Chapter 3:

  Tunteuni’s Great Adventure to Find Her Family

The next morning.

D-6 until she was sent to Monster Island.

“I’m going to become a sacrifice soon, so how can I just keep preparing forever?!”

[Tunteuni’s Great Adventure to Find Her Family: Preparation in Progress!]

For a brief moment, Ariena had felt hopeful when the words appeared in midair.

But no matter how much she waved her hands forward or wiggled her feet backward, nothing changed.

Still, Tunteuni won’t cry!

Rather than relying on the ability the God had given her, Ariena decided to take matters into her own hands.

She managed to become just a tiny bit—an extremely tiny bit—closer to Bell, the muscular servant at the Count’s estate who brought her bread.

Bell, who had apparently raised a five-year-old daughter himself, seemed to feel sorry for Ariena, whom the other servants completely ignored.

When Ariena asked him about Monster Island, his expression immediately darkened.

He soon returned carrying a fairy-tale book titled The Terrifying Monster Island! Children, Beware!

Ariena was frightened by the illustrations depicting all sorts of monsters and peeked at them through the gaps between her fingers.

That was when Bell began explaining.

“Monster Island is the only remaining habitat of monsters. It’s where they live even now, long after the war against magical beasts ended and peace returned to this land.”

“Um, but why is Tunteuni going there as a sacrifice?”

Bell pressed his lips together awkwardly, then closed his eyes before opening them again.

“It’s because of His Highness, the youngest prince, the son of His Majesty the Emperor.”

“…?”

“His supernatural ability is ice that can freeze the world in terror. Some people say he might even be the strongest person in the entire world.”

“G-gasp…!”

The strongest person in the world? That sounded a little scary!

Just then, Bell lowered his voice and whispered.

“But… despite being so powerful, they say His Highness is on the verge of losing control.”

What did losing control mean?

As Ariena tilted her head in confusion, Bell sighed and continued.

“Good grief. What’s the point of having such a powerful ability if he can’t control it? He’s practically a ticking time bomb. …And do you know something else?”

Ariena shook her head.

Bell continued speaking.

“Ordinary people can lose consciousness just from witnessing His Highness’s tremendous power. Their hearts stop beating before they even realize what’s happening.”

“Gasp! …But then, is the prince sick, too?”

“That’s right. He can’t withstand his own power.”

“Then we just need to heal him…”

Bell didn’t answer the innocent question for a moment.

“It’s not as easy as it sounds. It’s not just His Highness. Everyone in the Empire who possesses a supernatural ability suffers because of their own power and lives with the constant risk of losing control.”

“Can’t the healing mage teachers help them, either?”

“Unfortunately, no. They have to avoid being consumed by fear until the treatment is complete. It’s difficult to face their powers and endure without becoming terrified. Even the healers who went to treat His Highness… never came back alive.”

“Gasp…!”

“Since no one could heal His Highness while he was on the verge of losing control, they had no choice but to send him to Monster Island, essentially to keep him isolated. Do you understand?”

Then Bell hesitantly uttered something that shocked Ariena even more.

“…And now, the reason you were adopted.”

“Yeees…”

“Lady Melissa Rheinfeld is the prince’s fiancée. Their engagement can no longer be postponed, so the Rheinfeld family has found itself in a situation where they must send their daughter to Monster Island, where His Highness resides.”

However, Countess Rheinfeld couldn’t bear to send her precious daughter to a prince who was on the verge of losing control.

And that was why they had adopted Ariena.

“So, instead of Lady Melissa Rheinfeld, you’re going to be offered as a sacrifice in the name of being his bride… That’s what I heard.”

Apparently, only a handful of people knew this truth, including Bell, the servant directly responsible for looking after Ariena.

D-3 until she was sent to Monster Island.

Desperate to find her Mommy and Daddy using the few clues she had, Ariena repeatedly questioned Bell.

“You want me to find parents who gave their child the prenatal nickname Tunteuni?”

“Yeees.”

“Well, the thing is… Tunteuni is the most common prenatal nickname in the Empire. It ranks number one in the statistics.”

“…”

“There are tens of thousands of children throughout the Empire who have been given the prenatal nickname Tunteuni.”

“Sta-tis-tics. Ten-s of thou-sands…”

Ariena repeated Bell’s words like a parrot, but she didn’t really understand what they meant.

“In other words, there are an awful lot of Tunteunis in this world. A whole lot!”

Ariena stretched out her fingers and counted one, two, and three.

Then she asked,

“Then… are there more than ten Tunteunis?”

“Far more than ten.”

“…!”

Bell scratched his head with an embarrassed expression and added,

“For your information, my prenatal nickname was Tunteuni, too. Tunteuni!”

This can’t be happening…!

For a moment, Ariena imagined Bell, the muscular servant who was much sturdier than she was, taking her place and grinning brightly as he announced, “Mommy, Daddy! I’m Tunteuni!”

“This is a big pwoblem…”

Ariena trudged back to the attic and curled up on the floor.

The chances of meeting Mommy and Daddy before being offered as a sacrifice had just become astronomically smaller.

How long did she continue despairing in that mold-covered room?

“Hmm? It’s glowing…!”

The ivory-colored light that had enveloped Ariena the previous day appeared again, floating and sparkling in midair.

Then a message materialized before her eyes.

It was just like the message that had comforted her a few days ago: Tunteuni, no despair allowed!

[※ Adjusting for children’s needs (60/100)…]

Ariena’s eyes sparkled.

Gasp! Finally! Is Tunteuni’s ability going to appear with a ta-daaa?

[※ Tunteuni, don’t worry. You can go to Monster Island!]

Why?

[Because if you defeat the monsters with your special ability and conquer Monster Island, you can make a wish!]

…A wish?

Then, could she wish for someone to help her find Mommy and Daddy?

For a moment, the idea was tempting. The words, written in such a gentle tone, seemed to encourage her and give her courage…

But then—

“How is Tunteuni supposed to defeat the monsters?!”

Flabbergasted, Ariena clenched her fists and shook them in the air.

Compared to the size of her anger, her tightly clenched fists were tiny.

Extremely, extremely tiny.

Another message appeared in the status window.

[Once you enter Monster Island, the ability that will make timid little Tunteuni strong will be unlocked!]

“…?”

[Don’t worry!]

Ariena’s eyes widened in an instant.

The prince was scary, becoming a sacrifice was scary, and monsters were even scarier—much, much scarier…

But if she could defeat the monsters with her ability and make a real wish afterward…

Then she could wish to meet Mommy and Daddy again!

Ariena clenched both fists tightly.

Tunteuni will defeat every single bad monster!

Hope blossomed in her heart, and it began to pound with excitement.

The courage she had lost because of the way her fake Mommy and Daddy mistreated her returned.

Okay! I’m going to Monster Island. But before that, I need a note and a feather pen!

There was something she absolutely had to do before going to Monster Island!

From that day onward, Ariena was no longer afraid of her impending exile to Monster Island.

Instead, her heart swelled with anticipation at the thought that she might finally be able to meet Mommy and Daddy.

At last, the morning of her journey to Monster Island arrived.

Ariena was in the attic, slowly eating a little of the spoiled soup she had been given.

Just then, the attic door flew open with a violent bang.

“Gasp…!”

Startled by the noise, she fumbled, and the bowl toppled onto the floor.

Ariena hurriedly dropped down onto her hands and knees to pick up the overturned soup bowl.

That was when an unfamiliar woman appeared.

A mysterious aura surrounded her, and a black veil concealed her face.

“Is this the child? The sacrifice who will be disguised as Lady Melissa?”

Countess Rheinfeld appeared behind the woman.

“Yes. Sorceress, have you confirmed everything?”

And then…

Ariena noticed another girl dressed in a beautiful gown fit for a princess.

Looking up at them, Ariena was just as filthy and disheveled as the bowl of soup overturned on the floor beside her.