Chapter 65: Act 1 – The Burning City
The Third retraced hazy memories as he visited Merlin’s doll shop for the first time in a while.
However, there was no one there.
No, rather than “no one,” it would be more accurate to say that there was “nothing” left.
What seemed perfectly intact was merely the exterior of the doll shop; not a single thing remained inside.
The once cold-eyed woman, who had once been his mentor, and even the “dolls” that had trusted and followed her, or the “dolls” she had created as a hobby—all were gone without a trace.
Not a single one remained.
“…As expected, something did happen.”
He had suspected it since Merlin had said she was closing her doll shop, but this confirmation made it certain.
For reasons unknown, she had been abandoned by “him.”
The greatest reason she had been able to maintain such a lifestyle had vanished.
So she must have felt the need to run away.
From those who came to dispose of her…
‘This complicates things.’
Still, one fortunate thing was that there was a high possibility that Merlin was alive.
They tended not to conceal “news of the dead.”
If Merlin had truly died, he would have somehow been able to catch wind of her death.
Whether it was an accident disguised as death or a mysterious disappearance.
This was a kind of declaration of their power, a way of pronouncement unique to the underworld.
Just like “he” used to do.
But now, another problem obstructed him.
‘Then, how do I go about finding her?’
Merlin was undoubtedly a woman of great skill.
If she decided to hide herself, it was certain that he would not even have a small clue to find her, no matter what method he used.
Moreover, naturally, there would be no traces left in the scene he had arrived at much later than they did.
The only difference was that “they” didn’t know her well.
While he also did not know her very well, at least he hoped to know her better than they did, and so the Third walked through the empty cellar where not a single clue could be found.
Because she was his…
-Drip, drip, splat…
Then, he stopped at a certain spot.
“Yes, this must be it.”
Following the direction his instinct screamed towards, the Third slightly lifted his foot.
And infused it with magic.
-Kuuung-!
The heel that struck down powerfully, filled with magic, shattered the tile.
From the gap, a small box emerged.
The Third carefully picked it up, brushed off the dust and stone fragments, and opened it.
Inside, there was a small photo and an old key.
-Swish.
Upon unfolding the folded photograph, the Third froze for a few seconds upon seeing its contents.
A furrowed expression on a child’s face nestled in the arms of an expressionless woman.
It was a scene that remained forever memorable among the many broken and vanished memories.
The Third mumbled softly as he averted his gaze.
“…When did you hide something like this, Merlin?”
Seeing something like this on Spirit Day was particularly alarming to the heart.
On the back of the photo he flipped over carelessly was written:
-For the child who will one day return.-
“Ah.”
The Third realized what the key was for.
——
Finally, Spirit Day, the most anticipated day after birthdays for children, was approaching.
So, on such a day, what was Luke doing?
In fact, Luke wasn’t doing anything special.
As it was Spirit Day, he couldn’t go to the Academy to announce his award news, and since the prize money had certain procedures, he had very little money to spend at the moment.
The Academy was also closed, and it seemed the children were all enjoying Spirit Day with their families, and with prize money in hand, there was still no chance for immediate shopping.
So, on this day, Luke decided to take a leisurely break.
He would put off research on how Rich could disguise himself as a living human, the support of his only magic sight, “glasses that can see magic,” the fatigue recovery tonic that could provide a stable income, and refining the content of the answers he wrote for the contest, and instead, he decided to stroll through the forest and savor the faint remnants of autumn’s mana.
Luke took a deep breath in the forest and murmured.
“Wow, being this leisurely is quite nice.”
Thinking about it, he hadn’t had a proper break for a long time.
He had always lived busily, even when there was nothing to do.
After all, for him, rest equated to laziness, and laziness to sin; if there was no work, he had to create it, which was just his nature.
But somehow, he decided not to think like that anymore.
After all, wasn’t it true that Luke had always acted based on his interest?
Until now, he had been fine with that side of Luke’s personality and had lived busily, but in recent times, the desire to think and research various things had surged all at once, leading to fatigue.
Of course, he was the one who had instigated it…
‘That’s why taking a break is also my choice.’
It was quite a clear answer.
Isn’t it necessary to take at least a day away from research to clear his head?
After all, he could do research anytime.
“Hmm.”
With that in mind, Luke took a deep breath and cleared his always-busy mind.
When he set aside all thoughts, it felt like his heart became much more at ease.
Especially, without Diana, who would shout, “Ah, that’s not how you play the dad role!” while playing with Kate, or Pyris, who would whine at him at any time to make her something whenever she felt hungry, or those children who were just running around the house for no particular reason.
-Stop.
“…Wait.”
Thinking this way, it seemed that most of the reasons he struggled mentally originated from the two little ones who had started living with him.
“…”
Now that he mentioned it, ever since Pyris and Diana started living together, they had become too close and comfortable with each other, which increased the frequency of their accidents.
Having gone from one to two, it was bound to escalate.
Diana, who was turning eight, was still mentally young, but her body had grown to a certain extent, allowing her to exert considerable destructive power, making it the most dangerous time.
One could hardly speak of Pyris, the spirit who acted and thought based on emotions.
He knew that children were like that, but to Luke, who didn’t prefer a noisy environment, the active personalities of the two children were practically a disaster.
Thus, recently, the times when those two children looked most adorable were when they were quietly watching TV without causing any accidents.
How could it not be that the most dreaded day for Luke was when Meruru, who was like shackles for those children, did not air?
From a distance, they seemed just cute kids, but living together made it quite difficult.
“…Children are indeed tough.”
He could scold them, but
But that wasn’t a fundamental solution to the problem.
After all, children quickly forget their anger, and when they show their displeasure, they tend to act cunningly to look cute and make you even angrier.
Now, if a child were to be born between Yerna and Dayton…?
Luke imagined the scene of a newborn entering this household and momentarily felt a wave of dizziness.
‘…If Yerna has a child later, I will definitely raise them to have a docile disposition.’
He nodded, reaffirming that thought, and resumed walking.
For now, he wanted to set aside worries about such a future and focus on his solitary stroll.
“There are so many beautiful flowers blooming.”
———–
While Luke was enjoying his morning stroll, Dayton was following Luke’s footsteps, tracing his walking path.
-Pat, pat.
After walking for a while, he heard Luke’s cheerful humming.
What could possibly be so fun in those bushes?
“Luke. Are you here? I have something to ask you.”
-Crunch.
As Dayton brushed aside the bushes, he found Luke sitting there, plucking flowers and placing them into the folds of his skirt, one by one.
Dayton, filled with curiosity, asked.
“What are you doing?”
“Ah, Dayton.”
Luke replied, smiling brightly.
“As you can see, I was taking a walk and plucking some flowers. Look, this is a winter-hardy flower that only blooms at the end of autumn. It’s my first time seeing so many blooming!”
“But why are you putting them in your skirt? Why didn’t you come back for a basket?”
Dayton found Luke’s behavior quite strange.
If Luke, known for his thorough preparations, had indeed planned to come out for a stroll, he would have brought a basket to collect the flowers beforehand.
Even if he had found them by chance, there was no reason to sully his skirt, as he could easily ignore them or go fetch a basket.
“At first, I wasn’t planning on picking flowers. But it was too bothersome to go back to get a basket.”
“Hmm.”
Dayton nodded again.
Bothering was indeed unavoidable.
Thinking back, it seemed so characteristically Luke that he asked further, believing there must be a valid reason for him picking flowers while ruining his dress.
“So, what do you plan to make with those flowers?”
However, Luke tilted his head and replied.
“I don’t have any plans for them? I just think they’re pretty, so I wanted to put them in front of the window.”
But Dayton was left speechless, his forehead touching Luke’s.
Surprised by Dayton’s sudden action, Luke asked in amazement.
“…What’s wrong?”
“Hmm, you don’t seem to have a fever. Hey, are you feeling unwell?”
