In fact, the youngest of the children who came to the temple is officially 9 years old. Lelia is actually seven years old, so both Romeo and Oscar are like Leliaâs older brothers.
However, Oscar felt like a younger brother to Lelia.
[I think I need to protect him.]
There was a strong desire to act like a sister for no reason. Although Lelia had the memories of her previous life, which made her think maturely, there is still a limit to a seven-year-oldâs body. After all, Lelia, who wanted to be an elder sister to Oscar, is still a kid, and she couldnât help it.
[It isnât like you would kill me, would you? I have to be as good as I can.]
Without knowing what Lelia was thinking, Oscar grinned with tears hanging from the corner of his yes, threatening to fall anytime.
âI thought you hated me too⊠â
The smile was so clear and beautiful that Lelia paused for a moment. It was like a winter fairy.
âHuh, do you hate me⊠is that it?â When Lelia gave no answer, Oscar asked nervously.
âNo? No way! I donât hate you at all.â
Oscar smiled shyly at her answer.
[Yes, as long as you like itâŠ]
[But right now, can I do this?]
Lelia blinked blankly for a moment.
[I donât know whatâs going to happen to them, butâŠ]
Somehow, she made two of the heroes who would defeat the Dragon in the future her subordinates.
[Well⊠itâs up to you two.]
Itâs going to be alrightâŠ
After that day, Lelia started having Oscar on her left and Romeo on her right as subordinates. The other children glanced curiously as the two called Lelia âCaptain.â
The priests called Oscar and Romeo and asked, âDid Prince Leo of Auraria ever hit you two?â and⊠they were in trouble.
Fortunately, Lelia quickly cleared herself of injustice. This was because the two children proved Leliaâs innocence.
Peaceful days like these passed quickly, and the specific activity that Lelia was avoiding all this time is approaching. In particular, the templeâs intention for the childrenâs friendship to deepen, and it was this âspecial activityâ that was part of their plans and efforts. However, this activity is a bit problematic.
[You morons! Morons! Why are you doing this to the kids?]
âThere is an activity to defeat the demons that are trying to invade your minds,â the priest explained the activity.
In short, the fear towards the devil must be eliminated.
[Itâs to test oneâs courage, isnât it?]
Although she was irritated, Lelia could not even grumble because she had to stay quiet. In addition, all the kids had to accept it quietly. This canât be done alone.
[There is no way I will come back if I go aheadâŠ]
This is all happening with the permission of the guardians. No matter who she was, the opinion of a ten-year old did not matter as long as the emperor allowed it.
The children were excited when they said that theyâd be able to fight the devil.
They were in lower grades of elementary school.
[Clearly, in the novelâŠ]
Lelia wasnât as excited as the other children, but just took the news calmly. However, she was contemplating an incident she had read in the original story.
That nightâŠ
âCaptain,are there really no demons?â Asked Romeo, who was standing on the right of Lelia, anxiously looking at the darkening sky.
âNo.â
âReally? So the priests are lying?â
âJust⊠Well⊠They are not lying. They believe that there are demons. But I donât think there are any⊠If you donât have one, then there isnât. So just donât be scared and think that you have one inside you.â
ââŠWill it come true if I think about it?â
âRomeo, thatâs how the world is. You can only see things with your eyes. Everything will work out. If you think about it that way, it generally works. Iâm going to fail! If you think like that then, that is what will happen.â
âOf course, there are times when itâs different, but itâs easier to think about it like this. So, you should choose the one that makes you feel comfortable.â
âI have no idea what youâre talking about.â
Romeoâs eyes looked as if they were telling her not to say such a foolish thing. Lelia shook her head at his words.
[Itâs too much of an adultâs words.]
She must have explained it to him in a too matured way. When Lelia was immersed in her own thoughts, Oscar, who was standing on the left, said, âIâm not afraid of demons. Uh, I donât think so.â
âYou too, right? Did you hear that, Romeo?â
Romeo looked at Oscar with his eyebrows furrowed.
âEven a coward like that doesnât fear the devil, then I donât have to fear it either.â Romeo thought.
But there was another reason why Oscar doesnât believe in demons.
And that is because he knows something even scarier than the devil. His own father.
âCome on, weâre going in pairs, so you two go together tomorrow.â
âThen what about the captain?â
âMe? Of course Iâll go alone.â
Leliaâs confident words made the two open their eyes wide.
âAre you sure you donât mind?â
âOf course, so donât mind it either.â
Lelia patted the two on their back.
âCaptain, arenât you afraid of the dark?â
âWhy? Are you scared of the dark? Iâm not scared at all.â
When Lelia answered with confidence, Oscar felt relieved. But Romeo didnât believe it easily. He squinted at Lelia.
âChildren, there are more scary things in the world than the dark nights.â
[Like being hungryâŠ]
[For how long I have stayed in that deserted tower, I cannot be afraid of such darkness alone.]
The biggest fear of Lelia is hunger.
âAnyway, you two should go together.â
ââŠOkay.â
âYes, Captain.â
The two answered Lelia helplessly.
It was a good opportunity for these two to get a little closer.
[I donât know if I can do it tomorrow.]
The probability of not progressing was higher. Nevertheless, this activity will not disappear completely. The priests will only be more careful.
Leliaâs turn was tomorrow.
She went there to watch the other group depart today.
[First of all, we have to prevent accidents that will happen today.]
Among those in the group starting today, Lelia knew some people.
One of them was Kalix Ascard.
Leila looked at Kalex from afar.
âCaptain, letâs go back now that weâre done looking.â
âI have something to tell the priests, so you go ahead. You can go play in my room.â
âWell, I see,â Romeo said, sticking his chin out at Oscar. Oscar, who hesitated for a while, followed him.
He glanced sideways at Lelia and was relieved by her words that she would be back soon.
Lelia stood in the corner with a serious look on her face and approached the temple.
In fact, the courage test prepared by the believers has always been a tradition when young believers enter the temple.
Their logic was âTo get rid of the fear of the demons, we must erase the fear of darkness.â Thatâs why they ask us to climb the mountain late at night.
That mountain is the small one behind the temple. In fact, it was a small mountain but is still a great distance for the children to climb. Therefore, the priests marked the destination somewhere lower around the middle.
They have to reach a small hut somewhere in the middle, lit a candle, which was a ritual to purify the demon, and come back.
Those who left for the activity, were always in a group of two.
It is a big deal for the priests who teach the young children at the temple because the children can develop friendship and cooperation between the two and eliminate their fear of the devil.
The mountain path is very narrow, but there is nothing dangerous along the way. It was a mountain where the priests climbed every day, and only small animals such as rabbits and squirrels roamed around.
But not tonight. Lelia knew about it.
Tonight, someone will deliberately make a beast appear to harm a child.
âFather.â
âOh, His Majesty Prince Leo. What can I do for you? Your turn should be tomorrow.â
âI came here to have a look in advance. By the way, is there anything really dangerous out there?â
âNo, of course not. That is the mountain where the priests climb every day. Donât worry too much.â The priest answered as he found Lelia cowardly and cute. Lelia bit her lips.
There must have been a secret agreement between a high-ranking official and someone about what will happen tonight.
[What should I do then?]
[No one would believe if I say that a beast will appear tonight.]
Rather, it is highly likely that Iâll be noticed by those who planned it. Then the emperor, who sent me, might know.
Lelia is stuck in a dilemma. She wanted to solve this problem smartly and maturely. But being in a seven-year-old body, she couldnât think of anything.
Perhaps thatâs why she couldnât think of any solution. It was just frustrating.
[How can I prevent this?!]
Frankly speaking, she can just ignore it. No matter what happens to the characters in the novel, Lelia should just worry about her life and let the story flow as it was written in the novel.
ButâŠ
How can she watch a childâs life be taken without the child knowing about it?
Lelia twitched her lips impatiently, put her hand in the pocket and fiddled around with what she had stolen.
It was a whistle used by the priests.
It canât be helped.
There is nothing that she can do. Letâs just bump into each other.
The sky became dark, and it was the last groupâs turn. The last people to go were Kalix and Griffith. Both of them will be heroes after defeating the Dragon.
Lelia followed the last group after they departed, secretly following them, hiding from the priests.