WTSP - 34

I slowly turned my head toward the source of the chilling presence, my vision momentarily flashing white as my heart pounded wildly.

With my hand gripping the rapier’s hilt, ready to draw at a moment’s notice, I braced myself for the worst. But as soon as I saw who—or rather, what—it was, all tension drained from my body.

Instead of another guard, there stood Pompoo, the fluffy white ball of fur I had reluctantly left behind.

“Pom! Pompoo!”

The sight of his cheerful, oblivious face made me exhale deeply in relief. My adorable little Pompoo—how could I ever stay mad at him? He seemed completely unfazed by the gravity of the situation, grinning up at me with his usual innocence.

“How did you find me, Pompoo? Did you know I needed help?”

“Poomph, poom! Pom?”

“Shh, we have to be quiet. There might still be guards nearby. Quiet, Pompoo.”

I pressed a finger to my lips to signal silence. But true to his nature, Pompoo simply nestled into my arms, oblivious to my concerns.

The softness of his fur against my cheek melted away my anxiety. It seemed he was just as happy to see me after hours apart, purring softly like a content kitten.

“Um, sister…?”

“Oh! Theo. Sorry, I got distracted when Pompoo suddenly appeared.”

“Pompoo? That… fluffball has a name?”

“Pom!”

Clearly recognizing that we were talking about him, Pompoo fluttered over and landed gently on Theo’s shoulder. Startled by the sudden intrusion, Theo stammered, unsure how to react.

I chuckled lightly, patting Theo’s head to reassure him. “He’s an elemental spirit of the eyes. He lives with me and won’t hurt you. Don’t worry. I just don’t know how he found me here.”

“He looks a lot like Lulu. Except Lulu’s fur is softer, and he’s cuter…”

Theo’s offhand comment clearly offended Pompoo, who puffed up his tail and prepared to strike. I quickly scooped him back into my arms before he could act on his jealousy.

Honestly, this kid is so sensitive and quick to pick up on things.

“Pompoo, I told you not to do that. Do you want another bath?”

“Puuuuuum.”

“No complaining. Anyway, this isn’t the time… Pompoo, did you happen to see any guards around here? People are chasing us.”

Pompoo bobbed his body up and down to indicate yes, then tilted his head to the left, pointing toward where we’d last heard the guards’ voices.

It seemed they were still wandering aimlessly, unable to locate us.

“I have a favor to ask, Pompoo. Can you find the way back to the hunting grounds’ entrance? We need to leave before it gets darker.”

“Pom!”

With an affirmative chirp, Pompoo zipped off to scout ahead. Thanks to his timely arrival, the tension in my body began to ease, like ice melting under the spring sun.

Glancing to my right, I spotted a squirrel scurrying up a tree with an acorn clutched in its mouth.

That much food would last it a week.

Shaking off idle thoughts, I checked Theo’s knees again. The scrapes weren’t deep, and he seemed able to walk without much difficulty.

‘I’ll need to tell him about his brother’s death eventually.’

Though part of me wondered if it might be kinder to let him live in ignorance, the truth was something he would inevitably face someday.

While waiting for Pompoo to return, I scanned the surroundings and gently asked Theo a question.

“Theo, this might be delicate, but… do you remember how you ended up captured by those people? It didn’t seem like only children were involved.”

“That day…”

“If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s okay. It can’t be an easy memory to revisit.”

“No, I can talk about it. I’m just… organizing my thoughts.”

Theo fidgeted with his fingers, staring intently at the ground.

I waited patiently, knowing his testimony would be crucial to uncovering the truth behind these horrific experiments.

“That day, my brother and I were out gathering mushrooms. Mom promised to make vegetable mushroom soup for dinner. She even said Dad might bring home some meat on his way back. So we were excitedly looking forward to dinner when…”

“I’m listening, Theo.”

“Suddenly, people in hooded robes appeared in front of us. They blindfolded us, stuffed us into sacks, and dragged us somewhere… but I don’t remember much after that. I think I fell asleep.”

Theo rubbed his eyes slowly, fighting back tears. His voice wavered with suppressed emotion.

Why would anyone kidnap such innocent children? The sorrow in Theo’s voice was unbearable.

“They told me Mom sold us for money. But my brother and I… we know that’s a lie. Mom promised to make mushroom soup. She would never do that.”

“You’re right, Theo. Those mages are the ones at fault. I’ll make sure you’re reunited with your parents.”

“Not long after, they separated me from my brother. I was locked in solitary confinement, while he was taken away with others. Since he doesn’t have magic power, I thought maybe they sent him back. But those men… they used my magic for all sorts of experiments.”

I gazed at Theo silently.

His brother must have been discarded as useless, thrown into the pile of corpses without so much as a grave or coffin.

I wanted to shield him from the world’s cruelty, hoping he could grow up seeing only beauty and warmth.

But I couldn’t bring myself to say those words aloud.

“Earlier, I saw them drawing your blood. How are you feeling? Doctors will check you once we get back.”

“I’m a bit dizzy, but I can walk. I’m not sure exactly what they did to me. Mostly, they drew blood or injected something into my body with syringes.”

“…Scum.”

“At first, they gave me painkillers. They didn’t help much, but at least it was better than nothing. Later, though… they silenced me with a sound-dampening spell. They said my screams were giving them headaches.”

I tried to avoid using harsh language in front of a child, but the word “bastards” slipped out before I could stop it.

It felt like the world operated on some law of conservation of garbage—whether in Korea or the Carlot Empire, there were too many irredeemable humans.

Can’t everyone just act within reason? I’m not asking for sainthood, just basic ethics.

The absence of someone to direct my anger toward filled me with frustration.

There’s no society where the strong prey on the weak unless the weak fight back.

In the end, everything operates on the principle of survival of the fittest. I knew a world where everyone could be happy existed only in utopia.

So why couldn’t I control my emotions?

‘Because I’ve unconsciously avoided confronting this harsh reality.’

I lowered my gaze to meet Theo’s eyes.

In those summer-green irises reflected the image of a frail adult. As I gently touched his small, scarred hands, my voice grew hoarse.

“Thank you for enduring, Theo. On behalf of the adults who treated you cruelly, I apologize. I can’t promise to change the world overnight, but I’ll do my best to make tomorrow better than today.”

“…Sister.”

“It’s okay. Even if it doesn’t feel okay now, it will gradually get better.”

Perhaps these words weren’t meant for him but for the young girl I once was—the one forced onto a path dictated by adults.

The one who longed to hear such reassurance.

I noticed hesitation flickering in Theo’s eyes.

If his expression mirrored anguish and uncertainty, was it merely my imagination?

“There’s something I haven’t told you, Sister. I don’t know if I should… I didn’t hide it on purpose. I was afraid that if you found out, you’d leave me…”

Theo trailed off, his pale face betraying his unease. He acted as though teetering on the edge of a cliff.

Whatever came out of those thin, trembling lips, I felt ready to bear it.

Encouraged by my response, Theo squeezed his eyes shut.

“In truth, those men… they…”

“POM! POMPO! PO-ROMPH!”

Just as Theo opened his mouth, Pompoo’s urgent call pierced the air.

Instinctively, I stepped behind Theo to shield him, turning to assess the situation.

At that moment, like a scene from a movie, radiant sunlight flooded the area.

The world softened into warm pastel hues. And standing there, bathed in the glow of spring light, was…

“…Ha, Ophelia.”

“Serdel?”

I blinked slowly, feeling as though I were dreaming. The man before me, breathing heavily and staring intensely, was none other than Serdelius Carlot.