PGMTP - Chapter 9
"Uh..."
I crawled forward on the marble floor at a pace three times slower than usual.
It hurt quite a bit.
I decided it would be better to sneak into the kitchen rather than collect fruit with these short arms and legs.
It wouldn't be too late to gather food after filling my belly somewhat.
"Well, there must be some fruit neatly arranged."
I couldn't remember the layout of the house completely, but the castle structure should be similar.
The kitchen is usually located somewhere on the first floor, so I should move in that direction.
And often, there is a passage between the kitchen and the outside.
Naturally, the space I need to search has narrowed down. I should try looking in corners or at the end.
The more I looked at this mansion, the more fascinating it became. It looks like a mansion, but you rarely see any servants around.
In fact, even on ordinary days, I can hardly hear any footsteps except for the maids who come into my room.
Squish, squish.
Perhaps because it's such a quiet mansion, even if I crawl around blatantly, no one notices.
There were occasionally people passing by, but no one noticed me hiding behind decorations or potted plants.
About 30 minutes passed as I crawled desperately with the body of a baby, and finally, I found a door emitting a delicious smell.
The door was tightly closed, but opening it was not difficult for me now.
I looked around left and right cautiously! I lay down on the floor and leaned against the door! I raised my arms and legs and pushed with all my strength!
The magic flickered slightly.
The doorknob made a creaking sound as it moved, as if teasingly hinting that it might open.
I slowly opened my eyes that had been tightly shut.
The latch only turned halfway, and the door didn't open easily.
"Squeak..."
After an embarrassing sound slipped out of my throat, the lock clicked and released.
I rolled to my side and got up using my arms and legs, standing on the ground again.
A faint, pleasant smell wafted through the slightly opened crack of the door.
'But what should the baby eat?'
Normally, I would have a formula milk, but...
"The baby has teeth now, so maybe they can eat some fruit?"
Recently, the baby had grown two upper teeth and one lower tooth. The softer, squishier pacifier were even more enjoyable to touch.
'Cheap pacifier!'
I wonder how much it rolled around.
Since I can't find any pacifier around here right now, I'll just have to make do with what I have.
'Surely, even with a bigger body, it wouldn't bite on wooden teeth, right?'
That would be truly dreadful.
Inside the kitchen, the chefs were taking a break.
The spot where I was standing was behind the counter, so unless I deliberately leaned over the counter and looked down or turned around, I wouldn't be noticeable.
The kitchen was filled with the aroma of soup being cooked.
My mouth watered instinctively, but there was no way I could eat hot soup right now.
I wet my head and rolled my eyes around.
Fortunately, I spotted some potatoes and apples piled up on one side. They might be hard, but maybe I could soften them a bit by using magic and throwing them a few times?
'Then maybe the juice will become too watery.'
I'll first fill my stomach with potatoes and apples, and then I'll try to find some small wooden fruits.
I floated a potato and an apple in midair. I lay on the slightly damp kitchen floor, but my hunger was too much to bear right now.
After laying down a potato and an apple on the floor, I became anxious again.
It was impossible to carry both of them with just one hand. After a long hesitation, I reluctantly put the apple inside my clothes, muttering to myself.
I struggled to push it into my clothes using both hands, but it didn't work well. I tried to suppress the urge to curse as the words welled up inside me.
The apple was too big for a baby's hand, and it was impossible to put it inside my clothes even with both hands.
Usually, I would hold it with one hand and stretch my clothes with the other hand to push it in, but I couldn't do that in the first place.
Since I couldn't stretch my clothes, I could only roll the stubborn apple on the floor.
Thump.
"......"
Thump.
"......"
With each fall, I tried to catch it with my body so it wouldn't make any noise. My efforts were in vain, and my body trembled uncontrollably, my clenched fists turning white.
I took a deep breath twice, trying to calm down my trembling body and gently laid down the apple.
Then I changed my target to the potato.
Thump, thud.
"......"
Thump, thud.
"......"
Even when I switched the apple with a potato, the situation didn't change much.
Rolling or not, damn it.
I stared at the potato and the apple for a long time, and eventually bit into the apple with a crunch, slipping through the gap in the door.
I stuck the pacifier on my finger to make sure it didn't fall out.
As I crawled through the hallway with my face inches away from the apple, I wasn't feeling too good.
I didn't even know how my small mouth and small teeth were able to keep the apple from rolling down.
Eventually, I got so annoyed that I thumped the floor with frustration.
In the end, I was at the point of using my magic to the fullest extent to gather my powers.
I concentrated my magic power in my teeth, scraping it against the floor and gathering as much magic power as possible.
The tooth with the gathered magic power allowed me to hold onto the apple without dropping it, although I had to pause and suck on my pacifier from time to time.
Nevertheless, I diligently bit into the apple and made my way back to the room.
Anyway, I gnawed on it diligently and made my way back to the room.
In the meantime, I had hoped that a maid might have come and gone, but there was nothing.
It was a tough first day of survival.
****************************
"Ahoo..."
I looked at the floor. The abundance of food in the room was truly gratifying.
No one had opened the door to this room for the past two weeks. It was truly surprising. If I were an ordinary baby, I would have already died.
Even if I were an indifferent child who was far removed from their attention, as long as I was a noble's child, they couldn't be so indifferent.
The maids wouldn't dare to play games with a noble child's life in revenge.
So I thought that something must have happened during the delivery of my meals.
Of course, the maids didn't look very pleased.
However, thanks to the food I had accumulated bit by bit over the past two weeks, I was quite well-fed.
The only problem was the issue of waste disposal, but I took care of it myself... I didn't even want to think about it. It was a humiliation that would never happen again in the life of Archmage Hela.
Tears welled up in my eyes.
My life felt a little bit pitiful.
That's that, anyway, there's no immediate issue with survival.
I've collected some small red fruit and flowers that can be sucked for honey from the trees, and I've moved the bed to a corner where sunlight doesn't shine directly using gravity magic.
'It's time for a walk.'
I've also maintained a regular routine. To stay healthy and grow safely, I go for a scheduled outing once a day.
It's also to get some fresh air and keep things clean.
They say babies grow up quickly, and looking at the itching gums, it seemed like it was time for teeth to come in.
As the gums were itchy, the time spent sucking on the pacifier increased.
Today, I came out leisurely again and looked around slowly. My nature was calm today as well.
In fact, it's almost like this is my nature. Although there are times when I move during times when there are fewer people.
Nevertheless, whether it's because I have calluses on my knees or because the flesh has hardened, crawling on the ground doesn't hurt as much anymore.
Today, I crawled to the backyard as usual, feeling familiar with the geography near my dwelling during the past two weeks.
Thanks to that, I've learned how to move inconspicuously in the bushes and where the quiet places without people are.
"Sniff..."
I crawled into the garden of SharenteClown, known for his meticulously cultivated garden, as usual today, but I heard crying from inside the garden.
I paused for a moment and then resumed crawling slowly.
In fact, all the flowers and fruits that I had collected in my room were stolen from here.
In Sharente Clown's garden, there were many edible and tempting plants not only for ornamental purposes, but also for babies. It was a great source of food for me.
I glanced at the spot where I had previously plucked flowers, and noticed that the stems of the flowers that had been plucked from the inside were neatly cut.
'I've been caught.'
Sharente Clown, that terrifying guy.
Even though I deliberately plucked flowers sporadically from the innermost part to avoid detection, it seems like he found even the hidden flowers.
I started to worry that if I continued to use this place more, he might twist my neck.
'And he's crying again.'
I had encountered him once before and pretended not to notice while I did what I had to do and left.
'With him around, I can't pick fruits and can only wash my teeth.'
I glared at the little guy with displeasure.
'What was his name again?'
I'm pretty sure he introduced himself as something, but anyway, one thing was certain. He was Sharente Clown's son. Well, I guess I can just call him 'Sharente Clown's son' for now.
There was a sniffle as he wiped his nose. Despite the intense gaze on my side, I deliberately avoided looking at Sharente Clown's son. It was too bothersome, too annoying. I didn't want to hear about Sharente Clown's failed honeymoon diary either.
"Heh, kid, are you busy?"
Since I didn't look, Sharente Clown's son seemed disappointed and spoke up. I lay roughly on the muddy floor, my hands weakly splashing in the water. It was the most I could do with my feeble strength.
'his is why I wonder if it's even worth trying to get clean.'
A deep sigh escaped me.
"Sniffle."
Sharente Clown's son, who wiped his nose again, crawled towards me, slowly and hesitantly.
Up close, I could see his curly hair flowing. Was his mom's side slightly more curly, just like her personality?
With a slight doubt in my mind, I avoided Sharente Clown's son.
"Um, hey, baby. Should I wipe it for you...?"
No, I tried to avoid him.
But it wasn't such a bad proposal after all. It was a welcome sound as my hands were starting to ache from scrubbing so hard.
I casually pulled out the washcloth from my mouth and handed it to Sharente Clown's son, who eagerly took it.