Chapter 46 – The Day Of The Violet Full Moon (1)

Behind the altar, there was a small passage. A ‘one-way exit’ directly connected to the outside of the temple.

Any gamer would understand, but how annoying and frustrating would it be to have to retrace your steps after clearing a dungeon, defeating a boss, or getting rewards?

The developers know this, of course. That’s why it’s standard practice to provide a way out immediately after clearing, and this game is no different. Most dungeons have a passage leading outside after the final stage, and here, this small passage serves that purpose.

Just like in the game, passing through the narrow passage behind the altar led to a dirt floor. Considering how much hardship they had endured and how much time they had spent in the temple, it felt anticlimactic to have escaped the dungeon after only an hour of walking. However, the joy of finally escaping the dark temple enveloped the group.

“We’re out!”

Karsilla was the first to run out, drawn to the bright, warm sunlight, unlike the dark, chilly temple. Watching Diana follow her with concern, I gently took the hand of the red-haired girl walking beside me.

I felt bad for only looking after Diana and Karsilla, so I hoped this would make up for it. I wish I could just come out and say it… No, if I reveal Irian is a girl, I can’t tease her anymore, can I? And I don’t know how Diana would react. Hmm… This is difficult.

Irian, who had been watching the two running ahead, glanced at me briefly but willingly took my hand. We shared a brief warmth before naturally letting go.

“Yurian! Irian! Come out quickly. The sunlight is so warm!”

Diana, who had caught up to Karsilla, waved at us. She seemed to be in a good mood after escaping the dark, chilly underground. On Diana’s left ring finger, a ring glittered in the sunlight.

Unconsciously, I touched my own left ring finger, feeling the unfamiliar metal. Wearing the same ring as Diana made me feel like we were a couple, which was both nice and embarrassing.

Maybe it’s because I’ve been raising her since she was little? I can do all sorts of lewd things with Diana, but wearing matching rings feels so strange.

I guess it’s because it feels like a couple ring. That’s why I tried to put it on my index finger at first, but then Diana stared at me, fiddling with her own ring. She kept putting it on and taking it off her left ring finger right in front of me.

“Isn’t that a bit small?”

I tried to put it on my middle finger, feeling self-conscious, but she suddenly said that. So, I closed my eyes and put it on my ring finger. It’s not like it’s an engagement ring. Only then did Diana smile and put her ring firmly on her ring finger before turning around cheerfully.

Since then, the ring has been strangely on my mind. I’ve thought of Diana as a daughter at times, and a lover at others, but the former feeling was stronger. Like looking at a cute daughter or niece.

But the fact that I was doing lewd things with her is pretty trashy, but this strange relationship has been going on for so long that it’s become too natural. At first, I saw her as a heroine, but as time went on, I started to see her as a daughter or niece, and now it’s all mixed up.

‘…It sounds like a trashy person making excuses.’

What can I do? It’s already like this. But why does wearing just one ring make me feel like I just got a girlfriend? It’s nice but also perplexing that Diana seems like just an attractive woman and not a cute daughter or niece.

“…You look like you’re about to die of happiness.”
“Ahem. Let’s get matching rings when we get to the city.”

I quickly replied to Irian’s blunt comment, thinking she was jealous, but she just frowned even more.

Why is our tsundere knight like this again? I gave her a light tap on the butt when Diana wasn’t looking, and she gritted her teeth and snapped.

“Don’t do that.”

I want to do it more.

* * *

We had escaped the temple, but it wasn’t like a game where you could save and quit or teleport to a town or city. I wish it was more user-friendly like a game, but this is a dirty real-world situation.

Looking at my kids standing in the bright sunlight, they looked like they had just come from a refugee camp.
It goes without saying that Irian and I, who had fallen, rolled, crawled, and done all sorts of crazy things, looked terrible, and Diana and Karsilla weren’t much better.

At least they had enough water, so their faces were clear, but their new clothes were all torn, and their faces looked even more ridiculous.
…I’ve put them through a lot. I’m sorry, guys.

“What should we do, Yurian? I’m the only one with supplies.”

The biggest problem was that we had lost all our supplies. We were too preoccupied with falling to think about our supplies, so naturally, all the supplies Irian and I had were scattered on the temple floor. Losing Irian’s backpack, which held the most supplies, was a big blow.

“Here. Supplies!”

I felt sorry for Karsilla, who was proudly showing off her backpack, which was as big as her torso, but it was full of useless things. Things we could throw away.
…If I told her, she’d be depressed, so I’ll leave it.

“Luckily, Diana managed to keep her supplies…”

She shook her supply backpack as if to show me.

“Of course, our little one has them too. Good job, Karsilla. Anyway, it’s a relief that the two of you managed to keep them, but they won’t last long. Let’s hurry and find a town or city.”

Why am I so tired when we didn’t have any major battles or grand adventures? We just struggled in a trap, but the result is good. Is this the protagonist’s buff? …Or maybe not.

Thanks to Diana’s luck, or maybe the items that were originally there were good, our group’s power has increased, so we’ve achieved our goal. It’s not the awesome full set of items I bragged about to Cha Hyewon, but I even got a unique item. I’ll have to tease her about it later in a whisper.

After a short rest, we started walking again, but we couldn’t find any signs of civilization even by nightfall. Damn it, if we had a map, we wouldn’t be wandering around like this. I was always complaining about how crude the map was, but now that I don’t have it, I miss it.

The crude map I bought was in my backpack, so I lost it along with the supplies when I fell. Moreover, the place we came out was completely different from the entrance we went in, so we had no idea where we were.

In a wild mountain untouched by human hands, an ordinary person trying to find their way without knowing their location? It’s the perfect situation to get lost.
With the feeling of hitting the ground with my head, I dragged my poor kids around, and we got lost.

‘This is crazy. Are we really lost?’

If I say this isn’t the mountain again, I’m going to get some serious glares.
Looking at the sky, the sun was already disappearing over the mountain ridge, emitting a final burst of red light. The sun sets early in the mountains.

“Guys. We… we’re going to have to camp.”
“Okay. I understand.”
“We need to find a campsite first.”

I was touched by how accepting they were. Crap… They’re my kids after all.

“I knew this would happen.”
“I never thought we’d find our way from the start.”

…Is that so?
My credibility. Is this okay?

As I dejectedly tried to find a campsite, Diana subtly approached me, patted my shoulder, and then walked ahead. I wondered what was going on, but she was fiddling with the ring on her ring finger, then turned around and winked at me.

I was pleased by Diana’s cute gesture, but then Irian quietly came next to me, looked around, held my hand tightly once, and then quickly ran away.

Cute, cute. How can they both be so cute?
They’re my kids after all. I was lost in my happiness when my face started to sting. What is it?

“……”
“……Why?”
“Nothing.”

Karsilla, who had been staring at me, ran to Diana. …Could it be? No way?

“K, Karsilla!”
“Why?”
“Come to Daddy for a second.”

I squatted down in front of Karsilla, who was walking towards me, and looked around. Luckily, both of them were busy setting up the campsite.

“Hey, Karsilla. Did you… see it?”
“I saw it.”
“……”

She didn’t even ask what I saw. She’s quite cunning.

“It’s a secret?”
“Yeah. A secret.”

Still, our baby is kind and listens to her daddy. I tried to pat Karsilla’s head, but she dodged it.

“A wish ticket.”
“……What?”
“A wish ticket.”

What’s a wish ticket? Is it a right to have a wish granted? The name is straightforward, so I think I know what it is… Where did she learn this? It feels strangely familiar, which is unsettling.

“Karsilla. It’s natural for family members to keep each other’s secrets. You can’t take advantage of that for your own gain.”
“A wish ticket.”
“Uh-uh.”
“Two.”
“……”
“Three.”
“One.”
“Two.”

…I made a verbal promise. I agreed to give her two wish tickets. Is she doing this to other people too?

While I was making a secret agreement with Karsilla, Diana and Irian had already set up a decent campsite. Well, Irian was looking around to see if there was anything dangerous and what the terrain was like, while Diana was preparing the meal.

After Karsilla and I joined them, we were able to finish setting up the campsite quickly. I set up alarm magic and a barrier, then made dinner with Diana, while Karsilla wandered around the campsite, throwing stones far away or flattening the ground.

We set up a small tent from Diana’s backpack and finished dinner with the little food we had left. By then, it was already dark.

The night in the mountains was chilly, so we gathered around a campfire, which was quite charming. It felt like a campfire.

“Karsilla. Stop that and come sit down.”

That damn knuckle.
Ever since she received the knuckle, Karsilla has been punching whenever she gets the chance. Even now, she was punching away on one side, and when I stopped her and made her sit down, she made a pouty face. Seriously, why does a kid with magical aptitude like punching so much?

“Do you like it that much?”
“Yeah.”

I have no idea what she’s thinking in that little head of hers. I need to take her to the magic tower soon to learn magic. I’m worried she might actually become a warrior.

I was thinking about how to appease Karsilla, who still had a pout on her face, when something suddenly struck me.

“Hmm. The atmosphere is perfect. Should we tell scary stories?”
“Scary stories? I don’t really know any.”
“Me neither. I’m not afraid of anything.”

Ugh, I’m a fool for expecting cooperation. I guess I’ll have to do everything myself.

“Diana, Irian, come closer.”

I sat Karsilla on my lap, and then had Diana and Irian come closer before slowly starting. Well… I can just adapt the urban legends I’ve seen online or the horror movies I’ve watched.

“This is a story that happened in a kingdom far, far away. In the countryside of that kingdom, there lived a knight’s family.”
“Did it really happen?”
“A knight wouldn’t be defeated by a ghost.”
“……Can you be quiet? Our baby is listening.”

The local broadcast is a bit noisy.

“……Huh?”

Where did the kids go?

I suddenly came to my senses and realized the kids were gone. Karsilla’s small body, which had been sitting on my lap, Diana, who had been looking at me with a faint smile while fiddling with her ring finger, and Irian, who had been poking at the campfire next to her. They had all disappeared.