MTO C86

Chapter 86

However, Michel’s attention soon shifted elsewhere. There were far too many things to take care of in the village that day for him to dwell long on Kaidan’s strange behavior.

Gathering the children in tow, he walked in the opposite direction from Kaidan. Only when they reached the end of the alley did he take out the bundle of papers tucked in his coat. On the sheets was drawn the image of a dragon in human form—each portrait carefully sketched by his own hand.

Handing out the flyers to the children, Michel asked,

“Now then, what are you supposed to shout when something dangerous happens?”

“Master, help us!”

“And if the Master isn’t nearby?”

“Sir! Madam! Please help!”

“And if you meet a bad adult?”

“There—there’s the Duke!”

The children shouted in unison, their voices firm and bright. Yet, for some reason, Heart remained silent at the last question.

“Heart, what are you supposed to say?”

“…There.”

“What was that? Say it loud enough for everyone to hear.”

“…There’s the Duke.”

Heart muttered the words with his lips jutting out in displeasure. Michel had thought that the boy had grown quite close to Kaidan through their sword practice together, but it seemed there was still an awkward distance between them.

Though sending Heart out felt a little worrisome given his attitude, the boy had once roamed the village streets freely. Besides, with the other children accompanying him and the Eglence knights patrolling the area, there wasn’t much to fear. Michel decided that was reassurance enough.

“You all did wonderfully. I’ll be counting on you!”

“Yes!”

At his clap, the children scattered into the alleys, darting through every nook and corner. Having lived in this land longer than Michel himself, they knew the layout of the town well.

“White hair and pale eyes, you say? Goodness, is there really someone like that?”

“These days, no child goes hungry in Valois. A saint runs an orphanage—who would dare mistreat children under his care?”

After the fire incident, Michel had been visiting townsfolk to ask if anyone knew of a dragon. Yet though everyone had seen the posters about a missing child, none had ever encountered anyone matching that description. It was a relief that no children were starving or being abused—but disappointing that he had learned nothing about the dragon’s whereabouts.

How could he possibly find it?

While pondering the question, Michel had watched the castle children play hide-and-seek one day. Adults could never find the strange places where children managed to hide, yet another child always located them with ease. Just like when Heart had found him during their little bet—it was clear there were things invisible to adults but visible to the eyes of children.

There were many children in Valois as well. Perhaps by using their network, he could find clues to where the dragon might be.

At first, Michel considered speaking directly with the local children himself, but he changed his mind. There were always things children could only share among themselves—stories that never reached adult ears.

So, the previous afternoon, Michel had asked for the orphanage children’s help.

“I’ve heard rumors about a child,” he told them. “A very young one, wandering alone through the town because there’s no adult to care for them. People shun the child because of how they look, and they’re often bullied and go hungry. What do you say we bring that child home?”

The children, many with their own memories of abuse, instantly sympathized. They urged him eagerly to hurry and find their new friend. And thus, Michel entrusted them with a special mission—to find the lonely child.

Of course, he couldn’t simply leave everything to them. While the children talked with the local kids, Michel searched through shops and markets, chasing any possible trail of the dragon.

The newly drawn portrait looked, in his opinion, much closer to the dragon’s true form than the last one. Surely that would make finding it easier!

Yet despite combing the area for hours, he met not a single person who knew of a child with white hair and pale eyes. The same went for the orphanage children.

“Really? Everyone said they don’t know?”

“Yes! And someone said your drawing looked like a chicken, so I told them it’s a per—”

Before Charlotte could finish, Alice hurriedly covered her mouth, but Michel had already heard everything. He tilted his head and looked down at his sketch.

“How could anyone mistake this for anything but a person?”

“…It’s almost human-looking.”

“Are you blind?”

Oliver tried to soothe him, but Heart muttered with a snort. Michel unconsciously crumpled the portrait in his hand. He’d been trying so hard to correct Heart’s sharp tongue, but it was proving nearly impossible.

Once they did find the dragon, everyone would realize just how good his art was!

But that, of course, depended on actually finding the dragon. He had been so sure they would make progress today, but it had all been for nothing.

Michel let out a long sigh—when suddenly, a loud rumble broke the silence. It came from Dan’s stomach.

“Ha ha!”

Max instantly burst out laughing, but almost at the same moment, his own belly answered with an equally thunderous growl. The twins’ faces turned the same deep shade of red.

It was about lunchtime anyway. They could call it a day and return to the castle for a hearty meal. Michel dusted off his knees and stood up.

“Thank you for helping, everyone. Let’s head back to the castle. Uncle Jacques is baking a huge meat pie for lunch today.”

“Wow!”

Michel called for the coachman and helped the children onto the carriage one by one. Once everyone was aboard, he realized Leon was missing. Looking around, he spotted the boy standing apart from the group, staring off into the distance.

“Leon, it’s time to go home.”

Michel walked toward him. Normally, the boy would have run up to him with a grin, but this time, he stood rooted to the spot, sucking on his finger.

“Leon?”

Perplexed, Michel followed the boy’s gaze—and saw a young couple sitting on a bench with their child.

The child was about Leon’s size, small and bright-eyed. The mother held the child in her arms, while the father blew on a pinwheel before them. Each time the pinwheel spun, the child clapped and laughed gleefully, and the parents’ faces lit up with the same joy.

The sight of that picture-perfect family made Michel’s breath catch for a moment.

“Leon…”

No matter how many times he called, Leon couldn’t take his eyes off the three of them.

“Blow harder than that! At this rate, even I can’t hear you, let alone the eagles.”

“P–Pwoo!”

“…That’s not a whistle.”

On a bright afternoon, the orphanage children gathered in the training yard for a safety lesson on golden eagles. Jerard himself had volunteered to teach them how to build trust with the birds after rejoining the knight order.

Since neither the eagles nor the children could be confined to cages, they had to learn to coexist respectfully. It wasn’t about forcing closeness, but understanding the birds’ nature and reaching out carefully—so that the tragedies of the past wouldn’t repeat.

Michel sat beside Barbara at the edge of the training ground, watching the children run about. Among them, Max showed the best results; he had already managed to summon a golden eagle to perch on his arm. Though the bird’s weight made him wobble slightly, he stayed upright, proud and beaming.

With the eagle’s return to the open skies, Max too seemed to regain his old liveliness. Michel had heard from Kaidan about the twins’ incredible adventure—their journey down to the underground prison. It was both absurd and impressive that those timid boys had dared so much out of concern for the bird they thought might die because of them.

Children really did grow up fast.

They always did, unseen by adults—sprouting quietly while no one was looking. Sometimes, that speed of growth even left a bittersweet ache in his chest.

Smiling softly, Michel’s gaze shifted—and his expression stiffened when he spotted Leon running after a golden eagle.

Back in the village, Leon hadn’t looked away from that happy family until Michel had physically picked him up.

What should I have said to him then?

He had been too flustered to say anything meaningful at the time. Since then, Leon hadn’t shown any signs of sadness or said anything out of the ordinary, but Michel couldn’t stop worrying.

Was Leon simply envious of that child?

Jeong-oh had clear memories of his own mother and had never once wished for new parents. If anything, he’d been afraid that someone might adopt him before she came to take him home. Sometimes, he even caused trouble on purpose, fearing he’d be sent away before she returned.

But most of the other children, who had no memories of their parents, often envied those who did. Even Jeong-oh—though he’d claimed not to want adoption—had still felt that sharp pang of jealousy whenever he saw friends with their parents. Even as an adult, seeing peers dining out with their families made his chest ache in quiet envy.

Until now, Michel had focused on mending the bond between Heart and Kaidan, aware of the original story’s direction. Yet, in truth, none of the children had parents. No matter how much effort he poured into them, he was still only their orphanage director—a teacher who taught them taekwondo and cared for them daily. If they ever felt lonely for lacking parents, that wasn’t something he needed to take personally.

If anything, wasn’t it his duty as their guardian to help them find new families of their own?

After long contemplation, Michel finally turned to Barbara and asked,

“Sister, what do you think about the children being adopted?”