The Baby Has No Strength to Hide! - Chapter 1

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 1
It had been quite some time since Calisto last visited the Hayana Forest.
Leaving his knights at the forest’s edge, Calisto climbed deeper into the woods alone, and through the gaps where the trees seemed to part deliberately before him, a small cabin came into view, standing in the middle of a clearing.
The cottage, built of weathered logs, appeared almost as though it were part of the forest itself. In front of it lay a small garden bed where various herbs and wildflowers bloomed in harmonious arrangement, tended with evident care over many years.
The scent of lavender and rosemary drifted on the breeze, sweet and subtle.
‘But why are there all these holes?’
Calisto’s brow furrowed. The yard was scattered with half-dug pits and excavations of some kind.
What on earth could they be? While pondering this, Calisto found himself already standing before the door. The moment he cleared his throat softly to shake off his tension, a shout erupted from the direction of the garden.
“Who goes there!”
Calisto tilted his head in puzzlement.
Merlin?
Yet it didn’t quite sound like her……
“Hmm, won’t even give a name, I see.”
The voice was distinctly peculiar.
“Merlin?”
Calisto’s voice carried doubt as he called out the name. His hand drifted instinctively toward his waist.
“So you’ve come looking for the Grand Sorceress.”
……
“Well, you’ve found your way here splendidly. Ahem, yes, I knew you’d be coming.”
The voice sounded oddly excited. The words tumbled out faster, accompanied by quick, wheezing breaths.
It was almost—childlike in tone.
“Merlin, is something the matter?”
“Would that there were?”
“I’m opening the door.”
“How very daring of you.”
“Daring?”
“Is that a punishment?”
“I believe you meant to say ‘bold,’ didn’t you?”
“Yes, yes, that’s the one.”
Trapped out here in the forest, seeing no one for so long—had her vocabulary really deteriorated this much?
Calisto’s eyes narrowed, his lips pressing into a thin line.
“Who are you?”
“I am the Grand Sorceress……”
“Where is Merlin? Where has she gone?”
From their brief exchange, it was already clear enough that this was not Merlin at all.
Though no magical aura emanated from whoever this was, the possibility remained that a Demon Race was playing tricks—yet his instinct screamed that she would never fall so easily. Still, to prepare for any eventuality, he had to keep all possibilities open.
……
But despite waiting some time, no answer came. Calisto’s expression darkened.
“……Merlin isn’t here.”
The voice came back subdued, deflated. Calisto felt a twinge of sympathy for whoever this was—which was precisely when he decided not to relent. Yet the figure ahead quickly added more.
“But I am.”
“I came here seeking Merlin. I haven’t the time for your games, so tell me plainly—where is Merlin? Otherwise, I’ll……”
take your life, he should have said. But the words wouldn’t come. For some reason, he felt like a villain for even threatening it. And yet he knew—knew well—that he couldn’t afford to back down.
“I’m sorry, but I’d rather see your face while we talk.”
Silence fell again.
Calisto was about to press further, his patience finally spent.
“Would you come over here then?”
“…What?”
“If you want to see my face, come this way.”
“Where are you?”
“Over here, where the carrot patch is.”
A carrot patch, in a place like this?
Calisto let out a bitter laugh and turned, moving toward the sound. Even locating the carrot patch proved difficult, for the ground was riddled with pits of varying depths.
“I’ve reached the carrot patch.”
“Here, here!”
Calisto brushed his bangs aside in annoyance and located the source of the voice.
Whoever it was had clearly fallen into one of these many holes.
‘Keep your wits about you.’
Among the Demon Race, countless possessed cunning beyond measure. Some mimicked the voices of the dead—lovers and family—calling out in desperation, while others shrieked for salvation in a child’s pitch.
Some had even dared whisper to him in Evangeline’s voice, pleading pitifully. The memory of those battles with the Demon Race brought a throb to Calisto’s head, and he pressed his palm to his brow.
“Sigh.”
Calisto closed his eyes, steadied his breathing, and approached the pit slowly.
A carrot patch that Merlin seemed to have tended. A pit with no clear purpose.
And what lay inside it was…….
“A rabbit?”
…resembled a small child.
***
What had fallen into the pit was a young girl with tousled golden hair strewn about carelessly.
Her large eyes and cheeks tinged soft pink were endearingly precious.
She looked like the cherub who once sounded the trumpet of victory in ancient paintings of the war between humans and demons.
Yet cuteness and charm were no reason to lower one’s guard.
“Who are you?”
The girl said nothing in response to Calisto’s question, only stared at him fixedly before stretching her hand forward.
And she wasn’t even empty-handed.
In her small, round hand—reminiscent of a cream-filled bun—she wielded a shovel.
“Would you help me out?”
Her voice remained peculiarly strange.
“Lili made a mistake. I thought I could get out on my own.”
It seemed she had been digging with that shovel, but the pit had become deeper than expected, trapping her inside.
Calisto let out a rueful laugh and reached down to pull the child out.
Her face was grimy from all that focused digging.
“What on earth were you doing?”
“Can’t you tell from looking?”
The girl replied curtly and dusted off her skirt. Her blouse, decorated with a cute cherry design, and her red skirt were now stained—as if crying out for mercy.
“I’m truly sorry, but I can’t quite figure it out.”
“You see, Lili——”
The girl’s voice dropped noticeably.
“I was catching a Magical Beast.”
“A Magical Beast?”
“I was digging a trap to catch a Magical Beast. A Grizzling would be manageable!”
Admittedly, a Grizzling was a lower-tier Magical Beast. It took the form of a gaunt hound—what they called a withered hound—its ribs visible through its skeletal frame.
But a Magical Beast was still a Magical Beast. It wouldn’t be easily caught in a pit dug by a small child.
“Why a Grizzling specifically?”
“Lili likes puppies, but Merlin couldn’t find me a puppy friend.”
The girl replied dejectedly. So she intended to catch a dog-shaped Magical Beast and tame it in place of a real puppy?
The Demon Race wielded things called “Magical Beasts.” Though they bore the forms of animals, their appearance was far more grotesque and savage. All that seemed to dwell in their drooling heads was slaughter and carnage. They were a far more vexing threat than the Demon Race themselves.
“By the way, do you know Merlin?”
“Yeah, I do.”
“Where has she gone?”
“Who are you to be looking for her?”
Only then did the girl regard Calisto with visible suspicion. Feeling slightly wronged, Calisto revealed his identity.
“I am Calisto Lubentain.”
“Calisto? Are you Calisto?”
As her short, chubby fingers pointed at him, Calisto felt utterly bewildered. Was this tiny thing barely reaching his waist really asking if he was Calisto?
“Yes, I am Calisto.”
“Oh my, you’re much bigger than I thought. You’ve grown so much! If I were to feed you, the carrots and broccoli in the field would all be gone!”
The girl rattled off words like one greeting a long-lost relative, her small hands raised high as she gave enthusiastic thumbs up. Calisto couldn’t quite tell whether he ought to feel pleased at the compliment or offended by her rudeness.
“You should have told me earlier, little one.”
The girl slapped her forehead with a “Gosh, what am I thinking?” and suddenly spun around, dashing off somewhere at full speed.
“Hey, where are you going? Follow me!”
Left alone, Calisto stood frozen for a moment before letting out a rueful chuckle.
Though it felt as though he’d been bewitched, he obediently followed the child’s trail.
Toward a cottage that looked like it had stepped out of a painting.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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