Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Tap, tap, tap.

The wooden floor creaked every time her short, stubby legs took a determined step.

Lulu marched toward her target, then launched a right kick with a spirited battle cry.

“Hyah!”

It was none other than the counterattack of the short-legged warrior.

The previous night, Lulu had been deeply impressed by her big sister’s declaration that she would imprison the Duke, and it had inspired her to set a goal for herself.

‘I’m going to get stronger!’

She would become strong enough to protect her big sister, and instead of traveling the world, she would go around teaching people like that knight a lesson.

So that no one would dare lay a finger on Lulu or her big sister!

A day had passed since Duke Bellix had been imprisoned.

He still hadn’t woken up, but Lulu had risen early and declared a state of emergency, beginning her training that very day.

After knocking over a pillow with her nimble, short-legged martial arts, Lulu cast a swift glance toward her next target.

And that was…

“Here I come, hyah!”

Her adorable little foot sank deep into the soft, white fabric.

It had been quite a fierce attack in its own way, but perhaps because she was still so young, Lulu couldn’t tear the pillow apart or burst it open.

Well, for now, would she have to settle for leaving a few wrinkles in it?

“I’ll protect my big sister. The fairy tale I chose is !”

That was when it happened.

Her leg moved too hastily as she prepared to attack the next pillow, and she tumbled to the floor with a thud.

“…Gasp. Nobody saw that, did they?”

Lulu covered her reddening forehead with her palm and was just about to scramble back to her feet.

Something on the floor caught her eye.

“…?”

It was a pair of luxurious leather shoes.

Though matte in finish, they had such a smooth sheen that, for a moment, she almost mistook them for jewels.

Her gaze wandered absentmindedly up from the shoes, following the long trousers, until she spotted a huge man sitting in a chair.

It was the sleeping Duke Bellix.

‘…Lulu, I got so caught up in my training that I’ve wandered all the way into the final boss’s lair.’

Swallowing hard, Lulu cautiously shifted her bottom and began backing away.

It would probably be best to leave.

She was just about to get up for real when—

“…Don’t go.”

She flinched.

“Please… Don’t. Lian.”

A desperate, low voice came from the knight.

‘…Is the knight having a nightmare?’

If her big sister found out she was here, Lulu would undoubtedly get scolded.

But the voice, as though pleading with her to stay, made Lulu turn her gaze back to Duke Bellix.

His face was twisted in such agony that anyone looking at him would have felt their heart sink.

“Lian, Lian… Please…”

He clung to the name Lian as he called out.

“…Sir Knight. Who is Lian?”

She quietly asked as she looked up at him, but naturally, there was no answer.

It was strange.

The knight was a frightening person.

And yet, even someone like him could wear such a sorrowful expression and desperately search for someone.

Just like she had, a year ago, when she wandered around looking for her mother and father.

“But, Sir Knight, I’m sorry. Lulu is on Big Sister’s side…”

She was curious about who Lian was, but that didn’t mean she could wake the knight.

Besides, the knight didn’t like Lulu. He might become even sadder if she stayed.

Pretending she hadn’t heard anything, Lulu covered her ears with her hands and rose onto her tiptoes to reach the doorknob.

Or rather, just as she managed to grab it—

-Don’t go, little dragon.

A desperate voice came from behind her.

Unlike the knight’s sharp, low voice, this one sounded gentle and warm.

Lulu whipped her head around to check what was happening, but, just as before, there was no one in the storeroom besides the knight.

However—

-Yes, I mean you.

Someone really was there. Something invisible was in the room!

“W-Who’s there?!”

Lulu was scared, but she was a righteous dragon!

She raised the little fist that had knocked the pillow down.

“I don’t know who you are, but I won’t forgive anyone who bullies Big Sister and me!”

She had only started training a day ago, but she had already done a splendid job practicing against pillows.

Well, if things got really bad, she would just call her big sister!

-I am here, young dragon.

She had been trembling and puffing herself up, trying to look fierce, when a voice came from the knight’s cloak.

“Lulu isn’t an easy dragon to deal with!”

-Indeed. For you are a young hero.

‘A hero…?’

That was a title ill-suited to a dragon.

…But Lulu was a hero?

“Why is Lulu a hero?”

Lulu forced down the corners of her mouth, which were twitching with delight, and turned around.

The source of the voice was the knight’s cloak.

More precisely, the red gemstone ornament attached to it was moving its mouth.

-You finally noticed me now that I’ve called you a hero. Do you enjoy reading fairy tales?

“A-a gemstone? Gemstones can talk?”

Gasp!

First, a knight from a fairy tale had appeared, and now there was even a talking gemstone.

Could this place actually be inside a fairy tale?

Her mouth fell open in a perfect triangle of astonishment.

Perhaps pleased by Lulu’s reaction, the mouth of the dragon-shaped gemstone curved into a satisfied smile.

-Would you mind having a little chat with me?

Lulu, who had been heading for the exit, turned around and stood in front of the knight again after taking only a few steps.

For the record, dragons simply couldn’t resist gemstones.

Lulu wiped the drool trickling down her chin with the back of her hand.

“Sure. Of course!”

* * *

Emergency! Emergency!

After ripping the gemstone right off the cloak, Lulu hurried into her room.

At first, she considered telling her big sister, but—

‘Big Sister even hides fairy tale books from Lulu. So if she finds out about the talking gemstone, she might think it’s dangerous and eat it!’

The conclusion was that, for the time being, this gemstone was a top-level secret.

“Talking gemstone, are you okay?”

Lulu had even taken the precaution of locking her bedroom door.

As soon as she entered, she switched on the lamp powered by a magic stone and plopped down on her little chair.

When she opened the hand clutching the gemstone, a red glow seeped out between her fingers.

Fortunately, the dragon-shaped gemstone seemed to be unharmed.

-Little dragon. I am quite all right. Though I must say, being enveloped by your sweat-soaked palm was rather unpleasant.

Oh. She had been so nervous that she hadn’t realized.

Lulu hurriedly wiped her palm on her sleeve.

“Souwee!”

-Thank you for your consideration.

The gemstone seemed to be a polite and kind one, even if it didn’t hesitate to speak its mind.

But why could a gemstone talk in the first place?

Could it be because Lulu was a hero?!

She wriggled in her seat, eager to ask so many questions.

First, she wanted to ask about the thing she was most curious about!

“Gemmy. Why did you call me?”

-Would you first rescue me from this slippery, sticky palm?

“Oh! O-kay.”

Would a warm handkerchief do?

Lulu rummaged through her dresser.

-For the record, I would much prefer to be wrapped in the finest silk rather than—

“Here! This is my absolute favorite handkerchief.”

-Oh, a handkerchief filled with your affection… and covered in snot!

The dragon-shaped gemstone’s mouth fell open, and it somehow managed to force out a strained smile.

“Yeah. They say I have rhinitis. I don’t know what that means, though.”

Regardless, Lulu smiled shyly.

It was the first time in her four-year life that she had given up one of her own belongings for someone else.

The dragon-shaped gemstone carefully avoided the spot smeared with snot and murmured solemnly.

-…Oh! God above! Please deliver this young dragon from her runny nose!

“Please deliver me.”

Only after they had finished praying did they finally get down to business.

-Anyway, young dragon. Thank you for responding when I called out to you. The reason I summoned you is that I have a favor to ask.

“What favor?”

-Would you help save a boy named Lian?

“…Lian?”

Wasn’t Lian the name of the child the knight had called out in his sleep earlier?

Only then did Lulu’s excited expression turn serious.

“What is it? Tell me all about it!”

The reason the knight had been so sad.

Somehow, she felt she might finally be able to find out.

* * *

Bellix’s eyelids lifted as he frowned.

“…?”

When he awoke, he found himself inside an old storeroom.

There was a small, rectangular window through which not even a sliver of sunlight could enter.

It must have been a pantry intended for storing supplies, but the room was practically empty, as though there was nothing left to keep in it.

At least it was reasonably clean.

Had dust been piled up everywhere as well, he might have mistaken it for a place where he’d been abandoned, with no one around.

First, he needed to figure out where he was.

It was just as he tried to rise from his chair.

“…?”

His body wouldn’t move, as though something had tightly constricted him.

Only then did Bellix realize he had been tied up.

Remembering that the voice he’d heard from a distance just before losing consciousness had belonged to the princess, he let out an incredulous laugh.

“…Well, I’ve lived long enough to see everything. You imprison someone who came here to rescue you?”

That was when the door opened.

“Oh, you’re awake?”

The princess he’d finally come face-to-face with was dressed more plainly than he had expected.

She wore a dark navy dress, the sort a commoner might wear.

She was even carrying a steaming bowl of soup and a spoon, though it was unclear who she intended to give them to.

To top it all off, a handful of hair stuck out awkwardly from her hastily tied-up bun.

“…What are you doing here?”

Bellix was so dumbfounded that he skipped even the customary greeting.