The evening light made the inside of the room red through the open window. Watching the long cast shadows, Luciel waited for the moon to rise.
It was true that she was a little nervous, but the expectations were higher.
‘I pray that going there can give me an answer to crafting jewels on my wand.’
Luciel, who made the wand float in the air, was playing around while making mana drops. She wanted to erase her impatience.
“Little Madam, you got correspondence for you.”
There were so many letters that Rose put them in a basket before bringing them to Luciel.
She watched the mail wagon entering the gate through the window, but never dreamed that so many letters would come to her. More than twenty letters came. However, most of them were sent by young girls who had no personal acquaintance with Luciel.
Starting with tea gatherings, they were mostly invitations for concerts, opera viewings, gatherings, and various parties.
“It seems like the summer season is in full swing, Little Madam. The social world is most active in the spring and summer seasons, and there are a lot of parties.”
“I see.”
“In the meantime, the existence of the Little Madam has been shrouded in a veil, but since you were officially introduced through the wedding reception, invitations are pouring in.”
But Soliaphe, Duchess of Bellstein, attended only the minimal number of gatherings necessary.
Neither she nor Bellstein had a tendency to like parties. But Rose didn’t have to tell the back story, because ordinary girls yearn for parties. Luciel, who was still young, could just keep an eye on the invitations without really going to them. Above all, Rose wanted many people to know about Luciel’s cuteness and beauty.
‘It seems that my existence was widely known thanks to the wedding.’
As a member of the Bellstein family. Somehow, it felt somewhat pleasant. However, Luciel still had a lot more important things to do than social banquets.
“It is proof that there are many families and young nobles who want to get to know the Little Madam. If you enter the capital social circles in earnest in the future, you may become the most popular of all time! At that time, you must take me with you, Little Madam.”
Rose grabbed her puffy cheeks and muttered with excitement.
“Well, I don’t think so. There are many celebrities in the capital. But wherever I go, Rose and Bessie will go together.”
“I will always take care of my Little Madam!”
Rose hugged Luciel tightly and rubbed her cheek.
While looking through the letters in the basket, Luciel found a familiar name.
Dana of Marquis Marande and Marsha of Count Turen. Luciel suppressed the pure joy of the first letters from her friends and put them on top of her chest of drawers.
‘Girl friends’ letters should be read quietly when I’m alone after tonight’s task.’
Luciel pondered what excuse to give to everyone for tonight’s absence.
Because this time, it’s not like going out for stargazing. I’ll just have to be honest and say I’m going to supplement my wand with Grandpa!
* * *
The moon was full and the day was getting dark.
The three secretly gathered in the little fief and exchanged glances with each other.
Even though the two men don’t get along well, at least for today, it seems that the two of them were of the same mind, so Luciel was also relieved.
Arzeon, who took out the portal stone with a hint of purple, explained in advance.
“It is a portal stone that goes to the entrance, not inside the forge. The interior can only be accessed through the portal that Rupdell opens directly.”
“Then the dog must be guarding the door. The gatekeeper, the guard dog.”
Gillard said, raising his eyebrows.
“If necessary, we must suppress it with magic.”
Luciel asked at the unusual words of the two of them.
“…… Is that such a dangerous beast?”
“It is dangerous for those who go against the will of Rupdell. The attitude changes depending on the mood of the owner. If it sees strangers that Rupdell doesn’t know, it will go and kill them as soon as spotted……. But we have a close relationship with him, so don’t worry, Luciel.”
Gillard said so and threw a bunch of protective magic on Luciel’s head.
“Can we leave now?”
At Arzeon’s question, both Gillard and Luciel nodded their heads.
Tong-ro!
Taaah.
When the purple portal stone fell to the ground and broke, the liquid portal that flowed out gradually expanded its range.
Arzeon first put his feet into the jelly-like purple portal and was gradually absorbed into it.
It was a different form from the portals that Luciel had seen so far, so when Gillard saw the little girl slightly harden her face with tension, he hugged Luciel in his arms.
“Let’s go together, Luciel.”
“Thank you, Grandpa.”
As she was immersed in the purple spatial portal, her ears became deaf.
It was only for a moment, and after a few seconds passed, with the sound of a bubble popping they moved to a place where an unfamiliar air touched the skin.
It was a dark night, and the area was black. It was so pitch black that it was impossible to see even an inch ahead.
It was only when Gillard used light magic, that the surroundings became clear. Luciel looked around to find the entrance, but it was nowhere to be seen.
“Grandpa, where is the door to the blacksmith’s forge?”
“Well, it will appear when the guard dog, the gatekeeper, allows us to pass through.”
“Ah…….”
Then a loud barking sound was heard, and a huge black dog with yellow eyes flashed in front of the group.
‘……They didn’t say it was almost the same size as a house building.’
Luciel was holding back her startled heart and tried not to be shaken.
Without light magic, he was a dog whose fur was black enough that only the color of his eyes could be seen. The gatekeeper wrinkled his nose and began to sniff the three of them.
Saliva was dripping from his long torn mouth, and his teeth had the size and sharpness of a dagger.
The watchdog spun around the three, one by one, sniffing very closely. He seemed to be recognizing the visitors.
Arzeon and Gillard inwardly looked at each other and made an expression saying that something was wrong. Normally, they would have just passed by, but they wondered if Rupdell was suspicious of something or wasn’t in a good mood today.
Arzeon quickly passed the evaluation, and so did Gillard.
‘It’s my turn now.’
The gatekeeper saw Luciel coming down from Gillard’s arms and revealed his teeth. Was it because she was an unfamiliar face?
When Luciel bit her lip, Gillard and Arzeon, bewildered, took out their wand to subdue the dog. However, Luciel did not avoid the watchdog’s eyes and looked straight ahead.
“Luciel, it’s dangerous, so step back……!”
“No, it’s okay.”
When she was a child, Luciel had run away in fear after being chased by a dog. Then, as her path was blocked, Luciel made a loud noise and grabbed a stick in her hand.
After fighting bravely without backing down, the dog eventually ran away yapping in defeat. Then she realized at that moment that if you averted your eyes from beasts and ran away while showing your back, you will be looked down upon.
‘I have to prove I’m not weak. Besides, I’m not really weak. It’s not scared.’
Luciel did not avoid the dog’s gaze but instead spread her hands. It means that it can smell her properly and fully grasp her identity….
The watchdog then circled Luciel and sniffed her scent. Luciel thought to herself.
‘Shall I use my mana? Phoenix also liked it, so maybe it will help.’
Her prediction was right. The watchdog who felt Luciel’s mana became as docile as a puppy.
Instead of sniffing her, he licked Luciel with his tongue, twirled his tail and played with the large mana drops Luciel had made.
―Kong!
As he lowered his body and pushed his large head in, Luciel’s hand the size of maple leaf stroked the dog.
“You’re kind of cute.”
―Kiwoong.
Seeing Luciel taming the wild watchdog in front of their eyes, Arzeon and Gillard immediately wondered what they had seen.
“The magic of a fairy is…….”
Arzeon murmured with blurred eyes, and Gillard shook his head in amazement.
“Well, is this even possible? What was once a huge monster has turned into a big puppy.”
Gillard remembered what Evelyn had said.
‘Luciel, that child has special mana that instinctively attracts all beings. If used well, it will become a weapon, and if done wrong, it can be dangerous.’
He now fully agreed with that. If used well, it will certainly be beneficial, but if abused, it may lead to a bunch of useless people obsessed with Luciel.
‘This guy is one of them.’
Then, he glanced at Arzeon next to him with dissatisfied eyes. The Ice Wizard, who did not know anything, made a sullen expression and said:
“Child, you have to stop playing so we can go. There is no time for this.”
“Yes, Luciel. Collect your mana for now.”
“Oh, yes. I see.”
After neatly cleaning up the mana, Luciel stroked the watchdog’s head one last time. She thought his hair was rough, but it was softer than expected.
“Goodbye, now we have to go.”
Then the watchdog poked out his front paw and lowered his head as well as his back.
“What? I think he’s telling us to ride on his back.”
“……!”
“This is the first time I have been treated like this.”
The three of them sat on the wide back of the watchdog while bowing their heads in gratitude. Only then did a huge blue door at the entrance appear.
‘That’s the door to the forge, the last portal.’
Whoosh.
The door opened on both sides.
The watchdog started running through the inside at a sharp speed. He was so fast that they couldn’t even open their eyes.
Gillard shouted to hold on tight.
Tang! Tang!
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The sound of hammers beating iron on the anvil, the sound of gears turning, and the heat could be felt even in the dark. There was also a fire pit with a huge red storm that seemed to explode like an active volcano.
After passing those, there was a blue stream where trees grew upside down and a cave full of crystals. Unicorns drinking water and all kinds of trees, plants, and insects that glowed with luminous colors colored the darkness.
After crossing two bridges and entering the deepest parts of the forge, they were able to arrive at Rupdell’s little room.
As they jumped over the low fence, a small dwarf, came out.
“Damn it, I told you to guard the door of the forge, how come you become someone else’s dog?”