‘Stop, please……! Stop this, Caladi!’
Adelaide struggled inwardly, but to no avail. She tried to turn around, Caladium was out of sight, but her feet kept moving forward even in his absence. He wouldn’t even let her open her mouth.
Ten minutes passed as slowly as an hour. How many intersections had she passed? Adelaide tried to memorize the way back, but it was not easy for her because the buildings were so similar and there were many roads.
As she tried to remember one by one from the beginning, she realized that her fingers were now moving at will. She had finally regained control of her body.
“Caladi!”
As soon as her lips opened, she cried out Caladium’s name. But, of course, there was no answer. Her pink pupils fluttered wildly, half out of focus.
“Caladium!”
Even calling his full first name was of no use. She entered an alley deeper than earlier as she didn’t remember the way back properly.
Perhaps even if she went back, he would already be long gone. She was certain because she could no longer feel his energy at all. Adelaide’s face was tinged with despair.
And at that time, she suddenly felt a small presence nearby.
Maybe it’s Caladi? She leaped to the place where she could feel the presence, holding onto a glimmer of hope. As she turned the corner, a familiar face came into view.
A large red body and long antennae.
“Kwik?”
A ladybug. She had been looking for one earlier.
“Haa.”
Adelaide sighed in disappointment. Why did a ladybug come out now? I didn’t even see it when I looked for it.
Seeing that he was preparing for bed with a large blanket in his mouth, he seemed to be one of the few ladybugs living here.
“Go back, Adelaide.”
Then Adelaide understood. That Caladium deliberately led her to this place. The place where the ladybug was. He helped her get here to return to Greenville.
The last time. The tears that she had been holding back fell at the words she couldn’t believe.
Is this really the last time? You won’t come back to Greenville again? Without even explaining why you suddenly changed your mind, why…….
“Heuuuu, eup, hiiiiic…… .”
Her back slowly went up and down. She couldn’t quite understand Caladium. Why he made such a decision, and why he said mean things then apologized. It was him who hurt her, but she didn’t know why he had a more distressed expression on his face.
She wanted to go back right away and grab him by the collar and ask him. Or get down on her knees and beg him to change his mind. But Adelaide couldn’t.
Because Caladium doesn’t want that. And also because Adelaide promised to respect the opinions of her demons.
So she just vomited tears like a child.
“Hnnnngg……. Hic, uwaah…….”
“Kwik, kwiiik? Kwikkwik??”
The ladybug, who was suddenly overwhelmed with embarrassment, panicked and did not know what to do. A demon came to his home out of the blue and was crying. There was nothing more ridiculous than this.
“Kwikkwik, kwiiik…….”
I don’t know who you are or what’s going on, but cheer up anyway! With these thoughts, the ladybug patted her on the back. Then Adelaide cried even louder. Now she was almost wailing.
“Uwaaaang! Hic, uwaaang!”
She even took the ladybug’s blanket and buried her face in it. You can’t make this up you know.
Fortunately, the ladybug was a very kind monster, thinking that he didn’t mind sleeping with a wet blanket for a day or so, and continued to comfort her.
* * *
Adelaide did not return to the Greenville Dungeon until the morning sun rose. As soon as she crossed the portal, she heard the voice of Lisianthus, whom she missed.
“Adele! What on earth, at this hour……!”
Where were you?
He swallowed his words. He couldn’t sleep all night and had piles of words waiting, but he couldn’t bring them up and say anything. Because Adelaide’s eyes were swollen.
Likewise, the Skeletons and Lupinus, who were waiting for her, thought the same, so they did not open their mouths and kept still. It was obviously them who stayed up all night worrying, but Adelaide looked even more haggard than them.
Something certainly happened. That, too, had something to do with Caladium.
Although it was surprising that she met Caladium at once, his hatred for that Caladium j*rk who dared to make her cry soared.
I don’t know what happened, but the next time we meet, I won’t let you go. You can say goodbye to that last remaining horn. Lupinus vowed.
“I’m sorry, I’m very late…….”
Adelaide apologized with a cracked voice. Lisianthus walked towards her, and quickly embraced her.
“Adele. It’s okay.”
A soft voice rang in her ears.
“Everything will be fine.”
There was power in his voice. Even though he didn’t know anything, he used his power to make it look like everything will be fine just as he said. As the gentle hand patted her back, the tears that had been falling all night long, which she thought had already dried out, began to flow again.
“Don’t worry. Didn’t I promise you? Whatever Master wishes, I will surely do it.”
“Lisian……. Hnnnggg…….”
Adelaide cried again. As she listened to his warm consolation, she remembered Caladium again and burst into tears. She felt even sadder because his arms were so cozy.
“Adela. You suffered a lot. You worked hard.”
Lupinus clenched his teeth and came over and hugged her from behind. As a result, he seemed to be hugging Lisianthus’ arm, but he didn’t care.
But even he didn’t expect the Skeletons to come and join the hug.
“Don’t cry, Adelaah!”
“Hnnggg!”
The Skeletons burst into tears together just because Adelaide was crying.
So the second round of wailing began.
After an hour, things were cleared up. Adelaide, with her crucian carp eyes, sat on the sofa and drank soup. And the big ladybug sitting next to her and chewed on the fruit that Lisianthus had given her.
“……But who is this ladybug?”
In fact, he had been curious about it for a while, but it wasn’t the right mood to ask, so he only asked her now. Who was it that followed Adelaide, and familiarly handed the crying Adelaide a dirty blanket?
“Ah, this friend is Mumu. He took me to the portal because I was lost. He didn’t even get angry when I invaded his precious home.”
“Kwik, kwik.”
Mumu, the ladybug greeted him by waving his hand warmly.
“I said I was a dungeon owner and he wanted to sign a contract, so I decided to do that. He’s with us from today. Mumu can stand on two legs. He’s very special.”
Mumu flapped his wings with a flushed face. He couldn’t believe that the demon he showed kindness to without much thought was the owner of a C-Class dungeon. He felt like the sun had finally risen in his life, in which he had been living homeless and earning one day at a time. It was truly life-changing.
“……I see. I will have a Skeleton guide you to the room. He will explain the terms of the contract, so follow along.”
“Kwik!”
Mumu answered brightly and followed the Skeletons. And finally, only Lisianthus, Adelaide, and Lupin remain in the living room.
Lisianthus remained silent for a moment, then carefully opened his mouth.
“Master. May I ask what happened overnight?”
Adelaide’s face quickly darkened. It was fortunate that her tears were no longer coming out. If they came out endlessly, talking itself would have been impossible.
“That, you see…….”
She slowly told them what happened. How she was swept away by a portal error and nearly died, arriving in an unfamiliar place and wandering its ghastly streets, and even the conversation she had with Caladium.
She tried to suppress it, but her voice trembled involuntarily when she mentioned Caladium’s name. Every time she thought of him, a corner of her heart ached.
“……I see.”
You finally made that decision. Lisianthus muttered in his mind.
From the moment Caladium did not return for several days, Lisianthus had already guessed his thoughts. It was because Caladium’s worries and decisions were not completely irrelevant to him.
He knew the day when it exactly started.
The day that person, Lupinus, who was standing right next to Adelaide, came to Greenville and confessed his love. Lisianthus and Caladium instinctively realized it at the same time. One day, the balance will be broken, and the deeper their feelings, the more painful it will be for them.
The result was this. Lisianthus nevertheless chose to remain, and Caladium was unable to overcome his emotions and left.
But instead of saying that, he said something else.
“Master’s hair got shorter because of the portal error.”
My hair? Adelaide looked at her hair with eyes wide open. Looking closely, it did seem to have shortened quite a bit. About the length of a small fingernail.
You even noticed a change I wasn’t aware of. Adelaide looked somber again.
“Then, what would you like to do, Master?”
“……What?”
“Do you want to tear up the contract like he wanted?”
Adelaide’s lips hardened. Her trembling pupils revealed her confusion.
“Caladium said he wants…….”
“Not Caladium, but what Master wants.”
“I don’t care about what he says.” Lisianthus added in a gentle voice.
“I…….”
Adelaide hesitated to answer. In fact, she had already made up her mind.
“I wish Caladi would stay here……. But if Caladi is really happy to leave Greenville. Then maybe I should let him go.”
Adelaide gripped the bowl of soup. Caladium definitely looked happy here. Was it my own delusion?
“Is that Master’s sincere thoughts?”
A long silence passed. Both Lisianthus and Lupinus waited patiently for Adelaide without pressuring her.
How much time has passed? Adelaide raised her head.
“No, it’s not.”
A much more honest voice came out than before. Her eyes, darkened by endless sorrow, shone brightly again.
“I can’t let him go like this. I can’t tear up the contract. Even if the day we separate comes, it won’t be like this, at least not now.”
‘Stop, please……! Stop this, Caladi!’
Adelaide struggled inwardly, but to no avail. She tried to turn around, Caladium was out of sight, but her feet kept moving forward even in his absence. He wouldn’t even let her open her mouth.
Ten minutes passed as slowly as an hour. How many intersections had she passed? Adelaide tried to memorize the way back, but it was not easy for her because the buildings were so similar and there were many roads.
As she tried to remember one by one from the beginning, she realized that her fingers were now moving at will. She had finally regained control of her body.
“Caladi!”
As soon as her lips opened, she cried out Caladium’s name. But, of course, there was no answer. Her pink pupils fluttered wildly, half out of focus.
“Caladium!”
Even calling his full first name was of no use. She entered an alley deeper than earlier as she didn’t remember the way back properly.
Perhaps even if she went back, he would already be long gone. She was certain because she could no longer feel his energy at all. Adelaide’s face was tinged with despair.
And at that time, she suddenly felt a small presence nearby.
Maybe it’s Caladi? She leaped to the place where she could feel the presence, holding onto a glimmer of hope. As she turned the corner, a familiar face came into view.
A large red body and long antennae.
“Kwik?”
A ladybug. She had been looking for one earlier.
“Haa.”
Adelaide sighed in disappointment. Why did a ladybug come out now? I didn’t even see it when I looked for it.
Seeing that he was preparing for bed with a large blanket in his mouth, he seemed to be one of the few ladybugs living here.
“Go back, Adelaide.”
Then Adelaide understood. That Caladium deliberately led her to this place. The place where the ladybug was. He helped her get here to return to Greenville.
The last time. The tears that she had been holding back fell at the words she couldn’t believe.
Is this really the last time? You won’t come back to Greenville again? Without even explaining why you suddenly changed your mind, why…….
“Heuuuu, eup, hiiiiic…… .”
Her back slowly went up and down. She couldn’t quite understand Caladium. Why he made such a decision, and why he said mean things then apologized. It was him who hurt her, but she didn’t know why he had a more distressed expression on his face.
She wanted to go back right away and grab him by the collar and ask him. Or get down on her knees and beg him to change his mind. But Adelaide couldn’t.
Because Caladium doesn’t want that. And also because Adelaide promised to respect the opinions of her demons.
So she just vomited tears like a child.
“Hnnnngg……. Hic, uwaah…….”
“Kwik, kwiiik? Kwikkwik??”
The ladybug, who was suddenly overwhelmed with embarrassment, panicked and did not know what to do. A demon came to his home out of the blue and was crying. There was nothing more ridiculous than this.
“Kwikkwik, kwiiik…….”
I don’t know who you are or what’s going on, but cheer up anyway! With these thoughts, the ladybug patted her on the back. Then Adelaide cried even louder. Now she was almost wailing.
“Uwaaaang! Hic, uwaaang!”
She even took the ladybug’s blanket and buried her face in it. You can’t make this up you know.
Fortunately, the ladybug was a very kind monster, thinking that he didn’t mind sleeping with a wet blanket for a day or so, and continued to comfort her.
* * *
Adelaide did not return to the Greenville Dungeon until the morning sun rose. As soon as she crossed the portal, she heard the voice of Lisianthus, whom she missed.
“Adele! What on earth, at this hour……!”
Where were you?
He swallowed his words. He couldn’t sleep all night and had piles of words waiting, but he couldn’t bring them up and say anything. Because Adelaide’s eyes were swollen.
Likewise, the Skeletons and Lupinus, who were waiting for her, thought the same, so they did not open their mouths and kept still. It was obviously them who stayed up all night worrying, but Adelaide looked even more haggard than them.
Something certainly happened. That, too, had something to do with Caladium.
Although it was surprising that she met Caladium at once, his hatred for that Caladium j*rk who dared to make her cry soared.
I don’t know what happened, but the next time we meet, I won’t let you go. You can say goodbye to that last remaining horn. Lupinus vowed.
“I’m sorry, I’m very late…….”
Adelaide apologized with a cracked voice. Lisianthus walked towards her, and quickly embraced her.
“Adele. It’s okay.”
A soft voice rang in her ears.
“Everything will be fine.”
There was power in his voice. Even though he didn’t know anything, he used his power to make it look like everything will be fine just as he said. As the gentle hand patted her back, the tears that had been falling all night long, which she thought had already dried out, began to flow again.
“Don’t worry. Didn’t I promise you? Whatever Master wishes, I will surely do it.”
“Lisian……. Hnnnggg…….”
Adelaide cried again. As she listened to his warm consolation, she remembered Caladium again and burst into tears. She felt even sadder because his arms were so cozy.
“Adela. You suffered a lot. You worked hard.”
Lupinus clenched his teeth and came over and hugged her from behind. As a result, he seemed to be hugging Lisianthus’ arm, but he didn’t care.
But even he didn’t expect the Skeletons to come and join the hug.
“Don’t cry, Adelaah!”
“Hnnggg!”
The Skeletons burst into tears together just because Adelaide was crying.
So the second round of wailing began.
After an hour, things were cleared up. Adelaide, with her crucian carp eyes, sat on the sofa and drank soup. And the big ladybug sitting next to her and chewed on the fruit that Lisianthus had given her.
“……But who is this ladybug?”
In fact, he had been curious about it for a while, but it wasn’t the right mood to ask, so he only asked her now. Who was it that followed Adelaide, and familiarly handed the crying Adelaide a dirty blanket?
“Ah, this friend is Mumu. He took me to the portal because I was lost. He didn’t even get angry when I invaded his precious home.”
“Kwik, kwik.”
Mumu, the ladybug greeted him by waving his hand warmly.
“I said I was a dungeon owner and he wanted to sign a contract, so I decided to do that. He’s with us from today. Mumu can stand on two legs. He’s very special.”
Mumu flapped his wings with a flushed face. He couldn’t believe that the demon he showed kindness to without much thought was the owner of a C-Class dungeon. He felt like the sun had finally risen in his life, in which he had been living homeless and earning one day at a time. It was truly life-changing.
“……I see. I will have a Skeleton guide you to the room. He will explain the terms of the contract, so follow along.”
“Kwik!”
Mumu answered brightly and followed the Skeletons. And finally, only Lisianthus, Adelaide, and Lupin remain in the living room.
Lisianthus remained silent for a moment, then carefully opened his mouth.
“Master. May I ask what happened overnight?”
Adelaide’s face quickly darkened. It was fortunate that her tears were no longer coming out. If they came out endlessly, talking itself would have been impossible.
“That, you see…….”
She slowly told them what happened. How she was swept away by a portal error and nearly died, arriving in an unfamiliar place and wandering its ghastly streets, and even the conversation she had with Caladium.
She tried to suppress it, but her voice trembled involuntarily when she mentioned Caladium’s name. Every time she thought of him, a corner of her heart ached.
“……I see.”
You finally made that decision. Lisianthus muttered in his mind.
From the moment Caladium did not return for several days, Lisianthus had already guessed his thoughts. It was because Caladium’s worries and decisions were not completely irrelevant to him.
He knew the day when it exactly started.
The day that person, Lupinus, who was standing right next to Adelaide, came to Greenville and confessed his love. Lisianthus and Caladium instinctively realized it at the same time. One day, the balance will be broken, and the deeper their feelings, the more painful it will be for them.
The result was this. Lisianthus nevertheless chose to remain, and Caladium was unable to overcome his emotions and left.
But instead of saying that, he said something else.
“Master’s hair got shorter because of the portal error.”
My hair? Adelaide looked at her hair with eyes wide open. Looking closely, it did seem to have shortened quite a bit. About the length of a small fingernail.
You even noticed a change I wasn’t aware of. Adelaide looked somber again.
“Then, what would you like to do, Master?”
“……What?”
“Do you want to tear up the contract like he wanted?”
Adelaide’s lips hardened. Her trembling pupils revealed her confusion.
“Caladium said he wants…….”
“Not Caladium, but what Master wants.”
“I don’t care about what he says.” Lisianthus added in a gentle voice.
“I…….”
Adelaide hesitated to answer. In fact, she had already made up her mind.
“I wish Caladi would stay here……. But if Caladi is really happy to leave Greenville. Then maybe I should let him go.”
Adelaide gripped the bowl of soup. Caladium definitely looked happy here. Was it my own delusion?
“Is that Master’s sincere thoughts?”
A long silence passed. Both Lisianthus and Lupinus waited patiently for Adelaide without pressuring her.
How much time has passed? Adelaide raised her head.
“No, it’s not.”
A much more honest voice came out than before. Her eyes, darkened by endless sorrow, shone brightly again.
“I can’t let him go like this. I can’t tear up the contract. Even if the day we separate comes, it won’t be like this, at least not now.”
