Ch. 43 Munchkin – Chapter 43
by AfuhfuihgsChapter 43
A month had passed since the incident at Leyton Castle.
During that month, Lucy had enjoyed a relatively peaceful time.
Ed, Ron, and Ellie would occasionally visit her at home or invite her to the castle to hang out. She also went fishing or honey-hunting with Peter and Sam a few times.
She even participated in the village festival and went shopping with Ellie in the city.
Aside from being carried off by Kairos a few times to fly above the clouds, it was a perfectly ordinary and peaceful daily life.
Today, like usual, Lucy woke up, stretched lightly, tidied her blankets, and left her room.
“You’re up, Lucy. Come eat breakfast.”
In the kitchen, her grandfather and Kairos were already preparing the meal.
Lucy sat at the table with anticipation.
Yesterday, she had gone fishing with Peter and Sam and caught a lot of fish, which they left in the kitchen. So, today’s menu was undoubtedly going to feature fish.
It couldn’t possibly be mushrooms.
“Here, Lucy. Today, this old man has prepared a special, delicious dish for you.”
Her grandfather placed a steaming bowl in front of Lucy.
“Introducing… Mushroom Cream Red Bean Porridge!”
Clap, clap, clap.
Kairos applauded from the side.
“…”
Lucy stared at the bowl in shock.
A thick, purple porridge.
Floating on top were round slices of mushrooms.
“How is it, Lucy? Isn’t it unique? Putting mushrooms in red bean porridge—it’s a first, right?”
Her grandfather looked incredibly proud.
“Yesterday, while talking with Kairos, it suddenly came to me. Red bean porridge is sweet, and mushrooms are chewy… So, I thought, wouldn’t combining them create a magical combination?”
Lucy glanced at Kairos.
Kairos puffed out his chest confidently.
“Oh, and there’s also a special mushroom powder.”
Her grandfather sprinkled something onto Lucy’s bowl.
“This is the key point.”
“Uh, what about the fish we caught yesterday…?”
Lucy’s voice trembled slightly.
It wasn’t sadness, but she felt like she might cry.
Unaware of Lucy’s distress, her grandfather answered cheerfully.
“I took the fish to the village chief’s house. You know how much the chief loves fish. In exchange, I got a whole bunch of mushrooms.”
“…”
Lucy bit her lip and fell into thought.
Isn’t this bordering on child abuse?
Should I really run away from home?
Where are my mom and dad?
“Um…”
Seizing the moment, Lucy decided to ask.
“Where’s Mom?”
At that, her grandfather froze.
“Oh, your mom? Why are you asking about her all of a sudden…?”
“Just wondering.”
Lucy said nonchalantly.
But she didn’t miss the subtle change in her grandfather’s expression.
Could she already be… gone?
“Well…”
Her grandfather hesitated, then slowly spoke.
“Your mom is far away. She’s doing something very important. Something like… saving the world. You know, like a hero. That kind of thing.”
“…”
Lucy didn’t believe it.
A hero? In a world like this?
Does that mean there’s also something like a demon king?
…Though, even if there were, it wouldn’t be that surprising.
“I see.”
Lucy simply nodded and lowered her head.
It seemed like her grandfather was hiding something, but she wasn’t curious enough to press further.
“Uh, well, Lucy…”
Her grandfather awkwardly opened his mouth.
“But, you know, if you wait just a week, you’ll get a letter from your mom, right? So, um, just wait a little longer…”
“A letter?”
“Yeah, your mom sends you a letter at least once a year…”
“Ah…”
So, she’s not gone.
“I see.”
Lucy forced a smile toward her grandfather.
It seemed like he was worried.
He probably thought Lucy was upset because she missed her mom.
Of course, that was a misunderstanding.
Right now, Lucy was upset because she had to eat mushrooms instead of fish.
Still, the mention of the letters piqued her interest.
Her mom.
What kind of person was she?
◈
After breakfast, Lucy read the letters her mom had sent.
There were five in total, all carefully kept by her grandfather.
————————————————————————————————————
[First Letter]
My dear daughter~ Lucy~ Are you growing up beautifully?
Of course you are! You take after your mom!
Ah~ Just thinking about it makes me want to hug you!
I love you.
————————————————————————————————————
[Second Letter]
Yesterday, I met a wonderful man!
He was a knight in silver armor, so well-spoken and polite.
I hope our Lucy meets a good man like that someday~
But not yet! Absolutely not yet!
Our Lucy is still a baby, after all!
I love you.
————————————————————————————————————
[Third Letter]
The stars are shining so beautifully tonight.
I wonder if my daughter is looking at them too?
I hope you are.
Thinking that we’re looking at the same sky makes me feel closer to you.
I love you.
————————————————————————————————————
[Fourth Letter]
Our Lucy, you must have grown so much by now.
What kind of clothes are you wearing?
Black? Or red?
Oh! What about pink?
I want to dress you in the clothes I pick out…
Someday, I want to dress you up all pretty!
I love you.
————————————————————————————————————
[Fifth Letter]
Lucy, I miss you.
We can’t meet yet, but please wait a little longer.
Listen to your grandfather and stay healthy.
I love you, my daughter!
“…”
There wasn’t much substance to the letters.
They felt light, almost like they were written by a teenage girl.
Still, each letter ended with “I love you.”
And I could feel how much she misses me.
But why doesn’t she come to see me?
Is she really doing something like being a hero?
More than that, I’m surprised she exists.
Will I get to see her someday?
If I do…
“…”
It’ll probably be really awkward.
Lucy scratched her cheek and put the letters back in their place.
◈
And then, a week later—
The sixth letter from her mom arrived.
[Sixth Letter]
My adorable daughter, Lucy~
I’ve finally made a decision!
I’m going to meet you!
You must miss me a lot too, right?
I’ll be waiting in the city of Cressia, where the moonlight shines beautifully.
I hope you’ll come to see me~ Okay? Okay? You’ll come, right?
I love you.
“…”
After reading the letter, Lucy was slightly taken aback.
Just a week ago, I thought, “Maybe I’ll see her someday”, and now she suddenly wants to meet.
And where even is this city of Cressia, where the moonlight shines beautifully?
Lucy considered ignoring it, but that felt a bit too cold.
First, she pulled out a map from her grandfather’s bookshelf and looked for the city of Cressia mentioned in the letter.
“…”
Cressia was quite far from here.
Of course, if I ride Death Mount, I’ll get there quickly.
Should I go…?
It wouldn’t be a bad idea to visit a new city this time.
Alright, let’s go.
Lucy nodded slightly and got up.
Her grandfather was currently out for work.
It’d be good to leave a note.
[I’m going to meet Mom for a bit. I’ll be back soon, so don’t worry.]
Lucy placed the note on the table and left the house.
◈
“…”
Under the warm sunlight, Lucy lay on a rock, quietly gazing up at the sky.
The sky was clear, without a single cloud.
A refreshing breeze from the forest gently swayed Lucy’s white hair as it passed by.
In front of her stretched a tranquil lakeside.
After leaving home in the morning, Lucy had ridden Death Mount nonstop for hours to reach this place.
Since Death Mount was undead, it could run without rest, but Lucy couldn’t.
Riding Death Mount for hours had left her quite fatigued, and more importantly…
Growl—
She was hungry.
“…”
Lucy sighed softly as she rubbed her stomach.
No matter how she thought about it, it seemed like she had left home without any preparation.
Not bringing any food…
Should I have at least brought some mushrooms?
No…
Even so, mushrooms are a bit…
Lucy shook her head and got up.
If I’m hungry, I can just pick some fruit.
I don’t even need to pick them myself.
I can just summon some skeletons to do it.
Lucy reached out her hand to summon skeletons.
Just then—
Clip-clop. Clip-clop.
The sound of hooves echoed.
Turning her head, she saw a carriage slowly approaching along a small path by the lakeside.
A seemingly ordinary carriage pulled by two horses.
A young man sat in the driver’s seat.
The young man noticed Lucy and stopped the carriage.
“Oh my, to encounter such a lovely young lady in a place like this.”
The young man got down from the carriage and approached her.
He looked to be in his mid-twenties.
His attire was neat, and he wore a gentle smile on his face.
“Are you resting here?”
At the young man’s question, Lucy nodded.
The young man glanced around.
“Are you alone?”
Lucy nodded again.
She had temporarily dismissed Death Mount.
“I see. Ah, I should introduce myself. I’m Lux. As you can see, I’m just an ordinary merchant.”
Lux bowed politely.
“If it’s not too forward, may I ask for your name?”
“…Lucy.”
When Lucy answered shortly, Lux’s smile deepened.
“Lucy, what a lovely name. By the way, I’m not a suspicious person. Here’s my merchant’s badge to prove my identity.”
Lux took out a badge from his pocket and showed it to her.
The badge had an intricately engraved emblem and the words “Braille Trading Company” written on it.
“Braille Trading Company, have you heard of it? It’s a fairly trusted company around here.”
Lucy shook her head.
“Ah, that’s understandable. We mainly deal with high-ranking nobles.”
Lux put the badge back in his pocket and walked toward the carriage.
“Have you eaten yet? I was planning to have a meal here. If you don’t mind, would you like to join me?”
At that moment, Lucy’s eyes sparkled.
Translator Note
T/N (Translator’s note):
Mainly deal with high-ranking nobles + very nice.Definitely not a slave trader, folks!
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