Chapter 145: I Raised a Tiger Cub! (3)

From that day on, Louis began shuttling between his den and the village.

To be precise, he spent his days wandering around the village before returning to his den at night—a routine he repeated over and over again.

Three days passed in this manner.

By now, Louis had seamlessly integrated into the village life.

“Hey, Louis! Come here and try some of this!”

“Yeah, thanks.”

“Louis, when you leave, could you give this to Jack for me?”

“Sure thing.”

Although it was a small settlement with only about twenty households, the fact that Louis, an outsider, was welcomed everywhere he went spoke volumes about his remarkable ability to connect with others.

Squelch.

With a piece of jerky in his mouth, Louis strolled through the village, marveling at its tranquil atmosphere.

What a peaceful place, he thought to himself.

The village Louis was currently in hadn’t been around for long. Despite this, it had established order, and though poor, happiness could be seen on the villagers’ faces. It was all thanks to Jack, a hunter.

No wonder he seemed like such a good person…

It wasn’t clear where Jack had come from or what he’d done before arriving, but he took charge of both big and small matters in the village. Though relatively young, he played a role similar to that of a village chief.

And the people here really follow him well.

Upon reflection, it truly seemed fortunate that Lia had settled in this village.

As they continued wandering through the village, Fin whispered to Louis:

“Um, sir.”

“What is it?”

“How long do you plan to take care of that child, Lia?”

“Well…until she’s ready?”

“Hmm… So you’re okay with this even now? She seems to be adjusting well enough.”

As Fin said, Lia was handling herself remarkably for a seven-year-old. Despite her tender years, she carried herself with poise and resilience. Most children at that age would still throw tantrums or require constant attention, but not Lia. In fact, Jack had been marveling at how much he relied on her help around the house. Under normal circumstances, Louis too would have praised such intelligence and maturity in a child.

Yet instead, Louis shook his head.

“Do you know what the first thing that kid said to me when she woke up was?”

“What is it?”

“She asked, ‘Who are you?’”

“What? Why do you think that’s significant?”

“At that age, kids usually look for their parents when they’re in an unfamiliar environment. Or at least cry.”

“Oh!” Fin’s expression turned slightly admiring.

Louis had a point.

He continued his story without missing a beat.

“And you know what else? That kid hasn’t asked about her parents even once since waking up.”

“What?! No way…!”

What could it mean for a young child not to seek out her parents in such circumstances?

Louis nodded gravely. “That’s right. She knows already—her parents are dead.”

“I see…”

“That little one is pretty smart and quick-witted. She’s doing everything she can to avoid being abandoned again. After all, if she proves herself useful, neither Jack nor I would cast her aside.”

“Poor thing…” Fin said with a sympathetic look on her face.

Louis shrugged his shoulders at this.

“Well, I don’t have anything else to do right now anyway, so why not take care of the kid we picked up? Until she gets her mind made up.”

He already had all his work done recently, giving him plenty of free time. Although he claimed to be looking after the child, it was honestly just something to alleviate his boredom.

There was one more reason Louis wanted to look after Lia…

I really can’t figure her out.

The longer they spent together, the stronger the strange feeling grew whenever Louis looked at Lia.

She’s just an ordinary little girl though.

Louis tried to recall if there was a character named Lia in the original story he knew, but that wasn’t it either.

Then why do I feel so concerned about her?

He couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Due to this lingering feeling, Louis decided to keep an eye on the girl for a bit longer.

With this decision made, Louis set off towards his next destination: Jack’s house where Lia was staying.

Creak.

“I’m back!” he announced loudly as he pushed open the old door.

His greeting was met by Jack.

“Oh? You’re here again? Why do you come and go so often?”

“I’ve told you already. My place is nearby.”

“But it’s still dangerous out there… Especially with the recent unusual monster activity. Be careful, okay?”

“Don’t worry too much.”

“By the way, boy… haven’t you started speaking rather curtly?”

“Oh, have I? Don’t take it too personally. I’m older than you might think.”

“Hmm…” Jack looked at Louis with a quizzical expression.

The handsome young man who casually traversed the Green Mountains exuded confidence and ease. There was something extraordinary about him.

Could he be an elf…?

Jack knew well that many peculiar elves had settled in these mountains. The boy himself claimed to be older than he appeared, so Jack dismissed his words as inconsequential.

Just then, Louis asked:

“What about Lia?”

A scream cut him off before he could finish his question.

“Ackkkk!” Crash.

At that sound, Jack and Louis sprang into action, heading straight for the kitchen.

There they found a redheaded girl standing next to shattered dishes, clearly distraught.

Lia looked at them with tear-filled eyes. “I’m s-sorry,” she stammered.

Although it was just a plain plate made of baked clay, Lia turned pale as if she had committed some grave sin.

“I-I messed up. I w-was trying to clean this area…”

Seeing her flustered state, Jack waved his hand dismissively. “It’s okay. It wasn’t very expensive anyway…”

Just as Jack tried to comfort her…

Louis suddenly approached Lia.

Then…

Thwack!

He smacked her on the forehead.

“Hey!”

Startled, Jack cried out, but Louis glared at Lia with fierce eyes.

Lia’s already pale complexion turned even whiter at this sight. Seeing this, Louis opened his mouth.

“Listen up, kid.”

”…Yes?”

In response to Lia’s dejected reply, Louis continued in a calm voice:

“Don’t work so hard.”

”…Pardon?”

“I said, don’t strain yourself too much. Neither I nor that bearded fellow have any interest in exploiting a seven-year-old child for our amusement.”

”…”

“We won’t throw away your life just because you’re not working tirelessly. Hey, Jack.”

Caught off guard by the unexpected call, Jack responded with surprise written all over his face.

“Huh? Wh-what is it?”

“If this little one doesn’t do household chores, will you kick them out?”

“No way!”

“You heard him, right? You’re still a kid. Don’t try to make us look like bad adults for no reason.”

”…”

“So just do your part. If you want to repay this kindness, wait until you’ve grown up. That’ll be fine.”

Lia remained silent at Louis’ words, simply listening intently. Then, as if a dam had burst, clear tears flooded from her eyes.

“Hiccup!” The child threw herself into Louis’ arms, wailing uncontrollably.

The harsh reality of losing her parents overnight and having to live alone was too much for a mere seven-year-old to bear. Her pent-up sorrow finally exploded due to Louis’s presence.

“Mmph.” Seeing the child sobbing with her face buried in his stomach, Louis sighed softly and gently stroked her hair while looking down at the back of her head.

As Lia’s sobs began to subside, Louis spoke up.

“Well then, let’s go now that you’re done crying.”

Lia widened her eyes at being gently pushed away by Louis.

“Wh-where?”

“We have to say goodbye to your mom and dad.”

It might’ve been a bit cruel for such a young child, but he figured it would be better for her if she dealt with this quickly rather than dragging it out.

She closed her mouth upon hearing his words.

“…”

“If you don’t want to, just tell me later.” As Louis tried to wrap things up…

“No! N-no!” She shook her head slightly while taking hold of his hand. “I’ll g-go now…with you, bro…”

Louis nodded understandingly before looking over at Jack.

“I’m off.”

“Y-yes, please do so…”

Jack nodded his head with a bewildered expression on his face as he watched Louis and Lia leave their home. He muttered to himself:

“They’re better than I am…”

It seemed that Louis was indeed older than he looked. The kindness he showed by comforting Lia despite not seeing what she did wasn’t something one would expect from a boy of such young age.

Lia took Louis’s hand and found her parents’ graves again that day. The little girl cried once more as she stood before them.

Though such sorrow might be too much for a young child to bear, Lia seemed much happier after that visit. She faced each day with determination and settled into village life.

Both Jack and Louis helped their sister whenever they could.

Time flew by quickly:

One day, two days, a month, half a year, one year, two years…

On the day Lia turned nine…

A little girl missing her front teeth looked up at Louis shyly and said, “When I grow up, I want to marry you!”

“No way.”

“But…why not? Why not?!”

“I’m not interested in little kids.”

“You’re silly!”

Jack informed Louis that on a certain day, Lia had soaked her pillow with tears and wailed uncontrollably. The little girl who experienced heartbreak at such a young age was growing into a teenager.

Louis observed this transformation from child to adolescent.

There doesn’t seem to be anything particularly special about her, does there?

He couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was that had initially intrigued him about Lia.

Time passed until she turned fifteen.

”…I guess I’m not always right.”

Believing his intuition had misled him, Louis gradually reduced his visits to the village. At first, he came every few days; later, it became once every couple of weeks. As his appearances grew less frequent, even Lia, who had initially bristled at his presence, began to see Louis as fleeting as the wind.

He was not meant to stay by her side forever, after all.

And so, when Lia turned seventeen…

Louis returned to the village for the first time in a year.

The little kid with a missing front tooth had grown into a young woman almost overnight.

“Brother!”

“Hello there, kiddo.”

Lia eagerly greeted Louis upon their reunion. After spending a few days in the village once more, he headed back to his lair as usual.

From then on, Louis visited Lia every year without fail.

When she was eighteen.

When she was nineteen.

When she turned twenty.

Having witnessed the seven-year-old child transform completely into an adult, Louis bid farewell to the village once again.

It was all in preparation for his second hibernation, which loomed ever closer.

Time had flown by since Louis completed his checks for that very purpose. Three years had passed before he returned to the village once more.

“Louis?”

Lia, now twenty-three, stared at the white-haired boy sitting casually in front of Jack’s house with wide eyes. She smiled warmly as she looked at him.

“You haven’t changed a bit, big brother.”

While Lia had grown up around him, Louis hadn’t aged a day. He still appeared to be fifteen years old. At first, it seemed strange, but eventually, everyone came to accept it.

He is truly mysterious.

From the beginning, he had always been like this—a presence who suddenly appeared one day out of nowhere.

Sometimes he seemed like her brother.

At other times, more like her father.

A presence that had circled protectively around her for many years, as gentle as the wind.

Now, Lia had resolved to accept Louis just as he was.

Louis smiled at her warmly. “I see you’re doing well here. Then…”

“Wait!” Lia urgently grabbed him, seeing him about to leave again. Her cheeks flushed slightly.

“Oh, umm… I’m getting married,” she said softly.

“…?!” Startled, Louis blinked rapidly before breaking into a teasing grin. “Wow… What happened to the little girl who promised to marry me someday? Did I get stood up?”

“You were the first one to reject!” After bickering for a while, Louis and Lia stopped arguing and smiled at each other.

“So when is it going down?”

“Tomorrow.”

“…I guess I picked just the right time then?”

“I suppose so! How did you manage that?”

“So who’s your lucky guy?”

“Well…”

Louis and Lia sat together on one side of their yard, catching up on all they hadn’t talked about before.

The next day…

“Congratulations!”

“Wishing you much happiness!”

Amidst everyone’s blessings, Lia got married.

She was no longer a child but a woman now.

From his perch atop a nearby roof, Louis watched over her with a contented smile.

Suddenly, Louis gave a casual wave of his hand.

Instantly, shimmering light descended upon the wedding venue like a blessing from above.

Though it was merely a simple application of holy magic, the sight seemed as if the very heavens were bestowing their benediction on today’s bride.

“Wow…”

“What is this?”

“It’s beautiful…”

As the startled guests buzzed with amazement at the unexpected spectacle, Lia’s gaze drifted towards one particular spot—the roof where Louis sat observing the ceremony.

Their eyes met briefly before Louis gave her a slight wave. In that moment, he could see it:

Lia’s radiant smile directed solely at him.

“Farewell, little one.”

Whoosh!

With those final words of blessing, Louis vanished into thin air.

Seven years flew by in a blink.

“Ahh…” Louis stretched briefly while leaning against a tree and reading a book. He then gazed at the slowly setting red sun and pondered:

I wonder how she’s doing.

The sight of the crimson sunset had conjured up thoughts of that redheaded child. Suddenly, his curiosity was piqued. How was the little girl he’d last seen getting along with her new family?

With this on his mind, Louis rose from his spot.

If I’m curious, why not just pay her a visit?

After all, it would be but a moment for someone like him to travel there using one turn of the Sacred Scripture. As soon as the thought crossed his mind, Louis vanished.

Fwip!

When Louis reappeared, he found himself hovering above the village he often visited. He marveled at the sight before him.

“Oh? It’s grown quite a bit.”

As time had flowed like water, the village that was once home to merely twenty families now boasted nearly sixty households. Louis suspected it might be the largest settlement in these parts.

Having formed this quick impression, Louis expanded his senses. He sought out a familiar presence amidst the village’s energy before making his move.

Whoosh!

Louis materialized before a house on the outskirts of town. It was a modest dwelling with wisps of smoke rising from its chimney.

He knocked on the door.

Rap-rap.

“Who is it?” came a clear voice from inside—a voice etched deeply into Louis’s memory.

With a smile playing across his face, he replied:

“It’s me!”

For a moment, there was no response from behind the door. But then…

Ding-dong!

The sound of something moving quickly reached their ears, and the door flew open.

Then a woman appeared.

“Louis!”

It was Lia, now thirty years old.

She embraced Louis warmly after seven long years apart.

“Why did you come so late?”

“I’ve been busy with this and that. How have you been?”

“Great! Just great!”

“You look like you’re doing well.”

Lia’s face radiated happiness.

As Louis and Lia joyfully reunited,

“Mommy…”

A small shadow clung to Lia from behind.

It was a red-haired boy, looking exactly like young Lia.

Louis couldn’t help but ask, puzzled:

“Your son?”

“Yes. He’s six years old now,” Lía said while stroking her son’s head attached to her leg.

Her child eyed Louis warily before clinging tightly to his mother. Seeing this familiar reaction from her offspring made Lía smile gently.

“Kendrick, this is Uncle Louis. Shouldn’t you greet him?”

At his mother’s affectionate voice, the boy turned towards Louis with curiosity.

Noticing the youngster’s lively gaze, Louis chuckled and began:

“Oh look at that! Your son certainly takes after your—”

Suddenly, Louis froze mid-sentence, bewilderment clouding his face as he stammered,

“W-wait a moment. What did you say his name was again?”

“Pardon?” replied Lía, puzzled by Louis’s urgency.

“What’s your son’s name!”

“…?!” Louis’s eyes widened in disbelief. “The real Kendrick? Not Kanduk or Khan but Kendrick?”

“…Why do you sound so surprised?” Lia asked innocently.

Louis felt his neck heating up at her question.

This is insane…!

He found himself genuinely flustered for the first time in ages, and understandably so.

Kendrick…

How could he not know that name?

In all the original storylines he was familiar with, there was only one character by that name:

Sword Saint… Kendrick.

The strongest sword wielder among humans.

Master of the Dragon-Slaying Sword.

The one who would behead the Mad Dragon.

The description of the original Kendrick materialized on the face of this six-year-old child gazing back at him with wide, innocent eyes.

Louis couldn’t help but mutter dejectedly:

“…I’ve raised a tiger cub.”