Home/I Saved the Villain and Fell Asleep/ch 82

Chapter 82

"...You'd have to actually be a noona to be called one. A little squirt like you—you should grow up first."

He flicked my forehead and walked away. I stared blankly at his retreating back.

Wow, that startled me—I thought he was going to kiss me.

Kali's pink hair swayed in the wind. When I stayed silent, a quiet stillness fell between us.

"I do want to grow up quickly."

I wanted to safely pass nineteen and reach twenty.

"Kali, even if you become Grand Duke, you can't ignore me, got it?"

It's not princess and young master anymore—it's princess and Grand Duke. There's inevitably a gap in status.

Generally, noble marriages are alliances between houses. Love marriages existed, but marriages for the sake of family alliances were more common. In that sense, Algenprina had more than enough—they could get what they wanted without marrying off their daughter to connect with another house. If I threw a tantrum and said I wanted to live with Mom and Dad forever, they'd probably tell me to go ahead.

"What am I going to do with my life, really?"

"What?!"

Kali looked down at me with a "what are you saying" expression.

"What do you mean? Just live how you want, spending the ducal wealth freely."

That's true... even if I don't have any particular ambition, I don't have to worry about money. As long as our family doesn't go bankrupt.

In my past life, my daily worry was "how am I going to make a living?" Aside from the life-threatening danger, this life is actually pretty good.

"You said you wanted to be a building owner."

"Right! A building owner! I need to check on my mine!"

Come to think of it, after leaving Mt. Rüyer, I'd asked Kaelen to send ducal servants and miners to the haunted mansion. And I'd told him to teach Colton anything he wanted to learn...

'Why haven't they contacted me?'

"I'll make a fortune from the mine and build a building. Then I'll threaten Philip—I mean, Teo—to get permission for a high-rise. Oh, and I need to check on Ravian too. I've got a lot to do!"

I jumped up, but Kali's palm pushed my forehead back down, and I flopped back onto the mat.

"Not now. Rest."

The warmth of his large hand covering my eyes was comforting. Bibi, having drunk a lot of lake water, came running back with a wet mouth and jumped between us.

"Ah, cold!"

"Bibi, come here."

After wiping his wet fur, Bibi settled between Kali and me, and I felt warmth against my side. Kali, who had been sitting, also lay back.

The sound of leaves rustling in the wind was like a lullaby. The warmth of the fluffy bundle and Kali's breathing let my tension melt away.

I felt like I'd fall asleep any moment.

Yeah... I'll think about it later. Later. For now, Kali is by my side. It's okay.

Suddenly, a strange sensation made me snap my eyes open.

Huh...? Did I fall asleep? Where am I? What's this all of a sudden?

The ground began to shake disorientingly. My limbs wouldn't move properly—I barely managed to steady myself, and my vision was filled with white fluff.

Fluff...? Wait. Are these wings?

When I moved my left arm, my left wing twitched. They were my wings. This is my first time dreaming I'm a bird. What a weird dream.

"Elder, I've found where the captured child is."

Elder?

I looked around for the source of the voice, but all I saw were trees.

"And where is the tiger?"

It was a voice so beautiful it sent chills down my spine. I tried to look down toward the voice, but my body tilted to one side.

Ack, I'm falling!!!

"Whoa there, careful, little one."

When I opened my eyes, a man with unusual hair color was holding me in both hands. I flapped my wings instinctively as I struggled. A large finger patted my back as if to calm me. I sat down in his palm and stared up at him blankly.

He was breathtakingly beautiful—enough to pull off the unusual two-toned hair, a chaotic mix of black and silver. I gazed at his fluttering white lashes, and our eyes met.

His chillingly clear silver eyes reflected my image.

...A bird. It was a real bird, not a human.

"You made a fuss to be put on my head, and now you're bored? Sit here."

He brushed his long silver hair to one side and set me on his shoulder. I gripped his collar tightly with my feet to keep from falling.

His red lips closed around a pipe. I watched them, mesmerized, then suddenly snapped back to reality.

So, who is this man, and what's going on with me!

"A village twenty li east of here. Shall I prepare a horse?"

"Hmm."

Tapping the pipe, the man waved his hand through the air and caught something. It looked very familiar—a club.

A club.

A club! Why is my Goblin Club there? What's happening?

I was so startled I forgot to breathe. Three golden gems, and green gems—let's see, one, two, three, four... ten. It's definitely my club!

"Why so restless? Stay still—you'll fall."

His large finger tapped my fluttering wing, and I froze. He smiled at my reaction and swung the club with his right hand. The pipe in his left hand disappeared, replaced by a shimmering white cloth.

The hat. No matter how I looked at it, that was the hat. Even if I saw it passing by on a high-speed train, it was the hat. The man, wearing the hat over his shoulder, curled his lips crookedly.

"I'll go ahead and wait—take your time."

"What?! Wait, Elder! Are you going to cause trouble again!!"

"Trouble. You make it sound like I only cause trouble. Since it's my first time in that village, I'll just go ahead and look around. You can take the teleportation gate or ride a horse."

"Hoo..."

The smaller man beside him held his head as if getting a headache.

"You really promise, don't you? Just looking around!!"

"I said I got it, didn't I?"

"Then give me the bird and go ahead."

Huh? Me?

The smaller man reached for me. Startled, I flapped my wings, but the man called Elder blocked his hand.

"This one stays."

"Pardon? But living things can't be teleported together."

I couldn't believe my ears. Teleportation? Did he just say teleportation? Teleportation—the magic that transcends time and space, traveling across distances. Aka teleportation... the very magic dark mages obsess over.

"To this one, this situation is just a dream, so she's not really alive. So, I'll go ahead."

His robe fluttered as he strode forward. Pushing through bushes and walking off the path, he came to a cliff.

"Hold tight, little one. Don't let go."

His low, beautiful voice whispered to me. I instinctively gripped his collar with both feet.

"Let's go find where the tiger is. I wonder if it's crying. I might have to sacrifice the hat again this time."

His low laugh drifted through the air. I felt like I knew who this man was.

"Watch closely."

He extended the club in his right hand straight ahead. The Goblin Club swayed left and right—and in that moment, an astounding scene unfolded before me.

The seams between the green and golden gems cracked open, and all of them opened their eyes at once.

I gaped at him with my beak wide open. How did he do that—without casting magic or summoning objects, all the eyes opened at once?

"This club is a goblin's. That means its owner is a goblin."

At that moment, something sprouted from his smooth white forehead—two horns shimmering like sprinkled silver dust.

A goblin.

The previous owner of the Goblin Club, as the guardian had mentioned.

"A goblin chooses the club, and the club also chooses the goblin as its owner. Then did the goblin appear first, or did the club appear first?"

That's a chicken-and-egg question, isn't it?

His gaze seemed to demand an answer, and I opened my beak in confusion.

But I'm a bird right now—can I even speak?

"Chirp...?"

"Hehe."

His long, slender fingers gently stroked my head.

"See? If I put a little more pressure, your neck would break."

Terrified, I flapped my wings, and he tapped them as if it were a joke.

"Honestly, I don't know either. Maybe the goblin came first, maybe the club did."

Then what's the point? I'm terrible at philosophical debates.

"So don't doubt—why you were born holding the Goblin Club. Since there's no way to know who came first, you weren't chosen by the club, nor did you choose it. You simply recognized each other."

This goblin spoke as if he saw the club as a living being. And it sounded like he was telling me not to fight it.

"Was that too difficult?"

I was completely lost, my eyes spinning.

"Then let's go. Watch closely."

The gems on the Goblin Club opened and closed their eyes in unison. A dizzying array of light swirled over the green and golden magic circles.

In just one blink, the scenery had changed. The deep cliff and dense trees were gone—instead, a dingy alley stretched before me.

Looking around 360 degrees, up and down—this wasn't the forest. If I stopped someone and asked, they'd say this was an alley, not a forest.

So... we teleported? With the Goblin Club?

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