The Dutiful Kid Who Saved the Villainous Family - Chapter 17

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 17

The moment he met the child’s large eyes.

Faintly, some indescribable emotion stirred at the bottom of his chest.

Clearly, he had decided not to grow attached.

Even for an immune person, staying by his side would be burdensome.

Yet the fact that they could grow closer was welcome.

“2.5 meters.”

“Hup!”

“You can come that much closer now.”

Airi bounced energetically and waved her hands.

“We’re twice as close now!”

Watching his daughter who was also good at arithmetic, one corner of his mouth lifted up…

“Now I can see your face clearly, sir!”

Then went back down again.

‘Still calling me sir?’

Even if not dad, he felt a stubborn desire to at least be called mister.

“Hehe, I’m going to live here now!”

…But seeing Airi swinging her legs and smiling brightly, he felt conflicted about wanting to break that happiness.

He quietly examined the child’s pebble-like face.

Getting a little closer, he could see the child’s face even better.

He could even see that the child had dimples when she smiled.

Declan had thought he would never see a child in his lifetime.

But watching the child’s innocent smiling face.

“I’m going to live in this house now!”

Watching the child gaze with wonder at the corridor she should have rightfully walked.

One side of his chest gradually grew warm.

He had constantly brainwashed himself not to expect to meet a child.

The child he thought he’d never see in his lifetime was bouncing around and suddenly looked at him.

“Sir! Oh, what’s wrong?”

“What do you mean?”

“Your eyes look like you cried and became a rabbit!”

“Huh?”

“A rabbit!”

Airi raised both her index and middle fingers above her head, mimicking rabbit ears.

When she was the one who looked like a rabbit.

Airi glanced at him like a dejected rabbit and carefully asked.

“Um, if you think me living here is a little, just a tiny bit unpleasant…”

“I didn’t cry. You saw wrong. And about you living here.”

He deliberately cleared his throat, then quietly murmured.

“…I don’t dislike it.”

The child’s face brightened radiantly.

“Wow! What a relief. Really!”

Seeing that expression made him want to be together for a long, long time.

But he had to find his reason like an adult.

‘But she’s still someone who shouldn’t even touch me.’

He deliberately spoke the survival rules sternly.

“We’ll stay together for just one more month, and if I judge it’s dangerous, you’ll go back.”

Gentle eyes looked up at Declan.

Declan’s heart sank for a moment.

Had he immediately poured cold water on the excited child?

“It’s not because I hate you, but because there might be bad effects on your body.”

…Perhaps he had been too cold after all.

Then, Airi muttered.

“Um, could you tell me what ‘bad effects’ means?”

“…What?”

Perhaps because the child’s speech was overly mature.

He seemed to have overestimated a five-year-old’s vocabulary.

Moreover, it seemed to have been a mumble to herself, as the child was spirited and brave.

“But even though I’m very strong, I have something I must do! So I think I need to stay a little longer than a month!”

“No.”

“…”

The child’s lips jutted downward.

His previously relaxed nerves tensed at every change in his child’s expression.

He unconsciously whispered softly.

“…Then maybe about two months.”

“Huk!”

“That much should be safe.”

“Yes!”

Airi became extremely excited and smiled brightly.

Had the lock he had firmly placed on his heart come undone?

He lightly pulled the string.

He immediately saw Raspen opening the door next to Airi and entering.

“I’ve prepared things you can use in the Northern Region. Raspen?”

“Yes, yes?”

“So… that is.”

“Yes?”

Declan rubbed the back of his stiff neck and muttered.

“…You know, the things I’ve been buying since 5 years ago. The ones I kept replacing so they wouldn’t be tainted by magic.”

Then Raspen spoke loudly and spiritedly.

“Ah, so you mean the things you bought every month matching Airi’s age, thinking that maybe, just maybe, by some miracle with a 0.00001% chance, Airi might become immune and return to Ortejo Castle, or even if not, she might suddenly want to see her father and come visit?”

“What?”

“Since you even studied books on child growth and development to fill Airi’s room, Airi will definitely love them!”

Declan’s face gradually turned red like a ripe tomato.

“Don’t, don’t talk nonsense.”

“Yes! I’ll stop speaking the truth. But it’s really true, isn’t it?”

Raspen grinned and winked at Airi.

Actually, Airi didn’t properly understand because he spoke too fast. But since he was an adult, she nodded anyway.

“I’ve prepared everything, so please come this way!”

She didn’t know what it was, but presents!

“Wow! Thank you so much!”

Seeing the extremely excited child’s expression, a subtle emotion stirred inside.

Something like a strange embarrassment.

Unable to bear that unfamiliar feeling, Declan urgently emphasized.

“It’s nothing special. Just things to use and throw away during your stay.”

“…”

“Don’t expect too much.”

“…”

He met Airi’s transparent purple eyes and emphasized again.

“I just picked them up along the way.”

* * *

…Didn’t he tell me not to get my hopes up?

After parting with the elder.

Looking at the countless gifts being carried into the room, Airi was completely overwhelmed.

Mountain-high piles of gifts were stacked incredibly high.

Since she had become immune, they said she could reside in the family estate for a certain period.

Plus, she could take off that bread-like magic blocking suit!

‘Finally, freedom!’

And they prepared all sorts of gifts too!

‘Where did they pick all this up to have so much? Should I ask to go there and pick some up too?’

While she was eagerly examining the gifts, she heard crying sounds from somewhere.

It was Cookie, completely soggy from the sugar water.

Airi asked Cookie, who was sitting dejectedly next to a gift bundle.

“…Why are you like that?”

“Of all things, to get caught having such pathetic purification power. Embarrassing! So incredibly embarrassing!”

The wrapping ribbon beside him was also covered with tears and snot in the shape of Cookie’s eyes and nose.

“My contractor is supposed to become 5-star level! The only one who can grow! Why can’t anyone discover the Ring of Purification!”

“Hmm, that’s true. Why couldn’t they see it?”

“Ever since I was sealed, everyone’s become stupid…!”

Watching Cookie getting soggier and soggier, Airi scratched the back of her neck.

“Isn’t that actually a good thing?”

“Wh-what’s actually good about it?”

“Starting as the strongest from the beginning is boring. Look, I was originally the worst white belt at our dojo, right? But I worked hard and got my colored belt really fast and even went to Kukkiwon?”

Cookie’s chocolate eyes wavered. Though he was a summoned being, Cookie was still innocent.

“Th-that’s right! Come to think of it, this is like that 200-year-old bestseller ‘The Strongest Purification Mage Hides His Identity’…! In other words, a hidden powerhouse!”

“…What’s that?”

Cookie smiled sinisterly as he spoke.

“The pleasure of hiding your power and pretending to be a loser! That thrill! I’m amazing but everyone doesn’t know it!”

She didn’t quite understand what he was talking about.

But since Cookie, who was linked to her personality, mentioned ‘pleasure’ and ‘thrill’, she somehow wanted to become a hidden powerhouse.

“Gasp, then how do you do that? Do I become super strong and then go ‘ta-da’ and appear?”

“That’s it! Let’s become the strongest and surprise everyone! Plus you have me! Unlimited growth potential! The great dragon, no, phoenix, no wait, sweet and salty Cookie…!”

Saying it like that made it feel even more pathetic.

Airi put a large skull-shaped hair clip on Cookie’s head and changed the subject.

“Dragons or phoenixes wouldn’t suit clips like this! But because you’re Cookie, it looks super cute and suits you well, right?”

Cookie made a somewhat sage-like expression and muttered.

“…Yeah, hmm, but looking at this clip, it seems like it’s been treasured for quite a while?”

Airi blinked her eyes quietly.

“Look at this too. It’s ginseng that’s over 4 years old. I guess he got it around the time you were born.”

“….”

Looking at the numerous gifts neatly filling the room, Cookie briefly exclaimed in admiration.

“Wow, Lord Ortejo, is this daughter-genius or daughter-fool? I can’t tell.”

Come to think of it, all she did was make food and bring it to him!

Everything proceeded smoothly and she even received tremendously overwhelming rewards.

Cute earmuffs appeared on Airi’s head.

“Woooow!”

“Wow, how fascinating. It’s exactly the right size for a five-year-old child.”

“It fits my head size perfectly too! These clothes fit my body perfectly!”

“That’s true. You’re quite small for a five-year-old, so how did he get the perfect fit? Even the shoes fit perfectly.”

Round shoes were fitted snugly on both feet.

“Maybe the elder is….”

“The elder is?”

“He might be a shaman grandmother!”

In her previous life, there was one among grandmother’s friends too.

A shaman grandmother full of mystical powers!

“What’s a shaman? Anyway, i-is that so? I don’t think so….”

Cookie looked at Airi’s shoes with a puzzled expression.

Airi smiled happily and stuck out her foot with a ‘thump’.

Now all that remained was becoming a powerful hero!

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