“Cough!! Uh… Noa? Is this really the right way to do it?”
“Kellock! The manual that Uncle gave me says it’s like this…”
Noah and Taehwa kept coughing.
It was because the smoke was too spicy. The acrid smoke continuously irritated their nostrils.
Even while sneezing repeatedly, Noah kept stirring with the ladle, and Taehwa kept adding firewood.
All kinds of ingredients were mixing together, creating a bizarre appearance.
“Black Demon’s wings… Blue Slime’s mucus… Sculdug’s rib bone…”
Rare ingredients collected over the past month. When they were placed into the witch’s cauldron and heated together, they melted into a sticky mass.
Noah didn’t stop despite wrinkling his nose at the smell coming from it.
‘This is the way to save Uncle.’
Drip.
Tears came out.
“Hey, Noa?”
“…”
“Why are you crying? Uncle will be fine. You’ve heard, right? Kraken is still active without any problems. He’ll definitely be-”
“Shh… It’s the smoke.”
Taehwa made an exasperated expression.
While sighing, her hands continued to add more firewood.
“In any case… worrying is pointless. Or rather, I have no reason to interfere in your boyfriend’s worries- Whoa!?”
WHOOSH!
“Taehwa! Are you okay?”
“Mm… Yeah! I’m fine! More importantly, the flames!”
A fierce flame erupted.
A demonic flame that seemed like it would consume everything.
“Is that brat Ragnarok trying to come back to life!?”
That can’t happen.
The fire demon Ragnarok. Despite having the grand nickname, he was a pervert with a hobby of burning women’s clothes, but even so, he was strong.
An opponent whose victory cannot be guaranteed with just the two of them here.
However, after a few minutes, Ragnarok did not appear. Instead, the liquid in the cauldron started to boil even more violently.
Noah noticed the change and quickly grabbed the ladle.
“Taehwa! Add more firewood!”
“More here!?”
“I have a good feeling about this!”
After hearing Noah’s words, Taehwa reluctantly added more firewood.
It was the branches of the Fallen Ent. The magic contained within these alone could fetch a large sum of money, but for Noah, that wasn’t important.
“Cough! Cough!”
Coughs kept coming out.
The smoke was too spicy and toxic.
Still, Noah didn’t leave the front of the cauldron.
It began to appear.
Something small started forming at the bottom of the pot, and the liquids started flowing into that small bead.
For how long did they continue boiling and reducing?
The abundant liquid disappeared, revealing a strange bead mixed with blue, olive, and deep pink colors.
Swish.
He picked up the bead. It was a small bead, the size of a baby’s fingernail.
“QQQ, is this successful?”
“Hack! Ow… the smoke is too spicy…”
“The guy who ran away outside… Anyway, since it’s done now. Can you check if this is correct?”
“Yes, I’ll confirm.”
QQQ looked at the bead, and Noah swallowed nervously. As soon as QQQ nodded, Noah clenched his fist tightly in joy.
“It’s a success!”
It was a success. A month’s worth of hard work paid off.
Still, QQQ had a slightly worried look on his face.
“QQQ, why are you like that?”
“Hmm… I think I should clearly inform you.”
“Huh?”
“Isn’t it true that Master Noah should hold this bead in his mouth?”
“That’s right.”
“…Would you try licking it once?”
Following QQQ’s words, Noah licked the bead once, and…
“Ugh!? Uuugh…!!”
He scrunched up his face.
“What is this…!”
Bitter.
Excessively so.
“Medicine that’s good for the body is always bitter.”
“No matter what…”
“A potion to dispel the Demon King’s curse. I can’t even grasp how bitter it is.”
“It feels like drinking the essence after boiling extremely bitter herbal medicine…”
Do I have to keep this in my mouth?
“This is such a burden…”
Still,
“To use this as an excuse to ki…ki…”
“To use this as an excuse is not appropriate. It is a necessary action we must take for the sake of curing him.”
“Anyway… Hmm… What should I do?”
While saying that, Noah covered his mouth with his hand. From afar, it might have looked like he was deep in thought or shy, showing the innocence of a young girl.
“Noa, lower your hand.”
“…Hmph.”
There was a cunning glint in those eyes, like a hunter who had seized an opportunity.
In truth, Noah thought the method of healing was not bad. He was already annoyed at being seen as just a child, and he intended to show his charm clearly this time.
‘Surely he must be thinking that way.’
How could Taehwa not know Noah’s inner thoughts when she spoke.
“Can you do it well?”
“Ki…ss… No, heal?”
“Yeah. Uncle will probably go all out against us. Since he has consumed that essence, he must have become stronger. And amidst all that, we need to successfully heal him without making any mistakes…”
Taehwa trailed off.
She remembered the countless tentacles wielded by Kraken. Just imagining it gave her a headache. They needed a surefire way to heal him.
At the very least, some practice.
And it seemed Noah agreed with that as well.
“…There’s merit in what you say.”
“Right? We don’t have many chances, and Uncle is incredibly strong. We should aim to get it right the first time.”
“If so… there’s no other way but to practice.”
Noah’s expression became serious.
“Noa?”
“The essence is only one, and the chance is only once. If we don’t aim carefully, we’ll fail.”
“J-Just a moment, Noa! Calm down and-”
“Taehwa.”
“Huh?”
“Just press lips.”
Rustle.
Noah, who had put candy in his mouth, transformed into Magical Girl Iris.
“If you don’t want to get caught, dodge.”
“Snap out of it, Noa…!”
As Iris charged forward, Taehwa transformed into Friend Stella and rolled on the ground.
She shouldn’t have brought it up. She knew all too well how serious Noa got about things related to Uncle!
Stella hurriedly flew up, but it could also be said that the timing was already too late.
“I’ve got you.”
“Huh!?”
Stella was pinned to the ground by Iris grabbing her shoulder. The grass cushioned her fall, so it didn’t hurt.
“Noa! Calm down, calm down first!”
“We can’t afford to make a mistake… We must succeed on the first try!”
Her starry eyes were shaking intensely.
Taehwa thought.
Will I really lose my first kiss to my friend here?
At that moment, a savior appeared for her.
Plod.
“Noa, Taehwa. Eating cherries-”
“Ah.”
“Ah.”
Seo Jin-a’s pupils wavered as she approached the yard looking for them.
“Sorry! I won’t interrupt!”
“Sis! Stop joking around and help me!! I… I’m getting taken advantage of by Noa!!”
“Ah, I see?”
“Yeah. Trying to ensure we succeed at least once.”
Jin-a’s face bloomed with laughter. Taehwa shuddered at her reaction.
“How scary I was… Why is Sis laughing like that?”
“Hmm? Sorry, sorry. So…you’re practicing to succeed once.”
Clap!
Jin-a clapped her hands.
“I may not know how to guarantee success, but I know a way to increase the probability.”
“What is it?”
“This.”
Jin-a stuck her tongue out wide.
“Wouldn’t it be better to forcefully push it in with the tongue?”
“Huh…?”
“You never know. According to the contract, you might have no choice but to spit it out. Would you eat something given by the enemy, Noa?”
“No, I wouldn’t.”
“Exactly. There might be a situation where you have to eat it forcefully.”
Saying that, Jin-a plucked the stem of a cherry. The long stem disappeared into her mouth and then…
“Here, like this.”
It reappeared tied into a knot.
“Wow! How did you do that, Sis?”
“I practiced hard. You guys try it too.”
While Taehwa enthusiastically practiced, Noa looked on with a blank expression.
‘What exactly is she doing?’
It was difficult to understand the meaning of suddenly using the tongue and tying knots with cherry stems.
Of course, since he had nothing else to do while standing still, Noa also began trying to tie knots with his tongue.
“Ugh… This is difficult.”
“It’s not easy, huh?”
While Taehwa struggled, Noa casually stuck out his tongue.
“Like this?”
“What!? Why are you so good at this!?”
“Am I doing well?”
“You have talent… Uncle is lucky.”
“What is this for?”
“Huh? Didn’t you know?”
Noa shook his head.
“Then lean in for a moment.”
“Yeah.”
After listening to Taehwa’s whisper, Noa realized.
The significance of the practice he had been doing.
“Don’t worry. With Noa’s skills, we can get him to eat the medicine in one go.”
“…Let’s practice one more time!”
“…No.”
Noa turned his body and ran away somewhere.
‘I can do this.’
To hide the corners of his mouth curling up.
‘I might be able to charm Uncle with this.’
Of course, it was an impossible thought, but Noa’s mind was already painting a picture.
A picture tinged with quite a bit of red.
“Uncle, please hold on a little longer… I’ll be there soon!”
“…Hmm.”
‘Why are you like that, Shin Hyun?’
“Not really… Just getting goosebumps.”
Cold sweat trickled down Shin Hyun’s back. There was a premonition that something unusual was about to happen.
And unfortunately,
‘These kinds of premonitions are always accurate.’
Something is about to happen soon.
With that thought, Shin Hyun prepared to return to his room. It was to rest in case something unexpected happened.
And then a small hand grabs him.
It was the Demon King’s hand.
“Big Brother. Where are you going?”
“Ah. Sorry, I have to go to work later.”
“Okay… Rest well.”
The kid had been deflated ever since being scolded by the rabbit.
It made him uneasy. After all, leaving this child alone in such a place.
Of course, the kid probably wouldn’t cause any trouble…
‘Maybe I should just take him along?’
He had thought that at one point, but concluded it was impossible.
The Demon King might refuse, but it seemed like this child was bound by some kind of restriction too.
“…Phew.”
“Big Brother. Does today feel like that day?”
“Huh?”
“You told me once that if you suddenly disappeared, not to be surprised, right?”
Oh, that statement.
“And what else did I tell you?”
“Hmm…”
“I promised I’d definitely come back for you, remember?”
“Yeah!”
“You must not do anything bad and wait patiently, understood?”
The Demon King nodded.
“Got it. Let’s definitely play again later.”
Shin Hyun felt bittersweet.
Let’s play again. If only he could keep that promise.
As the things he knew were starting to run out.
Because there will be many stories ahead that even he doesn’t know.
But one thing is certain.
“Got it. I’ll definitely come back.”
The Demon King isn’t such a bad kid. It’s ultimately the fault of that rabbit parent for leading this child astray.
Noa and this kid need to be freed from that monster’s clutches.
Thinking that, Shin Hyun met a familiar face on a quiet field early that morning.
“Airis.”
“…Uncle.”
A magical girl with pink hair fluttering in the wind stood there.
There was a smile on her lips.
“Give me a kiss.”
…
