Translator and Editor: Effe and Nabi

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Chapter 23 – Summer Festival And Red Thread

“Jenkins. If you play with a sword like that, your skills won’t improve.”

Bella slowly walked towards them, who were in the midst of a fight.

“Yes? Sword… Are you kidding me?”

Jenkins expressed his discomfort at her intrusion out of nowhere.

“Miss. I know you’re strong, but swordsmanship is another thing.”

“Bring it on.”

However, Bella interrupted Jenkins, who was about to start nagging her, and picked up Kiehl’s sword.

“I didn’t know you could use a sword.”

She then strode over to Jenkins with a snort.

‘What do you see me as… I’m a black belt.’

She has done Taekwondo and Kendo for ten years. Since she was a child, she wanted to become a police officer, so when the girls learned to do ballet and play the piano, she had a lot of fun hitting the heads of boys who used to tease Bella.

“Go ahead.”

Jenkins tried to hit Bella from right above.

The difference in their physique allowed him to hit her head right away.

Bella, however, slightly shifted her right foot to the right and fell back, then placed the sword against Jenkins’ left head.

“It’s such an obvious attack.”

As she lifted the sword and began to speak, Jenkins launched the next attack.

It was enough to feel the power just by the sound of the bump hitting.

Bella saw the sword coming over her own head, blocking horizontally, and rode down Jenkins blade.

Her sword touched Jenkins’ heart.

“What the hell is the Miss…”

At that, Bella returns her sword to Kiehl, and she takes Jenkins’ sword.

“What are you going to do?”

“Kiehl, would you like to fight with me?”

“All of a sudden…?”

It wasn’t all of a sudden. It was because she was initially trying to get Kiehl to grow up to some extent.

‘Maybe it’s rather late.’

At her words, Kiehl’s seemed a little perplexed, although he gripped the sword that Bella had given him.

“Yes.”

“I’m not going to cut you some slack.”

“Me, too.”

Since Kiehl’s twelfth birthday, he now spends far more time battling with Bella than sitting and learning Jenkins’ lessons.

“That must be exhausting.”

Contrary to Iwer’s concerns, Kiehl rather liked the time because he wanted to spend a little more time with Bella.

“Kiehl, come on. You can’t win like this.”

But, even as she says so, she knew that Kiehl was growing to a frightening extent. She was proud, still, on the other hand, a sad heart suddenly jumped out.

‘Someday, you will have to kill me…’

It hurts her heart to feel like she’s handing over such a heavy load.

‘Still, your life will have a happy ending… Because you are the main character in this novel.’

Their memories seemed to be engraved on the swords that collided together.

***

The flowers all around turned into green leaves.

Summer of 1158.

It has already been four years since she came to the human world.

Now, Kiehl was twelve and Bella was fourteen.

At the end of this summer, Kiehl’s birthday is approaching, and he is two years away from his fifteenth birthday.

Bella started her day by standing at the entrance to the mansion every morning and opening the first newspaper delivered to her.

“Hey, why did you keep giving me the newspaper a week ago?”

“Yes?”

“A week ago, are you supposed to give the newspaper a week ago?”

“Ha… Just be thankful that newspapers come to this country.”

She filled her uncomfortable heart and opened the newspaper to quickly search for the information she wanted. And, Bella, who had opened the last page, immediately threw out the newspaper and ran into the mansion.

“Guys, finally…!”

It was finally the long-awaited summer festival.

She tried to go last year too, but couldn’t.

It was because she doesn’t know the date.

The village children who came to the swordsmanship class were chatting about what they had been through, so she knew that the festival was already over.

Since then, research has shown that summer festivals are held in each city, but the biggest one in the area was the summer festival of ‘Daisy.’

Since she’s already decided to go, Bella thought she would go to the most gorgeous place.

“Let’s go to the summer festival!”

“Hey! We’re finally going!”

“It starts tomorrow, so if we leave now, we will arrive tonight.”

Since it was a newspaper from a week ago, the source was slow. So, she pulled out the carriage she had borrowed from the beginning of summer for a festival she never knew exactly when.

“If the Miss runs, we’ll be there in two or three hours.”

Bella flicked her fingers, pointing to Zanbar, who had just said that.

“Zanbar, you go ahead and get some inn rooms. I’ll take a leisurely carriage ride.”

“….”

“How much have I missed this festival right now? Should I lose my strength before the start?”

On this hot summer day, she has to run for three hours under that scorching sun. Just thinking about it was terrifying.

“Well, let’s just all ride the carriage.”

“No. You run first. Right now.”

She spoke firmly to Zanbar, who presented the terrible idea as just an ‘idea.’

Hearing that, Zanbar took a deep breath and turned into a leopard.

“Come on, guys. Come quickly with your luggage.”

Bella hurried to her room. She came back down to the front door with only the luggage she packed in advance, it was fast. These loads were also packed in advance from the time the carriage was prepared.

“The Miss is really excited.”

“I’ve been waiting since winter.”

And, in case they fall behind, Iwer and Jenkins packed their bags in advance.

“Sir Zanbar, I took my things.”

“I got it all.”

When Kiehl arrived at the front door, Bella opened the front door excitedly.

“Come on! Let’s go!”

“Wait a minute! I’ve got them all!”

Then, from behind, Pur came down with a suitcase in her fluffy hands. In an instant, the atmosphere went down a bit.

“Pur.”

“Yes!”

“The bear can’t go to the festival.”

“Why…why! Why can’t I go there!”

“Then, could you turn into a human?”

At that, tears fell from Pur’s black eyes.

“Then, if I ate some of your blood… would I be able to change myself someday…?”

“Are you crazy?”

“Why… Why do I always…”

Bella headed out without hearing Pur’s grumbling.

“I’m also a half-blood. So, why am I the only one…”

“Why were you born as an ignorant bear?”

The door to the mansion closed coldly after the half-blood Jenkins had been listening.

***

They left in the morning, but by the time we arrived at Daisy, it was night. After being in the carriage all day, everyone was exhausted.

“I told you to get the best room.”

“Isn’t it good to be big?”

Zanbar reserved only one large room in the inn.

“Ugh. I have to share a room with you guys.”

Although it was a large room, there were only four beds.

“Kiehl and I should sleep together.”

“Oh, you can sleep with me.”

Iwer looked at Bella with a sinister look. Seeing that, she thought for a moment.

‘What’s wrong with her…’

After everyone was well prepared, the voices of people preparing for the summer festival could be heard outside until late at night.

“I’m looking forward to it. Will it be fun?”

“Festivals are everywhere. Especially on the outskirts of this city…”

Bella ignored Jenkins’s disturbing words and asked Kiehl. “Have you ever been to a summer festival, Kiehl?”

“I’ve never been there, but I’ve listened to a lot of songs.”

“Songs?”

Then, Kiehl’s eyes widened for a moment, and he quietly sang the songs that came to mind one by one.

The voice of young Kiehl, who had not yet reached puberty, sounded like the voice of an angel. It seems to soothe a tiring day just by listening to it. Bella put her arm on the pillow and lay quietly next to Kiehl, closing her eyes.

Moments later, Iwer added the lyrics to the song.

“At the end of summer, hang a red thread.”

Then, Jenkins sang along.

“When spring comes, it will bloom as a flower.”

“What song is that?”

“It was a popular song during wartime.”

Kiehl looked at Bella, then turned his head and asked Iwer.

“What is the red thread?”

“Doesn’t the young master know? If you tie a red thread with someone you love and spend the night together on the last day of the festival, even if you die during the war, it will bloom as a flower in that person’s garden. Something like that.”

Bella, who was not even in the novel, asked Iwer interestingly.

“When did the war start?”

“Um. It was a huge war. That was probably… Two hundred years ago? It must have been around when my half-brother was kicked out.”

“Where and where did you fight?”

“My half-brother knows it very well. At that time, thanks to whom did the demons not go to the human world at all?”

Jenkins sighed.

“Why is that my fault… Uhh—”

“I never said it was your fault. Who said it was?”

As she listened to their conversation before, Bella asked again. “So, where did you fight?”

“It’s the war of the dragon people. The dragon that sided with humans is the Ice Dragon, so it started in the fall and waged war with other dragons in the winter when the Ice Dragon was strongest.”

Jenkins hurriedly explained to end the conversation with Iwer.

“That’s why every city has a summer festival. Autumn begins after the summer festival.”

A festival before being dragged into war…

“Before we say goodbye, let’s cherish that time rather than mourn. That’s what it meant.”

Bella met her eyes with Kiehl bitterly.

‘…Well. Because one day we will part ways, too.’

She knew with her head, though in her heart, she thought that this time would go on forever.

“And, not many people came back alive.”

“Aha! So, one last time before I die…”

Iwer spoke without thinking, then thought of her own level and corrected her own words. “It was the last night, so you fell asleep with a red thread tied.”

Bella glared at Iwer briefly, then lay down again.

“Tomorrow…”

Then, Kiehl asked with a blushing face as he touched Bella’s hair.

“Bella, will you tie the thread with me tomorrow and sleep together?”

“Huh?”

For a moment, Bella’s face turned red. Seeing so, Iwer giggled funnily, and then kicked the blanket several times with her feet.

“Hahaha! It’s not that kind of night!”

At those words, Kiehl realized how naive he was.

‘Damn it.’

Fortunately, no one knew how brightly red he had become because of the light.

“Isn’t our Young Master too naive? Should I teach you something?”

Iwer laughed hard and waved his hand.

“Iwer. Shut your mouth before I cut your tongue.”

Bella stood up in embarrassment to release her humiliation as she met Zanbar’s eyes. Meanwhile, he was looking at Bella with a very upset expression on his face.

“Well, what? Go to sleep!”

She slowly lay back down, pulled the blanket all the way up, and shut her eyes.

“Young Master, the red thread must not be broken until the night is over. Whatever the struggle…”

Bella rolls the blanket again.

She gritted her teeth and threatened.

“From now on, if anyone adds one more word, I will really kill you.”

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