PGMTP - Chapter 15
The sky is blue, and the air is clear.
The chirping sparrows were so noisy that I waved my arms in the air.
With my mouth wide open, I yawned, then, feeling unsatisfied, I put my finger in my mouth.
As I sucked on my finger, I felt even more unsatisfied.
"Oh, oh!"
What could be unsatisfying?
My head won't roll.
I whimpered as I moved my body here and there, then I turned over. Standing on all fours, I grabbed the safety railing of the baby crib and got up from my bed.
"Oh, are you awake, miss?"
"Ba, ba, ah!"
The maid approached me.
Looking at the giant-like person in front of me, I waved my hand.
Continuing to suck on my finger, I heard her let out a small gasp.
"By the way, this was here."
"Waaah!"
"The pacifier was quite dirty, so I tried to clean it as much as possible... but it's soiled."
The maid muttered with a touch of pity and offered me the pacifier instead of a finger.
With a clicking sound, there was a hole at the end of the pacifier, connected to a loop as if it could hang around the neck.
I reflexively sucked on the pacifier, feeling like I had found the missing half of my soul.
"Ah..."
And with that came a flood of memories, and I felt self-reproach.
I thumped my forehead against the crib's safety railing in frustration.
"Oh dear! Miss!"
That foolish guy.
Who would have imagined I'd stop sucking the pacifier just because I was a bit drowsy?
Hela, the great sorceress who had endured countless ordeals, came to mind as the pacifier rolled on the floor.
"Heraaah!"
It's me! I'm Hela!
I screamed in self-disgust.
'How much time has passed, anyway?'
It seems a bit easier to stand than before, and my tongue feels a bit more free, but...
Anyway, it seems like my pronunciation has improved just a little bit.
I reluctantly straightened my wrinkled face, despite my young age.
"Miss?"
"Mommy!"
'How much time has passed?'
Can't this pronunciation just flow naturally? It's so frustrating.
I slumped down on the floor, like a trapped animal in the baby crib.
For some reason, the maid's face, upon hearing my words, became filled with sympathy.
"I'm not your mother... She's a poor woman..."
She took out a white handkerchief and dabbed away her tears. I stared at her in bewilderment.
'What is she saying? Who is this person, really? Where am I? Why does everything here seem so artificial?'
The baby crib seemed fancier than usual, a bit larger perhaps. The room was cleaner.
With a glimmer of hope, I grabbed the pacifier from my mouth.
'Pop!'
The lid that was tightly closed in my mouth opened with a cheerful sound.
"Why is the pacifier still like this?"
I lowered my head and looked closely at my pacifier.
It sparkled a bit, but the grime was still there.
I lowered my head and looked at my pacifier with a frown.
It was sparkling a bit, but the grime was still there.
Why on earth wouldn't they change my pacifier when they give me this luxurious bed and room? Don't you people change pacifiers even if they get dirty with grime?
"I'll get you a new one next time I go to the market."
"Hmm?"
I raised my head with wide eyes, and the maid wiped her tears away once more with her handkerchief.
Why is this maid crying again? Did she just get hired?
"We don't have a budget allocated for you in the future... Our lady..."
Wait, when did you start calling me "our lady"? Are you just being friendly because you see me as a source of money? Of course, it's probably the latter.
"Uwaa!"
Who is it!
Hoping she had heard my question, I looked at the maid.
"What? Oh, 'uwaa'? What's 'uwaa'? Did you finally find your voice? You've been so quiet that I was worried if there was something wrong with you. My name is Sicili. Sicili."
No, I'm not curious about your introduction.
Why on earth are the people in this house pouring out stories about my personal matters that I have absolutely no interest in?
I looked at the maid with narrowed eyes.
"So, there's no budget to buy a new pacifier?"
I had money saved in the bank, but if my death report went through, that would probably be all transferred to Silopha. Of course, it wouldn't be easy to find it here since it wasn't an account made in the Empire.
"It seems like I also hid some jewels nearby."
In case of unexpected situations, I had hidden money and jewels little by little all over the world with Mageongseok.
"Originally, it was for preparing for something like a war..."
I never knew I would end up having to find it because I didn't have money to live on.
I had memories of visiting the Heiren Empire. The problem was, I was too young to go find it back then.
"Shiwoojah!"
How many months has it been?
The more I spoke, the clearer my pronunciation became.
"The market? Did you just say the market, Miss? My goodness... You're barely 13 months old now."
No, why do I understand this?
"No, even before that. 13 months?"
Did I... live stupidly, stupidly for two months? I shook my head in bewilderment, unable to think properly as I stumbled on without pause.
The misery is beyond words.
"Yes, shall we go to the market? Unfortunately, you're prohibited from going outside, Miss, so it would be nice to take a stroll to the market."
That damned Charente Clown! There was no need to wonder who issued such an order.
Deshar Clown wouldn't issue such orders, so it had to be Sharent Clown.
"It's a pity. Dogs need to be trained while they grow."
"...woo?"
"Now that you can talk, shall we start training you?"
Hesitation.
Something seemed a little off.
No matter how much I thought about it, it felt strange, so I took a few cautious steps back.
The maid approached me with a casual smile, and I continued to retreat. It wasn't until I felt the fence against my back that I realized I had nowhere else to go.
"Come this way. There are so many things you can buy."
"Waaaah!"
I let out a desperate scream.
This maid seemed a bit crazy with dilated pupils.
I had dealt with a lot of crazy people for a long time.
What was essential for using dark magic, which formed the basis of my magic, was a human's Yin energy.
It encompassed a human's negative emotions, dark or moist energy, and even things like a human's death, which made for the best dark magic power.
That aura overflowed from this maid.
It's said to be similar to the humans typically used as test subjects for dark magic.
In other words, she's not normal.
"Shh, you must be quiet. This is quite troublesome."
The maid forcefully pushed my head forward and shoved the pacifier into my mouth, securing the thin string attached to the pacifier at the back of my head.
So, I can't remove the pacifier from my mouth voluntarily. I couldn't even open my mouth.
"Well... this is rather convenient."
Not being able to remove it means I won't be as foolish as to lose my wits and act like a fool for several months, right?
'I can't even eat!'
I couldn't even drink water, let alone eat.
Thinking about it made my blood run cold.
'I don't want to starve while sucking on a pacifier!'
"This is a training for staying quiet, dear. It's essential if you want to become an adorable little puppy."
"Uhh..."
"Do you know what? I'm the best dog trainer in this place."
Well then, go and train dogs!
This person is insane.
I quickly reached a conclusion.
Honestly, looking at how cute, plump, and lovely I am, it's clear that this person is insane if they see me as a dog.
Having reached my conclusion, I lay down as I always do.
With my usual posture, I exerted force with a "Woop!" and my body floated up into the sky.
"What is this...?"
The startled maid couldn't move easily, and fortunately, the door was wide open.
'For now, let's escape.'
They said that no one could enter Sharent Clown's garden, so it should be safe to flee there.
In case someone follows me inside, I'll surely face immediate judgment from Sharent Clown.
'It's not the vocal cords; it's the throat that needs to be cut, Sharent.'
I roughly tumbled myself onto the floor. My round body rolled across the floor a couple of times.
"Oh my, a puppy that can fly!"
The maid started walking towards me with a wide smile.
I slyly slipped my head through the narrow gap in the door.
Snap. My rear got caught just like last time.
Desperately exerting force, I shook my rear left and right until it made a plopping sound as it came free.
Thump, thump, thump.
My knees were hurting from the strain, but that wasn't the urgent issue right now.
I needed ten thorns from a barberry tree and straw from red rose flowers in the garden to kill and use as magical energy.
"Kill them and use their life force."
As soon as I made up my mind...
"Where are you going, dear? You should come this way."
A chilling voice came from behind.
Seeing it getting closer and closer, it was clear that someone was relentlessly pursuing me.
Clack, clack.
The slow footsteps implied they could catch me at any moment.
One fortunate thing was that as a result of extended training, I now had sturdy knees. In other words, I wouldn't make weak noises from this level of pain.
I continued to crawl down the stairs.
'No matter what, why would Sharent Clown hire such a crazy woman?'
It was clear that revenge had turned the garden into a mess.
"Ugh..."
Feelings of injustice, sorrow, and wounded pride overwhelmed me, and tears welled up in my eyes.
It seemed that Deshart Clown, for some reason, didn't want to kill me and had plans for some sort of dog-like training instead.
Desperately crawling down the corridor, I suddenly spotted Sharent Clown walking towards me.
"Ugh."
Instinctively, I quickly changed direction. My intention was to find another corridor and make my way outside.
The problem was that Sharent Clown, wearing an even broader smile, appeared to have noticed me and was approaching with long strides.
"Miss?"
"Ugh!"
And, to make matters worse, the maid's voice from behind drew closer.
Just then, the front door, which had been tightly shut, slowly creaked open.
I didn't miss the opportunity and quickly slipped my head through the gap in the front door. Given my small size, it seemed like the best option.
It was a brief moment to catch a breath of fresh outdoor air. Just as I felt a grip on my backside, my body was hoisted into the air.