Chapter 71

Chapter 71

With Dylan’s help, Erina was able to return to the children without much trouble.

“Erinaaaa!!!”

“Erina, did it hurt?!”

“Mamaaaa!!!”

The triplets, who had been gathered around Meian, rushed toward Erina as soon as they saw her, all trying to reach her first. Their big eyes were brimming with tears, as if the slightest nudge would make them spill over. 

Poi, in particular, seemed to have cried the hardest, his cheeks red even in his dragon form.

Erina, having been through a tough time herself, felt a wave of emotion rise just from seeing their faces. 

As the triplets reunited with her in tears, Meian, holding Poi, quietly joined them. The more she looked over Erina’s body, the more Meian’s expression hardened.

“Oh my goodness, Erina, what happened? Why is your wrist so swollen?! And your pretty clothes are all ruined!”

“Well… I saw Lady Bell and was heading to her, but I ended up falling into a trap meant for catching beasts.”

Erina gave an awkward chuckle after her explanation. Then, not only Meian but also the children started inspecting Erina from head to toe. 

They made such a fuss over every speck of dust that eventually Erina had to beg them to stop.

“Erina, Erina! Do you know what we call situations like yours?”

“No?”

“We say, ‘Oh jeez, what the heck! I nearly died!’”

Resen shook his bowl cut hair and jutted his chin forward in a proud pose, clearly showing off his knowledge.

“Resen? Come here.”

“Huh?”

Erina took Resen by the shoulder and led him behind a tree. Kneeling in front of him, she gently held his plump little hands.

“Resen, where did you learn to say something like that? ‘What the heck’… that’s not a nice word. You shouldn’t say it to others.”

“Huhhh?”

Resen, who had expected praise for being so smart, froze in place at the unexpected scolding.

But Erina didn’t stop there.

“I know you’re quick to learn and eager to know everything. But just because something’s written in a book doesn’t mean it’s always good. You need to think about whether it’s bad or dangerous before you accept it, okay? If you ever don’t know whether something is good or bad, just ask me.”

“Okay… okay…”

Resen drooped his head in shame. Feeling sorry, Erina hugged him tightly.

“B-but Mitzu and Hael say those kinds of things all the time!”

Resen pouted in protest. She knew very well that Mitzu and Hael often used much harsher language than that. But how could she explain that Mitzu and Hael weren’t exactly role models?

As Erina pondered, Resen let out a small sigh and said, 

“But I don’t want to be an adult like Mitzu. I’ll only use nice words from now on.”

Hearing his quick add-on, Erina also let out a sigh of relief. Not only was he smart, but he understood the situation well. In fact, she thought she might have something to learn from him.

As she gently stroked his hair, she comforted him again.

“Still, even if your words were a bit dramatic, it’s true I almost died. If it weren’t for Dylan, it could’ve ended badly.”

“I-I could save you too! It’s not just Uncle Dylan who can do that!”

As soon as she mentioned Dylan, Resen shouted even more passionately. 

Judging by their size, even if all three children had jumped in, they wouldn’t have been able to pull her out of that pit—but instead of saying that, Erina encouraged him.

“You’re right. Dylan was just a tiny bit faster at running, that’s why he got there first.”

“Right?! If my legs were as long as Dylan’s, I’d save you first!”

“Mm-hmm. But I’ll be more careful so there’s no need for you to save me, okay? I really scared you, didn’t I? I’m sorry.”

Resen held out his pinky.

“Erina, you’re not allowed to fall into pits and get hurt anymore. Promise.”

“Okay. I promise.”

Erina hooked her pinky around Resen’s. Resen waved their hands up and down, smiling brightly. Erina smiled too, copying his expression. 

After making their secret promise behind the tree, the two returned happily.

Everyone was curious about what Resen and Erina had talked about, but seeing her wrist swell more and more, they quickly headed toward the center of the forest.

“Erina! Erina!”

“Hm? What is it, Lia?”

“Lia wants to talk with Erina alone too!”

Lia pouted and tugged on Erina’s skirt. Erina giggled at her adorable jealousy.

“Of course. I want to talk with Lia too. Should we go catch butterflies?”

“Yes! I like that! But I won’t let Ressen or Poi come!”

Lia nodded enthusiastically and clenched her fists. There was no way she’d let Resen have Erina all to himself. 

Completely unaware that Resen had just been scolded to tears behind a tree, Lia’s competitiveness toward him only grew stronger.

“Mama… maaa!”

“Hm? What’s wrong, Poi? Do you want to go down?”

“Maah!”

Looking at Lia and Erina, Meian asked the babbling Poi, who nodded eagerly. Come to think of it, Poi would need to change into human form to talk to Erina, but in all the excitement, he had forgotten something so simple.

As soon as Meian gently lowered him, Poi transformed into a cute little boy and ran toward Erina.

“Mama!! Did it hurt?!”

Thud! 

Erina staggered from the impact against her leg, but upon hearing his voice, she looked down. 

Tears still clung to Poi’s lashes.

“No, it didn’t hurt. I’m sorry, Poi. You were scared too, weren’t you?”

“No! Don’t say sorry. It’s okay! Just don’t get hurt again!”

“Okay, thank you.”

With worry and jealousy from each of the children, they finally reached the center of the forest.

Erina was examined by a doctor and treated by a healer’s magic. Thanks to that, her discomfort was greatly reduced beyond just the basics.

“Thank you.”

“Now, it’s very important that you don’t move your wrist, or even your elbow, for the time being. Understand? If you move just because it doesn’t hurt now, you’ll regret it later.”

The doctor and healer wrapped a splint and bandaged her wrist while constantly nagging. Unlike the dignified appearance she had seen at the Harrison estate, the two were quite chatty.

Even when Erina replied with a simple “Yes,” their flood of so-called precautions never stopped.

“Erina, are you done with the treatment?”

The one who rescued her from the swamp of chatter was none other than Dylan. He peeked into the medical tent, checking on her.

Erina responded with a bright voice, “Mr. Dylan! I’m all done! I’m coming out now!”

She barely escaped from the doctor and healer, who were trying to hold her back for “just one more thing,” and almost skipped out of the tent. Seeing the green trees outside finally let her breathe a sigh of relief.

Dylan frowned at the bandages on her wrist, but then smirked when he saw her face, which was paler than the wrappings.

“Looks like you fell victim to their endless chatter too.”

“No way… You too, Mr. Dylan?!”

“There’s a reason the Harrison guards work so hard to stay fit and avoid getting injured. After a week of treatment with those two, they say it’s not the body that aches—it’s the mind.”

Dylan pointed to the guards still training hard during the camping trip. Erina, seeing the overly disciplined soldiers, couldn’t help but laugh.

Do people even realize?

That the elite soldiers strong enough to protect dragons are actually just trying to avoid those overly chatty doctors by training themselves into top condition.