Chapter 14

Ȓҽа​ⅾ ȯ​η ​Кɑ​тŔεａɗıɴ​ǵϹɑғė

“…”

A heavy silence fell over the house.

Lucy’s grandfather stared at Kairos with a shocked expression.

A young man he had never seen before claimed to be in a “pleasant relationship” with his ten-year-old granddaughter.

And that the “pleasant activity” was a secret…

“You bastard!”

Lucy’s grandfather grabbed Kairos by the collar.

“What did you do to our Lucy!”

His eyes turned red with fury.

The thought of his precious granddaughter, whom he cherished more than anything, being harmed by some suspicious man made his world crumble.

“Tell me now! What did you do!”

“Grandfather…”

Lucy tried to intervene with a panicked expression.

“It’s not what you think…”

“Lucy, stay back!”

Her grandfather had already lost his rationality.

“What kind of sick person does something like that to a child…! Tell me, what did you do!”

“I merely.”

Kairos replied calmly.

“Gave her a pleasant experience. It seems Lucy was a bit surprised since it was her first time…”

“You damn bastard!”

The grandfather swung his fist at Kairos.

Despite his age, the grandfather, who had lived his life as a lumberjack, was no ordinary man in terms of strength.

But even his strength was nothing to Kairos.

Kairos casually raised his hand and caught the grandfather’s fist.

Thud!

At that moment, Lucy stepped between her grandfather and Kairos.

“Grandfather. It’s a misunderstanding.”

“Lu, Lucy… Lucy…!”

The grandfather burst into tears.

“I’m sorry… I failed to take care of you properly, and now you’ve been subjected to such a horrible thing…!”

“A horrible thing?”

Kairos narrowed his eyes.

“Lucy clearly enjoyed it quite a bit…”

“Kai, can you wait outside for a bit?”

Lucy decided to send Kairos outside for now.

Every time Kairos spoke, the misunderstanding only deepened.

“Understood.”

Kairos turned and walked out of the house.

“H-Hic!”

The grandfather slumped to the floor as if collapsing.

His shoulders shook with sobs.

Lucy held her grandfather’s hand.

“Grandfather. Calm down. It’s a misunderstanding.”

“A misunderstanding? That guy clearly…!”

The grandfather looked at Lucy with tearful eyes.

Lucy slowly shook her head.

“Kai is just a friend I met in the forest. The ‘pleasant activity’ he mentioned was… taking me to a secret place in the forest.”

“A secret place in the forest…?”

“Yes. Kai showed me a beautiful place no one else knows about. It was truly…”

Lucy paused to think.

“A magical place. There was a sparkling pond, colorful flowers blooming… It was my first time seeing something like that, so I was a bit surprised, but it was fun.”

The grandfather’s expression softened slightly.

“…So that’s why he said it was a secret?”

“Yes. Kai wants to protect that place. If other people find out, its beauty might be ruined.”

The grandfather let out a deep sigh.

“I-I see… I overreacted. I thought something terrible had happened to you, Lucy…”

Lucy hugged her grandfather.

“Don’t worry. Nothing bad happened.”

“Alright…”

The grandfather patted Lucy’s small back.

“Then I should apologize to that friend of yours, Kai.”

◈

The misunderstanding was quickly resolved.

The grandfather sincerely apologized to Kairos multiple times, while also warning him that he wouldn’t let it slide if Kairos ever did anything bad to Lucy.

Kairos didn’t fully understand what “something bad” meant, but he roughly interpreted it as a threat to her life.

“That won’t happen. It’s impossible to begin with.”

Kairos had already fought Lucy and lost.

He hadn’t fought with all his might, but his magic, which he had cast seriously, had been easily nullified by Lucy’s shield, and he couldn’t break free from her shadow bind.

That alone made the difference in their power glaringly obvious.

Kairos had already recognized Lucy as a being stronger than himself.

“Good, never do anything like that. Lucy is still a child. She’s the most precious thing to me… By the way, where do you live? I’ve never seen you before.”

Only then did the grandfather take a closer look at Kairos.

His strikingly handsome face. His noble-like attire.

Even his speech was far from ordinary.

His arrogant yet dignified tone seemed fitting for someone of high status.

“Don’t tell me…”

A sense of tension rose on the grandfather’s face.

“A-Are you… nobility…?”

If Kairos was of noble status, it would be a big problem.

Just moments ago, the grandfather had grabbed Kairos by the collar.

For a commoner to lay hands on a noble was an unimaginable crime.

He could lose his head for it without a word.

Seeing her grandfather trembling slightly, Lucy quickly spoke up.

“Kai isn’t a noble. He’s just a friend who lives in the forest.”

“No, but…”

The grandfather didn’t believe Lucy. He thought she was too young to understand.

Kairos’ attire and speech didn’t feel like that of a commoner.

His skin was smooth, as if he had never done any hard labor.

“I am not a noble.”

Kairos stated firmly.

“I am the guardian of this forest.”

“?”

The grandfather looked puzzled.

“The guardian of the forest…?”

“Yes. The details are a secret, but I am a great being who has protected this forest for thousands of years.”

“…”

The grandfather’s expression grew complicated.

If he were a noble… he definitely wouldn’t say something like this.

This sounded like the kind of thing a mentally unstable person would say.

“Hmm…”

The grandfather sighed deeply.

So he wasn’t a noble, but a mentally troubled young man?

Thinking about it again, that seemed more likely.

After all, a noble wouldn’t wander around the forest alone.

“I see… So you’re the guardian of the forest.”

The grandfather forced an awkward smile and looked at Lucy.

Lucy nodded slightly with a somber expression.

As if to say, ‘Grandfather’s assumption is correct.’

“…Anyway, thank you. For playing with our Lucy.”

“I only did what was natural. Lucy and I are friends.”

“I see…”

The grandfather turned around.

“Since you’re here, why don’t you stay for dinner? I was just about to start cooking…”

The grandfather went back to work the very next day.

Thanks to Kairos’ healing magic, even his lingering ailments were cured, and he was now much healthier than before.

His face is now always full of vitality, and his movements seemed lighter.

When the grandfather went to work, Lucy would do household chores or pick fruits in the forest.

Several peaceful days passed like this.

During that time, Kairos…

“You’re awake.”

For some reason, had started living at Lucy’s house.

“Is the grandfather still asleep?”

It seemed Kairos had taken a liking to the grandfather’s cooking.

He would wake up earlier than anyone else to wait for the grandfather’s meals, and when the grandfather went out to work, he would follow Lucy around, eagerly waiting for the grandfather to return.

“…Kai.”

Lucy asked Kairos.

“Don’t you need to go back to your lair?”

“I’ll go after breakfast and come back soon.”

“Ah… So you’re coming back?”

“Yes. I’ll just restore the guardian you destroyed and return.”

“Are you planning to keep staying at our house?”

“Yes.”

“…”

Lucy scratched her cheek.

Of course, having Kairos around wasn’t particularly inconvenient.

Moreover, the grandfather, thinking Kairos was a mentally troubled young man, was doing his best to take care of him.

He even said Kairos could stay as long as he wanted.

But still…

Lucy couldn’t quite get used to it.

Living with a dragon.

“Is the grandfather still asleep?”

Kairos glanced toward the grandfather’s room and asked.

“He’s waking up later than usual today. He said he’d make stir-fried mushrooms for breakfast.”

“…He did?”

Lucy’s expression darkened slightly.

For some reason, Kairos loved mushrooms, so the grandfather had been making mushroom dishes every day.

Lucy was starting to get tired of mushroom dishes.

Even delicious food becomes tiresome if you eat it every day.

Creak—

At that moment, the door opened, and the grandfather came in.

“Hoho, you’re both awake already.”

It seemed the grandfather hadn’t woken up late but had gone out early.

“Where did you go?”

When Kairos asked in his usual blunt tone, the grandfather grinned.

“I ran out of mushrooms, so I went to the village. I promised to make stir-fried mushrooms today.”

“I see.”

Kairos’ face brightened.

Seeing this, the grandfather chuckled.

“Just wait a bit. I’ll make you some delicious stir-fried mushrooms.”

“Do you need any help?”

The grandfather shook his head at Kairos’ question.

“I’ll handle it. Last time, Lucy tried to help with the cooking, and…”

The grandfather stopped mid-sentence and glanced at Lucy.

When their eyes met, he gave an awkward smile.

“…Anyway, I’ll handle it myself. Just wait a little.”

“Understood.”

Kairos sat on the sofa and waited quietly.

After breakfast, Lucy stretched and stepped outside.

The soft sunlight enveloped her face.

The blue sky was almost cloudless, and the fresh air brushed against her nose.

The leaves, glistening with morning dew, rustled and whispered in the gentle breeze.

It was another clear and sunny day.

The grandfather had gone to work, and Kairos had left for his lair to restore the golem.

Having some alone time for the first time in a while, Lucy decided to test more of her necromancer skills.

There were still many skills she hadn’t tried yet.

“Lucy~”

A voice called out.

“What are you doing~?”

Looking up, Lucy saw Peter and Sam waving as they approached.

“…”

Lucy let out a quiet sigh.

They’re here again.

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
I uh… wow so that’s why he was… I mean, yeah… what a dumb misunderstanding, smh.

So cliche, as if anyone would even fall for such an obvious misunderstanding… 

Smh.