chapter 40

As soon as Kiehl opened the ‘Red Rose’ inn, he regretted it.

He was going crazy. He repeatedly thought that he had come here for nothing.

‘I missed her…’

How much did he miss her? He even saw a vision, and now a familiar scent pierced the tip of his nose. The smell of Iwer’s blood, which he had often smelled in the mansion for some time, seemed to fill the inn.

“Would you like to eat first?”

Kiehl barely endured wanting to sit down on to the table.

‘…Am I going crazy?’

He once heard that someone had died of lovesickness. Nevertheless, Kiehl calmed down and he took a deep breath.

“For now, Rio investigates at the bar and Rinne asks the mercenaries. I…”

At that moment, a loud chatter from the inn buried her words.

“So, because they had all the relics.”

“Have you seen any of them in the middle of that mountain, Tebel?”

“Yes. I think they attacked the priests somehow.”

With any luck, he happened to hear about a nearby bandit before even starting the investigation.

‘It’s kind of weird… ’

A conversation that appeared as if it was waiting for him.

‘Is it a trap?’

Thinking so, he tilted his head and looked at the twins. It was the same with the twins.

“Let’s check it out tomorrow.”

In order to avoid Rohan as much as possible, he had no choice but to follow that information.

As soon as the next morning came, Kiehl’s party headed for the bandit’s stronghold.

“However, it doesn’t seem like they’re good enough to attack the priests.”

He was puzzled as Rinne took down one by one with his magic.

Although they were said to be bandits who were not very active recently, their skills were too low. He didn’t expect the fact that the mercenaries hired by Bella were losing on purpose, so he was even more nervous.

Kiehl said, recalling what Bella had said a long time ago.

“They might be trying to hit you from behind when you’re relaxed. You have to be more careful.”

However, when they arrived at the bandit’s stronghold, the twins were the first to laugh out loud.

“Originally… this group is only about fifteen people, right?”

“It’s definitely weird.”

Kiehl lightly subdued them and went looking for the holy relics. Everything was so smooth and easy.

‘Why was it this easy…?’

When he opened the door of the old building, the kidnapped children were tied up and struggling, begging to be saved. Rio was the first to run to release the children as he looked at them sadly, though Kiehl still found it strange.

‘They’re not like kidnapped kids.’

He knew all too well what the horror was because he had experienced it. And, he knew the feeling of finding someone who came to rescue him.

But, these children seemed to be playing.

‘Let’s check other places first.’

Kiehl opened the doors of the other places one by one to make sure there were no kidnapped children or relics.

It was then…

He felt strangely familiar.

A large tree stood tall on the right, and there was a fairly large vacant lot to the left. There was a large sinkhole in the vacant lot.

‘Ah… here….’

Seeing it, Kiehl slowly walked towards the building in front of him. A small wooden barrel by the door. He remembered the moment when he was leaning against the wall right next to that barrel and getting more and more unconscious.

‘Bella.’

At that time, he turned around, remembering the Bella he had seen in this place.

In the hazy memory, she stood far away with her back turned.

“…Bella.”

He tried to call the name he wanted to call so much, but she didn’t come running like that.

“Kiehl. Did you check that place too?”

When he heard Rinne approaching from afar, Kiehl hurriedly turned his head away.

“No.”

And Kiehl grabbed the doorknob.

He didn’t know it, but it was the beginning of this novel.

Pur was excluded from all missions because she was a bear. It was her mission to hide even when they went on a trip. So, this task was crucial. It was embarrassing to never move for about a day, but it was her first mission, so she was holding on.

Although there was something more difficult than waiting.

‘Looks delicious.’

The pink-haired girl named ‘Rosanne’ in front of Pur’s eyes looked very delicious to her, like a strawberry dessert.

She looked very innocent.

Even with her arms and legs tied, she was thumping as she struggled to escape from within the confined room.

“Lady. Be still. If you get caught, it’s even worse.”

The maid, Myu, next to Roseanne was nervous and stopped her, but Roseanne pouted her lips.

How long has it been? When she heard a human voice outside, Roseanne ran to the front of the and pressed her face to the crevice.

“Wow. Someone must’ve come.”’

“It’s dangerous. It might not be on our side.”

“No. It looks like they’re releasing children.”

With those words, Myu shook her tense shoulders.

“Phew, we can finally go back.”

Roseanne leaned her ear against the door as she waited to be rescued before opening her mouth.

“You know, how about we get out of here and play for a bit and then go back?”

“What do you mean?”

“I hate being locked up in a mansion every time.”

“You can’t because you’re weak.”

“I’m incredibly strong.”

“Didn’t you lose to a cat when you were young?”

At that moment, Bella’s voice was heard through Pur’s ears.

— Pur, is Roseanne sneaking around at the door?

Pur moved her own arm slightly, making a ‘zzz’ sound. Now, she just needed to signal one more time after that door was open.

‘I’m pounding! It’s my first job!’

Rattle.

The sound of the door opening signaled the starting point of Pur’s ‘Princess’ assistant’ life.

“Zzz”

“Is the door open?”

“Zzz.”

However…

As soon as she saw the boy beyond the door, she was so surprised that she forgot what she was supposed to do. Her pupils dilated, and her small heart began to beat faster.

‘Young master…?’

And Bella, completely unaware of this situation, asked Pur.

— Did Rosanne hug him?

center>***

Kiehl was suspicious of everything that had made him come this far, so he didn’t relax and opened the door.

Just as expected.

Something from the inside popped out towards him, so Kiehl steered right to the side. As he trained with Zan Barr, his reflexes were significantly different.

“Kyaa.”

Rosanne, with her hands and feet tied, thumped down next to Kiehl.

The thud was so loud that he felt sorry for her.

‘Huh… I thought I should do something to catch her.’

Though what does it matter? Thinking that, Kiehl decided to go right inside and tried to check the relic.

It was such perfect timing.

At that time, Bella was buried in Pur’s ear.

— Did Rosanne hug him?

While Pur was answering ‘Zzz’, her eyes met Kiehl on the other side.

“Pu…r?”

He could see a teddy bear that looked too much like Pur in front of him and slowly approached it. Of course, Pur had to stop her movements.

To say no, she had to buzz twice.

“Is it Pur…?”

Pur began to struggle inside.

‘Did…. Did he hear it?’

Then, Rosanne, who had fallen, cried out from behind.

“Hey! Free me!”

Kiehl smiled bitterly as he looked at the teddy bear resembling Pur.

‘I must be really crazy.’

From the moment he arrived in Daisy, he felt his nostalgia go crazy.

‘There’s no way there’s Pur in a place like this…’

Feeling as though he was about to go insane on his own, he shut his eyes and turned around behind him.

Pur gazed at Kiehl’s back and quietly swallowed a dry saliva.

‘Phew… thank God. I must have passed.’

Just then, Bella asked Pur again.

— Did they kiss?

“Z…”

“Pur.”

Immediately, Kiehl looked back when he heard Pur’s name being called. Meanwhile, Pur had no choice but to stop again.

‘Crazy!’

Kiehl turned around again. He just wanted to check one more time.

‘Still, the color of the hair… very different.’

He cautiously stared at Pur’s fur.

“Hey…! Help me!”

Behind him, Rosanne cried out, but he didn’t hear a single one of it. Her cries were not heard in Pur’s ears as well, only Bella’s question pierced Pur’s ears.

— Did they kiss?

Pur thought she was lucky. She couldn’t move at all, so Bella should know that this was in an emergency.

However, suddenly, Kiehl gently placed a hand on Pur’s armpit, which she had attached a small radio to signal Bella. That was how one reply of ‘Zzz’ was delivered.

Pur was hard as a stone, and her thoughts were stiffed, too, so she didn’t know that.

She only remembered what Bella had said,

“If the day comes when anyone is found out, I will give you the most novel and death penalty in the history of the demon realm.”

With that thought, she was struggling with Kiehl’s hand, digging into her weakness. She almost trembled, though she still tried her best not to.

Pur’s whole body tensed.

‘This is the greatest crisis in the life of a demon!’

At that moment, the tasty Rosanne cried out to Kiehl again.

“Ex.cuse.me. I want you to release me!”

“Pur, right?”

“Ex. Cuse. Me!”

Kiehl hated Roseanne’s sharp voice that kept coming from behind. He turned behind him with an annoyed look on his face and walked closer to her.

“Why do I have to release you?”

“…Please, let me go.”

Rosanne turned her head to look up at Kiehl.

When he saw her face, his heart seemed to stop.

‘Oh, my gosh….’

Rosanne fell onto her face when she fell, blood dripping from her flowing nose. Somehow, when he fell, the sound was loud, like an explosion.

‘I thought it was a ghost.’

Kiehl bowed down in a pitiful heart and loosened Rosanne’s hands and feet.

“All right?”

“Thank you. It would have been better if you could have caught me.”

Saying so, Rosanne wiped her nosebleed with her arm and glanced at him with eyes vivid with resentment.

Kiehl didn’t like this brazen talker.

‘What? She let herself fall.’

Seeing Kiehl go out completely out of the door and release Rosanne, Pur finally relaxed her tension. The radio with Bella was cut off before she knew it, and she thought there was nothing to make a mistake.

‘What a relief. I must have survived.’

She sighed heavily, holding her breath in tension, and grabbed her pounding heart with her hand.

‘Did I do well? Princess, I didn’t get caught!’

Everything seemed to be sorted out that way.

“That teddy bear… was moving…”

“What…?”

It was.

Pur only cared about Kiehl, but not Myu, who was also in the room, and moved without even thinking about it.

Hearing that, Kiehl turned behind and asked Myu again.

“…It moved?”

“Yes. Uh… Look, that hand.”

As Kiehl looked at Pur, he could see her hand on her side. It was an ‘attention’ position anymore.

“Pur!”

“I’m not Pur! I’m Pudding!”

“Kyaak!”

Rosanne, startled by Pur’s sudden voice, fell again. On the other hand, Kiehl, who was behind her, also fell back.

“What’s with you? Get out of the way.”

Kiehl was also annoyed that the cumbersome woman’s nosebleed had gotten on his clothes.

“Pur, why are you lying?”

When Kiehl asked Pur, she thought that her only way out was to escape, so she leaped towards the door on all fours. She jumped over them as though she had jumped over obstacles, and as soon as she landed, she ran like her feet caught fire.

“Pur—!”

He shoved Rosanne, who had fallen as if toppling her, and pursued Pur.

“Why are you running away?”

“Young Master! Please, pretend you haven’t seen me!”