[Episode 39]
It was just a momentary whim that Erno Etam went to the underground auction, which he had no interest in.
“They say an underground auction will be held soon.”
“so?”
“This old man is worried that the young lady might have been caught up in something bad.”
A whim that started because of Kylo’s useless words.
‘It must have been the Duke’s breath.’
His father, the duke, was an outspoken man.
So, it must have been a subtle nuance to Kylo, and it was clear that Kylo, who had been aiding him for a long time, easily noticed the owner’s intentions and came to tell him.
“If you’re so worried, I’ll tell you to move that hippocalypse-heavy butt yourself.”
When he opened his mouth without hiding his sensitivity, Kylo widened his eyes in disgust, and a soft smile appeared on his lips.
“No way, it was just an old man’s book, Confucius.”
“…get out.”
“I bought a ticket in advance just in case.”
Kylo put the mask and ticket down on the table and turned away as if nothing really had happened.
Erno Etam sighed, covering his eyes with his arms as he lay spread out on the bed.
I recently found a lost artifact.
However, the strange thing is that the body, which should be stabilized, continues to be unstable as soon as the fragment is found.
The fever has subsided a little, but that’s it.
My heart kept beating faster and I stared blankly at the sky, and when I came to my senses, I was walking around the cold room of the child who had already disappeared.
‘My head hurts.’
now i knew the child is gone I left myself behind and ran away.
To conclude, that was all.
If so…
‘It’s enough to forget.’
He said he would look for him, but he couldn’t even see where the child was hiding.
Originally, I would have given up already.
Erno etham hated being bothered. I’m not the type to enjoy being genuinely interested.
But still…
I didn’t hate looking for it at first when the child had just disappeared. I thought I had to find it somehow.
In the middle of the day, I thought it would be different as much as a child.
If he was afraid, he brought him to comfort him, and if he was misunderstood, he wanted to clear up the misunderstanding.
A game I used to play with a child I had only met for a few months.
‘Did I really get attached to it?’
Otherwise, there was no way I could hear the child’s laughter even if I stayed still.
When the child was present, my mind was clear and clear, and there were few symptoms of berserkness.
Lately, however, I hadn’t thought that the low mood would come up.
“This is the last one.”
He sighed as he slowly reached out and held the red dragon mask in his hand from a nearby tea table.
I didn’t even count how many ‘lasts’ it would be.
He clutched his throbbing hair and slowly closed his eyes.
Three new black tiger figurines lay carelessly on top of the table.
* * *
The underground auction was boring, no doubt. It was an unpleasant space where the strong and the weak were obvious.
My eyes were naturally furrowed at the vulgar acts and evaluations taking place in front of my eyes.
‘As expected, I came here for no reason.’
Erno Etam was about to regret it.
“And then a mutant lizard came in. It was a lizard that would have a very good off-white color when it grows well.”
At that word from Pierrot, who had a ridiculous face, his body stood upright.
A chilling sensation ran down his spine. Pierrot’s lips twitched.
Erno Etam was convinced. I’m sure that the ‘lizard’ that Pierrot is talking about is the child I’m looking for.
“lizard…? Such disgusting things are also common in the Southern Continent.”
“It’s not that common lizard. It is a lizard with silver scales. He was a child who was not good at humanizing. His hair is pink…”
Crunchy-
The armrest he was resting on had a clear crack.
As he lifted his hand and slowly rose from his seat, a guide wearing a fox mask hurriedly ran up.
“backwards.”
“yes?”
Kwadeuk –
Erno Etam’s hand gripped the guide’s neck at an imperceptible speed.
“Take me to the place where the child you just mentioned is.”
Seeing Erno Etham’s cool face with his pupils wide open, the guide struggled in panic, then nodded desperately.
He slowly untied his hand.
The guide who had fallen to the floor almost crawled forward.
Erno Etam’s golden eyes shimmered with heat.
“Oh hey, he was definitely here…”
“…”
“Where have the children here gone! You guys didn’t even watch properly!!”
The guide hurriedly ran up and started wiping out the other guides.
Erno Etam stared at the dark cage like a cage. A few of the iron bars were empty.
It was large enough for children to get out of their body. Pink hair fell under it.
It was as he bent down to pick up a strand of hair that had fallen to the floor.
“The red dragon mask… is you.”
He turned around at the sound of a voice right behind him.
The opponent who suddenly appeared as if he had fallen out of thin air was wearing a robe and had an expressionless white mask covering his face.
However, seeing his short stature and youthful voice, I guessed that he was a child.
People around them were busy doing their own thing, as if the sudden appearance of the child was invisible.
Normally, he would have been more curious, but he was in a bad mood right now.
Because I found the traces of the child I was looking for so much in the worst place I’ve ever visited.
“I thought only the guys here had vent holes in their brains, but it seems that the guards also had huge vent holes. It is pitiful that such a child has even entered.”
“Take this.”
A boy wearing a white mask with no expression or pattern held out a convex envelope.
It was an envelope with a childish picture on it.
“I tend not to touch dirty things.”
“It’s difficult. I was asked to deliver it.”
The young voice fell into embarrassment for a moment, and then held out the letter a little closer to Erno Etam.
It was also a whim to receive a letter that would normally have been burned without receiving it.
“Enough then.”
The boy seemed to take a few steps back, but soon disappeared as if he had assimilated with his surroundings.
He looked down slowly at the letter.
It was difficult to tell whether it was a text or a picture with the crooked and messy handwriting.
[Dear Erno…]
Erno Ettam, who was staring blankly at the letters that filled one side of the palm-sized envelope, opened the envelope as if possessed.
I touched something convex and turned the envelope over in my palm, and a blue piece fell out.
It was exactly the same as the artifact he had. He now hastily opened the letter.
[Hello, I am writing this because I have something to tell you urgently.
First, I want to say sorry for the artifacts I lost.
I knew someone would steal it, but I didn’t tell them. sorry.
But I didn’t steal it….
Instead, I found the same thing by chance and sent it to you.
Also, can you tell Kalan Etam to make a medicine to get rid of the bugs in your body?
Please make a request using the ingredients below.
[Ingredients list]
Purple pansy petals Unripe fruit of acclesia Root of menacing grass… (omitted)….
And this medicine should be taken by many people. I can’t go into detail, but soon there will be a disease among the nobles.
If possible, I hope that many people will eat it by explaining the recipe.
You may not believe it, but please believe me.
– Eirin.]
It was so large that one word could fit one hand. Because of that, it seems that four or five sheets of letter paper were used.
It wasn’t a fancy style. It was a hard writing, like reading a history book.
However, looking at the abbreviations and squeaks of the words here and there, you could see how worried the child must have been.
“If you want to leave me…”
He grabbed the letter.
“You shouldn’t have shown regret, daughter.”
I shouldn’t have cared about who died or who got sick or what happened to my artifact, just like I let it steal.
Even if you leave like this, if you show that you thought of this side, you won’t be able to close your eyes.
“…this way.”
Erno Etam moved his feet following the trail of the children who had escaped from the cage.
