61. Errand

61. Errand

“Kuh-uh….”

Seol-yeon gazed intently at Seol-ah, who was sleeping soundly.

Seol-ah, curled up like a shrimp with her tail wrapped around her, looked so small and cute. Even her snores were so adorable that a smile naturally bloomed.

The tiny polar fox next to her was no different.

Perhaps they were trying to show they were the same species. Seol-gu was sleeping in the exact same posture as Seol-ah. Seol-yeon reached out and gently stroked Seol-gu’s fur.

Soft, squishy, fluffy.

No matter how much she touched it, it had an addictive texture that made her want to touch it more, just like Seol-ah.

“Magic fox… huh.”

A fox that plays with Seol-ah and sometimes even protects her.

Seol-yeon had never seen magic in her life. She had seen magi-tech that extracted mana for power, but what Seol-gu used was real magic, the kind you only read about in fairy tales.

What on earth could its identity be?

“Come to think of it….”

Seol-ah used magic too.

When Seol-yeon saw the wyvern frozen solid, she was genuinely flustered. She was even more flustered when she realized her beloved sister had done it.

At that moment, she judged that comforting Seol-ah was more important than prying into the truth.

She didn’t know how it was used, but if Seol-ah could use that ‘magic’ freely….

“… Father was right, wasn’t he, Seol-ah.”

Seol-ah is a stronger child than you think- those words. Of course, her father didn’t know about this ‘magic’ when he said it, but in the end, his words were correct.

Rang Seol-ah was a more mature and stronger child than Seol-yeon thought.

“Etchoo! Kkhae-heung….”

“Pffft.”

Seol-yeon chuckled lightly at her sister’s cute sneeze and picked up the blanket that had been kicked far away, tucking it snugly around her. She must have kicked it off in her sleep.

“Hoo… I have a lot to do.”

She needed to investigate Seol-gu’s identity and the matter of the Magi Republic secretly mining ice crystals.

If necessary, she would have to interrogate William, the peddler who periodically came from the Magi Republic.

Either way, these weren’t things that could be resolved quickly.

Seol-yeon gazed at her sister’s face for a moment, then kissed her forehead. As if reacting to that, Seol-ah stirred and kicked the blanket away again.

“….”

A moment later, Seol-yeon quietly left her sister’s room and closed the door.

The creaking sound of the hinges echoed softly.

——

“Morning!!”

“Kkang!”

I sprang out of bed faster and more powerfully than ever before. The shock made Seol-gu jump and cry out “Kkang kkang.”

At the same time, my nose tickled, and I let out a sneeze.

“E, Etchoo! Kkhae-heung….”

Did I catch a cold?

Come to think of it, when I jumped out of bed earlier, I didn’t feel any resistance.

That means the blanket I was covered with had disappeared at some point, and since I wouldn’t have kicked it off in my sleep, someone must have secretly taken my blanket while I was sleeping.

The most suspicious culprit was Seol-gu. This is because only our family can enter our house, and Sister, Father, and Mother are not wolves who would play such pranks. By process of elimination, Seol-gu naturally becomes the culprit.

Since Seol-gu is a mischievous fox, the probability is even higher. I slipped my hand under Seol-gu’s armpit and lifted him up, giving him a stern scolding.

“Seol-gu! You can’t just take other people’s blankets!”

“Kkang?”

“Sigh, foxes are really something else.”

I put Seol-gu down and picked up the blanket from the floor, placing it back on the bed. The reason I didn’t scold Seol-gu further was that I was in a good mood today.

“Hoo hoo….”

Naturally, the reason was yesterday’s hunt. Protecting Yura and Yuri from danger, and even hunting a wyvern using magic. Of course, I can’t forget catching the rabbit.

One rabbit, one wyvern. It was an achievement too great for three young wolves.

I vividly recalled the memory of showing the hunted wyvern to my parents when we returned home.

They couldn’t believe we caught it, and even asked if Sister had helped.

When Sister quietly shook her head, my parents’ expressions changed dramatically. I don’t think I’ll ever forget those expressions.

“Hehe…!”

“Kkang?”

Feeling so happy, I lifted Seol-gu and blew air into his belly by putting my mouth on it. As a result, Seol-gu’s fluffy belly trembled and made a strange sound.

Of course, Seol-gu hated this.

“Kkang!!”

“Ugh!”

Seol-gu slapped my face with his tail and then quickly escaped through the gap.

Actually, Seol-gu’s tail was so fluffy that being hit didn’t have much impact. It felt like being hit with cotton candy.

My face just became covered in white fur.

I tried to shake my face left and right to get rid of the fur. However, it was almost ineffective. It seemed I would need Sister’s help…

“No! I can use magic!”

At that moment, I remembered the stone in my tail.

Using the treasure number 2, the magical transparent shining stone, which had become more precious than my treasure number 1 picture book, I could surely remove the fur stuck to my face with ease.

“Alright! Stone! Please remove the Seol-gu fur from my face!”

I held up the stone and used magic. The stone then began to glow brightly in response to my request, and soon a powerful gust of wind filled the room, making it difficult to open my eyes.

“Kkang!!”

Kuooh-!

The gust of wind was so powerful it reminded me of the blizzards during polar night.

The toys on the desk were scattered chaotically, and my hair became disheveled. The rubber balls bounced off ceilings, walls, and floors.

Thump! Clatter! Roar!

Sounds like a major incident echoed. Looking at the state of the room, it seemed like a major incident had indeed occurred. The wind was so strong that the room was becoming incredibly messy.

-Kkae-ae-aeng!

“Huk, Seol-gu!!”

Seol-gu is floating in the air!!

“Stop! That’s enough!!”

I urgently shouted at the stone. Then, the stone’s light dimmed, and the gust of wind that had filled the room subsided.

Silence descended.

“I-I’m ruined….”

The scene of the room after the gust of wind ended was truly astonishing. At this rate, I would surely receive five spankings from Sister.

Moreover, it wasn’t just the room that was messed up. My hair and tail fur were also sticking out wildly in all directions, and Seol-gu was dizzy and disoriented from flying around in circles.

Fortunately, Seol-gu’s tail fur that had stuck to my face was removed, but instead, Seol-gu’s and my tail fur, pulled out by the gust of wind, were scattered all over the room and stuck in every corner.

“What should I do about this…?”

Let’s clean it up with magic!

… But the thought of the disaster from earlier made it impossible. In the end, I was stuck, unable to do anything, and faced a great crisis.

-Seol-ah? Are you awake?

“Huk…!!”

Sister is coming!

If I show Sister my room in its current state, I’ll surely receive an unspeakably great punishment. I hastily grabbed a comb and roughly brushed my hair and tail, then quickly left the room before Sister arrived.

The moment the door closed, I made eye contact with Sister.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Uh, yes!”

“Why are your hair and tail so messy? Seol-ah’s comb is in your room, right? Just a moment….”

“Wait!!”

I blocked Sister, who was reaching for the doorknob. Sister tilted her head and asked.

“Why?”

“T-the comb is here! You don’t have to come in!”

“Why did you bring it out…?”

Sister asked. It made sense. I don’t usually carry a comb around.

I racked my brain and came up with an excuse.

“B-because, I wanted you to comb it for me…!”

“Is that so? Okay, come here, I’ll comb it for you.”

Even I think it’s a brilliant excuse. Sister was completely fooled by my words, and soon began to meticulously comb my hair and tail.

Rustle, rustle.

Every time Sister’s delicate touch tidied my hair, my conscience pricked me. But I firmly believed that a pricking conscience was better than five spankings.

“There. You look pretty, my Seol-ah.”

“Uh, yes!”

“Let’s go have breakfast now. Is Seol-gu inside? I was planning to give Seol-gu some food too….”

“Wait a moment…!!!”

I stopped Sister again as she was about to open my door. This time too, Sister looked at me and tilted her head.

I rolled my eyes around and finally lied.

“S-Seol-gu said he’ll hunt and eat for himself! So you don’t need to give him food!”

“Really…? But why would he….”

“I-I don’t really know! Maybe it’s a fox’s pride or something…?”

Sister looked suspicious but ultimately believed me.

I quickly grabbed Sister’s hand and headed towards the dining room. I had to get Sister away from my room by any means necessary.

… The meal was delicious.

While enjoying the wyvern meat we hunted yesterday, Sister spoke.

“Seol-ah, could you run an errand for me today?”

“Errand?”

“Yes.”

Sister looked at me and continued.

“I borrowed something from Uncle Polar Bear the other day, and it’s about time to return it. Could you go to Uncle Polar Bear’s house and return it for me?”

Sister held a small bundle in her hand. It wasn’t large, about the size that could be easily tied around my waist.

I patted my chest and said.

“Yes! Leave it to me!”