Episode 3
***
Looking back, my father was somewhat peculiar.
“Lirin! Oh, did you sleep well? Did you dream about Daddy last night? Hmm?”
“Yeah. Yawn. Daddy was in my dream.”
“Wow! Really?”
“Yeah. But it was terrible.”
“Oh, no… Why?”
“In the dream, Daddy watered and patted Lirin Potato, and it withered and died….”
Despite having lived as a farmer his whole life, every crop he touched died. Because of this, my father constantly had to look for other work.
‘They said he was born with a silver spade, but to be exact, it was more like a garden spade.’
Ahem. One that I cultivated with my own hands.
‘The plants I touched grew well without any special care!’
Still, my father was good at everything except farming. He chopped wood to sell, helped with various tasks around the village for pay, and occasionally took on jobs as a small-scale escort outside the village, providing for us without leaving us wanting.
We lived a life that wasn’t rich, but neither was it lacking.
The past five years with my father were truly happy. And when Theo started living with us, every day became even more joyful.
In this green-roofed house with a small vegetable garden in the yard.
‘And now they say Dad is going to die?’
I moved the drowsy Theo to the crib and sat back down at the table. I clenched my fists, trying to hold back the tears that kept welling up.
‘At this rate, Dad will die just like in the dream…’
At the hands of those people trying to take down the terrifying villain!
I shook my head furiously.
‘Dad dying? That he was on borrowed time?!’
No, that’s absolutely not happening!
No matter how much Dad might become a villain in the future, that was irrelevant to me now.
Which means that, to me, Dad wasn’t the cold and cruel ‘Duke Wintervald’, but a gentle and kind family member.
‘Dad is the only person who ever loved me.’
Like Theo, I was abandoned when I was three years old. The reason was unknown. What mattered was that Dad took me in and raised me until now.
Of course…
‘I still don’t understand why the great Kalec Wintervald was taking care of muddy babies in this remote mountain village…’
But even so, still.
Naturally.
Dad was everything to me. My only savior. A steadfast mountain that would always have my back.
“Do you want to come with me?”
Five years ago.
Since that cold, dry voice asked me that question, we had become each other’s entire world.
‘Yeah. No matter how bad Dad becomes, the love he gave me couldn’t have been fake.’
Like a plant that grew lush and healthy under plenty of sunlight and rain, I had thrived on Dad’s love over the past five years.
If there had been even the slightest impurity in that affection, I probably wouldn’t have grown this way.
So.
“There’s only one thing to do.”
My eyes shone with determination.
“Let’s save Dad. And then the three of us can live happily together.”
After realizing I was having dreams about the future, I became aware at the age of six that I was a bit smarter than other kids my age. In other words, I could think more rationally than the average eight-year-old.
‘Maybe Dad wasn’t exaggerating when he said I was a genius…’
Anyway, thanks to remembering the content of the dream, I had a vague understanding of why Dad disappeared on the day of my much-anticipated eighth birthday.
‘Right now, it’s probably the same time as in my dream, when Kalec… I mean, Dad had an accident in the Labyrinth and returned to the duke’s estate.’
I tried to piece together the current situation based on the scenes from my dream.
‘The problem is… there’s a high probability that Dad lost his memory because of that accident.’
Because I remembered Kalec Wintervald mentioning his ‘lost five years’ in the scene where he died.
Which means.
‘Even if I wait quietly, Dad won’t come looking for me.’
I clenched my fists tightly.
“If Dad doesn’t come first, then I’ll go to him!”
One of my strengths was my quick recovery, like a bouncy ball. I quickly wiped away the tears that had pooled in my eyes and bit my lip.
Yes, thinking positively, the situation isn’t at its worst yet.
‘Dad hasn’t fully turned evil and started doing bad things yet!’
Kalec Wintervald in the dream was a villain with a tragic backstory.
In other words, he slowly went mad due to a series of events. That’s why he ended up being punished.
“When Mother died, ─ died too, and I even lost ─ and ─. How could I not go mad? Tell me, what reason do I have not to destroy this empire?”
I vaguely remembered him saying something like that in a voice full of burning rage. I don’t remember the exact details of the line.
‘Who was it that made Dad so miserable?’
I pondered for a moment, but no answer came.
But I knew for sure what I had to do.
‘Alright.’
Now that I’ve made up my mind, time for a three-line summary of my tasks!
“Hah.”
Sketchbook, open!
I paused slightly at the last part, hesitating.
Because of the additional explanation I wanted to add to number three.
‘Since I’ve already found out how amazing Dad is…’
Should I start harboring a little ambition for myself, too?
I recited my goals three times with a determined look.
I’d better fix this cracked silver spoon properly.
Dad, just wait! This time, I’ll protect you!
***
The next day.
As soon as the sun rose, I ran over to our neighbor, Mrs. Masha.
“What? Mr. Alec didn’t come back last night? So you spent the night alone? Oh my goodness!”
“We’re fine. But on the way here, I overheard Mr. Bill saying that the Beast Maze was found conquered early this morning. Do you think Dad might’ve gotten caught up in that?”
“Oh, oh! Yes! They say it was a massive operation. Some of the local woodcutters got caught up in it too… Alec might have been there!”
I nodded. Theo was sitting on Mrs. Masha’s lap, eagerly eating egg soup with bright eyes.
“They say everyone who lost consciousness there was transported to the capital’s temple through the warp portal for treatment… Maybe Dad is at the temple and can’t come home.”
Mrs. Masha thought deeply about what I said and nodded, “That could be it.”
I lived in the rural village of Lepi, deep in the southern countryside.
Even though I was a bright 8-year-old, it would be tough to go to the capital without an adult. And Theo was with me too.
‘Technically, I could leave Theo with Mrs. Masha and go…’
But I ended up having a big argument with Theo about it this morning.
“Theo, you know… I have something to say…”
“Boohoo!”
Theo Baldt protested by burying his face in his chubby arms and flopping onto the floor… His plump bottom made his plea somewhat compelling.
‘He’s been rebellious lately.’
Though he couldn’t speak properly yet, his stubbornness was remarkable.
So in the end, I decided to take Theo with me.
“Alright. Let’s go to the capital with Auntie. I was planning to go to the capital this month anyway, so I’ll just go a bit earlier.”
“Thank you, Auntie!”
“Oh, how admirable.”
Kind Mrs. Masha quickly bustled around, urging me to pack, saying this wasn’t the time for standing around. She swiftly put on a long-distance travel cloak, secured a carriage, and even brought out an expensive speed-enhancing magic tool.
‘We can’t use the warp portal without the temple’s permission. Even by carriage, it will take at least three days, right?’
I tried to add to the fare by using the emergency funds hidden under Dad’s bed, but Auntie adamantly refused. She said she owed Dad a lot.
While Auntie was getting ready, I held Theo’s hand tightly and stood in front of our house.
The morning sun shone brightly on our green-roofed house.
The cozy cabin where Dad and I had lived together for five years.
“Theo, say goodbye. This might be a long trip!”
Theo waved his hand slightly at my words.
‘I didn’t think we’d be leaving this place like this.’
I carefully took in the sight of our cherished home, with a small lake in front and the beautiful path I had walked countless times as a child.
‘Now that I think about it, Dad painted that roof himself…’
“The roof is painted in a color just like our Lirin’s eyes! How about that?”
“Great!”
But it wasn’t just the roof.
The sturdy wooden door, the squeaky-clean windows, even the white fence covered with my doodles—there wasn’t a single thing that didn’t bear Dad’s touch.
‘The only thing he didn’t work on was probably my favorite garden.’
A small plot under my room’s window, where I planted seeds and watered them, learning so much.
‘I realized here that my magic is specialized in nurturing and communicating with plants.’
I looked at my hand, where my light green magic flickered, and then shook it off.
“Mmmwah. My cute tomatoes…”
“Sweetheart, Daddy wants a kiss too.”
“Precious potatoes… Crisp lettuce… I love you, my darlings.”
“Hahaha! Daddy will water them.”
“No! They’ll die!”
‘Ah.’
I thought absentmindedly.
‘No wonder Dad wasn’t good at farming.’
Once I realized Dad’s true nature, everything I’d wondered about made sense. It was only natural.
‘He’s a Wintervald, born with the power of destruction.’
As a person grows, their magic blooms in a way that’s unique to them. Depending on the nature and intensity of that magic, how it’s used can vary greatly.
Of course, if your magic is weak, you won’t bloom at all and will just live as an ordinary person with no special abilities.
‘Dad’s magic was so strong that it was more pronounced, I guess.’
I looked around the area one last time.
‘Alright. I’ve made up my mind. When I find Dad, I’m definitely bringing him back here at least once.’
Maybe seeing this cabin filled with memories will spark something in him.
Just standing here brings back so many thoughts!
So stay well until then, my precious home.
“Lirin! Let’s go!”
“Yes!”
I waved my hand slightly, then quickly turned around. It was sad, but it’s not like we were leaving forever, so it was okay!
Goodbye, Lirin.
See you again, Lirin.
It felt like the trees, fruits, and flowers I’d grown close to were saying goodbye to me as they swayed in the gentle breeze.
“Yes! I’ll be back soon!”
And so, I left the familiar village of Lepi behind.
A few days later, at night.
A mysterious figure in a black robe stood still in front of the green-roofed house.
Crack, boom!
Fireworks shot up, cutting through the dark sky.
The house was engulfed in flames, the plants screaming as they turned to ashes.
“…..”
A crooked smile formed on the lips of the figure under the hood.
***
I craned my neck, eagerly taking in my surroundings.
“Wow, the capital…”
There are so many people. So many buildings. So many adults and kids! And so much delicious food! The nonstop travel over the past few days was worth it!
‘Wait, this isn’t the time for this.’
I almost lost myself in the splendor of the capital.
I quickly calmed down and followed closely behind Mrs. Masha. This wasn’t the time to be sightseeing.
There was a long line in front of the central temple.
As expected, it was difficult to enter immediately.
As I stood there staring at the tightly closed temple doors, Mrs. Masha must have noticed my disappointment and kindly explained.
“Don’t worry, Lirin. The capital’s main temple has set times for entry, so it’s closed right now. Let’s wait a bit and then check inside the treatment room to see if Alec is there.”
“Ah, okay!”
But Dad wouldn’t be there anyway.
I swallowed those words and followed Mrs. Masha.
Now that I had safely arrived in the capital, I had to move on to the next step quickly.
‘To the Wintervald Duke’s mansion!’
• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
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