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Bernstein’s nonchalant words made Goliath’s eyes flare. His bloodshot eyes gleamed with madness.
Since the so-called ‘Child’s Test’ during his childhood, he had never felt this much pain. Nor had he ever felt so humiliated.
Goliath had no intention of forgiving those who caused him such torment.
Of course, he couldn’t wage a territorial war all on his own.
“…But…”
“Bring that girl before me. I won’t be at peace until I tear her apart.”
“I’ll let you know when the opportunity arises, so focus on your recovery for now.”
Bernstein Crighton.
He was the most superior specimen among the homunculus serving the head of the house.
Even the elders of Velarion couldn’t distinguish if he was human or homunculus.
His mission was to lie in wait within Pashayen.
Additionally, he was tasked with seizing any opportunity to gnaw away at that colossal family.
But beyond that, there was another more critical mission he had.
‘To weed out the overgrown wild weeds.’
Bernstein wasn’t saying this to side with Goliath.
He intended to ‘weed out’ Goliath, judging that his stupidity posed a threat to the head of the house.
With steady footsteps, he retraced his path and vanished into the shadows.
Other than Goliath, no one would know that he had been there.
However, there was something neither he nor Goliath knew.
The night sky.
Numerous ‘eyes’ that had been observing everything from earlier now grinned slyly.
This was something no one knew about.
***
“The foolish Goliath is no longer a concern. He’ll soon self-destruct anyway.”
An elegant interior adorned in turquoise hues.
A 13-year-old girl curled the corners of her lips into a smile.
Her name was Diorose Velarion.
She was an awakened being who had passed the ‘Child’s Test’ of the Eclipse Velarion family for the third time, becoming the third child and the only daughter.
“But who is that adorable baby who humiliated Goliath? Hmm, I wonder. I thought Diego Pashayen’s daughter had died a long time ago…”
Her gentle voice carried the mixed scent of perfume and soap.
Her refined presence radiated even from the smallest gestures and posture. The young girl whispered to her ability, which had its own consciousness.
“She was adorable. Really, she was so cute. Don’t you agree?”
Diorose Velarion also possessed an ability with its own self-awareness.
A shadowy woman, her eyes blindfolded with black cloth, hugged Diorose and stretched her pitch-black lips.
This was a voice that only the master of the ability could hear, and it made Diorose burst into laughter.
“Oh dear, what if Goliath ruins that cute baby with his second ability? Well, I wouldn’t like that. Should we save her?”
The Velarion family’s ‘Child’s Test’ was both perilous and cruel.
First, children with a developed ‘Bijou’ spot were thrown into a pitch-black basement.
The children had to endure training in complete darkness until they became tainted by the shadows.
It was a life-or-death training process.
Once the Bijou had developed, the children were made to fight each other.
The only condition for passing and surviving the basement was a single criterion.
To be an awakened being with a ‘dual ability.’
When one repeatedly encountered life-threatening situations, the awakened being experienced another awakening.
That was how they obtained a dual ability.
Every child of the Velarion family had dual abilities, and Goliath was no exception.
Even if the ‘Grandpa Sackman’ wasn’t there, other methods would remain.
“Alright. Let’s watch over her for now and help her later. Such a cute child deserves to be protected. She even sang well, didn’t she?”
Wasn’t it ‘Chirp Chirp Chick’ for the little bird?
Even within the sack of the ‘Grandpa Sackman,’ there were ‘eyes’ present.
Diorose had seen it all — from how Shupetty introduced herself to how she coped with that terrifying situation.
And she had grown fond of her.
Shupetty possessed an innocence that Diorose did not have.
Rather than breaking her, she wanted to cherish her.
Rather than treating her carelessly, she wanted to treasure that small star.
“Before long, there will be a chance to meet her in person…”
As she stroked the head of the shadowy woman, Diorose let out a small “Ah,” her lips parting slightly.
Even that small gesture was imbued with elegance.
“But wait, wasn’t Lacifer Raximon there too? Why did that rude guy crawl in there?”
Her eyes, as red as pure rubies, narrowed.
Although the reason was unclear, one thing was certain.
If Lacifer Raximon had entered that place to meet Shupetty Pashayen…
Then the child, who had caught both Goliath’s and her own attention, was undeniably special.
Her curiosity was piqued by this specialness, and she was determined to figure it out.
She decided she would meet Shupetty in person.
***
“Waaah, Misssss!”
“Lina, sniffff!”
“Missss, Miss! I was so worried about you. Waaaaah!”
“Sniffle sniffle.”
The next morning, I was immediately bombarded with hugs from Lina.
After that, I received embraces from Chef Hans and the kitchen staff, who all had red eyes from crying. Finally, even the gardener came running and lifted me up high.
“Our brave little baby, it seems you’ve lost weight. Oh no, those scoundrels!”
Mr. Hans, his voice booming with anger, trembled as he spoke. Then, he slyly presented me with a snack that looked absolutely delicious.
“After going through such an ordeal, you must eat even better than usual. Here, have some of my special soft and fluffy sweet potato cheese bread.”
“Yum!”
As I munched away, more people arrived in succession. Among them were Teacher Cedric and Mr. Carmen.
“Oh my, Miss! I heard you were so brave yesterday! I, Cedric, heard that you even rescued the trembling half-elves! Truly, you are amazing!”
Teacher Cedric was as dramatic as ever—
“The Admiral is out at sea for training, but we’ve sent him the news, so he’ll be back soon.”
“Okay! What about Brother Mikard?”
“He went out with the training crew. He rested for one night and has recovered. The young master Naiad is still unwell, but the doctor is taking care of him.”
I listened to Mr. Kamin’s calm explanation while biting into a shiny, glossy strawberry for dessert.
Being called a ‘brave baby’ by everyone was making my shoulders rise with pride.
“Umm…”
My fingers were all stained with strawberry juice.
As I was wiping them with a handkerchief, a small voice called out from the doorway.
“Oh! It’s the half-elf friend!”
“I heard you woke up, so…”
“Come on in. Want some strawberry?”
I picked out a big, plump strawberry and held it out, and the half-elf friend’s eyes widened.
“What’s your name?”
“Joy.”
“Okay! Joy!”
With a wide grin, I gave the entire bowl of strawberries. There were still plenty left.
Joy hesitated for a moment before hugging the bowl tightly and lowering her head.
“…Thanks.”
“Huh?”
“Th-thank you, human.”
Joy’s pointy ears flushed red, revealing her embarrassment.
I acted mature and pretended not to notice.
“Oh, right! Mr. Carmen.”
“Yes, Miss.”
“Is Joy going to live here now?”
“The half-elves you rescued, Miss, had been living in the elf world rather than the human world. So, we’ve decided to give them time to adapt to the human world. They’ll go through an adaptation process, and after that, we’ll determine what kind of work they can do within Pashayen.”
That’s a relief.
Under the bright light, I got a good look at Joy, and she looked as pretty as a snowflake.
It was as if she had been made from freshly fallen white snow. But when her ears and cheeks turned red, she resembled a winter plum blossom.
On top of that, her long hair had been cut into a short bob, which suited her perfectly.
“Joy, is there something you want to do?”
I offered her a seat and asked, and as she cautiously ate a strawberry, she nodded her head.
“I want to be a navy sailor.”
“Wow!”
“I know how to use a sword. I’m good at exploration, and I’m confident in tracking. When I become a sailor, I’ll protect you. So…”
Joy trailed off as she glanced at Mr. Carmen.
“Haha, that’s a decision for the Admiral to make. But since she’s a half-elf, she’s sure to have superior physical abilities. She can take the entrance test… but she has to reach the appropriate age first.”
At the mention of age, Joy snorted.
Then she mumbled softly, almost to herself.
“You’re younger than me.”
