MLMAS 08

Chapter – 08

Was he angry because they were meddling with his house?

Or did he truly believe they weren’t being helpful?

She couldn’t bring herself to ask, so she didn’t know. But the house was becoming more chaotic by the day.

So Mari, watching his mood carefully, picked up scattered scraps of paper and pencils from the floor, organized the antiques, and washed the dishes. Only then would the place become somewhat clean.

She got scolded regardless, and still did all the work. The heart of a nine-year-old girl slowly began to darken.

In the end, just a week after moving into the antique shop, Mari lost her smile.

“Mariposa.”

One day, as Mari was gathering up the books scattered across the study floor, Kropot was about to say something—then paused when he saw her face.

“…Are you sick?”

Her expression wasn’t good. Her complexion looked dull, as if she had a stomachache.

“Was breakfast bad?”

“…No.”

“Then why do you look like that?”

Mari didn’t answer.

She thought she shouldn’t reveal what she was feeling to him. She tried to maintain courtesy toward her benefactor.

But when he stepped closer with that rare, concerned look, confusion welled up—and the words slipped out before she could stop them.

“Wizard… do you perhaps wish we would leave soon?”

Kropot still referred to Shasha as “the four-year-old.” With Mari, he behaved coldly, as if deliberately refusing to grow attached.

At her question, his mouth fell open in stunned silence.

The ever-indifferent face softened for a moment, and Mari’s eyes widened.

Then his expression hardened.

“Mariposa. Are you asking if I want to throw you out?”

“…That’s not—”

He shut the book he’d been reading with a sharp snap.

Mari stared at him, eyes wide. The air seemed to grow colder.

Fear suddenly welled up, and she lowered her head.

“It’s true I haven’t treated you warmly. It’s natural that my attitude would upset you. But I have never once thought of driving you out. I…”

He recalled the past week—snapping at a nine-year-old, getting irritated at a four-year-old, leaving the house as messy as when he lived alone while telling her not to touch anything.

“I…”

And that wasn’t all. Whenever Mari asked about her mother, who had been a wizard, he had cut her off so she couldn’t question further.

She was only nine. Of course she would want to ask.

He hadn’t realized it because Mari was so mature.

Kropot finally understood that he had been taking out his temper on a very young child.

He rubbed the back of his neck and frowned. Was it because his nerves were frayed from self-discipline?

No. That was just an excuse.

He admitted it.

He had tried not to grow attached—but he had been colder than necessary. To children who had recently lost their parent.

He closed his eyes and sighed.

“I brought you here because I didn’t want you two to be separated. If left alone, you’d be kidnapped again or dragged into the magic world.”

“….”

“I apologize for refusing you whenever you asked about magic. But truly, I believed it was not good for a human like you to approach magic.”

“Even though Shasha is a wizard, I’m not allowed to know?” Mari asked cautiously, sensing his tone had softened.

He felt the magic stirring beneath his throat and answered:

“Yes. Not you—and not your sister either. She is learning magic now to handle her power, but in three months you both must return to living as humans.”

Mari’s face darkened.

She knew that already.

They couldn’t remain in the magical world. Shasha would have to pretend to be human again. That meant she shouldn’t grow attached to magic.

Fortunately, Shasha didn’t seem very interested in magic.

But Mari did.

Even after witnessing the horrifying sight of a werewolf burning in flames, even after feeling fear—she had been captivated.

Magic is strong… and beautiful.

It wasn’t like the lovely spells of fairy-tale princesses. But it was a power that could protect the people you loved.

Even if she herself wasn’t a wizard. Even if she would never see magic again after leaving this shop…

She wanted to know it.

“When we leave your house, I’ll live as if I’ve forgotten. I’ll erase even the word ‘magic’ from my mind. So… couldn’t you teach me just a little, for now?”

Her green eyes shone with desperate hope.

Kropot’s lips pressed tightly together.

Silence filled the study. Mari didn’t throw a tantrum—she simply waited quietly and earnestly.

He exhaled smoke from his pipe and closed his eyes.

“…There’s nothing I can teach you.”

“Wizard…”

A heavy stillness settled between them.

He opened his eyes but did not look at her.

“Instead, I’ll let you read books.”

“Books?”

He waved his pipe, and a section of the study shelves glowed faintly.

“From here to there. Most are fairy tales or novels written by wizards. Read those. At least you won’t be bored.”

Mari’s mouth fell open.

It was only a small portion of the enormous study—but still countless books.

Even if she couldn’t learn about magic directly, she could experience it indirectly.

Her face brightened instantly.

“Yes! Thank you! Thank you, Wizard!”

“That’s enough. Don’t crease the pages. Treat them carefully. And don’t ask me questions.”

“Yes!”

She nodded repeatedly, smiling.

Kropot’s stiff expression gradually softened. He gave a faint smirk and leaned back in his chair, pipe between his lips.

Excited, Mari browsed the shelves—then suddenly looked up.

“But Wizard, you’re an adult. Why do you have fairy tales in your study?”

“Just… happened.”

“Huh?”

Curiosity filled her eyes. He frowned and didn’t answer.

Even such a simple question—would he not answer that either?

Mari’s mood dimmed slightly.

After glancing at her, Kropot sighed and finally spoke.

“They were for my sibling.”

“You had a sibling?!”

“Yes. It’s normal to have family.”

He stared at the shelf full of fairy tales and novels behind her.

“A younger one? If they were young enough for fairy tales…”

No. If it had been a child, they would surely be living with him.

Mari quickly closed her mouth and watched him nervously.

“Oh—I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. They’re just books I’ve had since childhood.”

He sighed again.

“Mariposa. Don’t walk on eggshells. You’re too mature.”

“…Me?”

“Yes. You don’t have to be so mature. Act more like a child.”

“Act like a child, Mariposa.”

A familiar voice echoed in her mind. Her eyes widened.

She didn’t know how to respond. After a long silence, she gave a faint smile.

“Yes. I will.”

His eyes narrowed slightly. It was an unexpected answer.

Before he could say anything more, she turned back to the shelves.

“Mariposa, it’s okay to act like a child.”

From the moment she opened her eyes to the world, she had wandered shabby streets with her mother. She had begged her whole life, trembling in the cold, never knowing when death might come.

Then Shasha was born. Then her mother died. And the young girl had to raise her little sister alone.

Mari knew what adults meant when they said those words.

So when someone told her to act like a child, she simply said she would.

Because she knew that was the answer adults wanted.

So she said she would.

* * *

A month passed.

The questions about her mother who hid her identity as a wizard, and about the suspicious wizard Kropot, remained unanswered. But through the fairy tales and novels he gave her, Mari sank deeper into the world of magic.

She couldn’t ignore the chaos of the house, so she continued handling chores in between. Kropot scolded her for it, yet remained as lazy as ever. Shasha was always cheerful.

A peaceful, new routine gradually settled over the three of them.

Then one night, as Kropot stayed awake late trying to find another solution for Shasha’s sluggish progress in her magic lessons—

Someone knocked on the antique shop’s door.

Midnight.

Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.

Four eerie knocks in succession from the ram-headed door knocker.

Kropot’s sharp blue eyes snapped open.

A guest had arrived.