The coldness in her body began to drain away. The surrounding red fire enveloped her.
As she lost strength, her vision blurred. She tried again and again to straighten her trembling legs.
Then he let out a small laugh.
"It is quite pitiful to see you struggling to live. But it is no use."
"I, I..."
"I'm not merciful enough to grant your last words."
The flames surrounding them intensified as if there was no need to hear any more.
The snow in the winter forest, which had been piled up for years, began to melt.
All because of this one man.
He seemed to already be convinced that Eve had kidnapped Rachel.
Eve wanted to express her grievances, but there was something she needed to convey to him first.
She mustered her last ounce of strength and opened her mouth.
"Hey, say something..."
“What a pointless movement..."
"I said listen to the very end...!"
Eve grabbed the man's wrist tightly. Hot heat flowed into her body. It was just when she thought she might lose consciousness.
Grumbling.
The flames that had enveloped them subsided in an instant. Noelier's red fire went out along with it. He looked at Eve with surprised eyes, as if someone had poured a large amount of water directly onto her.
"You..."
"This, crazy..."
Eve muttered a curse. She wanted to smack him on the head with an apple, but she couldn't. It was because she had used up all her strength.
A faintly swirling snowstorm. A dark night. A man blurry as if split into several pieces. Eve stammered as she continued speaking.
"My younger sibling, I, protect..."
"...What?"
"Even if you gave me billions of gold, it wouldn't be enough, you bad... bastard..."
With those words, Eve slumped down. He quickly caught Eve and looked down at her with confused eyes.
It was a fire that even burned his parents to death.
Later, he thought that even he might disappear into these flames.
It was a fire that was that powerful and that no one could stop.
However, with just one touch of her hand, everything disappeared.
How?
It was then that he was looking at her with confused eyes as she collapsed.
“...Sister!”
A familiar voice was heard from afar.
Noelier stood up from his seat, holding her lightly in his arms.
It was Rachel, his sister whom he had searched for so long.
"Don't bully my sister-in-law. You bad guy!"
But somehow, it seemed like the person he was desperately searching for had changed.
Noelier stared at his sister with a dazed expression, unable to believe the situation.
Rachel, the cause of all these events, seemed unaware that the man wrapped in the cloak was her brother.
There was no hesitation in the run toward the two. Rachel's face as she ran was heavily wet with tears.
'Still, it was worth saving you. Thank you for coming to rescue me like this...'
Eve had such fleeting thoughts even as she was losing consciousness.
She could hear a voice shouting something, but as her consciousness was fading, she couldn't hear clearly.
“Sister!”
With Rachel's voice mixed with tears as the last one, Eve closed her eyes completely.
***
I heard the sound of the window rattling. I slowly opened my eyes at the familiar
noise.
The familiar wooden ceiling told us that this was our home.
'Is it a dream?'
I blinked blankly...
"I definitely met a man, and I think he tried to attack me...'
The problem is that I cannot distinguish whether the situation is a dream or if what I just saw was a dream.
'Ah! Come to think of it!'
A scene suddenly flashed quickly through my mind.
Like a little genius detective whose body has shrunk but whose brain remains the same.
'That crazy dragon!'
Surely he didn't do anything strange to the children, did he? As soon as that thought crossed my mind, I sprang up.
“Sister!”
“Sister!”
"Wow!"
However, because of Zion and Rachel suddenly lunging into my arms, I couldn't even get up and almost died.
"Sis-sister, I'm sorry, are you okay?"
"Are you okay, sister?"
"I-I'm fine. Could you please get up for a moment?"
You've grown so much, you little mice...
I forced a smile and got up again.
The children, having quickly moved away from my side, sat pressed against the underside of the wooden bed and looked at me with eyes that seemed about to cry.
"How are you feeling, sister?"
Rachel asked with a worried look on her face.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for worrying about me."
"Thank god..."
Rachel's face relaxed a little, as if relieved by my answer.
"Ugh..."
It seemed that along with the tension, Zion's tear ducts had also opened. Tears began to well up in his large eyes.
"I... I thought my sister was going to die."
As Zion sobbed, Rachel also lowered her eyes.
"You idiot, why are you crying? I just woke up like this."
"I was so scared..."
"You're not the only one who's scared, you punk..."
Although she was trying to act brave, Rachel was also sniffling.
“Ugh..."
“Ugh..."
The children, who had been glancing at each other's crying faces, began to burst into tears as soon as their eyes met, as if they had been waiting for it.
Stopping the crying is the hardest part!
"Don't, don't cry. Yes? I'm fine."
I hurriedly got out of bed and opened my arms wide toward the children.
Then, as if they had been waiting, the children hugged me tightly.
"I was scared you wouldn't be able to open your eyes, so that's why..."
"Sob. If you leave before I can even make you my older sister..."
"Don't go. Sister..."
"Don't go. Sister..."
"..."
Aren't you letting me go too easily, guys?
The children were busy rubbing their faces against my chest while muttering incomprehensible words.
Judging by the fact that my collar was getting damp, it seemed that they had been holding back quite a lot of tears.
I chuckled and patted the children's backs.
I wondered how much time had passed like that. The children, having calmed down a bit, let go of my embrace.
It was when I playfully patted his cheek, finding his swollen eyes adorable. Zion sniffled and spoke.
"He went out for a bit. He said he'll be back in a little while."
"Brother?"
"Yes."
Zion pouted as he said that. Only then could I realize who 'brother' referred to.
Little Red Riding Hood's older brother.
A dragon that destroys itself, unable to handle its overflowing power of fire.
The beginning of this bleak novel!
I recalled the situation before I collapsed.
A tremendous fire clearly enveloped me.
I tried to tell him that I was protecting his younger sister, but he didn't even pretend to listen and tried to kill me.
The more I thought about those eerie red eyes, the more goosebumps I got.
'He suddenly tried to kill me, so I grabbed his wrist first, and then.....'
Yeah, I fainted. In an instant.
'It felt like it was sucking all the strength out of my body.'
Huh. Come to think of it!
I quickly fumbled with my head. And my butt, too.
Fortunately, there was nothing to feel. The ears and tail themselves seemed to be well hidden.
'So I haven't been caught yet...'
It seemed I could delay the time of becoming a whole roast a little. Just as I let out a sigh of relief, creak...
The door opened with the sound of an old wooden door opening.
"The door opens too easily. At this rate, where are we..."
A man with black hair and red eyes entered the house, muttering softly.
As he brushed the snowballs piled on his shoulder while frowning, my eyes met his.
"..."
"Oh. My God."
"...You are awake. I was worried you might not wake up."
The man, having smoothed his crumpled face, spoke to me.
"..."
However, I could not open my mouth easily.
Because the moment I met those red eyes, only this word came to mind. It was..
'This crazy!'
A swear word.
You might think, 'Aren't you swearing too much?' but his looks were such that I couldn't help but swear.
Of course, since Rachel's looks were so perfect, I assumed her brother would also possess equally formidable looks.
I had imagined it in passing.
But this was more than that.
'You didn't tell me he was this handsome?'
I thought Northerners were decent-looking in their own way, but that was all an illusion created by my narrow perspective.
Is this why you need to experience the wider world?
I stared at him blankly, forgetting even that I had almost died at his hands
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