The Dutiful Kid Who Saved the Villainous Family - Chapter 170

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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 170

The light gradually brightened, then brilliantly illuminated the inside of the balcony…

His vision flickered rapidly.

And what appeared before Declan’s eyes was a small human figure.

“Puuu…”

As if she had been eating something, her hands were covered with white cream.

“What is this…!”

Declan muttered in a voice that seemed somehow choked up.

“…What do you mean what, it’s you.”

“Wow! It’s me!”

With a cheerful voice befitting a child, Airi smiled brightly and waved her hand toward him.

Then she raised her soft, white hand up high and exclaimed excitedly.

“Look, this is finally my body!”

“That’s right, it’s your body…”

Unlike Airi, Declan muttered in a much lower voice.

That little one was purely bright and cheerful, but he couldn’t be the same.

Somehow…

“I’ve grown so much!”

Her way of speaking was spirited too, and her pronunciation was much better than when she was five – a nine-year-old child.

Declan scooped Airi up with one arm.

She was now quite big to be called a baby, and it would be a bit difficult for an ordinary person to hold her like this.

But he lifted Airi up effortlessly as if it were nothing and met her eyes.

“What do you mean grown.”

“My hands are big and my feet are big and now I’m back in the big kids’ class!”

“What big kids’ class…”

Declan muttered while turning away from his stinging nose.

“…You haven’t grown at all.”

Airi’s body was…

“Too small.”

Still far too small.

She looked like a nine-year-old who hadn’t received proper nutrition.

“Tch…”

Perhaps thinking he was looking down on her, Airi pouted her lips repeatedly.

Even so, Declan wanted to say so many things.

For example.

Words like “I love you.”

But those words were simply…

“Airi…”

Replaced only by Airi’s name.

“Father!”

He held this little child who smiled as brightly as a flower while stretching out her arms even tighter.

The words that should come before saying “I love you.”

If there was exactly one thing that absolutely had to be said at this moment.

That would be…

“My daughter, I missed you.”

Sometimes my nose would sting, and sometimes I’d fall into foolish thoughts like wondering if you might be there in the blowing wind. So I would stand in the wind for a long time…

“Have you been well?”

…He didn’t want to talk about that.

While holding his daughter whom he was meeting after such a long time, he decided to only ask about good things.

“Yes! I’ve been very well!”

But at that spirited answer, Declan’s vision gradually blurred.

Feeling tears that had never come even after sending away his wife now flowing continuously, he became a bit bewildered.

So he tried to force a smile on his lips, but Airi spoke to Declan with a deliberately serious expression.

“If you cry and then laugh, horns grow on your bottom.”

Airi jumped down from his embrace and hurriedly approached behind Declan. Then she narrowed her eyes as if trying to carefully examine his bottom.

The touching afterglow of their reunion disappeared from Declan’s face, replaced by an incredulous expression.

“No horns grew on my bottom. Do you think I’m a fool?”

His voice seemed to get slightly husky at the end.

Still, Airi continued to glance at Declan’s bottom with a cautious expression.

“None grew.”

Declan tried to maintain a dignified expression to preserve his dignity.

Then Airi smiled brightly and said.

“Really. I’m glad none grew!”

“…Right. Your tongue has gotten longer. Your baby fat is gone too.”

“Yes. Now I’m completely grown up!”

Airi straightened her shoulders.

Then she confidently extended her still soft arm.

“I’m super super super strong!”

Watching her show off by flexing her arm pretending to be muscular, his eyes reddened again.

‘I’m really going crazy too. Crying and laughing in this situation…’

Declan casually took hold of Airi’s arm.

Airi’s arm was still soft, as if it would bruise from the slightest touch.

But now Declan knew.

How difficult a time the child had been through.

So he quietly murmured to Airi.

“Right, very strong and hard as a rock.”

“Hehehe. If I drink lots of milk, I’ll get even harder!”

Declan gently stroked Airi.

Like someone who could do nothing else.

“Shall we go home now?”

“Yes! Cookie will be at home, right!”

Not here though.

Airi thought for a moment and nodded her head.

Somehow, after becoming a nine-year-old child’s body, she felt very drowsy.

Declan nodded his head.

“Right, let’s go to our home.”

“Yes!”

“Let’s go home and eat lots of delicious food too.”

* * *

“Hmm…”

“Zzz…”

The deepest bedroom of Ortejo Castle.

Declan stroked his chin, lost in thought.

‘Is it narcolepsy? She sleeps for a long time.’

Airi’s round hand dropped to the floor with a thud.

Berry and Serafin, who had rushed to the castle belatedly, also wore puzzled expressions.

“Is she sleeping again?”

At Berry and Serafin’s words, Declan nodded slowly.

“She must be tired. It’s been a long time since she got her body back. I’ll call you when Airi wakes up, so you two go wash up and organize your gear.”

“Yes…”

“Understood.”

After Serafin and Berry hesitated and left their seats, Declan once again gazed quietly at Airi, who had fallen back into a peaceful sleep.

Declan was still keeping the fact that Airi had returned a secret.

‘The surroundings are quite suspicious.’

Increasingly cunning creatures that were becoming more human-like were appearing.

If he announced the child’s return on a large scale, there was a high possibility that the Pope would attack this place.

‘Anyway, the fact that Airi has returned will soon be revealed, so I need to wait for the right moment…’

He stopped mid-motion while patting Airi, who had fallen into peaceful sleep.

“Huh!”

“Wh-what is it.”

Airi’s eyes snapped open. Seeing Airi like this, Declan asked.

“Why?”

“I said something was missing!”

Finally, Airi bolted upright in bed.

“Where is Cookie?”

“Ah, Cookie…”

Airi whistled.

Since her own body had moved here, naturally Cookie’s body must have moved too!

She wanted to see Cookie right away!

She moved with such exciting thoughts, and also childlike thoughts.

“So, Cookie is.”

Declan’s lips trembled as if he couldn’t bring himself to continue speaking.

Then Airi, noticing that the atmosphere had become strange, tilted her head.

“What’s wrong?”

“Well, Cookie isn’t here right now.”

“Since I became human, Cookie should also become Cookie. But saying Cookie isn’t here…”

“Cookie’s missing.”

Airi’s eyes widened as if her sleepiness had completely vanished.

While Airi had been asleep, Declan had also been diligently investigating the situation.

Declan said quietly.

“The thing is, we also thought Cookie would naturally be at home, so we looked everywhere…”

“You looked everywhere?”

“Cookie’s not there. Cookie disappeared.”

“What?”

“Just in case, we searched other places too. Cookie doesn’t seem to be at Ortejo Castle, Melissa Marquess’ domain, or the Imperial Palace either.”

That can’t be!

Airi’s best friend, best summoned beast. Her most precious friend in the world had disappeared.

“That can’t be.”

“Well, I don’t know the reason, but anyway Cookie is currently missing. Cookie might have disappeared…”

“No! A hero’s friend stays together forever! If I look for Cookie, I’ll find Cookie!”

Airi clenched both fists tightly. Then she said to Declan.

“I’m going to adventure through this castle!”

“Oh, sure. Anyway, since you’re here, I sent away all the servants and maids and emptied the place, so search thoroughly. It might be different if you look…”

As soon as he finished speaking, Airi was already running around the manor that Declan had emptied, glancing here and there.

On top of the desk too.

On top of the chair too.

On the windowsill too…

‘Cookie’s not here.’

Airi’s purple eyes trembled with a jolt.

“Cookie… disappeared…?”

Airi looked around with eyes completely cleared of sleepiness.

Cookie had said Cookie would definitely be at Ortejo Castle.

Shock filled Airi’s mind.

‘Maybe I sweated too much pearl ice cream sweat, and Cookie got soggy and disappeared.’

Airi and Cookie were one.

To think that such a Cookie would disappear.

Airi’s eyes grew wide. But Airi still believed.

“Cookie!”

When she called like this, Cookie would come. No, Cookie always came.

But…

‘Cookie’s not here.’

…Cookie didn’t come.

Somehow, unlike a hero, tears seemed about to form droplets in her eyes.

Airi held back her tears tightly and looked around again.

But right at that moment.

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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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