First Reunion (7)

Before the bug hunt, a variable arose.

“Helix, I’m coming too.”

“It’s dangerous.”

“B-but I still want to go. Don’t stop me.”

Truthfully, it would have been fine even if I had come alone, but Camille insisted on following.

Camille was still a child, so she was out of the question as a combatant.

I hadn’t even thought of bringing her, but…

I turned my head and asked Vilkes for his opinion.

“What do you think?”

“Do as you wish, Dragon-iyeo.”

Vilkes merely observed the atmosphere.

He didn’t offer any particular opinion.

Hmm, what should I do?

Actually, Camille…

‘She’ll need to see it at some point.’

Even if it wasn’t specifically for my sake, Camille needed to see with her own eyes how dangerous the Termites were.

As for the danger, I could just use some Magic to handle it.

“Undine.”

Woosh!!

A fountain of water gushed forth with a refreshing aura.

At the astonishing sight, Camille’s mouth hung open in awe.

“Helix-nim!!”

“It’s been a while, Undine.”

A tiny water spirit with a cute appearance emerged and greeted me warmly.

Undine.

That was her name.

This was the first time I had summoned her since my regression.

But for some reason, she knew my name.

“Undine, do you remember me?”

“Yes, of course! Helix-nim and I played together in the Spirit Realm, didn’t we?”

“You remember.”

“Yes, of course I remember.”

I tried to hide my bewilderment.

The fact that she hadn’t lost her memories meant…

that my fifth wife, the spirit, hadn’t lost hers either.

‘I had somewhat expected it, but…’

I had already anticipated that my wives might retain their memories, ever since Camille.

However, her case was a little different.

I could only guess one reason.

‘Is it because of the Spirit Realm?’

In the Spirit Realm, everything flows differently from the material world.

Time, space, and even matter…

It was a completely isolated, two-dimensional space.

Therefore, the possibility of it being unaffected by the regression could not be ignored.

“Undine, I have a favor to ask.”

“Yes, please tell me, Helix-nim.”

“Can you protect this child for a while?”

“This person…?”

Undine’s expression didn’t seem particularly enthusiastic.

She must have been gauging the mood of the Lady of the Lake.

“Hmm, if it’s to protect Helix-nim, then I will obey.”

“Of course. Camille has powerful healing abilities. Protecting her is also protecting me. I’m heading to a somewhat dangerous place now.”

“A dangerous place? What exactly are you planning to do…?”

“I’m going to kill the bugs.”

At that, Undine nodded as if she understood.

“Aha! If that’s the reason, you should have told me sooner. The Lady will be happy if we catch the bugs!”

The “Lady” was another title for her, the spirit of the lake.

Originally, as a monarch of spirits, she was practically a queen, but…

She herself found such a title burdensome, so the spirits had agreed to call her “Lady.”

‘I remember her getting sulky when I called her “Lady” too.’

She was kind like a mother, but also had a subtly childlike side.

I had many good memories with her, but because of that, the sense of betrayal I felt was also strong.

“Hm? Why are you staring so intently, Helix-nim?”

“It’s nothing.”

Undine’s innocent face reminded me of her.

Perhaps it was because Undine was also a spirit derived from her.

“Helix… what’s your relationship with the spirit?”

“Just friends.”

“Vivian also said ‘friends’ before…”

Camille already seemed displeased with Undine.

Of course, Undine felt the same way.

“…”

“…”

A silent glare sparked between the two.

I needed to sort this out.

“Undine, you shouldn’t do that to Camille.”

“But she started it…”

“Still.”

I also looked at Camille.

“Camille, same goes for you.”

“What did I do…?”

“Undine’s role today is to protect you. You two should get along.”

Meanwhile, Vilkes, who had been silently watching from behind, cleared his throat.

He then casually spoke a word.

“Today’s objective is information gathering anyway. It’s highly unlikely we’ll need the spirit’s power.”

“What? You weren’t planning to smash everything from the start?”

“Of course not.”

Vilkes let out a cruel smirk.

“It’s easy to catch and crush one or two of them. But if we do that, won’t all the other bugs just run away?”

“So you’re saying you’ll be thorough with the bug extermination. Good.”

If we’re going to catch them, we should catch as many as possible.

Choosing Vilkes was the best decision.

“Alright, everyone, let’s go.”

“First, we’ll search this southern district.”

And so, we wandered through the commercial district located in southern Alesia.

A place bustling with the vitality and fervor of people.

Camille’s gaze was fixed on an ice cream shop.

“Do you want to eat some?”

“Huh…? Can I?”

“Well, it’s better this way to look natural. Camille also stands out too much.”

“I tried to dress as plainly as possible…”

No matter what, the aura of a Saint doesn’t just disappear.

Wasn’t the attention of those around already subtly drifting towards her?

It was better to act like a young lady from a noble house on an outing, naturally eating ice cream or something similar.

“Dragon-iyeo, is there a way to identify the bugs?”

“There is. But they don’t just wander around that commonly, at least.”

As we walked, I looked around, but there was no place that particularly seemed like their hiding spot.

“They have a unique bug smell.”

“Do dragons have a good sense of smell too?”

“I’m good at everything.”

“Right.”

It was then.

A little girl came running, giggling.

Her eyes weren’t looking in our direction at all.

And what’s more…

She was running straight towards Camille.

“Danger…!”

Woosh!!

At that moment, a barrier of water activated by Undine struck the child.

“Kyaaak!!”

The child was instantly sent flying, hit by the water barrier.

Oh no.

Having carried out my command to protect Camille too faithfully…

Undine had made no exception, even for a small child.

“Tch.”

Having no choice, I instantly transformed into my Dragon form and flew towards the child.

Thud!!

“Ow, ow, ow…”

“Kiiik!!”

Fortunately, the child wasn’t seriously hurt, being cushioned by my body.

“Oh…?”

“Kiiik…”

Ugh, my whole body aches.

I let out a cry, telling the child to get off.

“Did you protect me…?”

“Kiiik.”

At that, the child, as if moved, grabbed my foreleg and shook it.

“Thank you!! But… are you perhaps a Dragon-nim?”

“Kiiik…”

“You look similar to the temple statue…”

“A Dragon…?”

“No way… it must be a Wyvern hatchling. Why would a Dragon-nim be in a place like this…?”

At the word “Dragon,” the attention of those around us began to focus one by one.

Damn, it’s better to leave quickly.

Woosh!!

I quickly used Polymorph again and returned to my human form.

“Camille, don’t space out, follow me.”

“Huh…? Oh, okay…”

With her hand held by mine, Camille was led into a quiet alley, not knowing why.

Just as I sighed in relief after checking our surroundings…

Vilkes, who had followed along, clicked his tongue in regret.

“Today’s bug search operation is ruined.”

“Can’t be helped. We’ll just have to search a different area tomorrow.”

Were they listening to our conversation?

Then, bubbles began to froth around Camille…

And Undine reappeared.

“I’m sorry, Helix-nim. My foolish act ruined an important task…”

“No, it’s fine. Undine faithfully carried out my orders.”

“Still…”

“Even if the probability is low, we can’t completely rule out the possibility that the child was an assassin trying to kill Camille.”

I comforted the dejected Undine.

She still had a lot of work to do, so it wouldn’t do for her to lose heart already.

“As expected, Helix-nim is kind.”

“Really? Thanks for saying so.”

“It’s not just words.”

Undine stopped speaking and stared at me with a complicated look in her eyes.

Her expression suggested she had a lot she wanted to say.

I had a premonition that it would be better not to ask, but…

My mouth was the problem.

“Undine, do you have something to say?”

“Yes, actually…”

Undine smiled awkwardly and cautiously opened her mouth.

“Helix-nim. Do you know something?”

“Hm, what is it?”

“The Lady misses Helix-nim very much.”

“…!!”

At Undine’s words, I gasped.

Seriously, don’t say things like that when Camille is watching.

“And she regrets it deeply. How she hurt Helix-nim because of her own greed.”

“…”

“She’s truly… truly suffering a lot.”

Perhaps summoning Undine was a mistake in itself.

It was as if I had advertised for her to come find me first.

“Then tell her to regret it more. I have no intention of meeting her right now.”

“Helix-nim. I understand that you are angry.”

Undine looked at me with an anxious expression.

“But please show the Lady mercy just once. The Lady cannot endure a world without her master.”

“…”

“Just like the Saint-nim right there…”

“No. Camille’s case is different.”

“Me…?!”

Suddenly being pointed out, Camille pointed at herself with a bewildered expression.

Was she thinking I was scolding her?

Her face had turned pale.

“I’m not talking about you right now, so don’t worry about it.”

“Uh-huh, okay, Helix.”

After reassuring Camille, I turned my gaze back to Undine.

“If the Lady is mistaken, then tell her this.”

“Helix-nim…”

“Camille’s mistake was limited to me alone. So, while reconciliation might be out of the question, forgiveness is possible. But…”

Undine’s blue eyes trembled violently.

It reminded me of her, making it painful to even speak.

“The Lady’s mistake was not against me, but against my precious people. So, forgiveness is impossible.”

“Helix-nim…”

“So, tell her not to appear before my eyes for a while.”

“…”

Undine did not answer.

She merely looked at me with sad eyes.

It was only natural, given how dearly Undine cherished her master.

“Of course, I’m not talking about you, Undine. I still like you. So don’t misunderstand.”

“I know… I’m not an idiot, you know.”

The corners of Undine’s eyes drooped.

Her sad, smiling eyes once again reflected her.

“Just a little, please think of the Lady a little more, Helix-nim…”

With those words, Undine vanished.

It was a day that ended unsatisfactorily, leaving a lingering sense of discomfort.