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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Hero's Rewards
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Nibelria flashed a bright grin and bumped her head lightly against Arep's arm a couple of times.
"Arep, did Nini keep you waiting?"
"I heard a scream earlier, so I got worried..."
"I'm fine! That was just Nini exaggerating. Sometimes it doesn't even hurt, but I pretend it does."
That way, the grown-ups would give her candy or be extra nice.
Nibelria leaned in and whispered conspiratorially, as if sharing a trade secret.
"...So you've been playing up those exaggerations on purpose all this time?"
Muniel Dayamor was floored by her granddaughter's cunning.
Letting out a hollow chuckle, she reached out with both hands to scoop up one child in each.
But Arep deftly slipped his hand free and grabbed Nibelria's other empty one instead.
Muniel's eyes went wide in surprise.
"Oh my. Did Grandma just get turned down?"
"I have to protect the young lady."
Arep glanced apologetically at Muniel, but he insisted firmly on carrying out the mission assigned to him.
"Goodness gracious."
Muniel looked at Arep with genuine admiration.
"What a fine young man you are. Yes, protect Nibelria just like that."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Arep answered with enthusiasm.
"That's my subordinate!"
Nibelria nodded in satisfaction, beaming with pride.
"Now then, let's head to the main house. It's time to collect the reward for your tremendous achievement."
When Nibelria arrived at Kaleo Dayamor's office in the main house, she was startled.
'S-so many people...!'
The moment she stepped into the entrance hall, a crowd of people welcomed her and Arep.
Fortunately, they were all familiar faces.
Her mom and dad, grandfather, secretary, and the subordinates from Lubeo who had been handing documents to her mom.
"Nini, Arep."
Solles Dayamor, who had arrived first, beckoned them over.
"You're finally here."
Kaleo stepped forward in front of the children.
"The reason I called you here is to commend you for your achievements, as the head of the Dayamor family."
Nibelria tilted her head.
"What's that mean?"
"It means I'm going to praise you."
Kaleo smiled warmly and nodded to his secretary beside him.
Nibelria grinned mischievously at the sight of the secretary.
"Secretary! Secretary!"
"Good day, young lady. Seeing you tease me right away makes me think today will be a happy one."
"Heehee, go cry to Secretary Secretary!"
"I don't cry like that..."
The secretary brushed off the familiar teasing and handed Kaleo the prepared item.
Three gold coins gleamed atop a blue cushion adorned with golden embroidery.
Kaleo distributed one to each child.
"Thanks to you, the Dayamor family and Lubeo avoided massive losses. And you rescued a girl in danger. Truly impressive."
Solles had memorized flower meanings from his diligent studies.
Arep had sensed the danger from his past experiences.
Nibelria had noticed the girl trapped in the warehouse.
The greatest credit for this incident undoubtedly went to the children.
"These gold coins are just a portion of the many rewards you'll receive."
"You mean there's more besides this?"
Nibelria, who had been fondling the gold coin in rapture, hopped in place.
"You think Dad's gonna end it with just this?"
Kaleo feigned offense, as if asking what kind of man she took him for.
"For your contributions this time, each of you will receive fifty million Uba."
The three children's eyes went as round as saucers.
"And that's each!"
"Kyaaaa!"
Overcome with joy, Nibelria collapsed to the floor.
The Dayamor family and Lubeo expressed their gratitude to the children with a consolation payment of fifty million Uba each, along with brooches made of pure gold.
Heart-shaped brooches symbolizing the Dayamor family were now pinned to the children's clothes.
Crafted from pure gold and adorned with small diamonds and red rubies, the brooches were worth nearly as much as the consolation money the children had received.
"They suit you perfectly."
Ardores Dayamor praised them warmly.
"May Mommy give you each a hug?"
Seletrina Dayamor Lubeo pulled each child into a tight embrace, planting kisses on their cheeks.
"Thank you so much. You've helped Mommy out tremendously."
"R-really?"
Solles mumbled shyly. At ten years old, getting a cheek kiss in front of everyone was a bit embarrassing.
But knowing he'd helped his mother filled him with joy.
"Of course. I can't tell you how proud I am of you all."
Seletrina explained their accomplishments in more detail.
"You rescued the injured, gave a lesson to the villains trying to deceive us with lies, and thanks to the penalty clause you added to the contract, we'll receive hefty compensation."
The ledgers and income proofs the Plaud couple had submitted to the authorities were mostly falsified, but they had indeed made money.
It was the so-called 'black money'—filthy gains from crimes and illegal activities.
And now, per the contract clause, that money belonged to the Dayamor family and Lubeo, who had suffered the damages.
'...But it's money we shouldn't keep.'
Lubeo was currently tracing the couple's past misdeeds and planned to return it to the victims once uncovered.
They would also investigate further crimes and formally prosecute the pair.
"Nini did it! And good deeds too!"
"We're so glad we could help."
"I-I'm happy too...!"
The children buzzed with excitement over what they'd accomplished.
Pride in being useful to the adults.
And gratitude toward the grown-ups who had believed in them.
Before they knew it, their hearts swelled with soft, warm happiness.
"Thank you!"
Following what she'd learned at kindergarten, Nibelria delivered a spirited thank-you.
"Thank you."
"Th-thank you."
Solles and Arep followed suit.
And so the heartwarming ceremony concluded.
Regrettably, the adults soon returned to their work, leaving the children to head to the annex with Muniel and Ardores.
"Nini, do you like the brooch?"
Muniel asked.
"Um, I dunno!"
Nibelria answered honestly.
"And Nini likes money more!"
"You rascal. But you held back from saying that in front of your dad."
"I didn't wanna make Daddy sad. But thanks for the brooch anyway."
Muniel and Ardores exchanged quiet glances.
Since starting kindergarten, Nibelria's social skills had grown remarkably.
'Good thing we didn't hire a tutor. That could've been a disaster.'
One-on-one tutoring wasn't bad, but Nibelria seemed to thrive more around peers.
"Grandma."
"Yes?"
"That girl... is she all better now?"
Nibelria inquired about the victim's condition.
The girl found in the Flower Farm warehouse was not yet fifteen.
Dether had just discovered her in a dire state, so she'd covered the girl's face and body with a blanket to hide her injuries. It wasn't something young Nibelria should see.
Fortunately, thanks to Muniel and the physician's treatment, the girl had safely passed the crisis.
However, she still hadn't regained consciousness and lay sleeping in a guest room in the annex.
"Her wounds have healed, but she hasn't woken up yet."
"How about paying her a sick visit?"
Ardores suggested.
"You never know. You all essentially saved her life. Seeing you might wake her up."
"No! It's a kiss!"
Nibelria recalled a trick from her fairy tale book.
"A kiss wakes the sleeping princess!"
"Sneaking a kiss on someone asleep is sexual assault."
Ardores halted the children and added,
"Whether they're asleep, defenseless, or weaker than you—kissing someone without permission is a crime."
"Y-you go to jail...?"
Nibelria, who had a five-second 'imprisonment' experience for violating child labor laws, looked grave.
"Yes. Kissing without consent means over five years in jail."
Nibelria shuddered in fear.
"Five is bigger than four! Bigger than Nini's age! Nini's four!"
"So never kiss without permission."
Ardores checked if Solles and Arep understood.
The two boys nodded vigorously.
"Good."
Before entering the annex, the children picked flowers from a nearby bed.
While Ardores trimmed them, Muniel washed the children's hands.
"But what's that girl's name?"
Solles asked.
"Hm, probably 'Azel'."
"Probably?"
Muniel shrugged with a cryptic expression.
"Here we are."
Opening one of the guest rooms released a sharp herbal scent.
Nibelria spotted the child lying in bed.
Dark earthen-brown hair fanned out like forest soil.
Her face was pale, but her breathing was steady and clear.
Faint freckles dotted her nose like stars, and her lips held a subtle pink hue.
"She's sleeping..."
Nibelria murmured softly.
"Did those people hurt her so bad...?"
Arep asked.
"Yes."
Muniel answered frankly.
"She was locked in that warehouse for a long time. Barely ate properly, and her ankles were bound tight so she couldn't move."
There were signs of prolonged violence too, but Muniel held back on that detail.
"She needs to wake up soon so she can eat and regain her strength."
"Can Grandma's powers help her?"
"Being a saintess doesn't mean I can do anything."
To Solles's concerned question, Muniel replied with a wistful smile.
"A saintess can save even those on the brink of death, but it comes at a great cost. I could end up dying myself."
Solles and Arep's eyes widened.
But Nibelria wasn't particularly surprised.
She had known that since her days as a cat.
"Still, I've done my best, so don't feel too bad about it."
