I’m the Main Character’s Child - Chapter 26

Cardin’s expression was hard to see because of the robe, but his faintly raised lips were clearly visible.

After that, I wandered around the square.

I wanted to eat street food, but I couldn’t because of Cardin’s opposition.

He said that if I eat snacks, I won’t be able to eat dinner.

Hearing what other ordinary parents would say through Cardin’s mouth made me feel strange.

Also, because I had never heard of it in my previous life.

After walking around the square for quite some time, my legs hurt. Now it seems the time has come to go back.

“Huh?”

At that moment, our footsteps stopped at a shopping mall in front of us.

“That’s…”

It’s probably a jewelry store since the view through the window was full of expensive jewelry.

But it wasn’t those gems that caught my eye.

“It’s a Merket.”

In the corner of the shopping mall, a Merket was displayed along with jewelries caught my eye.

It looked the same as the Merket I had at home, but the stems and buds were touching the bottom of the pot.

While I was still looking at Merket beyond the noisy shopping mall, Cardin opened the door without hesitation and entered.

I, who was holding hands with Cardin, also came into the mall.

The door opened and the sound of a small bell hanging above rang loudly inside the mall.

“Welcome.”

A man with a big body greeted me and Cardin as we went inside the store.

The man, who appears to be the owner of the store, grinned and did not forget to quickly come out and ask for what we needed.

“Hmm. Is there anything you are looking for…?”

Seeing Cardin and me in plain robes, the man asked with a more impure attitude than when he first saw us.

“I want to see the Merket up there.”

I pointed at the Merket which stem was drooping.

“Huh? You mean the Merket? Oh, I worked hard to get that Merket. I heard nobles are raising it these days. So, I got one thinking the number of customers would increase…. “

The man did not continue the end of his words and clicked his tongue.

I could roughly guess what would follow. He must be wondering why a commoner kid came and showed interest in what he had brought to show off to noble guests.

“That’s more expensive than the jewels here, little kid.”

My heart pounded as I watched his wrist swinging like chasing a fly.

Mister, you might break your wrist today.

Like that.

The wrist of the man swinging in the air was caught by Elvin.

He held it so tightly that the man’s hand turned white and bloodless.

“Argh! What are you doing?”

“How can you treat your customers like this? You must want your store to go bankrupt.”

Elvin muttered grimly at the man.

The man who heard Elvin’s words looked at him and opened his mouth with a more polite tone.

“Oh, no….. I just told you that the Merket is something that I bought at a really high price….”

Cardin spoke to the man who was asking to let go of his wrist.

“How much is it?”

“Yes?”

“How much?”

He shook his head and replied softly, “About ten gold coins…”

‘What a rip off!’

With ten gold coins, a commoner’s family could live for two years without worrying about money.

I heard from Teacher Teto that it can be traded for about five gold coins!

Shiny gold coins fluttered and fell on the table.

I heard the man gasping.

The man’s eyes were full of greed as he looked at the gold coins that were on the table.

“Yes, oh my. I wasn’t aware of how precious you are.”

‘It’s already too late. Mister.’

Cardin’s expression wrinkled at the sight of the man crouching, clutching a gold coin in his hand.

In my past life, as well as here, I have seen this kind of person.

The man quickly brought the Merket hanging on the stand and put it in front of me.

“Well, here you go. My Lady.”

“…….”

I carefully accepted Merket without hiding my shaky expression.

When Cardin confirmed that I got the Merket, we immediately left the store.

Cardin, who came out of the store, moved quietly to Elvin, who was behind him.

“Change the owner.”

“Yes, I understand.”

This is the end of those who judge a person only by their appearance. I turned my head and looked inside the store.

I saw the old man smiling broadly as he looked at the gold coins.

I’m sorry, mister. If I hadn’t found Merket , you might not be getting fired.

Don’t do that from now on.

In my mind, I gave him a piece of advice.

“Hi.”

I greeted the Merket in my hand a little. The droopy Merket was so lifeless that it would not be strange if he died soon.

“Let’s go to my house. I have a friend of yours.”

I’ve talked to it several times since then, but there was no answer.

On my way home, I thanked Cardin.

“Papa. Thank you.”

“What’s so pretty about that plant that you keep picking it up?”

“Well, it’s just. It’s cute.”

I couldn’t tell that I could hear Merket talk, so I lied.

I decided to postpone telling the truth after finding out a little more because I could tell what kind of expression he would make if I said I could hear what the plant was saying.

“I didn’t know that you would like that plant. I got tired of seeing it in the northern subjugation. If I knew……”

“If you knew?”

“…….”

Cardin’s mouth closed tightly again.

Anyway, he’s still very shy.

After arriving at the mansion, there was still time before dinner, so I went straight to the room with the new Merket.

“I’m back!”

[It must be nice to have fun without me!]

“Sorry. But look at what I brought.”

[huh. No thanks.]

Looking at Merket, who was firmly sulking, I put the other Merket next to him.

“I brought you a friend.”

[……]

Merket’s actions stopped for a moment. I noticed that Merket was quite surprised by that.

“But he doesn’t talk. He looked sick.”

[Really…. Hey! Say something.]

Merket’s loud voice rang loudly in my ears.

Even when I talked to it in the carriage, Merket remained limp without any reaction.

“Maybe he’s ….”

Looking at the droopy Merket…… I had no choice but to say what I was thinking.

“Dead…”

[Uwaahhhhh!]

“Oh my gosh.”

The room was filled with the sad cry of the new Merket.

[I’m not dead! I’m not dead!]

“No, who said that?”

[Gasp]!]

After crying for a long time, I opened my mouth looking at Merket, who barely stopped crying.

“Can you hear my voice?”

[… Yes.]

Merket replied helplessly, sniffling, perhaps because he had spent all his energy crying.

“But why did you keep quiet before?”

[There was no human who could hear my voice. I didn’t know you were really talking to me.…….]

After being trapped in this strange flower, Merket said that no matter how hard he tried, her petals did not budge. So, I met her in her lowest state.

“Did you get caught by the unpleasant energy?”

[That’s right. I was going to the mountain in the north when an unpleasant energy came up from the ground and attacked me.]

[Oh, me too. I was so upset that my body is still shaking!]

The two Merkets made a crying sound.

“Everyone was struck by the same energy in the north.”

I recalled the information about Merket that I had read in the book.

It is said that the habitat of Merket is definitely limited to the northern region.

If so, it means that the place where the bad energy that the Merkets felt also came from the northern region.

“Now that I think about it, there was a ballroom in the north.”

The northern part is filled with ballrooms, which multiply every year; it was also their main habitat. It has been over 300 years since the ballroom appeared.

According to the history of the empire, when the monster called Ballroom first appeared, the whole continent was thrown into chaos.

People died helplessly at the monster they saw for the first time, and there were thousands of people who took their own lives in frustration that the end of the era had begun.

At that time, they were frustrated to see that the ballroom could never be killed with a regular sword or spear, so a high-ranking wizard and a priest came out.

As a result, it was a success.

The Ballroom reacted sensitively to magical powers and divine powers.

When the wizard made the limbs of the ballroom incapacitated, the priests came forward and killed them with holy power.

What was unusual was that the ballroom could only be handled by pouring out both mana and power.

Thus, when the Ballrooms appeared, in the past 300 years, the status of wizards and priests has risen.

Many wanted a complete end of the Ballroom, but unfortunately, they could kill it, but not make it extinct.

Now that I think of it, Cardin almost got in danger because of the ballrooms.

Such a scene appeared in the novel. After a few years of term, they regularly set up subjugation groups to subdue the north. Among them, Cardin was definitely at the forefront.

At that time, Reina from the temple also belonged to the subjugation group where Cardin was.

As the protagonists who both have tremendous power, an unexpected variable arose when they were destroying the ballroom.

Unlike their previous subjugation, the leather of the Ballroom became even harder and even using tools.

“I was really nervous when I read it.”

As a result, the subjugation was successful, but the wizards and priests who returned from subjugation all came up with the same conclusion.

‘The ballroom is evolving.’

The area where the ballroom first appeared was also the Moi Mountains in the north. The main habitat of Merkets and Ballrooms.

The Moi Mountains were a huge alpine region. Also, the terrain was dangerous, so going without any preparation was like going to risk your life.

Ballrooms and Merkets are emerging from the deepest part of the Moi Mountains.

I have a feeling that there is something in common between the existence of ballrooms and merkets.

[That guy……. He kept bothering me, asking me to dance. [Crying]

When I was thinking hard by myself, I heard the sound of Merket sniffling and that pulled me out from my thoughts.

“Oh, don’t cry. “

I can’t even give you a handkerchief.

As he recalled the time when he was at the jewelry store, his mournful voice and the sound of his watery breathing became harsher.

But right now, my ear drums are buzzing. If I hear one more cry from them, my ears will explode.

“Now you have me and your friend is here too.”

I tried to get Merket’s attention as much as possible.

[…… That’s right.]

“Right?”

The stems of the Merket rose up and the buds swayed slightly from side to side.

You must be feeling a little better.