4
Chapter 4
The child was giggling, stroking Thunder's mane.
Ruth was momentarily shocked by the sight.
Thunder was so prickly that even Ruth had never attempted such intimate contact.
"What's with this suspicious kid?"
It was just as Ruth narrowed her eyes.
"That's right! I'm suspicious."
The little one puffed out her chest like a puppy that had succeeded in a hunt.
Then, she pulled out a very, very tiny thorn from her pocket, so small it was barely visible.
"I have something to tell you! Actually, I healed Thunder!"
"What are you?"
"I'm Coco! Here, I even have the thorn as proof!"
"...Coco? Why does that name sound so familiar? Anyway, give it here."
Coco hid her pounding heart and quickly extended her hand.
"That's a thorn that got stuck in him when he was hurriedly eating something in the distant plains. It has a unique shape, so if you show it to Ruth, she'll know."
Just as he said, Ruth's pupils widened as she took the thorn.
"Oh my, this thorn is..."
It was indeed as Thunder had said.
"It doesn't exist in this region at all, and it's a thorn attached to a unique flower that only grows in the plains where Ruth went to study abroad."
Just as she was recalling Thunder's words, Dot examined Thunder's mouth with a magnifying glass and exclaimed briefly.
"The young lady is right. There's an extremely fine wound on his tongue, as if he was pricked by a thorn. And..."
Thunder was sticking close to Coco.
Anyone could see they had formed a Communion.
"Anyone can see that the young lady seems to have healed Thunder."
Patricia, suddenly at a disadvantage, wore a flustered expression.
"No need for excuses."
Patricia, sensing Ruth's fierce aura, quickly prostrated herself.
"I-I'm sorry!"
"For exactly what?"
"I just wanted the praise so badly..."
"Oh..."
Ruth tilted her head with a malicious expression.
"You lied to me, so you'll have to pay the price."
"I-I'm sorry..."
He glared at Patricia with a cold gaze, then looked at Coco.
"Enough noise. More importantly, you. Your name is Coco, right?"
"Yes! I'm Coco!"
Coco averted her gaze from the trembling Patricia.
'I can't help it, I have to be a bad puppy to meet my sister!'
Thunder had said so.
People wouldn't believe things like 'Coco healed Thunder.'
So she and Thunder put their heads together.
They devised a bad plan, like a bad puppy would.
"Hmph, so ambitious. So, who are you? A maid? A veterinarian?"
The atmosphere turned cold at Ruth's words.
Ruth tilted her head and tapped Dot's shoulder.
"Ah, why the long face? Dot, is she your daughter or something?"
Then, Dot broke the silence and muttered softly.
"Th-that, Ruth. I hesitate to say this, but..."
"Huh?"
"Th-the young lady here is neither a maid nor a veterinarian. And she's certainly not my daughter. I'm not even married."
"Then what is she?"
"...The young lady is the youngest daughter of this family."
Ruth's face turned bright red.
"...No, he's gone crazy. That old man... He's gone mad. That crazy, eccentric old man. To have a ch-child at that age..."
Dot quickly waved her hands.
"N-no, that's not it! It's just that Ruth has only returned from her studies abroad for a week, so the message hasn't been delivered yet!"
"What? Explain it properly."
"Well..."
Dot explained the detailed circumstances.
When Dot finished speaking, Ruth's mouth hung open wide enough to see her bright red uvula.
"Come to think of it, I think I heard something about it, but it wasn't important so I forgot. ...So, this grimy kid is going to be the youngest member of our family?"
Coco shook her head.
"No, I'm not!"
"Then what's going on?"
"I'm going to be kicked out soon because my Stigmata hasn't manifested!"
"...What?"
"But that doesn't matter. I did a great deed today!"
Ruth clicked her tongue with an understanding expression.
"Ah, I see. So you saved Thunder because you didn't want to be kicked out of the family. Right?"
"..."
"You used your head a little, but pulling out one thorn isn't enough to get adopted. I'm not married, and I'm just a good-for-nothing with no authority. Family adoptions are decided after discussions between my father and the council of elders."
But Coco, whom he expected to be disappointed, only sparkled her eyes.
She even put her hands on her hips and looked up at Ruth with a confident expression!
"Um, not adoption!"
"Huh? Then what is it?"
"My wish is to meet Chloe Ardos!"
Ruth gaped.
"...Huh? Did I hear wrong? Who?"
Who was Chloe Ardos?
The third daughter of Duke Ardos's family.
But she was known in the world as a fearsome villainess.
This was largely due to her prickly personality and the fact that she had manifested as a 'Dark Magic user' who wielded darkness, which was shunned by the empire.
Moreover, a year ago.
After her beloved dog died, she went completely insane.
She had dyed the detached residence where she stayed with darkness.
And yet...
"They said I could meet a direct family member if I did a great deed."
"No, I mean..."
"So, please let me meet Chloe!"
...This little kid wants to meet that dangerous Chloe?
Coco proudly stuck out her round belly.
Like a round, fluffy yarn doll drawn well with colored pencils.
* * *
A few hours later.
Ruth rubbed her dry eyes and entered Dot's examination room.
"Dot, did that grimy kid go to Chloe okay?"
"Yes, a maid just took her away."
"Wow, she's really something, that grimy one. I don't know why, but she's walking straight into a death trap."
Chloe was a self-proclaimed and publicly acknowledged eccentric troublemaker.
She was even experiencing Ability Outburst symptoms recently.
"Hey, you're going to die if you keep this up. Your Mana core is already more than half destroyed."
Ability users die from Ability Outbursts when their Mana core is destroyed by excessive use of their Special Ability.
It wasn't as if Chloe didn't know that.
Yet, she did nothing and just lay there like a corpse.
"So... why do you care?"
"Hey. I may not be that close to you, but, well, I'm still your brother. I'm worried..."
"Get out while I'm being nice."
He shook his head inwardly.
"If Chloe kicks her out, I'll have to pick up that grimy one."