Chapter 170

The priest handed me a letter.

On the envelope of that letter, in an unfamiliar handwriting, it read “To Maybel.”

“And… this one is a letter sent to me.”

The priest took another letter from within their robes and placed it on the table.

A letter with the same handwriting as the one sent to me. Is this… really a letter from Mom?

If the situation allows for sending letters on such expensive papyrus… why hasn’t Mom come to find me?

Is there some circumstance preventing Mom from coming?

“I was planning to show you the letter once you became an adult.”

“Why? Why must I wait until I’m an adult to see it?”

“Because your mother asked me to.”

At the priest’s words, I closed my mouth. What reason could there possibly be….

“If you were to find out that your mother had sent a letter, you’d probably run off from the village immediately, wouldn’t you?”

I couldn’t respond to the priest’s words because they were all true. If Mom was alive somewhere, I would have gone looking for her.

According to the letter… Mom seems to be in grave danger. She probably didn’t want to involve her daughter in such peril.

“Perilous situation…?”

Mom didn’t abandon me; she left me here in the countryside to protect me.

She didn’t abandon me…

Why?

“Originally, I intended to keep it a secret until you became an adult… but if this person helps you, then perhaps they can aid your mother.”

I turned my head to look at Tia, who was watching with an incredibly excited expression.

Well, she is a dragon after all. If Tia, who freely uses incomprehensible magic, helps…

Can we help Mom?

Can we rescue Mom, who is in danger?

“Of course, assuming this person will help. So, what do you say? Will you take this child with you?”

After alternating glances between me and the priest, Tia nodded slightly and spoke.

“I don’t mind. I was planning to wander aimlessly anyway, but traveling with a purpose like this isn’t bad either.”

Tia spoke as if she had experience traveling.

Is this Tia really the Dragon Priestess from the hero’s tales? Could it be that the dragon the hero defeated fell in love with him and became his companion as the Dragon Priestess?

Could the story we know have been reversed over time?

“Really?! Thank you so much! I was truly worried about sending this child alone. It felt risky to send such a young one into danger. But if the Munyeonim helps, that puts my mind at ease!”

The priest bowed deeply to express gratitude to Tia. They really seemed uneasy about sending me alone.

Don’t underestimate me just because I’m short and look young! I can handle myself perfectly fine!

“Then, first, could you tell me about this child’s circumstances? Understanding them will help me assist better.”

At Tia’s request, the priest nodded and began speaking slowly.

“First, let me tell you about this child’s mother.”

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

“Her name is Ella. Ella Sinder. Known as Ashen Ella, she was a small but tenacious rat beastman.

Born into a fairly wealthy rat beastman family, Ella was bright and energetic, making friends with many people.

If Ella’s mother hadn’t passed away when she was young, she might have lived an even happier life. Unfortunately, Ella’s life wasn’t smooth.”

The priest began telling stories about Mom. But…

“Hold on. How does the priest know so much about Mom’s past?”

“Well, we were childhood friends. Ella had an extraordinary ability to make friends. Even me, who was a novice priest back then, quickly became close to her.

Anyway, Ella’s life began to change when her father remarried.

Ella’s new stepmother brought along two older daughters, so Ella suddenly had a new mother and two older sisters in her family.

Initially, Ella tried to get along with her new stepmother and sisters, but they reportedly disliked her intensely.

They probably thought that if Ella weren’t around, they could claim all of her father’s wealth.

Despite trying various ways to connect with her new family, Ella eventually gave up on them.

Later, when her father fell ill and never recovered, the oppression from her stepmother and sisters worsened.

So, she left home and began traveling.”

After hearing the priest’s long story, Tia briefly commented.

“This feels like a story I’ve heard before somewhere.”

“Does it? Anyway, she left home and became an adventurer. Through her travels, she gained much experience. Having admired the hero’s tales, it was only natural for her to become an adventurer.”

Mom… an adventurer…?

“Using a large hammer barely manageable with both hands as her weapon, Ella was strong. That large hammer was so powerful that most monsters couldn’t withstand a direct hit.”

“Large hammer? For a rat beastman?”

If Mom, like me, is a rat beastman… did she swing a massive hammer with her tiny body?

That’s hard to believe.

“She had incredible arm strength. The large hammer she used during her adventuring days is entrusted to me and stored in the temple. It was supposed to be given to Maybel when she grew up as a weapon.”

“Large hammer? Even if I receive it, I wouldn’t know how to use it, so it’d just cause trouble.”

Since I don’t know how to wield weapons, receiving something like that would just be problematic…

“Just swing it like you’re chopping firewood. And since you resemble her, you’re also quite strong, so I think you’ll manage just fine.”

Hmm… Could my unusual strength compared to my size come from resembling Mom?

“Anyway, after gaining fame as an adventurer, she returned to her hometown. In the name of the God of Light and Justice, she reclaimed the rightful property that belonged to her.”

“Something feels different… shouldn’t there have been glass slippers or a ballroom?”

“Glass slippers…? Ballroom?”

What is Tia talking about?

“Cough. I don’t know what you’re thinking, but let me continue.

After driving out her stepmother and sisters, Ella became quite famous among the rat beastmen, and many proposed marriage to her.”

“Marriage proposals…?”

Now that I think about it… Who was Dad? Mom never mentioned anything about him, so I have no idea.

The priest almost feels more like a father figure to me than anyone else.

“Yes. I don’t know much about what happened afterward, but she got married after falling in love with someone. After that… there was a long silence until one day, she showed up here in tattered clothes, carrying you, still very young, and sought my help.

She didn’t go into detail, but said she was involved in some troublesome matters and entrusted you and the large hammer to me before leaving.”

“Large hammer… but I don’t remember such a thing. I don’t recall seeing Mom wield one…”

“It was brought in a box on a cart, so you wouldn’t have known. It’s under my bed now, so I’ll show it to you later.”

Mom’s weapon… Hmm… I don’t recall ever seeing it.

“Cough. After that, there was no news from her for several years… until last year, when a letter arrived. A letter asking to show it to Maybel when she becomes an adult, and another addressed to me. There were two letters.

The one addressed to me mentioned that she was in a bit of trouble and requested that Maybel be sent to where she is once she becomes an adult.

But that was just the cover content. The real message was hidden by taking the first letter of each paragraph and putting them together.”

“Vertical cipher?”

Vertical cipher? What’s that?

“I don’t know what you mean by that… but anyway, the hidden message in her letter was as follows:

‘Rat beastman. Danger. God. Daughter. Safety. Journey.’”

This is…

“I couldn’t fully understand the entire content, but since there’s danger involving rat beastmen and it’s related to a god… it seems like the message suggests sending Maybel on a safe journey.

It appears she’s in a situation where she can’t even send a letter freely.”

“By god, does she mean Sirius, the god of beastmen?”

If Sirius… isn’t that the guardian deity of the Divine Hall? The books say he was the First Beast… are they the same god?

“Most likely. Since Sirius, the god of beastmen, became the guardian deity of the Divine Hall, it seems reasonable to assume Ella is involved in some issue arising from that vacancy.”

“Hmm… Interesting.”

The priest must have known Sirius was the god of beastmen. I didn’t read about that in any books.

“Anyway, since there’s a possibility of danger finding its way to Maybel, I was planning to send her to a safe place once she became an adult. But with the Munyeonim offering help, things couldn’t be better.”

“But… what about Mom?”

“Focus on yourself first. She’ll manage somehow.”

“But…”

If Mom might be in danger, all I can do is run to safety while there’s nothing I can do to help.

“She risked her own safety to send you this letter.”

I want to go to wherever Mom is right now…

“Hmm. Sorry to interrupt, but the fact that this letter reached here means there’s a chance danger targeting this child could come here too, right?”

“That’s true. By the time the letter was sent, our location was likely already mostly figured out.

There was no specific deadline, so it probably meant sending Maybel to a safe place by the time she becomes an adult. Before that point.”

“Then why suggest taking this child along now rather than waiting until she’s an adult?”

“I planned to teach her various things so she could handle herself by the time she became an adult. But if the Munyeonim accompanies her, wouldn’t that be much safer?”

Certainly… learning various things until becoming an adult wouldn’t be as safe as being with Tia, a dragon.

After hearing the priest’s words, Tia nodded slightly.

“Hmm. Then… why not use the simplest method to ensure this child’s safety?”

“Huh?”

The simplest method?

“Destroy everything. Problem solved.”

Tia’s suggestion was far simpler and more aggressive than I expected.