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chapter 19
Clang!
“Urk!”
The thug’s dagger flew out of his hand, his stance collapsing wide open.
It should have been nothing more than a weak toy sword—but the moment it clashed, it felt like he’d been crushed under a boulder.
From the gang leader’s perspective, his opponent’s movements seemed to slow down.
With just one step forward, the child slipped in smoothly.
And then, above the toy sword in her hand, he felt the shimmer of an invisible force.
“This little brat… is using mana?”
Controlling mana was something a third-rate hoodlum like him could never dream of. It was the domain of true warriors far above his level.
“I picked the wrong target!”
He had underestimated the child because she looked small and weak, but the price for that arrogance was severe.
And soon—
“In the name of justice, I’ll reform you!”
The toy sword swung, and a crushing impact snapped his ribs.
Thwack—!!
“My mom told me never to take out weapons without a reason! Hyah! Hyah! You’re in trouble now!”
Despite the childish battle cries, her strikes were merciless, raining down all over his body.
“Gugh….”
In an instant, the gang boss crumpled like wrung-out laundry.
Thud.
Only when Lirian’s so-called “reformation session” ended was he allowed to collapse to the ground.
The rest of the thugs who had watched the whole thing trembled in fear.
“Do you guys want to take out your weapons too?”
“No!”
“Spare us!”
The gang members dropped to their knees at once.
Hands on her hips, Lirian asked,
“Anyone here know Zerkino?”
Silence.
“Then you all get punished.”
“Huh? W–wait, I think I’ve heard of—”
“From now on, you’re not allowed to do bad things!”
Smack!!
Lirian flicked each of their foreheads with an absurdly powerful mana strike.
Thud….
One by one, the thugs collapsed. Lirian tucked the toy sword back into her backpack with a huff.
“Tch. Can’t use aura.”
The gang leader had nearly fainted at the sight of a mere five-year-old controlling mana, but in truth, Lirian had been trying to use aura.
Ever since she had regressed, for some reason, aura just wouldn’t come out.
Pulling out her sketchbook again, she brooded seriously.
At that moment—
“…Hey, isn’t that the little rainbow runt?”
“Looks like it.”
Yuri had been out recently, helping his older brother with “market research” for his dream of ruling—no, dominating—the world with money. Today, Jeryl had tagged along just for fun, and that’s when they spotted their youngest sibling.
“But why’s she smacking thugs with my sword?”
“Isn’t the bigger problem that Lirian is out here without any guards, Jeryl?”
“I used to sneak out at her age too.”
“…That’s nothing to brag about.”
Yuri stared at him. Jeryl just laced his fingers behind his head and whistled.
“Anyway, that’s not important right now. Hey, runt!”
Trying to dodge responsibility, Jeryl called out to her.
“Eh?”
Hearing the familiar idiot’s voice, Lirian looked around and spotted her second and third brothers.
“You—why are you he—”
“Eek!”
Lirian bolted.
“Hey! Where are you going!”
“Lirian!”
Startled, Yuri and Jeryl chased after her.
“Don’t come! Idiots!”
“Idiot? You little brat—!”
“Lirian! Stop!”
“No! You’ll tell Mom and Dad!”
They ran at full speed, but it was impossible to catch Lirian once she truly meant to escape.
She was too small, and the moment she ducked into the crowd in the plaza, she disappeared from sight.
And more than anything—Yuri’s stamina was abysmal.
“Huff… huff… Does she live on nothing but running? Her legs are so short, how is she this fast?”
“……”
“…Bro?”
Jeryl glanced back after losing Lirian. Yuri was sprawled on the ground, collapsed like damp laundry.
“Bro, are you dead?”
He poked him with a stick he picked up from the ground.
Yuri groaned and rolled over.
“According to magical theory… I think I’m alive.”
“…Every time you talk like that, I start questioning my own intelligence.”
“It’s not questioning, it’s doubting.”
Correcting him, Yuri pressed the brooch that summoned their guards.
They hadn’t expected to run into Lirian while on their secret mission (world domination orders).
“What do we do now?” Jeryl scratched his head.
Even if the guards came, they had to find their runaway sister first.
But the problem was—she was too good at running away.
“Hm?”
“Huh, what’s that.”
Both of them noticed something at the same time.
“Gummy bears.”
A colorful trail of gummy bears was scattered along the path where Lirian had fled—like the breadcrumbs in that fairy tale of the kids escaping the gingerbread house.
Snacks had spilled from her backpack.
The brothers looked at each other, then at the gummy bears peeking through the crowd.
“Let’s go.”
“Of course she’d drop snacks.” Jeryl grumbled as he followed.
The colorful gummy trail led straight toward the towering Mage Tower.
A little earlier, when Lirian first ran away from her brothers—
“Zerkino, you say? That’s pretty far… You should head to the Mage Tower.”
Carrying her sketchbook with “[Zerkino]” scribbled in messy, oversized letters, she had asked directions. A kind passerby pointed her way.
Lirian bowed deeply.
“Thank you!”
“May the blessing of the Morning Star always be with you.”
And so, she headed for the Mage Tower.
Sneaking from wall to wall, she imagined herself on a secret spy mission.
‘Second brother and the idiot aren’t here, right?!’
Shuffle shuffle.
Using the “Evil Jaw Assassination Footwork,” Lirian managed to infiltrate the Mage Tower.
The problem came after she showed her sketchbook to the staff.
“The warp fee is one gold, young miss.”
Dun.
Lirian’s eyes shook like a tiny boat caught in a storm.
“I need… money?!”
When she traveled with her father, this had never happened. One moment it was whoooosh, flash, zoom—and they were already at the capital.
But stowaway Lirian had no money at all.
And one gold… that was—
“One hundred jars of gummy bears!!”
Her eyes grew watery.
“I only have one jar… the one Dad bought me.”
Her little antennae drooped. Seeing this, the mage tower clerk scratched his head.
“No cash? Then you can pay with an item. How about that hairpin?”
At that, Lirian perked up and quickly handed it over.
“Payment confirmed. Initiating warp.”
Just as the magic circle rose into the air—
“Hey, runt! Stop right there!”
“……!”
Lirian spun around, startled. Her brothers were charging toward her at full speed.
Knights—likely their guards—were caught in the crowd at the entrance, leaving only the small kids to slip through.
“Where do you think you’re going!”
“Wait—you need to pay the warp fee—!”
“Here!”
Yuri threw his whole allowance pouch at the clerk to stall.
And just as the circle glowed deep blue, signaling the warp—
“Got you!”
Jeryl grabbed Lirian’s hand.
At the same time—
Whirrr—!
The warp magic activated.
—Destination: Zerkino.
The mechanical voice echoed in their minds.
The world, dark like a starlit lake, quickly shifted back into place.
Above her head, a heavy sigh.
“Haah. Lirian, you…”
“You really are nothing but trouble.”
Lirian, who had tightly shut her eyes during the warp, cautiously peeked with one eye.
There was Yuri, rubbing his forehead in frustration, and Jeryl with his arms crossed.
Lirian snapped back.
“Not as bad as you guys!”
“Oh, listen to this brat. If Dad finds out, say goodbye to gummy bears for three days.”
“……!”
Lirian was devastated.
Yuri stepped in to calm his bickering siblings.
“Let’s just head back. It’ll take a while for the magic engine to cool down, but…”
“No!”
Lirian shouted immediately.
Yuri, with his usual blank face, replied,
“Little one. If you run off like this, will Mom and Dad worry—or not?”
The dreaded “parents” card.
Already weak against Yuri’s logic, Lirian’s shoulders slumped.
“Let’s go back and talk.”
“Yeah. I’m hungry.”
“Um… excuse me, young guests?”
Just then, the lone clerk of this backwater tower spoke up.
“If you’re warping again, you’ll need to pay another fee.”
Silence fell.
