Chapter 100

The girl had her brown hair braided on both sides and wore a hat pulled down low. She looked to be around 10-12 years old.

"Sorry. Are you hurt?"

The girl, looking flustered, asked, and Han Ji-hyuk replied.

"No."

"Thank goodness! I'm sorry."

Just as the girl bowed her head deeply,

"Massa, come and have something to eat!"

A warm-looking woman, who seemed to be the owner of the bakery, called out to the girl.

"No, I can't. My sister is waiting for me…!"

"Then wait. I'll pack something for you."

"But you don't have to…."

"Do you think I don't know your situation? Just wait a moment."

The girl approached the shop, fidgeting.

The woman brought a bag, and from the top of the bag, a baguette was sticking out, indicating that she had packed some bread.

The girl mumbled as she took the bag.

"Thank you always."

"No problem. It's just leftovers."

"But I always receive…."

"I'll need your help whenever I do. How is your sister doing?"

"…."

"It's a tough situation. How can you take care of her with such a young body?"

"I'm fine!"

"If you need any help, let me know."

"Even just your words are a great comfort."

The girl laughed and bowed deeply.

"Goodbye!"

The girl, holding the bag, ran off quickly.

Han Ji-hyuk, watching the girl's back, narrowed his eyes.

'She has clear eyes…'

Han Ji-hyuk took out Dalia's portrait to check.

It was still the face of a frog.

"Do you think I can recognize Dalia with this picture?"

"…Look closely."

"Will I see Dalia's face just by looking closely?"

"There are dimples… and her eyes are slightly slanted, giving her a very kind look. There's also a small scar above her eyebrows, and her double eyelids are thin, so they almost look like she doesn't have them, making her face look more Eastern…."

The face seemed somewhat similar to the description.

Han Ji-hyuk sighed and approached the bakery owner.

"May I ask you a question?"

"Hmm? Ah, what… Go ahead."

"Is the girl's name Massa?"

"Yes."

"By any chance, what about her parents…"

As he asked, the woman frowned and looked at Han Ji-hyuk with a wary eye.

"Who are you to ask such things? Whether the child has parents or not, what's it to you?"

"I'm looking for a child."

"What child?"

Han Ji-hyuk, like a con man, fabricated a story.

"The owner is looking for a lost daughter."

"…Are you a servant of a noble family?"

"Yes."

"Then you shouldn't be concerned with this child…."

The bakery owner muttered, and a man making crepes at a street stall said,

"Ah, just talk to him. Who knows, Massa might be a noble lady."

"Still…."

"She was raised by her mother alone. Her mother died last year."

"But Massa's mother wasn't involved with any nobles."

"That's true…."

"Why would she need to have a good appearance for that?"

The bakery owner glanced at Han Ji-hyuk.

"She was a good person, but an ordinary woman. She wasn't particularly striking or noticeable."

Han Ji-hyuk quickly took out a gold coin from his pocket.

As he handed over the gold coin, the bakery owner's face twisted.

"Do you think I'm the kind of person who sells children's information for money? Take it back!"

Han Ji-hyuk laughed awkwardly.

"My master is looking for someone who isn't particularly striking."

"…."

"My master is desperately searching for his daughter. Could you please tell me?"

"Since there's a chance Massa might be the child you're looking for, I'll tell you. Maybe this child deserves a bit of luck."

The woman, with her arms crossed, began to speak.

"Massa is a good child. She's been pushing a cart since she was seven to take care of her sick mother. Now her sister is also sick, and she's still not giving up."

"What about the sister?"

"Sister?"

The woman snorted.

The man making crepes at the stall also shook his head.

"She's the worst-tempered person in this street! If it weren't for Massa's kindness, she would have been abandoned long ago."

"What's her name?"

"Mary."

"Mary…?"

"She's so bad-tempered, I can't even describe it. Once, Massa made a mistake while pushing Mary's wheelchair, and got a scratch on her face…"

"Yes."

"So, she stabbed her sister's face with a pencil!"

"Really?!"

"To make you feel the pain you caused. She did it during her mother's funeral. She's incredibly cruel."

Han Ji-hyuk frowned.

The Dalia he heard about from Eryllot was a very good-natured child.

Kind, affectionate, friendly, and forgiving of mistakes….

'Is it possible that it's Massa? But Mary also has a scar on her face.'

In any case, it needed to be confirmed.

* * *

That night.

Han Ji-hyuk came to Eclipto Castle with a tired face.

I glanced at him as I turned the pages of a book.

"Why do you look like that?"

"Massa is pitiful… Mary should be punished."

"What?"

Han Ji-hyuk said,

"In the bustling area of Eclipto, I saw a child who looked like Dalia. From what I heard, her father is gone and her mother has passed away.

So, I went to their house to check…"

"The sister was tormenting her all day!"

"Who told you about the sisters? You were supposed to find Dalia."

"I recorded it."

Han Ji-hyuk took out the magical tool I gave him.

It was a special magical tool that could record short videos, up to 3 seconds.

I activated the magical tool.

[How am I supposed to eat this? You're trying to make me run away by making me sick, aren't you?]

[No, sister…]

[Shut up! Stop pretending to be good!]

"The one shouting is Mary, and the one crying is Massa…"

"…Dalia."

"Really? Is it really Dalia?"

Han Ji-hyuk nodded.

"I thought it was likely that Massa was Dalia. You should think highly of me for recognizing her from that portrait."

"No."

"What?"

"Dalia is… this one."

I pointed to the one shouting.

So, the sister, Mary.

Han Ji-hyuk looked amazed.

"But Dalia is a good child."

"…."

"Mary is a truly despicable person. From what I heard, she did all sorts of things, especially tormenting her poor sister."

Her personality might have changed when she was young.

I met Dalia when I was 18.

'In 8 years, she could have changed.'

"How old? What about her age?"

"They are twins, one year younger than you."

"…."

"But Dalia and Mary have different eye colors. They both have clear eyes."

"What?"

I quickly looked at Han Ji-hyuk.

'What's going on?'

People's eye color doesn't change as they grow.

I recalled my memories from my first life.

"Dalia's eyes are a beautiful color, like the green of summer when Dalia flowers bloom."

"I see them as a beautiful emerald sea."

"Brothers, please stop… I'm so embarrassed."

"Haha, Dalia always finds compliments difficult."

Her eyes were definitely green.

'Too similar to not be Dalia.'

Especially the sister, Mary, was a miniature version of Dalia.

"Where do they live?"

"Not far from the castle."

"I need to prepare to go out in the morning."

"But there's the inauguration ceremony."

"Just a short time before the ceremony."

"Alright."

I told Han Ji-hyuk and continued to watch the video from the magical tool.

No matter how I thought about it, something was off.

Like a misaligned gear.

The next day.

I left Eclipto Castle early in the morning.

Of course, to visit Mary and Massa.

The sisters' house wasn't far, as Han Ji-hyuk said.

It only took about 30 minutes by carriage.

The problem was…

"The house is on the mountainside?"

"Yes."

The mountain was too steep for a carriage to go up.

'But using a teleportation stone…'

The inauguration ceremony strengthened the borders of Eclipto.

Even if they didn't have enough funds to set up a powerful barrier, they were likely investigating the flow of mana.

Using a teleportation stone might get me in trouble.

'I can't let Astra find out that I checked on the sisters.'

Later, if I find Dalia, someone might find it suspicious that I visited the sisters.

"Let's walk."

As I said with determination, Han Ji-hyuk's expression crumpled.

"In this dress?"

"Yes."

"…You're crazy."

I started walking up the mountain, but Han Ji-hyuk suddenly picked me up.

"Ah! What are you doing!"

"Are you going to the inauguration ceremony looking like a mess?"

"I'll be careful!"

"You'll walk well in those shoes. Stay still."

Han Ji-hyuk carried me and walked up the mountain.

'I'm not a complete weakling.'

I thought he would complain after 10 minutes, but he walked well.

I had grown taller and heavier by the time I was 10, but he didn't show any signs of fatigue.

He was also quite tall.

He had a subtle but strong build.

'I understand why Mosco keeps telling Han Ji-hyuk to train.'

He has good potential, so he could become strong with training.

But he doesn't like training, so I can't force him.

I was carried by Han Ji-hyuk up the mountainside.

While being carried, I looked back, and Han Ji-hyuk stopped.

"Hey."

"What?"

"To avoid being killed by a bear, you should pretend to be dead, right?"

"It's a fairy tale. If you pretend to be dead, you'll be torn apart. Why are you asking?"

"…There's a bear in front of us."

I turned my head stiffly.

"…."

"…."

A huge bear was staring at us.

"What do we do now?"

Han Ji-hyuk asked, and I quietly replied.

"What?"

"Run!"

As I shouted, Han Ji-hyuk started running like a madman.

I heard that when you encounter a bear, you should back away carefully, but the bear was already in attack mode.

The only option was to run.

But the bear was running incredibly fast.

'What is this? What is it?'

Did I suddenly get a protagonist buff?

Why did I suddenly become an unlucky Eryllot again?!

'Is the protagonist in danger?'

Is the story already at that point?

Han Ji-hyuk was somewhat sturdy, but he wasn't as strong as knights.

Carrying a 10-year-old child and running fast was impossible.

I felt like we would be caught.

I jumped down and started running frantically.

Then we came to a fork in the road.

"Han Ji-hyuk, go that way!"

"You?"

"I'll go the other way!"

"What are you planning?"

"At least one of us should survive!"

Being together wouldn't help.

I was small and would be torn apart by the bear as soon as it got close.

And Han Ji-hyuk couldn't hold the bear…

'That bear is too big.'

It was better for at least one of us to survive rather than both being caught and becoming the bear's meal.

Han Ji-hyuk and I started running in different directions.

The bear chased after me.

'Why me? The other one looks fatter!'

Is it because I'm wearing a bright red dress and standing out?

If I had known, I would have said I was sick and not gone to the inauguration ceremony…

'I should have worn sneakers instead of heels!'

No, running shoes!

If I survive this, I'll definitely develop running shoes…

I ran like a madman.

I ran with the determination to die, but the distance only got closer.

The bear swung its front paw.

Just as it was about to touch me, I screamed.

"Ombre!"

Ombre, who appeared from the shadows, grabbed the bear's leg.

"Roar─!"

The bear fell over, and I ran towards the sound of water.

'Animals hate water, so if I get in the water or cross a river…!'

I ran frantically, but the bear quickly got up and chased after me.

Ugh!

Maybe I should have brought Ragon?

But if I had brought him, the nobles would have said something to me…

All sorts of thoughts came to mind even in this emergency.

The sound of water was getting louder, and I was almost at the ravine.

I hoped the water was deep.

'Too shallow…!'

Still, I jumped into the water.

The bear followed me into the water.

"Ombre!"

I shouted, but Ombre, who was still young, was afraid of the water and just swam around.

I crouched in the water, barely avoiding the bear.

'I'm going to die─!'

I made a splashing sound as I dove underwater.

The sound of splashing water was right behind me.

But something was strange.

No matter how much time passed, I didn't feel any pain.

'What's going on?'

I slowly came out of the water and turned my head.

"Huh?"

The bear, hit by a spear, was lying on the water.

And standing on top of it was…

"Who are you?"

A boy frowned and looked at me.

Confused, I looked at him, and he tilted his head as he looked at my appearance.

"A noble?"

At that moment,

"Brother?"

"Brother!"

Familiar faces appeared behind the boy.

The faces I saw in the magical tool Han Ji-hyuk showed me.

Massa and Mary.

Mary's expression twisted.

"You, why are you with my brother?"

"…."

"Ask me!"