Isadora felt Sebastian and Lara gazing at her. Barely coming to her senses, she spoke as if giving an excuse.”
“Because it’s warm…”
Looking at her mother raising her hand naturally and petting the giant of fire, Lara just smiled.
“It’s nice that it’s not humid.”
“Right? It’s warm and fluffy just being with it. If it keeps raining like this, my body will shrink even if the weather isn’t cold. But thanks to the giant, I can take a long nap.’
“I have a lot of work due to Madam Isadora slacking off.”
“I will raise your salary.”
Isadora blocked Sebastian’s whining with a wage increase and rose from the chair with the giant of fire in her arms. Sebastian hummed pleasantly when Isadora said that she would raise his salary and went outside.
The giant of fire leaned against Isadora’s arm like laundry and did not think of getting up. Every time it breathed, a small flame fluttered and then subsided.
“This guy has been sleeping a lot lately.”
“It’s still growing. Kids grow a lot when they sleep.”
“Did I do that, too?”
“You have no such thing as growing pains. You were so good at holding back your pain that I wouldn’t even know if you were sick.”
“That’s quite foolish.”
“That part of you resembles me.”
“Is there a part of me that doesn’t resemble you?”
As Lara asked with a smile, Isadora looked at her with a bewildered face. Lara, who had difficulty getting along with her mother even after returning to the past, had now acted as if she were treating a friend with a big age difference.
Isadora sat on the sofa opposite Lara with the giant of fire still in her arms.
“I’m a simple person. I get angry when I’m angry and I laugh when I’m happy. Do you know what Eunice and Ximena say whenever they meet me? They’ve been going crazy because they don’t know what you’re thinking these days…”
“But I think I’m on the simple side. And you shouldn’t say that. Since I was young, I have always wondered what you were thinking at the moment.”
“I bet I wasn’t even thinking about anything.”
“Same goes for me right now.”
The mother and daughter sat face to face and talked for a while. From petty chatter to the Empire’s trend, to the Eastern Union, to Barbarians on the border, then to Eunice’s free-spirited love history, constant stories flowed out of their mouths.
“I guess there’s a strange rumor going around after Crown Prince Acerus broke up with Eunice, he’s living alone like a monk practicing asceticism.
“You mean the story of how Eunice Dvonn is a shackle-like woman who can hush down Acerus Elin Tarragon’s flirtiness?”
“Yes. But… after hearing the rumor, I guess Crown Prince Acerus’ ex-lovers tried to harass Eunice. They must have felt jealous.”
“Harass Eunice?”
“They ordered thieves to steal her things… Whenever they meet her at the banquets, they make fun of her and bully her. A few days ago, they said that all the escorts Eunice carried were prostitutes brought from Hautean.”
“How cute.”
“They also said that Crown Prince Acerus hasn’t been in his right mind after being bewitched by a bumpkin temptress.”
“They must have nothing to do. I hope someone can grab their hair and drag them to clean this hotel.”
Isadora snorted. Lara also smiled still and said while looking at the giant of fire who just woke up and stretched its short arms and legs.
“I heard that Ximena grabbed someone’s hair.”
“Huh?”
“Someone stepped on Eunice’s foot and made her trip and fall. Ximena is not someone who would just stand back and watch. I heard she grabbed her hair and shook it up and down until her wig fell off… Why are you looking at me like that?”
Lara realized that Isadora was staring at her.
“Who would she have learned that from?”
“Not me.”
“Me neither.”
The giant of fire rubbed its face with its short arms to defeat its sleepiness and looked at the mother and daughter alternately. When it opened its eyes, the warm energy became stronger.
Lara took off her coat and shoes and sat down with her legs raised on the sofa like Isadora. Then, the giant of fire moved to Lara from Isadora’s knees and sank down.
“It’ll be ill-mannered.”
“Who raised it to be like this?”
It was raining heavily outside. A warm and cute existence sat on Lara's knee to dry the moisture. As time passed, Konny appeared with a large tray. Isadora and Lara’s favorite snacks were served on the table.
“How was I when I was young?”
“You were a really naughty kid. For a kid, you had a really picky taste. You hated every nanny you had, so much that you cried.”
“Me?”
“You were so good at talking, and you weren’t even talkative.”
Though the topic warranted disapproval, a faint smile grew on Isadora’s face.
“If I knew that God would be greedy, I would have raised you in my arms more. No matter how busy with my work I was, I should not have left you to the Marquess and nanny.”
“Why is it your fault?”
“It’s my fault.”
When Lara mumbled that she grew well even if she were alone, Isadora asked.
“So what kind of trouble are you going to make this time?”
“Pardon?”
“Children always come to visit their parents like this and imitate good children before they do something bad. I’m not that old yet, so don’t treat me like a bad-tempered old lady and be honest.”
Why can’t I ever deceive my mother?
Lara hesitated and spoke at once as if she had made up her mind.
“I’m going to go catch someone.”
“Who?”
“A demon.”
“Where?”
“The border.”
Isadora shut up for a moment. She looked like she did not know how to treat her daughter, who said she was going to catch the demon as if she were going to rescue a street cat.
“Will it take a long time? Is it not dangerous? Who are you going with?”
Demian was dispatched to the East so there was no one reliable to protect Lara. Acerus was a Crown Prince so she could not order him as she pleased. Isadora was worried, but Lara smiled and said.
“It won’t take too long. I can ask other people to do the dangerous parts. And I will go with Valentine and Valac.”
Lara said that she would go catch Vassago, the one who was after her and was spreading fake prophecies.
After the prophecy began to get popular, there was no ‘appropriate’ or ‘medium’ in the gazes the people gave toward Lara. people either called her a ‘great saintess’ or a ‘cunning villainess.’ Numerous misunderstandings produced speculation and were accepted as the truth. The demon’s prophecy that the Emperor had shown Lara wandered around here and there as if it was a revelation from God. From the poor and under-privileged people to the greedy rich people, quite a few people began to doubt the saintess.
Lara looked at it all with a calm eye. She did not smile at those who blindly followed her and she did not get angry at those who despised her. She just watched them silently.
She was just wondering if all of this was a direct order from Vassago, or if it was planned by the black sorcerers and demon worshippers who followed him.
The more obvious the trick was, the better it worked. People were much simpler than they thought and they were more enthusiastic about slandering than praising others. When the target was a young saintess who was only in her early 20s, it would be easier to talk away.
If they recklessly undermined the saintess who appeared with light, it would be obvious that a backlash would occur. So, they made it so complaints would creep out from the bottom.
Why do we need a saintess? Nothing has changed, not in poverty, nor pain, nor fear. What has she done for us? Isn’t a saintess just someone chosen by luck? She’s not a spokesperson for the marginalized. Why should we praise and respect such a woman? It’s tremendous luck to be chosen by God, so it’s only natural for her to sacrifice herself for us. The saintess is just doing what she has to do, so why do we have to compliment her when it’s already difficult for us to live? On second thought, there’s nothing much to sacrifice. In a world where fake things lord over, a saintess is also no different. We never know. Perhaps she’s a villainess or a witch who’s acting as a saintess.
They whispered like that.
After having a downpour so hard that it was enough to worry about flooding, the rain had finally stopped. As the wet weather began to subside, so too did summer begin to pass, this time feeling shorter than ever.
<ol start="31">
Barbarians Know Love
“Eat this.”
A rough hand full of wounds popped up in front of Lara. On the hand was a large and appetizing apple, but the hand of the person holding it was so big that it looked like a round jujube fruit.
When Lampion suddenly appeared and offered an apple, Lara, who was standing with her back against the bright sun, pretended to be coy and asked sharply.
“Is it the first crop of this year?”
“So picky!”
Lampion laughed out loud and put the apple in Lara’s hand. Then, he gave strength to his shoulders and went back to his comrades with a runny nose.
Even though it seems like summer had just passed a few days ago, the trees had already bore apples. Recalling the unusually cold dawn wind, Lara took a big bite of the apple.
Crunch.
Next to Lara, Konny swallowed her own saliva. She said as if she were pestering her.
“Milady, is it delicious? Huh? Has it already ripened?”
“It’s not good.”
The apple was not delicious. Lara smiled awkwardly and spat out the apple behind Lampion’s back.
After that, Domino appeared and gave Lara a yellow chrysanthemum. And at night, Oscar came running and handed her a hair accessory, she did not know where he got it.
“Konny, do they still not know that Demian and I are lovers?”
“Yes, I think so.”
“Nobody told them?”
“Oh, dear. What about you? But why would you tell them that?”
Konny laughed and made a fuss. She made a pretty crown by arranging the yellow chrysanthemum brought by Domino into Oscar’s hair accessory and putting it on Lara’s head.
On the day when summer ended and autumn began, Lara came to the Eastern border by using the magic circle for long-distance travel in the underground maze. It was the ancient site chosen by the Barbarians, who had fought several fierce battles with demon worshippers.
Originally, Lara was only going to bring Valentine and Valac, but she could not leave Konny when she lay down in front of her room. So, her party increased by one.
Vassago still had not ascended to the human realm. His followers must have offered enough sacrifices in the meantime, but seeing that he was still not ascending, he seemed to be a very cautious demon.
“This is not the time to hang out like this.”
Early in the morning, those who attacked one of the hideouts of the demon worshippers captured a black sorcerer in it. As soon as the hideout was discovered, the black sorcerer tried to commit suicide, but she was caught up by Valac who had experience in that field. She was taken in a very healthy state without even getting to bite her tongue.
Lara walked slowly to the warehouse where she was locked up.
“Saintess!”
Valac, who was watching the black sorcerer, jumped up and made way for Lara.
“Did she say anything?”
“No, nothing. She’s going to bite her tongue as soon as the gag is released, so unless she’s brainwashed…”
Lara nodded. The black sorcerer that was captured this time was a young woman. Vassago’s symbol and words worshiping him were written down in the hideout and the hair of the dead was collected to make an idol.
Lara asked.
“Do you like Vassago that much?”
The woman, who was staring at Lara with red-colored eyes, struggled with a growling sound like a beast. Soon after, unbelievable words came out of Lara’s mouth.
“Shall I make him ascend?”
