# Chapter 99
Sensing someone’s presence, all eyes turned to the girl.
“Sharolong!”
“Ah……”
“Sharolong, did you come to play too?”
Perched comfortably on the wolf’s back, Bernie bounced excitedly as she asked.
Alan, or rather the wolf, walked over on all fours, his expression showing slight discontent.
Seeing Alan turn his head away, Sharlone clenched the hem of her dress.
“Oh, this wolf is Alan!”
“I-I see.
I just came out for a walk to rest by the lake…… I couldn’t sleep.”
Having lost her original reason for coming, Sharlone smiled awkwardly.
‘Sharolong is lying.’
Sensing something off, Bernie blinked once.
Lowering her gaze, Bernie stared quietly at Sharlone’s chest.
‘Something red is flickering.’
She didn’t know what it was, but she could tell it was a massive lump of magic.
Because genius Bernie had good eyes!
‘Anyway, I have to get on Alan’s back and splash around.’
She had to do it before her dad came.
‘But if Homung goes back like this and tells Dad that Alan and I were playing at the lake late at night?’
Bernie wouldn’t even get to splash around on Alan’s back before getting scolded.
So, she absolutely had to drag Homung into this.
‘If three people get scolded, it’ll be three times less scary.’
After all, Dad only had one mouth.
Completing her wicked plan perfectly, Bernie beamed as she looked at Sharlone.
“Hey, Sharolong.
At night, Bernie plays with Alan, and when it gets late, my dad comes to pick me up.”
“…Really?”
“Yeah!”
Hearing Bernie’s pure and innocent words, Sharlone clenched her fist without a word.
The witch’s predictions were rarely wrong.
But since coming here, most of the information she had given turned out to be useless.
Feeling the heat building in her eyes, Sharlone pressed her palm against them.
“Yeah.
So, Sharolong, let’s play together.
Bernie wants to play with you too.”
“……!”
Seeing the small hand reaching out without hesitation and the innocent smile spread across her face, Sharlone bit her lip.
Looking at this bright and pure child made her feel like she was a terrible person.
In truth, the real demon hiding among them was herself.
Everyone was simply being deceived without realizing it.
‘Demons are a species that charm people, right?’
Bernie must have already used that ability to charm everyone before she arrived.
Maybe she was even using some kind of terrifying dark magic on her right now.
Otherwise……
“Sharolong?”
There was no way this child, who constantly got in her way, could seem so warm.
“…My name is Sharlone.”
Turning her head sharply, Sharlone hesitantly took Bernie’s hand.
As soon as she held it, Bernie grinned and jumped down to hug Sharlone tightly.
“W-What are you doing?!”
“I wish Sharolong was my big sister.”
According to her research, ‘big sister’ was a powerful title, just like ‘big brother’—a title that meant someone would do anything for their adorable little sibling.
‘Bernie’s cute act strategy.
If I act cute, even the main character Homung will melt.’
As an eight-year-old adult, the great and mighty Bernie was always cautious and prepared.
“Alan, can you give Sharolong a ride too?
Alan, are you strong?”
“Super strong.”
Before Bernie even finished speaking, the wolf confidently answered while standing on all fours.
“Well…… as long as she doesn’t freak out, I don’t mind.”
“Yeah!
Sharolong, hurry up and get on!
We have to do it fast!”
“Huh?
Why suddenly so fast……?”
Bernie grabbed Sharlone’s hand and pulled her forward.
The wolf crouched down, and Bernie hopped on first.
“Hurry up, we don’t have much time.”
As Alan urged her, Sharlone hesitated before carefully climbing onto his back.
Her eyes widened.
‘So soft.’
And incredibly warm and fluffy.
Without thinking, Sharlone gently stroked the fur with her palm.
Then suddenly, Bernie raised her fist high and pointed straight at the lake with her index finger.
“Alan, let’s gooo!!”
“Awoooo!”
Thud thud thud!
As if responding to Bernie’s determined shout, the wolf let out a howl and kicked off the ground with all his might.
The sudden rush of wind made Sharlone squeeze her eyes shut and instinctively grab onto whatever was in front of her.
“Kyahhh!!”
“Ehehehehe!!”
Bernie, who was being hugged tightly by Sharlone, tapped the back of her hand.
“Sharolong, open your eyes.
Okay?”
Bunny leaned her back against Sharlone’s upper body and spoke.
Sharlone had tightly shut her eyes, but when she realized she was hugging Bunny instinctively, she quickly loosened her arms and opened her eyes.
“…Ah.”
They were flying over the lake.
No, to be exact, Alan must have jumped high into the air while running.
“It’s really pretty, right?”
Bunny asked with a bright smile, making Sharlone widen her eyes.
When she turned her head, she saw a large full moon filling the sky.
It felt like she could touch the sky if she just reached out a little.
A full moon covering the dark night sky.Faint clouds gently floating around it.And the three of them flying above it.
Sharlone unknowingly reached out her hand.
“Hold on tight!
Both of you!”
“Splash, splash!!”
At the same time as Alan’s voice, whoosh!
A strong force pulled their bodies downward.
The hand that had been reaching into the air instantly fell.
“Kyaaah!”
That’s right.
A wolf without wings had no choice but to fall once it jumped into the sky.
Sharlone screamed and tightly hugged Bunny.
Meanwhile, Bunny kept laughing as if she was having fun.
“Heheheh!!”
“Alan!”
At the same time a familiar yet slightly exasperated voice rang out—
Splash—!
With a refreshing sound, their entire bodies plunged into the water before quickly resurfacing.
Surprised, Sharlone instinctively opened her eyes wide and gasped.
“Puhah…!”
“…What is this…?”
When she looked around, she found herself in the middle of the lake.
Sitting on Alan’s soaked back, just as drenched as Bunny, who was also completely wet.
“Hahaha, this is fun!!”
A complex about being a half-beast…?
Nonsense.
How could someone with a complex swim like a dog in the water and run with all their might to fetch things?
Sharlone, whose carefully arranged appearance was now soaking wet, thought blankly and let out a hollow laugh.
A drenched wolf, a soaked little demon laughing shamelessly, and herself, who got caught up in all this and ended up wet from head to toe.
Could there be a more foolish trio?
“Hahahaha!!”
Before she knew it, Sharlone burst into laughter.
She felt genuinely foolish.
Seeing her laugh, Bunny blinked and, as if infected, let out a silly giggle.
‘I’ll have to use another method.’
If she didn’t do as the witch said, she’d end up in big trouble.
‘It’s only right to get rid of the demons.’
Honestly, it made no sense for a demon child to be in the Yudia Ducal House, which valued holiness.
For the sake of this kid, it was right for her to handle things properly.
But just for today…
Just for today, this wasn’t so bad.
“Alan, Bunny!”
Flinch!
Alan and Bunny's bodies trembled at the sound of a stern voice from somewhere.
Sharlone turned her head in confusion and saw Kiriel Yudia standing on the shore with a colder-than-usual expression, like a winter storm.
Beside him, Calvard Yudia stood with a troubled look on his face.
“Sharlone?”
Kiriel’s brows furrowed even more when he met Sharlone’s gaze.
“All three of you, come out.”
His strict voice made Sharlone’s shoulders flinch.
She was just dragged into this mess.
Just as she looked down at Bunny in panic—
Grin.
Bunny smirked at Sharlone with a sidelong glance.
Seeing that smirk, Sharlone’s eyes widened as she froze in place, her mouth dropping open.
‘This kid dragged me into this on purpose!
I knew it…!
What a wicked little demon…!’
‘Ho-mung hugged me twice today.
Maybe she’s already getting soft on Bunny.’
Splash, splash.
Lost in their own thoughts, Alan tirelessly paddled with his doggy swim toward the shore.
That day, the three of them were scolded so harshly that they cried their eyes out.