Chapter 18:
“ugh!”
“I told you, stop barging in whenever a kid is eating…!”
The old man jumped to his feet with a face that clearly showed he was genuinely irritated.
Wait—h-how can a door break through like paper like that?
It was an incredibly thick and heavy door!
“Where is she?!”
A voice that roared like a wild beast.
‘An angry lion!’
The one who appeared after stepping over the shattered door was a white-haired old man. Sharp, gleaming eyes. A huge mouth stretched wide open.
A predator had arrived!
‘The Old Duke of Gebert!’
A massive frame. Towering height. Tough, thick skin and white hair that looked like it had been roughly swept back. He gave off the overwhelming pressure of a mountain standing before you.
‘W-wasn’t he supposed to be resting because he was sick?!’
What kind of patient has that kind of presence?
“Bring out the new kid!”
“She’s right in front of you.”
“…….”
The old duke, who had been scanning the room, slowly bent his neck downward to look below.
His purple eyes finally caught sight of me, stuck tightly beside Uncle.
Wow… that gaze is no joke.
If Uncle Leviathan felt like a finely sharpened blade, then the old duke felt more like a huge, heavy axe.
Either way, both were basically weapons…
“…….”
“U-um, hello?”
I greeted him cautiously.
The old duke’s eyes narrowed slightly.
The corners of his eyes twitched. His lips slowly parted.
“What is this… booger-like thing?”
“I’m not a booger…”
“A talking booger!”
“My name is Rubian… but more importantly, did you really punch the door down just now?”
I couldn’t help asking. Steam was still rising from his fist.
So that huge crash earlier was the sound of him breaking the main door on the first floor?
“Hm.”
At that moment, the old duke suddenly lowered his body to meet my eye level. After staring at me intently for a long moment, he stretched out a hand behind him.
“Bring it!”
“Good grief, Lord Balrok…”
The one who hurried over was a thin, bony man. He looked like the old duke’s butler. In his hands was a large flat board.
“Please, a little more slowly…”
“Hand it over!”
The board was covered in mysterious height markings.
The old duke snatched it and placed it right next to me.
“What are you doing?”
“Hm, barely above the level of a low-grade magic beast.”
Did he just measure a child’s height using magic beasts as a standard?
I stood there dumbfounded.
Just as I was about to protest, the old duke crossed his arms and declared loudly:
“Disqualified!”
“Excuse me?”
“Booger, return to the capital immediately!”
“Ha… Father, who decided that—”
Unable to stand by any longer, Uncle Leviathan stepped in. And immediately, the old duke turned his wrath on him.
“You reckless brat. I knew you had no blood or tears, but I didn’t think your personality was rotten too!”
The old duke sprang up and pointed a finger at his son.
“How could something this tiny possibly wield a sword?”
“I-I can fight too…”
“I told you to bring a proper knight or soldier, and you bring a child? Have you forgotten there’s going to be a monster subjugation soon?”
His booming voice rang through the air.
Without realizing it, I gently grabbed the hem of Uncle’s clothes.
“Please lower your voice. You’re frightening her.”
At that, the old duke froze like a statue.
Well… except for his mouth, which kept moving nonstop.
“……, …….”
“And don’t mumble so quietly that no one can understand you either.”
…He really seems like a rather extreme and strange grandpa.
“Anyway, that one is unacceptable!”
His stern gaze turned back to me. Under that prickly stare, a sense of crisis washed over me.
‘Am I going to get kicked out at this rate?’
The worry I’d been holding inside was becoming reality.
Honestly, he hadn’t been a major character in the original story, so I’d let my guard down a bit… but I’d encountered an unexpected obstacle!
‘I thought since both the eldest and second sons accepted her without much issue, I’d be fine too!’
That was way too optimistic!
“Staring like that won’t work! You look like you’d crumple if you bumped into anything!”
Uncle, who had stepped in front of me to shield me, spoke darkly.
“Ruby’s place here is not something for you to decide, Father. The same goes for the Knights Order.”
“Why you insolent—”
“And as for bringing a ‘usable knight or soldier.’”
A cold scoff followed.
“Treating that child like that is something I cannot forgive, even if it’s you.”
“When did I ever treat that fluff ball like a soldier? I said to lure someone useful here!”
“The war has only just ended. Unless they’re completely battle-crazed, who would volunteer to come all the way to the North?”
“So you just grabbed a doll-like kid instead?”
“That’s why Ruby is—”
“Ruby? Even the name sounds just like her!”
“……Are you finding her cute, or do you hate her?”
Half-panicked, I could barely follow their conversation. All I could sense was the atmosphere growing more and more hostile.
“Please stop fighting!”
Gathering my courage, I stepped between them and looked up at the old duke.
“And please don’t kick me out… I have nowhere to go.”
Actually, I do have somewhere to go—but I don’t want to go there! And I don’t want to die!
“You…”
“If being small is the problem, I’ll eat a lot and grow big. I won’t crumple if I bump into things. I’m really not that weak. If you saw me in action you’d be surprised—”
At that moment, my field of vision suddenly lifted upward.
“Tch, why are you scaring a child for no reason? It’s irritating.”
Uncle had picked me up entirely so I was no longer visible to the old duke. Clicking his tongue in annoyance, he patted my back.
“What kind of way is that to speak to your father?”
The old duke tried to kick Uncle’s shin.
Of course, a hero like him wasn’t easy to land a hit on.
“You were supposedly ill for a few days, but your strength really isn’t what it used to be.”
“What? Who spread rumors that I was sick?!”
“Morris, it seems the old duke needs further recuperation in the northern annex. Please escort him.”
“You brat, ignoring your father now?”
I carefully turned my head.
The one trying to stop this disastrous father-son duo was the skinny butler.
“Haha… alright, alright. Please both of you, calm down. The castle’s going to collapse at this rate.”
Morris, the old duke’s butler, wiped his forehead with a handkerchief. He was drenched in cold sweat.
Honestly, the one who looked like he needed rest was the butler…
‘Wait, this isn’t the time for that!’
I made my decision.
No matter what, the current head of this duchy was Uncle Leviathan. Which meant the only person I could cling to was him.
“I’ll send her back immediately—”
“No!”
Cling!
I wrapped my arms tightly around Uncle’s neck. His solid body stiffened in surprise.
“No matter what the old duke says, I’m staying here!”
I shouted with my eyes squeezed shut.
It was now or never!
“I’m going to live here! I don’t want to be separated from Uncle!”
“…….”
Silence fell over the room.
I could feel a faint vibration from the body I was clinging to.
When I carefully opened my eyes, Uncle’s lips were trembling like crazy.
“Hm.”
Meanwhile, the old duke tilted his head with an oddly intrigued expression.
“…Son.”
“Yes.”
“There’s a booger stuck to you.”
A heavy hand pressed firmly against the back of my head.
“I know.”
“Well, well. What a crafty little booger.”
“I’m not a booger…”
Even though I protested stubbornly, it was completely ignored.
‘Wow… what is going on now?’
I awkwardly rolled my eyes around.
An uninvited guest had barged into what had been a bright and cozy snack time.
“You.”
The old duke, seated firmly on the sofa, gestured at me.
“Yes?”
I straightened my back while sitting across from him.
“You really want to stay here that badly?”
“Yes…”
“Then show me your abilities.”
“Abilities?”
“That’s right. Stamina, strength, anything! To become a strong man of the North, you must prove your power.”
The old duke spoke lazily, like a predator that had just finished a meal.
“Tell me what abilities you have!”
Abilities? Well, obviously…
‘Magic power!’
—was what I wanted to answer, but barely managed to hold back.
“I have mental strength!”
At that, I thought I heard someone stifle a laugh from somewhere.
“Hm. Mental strength, you say.”
The old duke stroked his bushy beard thoughtfully.
“That’s important too. Very well, then right now!”
Gulp. I suddenly felt nervous.
“Finish eating your snacks.”
“…Excuse me?”
“Do you think I’m such a heartless old man?”
Apparently he’d only just noticed the snack table.
He slammed his veiny fist onto it.
“Eat!”
Bang!
“Everything you were eating!”
Bang!
“And after you’re done!”
Bang!
“I’ll test you and then kick you out!”
Wait—so in the end you ARE kicking me out?!
