I've always been told that parents' pockets are like black holes, so you should be wary of phrases like, "I'll keep this allowance safe and return it to you when you grow up."
And those words came from my villainous dad who lost his memory?
'It's so obvious you're planning to steal the ring and kick me out!'
I gripped the bag containing the ring tightly and scampered away.
I carefully re-entered the inn through the back door and safely arrived back in the room.
It took longer than I thought, but thankfully, Martha hadn't returned yet.
"Ugh, Dad. He should've noticed the box was lighter. He really wasn't paying attention."
I sat on the bed and chuckled.
Anyway, now's a good time to ditch Martha and head to Lord Winterwald's place with Theo.
I'm going to use the ring to glue myself to him, no matter what!
"..."
A moment later, I stopped swinging my legs. The smile that had been on my face disappeared without a trace.
'But to try to kick me out by deceiving me like that.'
That kinda sucks...
But I shook my head hard, trying to shake off the gloomy thoughts.
No time for sad stuff, gotta go!
"Okay, time to grab what I need before heading to Lord Winterwald's place."
Actually, seeing Dad like that earlier gave me an idea.
And it's just a guess, but I might be able to get it from the Temple.
"Sweet! There's always a loophole! Don't give up, Ririn!"
I was slapping my cheeks to psych myself up when...
A strong gust of wind blew, and the window rattled loudly.
"Yipe!"
Whoa! What's with the wind?
'Could it be raining?'
They say the weather here is crazy. Please don't let it rain.
I stared at the cloudy sky and felt a bit eerie, rummaging through my bag.
"I don't have many videos left to watch now."
Only three video orbs remained.
And I'd already used up most of the plays watching them on the way here without Martha knowing.
"Hmm, I should save them."
Theo might also want to see Dad, so it's not fair for me to use them all up myself.
So, no more watching cute Dad videos and giggling today.
I tried to do some stretches to warm up, but I had to stop 'cause my knee was killing me.
A nasty blue bruise was blooming around the scab.
I don't usually feel pain much, so the wound didn't really bother me.
'But my heart stings a little.'
Dad used to freak out over even the tiniest scratch.
Thinking about those cold, blue eyes staring at my bleeding knee made my shoulders slump.
The next day.
I headed to the Temple with Martha.
Actually, I was going to go yesterday, but I was too tired and fell asleep, so it was postponed to today.
"I thought you were taking a quiet nap, but you were wandering around outside and fell, goodness."
Martha combed my hair and let out a little sigh. She was super surprised yesterday when she saw I'd fallen asleep looking like a total mess.
"Hehe, sorry about that..."
"Are you okay? Does your knee hurt? Oh dear. It'll leave a scar. If Mr. Alex finds out, he'll bawl his eyes out for days!"
Hmm, he didn't seem to care one bit.
Anyway, I put a bandage on my knee, neatly combed my hair, and went inside the huge, fancy Temple.
'I wonder if it really showed up as lost property? Please let nobody recognize it.'
By the way.
"Hey, Theo! Aren't you going to look at your big sis?"
"Boop."
"Aww, Theo's really pouting. He probably thinks you left him to go play by yourself."
Theo buried his face in Martha's shoulder, ignoring me. He seemed to be holding a grudge for being left behind.
Perfectly round and squishy, such a cute little butt.
"Heyyy, cheer up, little guy. How 'bout two steamed potatoes, huh?"
"..."
The baby's shoulders twitched. He was a total foodie for a three-year-old, always loved gnawing on fluffy potatoes.
"Maybe a little sugar too?"
"Eeng."
Okay. Got him!
Theo wiggled his body and nestled into my arms.
I nuzzled his head, which smelled like sweet milk, grabbed his tiny hand, and we went on.
Martha was already way ahead, talking to a low-ranking priest about why we were there.
"Shhh, Theo. We're ditching Martha after we leave the Temple. So be good for now, okay?"
"Woo?"
"And, um, I found Dad. He might seem a little...different, so don't freak out..."
"Woowoo?"
Theo gave me this totally confused look.
While we waited for Martha, we checked out the huge murals on the walls. Of course, I was the only one blabbing away.
Was that why?
"..."
Far away, behind a thick temple pillar.
I didn't even notice the creepy shadow watching our every move.
"Ririn! Come over here!"
"Yes!"
When I got to Martha, I heard the low-ranking priest flipping through the register and saying,
"Mr. Alex Valt is not on the list of injured people. The people caught up in the Southern Great Labyrinth are all on this list. If the person you are looking for is not on this list..."
"If not?"
"...Unfortunately, you'll probably have to check the morgue. There's one body they couldn't identify."
"Oh, no."
Martha stumbled back a step.
'It's okay. Mr. Alex Valt is living it up at Lord Winterwald's place.'
But I couldn't say that, so I just looked up at Martha.
"Oh, man. What are we gonna do? Come on, let's go check it out."
Martha let out a huge sigh and led us away.
'By the way, the monster labyrinth that appeared in the south has changed to a 'Great Labyrinth' level.'
So, basically, the labyrinth that showed up in the south was way bigger than the Magic Tower thought.
'A big one like that means they have to call in all four noble families.'
To take that down all by himself.
Dad was a total beast. But he got messed up pretty bad doing it.
"Sigh, ever since the Magic Tower Master died, the Tower's been useless. It's a real problem."
"Is there still no new Magic Tower Master?"
"Who can replace a hero who died saving the country?"
Listening to people whispering, I got to the morgue.
Three coffins were sitting there, all alone in the middle of the room.
The priest pointed to the coffin in the far corner.
"It's pretty messed up 'cause of the monsters. Lord Winterwald tried to keep the damage to a minimum, but...you know, that labyrinth was huge."
Martha nodded with a pale face.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. If it wasn't for Lord Winterwald, our village would've been toast, too..."
"Anyway, all the stuff they found near the body is here, so check that out first. Since there are kids here, opening the coffin is probably not a good idea..."
I quickly looked into the basket the priest pointed to.
My eyes widened even more when I found a small, ring-shaped ear cuff in it.
'It's here!'
It had lost its light, but I knew what it was.
'Dad's earring...'
A magical artifact that changes its appearance.
It's a super rare magic thing, not something regular people know about. Probably only the top wizards at the Magic Tower would even recognize it.
The low-ranking priest clearly had no clue about the magic item.
'I wouldn't have recognized it if I hadn't seen the future through my dreams.'
Thank goodness I grabbed it before anyone else saw it.
"Oh my God! It's Mr. Alex's earring!"
Martha exclaimed.
Then, with trembling hands, she rummaged through the box and picked up a key that jingled.
"This is the keychain Mr. Alex loved so much... Oh, Ririn..."
At the end of the cabin key, there was a drawing I had drawn for fun.
A messy, crooked drawing of Dad's face with a bunch of hearts around it.
Honestly, it was more like scribbles than a drawing, but Dad loved it so much he ran straight to the blacksmith to have it made into a keychain.
"What are we gonna do, Ririn! Theo! You poor babies!"
"..."
Martha sobbed softly and hugged me and Theo tightly.
I awkwardly held Dad's earring and keychain tightly. My shoulder became wet with Martha's tears.
'Huh? That's strange.'
Our dad isn't dead, though.
He's alive and kicking, probably bossing people around in some faraway demon king's castle.
I know.
"..."
I know, but why do I feel kinda sad?
"Who are you?"
"Then you'll never be my daughter."
Dad, who had lost his memory, was colder and more unfamiliar than I thought.
It was as if the way he was when we lived together was a dream.
'Dad probably doesn't even know he lost these things.'
As if he had forgotten even that he had forgotten me.
'I see.'
The dad who used to smile kindly and gently is no longer here.
Now, all I have left is not the sweet, goofy Alex Valt, but the cold, mean Lord Kalex Winterwald.
