Ch. 52 Munchkin – Chapter 52
by AfuhfuihgsChapter 52
The white object gradually drew closer and soon revealed itself in front of Lucy.
It was a large, elegant white owl.
Its feathers shimmered faintly under the moonlight.
Its large amber eyes.
The owl gracefully landed on the windowsill and tapped the window with its beak.
Tap-tap—
“…”
Lucy’s eyes narrowed.
Was it asking her to open the window?
But she didn’t know what this owl was…
“Whoa, it’s so pretty.”
Finn fluttered over from behind.
“What’s with the owl?”
Tap-tap—
The owl tapped the window again with its beak.
After a moment of hesitation, Lucy opened the window.
Cold night air flowed into the room.
But the owl didn’t come inside. It just stared at Lucy silently.
“Huh?”
Finn tilted her head.
“There’s something on the owl’s foot.”
Sure enough, there was something tied to the owl’s foot.
A letter tied with a pink ribbon.
Lucy carefully untied the ribbon and picked up the letter.
The owl bowed its head, then flapped its wings and flew away.
Lucy closed the window and began reading the letter.
————————————————————————————————————
To my adorable Lucy~
Today, Mommy saw you!
I saw you having fun with your friends at the Moonlight Festival.
You’re so pretty, just like Mommy~
The red wig was super cute too.
But of course, your white hair is even prettier!
By the way, I’m sorry, Lucy.
It looks like we won’t be able to meet this time.
Something came up that Mommy has to take care of.
It’s really important.
But let’s definitely meet next time!
Until then, listen to Grandpa and get along well with your friends!
I’ll write to you again soon.
I love you, my daughter.
————————————————————————————————————
“…”
Lucy stood frozen, her energy drained.
They couldn’t meet?
Then why did she even come to this city?
And it seemed her mom had seen her.
She even knew about the red wig Lucy had worn.
“Lucy…”
Finn gently hugged Lucy’s neck.
“Cheer up… You’ll definitely get to see Mommy next time…”
Finn had read the letter too.
She seemed to be trying to comfort her.
“I’ll stay with you until you get to see your mom.”
“…Thanks.”
Lucy smiled faintly.
It was disappointing not to see her mom, but she was glad Finn wasn’t leaving.
Finn’s healing powder was quite useful, after all.
Creak—
Soon, Estelle returned to the room.
She was carrying a tray piled high with food.
“I-I’m not sure if it’ll suit your taste… but I tried to prepare the most delicious dishes I could…”
Lucy and Finn’s faces brightened as they saw the food.
◈
The next morning, Lucy and Finn left Estelle’s mansion.
They were planning to return home.
There was no reason to stay in Cressia any longer if she couldn’t meet her mom.
“Lucy… Finn…”
Estelle, who had come out to see them off, had tears in her eyes.
“C-can we meet again someday…?”
“Of course!”
Finn answered with a bright smile.
“We’re friends, so we’ll definitely meet again!”
Estelle wiped the tears from her eyes and forced a smile.
“Th-then, let’s take a bath together next time… and eat delicious food…”
Lucy nodded and patted Estelle’s head.
“I’ll come visit again.”
Ahem.
Derrick cleared his throat beside them.
“We’re truly indebted to you. Thank you so much…”
Derrick bowed respectfully to Lucy.
He was genuinely grateful to her.
She had saved both Estelle and himself, and even let Estelle enjoy the festival.
“Take care, then.”
Lucy waved to Derrick and Estelle, then turned and began walking away.
Finn quickly followed Lucy and shouted.
“Bye, Estelle! See you next time! Take care until then!”
◈
The Lord of Leyton quietly reached out and pinched his daughter Ellie’s cheek.
“Ow!”
Ellie swatted his hand away and frowned.
“That hurts!”
“Hehe.”
Even her frowning face was nothing but adorable to the Lord of Leyton.
“Ellie, isn’t your friend coming to the castle today?”
“My friend? Oh, you mean Lucy?”
“Yes, Lucy.”
“Lucy said she’s coming tomorrow!”
Ellie replied in an excited voice.
“When Lucy comes tomorrow, we’re going to bake bread together!”
“Hehe. That bread sounds delicious. Can I have some too?”
“Hmm~”
Ellie smiled mischievously.
“I’ll have to ask Lucy first~ I can only give it to you if Lucy says it’s okay~”
“Huh, okay…”
A disappointed expression appeared on the Lord of Leyton’s face.
Lately, Ellie had seemed different since meeting that girl named Lucy.
She only kissed Lucy, and now even giving bread to her father required Lucy’s permission.
And it wasn’t just Ellie who had changed.
Ed and Ron had also changed after meeting Lucy.
On the days Lucy came to the castle, Ed and Ron would dress up from the morning and try their best to impress her.
Well, honestly, the Lord of Leyton didn’t think it was a bad thing.
It was only natural for someone to have friends they genuinely follow or someone they admire.
Above all, Ellie, who had been depressed because of her mother, had become much brighter.
“Ellie. Who do you like more, your dad or Lucy?”
The Lord of Leyton asked while stroking Ellie’s head.
Ellie answered without a moment’s hesitation.
“Lucy!”
“…Wh-who’s second?”
“Hehe, that’s a secret.”
“I see…”
Just then.
Knock-knock—
A voice was heard along with the knocking.
― My Lord, everything is ready. We can depart immediately.
“Understood.”
The Lord of Leyton stood up, holding Ellie, who had been sitting on his lap.
Ellie tilted her head.
“Father, where are you going?”
“I’m planning to meet with Lord Howard for a while.”
“Lord Howard?”
Ellie’s expression darkened instantly.
From what Ellie remembered, Lord Howard was an old man with a despicable appearance and a dangerous aura.
The thought of her father going to meet someone like that didn’t sit well with her.
“…Do you have to go?”
“It’s for the territory’s affairs. I’ll be back soon. I should return by tomorrow.”
“It’ll take a whole day?”
“Yes. It’s quite a distance to Howard’s territory… Are you worried about your dad?”
“Yes.”
“Hehe.”
The Lord of Leyton affectionately stroked Ellie’s head.
“Don’t worry. I’m going with the knights, so nothing will happen. Besides, I need to come back safely to eat the bread my daughter made. Ellie, make sure to ask Lucy tomorrow if it’s okay to give some bread to your dad.”
“…Okay.”
Ellie nodded with a worried expression.
◈
Lord Howard was a man in his late 60s, a figure who inspired more fear than respect from those around him.
He was an ambitious man who would stop at nothing for wealth and power.
Today, he had invited the Lord of Leyton to his castle.
The pretext was “to resolve the issue of bandits appearing in the border regions”, but his true purpose was different.
It was because of the magic stones recently discovered in his mines.
Upon investigation, the vein of magic stones extended beneath the forest of Leyton Territory, so he needed the Lord of Leyton’s permission to mine them.
“…Will that man really give his permission?”
Lord Howard muttered quietly.
The magic stones discovered were imbued with incredibly powerful magical energy.
If he could mine them, Lord Howard would gain unimaginable wealth and power.
“He probably won’t give permission.”
Someone answered from beside him.
It was Lord Howard’s aide.
“If it’s the Lord of Leyton, he’ll likely prioritize the safety of the forest and the nearby villagers. That’s the kind of man he is.”
“Then he’s a fool. Fools always meet a miserable end. That’s the law of the world.”
Lord Howard’s eyes gleamed coldly.
“Is everything ready?”
“Yes. But I still think it would be wise to reconsider. The moment we attack the Lord of Leyton, war will be inevitable.”
“Nothing’s been decided yet. If our conversation goes well, we can resolve this peacefully. But if it doesn’t… then there’s no other choice.”
Lord Howard planned to make an offer to the Lord of Leyton first.
In exchange for allowing him to mine the magic stones buried beneath the forest, Lord Howard would share the profits from the magic stones.
That way, both sides could benefit greatly.
But if the Lord of Leyton refused the offer…
He would immediately attack and capture him, then forcibly mine the magic stones.
In fact, Lord Howard preferred the latter.
If the Lord of Leyton were taken prisoner, all that would remain in Leyton Territory were his two young sons and daughter.
It would be too soon for them to wage war.
Moreover, with their father captured, they wouldn’t dare act recklessly.
In that case, Lord Howard could not only monopolize the magic stones but also potentially swallow Leyton Territory whole.
“Hoho.”
Greed flickered in Lord Howard’s eyes.
Admittedly, inviting someone to his castle only to attack them was despicable and dishonorable.
Word of this would inevitably spread, and the surrounding territories would greatly distrust Lord Howard.
But that didn’t matter to him.
For Lord Howard, the mining rights to the magic stones were far more important.
From the beginning, he had always valued wealth and power over honor.
A short while later, a soldier approached the office and spoke.
“My Lord. The Lord of Leyton has arrived at the castle.”
Translator Note
T/N (Translator’s note):
The fact that he lived to his 60s is impressive enough.
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