TEWMD Chapter 04

Chapter 4

Yuria Miller.

If you ask who she is, then of course I have to tell you!

Yuria was one of the five heroes who defeated the Demon King.

She was also, without a doubt, the greatest healer in the Kailum Empire.

And her motto was…

“A true healer kills the enemy before the allies can get hurt!”

That was my mother, Yuria, in a nutshell.

Because of that attitude, Mom personally defeated countless monsters and demons, just like the other heroes.

For a healer, who was normally supposed to stay in the back and support the party, this was very unusual.

“Why did these people have to gather in front of our house and make me bring out my old habits… Hmm?”

While I was lost in thought, Mom smiled brightly like an angel and muttered to herself.

Then she noticed me standing there blankly.

Her expression immediately became bright.

“Cici!”

“H-Hello, Mommy…”

I awkwardly waved at Mom.

At the same time, Mom quickly hid the musical instrument she was holding behind her back.

She moved so fast that it almost looked like she had never been holding anything.

“Oh my? I wonder why there is suddenly so much smoke? Hoho…”

She fluttered her eyelashes and added that innocent little comment.

She looked completely harmless.

“♬♪…”

Dad Kyle, who had been watching everything, muttered blankly.

“I am seriously, really, really scared of her.”

“Terrifying.”

“Because of her, the peace of the entire empire is dead today…”

Wait a second.

When the person who is supposedly going to destroy the world says something like that, it sounds pretty convincing!

This can’t continue.

At this rate, I really might die at the age of seven.

I immediately ran over and clung tightly to the leg of Dad Harzen, who was still preparing to attack.

“Don’t fight!”

It should have been an ordinary day, just like every other day.

A boring, repetitive routine that felt like running on a hamster wheel.

And because it was so boring and repetitive, it was peaceful.

This was the perfect kind of day that Harzen Walker had desperately wanted after barely surviving his years in the cold Imperial Palace.

He had finally obtained the peaceful life he had always dreamed of.

He expected it to continue forever.

But that peaceful routine suddenly went off track.

“His Majesty the Emperor has ordered Duke Einhalt and Lady Miller to return to the Imperial Palace.”

And all because of these people who had suddenly appeared in front of his home.

When Harzen heard those unexpected words, he felt more than just disbelief.

He felt deep anger.

After all, the Imperial Family and the nobles of the Imperial Capital were the ones who had practically driven Yuria out of the capital in the first place.

If possible, he wanted to get rid of these people immediately.

But…

I have to endure it.

He couldn’t act according to his temper.

Cecilia was here.

Harzen thought of the little girl standing behind him and took a long breath.

She deserved to grow up seeing only the most beautiful things in the world.

She was so precious to him that he would willingly give up his own life for her.

He couldn’t give his daughter a terrible memory.

So he endured.

Until they took Yuria hostage.

“Please forgive my rudeness.”

“You must not value your life very much.”

Harzen had finally reached his limit.

He was about to use a powerful spell when…

Ding! BOOM!

The extremely familiar sound of an explosion suddenly stopped him.

For a moment, Harzen even forgot how to breathe.

He stared at the woman standing beyond the cloud of dust.

She was strong enough to fight back without being intimidated by anyone or any situation.

She was brilliant and beautiful, so beautiful that even the thick cloud of dust could not hide her.

She was the woman he had fallen in love with.

The woman he loved more than anyone.

Yuria.

“Oh my? I wonder why there is suddenly so much smoke? Hoho…”

Fortunately, because of Yuria, the situation he had feared didn’t happen.

But…

I can’t just let this go.

Harzen looked coldly at the soldiers standing in front of him.

A peaceful life without threats.

The freedom to love someone without hiding his feelings.

These were things he had only recently obtained.

The people who dared to touch Yuria will have to pay a heavy price.

Harzen was not generous enough to simply forgive anyone who harmed the person who meant everything to him.

Perhaps it wouldn’t be a bad idea to crush them completely so they would never dare behave like this again.

With that thought, he took one step forward.

“Don’t fight!”

A bright, innocent, slightly panicked voice stopped him once again.

Small, chubby arms wrapped tightly around his waist.

Pink hair as fluffy as cotton.

A daughter who was just as precious and lovable as Yuria.

It was Cecilia.

I clung tightly to Dad Harzen’s waist and shouted,

“I hate fighting! Don’t fight!”

Let’s solve this peacefully!

Love and peace!

“Cici.”

Dad Harzen seemed quite surprised by what I was doing.

He reached down and grabbed my arms.

But I didn’t give up.

I hugged his waist even tighter.

In the end, Dad continued to carry me around his waist while speaking in a serious and dignified voice.

“Since your plan has failed, I believe it is finally time for you to tell us the real ‘purpose’ of your visit, Count Rionard.”

His voice was still cold, but I thought this was pretty good.

At least he was willing to talk now!

“That is…”

Count Rionard answered with a very stiff voice.

“I cannot explain it in front of this many people.”

“Now that you have said that, everyone can already guess.”

Dad Harzen gave him a crooked smile.

“It seems His Majesty is finally on his deathbed.”

“Duke Einhalt!”

“When the Emperor practically humiliated Yuria before by saying the capital was full of skilled doctors, I wonder why he is looking for her now instead of getting treatment from those doctors.”

Wow.

My dad really knows how to say things sharply.

No, actually…

He really knows how to say things satisfyingly.

“If he treated her that badly, he should at least have some shame. Perhaps he has become senile because he doesn’t want to die—”

“…It is not His Majesty.”

Count Rionard finally closed his eyes tightly and interrupted Harzen’s endless stream of harsh but reasonable comments.

Then he spoke again with difficulty.

“…The person who is currently ill is Her Majesty the Empress.”

At that exact moment, the scroll floating in front of me flickered faintly.

[Original Story Route Partially Activated]

Side Story, Chapter 1: The Threat That Has Not Ended

The visit of the Imperial Palace Knights has partially fulfilled the conditions required to continue the side story.

If this route continues, the entire Original Story Progress will become active.

Progress remaining until full activation: 8%

Huh?

My eyes widened.

The progress went down a little.

Why?

Could it be because of what Count Rionard had just said?

“Her Majesty…?”

Dad Harzen also looked slightly surprised.

He raised one eyebrow and asked again.

But the person who was most shocked was Mom.

“Her Majesty the Empress?”

Mom stepped forward.

Unlike before, her face had become completely serious.

“Is Her Majesty’s condition very serious? Is it so bad that even the Imperial Palace doctors can’t treat her?”

Mom began asking questions one after another.

She looked like she was about to rush over to Count Rionard at any moment.

Progress remaining until full activation: 5%

At the same time, the scroll flickered again.

Wait. Wait a second.

Looking at how this conversation was going…

Could it be…?

Was the original side story going to begin the moment Mom said, “I’ll go to the Imperial Palace”?

“Many of the best doctors have already examined her, but they all left saying that medicine could not cure her.”

“That’s…”

“We are running out of time. Please, I beg you, show us mercy just this once.”

Count Rionard bowed his head and pleaded.

Progress remaining until full activation: 3%

The progress was dropping mercilessly.

I knew it!

The side story starts the moment Mom agrees to go!

But how am I supposed to stop Mom?

Wouldn’t it be horrible to tell someone not to treat a sick person?

Of course, Dad Harzen’s earlier comments had been pretty disrespectful to the Emperor…

But having a disrespectful daughter after a disrespectful dad might be going too far.

Still, if I don’t stop Mom, she’ll be in danger!

“Harzen…”

Mom’s troubled voice made the scroll flicker once more.

Progress remaining until full activation: 1%

At the same time, I suddenly came to my senses.

Forget whether it was disrespectful or not.

That’s not what’s important right now.

It said I was only 1% away from entering the route where Mom dies!

“I understand…”

Mom began to say something.

I squeezed my eyes shut.

Then I gathered every bit of strength in my tiny body and screamed as loudly as I could.

“WAAAAAAAAAH!”

First, scream! Think about the rest later!