Chapter 64
Chapter 64
“Kids, don’t go too far! And don’t touch anything random!”
Erina shouted as she watched the dragons’ tails disappearing into the distance.
“Kkyung!”
“Byak!”
“Maaang!”
The children responded in loud, cheerful voices before vanishing from sight.
“They’ve got so much energy.”
“Right? I think they’re even more excited because it’s been a while since we came to the forest.”
“Shall we get moving too?”
At Meian’s suggestion, Erina nodded. Thanks to Meian’s abilities, their foraging pace felt twice as fast.
Luckily, as Erina had asked, the dragons hadn’t gone too far; their cries could be heard now and then.
Just as they were continuing their work in the forest…
“Gegeeeek!!”
“Ppuyang!!”
“Mama!!”
The scattered dragons came charging back to Erina in a group. Their hands, tails, and arms were overflowing with all kinds of herbs, berries, and mushrooms.
Erina was amazed at how they managed to carry so much without dropping anything.
Resen mostly brought back blue or yellow colored berries, while Lia had caught red and green insects.
Poi’s haul was mostly dark and murky-looking items.
The amount they gathered was at least twice what Erina and Meian had managed.
“Goodness, this is amazing… they’re really capable!”
Meian’s eyes sparkled as she looked over the dragons’ haul, all free from anything poisonous.
Despite being young, they were still pureblood dragons—she couldn’t help but be impressed.
Erina, too, recognized herbs from her field guide among what the children brought and praised them effusively.
Pleased by the praise, the children shifted into their human forms to communicate more easily.
“Erina! Blue is the prettiest, right?”
“No way! Red is the prettiest! Or how about this green caterpillar?!”
“P-Poi thinks black is the prettiest…”
As the kids argued over whose items were the most beautiful, Erina smiled awkwardly and praised each one fairly.
Though the children were a little disgruntled at not being declared the winner, they soon began packing their haul carefully into their bags.
Meian was once again surprised at how these young dragons showed self-control and acceptance.
“It’s getting late…should we head back now?”
“Ah, yes!”
“Let’s go!”
“Erina, when we get back, let’s roast these!”
Resen and Lia bounced with excitement at Erina’s suggestion. They clearly couldn’t wait to taste the root-like crops they had dug up.
Poi, though silent, quietly pulled a few items from his bag and handed them to Erina.
It seemed the day’s foraging with the dragons had come to a successful close—
but at the campsite, the biggest challenge was waiting.
As they neared the tent by the kitchen, a furious Mitzu came stomping toward Erina.
“You human woman! You Halfling! Where have you been?!”
Mitzu was covered in dirt and dust, with several scrapes on his face and body as if he’d rolled down a hill.
His disheveled appearance and angry yelling made Erina instinctively frown. Standing beside him, Hael looked equally worn out, though not quite as bad.
“We just did as we said, tidied up and then went for a short foraging trip. But what happened to you two? Shouldn’t you be getting treated instead?”
“Nah, just spit on it and it’ll heal, yeah? You think I’m weak like a human?”
“Yeah?”
Mitzu and Hael licked the wounds on their arms while grumbling.
It was clearly unhygienic and foolish, but Erina didn’t dare say anything—it seemed like they might sulk if she did. So she simply forced a smile and said nothing more.
“So, did you find anything good?”
Mitzu and Hael peeked into Erina’s basket and the bags the kids were carrying.
“You don’t need to know!”
“Everything we found belongs to Erina!”
The children glared at Mitzu while hugging their bags protectively. Mitzu just scoffed and went back to what he was doing, seemingly uninterested in their finds.
“Oh, right—Erina. Lord Dylan said he wanted to see you.”
“Ah, okay!”
Erina nodded. Come to think of it, today was the day she was supposed to have magic cast on her hair.
It wasn’t a big deal for Dylan, but the fact that he remembered it first said a lot…He really was a kind dragon.
Of course, Erina hadn’t seen him just moments ago barking orders at others with a terrifying expression.
Dylan seemed to be giving his final instructions to the servants as Erina finished prepping things for the hearth oven.
When she approached, Dylan noticed and smiled brightly at her.
“Miss Erina! I heard you went foraging with my niece and nephews. Did you manage to gather good things?”
“More than me, Resen, Lia, and Poi found a lot of great stuff! We were just about to roast it in the oven. Will you join us?”
“Of course! I’d be honored to.”
He wasn’t particularly interested in root crops, but since Erina had touched them, even roasted them they’d probably taste delicious.
As Dylan agreed, Erina hesitantly asked,
“The reason you wanted to see me…was it because of this?”
She held up her long hair and gave it a little wave. Her hair danced in flowing curves as she moved her wrist.
Dylan nodded and continued.
“There are too many eyes around right now. How about we meet in three hours?”
“That works! But… is there a clock anywhere I can check? I didn’t bring one…”
Hearing her concern, Dylan pulled a small pocket watch from his coat.
“This one runs on my magic, so you don’t need to worry about it stopping or breaking.”
“Oh! Are you sure it’s okay to lend it to me? What about you?”
“I have other ways to keep time.”
With a warm smile, Dylan placed the watch in Erina’s hand.
Even at a glance, the pocket watch was a work of fine craftsmanship, adorned with intricate designs and sparkling jewels. It looked incredibly valuable.
He had once taken it from someone because he liked the way the watch sparkled. A family heirloom the original owner had refused to part with despite Dylan’s ‘request’.
It was rare and precious, and he had always kept it hidden… but he handed it to Erina without a second thought.
“Then I’ll just borrow it for a bit and return it. Thank you.”
“Miss Erina? Do you think the watch is beautiful?”
Dylan asked as Erina admired the delicate patterns and embedded gems with fascination.
She quickly nodded, unable to look away.
“Yes, it’s really beautiful!”
“Then it’s yours.”
“Wh—what??”
Erina’s eyes widened in shock at Dylan’s sudden gift. He smiled even more brightly at her surprise.
“You said it was beautiful, didn’t you?”
“W-Well, yes, but… it looks incredibly valuable! Why would you give it to me?”
“Didn’t Mitzu give you something flashy and expensive the other day too?”
She hadn’t wanted to accept it, but it seemed clear Mitzu would throw a fit otherwise, so she reluctantly had.
Was Dylan about to do the same?
She cautiously studied his expression, and sure enough, she noticed his lips pouting slightly.
“Ah, no! Dylan!”
“Why is it okay from Mitzu but not from me? You accept gifts from him and even from the kids!”
Dylan complained, even dragging his niece and nephews into the argument. Erina grew more flustered the longer he went on.
The kids’ gifts were things like bugs or clovers—cute and simple, not comparable to a bejeweled antique pocket watch. But Dylan ignored that logic and continued acting more petulant than even the children.
