Chapter 37
Chapter 37
In a panic, Bella pressed her ear against Derion’s small chest.
Thump… thump.
A heart was beating. Fearfully slow but still there. If she hadn’t heard that, she would’ve thought he was already dead. His body was scorching, practically burning up. But Derion, no, Hirpus was a magical beast. Anything could be possible.
Come to think of it, she barely knew anything about Derion. Not truly. They’d spent all this time together, and she’d never once tried to understand who—or what—he was.
What had she been doing all this time?
Still, with the confirmation that he was at least alive, another problem arose.
“Who’s there?!”
Startled, she had moved too quickly. The straw beneath her rustled noisily. The ones outside, who had been quiet since ending their conversation, had definitely heard it. Bella bit her lip and hastily pulled Derion close to her chest.
She still didn’t know if these men were good or bad.
Tightly shutting her eyes, she made a decision. There was no turning back now. All she could do was trust fate. She heard the sharp shing of a sword being drawn and footsteps approaching.
Even their ragged breathing rang in her ears with terrifying clarity.
“Lady Bellatrix,” Regnator had once said, “humans… they must be approached with great caution precisely because of how fragile they are. You might think they’re pathetic at first glance, but they are more cunning than any demon. They hide their true nature behind smiles.”
“Uhm, no.”
“Oh, I do. The nobler a human is, the more they’ll commit ugly sins to protect what they value. Regardless of age, if someone’s in their way, they’ll kill. That’s the human race, quite unlike our demonkind.”
“…”
“You don’t agree, milady? We demons may be sly and underhanded in guarding what’s ours but never filthy.”
“Hmm…”
“It’s a critical difference.”
“…”
“Of course, once in a blue moon, a decent human does appear. But they don’t live long. You know why?”
“…”
“Because they’re kind. Yes, there are humans who are kind even down to their soul. But their kindness makes them naïve, easy to deceive, easy to betray. That’s why they die young. A kind heart alone will not help you survive.”
“Eunng!”
“But worry not, Lady Bellatrix! You already possess the arrogance of Lord Lucifer himself, just in smaller shoes!”
Was that meant to be a compliment… or an insult?
“Tch.”
Of all times for Regnator’s human survival lecture to pop into her head, why now? Even if humans were capable of unspeakable cruelty, as he said, surely the first one she met wouldn’t be that kind.
There were billions of humans in this world, after all!
She swallowed dryly, her lips parched, shoulders tense.
A shadow loomed overhead. The man held a sharp, ready sword that looked like he might swing it at any moment. But then their eyes met and he stopped. His mouth slowly opened.
“…Huh? What the hell?”
He was massive, bearded, with thick limbs and a neck like a tree trunk. Muscles bulged under his cloak. This was the first human Bella had ever met. His name… was Lawrence.
“There’s a kid in here.”
“A kid?”
“Yeah. With a dog, too.”
Lawrence glanced around cautiously but found no one else. Satisfied, he sheathed his sword. Thankfully, he didn’t seem to be the type to kill children just because he could.
“A kid, in a place like this…”
From behind him, another man peeked in through the narrow gap.
“Looks like someone abandoned her here.”
“….”
Even as Lawrence spoke, the other man stared intently at her, tilting his head.
“Huh? She looks familiar.”
“You know her? Can’t be from the temple, she is too young for that, isn’t she?”
The man nodded slowly. Bella, clutching Derion tightly, studied their expressions.
By appearance alone, no one would guess she was only one year old. She’d grown well, eaten well, and slept well. Every time she looked in the mirror, even she was shocked at how quickly she was growing.
She looked at least three.
“Whoever dumped her here must be ruthless. Abandoning a kid… in Inpethera of all places.”
Lawrence sneered, his lip curling in derision. There was no pity on his face.
What kind of man could say such a cold thing with a baby standing right in front of him?!
‘Tch… maybe he’s not a good person after all.’
She briefly considered running, but with Derion limp in her arms, escape was impossible. The other man slowly stepped forward. He took off his hat as he approached her.
It felt like an attempt to appear less threatening.
‘…Hmm?’
It worked.
His face had a gentle softness, enough that even Bella, used to the unearthly beauty of the demon realm, found it charming.
And strange… it was familiar.
Where had she seen that face? Or had she not? Why did he feel familiar?
“Little one, how did you end up here?”
“….”
“Where are your parents? Do you remember anything?”
I wish I knew. If she could return, she would in an instant. But until someone came for her, she just had to survive.
Until Father comes, I must stay alive.
She made a silent vow: Not a single scratch should be on me.
Though she’d left the human world long ago and never got to feel attached, she was still human, then and now. And she had no desire to see people die, least of all because of her. Now that her heart had chosen a path, her next move was clear.
She looked like a toddler… three years old at most.
And if she wanted to wait for Lucifer or Regnator, she’d need help from adults.
“Sweetie?”
The man stepped closer, prompting her to act. She swiftly arranged her facial muscles, lowered her brows, puffed out her cheeks, and pursed her lips.
She made the most pitiful face she could muster and whispered:
“…They… went away.”
“They did? Where to?”
“Dunno… Wait here, said…”
If she could cry, it would’ve sold the act. But her tears, like her throat, had run dry. Still, her naturally cute and pitiable face was enough. She saw the man’s expression falter with sympathy.
Perfect. She sniffled and buried her face into Derion’s fur, as if he were the only thing left in her world.
“Oh no… they really abandoned her.”
“People like that shouldn’t even have kids… And to dump her here, of all places—in Lombard’s territory.”
“….”
“She was basically thrown to the beasts.”
Lawrence had no filter. Even with her right there, he spoke without care. If she were really three, she might have burst into tears then and there.
Not that she actually was a child. Still, it seemed this wasn’t an unusual occurrence in this part of the human realm. While she hadn’t been abandoned, this misunderstanding was helping her. No one was questioning her presence.
“Lawrence, let’s take her… to the village.”
“Ha! We don’t even know if we’ll survive, and you want to babysit?”
“If we leave her here, she’ll either be eaten or starve. You said so yourself.”
“Not my problem, maybe it’s her fate. Isn’t that your whole ‘destiny’ philosophy?”
“But meeting us… changed her fate. If we reach out, she might live. It’s fate that brought us here, Lawrence.”
Hearing that, Lawrence practically growled. His beard shook from the force of his huff. He looked like he’d just bitten into something rotten. But the other man kept going.
“If she were truly fated to die, she wouldn’t have met us. I know times are tough, but… can’t we at least help one small child?”
“Sylvanas, you bastard!”
“Please, Lawrence. I don’t want to leave her here.”
So his name was Sylvanas. Bella had assumed he was meek, based on their earlier argument but apparently not. At Lawrence’s angry bark, Sylvanas merely lowered his shoulders with a sheepish pout.
His face, so delicate it could be mistaken for a woman’s, looked even more sorrowful now. Lawrence, clearly fuming, stomped on the ground.
He was so frustrated, he started taking it out on the dirt.
Then he snapped.
“Damn it! I’m charging you for this one! Got it?!”
He grumbled bitterly but didn’t say no.
Despite his towering figure, his bushy beard and nearly two-meter tall, muscled frame, he was being completely swayed by the slender Sylvanas.
What an oddly matched pair.
==
(TN: Uhh, Sylvanas is a good name… But Derion, my baby boy, you need to wake up sooner!)
