano. And three months later, Helladius brought in a child who looked almost exactly like Marciana when she was a child. ¡®Our third is definitely gone¡­¡¯ Nevertheless, Obdolisa couldn¡¯t help but feel like Dia was their lost child. Their third didn¡¯t even have a name. Marciana and Juliana said that they would be the ones to name their younger sibling when they were born. However, the two children ended up not being able to see nor name their younger sibling. Only the term third remained. Not even a body. Just third. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°If my third child was alive¡­ Would she look like Dia?¡± Obdolisa let out a sigh of pain, then said, ¡°No, don¡¯t answer me. That was a silly question.¡± Gallio, as always, replied calmly, ¡°Yes, it was a silly question.¡± The Gallio-like answer made Obdolisa laugh. She suddenly felt much lighter. ¡°Yes, it was a silly question. I¡¯ll ask you properly. What do you think of Dia.¡± ¡°She was lovely. I understand why Helladius and Juliano brought her and why they want to welcome her as family. But.¡± ¡°But?¡± ¡°Something is off.¡± Obdolisa felt that her mind which had relaxed for a while suddenly pulled tight. Gallio was more than just a butler. He was the head of the secret intelligence organization ¡°Black¡± run by the Leocardia family. His other abilities were also great, but especially so in the field of observation and analysis. He was very accurate in judging people from years of experience. That was also the reason why Gallio was present at the meeting with Dia. ¡°Looking back at history, a smart genius with strong magic is indeed sometimes born regardless of blood. Mr. Helladius for example. I don¡¯t know exactly what they are, but Dia is exactly that kind of genius. But I can¡¯t get rid of the idea that something¡¯s wrong. Her mental age isn¡¯t appropriate for her age either. She¡¯s clearly young, but I feel like I¡¯m dealing with an adult.¡± ¡°I agree. I also think she¡¯s like an adult. But it seems like she doesn¡¯t know much of the basics, and is a little bit of a troublemaker.¡± Obdolisa recalled her argument with Dia earlier. ¡°Arguing with a five-year-old¡­¡± She felt a little depressed. ¡°I don¡¯t think she¡¯s lying, but she¡¯s definitely hiding something.¡± ¡°Of course she is.¡± It seemed like abuse was a prominent part of what the orphan experienced, so it was only natural to be wary of others. ¡®But it¡¯s weird that she followed Hel and Juliano sincerely.¡¯ It was the same with Juliano and Helladius. The two were never so quick to give their hearts to others. ¡®Of course, Dia is very lovely and cute.¡¯ Whenever one sees a small child walking around and blinking with her big eyes, one couldn¡¯t help but feel their heart melting. However, Helladius and Juliana had only met Dia a little over two weeks ago. ¡®It¡¯s amazing for sure.¡¯ Obdolisa had a strange feeling. She didn¡¯t know why but she felt distant but pure happiness. Her heart also felt strangely thrilled. ¡°Even if she is hiding something, the circumstances suggest that Dia is not a spy..¡± Obdolisa shook her head. ¡°What kind of a spy is a 5-year-old.¡± ¡°Maybe she¡¯s not actually five. I found out that her teeth had fallen out a while ago. Dia has lost all her front teeth, and the ones that had fallen suggest that she is around six or seven years old.¡± ¡°Really? I didn¡¯t know.¡± Both Marciana and Juliano were direct descendants of Leocardia, so they grew very fast compared to the average person. The two had lost all their baby teeth before they were even four years old. ¡°Wait. Six or seven-year-olds are that small¡­? Even for a five-year-old isn¡¯t she already very short?¡± ¡°Yes. Even for a five-year-old, she is too small and too thin.¡± ¡°If she¡¯s actually six or seven then, it¡¯s a serious matter.¡± Obdolisa was devastated. ¡°I thought it was okay since she was an orphan and just five years old. What do you mean she might be older? Maybe she¡¯s sick? How could this be? She probably only weighs around 10 kilograms.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think she¡¯s sick. However, I¡¯ll tell Ruth to examine her very closely.¡± ¡°Good. I should¡¯ve told you to do a check-up as soon as she got here yesterday. Well, maybe Dia doesn¡¯t actually know her exact age? She¡¯s from the orphanage. I don¡¯t think the orphanage workers are people who will tell you your age.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think Dia herself knows. Five, six, or seven years old aren¡¯t much different in the eyes of the staff. So, there¡¯s no reason to lie.¡± ¡°Yes, I also don¡¯t think Dia will lie to us. Oh no.¡± Obdolisa confessed what she had just noticed. ¡°I keep thinking positively of Dia.¡± Gallio nodded and confessed his honest feelings. ¡°In fact, so do I. She¡¯s such a cute and lovely child and even looks very similar to Marciana in her childhood¡­ Even so, I feel like my vigilance is breaking down too quickly. So I¡¯m being more careful.¡± Obdolisa understood Gallio¡¯s feelings. She gave out her orders after a moment of consideration. ¡°Just in case, let¡¯s have some investigations on Dia. Send Agent Black to Spania. Find out who whipped Dia. Be sure to find out what kind of son of a bitch did that to a child.¡± Opdolisa¡¯s eyes boiled with anger before it slowly dissipated. ¡°Understood. As you wish, my Lord.¡± Gallio said as his eyes glistened with determination. ¡°I think we need to find a teacher for Dia as well.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do it. I can also observe her while I¡¯m at it. Etiquette doesn¡¯t require anything in-depth, so I think you can leave it to Lavigne. Lavigne is also very observant, so she can take good care at Dia. Let¡¯s make her Dia¡¯s maid.¡± ¡°Do it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go ahead now. I¡¯ll tell Ruth to do the checkup first.¡± Gallio¡¯s steps to the treatment room in search of his son Ruth were quick. Since he had a grandson of similar age, Gallio was well aware of just how bad Dia¡¯s growth was. It was simply abnormal. As much as he wanted to deny it, Gallio was so worried about Dia that his heart hurt. ¡®¡­What¡¯s wrong with me.¡¯ Of course, she was lovely and cute, but his concern felt a little too over the top. It was very strange. Throughout his 60 years of life, except for his family, there were only three people that made him feel this way. His master, Opdolisa Leocardia. The heir to his master, Marciana Leocardia. The son of his master, Juliano Leocardia. ¡®¡­No way!¡¯ Edited by: Healing Moon Chapter 18 Gallio paused at the thought that struck him like lightning. He moved his body to fulfill his master¡¯s orders, but inside his thoughts were going crazy. ¡®The kidnapper confessed to the murder just before he died, but there was nobody to confirm it. If she¡¯s seven years old and not five¡­¡¯ However, the most basic thing was not right. All of Leocardia¡¯s direct descendants had different shades depending on their respective strength, but their hair would always be black and their eyes golden. Dia had dark brown hair and eyes. But according to Helladius, Dia¡¯s mana was black. The same color as those within the Leocardia family. ¡®Since she¡¯s a genius, could she be using magic to hide the color of her hair and eyes?¡¯ It was not impossible for someone to hide their natural colors from birth ¡®til now. Besides, the Spania estate, where Dia grew up, was not far from where the kidnapper was found. ¡®By any chance! Could it be¡­!¡¯ At this moment, Gallio could no longer control his spiraling thoughts. His heart continued to beat violently for a long time. ¡®I need to check!¡¯ Unlike the swirling emotions in his heart, Gallio moved with a calm face. He took a deep breath in front of the treatment room before knocking and entering. ¡°Dad, you¡¯re here.¡± His son, Ruth, Welcomed Gallio. ¡°I have a place I need to go. Come with me.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Gallio quickly began to walk with his son beside him. Of course, the destination was Dia¡¯s room. *** After leaving the Duke¡¯s office, I felt a little depressed. ¡°Dia, what¡¯s wrong?¡± I hurried to breakfast and met Little Bear who came to see me in front of the elevator. The Little Bear immediately hugged me and looked at me, showing signs of concern. ¡°Did Mother say anything bad?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± The Little Bear¡¯s eyes dropped sharply. ¡°What did she say?¡± ¡°I need to learn etiquette.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°If I don¡¯t learn, she says I can¡¯t eat dessert. I also can¡¯t use magic until I¡¯m 13. If I use it¡­ I¡¯ll be banned from eating the chocolate pudding from The Silver Fork. The Duke is so cruel!¡± ¡°¡­¡± The Little Bear¡¯s expression relaxed. Quietly evading my gaze, he injected some mana into the elevator. When the door opened, the Little Bear went inside and said, ¡°You can press the buttons.¡± ¡°Okay! Since we¡¯re going to the third floor, I¡¯ll press three?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Our Dia is a genius!¡± The Little Bear smiled brightly. ¡®I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m being called a genius over just this.¡¯ I was embarrassed, but I didn¡¯t hate to hear the words looking at me in a good light. ¡®Am I hungry for compliments?¡¯ Come to think of it, it was safe to say that I had never been praised before I met the two bears. There was not a single hint of it in my previous life, and even less in this life. ¡®Everything¡¯s changed since I met the two bears.¡¯ As soon as I was born, I was kidnapped and almost died, entering a strange orphanage not long after. However, ever since I met the two bears, my life had slowly begun getting better. ¡®Thank you.¡¯ I smiled at the little bear and said, ¡°But she also said I can continue living in the Duchy! And since I¡¯m a guest of the Duchy, all my meals and rent are free!¡± ¡°I see. But¡­ mother only told you you¡¯re a guest? She didn¡¯t mention anything else?¡± The Little Bear asked seriously, and I quickly recognized the Little Bear¡¯s anticipating eyes. ¡®He wanted me to be adopted¡­¡¯ My heart ached, so I clung even harder to the Little Bear. ¡°She did mention something else¡­ But I decided to go with just Dia.¡± ¡°Why? Do you still hate aristocrats?¡± The Little Bear seemed quite disappointed. It was sad to look at. ¡°It¡¯s not that. I just thought that I shouldn¡¯t forget that I am ¡®Dia¡¯.¡± This was not a lie. For the sake of my revenge, I could not be Dia Leocardia. I had to remain Dia. Just Dia. ¡°You¡­ You¡¯re only five, but you sometimes talk like an adult.¡± The Little Bear let out a complicated sigh. My heart hurt, but I knew my decision wasn¡¯t wrong. The Little Bear quietly stroked my head. I shouted again. ¡°I don¡¯t like it!¡± There was a reason why I hated etiquette so much. ¨CYou don¡¯t even know manners? As expected of a commoner! It was natural that I didn¡¯t know manners because I was a commoner and an orphan. Still, they cut the back of my hand open with the top of a pointy dagger every time I made a mistake. When blood dripped from the back of my hand and soaked the table cloth, they became furious, yelling that it was dirty. It was after that, that they started using the whip. ¡®¡­Stop¡¯ I shook my head to stop the painful memories. The Little Bear looked surprised. ¡°Do you hate etiquette so much?¡± ¡°Yes. Juliano, can you ask them to not continue with it?¡± ¡°No, you need etiquette.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need it!¡± ¡°No. You need it. In truth, I also ran away because I didn¡¯t like studying etiquette, but over time I realized that it is actually needed in many things. Our Dia is a genius. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be able to learn fast. You can do it, right?¡± The Little Bear smiled affectionately. How could I continue protesting in the face of that gentle smile? ¡°¡­I¡¯ll try.¡± I was forced to nod. The Little better strode away, looking at me cutely again. Soon we arrived at the room where I slept the night before. ¡°Do you like this place?¡± I couldn¡¯t see the room properly because I was so busy in the morning, but I finally realized just how big the room was. It was so luxurious that I was afraid to even touch the bed, desk, and closet. The window was so big that I could look down on the entire territory, with the warm sunlight illuminating the room. ¡°Yes!¡± I answered and pointed to the Secret Bear next to the bed. ¡°It¡¯s the best!¡± ¡°Our Dia has high standards!¡± The Little Bear smiled brightly and went on to say, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you more about this place.¡± After explaining that the building was 10 stories above ground and three stories below ground, the Little Bear brought me towards the large window. The view was lower than what I saw through the glass window of the Duke¡¯s office on the fourth floor. Still, many things could be seen because the Duchy¡¯s castle was built at the highest point of the territory. ¡°That¡¯s the first external wall.¡± The Little Bear pointed to a sturdy-looking, tall, and round wall about 500 meters away with the Duchy Castle in the center. ¡°There¡¯s a second outer wall in the distance, but most of the city is between the first and second outer walls. Between the second and third walls was a place for farming and other works alike, and the third outer wall was for guarding the borders of the land. It¡¯s the one we passed by yesterday.¡± ¡°The territory is so big¡­¡± The road that stretched out in an orderly manner was very wide, and the floor was well maintained. On both sides of the road were tall, straight, and strong buildings. Many people crowded the streets, going in and out of buildings, or just leisurely walking. It was far away, but I could see that everyone was dressed up neatly. ¡°It¡¯s such a nice place¡­¡± The Duchy was the largest, most relaxed, and good-looking of all the territories I had ever visited. ¡°Indeed it is. Mother is the one who made it all possible. Actually, when my Grandfather was the Duke, things were bad. It was a land blessed by the Lord, but there were so many high-class monsters around, that just the act of farming was hard. Our territory had to develop mines deep in the Chaos Mountains, and sell monster by-products and minerals to get by. However, my Grandfather and Uncle, the heir apparent, didn¡¯t manage things properly and lived luxurious and wasteful lives. He killed a lot of people to fund his luxury. It was then!¡± The Little Bear widened his shoulders and said proudly. ¡°Mother came back to the Duchy. She then evicted all those who had done bad things and took the position of Duke. Since then, she worked hard and our lives have since then become so much better.¡± ¡°Amazing!¡± ¡°Right? Mother is amazing! She¡¯s good at magic and swordsmanship! She¡¯s the best!¡± In her previous life, the ¡®Lisa¡¯ she knew had never revealed anything about her family. ¡®She must have been kicked out by her father or brother. Maybe she even left by her own will.¡¯ Then, after I defeated the Demon Lord and died, went back to her territoy. The Little Beat told me a simple story that briefed over most details, but I knew it was probably not that simple. ¡®She must have had a hard time. I can¡¯t believe she¡¯s so successful after overcoming all that. Lisa is the best!¡¯ I was satisfied. The Little Bear looked at me and pointed to a place in the forest with his hands. ¡°I don¡¯t think you can see it well, but that over there is the Silver Fork. Shall we go and get some chocolate pudding?¡± My eyes shined. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°It¡¯s cold outside, so you have to be prepared properly. Let¡¯s get dressed first. I¡¯ll call the maid for you.¡± The Little Bear moved with me in his arms and opened the door. As soon as we stepped in, we spotted people walking toward us. ¡°Sir Gallio. Sir Ruth.¡± The Little Bear bowed politely. Ruth, who was in his early 30s, was the first to be seen. However, I immediately knew that he was Gallio¡¯s son. His large muscular body, calm expression, and horn-rimmed glasses were very similar to Gallio. But one thing was distinctly different. While Gallio was wearing butler¡¯s clothes, Ruth was wearing a uniform that I was extremely familiar with. A uniform that I had seen so many times. A priest¡¯s white clothes. ¨CYou stupid orphan! ¨CYou should be taught a lesson today! The sudden surge of memory made me feel faint. I clasped the Little Bear more tightly. ¡°Dia? What¡¯s wrong? Are you cold?¡± My trembling seemed to have been found, and the Little Bear¡¯s words of worry passed by my ears. ¡°¡­No, I¡¯m not.¡± I took a short breath and faced my head forwards, which I had turned sideways in avoidance. My eyes stayed down. ¡°Hello¡­?¡± greeted Ruth. I knew my pronunciation had improved well enough, but I was shaking too hard that I couldn¡¯t say it back. I was afraid. Not only of the Cardinal but also the priests. I don¡¯t like it. ¡®It¡¯s still the same¡­¡¯ After being reborn, I had seen a priest. The director of the orphanage called in a priest once a year to check for any health problems. I was unbearably scared of the priest¡¯s so-called treatment. At the age of three, I once got hit by employees while shouting loudly because I didn¡¯t want the priest to come near me. ¡®It got better as I grew up.¡¯ But inside, I was still afraid. After leaving the Spania territory with the two Bears, I saw a priest, but it was okay because we just passed by. However, the pain of my past life was provoked slowly when I faced one like this. Especially my back. The sensation of my flesh tearing became unbearably clear. I couldn¡¯t face Ruth anymore so I turned my head. ¡°Dia, are you sick?¡± ¡°No¡­ That¡¯s not it¡­¡± With the weak and small voice I spoke in, even I couldn¡¯t believe my own words. The Little Bear stroked my head more gently than usual. ¡°Mr. Ruth, you¡¯re just in time. Can you examine her?¡± ¡°I have been instructed by the Lord to examine the child. Hello, Dia. My name is Tolle Ruth, the Chief Priest of the Duchy.¡± Ruth was using honorifics because I was a guest of the Duke. I really didn¡¯t want to, but I slowly turned my head towards Ruth. Ruth had a friendly smile. ¡°I¡¯m here to help. If you¡¯re sick I can heal you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sick. Go away!¡± I said fiercely. I knew it was rude, but I just couldn¡¯t bring myself to be polite. Still, Ruth smiled and soothed me. ¡°I also don¡¯t think Dia is sick. However, the Lord told me to check. We must obey the Lord. How about letting me check just once?¡± ¡°N-no!¡± ¡°If I disobey the Lord, this humble servant will be in trouble.¡± ¡°What kind of trouble?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be crushed.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Edited by: Healing Moon Chapter 19 ¡°I hope it doesn¡¯t come to that. I still have to buy my son food. Heuk. Heuk.¡± Ruth put his hands in front of his face and gave a faint cry. ¡®¡­I can¡¯t believe it.¡¯ It was funny, and my guard dropped a little. At the same time, it was made clear what kind of person Ruth was. ¡®He¡¯s completely different from the Cardinal and the priests of my previous life.¡¯ My lips pouted. ¡°If¡­ if it¡¯s just this once¡­¡± ¡°Wow! Dia, thank you!¡± Ruth smiled brightly as if he had never pretended to cry. Gallio looked at his son putting on a play and clicked his tongue in pity. The Little Bear rolled his eyes. ¡°Let¡¯s go inside. Young Master, let her sit on the bed.¡± The Little Bear did as Ruth said and stood a few steps away from the bed. The farther he was, the more uneasy I felt. It grew even more as Ruth approached. I looked at the Little Bear in a hurry. ¡°Come on, come here.¡± ¡°Huh? Yes.¡± The Little Bear moved quickly and stood right next to me. I was a little relieved because he was within reach as long as I reached out. Ruth sat comfortably on the floor in front of me, looked up, smiled kindly, and held his right hand out to me. ¡°Look, even though it¡¯s only my right hand it looks quite handsome, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Can you hold this handsome hand of mine?¡± ¡°O-okay.¡± I slowly reached my hand out and took a deep breath. It took a little time, but Ruth didn¡¯t press me and waited with a smile. It was a bit believable that he would not do me wrong, so I reached out and grabbed Ruth¡¯s right hand. Even though he was a priest and muscular, his palm was very hard but warm. I was relieved a little more because it was similar to Big Bear and Little Bear. ¡°I¡¯ll start now. It will shine a little, so don¡¯t be surprised.¡± ¡°¡­Okay¡± Only after I answered did Ruth smile and use his Divine Power. The Grace of the Lord to man. Mana was used through a specific method of magic, and everyone was born with it. However, it is said that only 10 percent of the population was actually strong enough to use mana in combat. ¡®On the other hand, they say that less than 1% of the population is born with divine power, right?¡¯ That alone was a very small number, but only about one-tenth of them were actually able to use their divine power properly. As a result, only 0.1 percent of the population could successfully use divine power. It was a truly precious power. ¡®Thanks to that, all priests and Divine Power users were treated very highly.¡¯ In addition, the majority of Divine Power users had a sense of privilege. Not to mention my previous life, the priest I met in the orphanage in my present life condescendingly treated all the children, including me, as bugs. ¡®This person¡­ is different.¡¯ Ruth was completely different from the people I had previously seen before. There were times when even the Divine Power felt dirty. In fact, there were so many cases. ¡®The Cardinal is one example.¡¯ However, Ruth¡¯s Divine Power was as warm as the spring sunshine. At the same time, he comforted the anxious me. ¡®¡­Incredible.¡± Usually, Divine Power could only be used for a few seconds, but Ruth had been using it now for more than a minute. At the same time, he did not lose his breath at all. ¡®The control over his mana is incredible. It¡¯s used well even though the movements are detailed. That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s really great.¡¯ It was a force similar to that of the Cardinal in my previous life. I got goosebumps all over my body as I curled up with a sense of rejection, but I didn¡¯t shake Ruth¡¯s hands off. ¡®Ruth is not the Cardinal.¡¯ He was a different person. A warm, tender, caring, good person. I stared Ruth straight in the eye. ¡®It¡¯s the same brown color as Gallio.¡¯ It made one feel calm and peaceful. Ruth continued to smile at me amicably in consideration of my uncomfortableness and rejection. However, the more he used his divine power, the more he frowned. ¡°This¡­¡± Ruth sighed and stopped using his divine power. ¡°Is there a problem, by any chance?¡± The Little Bear who stayed close to me worriedly asked right away. ¡°You¡¯re healthy, but¡­ Dia, how old are you right now?¡± I was so surprised by the question that I couldn¡¯t say anything, but the Little Bear answered for me instead. ¡°She¡¯s five.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so. According to the examination, she should be a little older.¡± The Little Bear¡¯s startled expression was obvious to the eye. ¡°Dia, you¡¯re five years old right?¡± At this point, I realized I had to answer the truth. ¡°I¡¯m seven years old.¡± ¡°What?¡± It wasn¡¯t Little Bear who spoke, but Gallio who was quietly behind him. ¡®What¡¯s wrong with him?¡¯ It was strange, but it wasn¡¯t a situation where I could simply ask. ¡°Are you actually seven years old? Really?¡± The Little Bear¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Really.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me the truth?¡± At the words, I narrowed my eyes and stared at the little bear. The Little Bear flinched. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Are you serious! At first, you teased me, asking if I was three or four years old. How could I say I¡¯m actually seven! If I told you the truth you would have definitely teased me to death, talking about how small I am for a seven-year-old!¡± I said in a fit of anger. Gallio and Ruth¡¯s eyes automatically turned to the Little Bear. The Little Bear rolled his eyes and lowered his head. ¡°Sorry! ¡­It¡¯s just that I wouldn¡¯t even have thought you were seven with that weight and height of yours. How can a seven-year-old be so short?¡± The Little Bear held a shocked expression. Even amid the relentless shaking in his eyes, the Little Bear urgently asked Ruth. ¡°She¡¯s healthy, right?¡± ¡°Yes. She¡¯s healthy. Her physique is well balanced. However, she is too small and light for her age. Of course, it¡¯s possible that it¡¯s genetic and Dia simply resembles her parents.¡± I couldn¡¯t confirm nor deny it. I knew nothing about them. ¡°If it¡¯s because you resemble your parents, there¡¯s no problem. But if it isn¡¯t¡­ I heard there is a rare disease that makes the person stop growing prematurely. Dia, have you ever been treated by a priest?¡± I was a little dizzy when something about a rare disease was mentioned, but I still obediently answered. ¡°Yes. I met one once a year when I was in the orphanage.¡± ¡°The priest didn¡¯t say anything?¡± ¡°Yes. They only said I was healthy.¡± ¡°A few days ago, Dia was taken to a priest because she caught a cold. He didn¡¯t say anything about the rare disease. But the priest was only of intermediate rank, I don¡¯t think he found anything because he¡¯s not a senior priest like you.¡± ¡®Ruth was just a senior priest? How odd¡­He¡¯s definitely more powerful than that.¡¯ He¡¯s definitely at least on the level of the Cardinal in my previous life. ¡®Why is he hiding his abilities?¡¯ Something was off, but it didn¡¯t feel malicious. If he had any bad intentions, his Divine Power wouldn¡¯t have given off such a kind and gentle feeling. ¡°Let¡¯s try again.¡± Ruth used his Divine Power again. This time he used it for so long that a sheet of sweat had condensed on his forehead. ¡°I don¡¯t know what it is exactly, but there¡¯s definitely something. It could be a rare disease, but also just genetics. Maybe it¡¯s because of another reason I don¡¯t know. However, I¡¯m sure it¡¯s not life-threatening.¡± ¡°Phew.¡± The Little Bear let out a long sigh of relief and stretched out his arms to hold me. ¡°Our Dia is alright, thank God.¡± ¡°Yes, indeed.¡± The touch patting me on the back was as friendly as ever. It was fortunate that there was nothing that would threaten my life. I shared Little Bear¡¯s emotions as I sighed in relief. I was also very happy that the Little Bear was genuinely worried about me. ¡®But it is indeed serious.¡¯ I was worried about being small and thin, but I never really took it seriously. However, seeing everybody¡¯s reactions around me, it seemed to be a serious problem. I hesitated a little and then opened my mouth. ¡°I¡¯ve been using magic a lot. Ever since way before.¡± When I was a baby, I used up too much mana to run away. I thought that the current problems in my body might be the aftereffects of the incident. ¡°Is it possibly because I overused my mana?¡± I asked because I couldn¡¯t tell if it was a valid possibility. ¡°You know how to use magic?¡± Ruth asked with a startled look as if he didn¡¯t know. Unlike Ruth, Gallio didn¡¯t lift an eyebrow at the fact that I could use magic. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°What kind of magic can you use?¡± I was at a loss if I should tell the truth. As I hesitated, the Little Bear answered for me instead. ¡°Invisibility Magic, Presence Erasing Magic, Flight Magic, Body Enhancing Magic¡­ She knows how to use them all.¡± ¡°Wow, that¡¯s incredible!¡± ¡°She learned it on her own. I think she learned it on her own. Right, Diamond?¡± That was not true. I learned it from the temple in my previous life. ¡®It¡¯s a bit of a lie.¡¯ I simply rolled my eyes. The Little Bear thought it was a positive thing, so he smiled and proudly said, ¡°Our Dia is a genius!¡± ¡°She¡¯s indeed a genius!¡± The compliment was good, but it felt a little ticklish. ¡°Recently, the more Dia uses her mana, the longer her sleeping time,¡± added the Little Bear. Ruth nodded his head. ¡°I see. As Dia guessed, her growth might have been suppressed as a side effect of excessive use of magic at an early age. But just in case, I¡¯ll research more about that rare disease. It might take a lot of time though. For the time being, I think we need to find some things we can do to help her grow.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°We have the innate power to grow in our bodies, which comes from sleeping and waking up regularly. You have to go before 10 pm. It¡¯s also basic to exercise to a reasonable extent and have a balanced diet. Some foods will help you grow taller, like milk. I¡¯ll find more details and let you know as soon as I can.¡± ¡°Yes. Thank you.¡± I replied from the bottom of my heart. ¡®Growth is a must to be able to use my strength properly.¡¯ To grow properly, I had to follow Ruth¡¯s advice diligently. ¡°As the Lord said, you must not use magic until you are thirteen,¡± Gallio said. ¡°Yes. I won¡¯t.¡± I was very disappointed, but it wasn¡¯t like I could help it. ¡®The blessing of the Lord will make it better sooner.¡¯ In the future, I should think of my physical condition as the most important thing. One of the reasons I originally came to the Duchy was to strengthen my body anyways. ¡®I¡¯ll be better when I leave¡­¡¯ Thinking about the future seemed to calm me down. ¡°Dia.¡± I raised my head. It was unusual, but Gallio looked a little nervous. ¡°Do you know when your birthday is?¡± I shook my head. ¡°You don¡¯t even know the season?¡± ¡°I think it should be around early winter, but I¡¯m not sure. A staff member once told me it was late Fall.¡± It seemed to be winter because it was so cold, but Spania was very cold even during autumn. I had retained all my memories since I was born, but I often had to sleep a lot because I was young. So, I didn¡¯t know exactly when. ¡°Why do you ask?¡± ¡°A butler should know everything about his master¡¯s guest.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Yes. I am also one of your teachers. You¡¯ll be learning from me every other day, an hour after you go to daycare.¡± ¡°Gallio will teach personally?¡± Little Bear seemed to think there was something wrong. ¡°Yes. Dia is a valuable guest. Young Master, can you do me a favor?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Can you use detection magic on Dia¡¯s body? Young Master is good at detection magic, so you can figure out the exact size of her body and the true color of her hair. I need to know for sure, for the sake of matching and customizing her clothing.¡± I was astonished to hear such words. ¡°You don¡¯t buy clothes, you customize them?¡± ¡°Yes. That is simply how the Duke¡¯s guests must be treated.¡± ¡°Wow, that¡¯s amazing!¡± The Little Bear asked with a questioning face, ¡°Why are you asking about hair color?¡± ¡°The Spania Estate¡¯s people may have bleached her hair because they didn¡¯t think it was nice. Now that she¡¯s staying here, she should return to her original color. I want to know the exact shade.¡± Gallio answered as if he had expected to hear such a question. It was the first time I had heard of such a practice, but I still agreed. ¡°Well then. Juliano, please use your detection magic.¡± The Little Bear carefully used his detection magic on me. Gallio took out a notebook and pen from his subspace and prepared to take notes. The Little Bear soon enumerated my height, arm length, leg length, and other sizes. ¡°The color of her hair is¡­¡± Edited by: Healing Moon