This didn’t seem like a problem that could be solved by Void alone.
“Destiny, this isn’t something that Void unni can handle on her own.”
“…Matters of the Demon Realm should be handled within the Demon Realm.”
Did Destiny already know that this wasn’t something Void unni could resolve alone?
She responded immediately.
As if there was no other choice.
Destiny lowered her head.
If I showed that crystal ball to the elder grandparents and my father, wouldn’t something change?
No, it would change.
Definitely.
Just as I was convinced of that, Destiny spoke up with a hint of unease.
“…If we directly ask for their help, the proud Demon Kings won’t stay quiet.”
“To be honest, there are a lot of rumors that the dragons aren’t as strong as they used to be.”
“Ever since unni disappeared, the Demon Kings have been openly suggesting that the entire Demon Realm should attack the Dragon Kingdom.”
The Demon Realm launching a full-scale attack on the Dragon Kingdom.
That was certainly a bit threatening.
After all, the Demon Realm occupied a third of the continent.
If all the demons and Demon Kings poured in at once, it would be difficult to defend against them.
But that was only if we ignored the power of the elder grandparents.
Destiny probably had never seen their strength firsthand, so she couldn’t gauge it properly.
“They wouldn’t even dare make a sound if our grandparents stepped in.”
“…Th-That’s…”
“And either way, Void unni would need our elder grandparents’ permission to take action.”
Void unni was now a citizen of our kingdom.
Not just any citizen, but the exclusive secretary of the Elder Council.
The Elder Council was closely tied to the military, meaning Void unni was connected to it as well.
She had become an important strategic asset for our kingdom.
The Elder Council wouldn’t send such a valuable asset out recklessly.
So if the Demon King himself formed an alliance agreement with the Elder Council, it would be much easier to keep that woman in check.
This wasn’t just Minho the baby’s intuition.
It was the gut feeling of Han Minho, who had played Hero Fantasy for years.
And more than that—
It was the instinct of the young Han Minho, who had once survived a living hell, desperately clinging to life among three corpses.
That instinct was sounding an alarm.
The woman in the crystal ball, with her crazed smile, was dangerous.
She was shouting at me—
To either deal with her now or run away.
Of course, I wouldn’t run.
I had run away enough in my past life.
“So, how about joining hands with us?”
I extended my hand to Destiny.
She hesitated for a moment—then firmly grasped it.
“Please!”
“Let’s go!”
Hand in hand, we dashed toward the Elder Council.
Once I brought Destiny there, the second day of the festival came to an end.
Destiny and the elder grandparents decided to discuss the details after the festival.
Because today was the final day of the celebration.
The last chance to enjoy the festival with my mom, dad, sister, and unni.
It was also the grandest day of the entire Birth Festival, filled with the biggest and most spectacular events.
And because of that, I was feeling especially excited.
Sure, something unsettling had happened yesterday, but I quickly forgot about it.
With the beautiful sunset painting the sky—
With the golden lights flickering across the shops—
With the long rows of stalls stretching behind them—
A shop selling something similar to takoyaki, another grilling skewers that smelled absolutely delicious.
Children laughing as they flew what looked like kites.
The harmonious mix of Eastern and Western scenery filled me with excitement, and I couldn’t help but run around in delight.
“Uwaaaaah!”
“Minho~! Don’t run, you’ll get hurt!”
As I dashed forward, I heard my mom’s gentle voice, calling out to stop me with a warm smile.
I turned around, bouncing as I waved my hands.
Then, my sister and unni came running up, grabbing my hands.
“…Minho, you should hold unni’s hand.”
“Hold my hand too~”
“Eh?”
Tilting my head in confusion, I still took both of their hands.
It wasn’t like I was going to get lost, but I just wanted to hold their hands anyway.
That’s when I heard Mom and Dad’s voices behind us.
“Ahem… El?”
“…Albi.”
Mom and Dad intertwined their fingers, and my sister, unni, and I glanced at them before bursting into giggles.
Ooh la la, how cute.
I thought that, but I didn’t say it out loud.
Mom and Dad wanted to enjoy a rare date together, after all.
“Mom! We’re going out to play with unni!”
“Will you be okay?”
“Yes! We’ll be fine!”
“Mom, go have a date with Dad.”
“…Y-Yeah, you and little uncle enjoy your date.”
Mom just smiled and patted my head when I spoke, but when my sister and unni chimed in, her eyes widened, and her face turned red.
“…T-Then, have fun!”
“Of course.”
“We’ll take good care of our little sibling.”
“T-Then, let’s meet back here before the fireworks.”
“Got it! Enjoy your date!”
“Maknae, have fun!”
After saying that, my sister and unni led me into the bustling festival stalls.
Even as we moved further away, I kept my eyes on Mom and Dad.
Against the backdrop of the twilight sky, they shyly held hands—it was so sweet.
“…Ooooh!”
“Not for baby eyes~”
“…Mmm, good job, Yuri.”
Just as I was completely absorbed in the scene, my sister covered my eyes.
Then unni, standing next to her, gave her a thumbs-up and patted her head.
And my sister, enjoying the praise, grinned and nudged for more head pats.
Only after she noticed my gaze did she clear her throat awkwardly and continue walking.
They said the last day of the festival would be the most grand, with the most things to do.
And it seemed that wasn’t a lie.
Unlike the first day, which was all about food, today had all sorts of games too.
Completely forgetting about eating, I went around conquering every game.
The first game: Magic Goldfish Scooping.
It was a game where you caught goldfish made of magic using a delicate net made of thin threads.
The prize? The magic goldfish you caught.
Since they were made of magic, half-dragons and dragons could actually taste them like a snack.
“Wow, Princess, you’re really good at this!”
“Hehe…”
“Oh no, your net just ripped.”
“…Aww.”
I had been intensely focused, managing to scoop up about 100 goldfish with a single net.
But when the shop owner complimented me, I got embarrassed and giggled—causing the net to break.
Disappointed without realizing it, I let out a small “Aww…”
“…H-Hey, how about one more round?!”
“Really?!”
“Of course!”
The shop owner generously gave me another chance.
I had only paid once and already caught 100 goldfish, yet he was letting me try again?
He had to be an angel.
“Shop owner, you’re the best!”
“Urgh!”
The burly, bearded shop owner clutched his chest.
“A-Are you okay?!”
“You’re just… too cute.”
“A-Ahahaha.”
He looked at me with the same eyes one would have for their own daughter.
“Alright!”
“Do your best~!”
“Minho, you got this!”
“…Minho, genius. You can do it.”
I received three cheers of support—or rather, the entire crowd passing by had stopped to watch and cheer me on.
That made me a little nervous, and sweat began to bead on my small hands.
I licked my lips, which were getting dry, and fiddled with my cloak for no reason.
After adjusting my cloak so it wouldn’t get in the way and stopping my wagging tail, I closed my eyes.
“Hoo!”
With a deep breath, I opened my eyes wide!
“Special move! Fish Hunt—All at Once!”
As soon as I shouted my hastily made-up technique name, my eyes gleamed golden!
And then—
“Ha!”
I pulled up 20 fish at once.
“Whoa~~!!”
“Minno! That was amazing!”
“Impressive, my little sister.”
The store owner, my sister, and my older sister clapped and cheered in turn.
Even passersby who had stopped to watch joined in, clapping and throwing out compliments.
I placed one hand on my hip and proudly held up a victory sign, which made the cheers grow even louder.
‘I… I’m seriously cool.’
After striking the pose, I wiped my nose smugly with my raised hand.
Then, since I had caught way too many fish, I started sharing them with the people who had cheered me on.
There was no way my sisters and I could eat them all by ourselves anyway.
I also pulled out a gold coin pouch and paid the store owner ten times the original price.
“Ugh, it’s heavy. You can keep the change. It’s too much trouble carrying it.”
‘Hah, I’m seriously cool.’
Of course, looking cool didn’t mean I should forget my manners.
So, I bowed my head politely.
After that, I respectfully declined the store owner’s attempts to return the extra money, grabbed my sisters’ hands, and dashed away from the scene.
“Your Highness! Thank you so much!”
The store owner beamed and waved at me.
I smiled and bowed once more.
A true royal must always be generous to their people.
The thought made me feel important, and I couldn’t stop myself from grinning.
After that, we snacked on the magic fish we had caught while trying out various festival games.
The exciting U-Ha Riding attraction turned out to be a bit too dangerous for me, so Emila stepped in to ride it instead.
“…Victory sign.”
“Wow! So cool, sis!”
“Krr!”
Of course, she won first place.
My sister and I showered her with over-the-top reactions, and Emila, who had remained expressionless while making her victory sign, blushed slightly and let out a small giggle.
We kept going—
Winning a magic duel against a student from Flare Academy.
A contest to see who could create the biggest Fireball.
A contest to determine who was the cutest.
And many more…
By the time I realized it, I had racked up a streak of consecutive wins.
And then, before I knew it—
It was time to meet up with Mom and Dad.
“Sis! We gotta go now!”
“Sis, should we head out?”
“Yeah, they’re probably waiting for us.”
The three of us made our way back to the meeting point where we had parted from our parents.
After all, we had promised to watch the grand finale of the festival—the fireworks—together as a family.