Adelaide remained silent on the way back.
It was the same when they arrived at Greenville Dungeon. She sat on the sofa in the living room, stroked Bell’s fur, and stared blankly into the air. She must have needed a long time to think.
Lisianthus left her alone without saying anything. However, considering that it was almost time for his master to get hungry, he moved to prepare a meal in advance.
For some reason, Caladium also joined the silence. For reference, the place where Adelaide was sitting was Caladium’s favorite sofa seat in the dungeon. He was upset because he wanted to remove Bell and lie down next to her, but this time he tolerated it.
Soon, the meal began in a quiet atmosphere. The menu was Adelaide’s favorite beef steak.
“Woof!”
Bell, who was sitting in a high chair waiting for her share, saw the plate Lisianthus had handed him, and he barked abruptly.
“What is it? Why are you upset?”
“Woof!”
“Be quiet, you rascal.”
“Can’t you take a hint?” Caladium whispered. Bell let out a whimper as if he was frustrated.
“Do you want to get off the chair?”
Adelaide opened her mouth. She wondered if the chair was too high for him to go down from.
“I don’t think so. They are quite an agile race. They would be fine even if they fall from a much higher place.”
“Woof!”
“I’m not sure why either. It shouldn’t be a big deal, so don’t worry about it and eat, Adele. If the steak cools down, it will become tough.”
She was still worried. Adelaide turned her gaze to Bell again.
Bell moaned for a moment, then his body began to vibrate. It was the same movement they saw whenever he transformed into his larger form.
“Wait, here…!”
‘All the furniture Lisian made will be destroyed!’ Adelaide hurriedly grabbed Bell’s body. The chair was made to fit Bell’s small size, so she didn’t want it broken after just a few days.
But soon something amazing happened.
“More!”
Bell’s figure in Adelaide’s hand grew bigger and heavier, and he soon changed into a small human figure.
After Adelaide closed her eyes once and then opened them, she saw a child who appeared to be about four or five years old in human age. A cute kid with black curly hair and red eyes. It was Bell.
“Give me more!”
Bell shouted in a loud voice. With one finger, he pointed to his share of steak.
“This… What is this…”
Adelaide struggled. She couldn’t understand the situation.
“Oh, I thought he was pretty strong.”
“Yes, although he still can’t match up to me.” Caladium whistled and said. He didn’t miss this opportunity to show off.
Bell cast a stinging glare at him, then turned his head to look at Adelaide again. He then opened his mouth making a cute face.
“Give me more of that!”
“Yes, yes, alright…”
Adelaide put Bell back in his chair. He took some from her own steak. If it had been Caladium, she wouldn’t have allowed it. But when such a small and cute child opened his big eyes and asked, she couldn’t help but give in.
Lisianthus saw this and stood up.
“I will cook more. Master.”
“No, wait a minute. Can a Cerberus turn into a humanoid? How come you aren’t surprised?”
“Yes, they can change. However, not all Cerberus can do it. Among them, only those with stronger magic, higher intelligence, and a clear will to transform are capable of doing it.”
While talking to Adelaide, Lisianthus’ eyes kept moving towards the kitchen. He seemed eager to go and put meat on a cast iron pan.
“As their combat prowess increases, it’s possible for their humanoid form to gradually change as well. From the form of a boy to the form of a young man. When that time comes, he’ll be able to speak more naturally.”
As soon as he confirmed that Adelaide had nothing more to say, he hurried to the kitchen. He deliberately chose Adelaide’s favorite meal so it would’ve been fruitless if she didn’t eat enough.
“Wow, Bell. You have a very special ability…”
Adelaide put her hands together in admiration. It made her proud to hear that Bell was a genius.
Bell, not paying attention to whether she was proud or not, opened his eyes and repeated his words earlier.
“Give me more.”
“I guess the will to change was because of the steak.”
Adelaide burst out laughing at him. It was super cute to see the little kid eating while making a chewing sound ‘omyomyom’ without slicing the steak.
Thanks to Bell, her stiff mood soon relaxed. While Caladium grumbled, Adelaide leisurely ate and watched as Bell chewed the steak.
The moment she put the last piece in her mouth, Lisianthus brought her a newly cooked steak. He quickly moved so he could get the timing right.
***
Ssspp.
Adelaide, who had finished her mouth-watering lemon and strawberry sherbet, set her spoon down. She then opened her mouth as if she had made up her mind.
“I will go to Esperanza.”
“You…”
Caladium stared at her serious expression. It was not an unexpected conclusion.
“Yes. I want to go see Raham.”
“Master. My apologies, but I don’t recommend it. We are not at that stage yet.”
When Lisianthus advised, Adelaide spoke her words quickly as an excuse.
“I don’t mean to attack recklessly. We’re not even that close… I just want to meet Raham and hear his story.”
“He isn’t worth talking to.”
This was the first time Lisianthus had sharply expressed such a negative opinion on Adelaide. Adelaide sat quietly to see if he was concerned. Caladium, who was very displeased with it, intervened, raising one eyebrow.
“Why does someone need to be worth talking to? Just do it if you want to. Do you think all the demons in the world are ruthless like you?”
“Especially since Adela is not that kind of demon.” Caladium added firmly. Adelaide expected Lisianthus’ rebuttal, but contrary to that, he remained silent for a moment. He seemed to be contemplating.
“…This guy is right. I was short-sighted.”
Hmm?! Caladium’s body trembled in surprise.
‘That gloomy b*st*rd agreed with me?!’ He was more afraid than happy. He was so used to being called a ‘b*st*rd’ that it no longer bothered him.
“Are you going to die today?”
[T/N: Like when a person supposedly changes when they’re going to die soon.]
“Or are you crazy?” Caladium asked sincerely. Lisianthus didn’t bother answering his nonsense and continued talking to Adelaide.
“My role is to help Master Adele do what she wishes. I apologize for having dared to hinder you in the name of giving advice.”
“No, you have nothing to apologize for! Lisian said it for my sake.”
“Right?” Adelaide asked with a smile. Lisianthus nodded awkwardly.
“Then let’s go to Esperanza! The dungeon will be closed for one day. Oh, if you’re tired, you don’t have to follow me. I can go alone.”
She added, hurriedly waving her hand. She was worried that she would burden them again.
“St*pd. I’m coming too, will that child even send you alone?”
“I am ready to go.”
“Me too!”
Bell shouted the words he had just learned and roughly leaped into Adelaide’s arms. Just when Adelaide was blown away by his overflowing cuteness, Caladium lifted Bell.
“You can’t go, r*sc*l.”
“Hate! Me too!”
“I hate you too! Stop hitting, Adela!”
“No!”
It was like a children’s fight. Tch. Lisianthus clicked his tongue. He was completely dissatisfied that he had to agree with Caladium’s opinion twice in a row.
“It’s better to leave the Cerberus behind. He’s strong, but he’s not yet an adult, so it wouldn’t be good to be exposed to Esperanza’s magic for a long time.”
“Huh, is it that bad?”
“Yes. It would be better for Master to come back quickly.”
Indeed, it was a key area in Kronatan, so just going there would be tough. When Adelaide showed a frightened expression, Caladium, who had summoned the Skeletons and carried Bell, smiled and comforted her.
“You don’t have to worry. It’ll be fine.”
“How does Caladi know that?”
“Just. I think it will be fine.”
Caladium shrugged his shoulders. “I’m sure.” Adelaide stared at him once.
“Bell, we’ll be taking care of you!”
“Actually, Esperanza is a little scary for us too.”
The Skeletons scratched the back of their skulls and said. Bell seemed to want to get away from them and go to Adelaide, but when the Skeleton Captain threw his arm bone away, he quickly returned to his dog form and ran after it. He couldn’t overcome his instincts.
So the party to Esperanza was formed. As always, there were three of them.
***
“We should leave that b*st*rd.”
“That’s what I want to say.”
Lisianthus and Caladium had a snowball fight between Adelaide. It was a familiar scene, so Adelaide ignored them.
They soon reached their destination. They were at the warp stop at Sarman.
“It’s been a long time since I was last here.”
Adelaide murmured as she looked around her.
The warp stop was where she first arrived when she inherited the Greenville Dungeon. It was a month or two ago, but so many things had happened that it felt like a year had passed.
‘It has also been a while since I met these two.’
This time, she stared at Lisianthus and Caladium alternately. They hadn’t known each other for a long time, so how can they be so comfortable with each other? In particular, she had spent less time with Caladium compared with Lisianthus.
As they spent every day and every hour together, it seemed like they had become a family. And because Caladium was so simple, that made it a lot easier.
“Who are you looking at so dreamily?”
Caladium was sarcastic. She wanted to ask him if he only knew one of two things, to compliment or be sarcastic, but Adelaide simply replied with a smile.
“I bought the tickets.”
Lisianthus handed Adelaide one of the warp tickets. Then he threw one at Caladium. At a very strong speed, and towards a different direction. Caladium caught it.
“Thank you, Lisian.”
“You’re welcome.”
Obviously, when she first came here, there was no one by her side, but now there were two of them that were like her family. There were even five more in the dungeon. Her debt was still there, but she was no longer afraid of starving, and although she was still weaker than when she was in her prime, she could still feel herself getting stronger.
As she reflected on this, she felt energy flowing throughout her body. She puffed her chest and straightened her back.
“Then shall we go?”
“Yes! Let’s go!”
She took large steps towards the warp magic circle. Perhaps it was because it contained hope that Raham could be saved without much difficulty.
Adelaide remained silent on the way back.
It was the same when they arrived at Greenville Dungeon. She sat on the sofa in the living room, stroked Bell’s fur, and stared blankly into the air. She must have needed a long time to think.
Lisianthus left her alone without saying anything. However, considering that it was almost time for his master to get hungry, he moved to prepare a meal in advance.
For some reason, Caladium also joined the silence. For reference, the place where Adelaide was sitting was Caladium’s favorite sofa seat in the dungeon. He was upset because he wanted to remove Bell and lie down next to her, but this time he tolerated it.
Soon, the meal began in a quiet atmosphere. The menu was Adelaide’s favorite beef steak.
“Woof!”
Bell, who was sitting in a high chair waiting for her share, saw the plate Lisianthus had handed him, and he barked abruptly.
“What is it? Why are you upset?”
“Woof!”
“Be quiet, you rascal.”
“Can’t you take a hint?” Caladium whispered. Bell let out a whimper as if he was frustrated.
“Do you want to get off the chair?”
Adelaide opened her mouth. She wondered if the chair was too high for him to go down from.
“I don’t think so. They are quite an agile race. They would be fine even if they fall from a much higher place.”
“Woof!”
“I’m not sure why either. It shouldn’t be a big deal, so don’t worry about it and eat, Adele. If the steak cools down, it will become tough.”
She was still worried. Adelaide turned her gaze to Bell again.
Bell moaned for a moment, then his body began to vibrate. It was the same movement they saw whenever he transformed into his larger form.
“Wait, here…!”
‘All the furniture Lisian made will be destroyed!’ Adelaide hurriedly grabbed Bell’s body. The chair was made to fit Bell’s small size, so she didn’t want it broken after just a few days.
But soon something amazing happened.
“More!”
Bell’s figure in Adelaide’s hand grew bigger and heavier, and he soon changed into a small human figure.
After Adelaide closed her eyes once and then opened them, she saw a child who appeared to be about four or five years old in human age. A cute kid with black curly hair and red eyes. It was Bell.
“Give me more!”
Bell shouted in a loud voice. With one finger, he pointed to his share of steak.
“This… What is this…”
Adelaide struggled. She couldn’t understand the situation.
“Oh, I thought he was pretty strong.”
“Yes, although he still can’t match up to me.” Caladium whistled and said. He didn’t miss this opportunity to show off.
Bell cast a stinging glare at him, then turned his head to look at Adelaide again. He then opened his mouth making a cute face.
“Give me more of that!”
“Yes, yes, alright…”
Adelaide put Bell back in his chair. He took some from her own steak. If it had been Caladium, she wouldn’t have allowed it. But when such a small and cute child opened his big eyes and asked, she couldn’t help but give in.
Lisianthus saw this and stood up.
“I will cook more. Master.”
“No, wait a minute. Can a Cerberus turn into a humanoid? How come you aren’t surprised?”
“Yes, they can change. However, not all Cerberus can do it. Among them, only those with stronger magic, higher intelligence, and a clear will to transform are capable of doing it.”
While talking to Adelaide, Lisianthus’ eyes kept moving towards the kitchen. He seemed eager to go and put meat on a cast iron pan.
“As their combat prowess increases, it’s possible for their humanoid form to gradually change as well. From the form of a boy to the form of a young man. When that time comes, he’ll be able to speak more naturally.”
As soon as he confirmed that Adelaide had nothing more to say, he hurried to the kitchen. He deliberately chose Adelaide’s favorite meal so it would’ve been fruitless if she didn’t eat enough.
“Wow, Bell. You have a very special ability…”
Adelaide put her hands together in admiration. It made her proud to hear that Bell was a genius.
Bell, not paying attention to whether she was proud or not, opened his eyes and repeated his words earlier.
“Give me more.”
“I guess the will to change was because of the steak.”
Adelaide burst out laughing at him. It was super cute to see the little kid eating while making a chewing sound ‘omyomyom’ without slicing the steak.
Thanks to Bell, her stiff mood soon relaxed. While Caladium grumbled, Adelaide leisurely ate and watched as Bell chewed the steak.
The moment she put the last piece in her mouth, Lisianthus brought her a newly cooked steak. He quickly moved so he could get the timing right.
***
Ssspp.
Adelaide, who had finished her mouth-watering lemon and strawberry sherbet, set her spoon down. She then opened her mouth as if she had made up her mind.
“I will go to Esperanza.”
“You…”
Caladium stared at her serious expression. It was not an unexpected conclusion.
“Yes. I want to go see Raham.”
“Master. My apologies, but I don’t recommend it. We are not at that stage yet.”
When Lisianthus advised, Adelaide spoke her words quickly as an excuse.
“I don’t mean to attack recklessly. We’re not even that close… I just want to meet Raham and hear his story.”
“He isn’t worth talking to.”
This was the first time Lisianthus had sharply expressed such a negative opinion on Adelaide. Adelaide sat quietly to see if he was concerned. Caladium, who was very displeased with it, intervened, raising one eyebrow.
“Why does someone need to be worth talking to? Just do it if you want to. Do you think all the demons in the world are ruthless like you?”
“Especially since Adela is not that kind of demon.” Caladium added firmly. Adelaide expected Lisianthus’ rebuttal, but contrary to that, he remained silent for a moment. He seemed to be contemplating.
“…This guy is right. I was short-sighted.”
Hmm?! Caladium’s body trembled in surprise.
‘That gloomy b*st*rd agreed with me?!’ He was more afraid than happy. He was so used to being called a ‘b*st*rd’ that it no longer bothered him.
“Are you going to die today?”
[T/N: Like when a person supposedly changes when they’re going to die soon.]
“Or are you crazy?” Caladium asked sincerely. Lisianthus didn’t bother answering his nonsense and continued talking to Adelaide.
“My role is to help Master Adele do what she wishes. I apologize for having dared to hinder you in the name of giving advice.”
“No, you have nothing to apologize for! Lisian said it for my sake.”
“Right?” Adelaide asked with a smile. Lisianthus nodded awkwardly.
“Then let’s go to Esperanza! The dungeon will be closed for one day. Oh, if you’re tired, you don’t have to follow me. I can go alone.”
She added, hurriedly waving her hand. She was worried that she would burden them again.
“St*pd. I’m coming too, will that child even send you alone?”
“I am ready to go.”
“Me too!”
Bell shouted the words he had just learned and roughly leaped into Adelaide’s arms. Just when Adelaide was blown away by his overflowing cuteness, Caladium lifted Bell.
“You can’t go, r*sc*l.”
“Hate! Me too!”
“I hate you too! Stop hitting, Adela!”
“No!”
It was like a children’s fight. Tch. Lisianthus clicked his tongue. He was completely dissatisfied that he had to agree with Caladium’s opinion twice in a row.
“It’s better to leave the Cerberus behind. He’s strong, but he’s not yet an adult, so it wouldn’t be good to be exposed to Esperanza’s magic for a long time.”
“Huh, is it that bad?”
“Yes. It would be better for Master to come back quickly.”
Indeed, it was a key area in Kronatan, so just going there would be tough. When Adelaide showed a frightened expression, Caladium, who had summoned the Skeletons and carried Bell, smiled and comforted her.
“You don’t have to worry. It’ll be fine.”
“How does Caladi know that?”
“Just. I think it will be fine.”
Caladium shrugged his shoulders. “I’m sure.” Adelaide stared at him once.
“Bell, we’ll be taking care of you!”
“Actually, Esperanza is a little scary for us too.”
The Skeletons scratched the back of their skulls and said. Bell seemed to want to get away from them and go to Adelaide, but when the Skeleton Captain threw his arm bone away, he quickly returned to his dog form and ran after it. He couldn’t overcome his instincts.
So the party to Esperanza was formed. As always, there were three of them.
***
“We should leave that b*st*rd.”
“That’s what I want to say.”
Lisianthus and Caladium had a snowball fight between Adelaide. It was a familiar scene, so Adelaide ignored them.
They soon reached their destination. They were at the warp stop at Sarman.
“It’s been a long time since I was last here.”
Adelaide murmured as she looked around her.
The warp stop was where she first arrived when she inherited the Greenville Dungeon. It was a month or two ago, but so many things had happened that it felt like a year had passed.
‘It has also been a while since I met these two.’
This time, she stared at Lisianthus and Caladium alternately. They hadn’t known each other for a long time, so how can they be so comfortable with each other? In particular, she had spent less time with Caladium compared with Lisianthus.
As they spent every day and every hour together, it seemed like they had become a family. And because Caladium was so simple, that made it a lot easier.
“Who are you looking at so dreamily?”
Caladium was sarcastic. She wanted to ask him if he only knew one of two things, to compliment or be sarcastic, but Adelaide simply replied with a smile.
“I bought the tickets.”
Lisianthus handed Adelaide one of the warp tickets. Then he threw one at Caladium. At a very strong speed, and towards a different direction. Caladium caught it.
“Thank you, Lisian.”
“You’re welcome.”
Obviously, when she first came here, there was no one by her side, but now there were two of them that were like her family. There were even five more in the dungeon. Her debt was still there, but she was no longer afraid of starving, and although she was still weaker than when she was in her prime, she could still feel herself getting stronger.
As she reflected on this, she felt energy flowing throughout her body. She puffed her chest and straightened her back.
“Then shall we go?”
“Yes! Let’s go!”
She took large steps towards the warp magic circle. Perhaps it was because it contained hope that Raham could be saved without much difficulty.
