Chapter 15

15

The sky is blue, and the air is clear.

The chirping sparrows are so noisy that I kept flailing my arms and legs in the air.

I yawned with my mouth wide open and then, feeling a bit disappointed, I put my fingers in my mouth.

As I sucked on them, I felt even more disappointed.

"Au! Auu!"

What am I missing?

My head won't work.

I groaned, wriggling my body this way and that, and then flipped over. I got up on all fours, grabbed the safety railing of the crib, and stood up.

"Ah, have you woken up, Miss?"

"Babuaa!"

The maid approached me.

I looked at a giant-like person much bigger than me and waved my hands.

As I kept sucking my fingers, she let out a small exclamation.

"Come to think of it, this is what I was looking for."

"Bauu!"

"The pacifier is quite dirty, so I cleaned it as much as I could... but the stains are quite stubborn..."

The maid, looking regretful, muttered and put the pacifier in my mouth instead of my fingers.

Chalgrang.

There was a hole at the end of the pacifier, connected to some kind of ring, as if it could be worn around the neck.

Jipjip.

Anyway, as I reflexively sucked on the pacifier, it felt like I had found the missing half of my soul, and I snapped back to my senses.

"Ah..."

And a wave of self-loathing hit me as countless memories surfaced.

I twisted my body and then smacked my forehead against the safety railing.

"Oh! Miss!"

You stupid fool.

Who would have thought that I would let go of the pacifier just because I was sleepy?

The pacifier, which had been rolling on the floor, hit my head. I was Hela, the great sorceress who had endured countless sword strikes!

"Heraaa!"

I! Am! Hela!

I screamed in self-loathing.

'How much time has passed?'

It seems a bit easier to stand and my tongue feels a bit more free...

Anyway, my pronunciation seems to have improved a little.

I managed to relax my furrowed brow. I don't want to wrinkle at such a young age.

"Miss?"

"Ummuya!"

How much time has passed!

How can pronunciation that won't come out naturally be so frustrating?

I sat down on the floor, trapped in the crib like an animal.

For some reason, the maid's face was filled with pity when she heard me.

"I am not your mother, Miss... such a pitiful person..."

I stared blankly at the maid, who wiped away her tears with a white handkerchief.

What is she saying? Who is she, anyway? Where am I? Why does everything seem so fake?

The crib is more luxurious and spacious than usual. The room is also cleaner.

I held out the pacifier in my mouth with a glimmer of hope.

Pop!

A cheerful sound came as if a tightly closed lid had opened.

'Why is the pacifier still the same?'

I bowed my head and stared at my pacifier.

It was a bit shiny, but the stains were still there.

Why give me this fancy crib and room but not a new pacifier? Do you not change pacifiers even if they get dirty?

"I'll try to get a new one when I go to the market next time."

"Ooong?"

When I looked up with wide eyes, the maid wiped away her tears again.

Why does this maid cry so much? Is she new?

"Miss, there's no budget allocated for you... our Miss..."

Not 'our Miss.' Is it because I'm friendly or because of the money? Of course, it's the latter.

'Who would want to take care of a kid obsessed with a pacifier like a mad dog?'

"Uuua!"

Who are you!

I looked at the maid, hoping she would understand my question.

"Excuse me? Ah, 'Uuua'? What does 'Uuua' mean? Have you started talking? I was worried that something was wrong because you were so quiet. I'm Sicily. Sicily."

No, I'm not interested in your introduction.

Why do the people in this house keep pouring out their stories, which I have no interest in, without any hesitation?

I looked at the maid with my eyes wide open.

'So, you can't buy a new pacifier because there's no budget?'

I have money saved in the bank, but if I was declared dead, it would all belong to Silofia.

Of course, since it's not an imperial account, it won't be easy to find here.

'I also hid some jewels nearby.'

I had hidden money and jewels in various places around the world, along with mana stones, in case of emergencies.

'Originally, it was to prepare for a war...'

I never thought I would need to find them to survive.

I remembered hiding them when I visited the Hela Empire. The problem is, I'm too young to go and find them.

"Shiuuza!"

How many months have passed?

The more I spoke, the clearer my pronunciation became.

"Market? Did you say market, Miss? Goodness... you're only 13 months old..."

Why can you understand me?

'Wait, 13 months?'

I... lived... lived like an idiot for two months? I couldn't even think properly, stumbling over my words, and then I bowed my head.

The despair was indescribable.

"Yes, let's go to the market. Unfortunately, you're not allowed to go outside, so it would be good to treat it as a walk."

You damn Sharant Clown! There's no need to wonder who gave such an order.

The Deshar Clown wouldn't give such an order, so it must be the Sharant Clown.

"Poor thing. You need to train a dog while raising it."

"...Uu?"

"Now that you can talk, we should start training soon."

Hesitantly.

Something feels a bit off.

No matter how I think about it, it's strange, so I slowly backed away on my bottom.

The maid approached me with a friendly smile, but I kept backing away. When my back hit the railing, I realized I couldn't go any further.

"Come here. There's a lot to buy."

"Uaaaaaah!"

I screamed desperately.

This maid, her pupils are dilated, and she seems a bit crazy.

I've dealt with many crazy people for a long time.

The basic element of black magic, which is the foundation of my power, is human yin energy (陰氣).

It's the negative emotions, dark or damp energy, and the best source of black magic power, human death.

This yin energy is overflowing from the maid.

It means she's similar to the human subjects used in black magic experiments.

In other words, she's not normal.

"Shh, you need to be quiet. You're causing trouble."

The maid leaned in and forcefully pushed the pacifier back into my mouth, then locked the thin, squeaky string attached to the pacifier around the back of my head.

This means I can't take the pacifier out of my mouth on my own. I can't even open my mouth.

'Well... this might be good.'

If I can't take it out, it means I won't spend months like an idiot, right...

'I can't eat!'

I won't be able to eat, let alone drink water.

Just thinking about it made me feel like all the blood drained from my face.

'I don't want to starve to death with the pacifier in my mouth!'

"This is quiet training, Miss. It's essential to be a cute puppy."

"Uu..."

"Did you know? I'm the best dog trainer in this field."

Then go train a dog!

This person is crazy.

I quickly came to a conclusion.

Honestly, if someone sees me, this cute, chubby, and adorable baby, as a dog, they must be crazy.

I quickly decided and lay down.

In the same position as always, I strained with a "Grun!" and my body floated up into the air.

"What...?"

The surprised maid couldn't move, and fortunately, the door was wide open.

'Let's just run.'

No one is allowed to enter Sharant Clown's garden, so if I run there, I'll be safe.

If anyone follows me, they'll be caught by Sharant Clown and face immediate judgment.

'You need to cut the throat, not the tendons, Sharant.'

I threw myself onto the floor. My round body rolled a few times.

"Oh my, a flying puppy!"

The maid laughed and started walking towards me.

I quickly squeezed my head through the narrow door gap.

Crack. My bottom got stuck again, just like last time.

I strained desperately, shaking my bottom from side to side, and with a "Pong" sound, it came loose.

Thud thud thud.

My knees hurt so much that they felt numb, but that wasn't the urgent issue.

I needed to go to the garden to get ten rose thorns from tiger thorn and red roses, and some straw.

'I'll kill them and use their magic power.'

Just as I made up my mind.

"Where are you going, Miss? You need to come this way."

A chilling voice came from behind.

It was getting closer, clearly chasing me.

Clack clack.

The slow footsteps suggested that she could catch me at any moment.

The one good thing is that years of training have made my knees incredibly strong. So, a little pain won't make me cry.

I crawled down the stairs.

'How can Sharant Clown, that damn human, hire such a crazy woman?'

Revenge for ruining the garden was certain.

"Uu..."

Frustration, sorrow, and pride welled up, and tears welled in my eyes.

Since Deshar Clown didn't want to kill his grandson's child, he must have decided to train me like a dog.

As I crawled down the corridor desperately, I saw Sharant Clown walking towards me.

'Ugh.'

I reflexively turned quickly. I wanted to go out through another corridor.

The problem was that Sharant Clown, seeing me, was approaching with a deeper smile.

"Miss?"

"Uu!"

To make matters worse, the maid's voice was getting closer from behind.

Just then, the tightly closed front door slowly opened.

I didn't miss the opportunity and quickly pushed my head through the gap. Being small, this was to my advantage.

For a moment, I was lost in the fresh outside air. Then, my neck was grabbed, and I was lifted into the air.