Chapter 14: Do You Like a 1100-Year-Old Loli?

Chapter 14: Do You Like a 1100-Year-Old Loli?

“Forget it, Karito. He looks down on us.”

Yake shook his head, trying to convince Karito to abandon this unrealistic fantasy. Aierjisi was at least a princess of the Blood Clan, and a powerful one who could easily slay a Fire Dragon. To her, Karito’s pitiful invitation was nothing more than something to be ignored. Not to mention, this little princess probably wouldn’t care for a job like Karito’s that was all about making money.

“Eh? How can you say that without even trying? What if it actually works out?”

Karito wasn’t pleased with Yake’s judgment before even having a chance to meet her. How could he be sure she wouldn’t agree before they had even given it a shot?

“Sigh. I don’t have her contact information. She saved me from the Fire Dragon and just left. I don’t even know what country she’s from or her name!”

Seeing Karito so determined, Yake had no choice but to fabricate a story about how she had rescued him and then just walked away, leaving no name or country behind.

“Oh, I see. Well, this world is so big; we’ll definitely meet again.”

With that thought, Karito decided not to pester Yake any further.

With the compensation Yake received for coming back safely, Karito was able to distribute a generous reward to each team member.

“Here, Yake, this is your share.”

Karito handed 20 silver coins to Yake, his deserved reward from this expedition to the Ruins.

“20 silver coins? Not too shabby. That should cover expenses at home for a good while. Well then, if you don’t need anything, I’ll head out.”

“Eh? You’re leaving already? Aren’t you going to continue exploring the Ruins with us?”

Seeing Yake ready to leave after getting his reward, Karito quickly stopped him. If everything went smoothly, why would he want to quit the team? Yake had worked hard to pass Karito’s tests to join this exploration party. How could he just leave like that?

“Come on, Karito. I don’t want to take on any more dangerous work like exploring the Ruins. After this experience, I won’t engage in such risky stuff again. If you all want to continue, go ahead, but I’m out.”

Yake shook his head. He loved adventure and had the courage to sacrifice himself in a crisis, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t afraid of dying, especially after barely escaping death this time. Most importantly, he felt it was better to resolve matters regarding the little princess first. If she got annoyed, who knows what sort of mischief she might pull?

“Alright, if that’s your choice, I won’t stop you.”

Yake’s departure from the elite team was undoubtedly a blow to Karito. However, Yake’s strength was not at the top level, and his leaving wouldn’t drastically impact the team’s overall fighting capabilities. Karito reluctantly accepted his exit.

“Okay then, Karito, may we meet again by chance!”

After saying goodbye to Karito and the others, Yake rushed home. I wonder how the little princess is getting along with my family?

“I’m back. How’s…”

Upon returning home, Yake hurried into the living room, eager to see what was happening, and he saw… Aierjisi sitting at the dining table, enjoying some roasted honey cakes, while his mother, Reina, was next to her, affectionately ruffling her hair.

“How’s the roasted honey cake?”

“It’s delicious!”

Aierjisi was completely engrossed in the sweetness of the roasted honey cake, completely forgetting why she had come in the first place.

“Oh my, Yake, you’re back! I’ll get dinner started for you right away; just wait a moment!”

Seeing Yake standing there in a daze, Reina finally stopped ruffling Aierjisi’s hair and walked over to the kitchen to prepare dinner for her son.

“Aier, what exactly are you doing?”

Once Reina left, Yake sat down next to Aierjisi, his expression stern. What on earth had this little princess done with his mother during his absence? Given his mother’s overly friendly personality, it wasn’t surprising that she’d become close with the little princess, but this was still too much!

“What else could I be doing? I’m just enjoying the tribute your mother made for me, of course! This thing is called roasted honey cake, right? It’s pretty good! Want a bite, Yake?”

Aierjisi chewed on a piece of roasted honey cake, her face lighting up with delight at the sweet taste. She even offered a piece to Yake.

“No, no, no! You’re just casually eating the roasted honey cake made by my mom? Did you two do anything else before this?”

Clearly, Yake was more concerned about what had transpired in his absence than the flavor of the cake. He had thought the little princess might have clashed with his family, especially since he had suddenly become this child’s servant. Normally, you would think they’d want to dissolve such a slavery contract!

“Well, before this… yeah, something did happen. Your mom is very thankful to me for sharing my life with you.”

“Huh, so that’s it? But there’s gotta be more than just that, right?”

Yake frowned, sensing there was more to the story than just gratitude.

“There was indeed more. Since I shared my life with you, your mom has taken me as her daughter and insists that I call her ‘Mommy.’ It’s really strange, considering I’m actually older than her by quite a bit! But since the roasted honey cake is so tasty, I guess it doesn’t matter.”

As soon as Aierjisi mentioned this, she showed a troubled expression, but then seemed to forget about it, happily continuing to munch on the roasted honey cake.

“Oh really, that sounds like something my mom would do. But wait, how old are you anyway?”

Yake nodded. Seeing the cute child made him think of how his mom could so easily charm her to call her “Mom.” But still, it raised a question: how old was this Blood Clan princess?

“As for me, I’m not even sure anymore. Before I was sealed in the Ruins, I was 800 years old. If my sealed time coincided with the disappearance of the Blood Clan, then this year I must be around 1100 years old.”

Aierjisi recalled her age before sealing and the duration of the Blood Clan’s disappearance; she estimated she was about 1100 years old.

“1100! Old… Old… Wifey…”

Upon hearing Aierjisi’s true age, Yake almost blurted out “old lady.” Just as the word “old” was about to escape his lips, Aierjisi’s expression suddenly turned dangerously intense, as if warning him, “If you dare call me old, I can’t guarantee your head will stay attached to your body!”