Chapter 54
Chapter 54
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 53
Chapter Title: The Child Disappeared
Nowhere to be seen.
Merthesia was gone.
My body hadn't moved a single step, but my mind began racing busily.
The detection spell still hadn't reacted.
That meant it wasn't an external threat.
...She moved on her own.
I drew in a breath.
Raising my voice a little louder than usual, I called out to the child.
"...Mer."
My voice trembled as I said her name.
Strength entered my hands.
Clenching my fists tightly, I scanned the surroundings.
Around the rock, the grass, behind the trees.
There was no sign of Merthesia anywhere.
"Merthesia."
I called out once more.
But no presence could be felt.
"Where are you...?"
Was this what it felt like for my heart to sink?
Just moments ago, she had definitely been right there.
The child basking in the warm spring sun with a bright smile.
Merthesia looking up at me with a pouty expression.
I placed my hand on the rock.
No warmth lingered.
"She must have moved shortly after I entered the forest..."
Muttering to myself, I turned my gaze around.
Since she'd been practicing walking,
maybe she wanted to venture a little farther on her own.
"This is..."
I spotted the child's footprints.
Thank goodness the ground was muddy.
The small footprints faintly continued toward the forest.
She's following me.
Tiny footprints pressed into the grass.
Unsteady strides imprinted on the wet soil.
Her gait was wobbly, but the direction was consistently one way.
However—
That forest was dangerous.
The terrain was rugged, the ground slippery with mud,
the trees dense, and thick fog often shrouded it, making it easy to lose one's sense of direction.
Moreover, I could faintly sense the presence of magical beasts.
Though a mere magical beast wouldn't dare show itself where I resided.
Still, I couldn't overlook even the slightest possibility.
If it had starved through the winter, it might target the frail child.
I heightened all my senses.
My sight pursued the faintest traces,
my smell sought the familiar scent in the air,
my hearing strained not to miss even the smallest sound piercing the wind.
And—
"...Over there."
I hurriedly moved my feet.
The tracks led deep into the forest,
and one by one, marks of staggering through the underbrush appeared.
"Merthesia!"
Calling her name repeatedly, I followed the trail forward.
There was no response, but a strong hunch told me she was nearby.
The moment I parted the dry bushes—
My scales bristled.
A chilling sensation pierced my entire body.
This was unmistakably
the reaction when the detection spell sensed a threat.
"...Stop."
The world's time halted.
All movement ceased.
Sounds vanished as if swallowed by someone.
The birds' chirps,
the rustle of leaves in the wind,
even the occasional beast footsteps.
In this world, only I could feel time passing.
Only I could see,
feel,
move.
I knew that all too well, yet why was I so anxious and uneasy?
I launched myself toward where Merthesia should be.
Branches grazed my face, mud splashed underfoot.
None of that mattered.
She has to be safe.
That was my only thought.
Soon, a familiar presence was detected beyond the sunken bushes.
"...Merthesia."
I approached quickly, then stopped abruptly.
The ground where the bushes had sunk was collapsed.
The soil slanted inward as if carved away, exposed.
The steep embankment had crumbled downward with the wet mud.
It was the perfect slope to lose balance with even a slight slip.
No way...
I looked down.
A mud-covered child came into view.
Black ribbon.
Familiar pink clothes.
It was definitely Merthesia.
Her small shoulders were huddled tightly.
My heart dropped, wondering if she was hurt somewhere.
And—
A little distance away, an unfamiliar shadow lurked.
A beast baring its teeth.
Instincts mingled with hunger and rage.
An unstable form entwined like wolf and snake.
A magical beast.
I quickly surveyed the surroundings.
A large den a short distance from where Merthesia was.
That must be the beast's lair.
Not too late.
Magical beasts had little reason, but their instincts were razor-sharp.
They couldn't have failed to sense the presence of a dragon who could reduce them to ash.
So only one had emerged.
To avoid provoking the dragon's ire,
while targeting the prey that had wandered to their doorstep.
Weighing the prey's strength against the predator's, biding its time.
A wise judgment, unbefitting a magical beast.
But,
that judgment was wrong.
Extremely irritating.
Should I carve it out?
Burn it away?
Erase its existence?
"Rewind."
I slowly parted my lips and murmured lowly.
Time reversed.
The ground with the large den sealed shut as if sutured,
Merthesia's footprints in the mud erased backward.
The collapsed terrain restored itself,
and the sunken bushes returned to their original state.
At the center,
a slender body floated up, returning to its original position.
To the moment just before she stumbled.
Carefully, I scooped the child into one arm.
Only then
could I finally breathe.
In the cold air, her warm body heat was felt.
"...Found you."
And—
The world began flowing again.
The halted wind brushed the forest once more,
grass and leaves rustled,
and the child's frail body trembled.
Merthesia lifted her head.
Much of the mud on her body had vanished, but traces of tears lingered around her eyes.
To her now,
there would be no memory of slipping down the slope.
But—
The fact that she had cried like this
meant she had been anxious and scared while searching for me alone in the forest.
I gently stroked the child's back.
Slowly,
very slowly.
Her trembling shoulders began to settle bit by bit.
"......"
The child's gaze turned to me.
I met those eyes looking up at me silently.
Surprise and fear,
followed by relief.
I accepted all those mingled emotions in her gaze.
"It's okay."
"......"
"Let's go back."
Merthesia's lips quivered.
Only then did her pent-up sorrow surge, her breath hitching as tears fell.
Soon—
The child's wails burst forth.
I hugged Merthesia a little tighter.
"...You did well."
"......"
"Let's go home first."
Merthesia nodded faintly.
Then she buried her face in my chest, sobbing and swallowing her tears.
I walked slowly, soothing her.
Gently stroking her small back,
pat-patting her as I comforted her grief.
It didn't take long to exit the forest.
During that time, Merthesia kept her eyes closed, nestled in my arms.
But not once
did she let go of the hem of my robe.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ We arrived at the cabin.
I set the child down and reclined in the rocking chair.
My head hurt.
Partly from tampering with time,
but more from the regret over today's events swirling in my mind.
I had been too complacent.
Today's incident
was purely an accident born of my negligence.
Even the childcare books said it.
Children
must never be left alone, not even for a moment.
The instant you look away, they vanish somewhere.
Even knowing that, I had leaned on the thought that 'a little while should be fine.'
Because Merthesia was well-behaved.
She always stayed put when told to wait.
So,
I thought today would be the same.
"Haa..."
"......"
I let out a long sigh.
My fingers trembled faintly.
Even now, it came to mind.
The child huddled, caked in mud.
The magical beast drooling beside her, eyeing her.
If I'd been even a little later...
Just thinking it sent cold sweat trickling down my nape.
"...I'm still so far from ready."
"......"
My voice echoed softly.
I felt a flinch from beside me.
I turned my head slightly.
I looked down at Merthesia sitting next to the rocking chair.
The child fidgeted with her fingers,
gazing at me with an uneasy look.
That expression was clearly—
fear from knowing she had done something wrong.
Lips pressed tightly,
eyes cautiously peering at me.
It's not your fault.
My mouth, about to say that, closed.
The moment I tried to speak,
a line from the childcare book resurfaced.
'A child's impulsive actions must always be pointed out and disciplined.'
'Only then can the child learn safety, and the parent prevent recurrence.'
My head grew complicated again.
It was clearly my fault.
This child must have been terrified the whole time searching for me, and her small body was still trembling.
However,
if something like this happened again,
next time I might not be able to undo it.
I have to discipline her...
But I had no idea how.
Of course.
I had hardly ever disciplined anyone before.
"Hmm..."
"......?"
Merthesia flinched, shoulders jerking, and tilted her head cautiously.
Her eyes were moist.
Tense, as if expecting punishment.
...What should I do?
Suppressing the intrusion of old memories,
I began pondering how to discipline this child.