MCPTD 06

Chapter – 06

I let out a hollow laugh and looked quietly at the child as I whispered,

“Don’t speak informally to me.”

How dare such a little kid.

At my words, the child obediently replied,

“Ye… yes, nu-nya.”

“Nu-na?”

Is his tongue this short? Maybe because he’s still a child. Kind of cute though.

“You look about five years older than me, so…”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

Nodding, I stood up.

“That’s why we’re not on the same level. And don’t keep today in your heart for too long either. …Just think of it as one of those memories you had once.”

Becoming someone’s whole world is a burden. So I just want to remain a faint memory.

Today will be the last time we meet.

“Take care.”

I took the child back to the orphanage, and at my farewell, he didn’t try to stop me.

He just looked at me once, then stared down at his reddened wrist for a long time.

Without looking back, I left.

That was all.

* * *

The next morning.

Marshall arrived at the Vuitri estate’s conference hall with an air of arrogance.

So Sienna had written a letter today.

『There is an important matter to discuss today, so all retainers of the family must gather.』

If it was something important, it must be about appointing him as her guardian.

A pleasant thought that naturally brought a smile to his face.

Good. Now this family will be mine!

Marshall believed handling a teenage noble girl would be easy.

However, when Sienna entered the conference hall, she looked sharper than usual.

After scanning the gathered people, she spoke calmly.

“First, thank you all for coming. The first agenda item: the Harbor Bridge construction project will be handled directly by the Vuitri family. I will oversee it personally.”

“…!”

“In other words, we will not involve any intermediary companies.”

Marshall hadn’t even managed to sit down yet.

In that short moment, Sienna eliminated the paper company he had created.

With just a few sentences.

Startled, Marshall shouted,

“Sienna, what are you saying? Do you even understand business? You’re still too young to make such decisions. According to imperial law, you’re still a minor.”

While organizing the documents on the table, Sienna replied coldly,

“Even as a minor, I can act as acting head of the family. That is our house law. So, Uncle… are you saying you intend to challenge my authority as acting Duke?”

Her bold words made Marshall’s vision blur with anger.

How dare she!

Soon enough he would become her guardian anyway.

Forcing a strained smile, he said,

“Sienna, you misunderstand me! I only wanted to become your guardian. I just wanted to stay by your side and support you when things get hard.”

In the past, Sienna had tried hard to win Marshall’s favor.

She had no family left.

He was the only one she could rely on.

But what she received in return was clear betrayal.

“A guardian? I never appointed one. And if you truly wanted to become one, you should have submitted a proper proposal. But you’ve never once brought me legitimate documents. As acting Duke of Vuitri, I intend to deal with the criminals who embezzled our family’s wealth while I was grieving.”

Her voice was gentle.

But her meaning was clear.

She was going to purge them.

“People who tried to swallow up a noble house while a grieving child was vulnerable… truly trash, wouldn’t you say?”

The atmosphere in the conference hall instantly froze.

Sienna began thoroughly exposing the retainers.

She smiled at their stunned faces.

“If you don’t want to die, voluntarily report everything you’ve done.”

Once she removed these tumors,

the capable guardian she truly wanted would finally appear.

* * *

That night.

“I greet the head of the house.”

A man with long gray hair and gray eyes.

He had a gentle and refined appearance.

But hidden within his gaze was a subtle sharpness.

A handsome man five years older than her.

“My name is Bell Dio.”

The person Sienna had been waiting for had secretly come to see her.

Bell Dio.

A low-ranking retainer of the Vuitri family.

Because of his low rank, he always sat at the very end of family meetings.

But in the future,

his administrative brilliance would be recognized,

and he would be recruited by the imperial palace and eventually rise to the rank of Chancellor.

This time, I won’t let the palace take him.

I want to see the family smiling again.

“Very well, Bell Dio. If you’re prepared to stand by your words, I will listen.”

Bell Dio looked at her with his clear gray eyes and spoke.

“There is a critical error in this year’s budget documents. Putting my name on the line, I believe this is evidence of embezzlement. Would you like to review it?”

“Good. Bring it.”

Sienna carefully reviewed the documents he provided.

After about ten minutes,

she smiled.

“Perfect. I look forward to your future work.”

* * *

Meanwhile,

time was also passing for the boy in the yellow raincoat, Ppuppu.

He grew and grew,

until one winter when no one could call him “cute” even as a joke.

That winter,

he received a letter from his noona.

When she left, she said their meeting would be the last,

but she would send letters occasionally when the seasons changed.

**『What do I do? Just volunteer work.

Because I want the world to be peaceful.』**

I hope noona achieves her dream.

If that grand dream comes true… if she becomes less busy… will she meet me then?

That single sentence became the strongest spark of desire in Aldehyde’s heart.

And so,

Ppuppu decided to save the world.

He would bring peace and lay it at her feet.

At that very moment—

My wrist…

Whenever he thought of her, his wrist would heat up.

A faint light would gather there.

He didn’t know exactly what it was.

But every time the light appeared,

his heart would pound violently.

By the time he turned thirteen,

Aldehyde had completely mastered the power of instant death.

Without hesitation,

he decided to dedicate himself to world peace.

The first thing he thought about eliminating—

was war.

So he enlisted as the lowest soldier in the imperial army.

“Goodbye.”

Watching the boy fully prepared to leave,

Jenny looked worried.

Then she looked up at the white bird gliding through the sky.

Watching that bird carry letters always felt magical.

Now,

that bird would belong to him.

Because Jenny always said so.

“If you ever leave the orphanage, take this bird with you.”

“Yes.”

“One last question… did you decide on a name? You were nameless before.”

“Yes. I chose one now.”

“…Will you tell me?”

The boy did not answer.

He only bowed his head.

After that day,

his whereabouts became unknown.

* * *

Several years passed.

From the battlefield came dozens, then hundreds of victory reports.

They said the young commander had collected hundreds of monster heads.

But to noona,

Ppuppu was still just a cute boy.

Every season,

he sent her letters.

『Nunyaaa! Are you well? I’m now fourteen!』

After writing his letter celebrating fourteen,

he smiled brightly.

He was standing in the middle of a battlefield.

『Noonaaa, the wind is very strong! Be careful!』

At fifteen,

after staying up all night worrying about her,

he calmly ate poisoned food in the eye of a storm.

Even coughing blood didn’t matter.

Because a letter from her had arrived.

**『You’re seventeen now, right?

Your spelling is still cute. Study the imperial language, Ppuppu.

You should at least be able to take care of yourself.』**

At seventeen,

after receiving her letter calling his spelling cute,

he resolved to become even cuter.

And to become fully independent.

Covered in blue blood,

he turned a thousand monsters into ashes.

Finally,

at twenty—

he reached adulthood.

『Congratulations on becoming an adult.』

Ten long years.

Enough time for a crying orphan boy

to become a general commanding battlefields.

Thus,

Ppuppu turned twenty on the battlefield.

And reached the final chapter of the continental war.

There,

inside a dragon’s lair,

he unexpectedly found a <Capital Rift Map>.

The dragon had annotated it,

predicting where and when dimensional rifts would appear centered around the imperial capital.

It even contained a prophecy:

If one hundred rifts were sealed,

world peace would come.

Then…

“Should I return now?”

If he sealed one hundred rifts and brought peace,

noona would meet him, right?

**『Next season… I have something I really want to tell you, noona.

Will you listen?』**

After sending that letter with a pounding heart,

the boy who had become Aldehyde unified the entire continent under the Empire,

and returned.

His goals upon returning were simple:

1. Eliminate the rifts and bring peace.

2. Become cute again before meeting noona.

There was just one problem.

His appearance had become very far

from anything that could be called cute.